Denver, CO
Denver celebrating 50 years of LGBTQ Pride, expecting 550,000+ attendees
The City of Denver is one month away from celebrating one of the biggest festivities in Colorado: Denver Pride. This is the 50th year of the celebration.
This event brings hundreds of thousands of people together from the LGBTQ+ community with allies. CEO Rex Fuller with Center on Colfax tells CBS Colorado Traffic Reporter Brian Sherrod this is expected to be the biggest pride ever. Denver Pride is expecting to have more than 550,000 in attendance the weekend of June 22nd and June 23rd.
At the Denver Pride celebration, attendees can expect a world of dancing, multiple stages with entertainers, a trans resource center and much more. Even though this event is meant for everyone to have fun, Fuller tells CBS Colorado not to forget the people who fought and continue to fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Fuller tells CBS News Colorado in many states, communities are losing their rights to be themselves. Fuller says the fight for equality never stops.
“Fifty years ago, when they were first holding pride, there were no civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community,” Fuller said. “You could easily be fired for being gay or lose your housing. By being visible and being out and proud in the community, that really has led to changes over the last five decades where we have marriage equality. Now, we have a lot of civil rights protections in the state of Colorado in the community.”
Denver Pride will be held at Civic Center Park on Saturday, June 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, June 23rd from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This year’s festivities will include:
· The Denver PRIDE 5K. Participants will run, walk or roll starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, while raising funds for critically important programs supporting Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community.
· Coors Light Denver Pride Parade. It will be kicking off at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 23. The parade spans 14 blocks and features hundreds of floats, music and marchers.
The Center Stage even has a new line-up to include:
Alyssa Edwards presented by Nissan (she/her) Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, widely known as Alyssa Edwards, is an American entertainer, choreographer, drag performer, and television personality. Before gaining television fame, Johnson was a highly skilled dance instructor and an accomplished figure in the drag pageantry scene. His breakthrough came on the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012, where his candid testimonials, iconic tongue-pops, and distinctive personality made him a fan favorite. He later returned for Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars in 2016, finishing as the fourth runner-up. Alyssa Edwards has since become a household name with a global presence, captivating audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. In addition to his international appearances, Johnson owns and operates the award-winning dance studio Beyond Belief Dance Company in Mesquite, Texas. The studio and Johnson are featured in the Netflix Original docuseries Dancing Queen, produced by RuPaul and World of Wonder.
Shea Couleé (she/they) is a non-binary, internationally-renowned drag superstar, recording artist, model, and actor, known for their fashion-forward editorial looks, expanding their artistry and brand into many different spaces, and their consistent use of the art of drag and costuming as a medium for larger storytelling, having been applauded by Vogue for doing so. Widely celebrated as an activist focused on uplifting LGBTQIA+ individuals and the BIPOC community, they have countlessly shared how important it is for them to harness their career in drag to inspire, calling their drag a “love letter to Black women.” Couleé is the Season 5 winner (2020) of VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and finished a finalist on Season 7 (2022), the special all-winners edition.
Pattie Gonia (they/she/he) is a critically acclaimed drag queen, artist and environmentalist. Their work exists to diversify the outdoor/environmental movements and Make Nature Gay Again. Pattie has been named Outside Magazine’s Person of the Year, National Geographic Traveler of the Year and most recently, Time Magazine named Pattie a Next Gen Leader 2023.
Together with her community, they’ve fundraised over $2 million for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and environmental non-profits, completed thousands of miles of hiking and raised awareness about the ongoing environmental crisis through their film projects like Won’t Give Up with Yo-Yo Ma and Quinn Christopherson.
Mirage, (she/her) hailed the “Legs of Las Vegas,” Mirage steals the show wherever she goes, captivating audiences worldwide with her electrifying performances and signature heel clacking. Since her crushing exit from the show, Mirage has successfully secured her spot as a fan favorite on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and with over 5 million streams on Spotify, she’s also secured her spot as an official dance floor diva with her viral hit “She’s such a B****.” What will she do next? It’s all.. a Mirage.
Also, this year, Denver PrideFest will go green with the launch of new sustainability initiatives for the festival’s 50th anniversary. With the help of Southwest Airlines, the festival will add 150 recycling bins on-site with the goal of reaching 50 percent waste diversion.
Past festivals have left Civic Center Park clean and in good condition as part of Denver PrideFest’s ‘Leave No Trace’ policies. New this year, every trash can at PrideFest will be paired with a recycling bin to increase waste diversion. A green team of volunteers and staff will focus on education, awareness, and creating a clean stream of material to be recycled after the event.
To encourage sustainability during the event and after, Denver PrideFest will partner with environmentalist and drag queen Pattie Gonia to develop sustainability education content for social media and the Denver Pride website. Pattie Gonia will also perform on Center Stage as a headliner and encourage attendees to recycle through on-site stage announcements.
“Partnering with Southwest Airlines and Pattie Gonia represents a significant step forward in Denver PrideFest’s ongoing efforts to reduce waste and increase sustainability,” said Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax. “These collaborations allow us to make a greener festival experience a reality, resulting in a positive impact in our community.”
Additional waste reduction initiatives include:
- Water trailers on-site to fill reusable water bottles and cut down on the number of single-use plastic bottles
- Utilizing reusable cups (rcups) in the VIP area for all mixed drinks
- Moving toward serving drinks in recyclable aluminum cans
- Requiring food vendors to supply recyclable containers for their product
Find the full details including the Pride Parade and how to volunteer online: https://denverpride.org/
Denver, CO
Defensive lineman Jordan Miller has a tough battle to make the Broncos’ final 53-man roster
As the Denver Broncos prepare for the 2026 season, they have a lot of positives going for the franchise. One of them would be their defensive line. Once a position group with a lot of questions marks, it has ascended to one of the best units in the National Football League over the past few seasons.
The departure of John Franklin-Myers in free agency may have an impact on the group’s performance for the upcoming gridiron campaign. Though the Broncos are hoping a combination of young players they have drafted over the past several seasons can offset the loss of Franklin-Myers.
One player hoping to make the squad is defensive lineman Jordan Miller. At the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Broncos signed Southern Methodist standout and gave him one of the biggest signing bonuses from that cycle. For the past two seasons, Miller has been a practice squad player for the Broncos. After two years learning the ropes, is Miller finally ready to earn a spot on Denver’s final 53-man roster? Let’s discuss.
Age: 26 | Experience: 2 | College: SMU (via Miami) | Height: 6’3” | Weight: 307 pounds
Arm Length: 33-3/8” | Bench: 27 reps | 40-Yard Dash: 5.18 seconds
Jordan Miller’s 2026 outlook with the Broncos
Several years ago, I highlighted Miller’s strengths in our 2024 roster review series. His strength and size at the point of attack are enticing. Additionally, he boasts a tremendous wingspan on the interior which routinely gave opposing offensive linemen in his collegiate career fits.
The physical traits Miller has are certainly promising. However, entering his third year with the Broncos, he faces steep competition in order to make the final 53-man roster. That’s no fault of his own—it’s just the reality of the situation—Denver’s defensive line is stacked.
I believe the franchise will keep six defensive lineman in the rotation once again this season. Having six players in their trenches will help keep the rotation fresh and give them a shot to be at their best. Zach Allen, Sai’vion Jones, Tyler Onyedim, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, and Eyioma Uwazurike appear to be the favorites set to make the squad. With that in mind, it is hard to see a viable path for Miller to make the squad.
Given the aforementioned, it seems like Miller will once again be a practice squad candidate for the Broncos. In the event that something were to happen to Jones or Roach, I could see Miller getting called up to the active roster to help handle spot duty reps on the interior of Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive front.
DENVER — A lieutenant with Berthoud Fire who was injured after he was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver in Denver last month is making progress, according to a Tuesday update.
The wrong-way driver, identified as 25-year-old Kevem Dos Santos, was killed in the May 17 crash inside the barrier-separated HOV lanes on Interstate 25.
Ken Bradley, the Berthoud Fire lieutenant, was traveling to work when the crash occurred. He was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
The crash left Bradley with multiple fractures in both legs, fractures to his left arm, a dislocated right shoulder, several broken ribs, and a collapsed lung.
Bradley’s family said he is now able to get in and out of his wheelchair on his own. But he faces additional surgeries this week to reconstruct his ankles and feet.
His family thanked the more than 800 donors who have contributed $85,000 to his GoFundMe and said he remains in good spirits.
Police have not said how Dos Santos managed to access the gate-controlled HOV lanes, leaving many questions unanswered.
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Denver will reimburse developers working on reviving the Rossonian Hotel up to $15.5 million in sales and property taxes after the council approved the urban development proposal during its meeting Monday.
The decision comes after Denver Urban Renewal Authority found that the site was “blighted,” meaning there are unsafe living or working conditions and environmental contamination.
DURA recommended the city allow “tax increment financing,” or TIF, to remediate those problems and get the project off the ground.
“This tax increment financing is one of the final pieces that makes the Rossonian possible. Without it, this project does not happen,” said Paul Books, one of the owners of the building. “But with it, we are working through the last remaining steps to break ground this summer.”
The project, in the Five Points neighborhood, is part of the Welton Corridor Urban Redevelopment Plan. The six-parcel property is in the namesake intersection of Welton, 27th and Washington streets.
The building, once called the Baxter Hotel, was a popular event space for jazz performances between the 1930s and 1950s. Performers such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday took the stage there. It is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The building has been vacant since the 1990s.
Palisade Partners, who purchased the property in 2017, plan to build 126 hotel rooms, a restaurant and an event space. They will also construct a new 8-story building between the Rossonian and the Hooper building as part of the redevelopment.
“We’ve concluded that the project does require assistance in order for it to be delivered as it has been contemplated,” said Bill Pruter, executive director of DURA.
Tax-increment financing, which is essentially a tax break or subsidy, allows developers to freeze how much is paid in property or sales taxes at a base level for up to 25 years, and then reinvest what would be paid above that back into certain elements of their projects.
For this project, the developers will be able to reinvest up to $15.5 million — which would otherwise go to the city’s bank account — into their project.
The city will reimburse the tax dollars for specific project costs mostly related to rehabilitation of the building. That includes up to $6.7 million on the plumbing and HVAC work in the new building and up to $2.3 million on the visible structure of the Rossonian Hotel.
The city will also reimburse up to $155,000 for “project art,” according to a presentation from DURA. DURA requires that 1% of the project’s costs be spent on art.
The tax freeze will last until the $15.5 million is reimbursed or in 25 years, whichever comes first.
“This project will bring new life to one of the most important corners in our neighborhood while preserving one of Denver’s most iconic cultural landmarks,” said Norman Harris, executive director of the Five Points Business Improvement District.
The total project is expected to cost $101 million and to be completed in 2028.
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