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Denver proposal targets soda and sugary drinks in kids’ meals at restaurants

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Denver proposal targets soda and sugary drinks in kids’ meals at restaurants


A new regulation proposed in the Denver City Council would mandate that restaurants list just two drink options on their menus as part of combo meals for children: Water or milk?

The proposal aims to sideline sodas and sugary drinks and help drive healthier dietary choices for young Denverites at a time when health care professionals say rates of chronic illness, like diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease, are increasing in children.

As with other recent City Council measures aimed at addressing societal ills, its members are opting for the approach of steering consumer choice by limiting the options advertised. Another Denver ordinance passed in 2021 to cut down on waste says take-out restaurants can provide single-use utensils and condiment packets to customers only upon request.

Councilman Chris Hinds, one of the sponsors of the new legislation, said the ordinance would not prevent children or their caretakers from ordering another beverage available on a restaurant’s menu. The goal, he said, is to make sure that drinks without added sugars are put in front of children before they ask for a soda or sugary juice.

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“So the idea is a bit of nudge — nudging people into behaving in a way that’s best for the planet,” Hinds said during Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s Business, Arts, Workforce, Climate and Aviation Services Committee, which he chairs.

The committee voted unanimously to move the ordinance on for consideration by the entire council in coming weeks. If passed, the regulation would apply to every dining establishment in the city, from fast food restaurants to diners and fancier eateries.

Children’s meals could include water, milk or a milk substitute, such as soy or oat milk. The mandate would build on voluntary moves by some fast-food chains, including Burger King and McDonald’s, to drop at least fountain sodas from kids’ meals, though often juice is still offered.

A 2019 survey found that roughly 400 restaurants in Denver offered combo kids’ meals, said Andrea Pascual, a public health planner focused on chronic disease prevention at Denver Health. Of those, more than half were chains. Pascual led the presentation about the ordinance at Wednesday’s meeting.

The proposed change has a long list of backers, including medical professionals and local neighborhood associations.

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Some supporters point to a racial equity element in limiting the accessibility of sodas and other sugar-laden drinks, which advocates say are disproportionately marketed to communities and children of color.

“As you know, communities of color have a higher risk of diabetes. And when I go to these communities, they always have some kind of testimony regarding a family member or themselves or a loved one who has diabetes,” Giannina Estrada said through a Spanish translator.

Estrada was one of several people who spoke on behalf of ViVe Wellness, a nonprofit dedicated to providing health-focused education and programming to low-income families in Denver.

The Colorado Restaurant Association has taken a neutral position on the proposed ordinance, said Colin Larson, the organization’s director of government affairs.

He said the association was grateful for the long lead time built into the bill. Restaurants would have until July 1, 2025, to change their menus. Financial support also would be offered to offset the costs of updated marketing materials.

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According to the presentation, restaurants would be able to request as much as $2,000 for those purposes.

Denver isn’t the first city in Colorado to look at regulating the choices that restaurants present to consumers in hopes of improving health outcomes for children.

Lafayette banned the advertising of sugary drinks on kids’ menus in 2017. Longmont and Golden followed suit in 2022. In Longmont, restaurants can face fines up to $500 if they repeatedly violate the ordinance.

Three states — California, Delaware and Hawaii — require restaurants make water and milk the default offerings on kids’ menus.

Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Guitterez is co-sponsoring the legislation. She is a mother of three and said she would welcome help in instilling healthy dietary habits by limiting options in kids’ meals.

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“They’re the age now where of course they can read the menu and they can say, ‘I know this place has pop or soda. I know that they have this juice that I want,’ ” she said. “But when they were younger, I could definitely see the value in, as a parent, looking at a menu and saying, ‘Well, here’s what our options are.’ ”

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Denver, CO

Alexandar Georgiev reflects on trade, his time with Avalanche: “A lot of positivity”

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Alexandar Georgiev reflects on trade, his time with Avalanche: “A lot of positivity”


SAN JOSE — Alexandar Georgiev was traded on a Monday and he was in net for his new team barely more than 72 hours later.

It’s just a blur of logistics and text messages for anyone who gets traded in the middle of an NHL season. So much to figure out in such a short period of time.

Georgiev spent two-plus seasons as the starting goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche. Then, in an instant, he wasn’t. During all of the welcomes, goodbyes and “OK, what do I need to focus on next?” conversations, Georgiev did have some time to reflect on what just happened.

“I thought about it the evening after I got traded,” Georgiev told The Denver Post on Wednesday, a day before his new team, the San Jose Sharks, will face his former club. “The number that stood out for me was probably 95 wins in two years and two months. That’s a lot of good hockey.”

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The Avalanche acquired Georgiev shortly after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. Colorado has an established pattern of not expending a lot of salary cap space on its goaltenders, so after Darcy Kuemper helped the club to a championship and earned a big contract, it was with someone else.

The Avs signed Georgiev to a three-year contract. For the first two seasons, he provided a strong return on investment. Great first season, up-and-down second year, but a strong finish during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Then, in his contract year, things went off the rails. Georgiev started poorly, improved his play and then had more stumbles. His last two starts for the Avs were a snapshot of this season — pulled in the first period in Buffalo, then lights-out great in Detroit.

Colorado overhauled the positions in 10 days, first trading backup Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood, then flipping Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko and a second-round pick to San Jose for Mackenzie Blackwood and Givani Smith.

“Yeah, honestly not too much emotions, I would say,” Georgiev said. “It just happened. Management just made decisions. You do your job. They do theirs. You have to accept it.

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“Obviously I was planning to keep going, to help get us in a playoff spot and fight for the (Stanley) Cup. But this is how it developed and I’m excited for a new chapter here.”

When the Avs made the second trade, Georgiev was ranked 79th out of 80 goaltenders in goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck. He has shown the ability to snap back from a deep funk before — just refer to the end of last season and Game 1 of the playoffs in Winnipeg, followed by his work the rest of that postseason. But Colorado’s decision-makers decided it was time to move on.

Georgiev has made two starts for the Sharks — a win in St. Louis three days after the trade, and a last-minute loss Tuesday night to Winnipeg.

“(Georgiev) has been good,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He competes in there. He’s quick. I think he made some big saves when we needed them (Tuesday night). They had some really good chances before the tying goal and they could have easily gone up earlier than that. I thought he gave us a chance to win.”

This will be a new challenge for Georgiev. The Sharks have rebounded from a horrible start and appear to have a young, fun team on the rise. But that rise isn’t really expected to kick into high gear for another year or two. There are probably going to be some long nights and a lot of shots to face.

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They also have a clear-cut goalie of the future. Yaroslav Askarov, just up from the AHL, was sitting about 15 feet to Georgiev’s left in the Sharks’ locker room after practice. Also in the room was Evgeni Nabokov, one of the greatest Russian goalies ever and part of San Jose’s front office.

Just like Blackwood, the future is very uncertain for Georgiev. Both goalies can be unrestricted free agents after this season. Georgiev should have a chance to rebuild his value with the Sharks, and getting to work with both Nabokov and Askarov could help determine if his future can be in San Jose.

The future is what’s most important now. There will be more time to reflect on the past once the future is settled.

“A lot of positivity,” Georgiev said of how he’d sum up his time in Denver. “It was a great group of guys. That was so awesome. The expectations were so high. That’s what I loved about it. It felt like we were fighting for something special. It’s all about the final goal, the Cup there. That was a lot of fun. I learned a ton.

“Winning is so much fun. Being in a position with a really, really good team and having that opportunity every night is just incredible. I’m happy I got to experience that, and I will experience that on another team again.”

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Denver, CO

Bo Nix talking Super Bowl as the Denver Broncos try to earn a playoff berth

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Bo Nix talking Super Bowl as the Denver Broncos try to earn a playoff berth


The Denver Broncos are one win away from earning a playoff berth. The Broncos (9-5) can clinch their first playoff berth since the 2015 season with a win Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Peyton Manning was the quarterback the last time the Broncos reached the playoffs.

Denver quarterback Bo Nix knows what’s a stake in the game against the Chargers (8-6), but he doesn’t want his teammates to view the game as a one-and-done in terms of earning a playoff berth. The rookie is thinking big.

“We’ve got three games to win three and go into the playoffs and win a Super Bowl,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday.

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The Broncos have won four consecutive games, their longest winning streak since the 2023 season, when they won five consecutive games. Nix wants the Broncos to win their final three games of the regular season and enter the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak.

However, if the Broncos want to extend their current streak and earn a playoff berth, they must defeat the Chargers.

“We’ve talked about it all year, ‘The next game is the most important game. Right now, this is what’s important to us. It’s the most important,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday. I think this next one would put us on track for where we want to go. So, we have a lot of work to do. The job’s not finished, so that’s what we’re going to do.”



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Economic hardship applications granted for Denver historic homeowners

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Economic hardship applications granted for Denver historic homeowners


Historic Denver buildings cause headache for owner

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Historic Denver buildings cause headache for owner

00:33

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The Denver Landmark Preservation Commission approved owners’ applications for economic hardship regarding two damaged historic homes.

This decision came after the owners requested the buildings to be demolished in June. A request that was denied.

The historic homes at 1600 Colfax Ave. and 1618 Colfax Ave. were built in 1895. Both buildings are located in the Wyman historic district.

Annie Levinsky, Executive Director of Historic Denver, Inc. explained their importance to the Denverite in a 2018 interview, stating the homes are some of the last of their kind along Colfax Ave.

The discussion on the fate of the structures has been ongoing. Community groups pushed back against the idea of demolition in 2018. At that point, the owners developed plans to restore and preserve the structures. However, they were never implemented. Construction costs increased from the beginning of the project planning in 2019 through 2022, the owners said, making the plan no longer feasible.

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A fire at 1600 E Colfax Ave. in March 2024 caused significant damage to the structure. The owners said the structure was already deteriorating prior to the fire and the costs of restoration were too high.

The owners submitted applications to demolish the buildings in April 2024. After the commission denied their request, they filed appeals arguing that the cost to repair the homes outweighs the potential value after they’re restored. They claimed that the inability to demolish the buildings would cause economic hardship.

Estimates provided in the appeals state the rehabilitation of the 1600 structure reflects a negative value of $6 million, while the 1618 structure reflects a negative value of $4.1 million.

Both appeals were approved at the Commission’s Dec. 17, 2024 meeting.

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