A legislative windfall for climate change — COVID rules loosen further

Plus: Tasty new pizza place | Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Thrifty Traveler   Axios Denver By John Frank and Alayna Alvarez ·Jun 02, 2021 🌤 It's Wednesday, and Denver's run as the Seattle of the Rockies comes to an end. Today's weather: Mostly sunny and a high near 80°. No showers in the forecast! Today's newsletter is 939 words — a 4-minute read.     1 big thing: An unlikely vehicle to address climate change Shanna Solla laughs as she learns how to use the electric charging station in 2018. Photo: Paul Aiken/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images   As counterintuitive as it sounds, a major transportation bill may represent the most significant action on climate change this legislative session. Driving the news: The legislation is best known for the $3.8 billion in new fees it imposes on Colorado drivers and deliveries in the next decade to build new roads. But Senate Bill 260, backed by Gov. Jared Polis, distributes more than a quarter of the $5 billion package toward climate change efforts, a Denver Post analysis shows. By the numbers: $734 million is earmarked to increase adoption of electric vehicles, buses and trucks, as well as install charging stations. $453 million goes toward alternatives to driving, such as transit and bike paths. $253 million is set aside to mitigate air pollution in the Denver metro area. Read the whole story     2. Court ruling preserves independence Justices Monica M. Márquez, William W. Hood III and Richard L. Gabriel of the Colorado Supreme Court. Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post via Getty Images   Lawmakers can't influence the independent redistricting commissions created by Colorado voters, the state Supreme Court says. Why it matters: In no uncertain terms, the 234-word opinion issued Tuesday rejected any political meddling from the General Assembly. It's the first major ruling on Amendments Y and Z, approved by voters in 2018 to create the commissions and remove lawmakers from the redistricting process. Details: The ruling means the Legislature cannot order the redistricting commissions to use preliminary census data to draft district lines. It also puts into doubt a law that requires the commissions to allocate prisoners to where they lived before incarceration, rather than the location of the prison. Context: The elements are part of Senate Bill 247 — a bipartisan measure pushed by legislative leaders and Polis — that the court now says would be unconstitutional if enacted. The bottom line: The redistricting commissions can take these actions on their own — and are moving forward to make preliminary maps by the end of the month — but the Legislature can't require it.     3. Colorado continues COVID rules rollback People wearing masks walk down Larimer Square in Denver. Photo: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/Denver Post via Getty Images   Nearly all COVID-19 restrictions have ended in Colorado — including most mask requirements — and the few that remain are fading fast. What's new: As of Tuesday, organizers of large indoor events won't need state approval to host more than 500 people, according to a new public health order. In alignment with the state, Denver's health department lifted all COVID-19 restrictions at its largest venues, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Coors Field. Yes, but: The state will still require masks for people who aren't fully vaccinated in certain places, including jails and prisons, schools, camps, and child care and medical facilities. What else: On Tuesday, Colorado changed its definition of COVID-19 outbreaks to mean five or more confirmed or probable cases of the virus in most settings, including schools, workplaces and nonresidential-care settings. It previously defined an outbreak as two or more cases. What they're saying: "This change allows us to efficiently focus our resources on the outbreak scenarios most likely to impact public health," state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said in a statement.     A message from Thrifty Traveler Thrifty Traveler can save you up to 90% on flights out of Denver     Beat the airlines at their own game and find flight deals from Denver and Colorado Springs airports to places all over the world, including roundtrip deals like: $326 to Maui, Hawaii $201 to Tokyo, Japan $96 to Orlando, Florida Get instant alerts on the best deals: use promo code DEN10 for $10 off.     4. Finally a (temporary) truce in TV war A shot from Nikola Jokic that you missed on TV in Game 3 of the NBA playoffs. Photo: Steve Dykes/Getty Images   The Nuggets won in thrilling double-overtime fashion Tuesday over the Portland Trailblazers, and Denver fans actually saw the game. Hours before the tipoff, the billionaire owner of the Denver Nuggets announced a temporary truce to avoid the second local blackout in the NBA playoff opening series. If no action had been taken, only DirecTV customers would've seen the game on Altitude Sports, the channel with broadcast rights run by team owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. Context: A nearly two-year dispute between Altitude and the area's cable TV provider Comcast has kept Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games off the local airwaves. Comcast wanted a price cut in Altitude's fee, but the company balked. And the Nuggets don't draw the audience of a major market team, so they don't get attention on a major cable network like TNT. The backdrop: The circumstances that led to a blackout of Game 3 pushed frustration to new levels ahead of the decision. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock tweeted with the hashtag "#Showthedamngame." State House Speaker Alec Garnett (D-Denver) threatened potential legislative action to end the stalemate.     5. Nuggets: The headlines not about basketball Photo: Trae Patton/NBC, courtesy of The Canine Stars   A pack of impressive pups from Fort Collins, known as The Canine Stars, made their debut on "America's Got Talent" last night and scored four yes votes to advance to the next round. (Gold Derby) JBS — the world's largest meat producer, headquartered in Greeley — is the latest victim of a cybersecurity attack, which has left five plants totaling 20% of U.S. beef packing supply offline. (Axios) A coalition of local Latino leaders is calling on Denver's school board to pause its confirmation of Alex Marrero as the next superintendent after he was named in a lawsuit filed against his previous district in New York. (Chalkbeat) Colorado native Todd Saliman — a former state lawmaker and the University of Colorado's chief financial officer — was unanimously named interim president of the CU system on Tuesday and will step into the role when leader Mark Kennedy departs July 1. (Colorado Politics)     6. 1 tasty thing: Denver's newest pizza place The margherita pizza from Benzina. Photo: Alayna Alvarez/Axios   Benzina — a chic Neapolitan pizzeria in a former gas station on East Colfax Avenue — has it all, from its sprawling patio and house-made pasta to its funky ambiance and clever name (which means "gasoline" in Italian). Rocky Mountain Diner founder Brad Anderson has been planning the restaurant for three years. What Alayna ordered first: The smoked trout Caesar ($15), crispy squid ($15) and margherita pizza ($16). What she's getting next: Yep, a second trip is already planned — because it's that good — to try the clam pizza with clam cream, parsley, lemon and Calabrian chili ($20). The restaurant is located at 4839 E. Colfax Ave. and open Wednesday–Thursday and Sunday from 5–10pm and Friday–Saturday from 5–11pm. Look out for lunch and brunch menus dropping soon.     A message from Thrifty Traveler Thrifty Traveler: Beat the airlines at their own game     Travel is back. But finding a great flight deal isn't easy. Thrifty Traveler Premium's team of flight deal experts find incredible fares and send instant deal alerts straight to your inbox — saving you time and money. Join now with promo code DEN10 for $10 off your first year of flight deal alerts.   Our picks: 😎 John is intrigued by this sports trend in Denver. 😱 Alayna can't stop watching this viral video of (dog) mama bear vs. (real) mama bear. Send us feedback anytime. Just hit reply. Like this style and format? Request access to Axios HQ The tool and templates you need for more engaging team updates.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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