One year after pit bulls were allowed to strut down Denver sidewalks again, new city data provided to Axios shows the dogs were responsible for more reported bites on people than any other breed in 2021.

Flashback: City voters lifted Denver's pit bull ban in November 2020 after more than 30 years.

• Residents overrode Mayor Michael Hancock's first-ever veto blocking the measure, passed by the Denver City Council.

By the numbers: Denver Animal Protection identified 117 bites in 2021 from pit bull breeds. Of those, 10 were reported on young children, agency spokesperson Tammy Vigil tells Axios.

• By comparison, only 54 bites were reported by Labrador retrievers and 61 by German shepherds.
• Pit bulls also topped the list for the most multiple-bite injuries, considered Level 5 offenses on the Ian Dunbar Dog Bite Scale, which goes up to Level 6, signifying death. The city reports 3% of pit bull bites in 2021 reached this severity.
• "Since pit bulls were not legal in Denver until 2021, we're really looking at this data as our baseline and we're not able to extrapolate much about what it means yet," Vigil explains.

What they're saying: Proponents for legalization downplayed the numbers and questioned the data collection.

• "It's not fair to combine three breeds into one dataset," councilperson Chris Herndon says. "It's important to ask if this is the most efficient and most transparent way to track the data."

Of note: The Denver Animal Shelter saw 100 pit bulls adopted last year, making it the second-most adopted breed behind chihuahuas.

Keep reading

After COVID-induced shutdowns, repeated regulatory changes, labor shortages and supply chain challenges, restaurants and their patrons have been left to wonder what 2022 has in store.

By and large, the industry maintained its hopeful, albeit cautious, tenor as purveyors shared forecasts with Axios for the year ahead:

• "Supporting the local food movement will not only be a trend, but a necessity due to the disruption of the supply chain ... I think we'll start to see a lot of new purveyors popping up and producing specialty ingredients," Cody Cheetham, executive chef of Tavernetta, said.
• "I think 2022 is the year of vegetables," predicted chef Jeff Osaka.

More food for thought, and read our first two installments of this week's What's Next in 2022 series

Louisville Police chief David Hayes experienced the destruction of the Marshall Fire firsthand.

• His house was consumed by the flames. His car melted in the driveway. His uniform was charred.
• "What used to be a house was mostly collapsed into what was our basement," the chief told the Colorado Sun.

What happened: The first flames Hayes saw last Thursday were outside his office window as the station's landscaping caught fire.

• He evacuated the building and then spent hours at a King Soopers planning and executing the evacuation of the town.

How he found out: The eight-year veteran chief says he didn't think about his own house until much later. He lives alone in the home he's had for 32 years.

• He found his neighborhood decimated late Thursday evening.

What's next: Hayes, who is campaigning to replace Boulder County sheriff Joe Pelle in the 2022 election, plans to rebuild.

• "This might sound crazy, but I want the same exact house back," he said. "I want the same rooms where they are. The furnishings, of course, will be different."

Share this story

⛔ King Soopers is considering legal action against a union representing its workers after members voted to strike when their contracts expire Sunday; the workers are citing unfair labor practices. (Westword)

🚨 Denver police were alerted in January 2021 to a possible theft involving Lyndon McLeod, the alleged gunman who killed five people on Dec. 27, but said they found no evidence of a local connection to a crime. (9News)

🚔 A Louisville man who threatened a firefighter about mandatory evacuations from the Marshall Fire was found with 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a loaded AR-15 rifle and a 9mm handgun, an arrest affidavit shows. (Denver7)

🐴 Sanford schools are the first in the state to discontinue use of a Native American mascot since the passage of a law banning them. The San Luis Valley district chose the Thundering Mustangs. (Colorado Politics)

🏈 Former Denver Bronco and Northglenn Mayor Odell Barry, the first Black elected mayor of a major city in Colorado, died Monday. He was 80. (Denver Post)

💪 Time to flex your skills and experience. See what’s new on our Job Board.

1. Data Strategy & Governance Sr. Associate at PWC.
2. Leader, AdTech Platforms at Western Union.

Want more opportunities? Check out our sponsored Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

"Don't Look Up," a celeb-packed satire, has drawn millions of viewers since debuting last month on Netflix — but few of its fans know who's behind the film.

• The movie details the world's reaction to a comet heading toward Earth after it was discovered by a pair of scientists, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

Why it matters: "Don't Look Up" was created by two Denver masterminds on a mission to save the planet.

• Adam McKay, a Mile High City native, directed the film. He's known for other notable movies, including "The Big Short" and "Anchorman."
• David Sirota, a local activist and podcaster, co-created the motion picture.

What they're saying: In a recent Denver Post interview, the duo said the movie is intended to address the climate crisis.

• McKay explained: "I realized we need to be able to laugh when dealing with something as overwhelming as the collapse of the livable atmosphere."

🍿 Read the rest of the interview … and watch the movie

We wrote a couple months ago about a handful of our favorite greasy spoons closing, and explained why it matters.

🥞 What’s new: Now one more iconic eatery for movers, shakers and average folks is shuttered.

• The Breakfast King is dead.