Foot traffic at two major Denver retail hubs is still struggling to rebound to pre-coronavirus averages, an Orbital Insight analysis of cell phone data conducted for Axios shows.

Why it matters: One measure of Colorado's economic recovery is the health of the retail sector, which is particularly key for employment.

By the numbers: Cherry Creek Shopping Center and the 16th Street Mall experienced holiday boosts but visits remain down even as COVID-19 rates fall.

• Cherry Creek is faring better, but still saw an average 38% drop in foot traffic for 2020. So far in 2021, it's a 29% decrease.
• The outdoor 16th Street Mall downtown lost an average of 49% of its typical visitors in 2020. It's down a deeper 65% in 2021 — not surprising, given the weather.

What they're saying: Cherry Creek general manager Jeramy Burkinshaw said he's "pleased with the momentum ... in spite of current conditions.

• Tami Door, CEO and president of the Downtown Denver Partnership, pinned 16th Street's downturn on public health restrictions. Once they lift, "you are going to see that [foot traffic] return," she told Axios.

The bottom line: The pandemic has pushed consumers online, supercharging a trend that was already underway.

• Retail sales in Colorado are actually above pre-pandemic levels, according to a December economic forecast, but that increase is driven by online sales, which were 20% higher in 2020 compared to 2019.

The way you vote in Denver's 2023 municipal election will look different, Clerk and Recorder Paul López tells Axios.

What's on the table: Ranked-choice and approval voting, systems that election officials say would save the city $1 million and boost voter turnout.

• The ranked-choice method, often called instant runoff, asks voters to rank candidates based on their preference. Three cities in Colorado currently use it.
• An approval voting system asks voters to select all the candidates on the ballot they support.

Another consideration is moving the municipal election date.

• A shift from May to April would widen the window between municipal and runoff elections, giving military and overseas voters more time to cast their ballots
• Moving from May to November to coincide with statewide elections would save an estimated $2 million. An instant-runoff system would be needed, López says.

The impact: New voting methods could change the political game.

• With ranked choice, "voters can support outsider candidates without worrying about wasting their ballots. And candidates can win only with support — or at least tolerance — from a majority of the electorate," the New York Times reports.
• Yes, but: "Whiter, more-affluent voters were likelier than minority populations and the poor to rank multiple candidates instead of just their first choice," the Colorado Sun reports.

What's next: A virtual town hall tonight will explore what's in the works.

• Denver's clerk has convened a Charter Review Committee to craft a proposal that’s expected to be voted on by the City Council by late August and, if approved, brought before voters this November.

We'd like you to meet a very good boy.

• Boss is one of at least nine newly registered pit bulls in the city, according to Denver Animal Protection.
• Flashback: Denver voters repealed a decades-old pit bull ban in November.

Why Boss matters: He belongs to Denver resident and former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, who helped the team to a Super Bowl 50 victory. (#stillproud)

• In his first stint with the Broncos, Osweiler lived in Lone Tree, so that he could legally own Boss and his pit bull sister (who has since passed away).
• When he returned to the team in 2017, his furry "family" members stayed with relatives out-of-state.

What he's saying: Registering his best friend at Denver Animal Shelter was not only simple, it was a no-brainer. He hopes more people follow suit.

• 💙 "It's important for people who are scared of pit bulls or think negatively about them to see that there are good pit bulls out there," Osweiler tells Alayna.

The debate about whether to reopen schools is giving way to a new question: Should we require students to take standardized tests in Colorado this year?

Driving the news: The Biden administration told state education officials this week that federally required standardized tests must be given this year, even if students are learning remotely.

• Senate Education Committee chair Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) says she will continue her push to suspend the Colorado Measures of Academic Success standardized tests, which help determine if students meet grade level benchmarks, Chalkbeat reports.

The big picture: The issue splits parents and education advocates and is expected to be one the most tense education debates this year at the state Capitol, Chalkbeat adds.

Denver-based Healthgrades issued its latest rankings of America's top hospitals and named two Colorado facilities in the top 50. That puts them in the top 1% nationwide.

Top 50:

• Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette.
• Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins.

Top 100:

• UCHealth Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion — Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

Top 250:

• North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.
• Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, including St. Francis Medical Center.
• Rose Medical Center in Denver.
• Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver.
• Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree.
• Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
• The Medical Center of Aurora.

Between the lines: The rankings are based on results related to common procedures from Medicare data and did not measure how the hospitals performed while treating COVID-19.

We may be landlocked, but that doesn't mean we have to travel far for fresh seafood.

• TK's Surf & Turf Kitchen, one of Denver's newest family-run restaurants, serves all your favorite seafood staples — crab, lobster and shrimp — and plenty of other yumminess, like salmon Alfredo, spicy macaroni and garlic mashed potatoes.

Why it stands out: "There are no other Black-owned seafood restaurants" in Denver, owner Tyler "TK" Kanwai told Denver7, adding that it was important to pursue his dream and break down barriers.

• Inside TK's seafood joint, you'll see artwork honoring the Black Lives Matter movement, including murals of George Floyd, Elijah McClain and Breonna Taylor.
• Alayna's pro tip: Do NOT sleep on TK's secret sauce! It'll blow your mind.

The big picture: Across the country, Black-owned small businesses were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.