Colorado
Toronto FC makes a deal with Colorado Rapids to add to Robin Fraser's coaching staff
TORONTO — New head coach Robin Fraser added to his coaching staff Friday with Toronto FC making a deal to pry loose two of his former assistants from the Colorado Rapids.
To get assistant coach Neil Emblen and video coach Jase Kim on board, Toronto sent its first-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft to the Rapids. As part of the deal, TFC may receive US$175,000 in general allocation money and retain a sell-on percentage if the pick turns out to be one of the top three in the drafts.
“I’m really happy that we were able to get them,” said Fraser. “I know it comes at a price but I think it’s worthwhile … I do feel like this project needed a fresh kind of feeling. And certainly these are people that I’ve been through a lot with and have a great deal of trust in.”
The two new additions join incumbent goalkeeping coach Simon Eaddy, director of performance Cesar Meylan and performance analyst Peter Galindo.
TFC left Friday for Spain to continue its pre-season preparations.
Emblen has spent the last seven years with Colorado, where he served as both an assistant coach and “the main coaching link to the recruiting department.”
A former defender and midfielder whose playing career stretched from 1987 to 2011, Emblem had stints with Tonbridge Angels, Sittingbourne, Millwall, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Walsall in his native England before moving to the Southern Hemisphere to play for the New Zealand Knights and Waitakere United.
“They still chant his name at Wolves,” said Fraser.
“I love his character. I love his enthusiasm for the game,” he added. “He’s a very good coach.”
Emblen coached Waitakere to three straight New Zealand league titles between 2010 and 2012. He managed New Zealand at the 2012 London Olympics before serving two matches as New Zealand’s interim head coach in 2014.
Kim joined Colorado in January 2018 as a first-team video analyst after serving first as a performance analyst and then head performance analyst for the New Zealand national team. Kim was also part of the New Zealand technical staff at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

Colorado
NWS: Friday’s storm produced 3 tornadoes in Colorado, including an EF-2

DENVER — Less than a week after four tornadoes hit Colorado’s eastern plains, three more touched down — including one EF-2 and one EF-1 — in Logan and Washington counties on Friday, causing damage but no reported injuries.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service issued its preliminary report on the supercell that produced the three tornadoes that snapped power lines and damaged several properties in the two northeastern Colorado counties.
Denver7 | Weather
Tornadoes sighted in NE Colorado Friday as Denver sees severe weather chance Sat
The first tornado rated an EF-1 was reported around 5:09 p.m. Friday near Messex in Logan County. According to the NWS report, it had estimated peak winds of 100 mph and stayed on the ground for more than 10 miles, ending in Washington County.
The NWS survey summary is as follows:
“The formation of this tornado was captured well by storm chaser video. The tornado did not have a coherent damage path. There was sporadic damage south of the South Platte River, primarily to a trio of grain silos. Two silos had their tops removed, one was shifted off the pad, another was destroyed. One off duty NWS employee confirmed the location of the tornado as it crossed Logan County Road R just south of County Road 59. The tornado dissipated just southwest of the Prewitt Reservoir with no evidence it crossed I-76.”
The second tornado, rated an EF-2, was reported around 5:37 p.m. Friday in rural Washington County. According to the NWS report, it had estimated peak winds of 118 mph and stayed on the ground for more than 8 miles, ending near Fremont Butte in Washington County.
The NWS survey summary is as follows:
“Well documented tornado that moved south parallel to CO-63, remaining generally in open areas 2-3 miles west of CO-63. We obtained the width (400 yds) of the tornado based on power poles snapped along County Road 50. One single family residence was struck with EF-1 damage to the house, along with EF-1 damage to all outbuildings and trees on the property. Debris from the property was carried approximately one mile to the south- southwest. Further south of the damaged property, power poles were snapped and thrown a considerable distance (~25 yds), consistent with EF-2 intensity. The power poles were on the west side of County Road AA, just north of County Road 48. Video evidence and the results of the storm survey suggest that the tornado dissipated just before 6 PM MDT.”
The third tornado rated an EFU, was reported around 6:10 p.m. Friday near Akron. It was a short-lived tornado and stayed on the ground for less than a mile.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Colorado sees an average of 27 tornadoes during May and June, with June being the busiest month with an average of 17 tornadoes. More than 2,100 tornado events have been recorded in Colorado since 1950, and at least five deaths have been related to twisters.
Weld County is the most tornado-prone county in Colorado—and the entire country—and has seen more than 268 tornadoes since 1950. The city and county of Denver have seen 16 tornadoes in the same period.
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Colorado
What’s Working: Colorado restaurant owners spoke out to change state policy this year. It worked, sorta.

Quick links: No tax on tips | Minimum wage by state | Denver budget woes | 16th Street update | Colorado Springs adds chipmaker
Kinda win some, sorta lose some, but get a lot of attention while doing it may best describe 2025’s lawmaking session for the Colorado restaurant industry, or at least for the Colorado Restaurant Association.
“This was one of the most challenging legislative sessions in my decade with the CRA, but we feel that we made some good progress on behalf of the restaurant industry,” said Sonia Riggs, the organization’s president and CEO.
Years of rising food, labor and operational costs have dismayed independent restaurants, already operating on low margins. While new eateries still open regularly, the demise of some well-known Denver-area restaurants in the past year and ongoing struggles of nearly all, spurred action by the organization that represents 5,000 food businesses around the state.
Even though a bill to end credit card fees on tax and tips failed, the restaurant association was “grateful and relieved” when Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for workers to unionize under the state’s unique Labor Peace Act.

One of the more heated bills attracted dozens of restaurant owners who showed up at the statehouse to testify in support of the so-called Restaurant Relief Act, aka House Bill 1208.
The bill proposed increasing the amount employers could offset hourly pay to tipped workers, whose own tips would cover the difference. It only applied to areas where the local wage was higher than the state’s, such as in Denver, where tipped servers make $15.78 an hour, or $4 more than the state’s tipped minimum.
Worker advocates fought back because it meant a pay cut for the lowest-paid workers. And not all restaurant owners were in support of the initial plan, including Holly Adinoff, owner and general manager of Sullivan Scrap Kitchen in Denver.
“It was heartbreaking to think that the only way that restaurants could succeed is by cutting wages 25% for people who are barely making it,” said Adinoff, also a member of the policy team at Good Business Colorado, a grassroots business organization that advocates for equitable communities. “It just doesn’t seem right to hurt the people that make our restaurant possible.”
Others, like advocates at the national One Fair Wage, wanted to eliminate the tipped credit so all workers are paid full minimum wage — and keep their tips.
After a massive overhaul, the bill passed but left the decision on whether to change the tipped credit to the local municipality. Polis hasn’t signed the bill into law yet, but Riggs called it “a big win” and said the governor is expected to sign it.
Even though no immediate relief is expected, all the attention to the plight of restaurants was appreciated by local owners, like Alec Schuler, chef-owner of the three Tangerine breakfast spots in Boulder, Lafayette and Longmont.
“I like the direction things are going. They’re trying to lower credit-card fees. They’re trying not to tax tips. There are things that are supporting restaurants that are generally better for me,” said Schuler, who supported changing tipped minimum wages even if only the Boulder location could benefit. “It’s minimal … but 80-cents an hour still adds up to a chunk of money.”
Still on the way: No tax on tips
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the No Tax on Tips Act, an issue that both presidential candidates supported during the election season.
If it becomes law as is, tipped workers — including restaurant servers, bartenders, baristas, food-delivery drivers and those at beauty salons or barber shops — won’t have to pay federal taxes on tips as they must today. The benefit, however, has limits including a deduction of up to $25,000 and only for tipped workers who earn $160,000 or less in 2025. The amount will adjust to annual inflation, according to a New York Times analysis.

There’s a similar measure that’s part of Trump’s big budget bill that would also exempt overtime pay from federal taxes.
CRA hasn’t taken a side on the policy, but other restaurant owners say it would be helpful because it allows tipped workers to save a little bit more of their earnings.
“Any way that we can get more money into our people’s hands is great,” said Adinoff, with Sullivan Scrap Kitchen. “I’m interested to see where it goes.”
Meanwhile, worker advocates at One Fair Wage, which took a hard stance against Colorado’s tipped-wages bill, said the No Tax on Tips Act won’t help two-thirds of workers out there who don’t even earn enough to pay federal taxes. It “completely ignores the core crisis facing millions of workers in the service sector: poverty wages,” the organization said in a statement.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, individuals who earn less than $14,600 a year don’t have to pay federal income taxes. That amounts to about $7 an hour if the person works a 40-hour workweek all year.
That’s well below Colorado’s current minimum wage of $14.81 and tipped minimum wage of $11.79. But 20 states pay the federal minimum of $7.25 and a tipped minimum of $2.13 an hour. Those states haven’t raised their minimum wage since the federal government required them to in 2009.
Sun economy stories you may have missed

➔ Front Range cities step up opposition to $99 million Colorado River water rights purchase. Western Slope communities, led by the Colorado River District, want to buy the historic Shoshone Power Plant water rights to support their economies. >> Read story
➔ A new art center debuts in an old Denver fortune cookie factory. The privately funded Cookie Factory opens May 24 and will focus on showing new work by two contemporary artists per year >> Read story
➔ Running a food truck in Denver (and the rest of Colorado) is about to get simpler. A bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jared Polis will allow food truck operators to get a single license to operate in different parts of the state >> Read story

➔ How Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would impact Medicaid in Colorado. Work requirements could increase the number of people without health insurance in Colorado, but other provisions may not cut as deep as earlier feared >> Read story
➔ AT&T buying Lumen’s home fiber business, including Colorado market, for $5.75 billion. Coloradans may be more familiar with Lumen’s old moniker, CenturyLink. >> Read story
➔ Colorado cities sue Jared Polis, state over housing policies. A lawsuit filed Monday argues the state is violating the right of local governments to shape how they grow and develop >> Read story
How Colorado is getting older

The Colorado Sun launched a new series of stories earlier this week to take a deeper look into what it’s like to get older in Colorado. Here are the first two stories:
💼📢 The Colorado Sun is hiring a Chief Operating Officer. We’re seeking a strategic, collaborative and operations-minded leader to join our team in a crucial role that will help shape The Sun’s next chapter. Applications close June 15. Apply now
Other working bits
➔ City of Denver warns of layoffs. Mayor Mike Johnston announced Thursday that the city is expecting $50 million less in revenue this year and anticipates a $200 million deficit next year due to the nation’s economic downturn that has consumers spending less. According to a presentation, he also shared that expenses outpaced revenue since 2023. The city immediately put a freeze on hiring and will make most employees take two to seven days of furloughs this year. In a news release, city officials also warned of possible layoffs in 2026. >> See the mayor’s presentation

➔ At least Denver’s 16th Street Mall is nearly done. But its name has changed. It’s now just called 16th Street. Construction has taken more than three years and is expected to be done by the fall. Denverite reported that the branding and renaming campaign cost $100,000.
➔ Colorado Springs attracts another chipmaker. Okika Devices, which rebranded itself in January as it shifted from analog design to products, picked the Springs for its new headquarters and research and development center. Based in Carlsbad, California, Okika currently employs six people and plans to add 20 in Colorado with an average annual wage of $104,250. The company is eligible for up to $402,532 in state income tax credits from Pikes Peak Enterprise Zone.
➔ Upcoming job fair for 9-1-1 call takers. What’s it like to be the person answering 9-1-1 calls? You can now find out — and apply for a job — during the Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center’s virtual job fair on June 3. Two sessions, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m., will share what training it takes and stories from working emergency communication specialists. RSVP if you’re interested in attending. >> Sign up
Got some economic news or business bits Coloradans should know? Tell us: cosun.co/heyww
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend! As always, share your 2 cents on how the economy is keeping you down or helping you up at cosun.co/heyww. ~ tamara
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What’s Working is a Colorado Sun column about surviving in today’s economy. Email tamara@coloradosun.com with stories, tips or questions. Read the archive, ask a question at cosun.co/heyww and don’t miss the next one by signing up at coloradosun.com/getww.
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