Denver, CO
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative for affordable housing
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb says now isn’t the time to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike for affordable housing.
Webb says the measure, pushed by current Mayor Mike Johnston, will put a tax measure by Denver Health in jeopardy.
“I’m not opposed to affordable housing, I’m opposed to the timing,” Webb said. “I was surprised that Mayor Johnston, who has a lot of issues on his plate primarily around homelessness, did not delay it until the spring in order to get one of these issues passed.”
Webb says Denver Health — which is asking for a 0.35% increase — needs to be the priority. The hospital says it provided nearly $136 million in uncompensated care over the last six years.
“Other hospitals in the Denver Metro area can’t carry that patient load. Denver Health is also a teaching hospital, and it is also the number one trauma center,” says Webb. “I think Michael is a bright guy. He’s a policymaker. He’s good at that. I question whether he’s a good administrator. Time will tell.”
Johnston’s .05% tax for affordable housing would be the eighth dedicated tax in the city and the largest. Voters have also approved sales taxes for parks, college scholarships, mental health, healthy food for kids, climate change and homelessness.
You can see those funds broken down by year here.
If both tax measures pass in November, it would bring the city’s overall sales tax to nearly 10%, on par with the likes of Los Angeles and New York.
Webb’s message to voters is, “If you have to choose, you make sure you vote yes on Denver Health. It shouldn’t be that difficult. Everybody in the city should be saying the same thing. In some cities around the country, they don’t even have a public hospital. We should be saying Denver Health is ours and we’re going to fight for it, and we’re going to protect it, and we’re going to nurture it, and we’re going to make sure it’s around for several generations to come.”
A spokesperson for Johnston released a statement saying, “Mayor Johnston is a strong supporter of the Denver Health measure and will fight to ensure it gets passed. For too long, Denver leaders have been talking about the need for affordable housing without taking the bold action needed to address it at scale. And the longer we wait, the more expensive and more difficult it will be to truly address this crisis. The teachers, nurses, seniors, and working families that make our city run deserve both accessible healthcare and affordable housing, and we will work to make both a reality.”
Here are the dedicated sales taxes voters have approved:
- Nov. 3, 2020: 2A Climate Protection – .025%
- Nov. 3, 2020: 2B Housing and Shelter Tax – 0.25%
- Nov. 6, 2018: 301 Mental Health (Caring for Denver) – 0.25%
- Nov. 6, 2018: 302 Feed Denver Kids (Healthy Food) – 0.08%
- Nov. 6, 2018: 300 College Tuition (Prosperity Denver) – 0.08%
- Nov. 6, 2018: 2A Trails and Open Space (Parks) – 0.25%
- Nov. 7, 2006: 1A Denver Preschool Program – 0.15%
Denver, CO
‘Thursday Night Football’ vs. Seahawks, Christmas Day vs. Bills highlight Broncos’ standalone matchups in 2026
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos are set to take center stage five times in 2026.
Denver is scheduled to play in five standalone games during its 2026 season, three of which will be contested at Empower Field at Mile High.
The Broncos will open their season with a “Monday Night Football” showdown against the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs. Last season, Denver swept the Chiefs for the first time since 2014.
This year’s Week 1 matchup will mark the first time since 2022 that Denver will begin its season in prime time. During Head Coach Sean Payton’s tenure, the Broncos have posted a 3-0 record on “Monday Night Football,” including last year’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos will then host their first prime-time game of the year, a “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. The Rams posted a 12-5 record in 2025, advancing to the NFC Championship Game.
The Sept. 27 game will mark the Broncos first home “Sunday Night Football” matchup since 2023. Denver is 2-0 in “Sunday Night Football” games under Payton, including a 2025 road victory over the Commanders.
Just three weeks later, Denver will host the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football.” The Seahawks will be led by quarterback Sam Darnold and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Denver is 1-0 on “Thursday Night Football” at home under Payton and 2-2 overall.
The Broncos will then play their second and final standalone road game, traveling to Pittsburgh for a Black Friday matchup with the Steelers. The Steelers won the AFC North in 2025 and advanced to the postseason for the third straight year. This will be Denver’s first-ever game played on Black Friday.
The Broncos’ final scheduled standalone game is set for Christmas Day. Denver will host the Buffalo Bills, setting up a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round game. The Broncos and Bills have faced each other out of the playoffs in the last two seasons, with the teams splitting the pair of games. The last time the teams faced off in the regular season was in 2023, when the Broncos earned a Monday night road victory.
This will mark the second consecutive year that Denver will play on Christmas. The Broncos are 3-2 all time on Christmas Day, including last year’s victory over the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The NFL’s flexible scheduling rules could also lead to the Broncos playing additional prime-time games in 2026. The dates of Denver’s Week 17 and 18 games are also yet to be determined.
See below for a complete list of Denver’s standalone games:
Week 1: Broncos at Chiefs, “Monday Night Football,” Sept. 14, 6:15 p.m. MT, ABC/ESPN
Week 3: Broncos vs. Rams, “Sunday Night Football,” Sept. 27, 6:20 p.m. MT, NBC
Week 6: Broncos vs. Seahawks, “Thursday Night Football,” Oct. 15, 6:15 p.m. MT, Prime Video
Week 12: Broncos at Steelers, Black Friday, Nov. 27, 1 p.m. MT, Prime Video
Week 16: Broncos vs. Bills, Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m. MT, Netflix
DENVER (KDVR) – Denver and the Plains will see extra clouds Thursday with isolated storm out east and warm highs along the Front Range.
Weather today: Partly cloudy and warm
Clouds kept temperatures mild this morning and pockets of sunshine through the afternoon help us warm to the middle 80s.
We will be very close to tying a daily record high, but a light northerly breeze should stop us from hitting 87. The Eastern Plains can also see some isolated storms in the afternoon. There are also some Red Flag Warnings in the state, winds will be at 10-20 mph with gusts to 40 mph, avoid any burning or open flames in these areas.
Weather tonight: Lingering clouds
Partly cloudy skies through the day will stick with us tonight. Overnight lows will dip into the low 50s with a lighter wind.
Looking ahead: Cooler weekend with shower chances
Friday rounds out the workweek with partly to mainly sunny skies and comfy highs in the lower 80s. Saturday looks comfy as well with partly cloudy skies, highs in the upper 70s and afternoon storm chances. Sundayis still mild as highs hit the middle 70s, but clouds increase through the day with showers and storms in the evening hours. That rain can linger overnight and into Monday.
Monday has showers through the day and maybe a few flakes in the high country. Highs on Monday will be in the lower 60s with a breeze and cloudy skies. Shower chances linger into Tuesday with below average highs in the lower 60s with cloudy skies. Wednesday has smaller storm chances and a bit more sunshine as seasonal highs make it to the lower 70s.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two Denver police vehicles were hit by separate drivers during a traffic stop last week, according to a social media post from the Denver Police Department.
On May 7, officers responded to a crash on northbound Interstate 25 near the exit for Alameda Avenue.
The officers were parked with their emergency lights on to direct the traffic away from the scene of the crash. Despite the lights being on, two separate vehicles crashed into the officers’ vehicles.
One driver caused minor damage to a Denver police vehicle and was cited for careless driving. The second driver caused extensive damage to a police vehicle and was cited for careless driving, as well as arrested for allegedly driving under the influence during the crash.
Officers were in their vehicles during the incident, with one uninjured and the other taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility! If you come upon flashing lights, emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or disabled vehicles while driving, move over at least one lane or slow down if it’s not safe to move over. And don’t drive under the influence,” said the department in the post.
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