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Monday marks 'opening day' for new street ambassadors in Denver's Ballpark District

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Monday marks 'opening day' for new street ambassadors in Denver's Ballpark District


DENVER — Monday felt like a spring day in Denver: 70 degrees and sunny.

Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field is still more than three weeks away, but Monday was opening day for about 18 new ambassadors that will patrol 40 blocks around the ballpark, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Last fall, businesses and residents in the Ballpark District decided to create a General Improvement District (GID) for the neighborhood. The Rockies and other organizations support the GID.

“They came together because they wanted to make a difference in their district,” said Luke McCarthy, operations manager for the Ballpark Ambassadors. “They wanted to see a change.”

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Property owners pay a fee, which is based on property value, into the GID budget each year. During a press conference last week, representatives from the GID said that equates to $1.3 million for the 2025 budget, with the district anticipating that number to be closer to $2 million after outreach to other funding sources.

That funding will go toward the Ballpark Ambassadors, with the stated goals of safety and security, cleaning and maintenance, outreach and navigation for people experiencing homelessness, and overall hospitality.

Block by Block / Ballpark Ambassadors

“We’re the eyes and ears on the street for the emergency services,” McCarthy explained. “So we’re the first first responders before we can get the people the help they need.”

That includes people living on the street.

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McCarthy said ambassadors train with “outreach specialists” with the Denver Police Department “on how to handle maybe an aggressive, unhoused situation.” He added that the ambassadors’ company, Block by Block, provides de-escalation training for speaking with the unhoused. Block by Block serves similar street outreach programs across the country.

“No one is armed, no one is to cause conflict or any confrontation on the street in public space,” said McCarthy. “We build profiles on these [unhoused] individuals to be able to see exactly what resources they need and get them long-term assistance to get off the street.”

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless was part of the early conversations surrounding the GID. Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer for the coalition, said those conversations were “very productive,” despite the organization having some hesitations.

“Operating in the downtown Denver area, we’ve seen different attempts at privatizing security, and sometimes that does lead to harassment or, you know, an air of enforcement against people experiencing homelessness,” she explained. “We just wanted to make sure that if folks are, you know, approaching people that are living outside, or who are forced to wait outside until a shelter opens, that they’re doing it compassionately and with the goal of maybe resolving some of their issues, instead of just trying to get them to move out of sight.”

Alderman said like any program of this nature, there will likely be adjustments needed and “the devil’s in the details,” but she is optimistic that the program will make progress.

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“Anytime you have a diverse group of business owners and a particular neighborhood that come together to create, you know, a better environment for everybody, that it sparks collaboration, and you start to get to know your neighbors better,” she said.

The General Improvement District is hiring an executive director, while the ambassadors program is also hiring.

“A lot of the ambassadors are your Denver locals,” McCarthy told Denver7. “They live around this neighborhood. They come and were born [and] raised here. They really want to see the improvements themselves. And it’s time they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.”

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Denver, CO

Fire destroys home under construction in northwest Denver

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Fire destroys home under construction in northwest Denver


DENVER (KDVR) — An early morning fire on Friday left a home completely ablaze in the Highlands neighborhood, just a week after another house under construction went up in flames in the same area.

The Denver Fire Department shared photos of the incident, as crews were called to 3643 Mariposa, where images show a fully consumed home under construction.

“I think they [firefighters] kicked in the neighbor’s door just to make sure nobody was at home,” neighbors Lucy and Kyle said. “Some of the other houses, their windows got blown out from the heat!”

Just 11 days earlier, on June 8, a home under construction caught fire in the same neighborhood near West 33rd and Navajo. Nobody was hurt in either fire.

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And just about two years earlier, in July, another fire in the same area ignited around West 36th and Osage. All of the properties are/were under development by the same group.

“I wasn’t present for any of the fires,” Ryan Yoffe, a member of the developer group, said.

Yoffe does say he thinks he knows how the last two fires had been set, saying it’s the City of Denver that needs to do better with surveillance.

“It’s likely related to the amount of homelessness in the area, looking for properties under construction to live in or burn down,” Yoffe said. “The City and the Police Department need to do a better job patrolling to limit the number of homeless people camping in the neighborhood.”

Denver Fire Department officials say the most recent incidents are under investigation, but that nobody was hurt in either.

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Rockies ride Kyle Freeland’s gem, Braxton Fulford’s double to 4-3 win over Pirates

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Rockies ride Kyle Freeland’s gem, Braxton Fulford’s double to 4-3 win over Pirates


The night belonged to Kyle Freeland, who joined the 1,000 K Club. The moment belonged to Braxton Fulford. The ninth inning — and a big sigh of relief — belonged to closer Antonio Senzatela.

Fulford hit a two-run, two-out, pinch-hit double in the eighth inning off Mason Montgomery to lead the Rockies to a 4-3 win over the Pirates at Coors Field in front of a Friday night crowd of 33,596.

Fulford drove in Tyler Freeman and Cole Carrigg, who scratched out back-to-back two-out singles off Montgomery.

“I had been warming up in the cage for that at-bat for a couple of innings, so I felt pretty prepared,” Fulford said. “I got an advantage count (3-1) and I knew he was going to come with the heater and I was all over it.”

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Fulford caught Montgomery for three seasons at Texas Tech, so he knew the left-hander’s tendencies.

“It’s kind of unfortunate for pitchers that you catch, because you kind of get to see their stuff,” Fulford said. “You kind of understand more of who they are. So I do feel like I had the advantage there.”

In the ninth, the Pirates loaded the bases against Senzatela with no outs on a single by Marcell Ozuna and an error on a groundball by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. But Senzatela struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Callihan and induced Jared Triolo to ground to Tovar, who started the game-ending double play.

“It was kind of a crazy ending to the game — bases loaded and no outs,” Freeland said. ” ‘Senza’ got a big punchout in that situation, picks up Tovar. Then Tovar gets another opportunity to turn a double play, and he gets it done.”

Before all of the late-game drama, Freeland pitched his best game of the season: 7 1/3 innings, two runs allowed on four hits, no walks, and eight strikeouts. It marked the fourth time in his career that he pitched 7 1/3 or more innings.

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“Tonight, I thought he was absolutely exceptional,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought his body language was impressive. He attacked the strike zone — relentlessly. His heater had good ‘vert’ tonight. The breaker was good. It seemed like he was in control all night.”

“Gritty” is the word often used to describe Freeland. Dominant was a more apt description on Friday night. History-making works, too. Freeland’s eight Ks gave him 1,001 for his career, joining right-hander German Marquez (1,069) as the only two pitchers in franchise history to eclipse 1,000. Freeland struck out Marcell Ozuna in the seventh for No. 1,000, and then promptly fanned Brandon Lowe for 1,001.

The hard-core Rockies fans behind the dugout gave Freeland a standing ovation.

“I’m very grateful for the fans always supporting me, and for making it this long in my career to reach some of these milestones, especially with one ballclub,”  said Freeland, who struck out eight and walked none for the second time in his career. “I definitely hear those fans when I pop out of the dugout after every inning.”

The 33-year-old Denver native blanked the Pirates for the first seven innings, giving up just two hits. Pittsburgh finally got to Freeland in the eighth, putting up back-to-back doubles by Esmerlyn Valdez and Triolo to cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1. Up to that point, it looked as if Freeland had the juice to throw a complete game, especially since he threw just 81 pitches.

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder in Denver shooting near South Park Hill, Hale

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder in Denver shooting near South Park Hill, Hale


Denver police arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of first-degree murder in a fatal shooting near East Colfax Avenue and North Dahlia Street.

Joseph York was arrested Thursday after detectives identified him as a suspect through interviews and surveillance video, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday.

Detectives believe York was arguing with the victim, 25-year-old Elijah Barr, before the shooting in the early hours of June 7, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday. The intersection is between the city’s South Park Hill and Hale neighborhoods.



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