Denver will spend $15 million to study how Peña Boulevard could be widened in hopes of accommodating more traffic to the airport after the City Council on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a five-year contract.

The contract, with Lakewood-based Peak Consulting, will consider ways to widen the road west of E-470 as well as potential environmental impacts. The study, a requirement under the federal National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, is a precursor to an eventual construction project on the corridor.

The proposal highlighted differences among council members, some of whom see the widening as an intuitive step to ease congestion while others say widening roads doesn’t improve the problem in the long term.

With a 9-2 vote, support for advancing the project grew from a closer 7-6 vote on funding a year ago. Several council members who had opposed studying the widening supported the concept Tuesday.

“I have been going back and forth on this,” Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez said. “I agree that expanding the highway doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. … I am also concerned about what this means for residents in that area.”

She added that the council will still have a chance to vote on whether to approve any widening project — which would likely cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars — after the study is complete. While Gonzales-Gutierrez voted against a related matter in 2024, she voted in support of the study Tuesday.

Council members Paul Kashmann and Darrell Watson, who also had voted against it in the past, voted in favor, too. Council members Amanda Sandoval, Kevin Flynn, Jamie Torres, Amanda Sawyer, Flor Alvidrez and Stacie Gilmore all supported the 2024 measure and the one approved Tuesday.

Several council members spoke about the importance of improving the highway — not just for employees and travelers headed to Denver International Airport, but also for the residents who live nearby and use it for many reasons.

“For me and my neighbors, it’s our lifeline,” said Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, who represents neighborhoods around Peña Boulevard.

Councilwomen Sarah Parady and Shontel Lewis have voted against advancing the project both times. On Tuesday, they said they opposed the contract because it wouldn’t include a study of ways to boost transit ridership on the A-Line, a commuter-rail train that runs from Union Station to Denver International Airport.

“These investments, or some combination of them, could allow Denver to escape the seemingly endless cycle of highway expansions that will inevitably fill up with more traffic,” she said.

Flynn, for his part, said he would like to see the A-Line studied separately.

The Peña Boulevard study process will include public engagement, scoping, analysis of alternatives, environmental effects and possible mitigation. Peak Consulting’s team will also perform some design work under the contract. An airport official said earlier that the process was expected to take less than the maximum five years.

Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell abstained from the vote, citing that a family member works for one of the team’s subcontractors. Councilman Chris Hinds was absent Tuesday.

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Originally Published: April 1, 2025 at 6:02 PM MDT

SEATTLE – If you want to truly understand somebody.

If you want to see a different side.

All you have to do is follow them home.

So on Tuesday morning, I followed Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to the place where his life completely changed.

Past the city limits of Seattle. Across a floating bridge. Over Lake Washington and into Bellevue, the affluent city where Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.

To Bannerwood Stadium, a small baseball field with an artificial turf infield but the outfield grass can get so wet and soggy that a fly ball has been known to shoot into the muck, get buried and disappear. It is the home field of Seattle University – the place where Skubal pitched in college and his life transformed.

The sky was grey, the air nippy when Skubal appeared in the dugout. He bro-hugged Donny Harrel, his old baseball coach at Seattle.

“My favorite part when he walks in here is that big cheesy smile,” Harrel said of Skubal. “Where he’s just home for a little bit.”

Skubal was scheduled to pitch for the Detroit Tigers against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, so he got permission to spend time with his old college team on Tuesday. Just hanging out.

“Can we cover some stuff with the pitchers?” Harrel asked.

“Yeah,” Skubal said.

Skubal – the reigning American League Cy Young award winner – stood on the side and watched a college pitcher finish a bullpen and then gave a relaxed talk to the pitchers. Skubal talked about everything: how he approaches a bullpen – stressing process over results – to how important it is for teammates to hold each other accountable, to how he conditions and prepares.

“The day before is an important day,” he said.

He didn’t always take it seriously and “I’d almost always come out sluggish,” he said.

DON’T PANIC: Detroit Tigers have all kinds of Opening Day injuries, but you can still believe in them

But now he does. “The day before, I eat a lot,” he said. “Nutrition is such an undervalued thing. I have a PB&J an hour before every game. It’s something that sits well in my stomach and won’t make me nauseous. The day before, I eat a lot. My dinner is usually pretty big, some sort of steak, some sort of potato. I don’t care for vegetables.”

A few players smiled and laughed.

The Cy Young award winner doesn’t like veggies!

“He just seems human,” Ryan Morrison, a Seattle pitcher, said. “We look at these people like they’re bigger and better, which you know he is, but he’s just a dude. He’s got to eat like us, sleep like us, and that was kind of the biggest takeaway for me. Just seeing that he still has to go through the same sort of stuff that college guys have to go through.”

Skubal walked onto the field and stood on the mound for a picture. “Turf mound baby,” Skubal said.

And he invited the Redhawks to Wednesday’s game. “If Donnie bangs practice,” Skubal said, “I’ll get you guys tickets.”

Yes, Skubal kinda set up his coach.

Then, Skubal went behind home plate for more pictures – to a spot that is incredibly important to his story, back when he was struggling with the pressure.

“One day, I took him behind home plate, and I said, ‘Hey, what are you doing this for, really?’” Harrel remembered. “And he goes, ‘well, you know, I want to take care of my family; and I’ve always wanted to be a big leaguer; and people expect me now that I’ve had some attention to make it; and so that’s what I want to do it for.’”

Harrel spotted a problem.

“How about if you do it just for you,” Harrel told Skubal. “And there was like a cleansing to an extent. We shared some emotion and stuff, and it was wonderful. It just kind of released the pressures and the expectations. As soon as he did that, he went on a run the rest of the year.”

And now?

There’s a giant Skubal banner that hangs above the concession stand at the stadium.

A banner that’s even bigger than the one for the coach. “He’s won bigger awards,” Harrel quipped.

Skubal is beloved by the university, not to mention the baseball program, because he’s so generous with his time and support.

Seattle has a pitcher expected to be drafted, and he was having a hard time dealing with the attention. So a few weeks ago, Skubal got on the phone with him and gave him advice.

“He never says no,” Harrel said.

A few years ago, when the program had several pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery, Skubal gave them advice on how to cope with it.

“He just told those guys, ‘OK, here’s, what’s going to happen. There’s going to be a time when there’s a fear for you to really cut it loose, because I had that, too,” Harrel said.

Detroit Tigers look like they haven’t missed a beat in 2025 (despite getting, well, beat)

A wave of nostalgia

A few hours later, Skubal was in the clubhouse at T-Mobile Park and he sounded nostalgic about his trip back to his old ballpark.

“I spent a lot of time at that stadium,” he said. “Fall practices were six hours long, seven hours long. And then seasons – a lot of trips out there. It’s off campus, so you’re vanning over there every day, or jumping in guy’s cars, whoever’s leaving. It was fun though, I enjoyed those days.”

And he feels indebted to Seattle University.

“I go back because I owe that program a lot,” Skubal said.

A night of honor and respect

Before the Tigers played the Mariners on Tuesday night, Seattle University held a private event on the third deck at T-Mobile Park, overlooking the field. About 80 athletic administrators, alumni and friends of the program gathered to celebrate Skubal.

Then, something happened that was so cool. Skubal left the clubhouse with a Tigers security guy and went up an elevator with normal fans, wearing his uniform pants and Tigers sweatshirt and cap.

At first, the looks on Seattle fans seemed to say: OK, man, the superfan outfit is a bit much.

And then as Skubal walked it registered to some: hey, that’s Skubal! 

When Skubal spotted seven of his former teammates at the gathering, there were huge smiles and bro hugs.

“He’s still the same guy,” one former teammate gushed.

Skubal signed autographs and posed for pictures, and Seattle vice president of athletics Shaney Fink presented him with a framed proclamation from the school’s board of trustees. The school is only about a 15-minute walk from T-Mobile Park – but the incredible trip from that place to this moment could be seen in all their faces.

There was a wash of pride everywhere you looked. They are just so proud of what Skubal has accomplished, and he is so proud to have come from this school.

 “Our board of trustees put together this resolution just to show our appreciation and respect and appreciation for everything Tarik has done and who he is, not just being a Cy Young winner and all of his success on the field, but just who he is as a Redhawk,” Fink said. “We are so proud and so grateful for all that you’ve done and who you are. So thank you.”

She presented a proclamation to Skubal.

“Thank you for everyone that showed up,” Skubal said, genuinely touched.

He looked at his former teammates. “It means a lot to me that relationships that we built, the support doesn’t go unnoticed,” he said.

“Seattle holds a special place in my heart, he said. “Thank you so much. I can’t say thank you enough.”

It’s impossible to describe how important he is to Seattle University, not just for what he’s accomplished but for how he’s supports the institution. For being so humble and genuine.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Skubal said.

He was back home. Back with friends and teammates.

Back where it all started.

And he couldn’t stop smiling.

MORE: Detroit Tigers’ Justyn-Henry Malloy’ takes wild trip back to majors, minors and back

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.

In recent decades, two South Bay school districts have been home to corruption scandals that ended with superintendents serving jail time in pay-to-play scandals. 

Now, a different South Bay district is embroiled in pay-to-play corruption allegations, as our Will Huntsberry reveals in a new story.

The former COO of Chula Vista Elementary School District is under investigation for allegedly having an unusually close relationship with a company seeking to do work in the district, district officials confirmed.

But the former COO, Jovanim Martinez, said the investigation against him is retaliatory. It wasn’t him trying to make sure work got awarded to certain companies — it was actually the district Superintendent Eduardo Reyes and Board Member Francisco Tamayo.

On top of that, Martinez said he and another employee were essentially ordered by an assistant superintendent to organize a fundraiser and host on behalf of two school board candidates as part of their district duties. 

In a series of shocking allegations, Martinez said that Reyes pressured him to award a contract to a company called Dr. Build that specializes in ADU construction. When a contract didn’t go to Dr. Build, Reyes pulled it from a board meeting agenda. 

District officials, however, say Reyes pulled the contract because they believe Martinez had found a way to make sure it went to a different company. 

Read the full story here. 

South County Report: District 1 Race Home Stretch

Just when San Diegans thought they were out of balance shifting County Supervisor elections, former Supervisor Nora Vargas pulled them back in. 

Vargas’ abrupt resignation four months ago set up a high-stakes face-off to replace her not seen since November, when former Mayor and Republican Kevin Faulconer challenged Democratic incumbent Terra Lawson-Remer for the District 3 seat. Faulconer lost that election, ensuring Democrats kept control of the County government – for now. 

A whole host of would-be successors have stepped up to run for Vargas’ seat and in the process, have raised over $2 million. Those candidates include multiple high-profile Democratic politicians who’ve been slugging it out in campaign ads. Given the number of Democrats in the race, they’re likely fighting for second place – and a ticket to a runoff – behind Chula Vista Mayor John McCann.

And even though South County has long been solidly Democratic, recent electoral shifts, and the more conservative nature of run-off elections, could play in McCann’s favor. 

Read the South County Report here.

Song of the Week

Ian Curtis, “Novel”: An enchanting, understated dose of indie rock, “Novel,” is both wistful and hopeful. Curtis’ velvety vocals float on top of a mellow acoustic guitar and bouncy bassline. It’s the kind of song that, although compact, feels like it’s taking deep breaths. It’s in no hurry to get to where it’s going, even if where it’s going is right around the corner. Read more about the Song of the Week here. 

Like what you hear? Check out Ian Curtis at Soda Bar on Saturday, April 5. 

Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists. 

In Other News 

• A jury has decided that National City must pay a former police officer $10 million in damages in a suit where she alleged that she was sexually harassed, discriminated against and retaliated against while working for the police department. The Union-Tribune reports the City Council is set to discuss the verdict and consider the city’s legal options. The settlement makes up 15 percent of the small city’s general fund. 
• KPBS reports that some people are tuning out of politics to protect their mental health. 
• One person died after falling from the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday and another was injured, according to authorities. 
• City Heights businesses are finally getting some relief with the reopening of University Avenue between Fairmont and Euclid, but still, some say the damage has been done. The busy main road has been bogged down by ongoing construction for at least two years. 
• The Trump administration has frozen $44 million in federal funds meant to help combat homelessness in San Diego. HUD officials are requiring local leaders to sign a new contract with the vague prohibition of “promoting illegal immigration.” (Union-Tribune)

The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.