Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Reginald Smith, of Denver, gets ready for his COVID-19 vaccination at Shorter AME Church in Denver, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.
Owetta McNeil, 82, does not like it when people mispronounce her name.
“It’s ‘OH WEE-TAH’ she admonishes, making sure people know her name should be pronounced with double “e” sound.
McNeil, who worked as a secretary for Denver Public Schools for more than 30 years, has lupus, leukemia along with several other medical conditions, and speaks haltingly after a stroke in March.
Even so, McNeil wasn’t sure what she’d do when doctors advised her to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Evan Vucci/AP Photo
In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, supporters listen as President Donald Trump speaks as a Confederate-themed and other flags flutter in the wind during a rally in Washington.
The deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was excruciating for Colorado Springs pastor, professor and former Senate candidate, Stephany Rose Spaulding.
Just a few days earlier she had been in the seat of the country’s democracy watching her good friend Cori Bush of Missouri be sworn in to her first term as a Congresswoman.
“And I know the security of the Capitol,” Spaulding said. “I couldn’t even get through security with a pen in my purse!”
The Suncor oil refinery in Denver, June 2, 2020.
Nearly two years after committing Colorado to a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Jared Polis has a plan to make it happen.
On Thursday, the governor’s office released a final “roadmap” to achieve the goals in the state’s 2019 climate action plan. The legislation calls for a 26 percent reduction in emissions by 2025 and a 50 percent reduction by 2030. Those targets are measured against Colorado’s 2005 emissions.
“This is by far the most ambitious and expansive planning document that Colorado has ever produced on climate change,” Polis said. “And as we pursue this work, we also must ensure that our efforts promote racial equity and economic justice.”
David Zalubowski/AP
The front doors of a closed restaurant are secured by a chain wound through the handles of the doors and a padlock Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Northglenn, Colo.
Victor Uruchurtu moved to the U.S. from Mexico 12 years ago. He started his own disaster restoration business in Denver for homes with flood damage.
He came close to shutting down when the pandemic hit.
“It was pretty pretty intense,” Uruchurtu said.
The large companies that contract with him fell behind on payments – and homeowners were reluctant to let his crew inside.
“All of that together is like the perfect storm,” Uruchurtu said. “You cannot get more jobs not because the jobs are not there, but because the homeowners don’t want you in their homes.”