1. Snow steadily falls in Metro Denver, temps below 20s
A good shot of winter weather arrived in Denver overnight courtesy of a strong Canadian cold front. It brought between 1 and 3 inches of snow and drastically colder temperatures to the Metro area Thursday morning.
2. War of words between fire chief, sheriff about Black Forest Fire cause
The most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, which burned 486 homes and killed two people, was “human caused, and probably intentional,” according to Black Forest Fire Chief Bob Harvey. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa vehemently disagrees with Harvey’s claims.
3. Lindsey Vonn suffers torn ACL in Copper Mountain crash
Instead of preparing to compete in the World Champions in Beaver Creek next week, Vail’s Lindsey Vonn will begin rehabbing yet another knee injury, after it was confirmed Wednesday that she suffered a partially-torn ACL during a crash this week at Copper Mountain.
4. De-clawing debate: Activists want to make it illegal to de-claw cats
Animal rights activists call de-clawing cruel and barbaric, and now they’re leading a new movement to ban the procedure in Colorado. But some cat owners say that’s going too far.
5. All flood-damaged highways to reopen before Thanksgiving
Repair crews had a stated goal to reopen all of Colorado’s flood-damaged highways by Dec. 1. On Wednesday, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced that crews would beat that goal, and that all of those roadways would be reopened before Thanksgiving.
6. Someone may be shooting at random cars on JeffCo highways
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office warned drivers Wednesday that someone may be shooting randomly at vehicles on C-470 near Alameda Parkway and on Highway 285 near Highway 8. Investigators have received three reports since July 24.
7. 911 calls related to Jessica Ridgeway murder released
911 calls related to the Jessica Ridgeway disappearance and murder were released Wednesday. The calls came from Jessica’s mother, Sarah, as well as from Mindy Sigg, the mother of her admitted murderer, Austin Sigg. Be warned, the calls are graphic.
8. Denver one of best cities in nation for brunch
The Mile High City has landed with high marks in a just-released list of the cities with the best brunches, as rated by Yelp. Denver comes in at number three, with only Chicago and Minneapolis coming in with higher rankings.
9. Huge Boeing cargo jet lands at wrong airport in Wichita
A mammoth cargo plane that landed Wednesday night at the wrong airport in Wichita, Kansas — one that typically does not accommodate such beasts — missing its mark by about 12 miles.
10. GOP playbook to target Obamacare leaked
The House Republican strategy memo, entitled “Because of Obamacare… I lost my insurance,” offers samples of talking points, social media, videos, digital flyers, op-eds, and a fact sheet for GOP lawmakers doing battle against the president’s signature legislative achievement. It was leaked to CNN on Thursday.