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Denver City Council approves $800 million National Western Center expansion project in 9-4 vote

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Denver City Council approves 0 million National Western Center expansion project in 9-4 vote


DENVER — The Denver City Council on Monday authorized the city to spend more than $800 million over the next 35 years to expand the National Western Center.

The project will include the construction of a 160-room hotel, a 4,500-seat equestrian center, a parking garage, and income-restricted housing.

Denver City Council

Rendering of proposed hotel

The plan to redevelop the area and turn it into a year-round destination has been years in the making. However, Monday’s vote was not unanimous.

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The Denver City Council approved the project in a 9-4 vote. Council members Sarah Parady, Shontel Lewis, Jamie Torres, and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez voted against the measure. Council member Darrell Watson, who represents the area, voted for the measure, calling it a “win-win” for everyone.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston released a statement after the city council’s vote, saying, “There is no more cherished tradition in Denver than the Stock Show. Today, we are further committing to carrying that feeling throughout the rest of the year with events, entertainment, and a renewed dedication to putting people to work and improving the lives of neighbors through sustained – and lasting – trust and partnership.”

The project is not without controversy. Some community members in the nearby Elyria-Swansea neighborhood have raised concerns about the plan.

“It continues to steamroll forward, and it continues to do so without any accountability for the public dollars being invested,” said Swansea resident Candi CdeBaca, a former Denver City Council member.

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Denver City Council

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Rendering of future equestrian center

CdeBaca and others worry the project will displace people in the neighborhood.

“Our biggest concern in this community obviously is displacement,” she said.

People living in the area have been displaced before, like when Interstate 70 expanded. CdeBaca worries it will happen again with people being priced out of their homes.

“We’ve been fighting this fight for a very long time,” she said.

Sarah Lake, who led a successful campaign against a 2021 bond measure to build a new arena on the National Western Center campus, said building a new hotel and equestrian center is reckless.

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“Just four years ago, voters overwhelmingly rejected spending $190 million to build the National Western Arena,” said Lake. “And now, here they are coming back, asking for four times that amount of money to build an equestrian center. So, it seems like it’s both economically reckless but also against the will of the voters who’ve already said this isn’t how they want their taxpayer dollars to be spent.”

Lance Nading, a local property owner who was appointed by the mayor to serve on a community outreach work group, said he is connected to the success of the National Western Center and its full development. However, he believes the National Western Center Authority needs to do a much better job of communicating with community leaders.

“They don’t engage with the actual leaders of GES in a meaningful way, so the end result is there’s a disconnect,” said Nading. “They do get community members to show up to their meetings. Sadly and unfortunately, they are not the true voices of the leaders in the GES (Globeville Elyria Swansea) communities. They’re just not.”

Sandra Ruiz Parilla and Nancy Santos are two GES community members who say they were very involved in providing ideas for the project. They believe it will be a great benefit to the community.

“We need to have neighborhoods being beautified,” said Ruiz Parilla. “But to be able to have that, we also need these kinds of developments that can offer those jobs, that can offer opportunities, that can offer better things for our communities.”

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“The most important things for me are the opportunities they’re going to give the community,” added Santos.

Denver City Council delays vote on National Western Center expansion project to June

Ruiz Parilla told Denver7 she’s also concerned about displacement.

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“The largest displacement in the community wasn’t the National Western Center, it was the I-70 project,” she said. “I was fighting to stop the I-70 project.”

Ruiz Parilla said she’s not blind to the challenges that the GES could face with gentrification. However, she believes the project will provide important opportunities for better jobs and education.

“Those are things we need,” she said.

As for CdeBaca, she and other community members asked the National Western Center Authority and the city to invest $16 million upfront into the GES Community Investment Fund (CIF) to pay for projects that could prevent displacement. She said this could include projects like a childcare center and housing.

The $16 million represented one percent of the total $1.6 billion in bond funds voters approved in 2015. The plan the city council approved will provide $9 million to the community investment fund over 35 years.

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“$9 million over 35 years is absurd,” said CdeBaca. “That’s insufficient, and it can’t help the community right now.”

While they weren’t successful in getting the city council to vote down the expansion project, CdeBaca said they’re not giving up.

“Well, if anyone knows anything about this community, they know that we are well organized and will continue to fight until we can’t fight anymore,” she said.

Construction on the National Western Center expansion is expected to start this fall.

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The project is one of three major initiatives Johnston’s administration has pushed through the city council in the last month. The other initiatives include the Park Hill acquisition and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) intergovernmental agreement.

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Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Brandon Richard

Denver7 politics reporter Brandon Richard closely follows developments at the State Capitol and in Washington, and digs deeper to find how legislation affects Coloradans in every community. If you’d like to get in touch with Brandon, fill out the form below to send him an email.





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Denver, CO

Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs

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Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs


Community Guidelines

Welcome to Denver Stiffs! We’re glad you’re here.

Denver Stiffs is a community where sports fans from all backgrounds gather to share their passion. We strive to create a fun and welcoming place for everyone to come fan with us. These guidelines help ensure that happens. Here’s the short version:

  • Be respectful in your interactions with contributors and fellow fans.
  • Don’t be a jerk, and don’t call other people jerks.
  • We’ll remove anything we see that jeopardizes our communities.
  • We ask that you do your best to keep the conversation to sports and primarily our favorite NBA team. Why? Because there are plenty of other sites where you can air your opinions about everything from politics to soup recipes.
  • You can help with that. If you see something that doesn’t align with our guidelines, let us know. Flag any comments or usernames that violate our guidelines so our community managers can review them.

These rules extend to our communities everywhere: in our comments, on social media, and in real life.

We do not allow any of the following:

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  • Personal attacks: This includes name-calling, insults, threats, hurtful comments about someone’s appearance, voice, or style, and all other forms of attacks. We want our communities to be welcoming and fun. Personal attacks are the opposite of that.
  • Attacks on staffers: It’s fine to critique a post, disagree with a take, or point out errors. We draw the line, however, at personal attacks (see above) about writers, editors, moderators, etc.
  • Discriminatory or derogatory language: This includes racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of discrimination.
  • Harassment: This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation; stalking; unwanted photography; inappropriate physical contact; use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes; and unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Wishing harm on athletes: Don’t root for an injury, don’t root for harm to befall a coach or athlete. You can want someone to get fired or released, but please do not hope for bodily harm.
  • Misinformation and disinformation: Sharing demonstrably false information about news or world events, beyond the scope of reasonable sports opinion or analysis, can be harmful to our communities. These comments will be removed and may result in a suspension or a ban.
  • Illegal activity: Don’t promote, encourage, or make light of any kind of illegal activity, including DUIs, domestic violence, or sexual assault.
  • NSFW images and comments: Keep it PG-13, or you will be removed. This includes language and images that are sexual, violent, or generally offensive in nature.
  • Excessive profanity: Fans get worked up on game days, and we’re fans, too. We understand that. As a general rule, keep profanity to a minimum. Some communities prohibit profanity, so be sure to review guidelines for the individual communities you participate in.
  • Multiple accounts and throwaway emails: These are a signal that you’re not interested in being a productive member of our communities, and we do not allow it.
  • Trolling: We know it when we see it, and we’ll remove it. Don’t go to a rival team’s community for the sole purpose of riling up their fans, either. Moreover, you should never publish any private or personally identifiable information. Doxxing is strictly prohibited.
  • The “first post” rule: If you break any of these guidelines with your very first post or interaction, it signals to our community managers you’re just here to be disruptive. Violators may be banned, blocked, or removed.
  • Spam: We have a zero-tolerance policy on spam, which includes sharing links to illegal game streams or downloads. Spam will be deleted and spammers may be banned, blocked, or removed. 
  • Political commentary: Denver Stiffs is a site dedicated to the Denver Nuggets, not politics. There are many sites available on the internet to discuss politics, Denver Stiffs is not one of them. Please refrain from any political commentary while using our site.

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules when engaging in our communities will at best be removed from the conversation, and at worst will end up banned from that community. These decisions will be made at the discretion of our community managers and other Mile High Sports personnel. Community managers and moderators have final say on interpretation of violating our community guidelines, and on all decisions resulting in a warning, suspension, and/or ban.

If you see any of these things happening in our communities, please flag it and it will be reviewed. You can also reach out via our contact page.



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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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Louisiana child rape suspect arrested in Denver

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Louisiana child rape suspect arrested in Denver


DENVER (KKTV) – A man out of Louisiana suspected of child rape is now in custody in Colorado.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force said they arrested 43-year-old James Connolly Tuesday morning in Denver.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Connolly was wanted by West Baton Rouge Parish deputies for first-degree rape of a child under 13 years old.

According to the U.S. Marshals, a full-scale investigation into the allegation was launched, and probable cause was found to file charges.

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After an arrest warrant was issued on August 12, they said Connolly was likely aware of the warrant and had fled the state.

On Monday, officials reportedly received information that he could be in Denver. The next day, the U.S. Marshals Service said the Colorado Violent Offender Task Force found Connolly working maintenance for a company near I-270 and York Street in Denver under the name “Alli” with a changed physical appearance.

Officials said Connolly was then positively identified and taken into custody.

“The success of this arrest represents a culmination of extensive cooperative investigative efforts between the U.S. Marshals in Baton Rouge, U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force – Denver, West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Englewood Police Department, and Colorado Department of Corrections,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release.

He’s currently in the Adams County Jail pending extradition back to Louisiana.

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