Denver, CO
Lauren Boebert faces new GOP contenders in Fort Lupton debate
FORT LUPTON — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert got into the mix with eight fellow Republican contenders in a 4th Congressional District debate Thursday night in this Weld County city, less than a month after she announced she was moving to the eastern side of Colorado — and a new district — to run for Congress again.
Although there were a few barbs lobbed her way from competitors for her sudden move from the 3rd Congressional District to the 4th, the debate was largely civil with few personal insults thrown.
Three Republican candidates from the 8th Congressional District, Colorado’s newest district north of Denver, also debated Thursday night at the Fort Lupton Recreation Center. They reserved most of their criticism for Democrat Yadira Caraveo, the Thornton pediatrician who’s a little more than halfway through her first term in Congress.
Joe Andujo, an Air Force veteran who immigrated from Mexico when he was young, said he would be happy to compare Latino credentials with Caraveo, who is Colorado’s first Latina in Congress.
“I can even debate her in Spanish if she so desires,” he said.
He is running against Weld County Commissioner Scott James and state Rep. Gabe Evans in the 8th District.
But the bigger stage Thursday was made up of nine of the GOP candidates running for Colorado’s 4th District, the state’s most solid Republican stronghold in Congress. State Rep. Mike Lynch, until this week the minority leader in the House, made a direct dig at Boebert for her district switch.
“Can you give the definition of ‘carpetbagger’ to me?” he asked to several muted gasps in the audience of more than 100 party faithful.
Boebert responded that her sons “needed a fresh start” from the family turmoil she has gone through with her recent divorce and the arrest of her ex-husband in Silt this month.
“My boys need some freedom from what has been going on,” Boebert said. “The crops may be different in Colorado’s 4th District (than the 3rd), but the values aren’t.”
The second-term congresswoman’s new home is in Windsor.
In a straw poll taken after the debate, which was put on by the Republican Women of Weld, Lynch came in second with 20 votes while Boebert landed fifth with 12. Former state lawmaker and Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg was the top vote-getter, with 22.
Not surprisingly, immigration took center stage Thursday, with all of the candidates in both debates saying the large inflows of migrants over the southern border was one of the biggest — if not the chief — issue facing the country.
“It is time to put Americans first,” said Peter Yu, who has run unsuccessfully for the 2nd Congressional District and the U.S. Senate.
Candidate and state Rep. Richard Holtorf, who owns a ranch near Akron, was more blunt.
“Narco-terrorists are destroying our country,” he said.
Several of the candidates, when asked, questioned the legitimacy of President Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, and nearly all of them were in favor of term limits. There was a split on the stage on support for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who ran into trouble with some Republicans this month for working with Democrats to keep the government funded.
Six of the nine candidates in the 4th District raised their hands — to laughs and applause from the audience — when asked if anyone had been arrested.
“We’re all sinners,” said Sonnenberg, who said he once spent a night in jail for speeding.
Lynch’s DUI arrest in 2022 came to light last week and led to his demotion from his post as House minority leader on Wednesday, as some of his Republican colleagues said they had lost confidence in his leadership.
“We need people who understand people, who are human and make mistakes,” Lynch said of his personal foibles.
Boebert still represents the Western Slope-centered 3rd Congressional District but faced daunting prospects for reelection there, as personal scandals ensnared her and energized Democratic opposition mounted. She made huge headlines in the waning days of 2023, when she suddenly announced she would be running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep Ken Buck at the end of this year.
Her name once again went wide just hours before Thursday’s debate, after Garfield County prosecutors announced they filed formal criminal charges against her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, after two separate alleged confrontations with family members this month.
Other candidates on the stage during the 4th District debate included Ted Harvey, who served in both chambers of Colorado’s legislature; Deborah Flora; Trent Leisy; and Chris Phelen.
In the 8th Congressional District debate, James said he could work across the aisle and had won the last seven elections he had been in.
“They do not have a voice in Washington, D.C. — they have been forgotten,” he said of the residents of eastern Colorado. “I’ll be that voice of calmness.”
Gabe Evans, a former Arvada police officer who is serving his first term in the state House representing Adams and Weld counties, lambasted Democrats and their track record in Congress.
“Watching what the left is doing to my state is why I’m in politics right now,” he said.
Evans overwhelmingly won the straw poll Thursday night, with 69 votes. James received 33, and Andujo garnered 13.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
Denver, CO
‘I’m good.’ Bengals’ Amarius Mims says he’ll play vs. Denver Broncos after ankle injury
Amarius Mims thinks he’ll be ready for the biggest game of the Cincinnati Bengals’ season.
In Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, Mims, an offensive tackle, was hampered by an ankle injury. He was in and out of the game as he battled the injury.
With a make-or-break home game against the Denver Broncos coming Saturday, Mims told The Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway he anticipated playing in the game.
“No, I’m good,” Mims told The Enquirer in the Bengals’ locker room post-game.
Absent Mims, the Bengals would be thin at tackle. That would make for less than ideal circumstances for quarterback Joe Burrow in a game of real significance.
After dropping to 4-8 on Dec. 1, the Bengals have played their way back to 7-8 and are attempting to overtake several teams including the Broncos for the final AFC Wild Card spot.
Saturday’s game against Denver is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on NFL Network.
Denver, CO
Suns lookahead: Phoenix looks to end Christmas skid in holiday matchup vs. Denver Nuggets
Phoenix Suns coming off back-to-back wins
The Phoenix Suns won their last two games despite missing injured guard Bradley Beal. What’s next for the team?
The Phoenix Suns will play in their fourth consecutive Christmas Day game Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets at Footprint Center.
The week begins with a Monday game at Denver and finishes with a back-to-back set: Friday’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks and Saturday’s matchup at Golden State.
It’s nice to play on the most celebrated holiday of the year, especially at home.
Family and loved ones in town. Everyone watching on national television.
A festive time for celebrating and gift-giving, but the Grinch keeps showing up and ruining Christmas for the Suns.
Phoenix is 1-7 in its past eight Christmas games, losing the past three to the Golden State Warriors, 116-107, in 2021; at the Denver Nuggets, 128-125 in overtime, in 2022; and against Dallas, 128-114, last year.
What’s even crazier is the Suns lost to teams that either won an NBA championship or reached the finals that season.
The Warriors won it all in the 2021-22 season, the Nuggets took it in 2022-23 and the Mavericks advanced to the finals before losing to the 2023-24 NBA champion Boston Celtics.
The Suns last won on Christmas in 2009, beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 124-93, at home. Phoenix went more than 10 seasons without playing on the holiday until the 2021-22 season, the year after it reached the 2021 finals.
Phoenix is 12-9 overall on Christmas.
Christmas 2021: Curry leads Warriors past Suns
The Suns played the centerpiece Christmas game in 2021 against the Warriors during their historic 64-win season. They entered the marquee matchup with a 26-5 record and on a five-game winning streak, but lost at home.
Phoenix bolstered the best home record that season at 32-9 with one of those rare losses coming on Christmas. The Suns didn’t score in the final three minutes while Otto Porter Jr. scored the game’s final seven points.
Stephen Curry punched out a game-high 33 points to go with six assists to just one turnover while Chris Paul led the Suns with 21 points and eight assists to two turnovers and six rebounds.
Devin Booker managed just 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
Christmas 2022: Booker injured early, Suns fall in OT
In 2022, the Suns lost Booker within the first five minutes of their Christmas loss to the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver as he aggravated a groin injury. Scoring just two points, he had missed the previous three games.
Landry Shamet came off the bench to deliver 31 points to match a career-high, and Nikola Jokic posted another insane triple-double of 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, but the game will forever be remembered for Aaron Gordon’s ferocious one-handed dunk in overtime over Shamet, who tried to take the charge on the play.
Gordon was first called for an offensive foul, but after review, the call was overturned because Shamet was ruled outside of the restricted area.
Gordon missed the ensuing free throw, but his dunk gave Denver a 126-123 lead with 24 seconds left.
Christmas 2023: Doncic 50-piece dooms Suns
Then last season, Luka Doncic cooked the Suns for 50 points in leading Dallas to victory at Footprint Center. Shooting 8-of-16 from 3, Doncic became the seventh-fastest to reach 10,000 career points.
Grayson Allen scored a team-high 32 points to lead the Suns, going 8-of-17 from 3 while Kevin Durant and Booker combined for just 36 points on 10-of-25 shooting.
The Suns were without Bradley Beal (right ankle sprain) and Jusuf Nurkic (personal reasons) while the Mavericks won despite Kyrie Irving being sidelined due to a heel injury.
The Suns now have another chance to win on Christmas.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
Denver, CO
Esther Romero
Esther Romero
OBITUARY
Esther Romero (Lopez), 84, entered into eternal rest surrounded by her loving family. Born in Mt. Harris, Colorado, a small coal mining town near Steamboat Springs, her family moved to Denver in 1950. She graduated from North High School in 1957 and was the first in her family to attend college. She left for Colorado State College now UNC in 1958 where she soon met the love of her life and future husband Richard Romero. Esther graduated in 1961, married a week later, and together moved to Castle Rock where she began her career as an educator. Before long they returned to Denver where their three daughters were born. In 1972, Esther became one of Denver Public Schools first bilingual bicultural teachers and soon earned her Masters Degree from UNC. A passionate advocate, she understood the value of building a strong educational foundation in a child’s home language and honoring culture while also learning English. She taught at Elmwood, Del Pueblo, and Fairmont elementaries. A founding member of the Congress of Hispanic Educators (CHE), Esther served as president for many years helping to ensure children in DPS had access to a quality bilingual education. She continued this work through her final days. Esther taught for 30 years, was recognized as a master teacher of children, an exceptional mentor and coach to future educators, and served as a liaison between CU-Denver and DPS. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma.
Esther enjoyed traveling with family and friends to Mexico, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and almost all fifty states. She and Richard were avid Broncos fans holding season tickets since 1970, traveling to two Super Bowls. She loved organizing family gatherings, gambling trips, camping, reading, puzzles, and playing games with family. She had the unique ability to make everyone feel seen, heard, valued, and loved.
She was preceded in death by her parents Luis and Tommie G. Lopez, devoted husband Richard Romero, brother Baltazar Lopez ( Lourdes) and survived by her loving daughters Rosana (Dean) Trujillo, Carla (Arturo) Perez, Diana (John) Romero Campbell, and her grandchildren Arturito, Juliana, Claudia, Sofia, Orlando, Geronimo and Alicia, her sister Alice (Joe) Marquez, brothers Louie (Pat dec.) Lopez, Davey (Pat dec.) Lopez, Robert (Shari) Lopez, Ray (Melva) Lopez, and numerous extended family members. Please see www.cfcscolorado.org for service details.
-
Politics1 week ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Technology2 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps