Little India will close its West Highland location in the coming months, owner Simeran Baidwan told BusinessDen.

It marks the end of a five-year run at the corner of 32nd Avenue and Lowell Street for the local Indian chain.

“We opened to preserve jobs because we didn’t have enough revenue,” he said of the pandemic days when restaurants were struggling.

The 3496 W. 32nd Ave. store helped keep dozens of chefs and servers in Baidwan’s “Little India family,” he said. Those workers will now have the opportunity to work at his other restaurants.

“Five years later, the question isn’t whether people love the food,” he continued. “It’s whether independent restaurants can survive the compounding pressures and expenses, especially in Denver.”

Baidwan, who opened the first and still-running Little India at Sixth and Grant alongside his parents in 1998, singled out rising minimum wage, insurance, delivery fees and credit card processing fees as factors contributing to the closure.

“I think what it is, is a Denver restaurant industry story, it’s not just our one restaurant story,” he said. “I think what’s happened, in this day and time, is that life has become really expensive. There’s no margins. The math just doesn’t work.”

Being in the Highlands was also a factor, Baidwan said. The desirable location comes with high rent as well as skyrocketing property taxes he’s been responsible for. Add in dwindling consumer spending and Baidwan said his hand was forced.

“Busy doesn’t always mean profitable,” he said. “A lot of people look through the window and assume the restaurant is good, and we have the several locations too. But it just isn’t like that anymore.”

Baidwan said there’s no plan to close his three other locations, in Cap Hill, Central Park and off Downing Street near the University of Denver. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been making tweaks.

At the original store off Sixth, he started operating 24/7 about eight months ago, something he’s thinking about for his other neighborhood restaurants. He’s also added entertainment, like jazz music and dancing, to help get more customers through the door.

Baidwan himself has also returned to the floor as a server — the first job he had at his parent’s store. But having the owner-operator model is difficult for his sprawling Little India empire since he can only be in so many places at once.

DENVER — A new Rockies season is on deck, with the team’s first game of the 2026 campaign set for Friday night in Miami. The home opener is next Friday at Coors Field.

It’s also a new season for the Ballpark neighborhood’s General Improvement District (GID) and its street ambassadors.

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Those ambassadors, dressed in maroon shirts and jackets, patrol the streets around Coors Field and the Ballpark neighborhood. They are tasked with helping with cleaning, maintenance, security, outreach to those experiencing homelessness, and general hospitality for neighbors and visitors.

How Denver’s Ballpark District now has ties to Chicago’s Wrigleyville

This week, Denver7 spoke with Kate McKenna, who stepped in as the GID’s executive director last summer. McKenna said while she works in the office, the district has six full-time ambassador employees through programming partner block by block. She said the team patrols the area year-round, but adds staffing for big events like St. Patrick’s Day and Rockies home games.

McKenna comes to Denver from a similar role in Wrigleyville, the iconic neighborhood outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. She said that serves as a source of inspiration for the future, but adds that Denver’s ballpark neighborhood has its own unique advantages.

“All of our businesses are independently-owned and operated,” McKenna told Denver7. “There is no chain, there is no commercial sort of large entity here in Ballpark that you’re going to see… To have a true small, hyper-local-owned economy is what really sets this district apart, both in Denver and then nationwide.”

Even after the Rockies set a franchise record with 119 losses in 2025, McKenna said the on-field product does not make the District’s job harder.

“I like to think win or lose, they’re the best neighbor you could possibly have, regardless of their season,” McKenna said. “They continually have one of the highest attendance rates for home games, as well as walk-up ticket sales.

McKenna said there continues to be good conversations between the district and local businesses. Property owners pay a fee based on property value that goes into the GID’s annual budget.

“Folks are coming out. Folks are patronizing local businesses. They’re bringing their families down here, and they’re enjoying their time, which is all you can really ask for in terms of community… Bringing people together is at the core of what we’re doing here.”

A state investigation has found that a Denver assisted living facility took 13 minutes to locate a resident who collapsed and begin CPR — failures regulators say placed all residents in “immediate jeopardy.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment concluded that The Argyle assisted living facility violated multiple rules in connection with the January death of 73-year-old Robert Dutkevitch. The violations were classified at the CDPHE’s most serious level, indicating 125 Argyle residents were at immediate risk of harm, according to the agency.

The findings stem in part from the facility’s own surveillance video system, which captured the events leading up to Dutkevitch’s death. CBS Colorado obtained copies of the same videos reviewed by state investigators.

According to police reports, video footage, interviews and the state investigation, Dutkevitch — who used a wheelchair — went outside to a designated smoking patio at about 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 6. Roughly 2 minutes later, the video shows him slumping forward and falling from his wheelchair onto the ground. He remained there for about 8 minutes before another resident noticed him and alerted staff. Surveillance footage shows several staff members arriving at the patio and determining Dutkevitch had no pulse. However, investigators say staff did not begin CPR immediately, waiting approximately five additional minutes before attempting lifesaving measures.

In total, 13 minutes passed from the time Dutkevitch collapsed to the start of CPR.

State investigators cited the delay as a critical deficiency, noting that trained staff are required to provide CPR promptly. According to Denver police call logs obtained by CBS Colorado, one staff member told a 911 operator she did not want to perform chest compressions because she had the flu.

After CPR was finally initiated, Denver Fire personnel arrived and continued lifesaving efforts for approximately 30 minutes before Dutkevitch was pronounced dead.

The death was later classified as natural, with acute coronary syndrome and atherosclerosis listed as the immediate causes, according to the death certificate.

Colorado investigators finds monitoring problems 

The state investigation also found problems with how the facility monitored its outdoor smoking area.

A surveillance camera was positioned on the patio, but The Argyle said the video feed was not continuously monitored. State regulations require that designated smoking areas “shall be monitored whenever residents are present.”

According to the report, the facility administrator acknowledged there was “no official process” in place to monitor the area. The administrator told investigators he was unaware of the regulation and said the facility did not have enough staff to continuously monitor the patio.

The department concluded the facility failed to meet CPR requirements because it “failed to require all staff certified in CPR to provide CPR services promptly.”

Investigators found gaps in training and preparedness. One staff member was described in the CDPHE report as “unaware of how to respond,” while others said they had not been trained on what to do if a resident becomes unresponsive.

“I did not respond very well, I’m sorry,” one staff member told investigators.

CPR delay leaves widow devastated

Dutkevitch’s widow, Sharon Dutkevitch, said the delay in care has left her devastated.

“My heart aches. I cry every night,” she said. “Every second that went by, he didn’t have a chance that way. I wish I had been there to help him.”

After watching the surveillance video, she questioned why staff did not act immediately.

“I don’t understand why caregivers stand around and do not give him CPR,” she said. “Those people are standing around him doing nothing to help him. That’s what really hurts.”

 She believes her husband might have survived if CPR had been started sooner.

“You’re losing brain cells every second that goes by without CPR,” she said.

Dutkevitch had been a resident at The Argyle since 2022 and, according to his wife, generally liked living there. He had several health conditions, including high blood pressure and cognitive decline.

He also had written directives on file stating that he wanted life-saving measures, including CPR, performed in an emergency.

Anita Springsteen, an attorney representing Sharon Dutkevitch, said the response by staff fell far short of expectations.

“They took so long to respond and didn’t seem to be aware there was an emergency going on,” Springsteen said. “Once they were aware, they lingered around and didn’t do anything, didn’t immediately give CPR, didn’t do the things you would think a facility like that — with trained staff — would do on an immediate basis.”

Springsteen said a lawsuit is likely.

“It seems like there was a window in there where something could have been done — he could have been saved,” she said.

The state issued an immediate $2,500 fine and ordered The Argyle to correct multiple deficiencies related to the case.

A spokesperson for the facility said those issues were addressed by Feb. 12 and that the “immediate jeopardy” designation was lifted that day.

The Argyle challenges some of state report’s conclusions

Since Dutkevitch’s death, the facility says it is no longer accepting residents who smoke and now closes its outdoor smoking patio each night at 10 p.m.

The Argyle administrators declined an on-camera interview request from CBS Colorado. In a written statement, administrators said they take resident safety and regulatory compliance “extremely seriously” and have implemented additional training, communication protocols, and oversight measures.

The facility said some conclusions in the state report are being challenged.

Argyle officials maintained that staff members who were CPR-certified responded promptly once they became aware of Dutkevitch’s condition, contacted emergency services immediately, and followed instructions from 911 operators.

The Argyle also defended its training practices, saying it maintains comprehensive onboarding and ongoing instruction in CPR certification and emergency response procedures, and is reinforcing those processes.

Regarding the “immediate jeopardy” designation, the facility said it does not reflect the overall safety and care provided and noted it was lifted shortly after the state required the addition of an “Unresponsive Resident Policy.”

The facility also disputed findings related to monitoring the smoking area, stating that regulators agreed a camera system could be sufficient for monitoring during discussions about the rule.

A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the investigation is continuing.

“The investigation of Argyle Living Residence is still ongoing,” said spokesperson Alexandrea Kallin. “Until it’s complete, we cannot provide any additional information. Investigations vary in their complexity and can take some time to complete.”

Sharon Dutkevitch said she chose to speak publicly in hopes of preventing similar incidents.

She said she wants accountability and change — “so no one else goes through this.”