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Colorado's Democratic governor warns Biden could lose if he doesn't "reinvent" strategy
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on Friday cast doubt on President Biden's chances of winning re-election without a significant shift in strategy, the New York Times reports.Why it matters: Although Polis has criticized Biden before, his recent remarks are the most pointed yet and come as the governor is being considered as a possible replacement for Biden on the 2024 ticket.What he's saying: Polis called questions and conversations surrounding Biden's ability to win in November "legitimate.""When you are down — and I think it's important that President Biden and his team realize that they're underwater in the polls, if the...
Long COVID can still kill, new Colorado data shows
Long COVID is a "significant contributing factor" in the death of 38 Colorado residents in 2023 and another 14 so far in 2024, new state figures show.Why it matters: Years removed from the height of the pandemic, chronic conditions derived from COVID-19 continue to contribute to the state's death rate, CPR reports.What they're saying: "It doesn't surprise me. It's definitely something that we should pay attention to because long COVID exists," Dana Dabelea, an epidemiology professor at Colorado's School of Public Health, told the radio station.The big picture: The state's mortality rate is still higher than pre-pandemic years at 682 per 100,000 people, compared to a rate of 636 in 2019.In 2021, COVID ranked as the third leading cause of death and the age-adjusted death rate reached a peak of 772.6 before vaccines became more widely available.Yes, but: COVID is no longer one of the state's top 10 killers, CPR found. It ranked 12th when "underlying cases" of long COVID were added to the total.The bottom line: Life expectancy in Colorado rose to 79.9 in 2023, up from 2020 but not back to pre-pandemic levels of 80.9.Sign up for Axios Denver for free.
Blood popsicles, anyone? The weird ways Denver's zoo keeps animals cool on hot days
Bloodsicles, anyone?The big picture: That's just one of the ways the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, as it's newly renamed, is helping its animals beat the heat this summer.Driving the news: The challenge to keep the zoo's 2,500-plus creatures cool is even more strenuous this weekend as Denver faces triple-digit temperatures, staff tell us.Zoom in: Animal care specialists are coming up with creative ways for zoo residents to cool down apart from pools, fans, misters and air-conditioned spaces indoors.That includes making popsicles out of frozen blood and meat for some of the zoo's carnivores. Miss Tundra, the zoo's rescued grizzly...
Here's what's happening this weekend in Denver
This weekend in Denver: Explore tiny houses, taste unlimited tacos or see the Piano Man live at Coors Field. 1. 🏡 Colorado Tiny House FestivalSqueeze into a variety of tiny living spaces at the Colorado Tiny House Festival in Brighton.Why it matters: Colorado just passed legislation to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which can include tiny homes on foundations.Denver's City Council approved new standards for ADU construction last year.Zoom in: Attendees have the opportunity to tour small living structures, including tiny houses on wheels, container homes, yurts, skoolies, converted vans, RVs and ADUs.What to expect: Meet...
Denver's 8.81% sales tax explained: What you're really paying for
Data: City of Denver Municipal Code; Table: Alayna Alvarez/AxiosIf history is any indication, Denverites love to tax themselves. In fact, they've raised their own fees by more than 30% since 2018.By the numbers: The city's overall sales tax rate sits at 8.81%.That figure includes Denver's 4.81% local sales tax, along with taxes for the state (2.9%), the Regional Transportation District (1%) and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (0.1%), which funds more than 300 cultural and arts organizations.Zoom in: The 8.81% figure is largely buoyed by a handful of hikes approved by city voters over the last decade.The two most...
This Colorado brewery is emerging as the state's new beer ambassador
WeldWerks Brewing is now Colorado's ambassador to the craft beer world.The Greeley brewery boasts a national — and international — distribution footprint and is poised for 10% growth this year at a time when the industry overall is posting negative production numbers.Why it matters: With its stature, WeldWerks is replacing well-known brands like New Belgium, Avery and Oskar Blues — all of which sold to larger out-of-state conglomerates — as Colorado's hallmark destination for great beer.State of play: A recently completed $2 million expansion of its brewhouse — after the acquisition of its entire downtown parcel — is propelling WeldWerks and...
Mayor-backed plan will test whether Denver taxpayers want another sales rate hike
Data: Colorado Department of Revenue; Table: Thomas Oide/AxiosDenver leaders want voters to increase local taxes this fall, pushing the city's overall rate past 9%, and testing taxpayers at a time when consumer spending has slowed.The big picture: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston wants a 0.5% sales tax raise to generate $100 million annually to meet the city's affordable housing needs. Meanwhile, Denver Health, the city's safety net hospital, seeks a 0.34% hike to raise $70 million annually to cover operating costs.The intrigue: Denver voters don't often reject proposed tax increases, something economist Chris Stiffler of the left-leaning Colorado Fiscal Institute said...
Electrify Expo showcases Denver as hot EV market
More than a dozen electric vehicle makers are arriving in Denver this weekend as the city emerges as one of the nation's hottest EV markets.The Electrify Expo picked Denver as one of its eight stops in 2024 — based on vehicle registration numbers and sales data from manufacturers. Other stops include Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle."Denver has been one of those places that's been really kind of bubbling up over the past couple years and showing a pretty big spike in EV registrations and hand-raisers," Electrify Expo founder BJ Birtwell tells us.Why it matters: The event is designed to...
Take a peek inside CU Denver's new Outside Lab for gear testing
Inside a classroom at the University of Colorado Denver, two hiking boots spin on a machine and land on a treadmill in constant rotation. Thump, thump, thump.State of play: The Heeluxe Time Machine is testing the boots' durability, simulating a 180-pound person walking 150 miles over a few days.It's part of the new Outside Lab at CU Denver, a state-launched initiative to test products and materials for outdoor gear companies and improve product reviews for consumers.Why it matters: The lab is designed to help outdoor recreation companies in Colorado, particularly smaller ones with fewer resources, develop better products and succeed...
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