Axios Denver

March 27, 2023
It's Monday. Don't forget: All vote centers are open today for in-person voting. It's also the last day to mail your ballot.
- Need help? Check out our quick voter guide.
🌤 Today's weather: Chances of light snow showers continue with highs near 39° and mostly cloudy skies.
Situational awareness: Most city government offices in Denver are closed today for César Chávez Day.
Today's newsletter is 868 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Colorado recorded 5th-most COVID-19 deaths

Three years after the pandemic arrived in Colorado, the state reached a bleak milestone: 15,000 COVID-19 deaths.
What's happening: The state reported 15,007 deaths as of Wednesday, making it the most deadly event in Colorado in history, CPR reports. The first fatality was on March 13, 2020.
- COVID-19 deaths are roughly double those of the 1918 flu pandemic that ravaged the state and far more than those from world wars.
- The coronavirus decreased the state's life expectancy in 2020 and 2021 and was the third leading cause of death.
What they're saying: "Fifteen thousand deaths is just terrible and it kind of forces us to reflect on what's happened," Anuj Mehta, a pulmonary care physician at Denver Health, said. "COVID has done so much more than just killed people. It's impacted people's lives."
The big picture: Colorado recorded the fifth-most COVID-19 deaths in the nation when adjusted for age and comorbidities at 473 per 100,000 people, according to an analysis published in The Lancet. The state trails only Arizona, Washington, D.C., New Mexico and Mississippi.
- Higher poverty, lower educational attainment, less access to quality health care and lower levels of interpersonal trust disproportionately led to higher rates of COVID infections and death, Axios' Tina Reed writes.
2. 🏈 Broncos owners seek input on new stadium
Empower Field at Mile High. Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images
The new owners of the Denver Broncos are considering building a new "state-of-the-art" football stadium — and it may not be in the Mile High City.
Driving the news: The franchise recently sent out an extensive survey to season ticket holders to get their opinions on a future stadium — whether it should be rebuilt or moved to a new location, 9News reports.
- The options include relocating to Wheat Ridge and Arvada, Commerce City, the Lakewood/Englewood/Littleton area, or the Glendale/Aurora/Centennial region.
Why it matters: The question of whether the Broncos should build a new stadium has been the talk of the town since last year's $4.65 billion sale agreement with the Walton-Penner family ownership group.
- It's even playing a role in the Denver mayoral race when it comes to who will pay for it.
Details: The Broncos' survey floats the idea of funding a portion of the stadium project with personal seat licenses, which would give the ticket holder the right to buy season tickets for the same seat in the new stadium.
- The survey also mentions the possibility of the new venue being a mixed-use development, and asks participants to rank their top five amenities.
3. 🚨 What we know about DPS' safety plan
An unmarked police vehicle outside East High School in Denver on March 22, after a shooting at the school. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Last week's shooting at East High School is putting the spotlight on a safety plan the district deploys for some students.
Driving the news: The student who is suspected of shooting two faculty members was under an agreement that required he be patted down each day before classes as part of a safety plan. East staff were aware he had a criminal background.
Yes, but: Few additional details have been revealed about why 17-year-old Austin Lyle was on the plan, and how many pupils in the nearly 90,000-student district have to follow similar policies.
- A specific student's safety plan can't be disclosed by the district because it's protected by federal law, a district spokesperson told the Denver Gazette.
What we know: Safety plans for students are commonplace in districts across the country. According to the Denver Post, the goal is to curb "problematic behavior" including suicidal ideation and violent tendencies.
- They can be prompted by a student bringing a weapon to a school or writing something alarming.
4. ✈️ Phil Washington withdraws FAA nomination
Phil Washington during a U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee nomination hearing on March 1. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington, President Biden's pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, has withdrawn his nomination amid Republican opposition, Axios' Ivana Saric writes.
Driving the news: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called Washington an "excellent nominee" and condemned the "undeserved" partisan attacks against him in a tweet confirming the news Saturday night.
The big picture: Washington lacked resounding support from the U.S. Senate, including key Democrats. His resume was attacked by Republicans, who also raised concerns about his ties to a search warrant related to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles — which was first reported in 2021 by Alayna.
Is a new job in your future?
💼 Check out who's hiring around the city.
- Director, Partnerships at LightBox.
- Senior Director of Development at Enterprise Community Partners.
- Confidential - VP Supply of Chain at Addison Group.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
5. Mile Highlights: Kids demand solutions
A child holds a sign during a protest to end gun violence in schools at the Colorado State Capitol on Friday. Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
🗣️ Thousands of students and teachers rallied at the State Capitol on Friday to push for new measures to curb gun violence, marking the third such protest in three weeks. (Denverite)
🚩 A Denver student suspected of attempted murder has returned to McAuliffe International School, despite concerns from the principal and police — an occurrence the principal says is not exclusive to his campus. (9News)
🏠 Did you know you can defer your property taxes if you're hurting from rising assessment rates? The deadline to apply is April 1. Find eligibility details.
📍 Colorado is one of several states moving legislation to address eating disorders, which surged during the pandemic. (AP)
💼 Former Denver police chief Paul Pazen has joined the conservative-leaning Common Sense Institute as a public safety fellow. (Denver Gazette)
6. 🏀 1 photo to go: Colorado bows out in Sweet 16
Colorado's Jaylyn Sherrod and Iowa's McKenna Warnock compete for the ball in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday in Seattle. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
The No. 6 seed University of Colorado's women's basketball team lost to No. 2 seed Iowa on Friday, 87-77.
State of play: A late comeback fell just short. The Buffs closed it to a 4-point gap with 1:31 to play, but the Hawkeyes sealed the win at the free throw line in the final moments.
Our picks:
🥶 John is still unthawing from this avalanche safety course with the Colorado Mountain School over the cold weekend.
🥗 Alayna is adding this simple, but scrumptious charred radish and asparagus ricotta bowl to her list of lunch staples.
📺 Esteban is putting this documentary on the Waco siege on his watchlist.
🙈 Whoops! We got our calendars mixed up and erroneously said in our Sunday newsletter that East High students return to class today.
- They are on spring break and return next week.
Thanks to our editor Ross Terrell and copy editor Judith Isacoff
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