Denver, CO
Pueblo man sentenced to 15 years for threatening Denver judge
A Pueblo man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for threatening a Denver judge who was overseeing several of the man’s criminal cases.
Thomas Wornick, 43, was convicted of three counts of retaliation against a judge, a class 4 felony. He was already serving a deferred sentence for threatening former Sen. Cory Gardner when he was charged with the new offenses, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
“When someone attempts to intimidate or harm those who serve the public, we will respond with every tool the law provides,” Deputy District Attorney Joseph Henriksen said in a statement on Wednesday. “This sentence makes clear that violent threats, no matter who makes them, will be met with serious consequences.”
Judge Judith Labuda told the Denver Police Department last year that Wornick, a combat veteran, sent him nine emails between March 5 and March 15, 2024.
“On March 15, 2024, Mr. Wornick sent three emails to the (judicial) division, threatening to murder or kill me,” Labuda told investigators at the time. “His emails left me feeling unsettled, and in fear.”
Since Labuda is a judge in Denver, the case was handled by a special prosecutor from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
In 2020, Wornick was arrested at Fort Carson, the U.S. Army installation in Colorado Springs, after the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said he had threatened to kill several local attorneys, business owners, government officials, and “every Pueblo County Sheriff’s deputy.” The sheriff’s office said deputies served a search warrant on his Pueblo home at the time and found two guns, including a semi-automatic rifle, several knives, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
When Wornick threatened Gardner, the Republican U.S. senator who represented Colorado from 2015 to 2021, he detailed his combat service in an email to the senator, writing, “In 2003 I deployed to Iraq, I was blown up by an ied in my hmmwv and blown up again by a rocket weeks later. I suffer everyday of my life. I am going to kill senator cory gardner for refusing to help me get medical care,” the Pueblo Chieftan reported.
“No public servant should ever fear for their life simply for doing their job,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said. “Mr. Wornick’s pattern of escalating threats demanded a strong, decisive response. Our office is committed to ensuring that intimidation has no place in our courts, and to protecting those involved in upholding the rule of law.”
Denverites looking for a stellar cup of Joe don’t need to travel far to savor the flavor of excellent coffee.
That’s according to The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, a website that rates global hospitality establishments where coffee lovers can find better brew. The website recently announced its 2026 list of the best coffee shops in North America, Central America and the Caribbean and two local companies made the list.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters came in at No. 43, while Queen City Collective Coffee ranked No. 61. Not bad for a list that includes must-hit destinations in places like Guatemala and Costa Rica, which are known for their exports of coffee beans.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops decided the ranking through a mix of nominations and voting by both the public and experts. Places were evaluated based on the quality of coffee served, barista expertise, ambiance, sustainability practices, and innovation among other criteria, according to the website.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, which came on the scene in 2013, helped usher the so-called fourth wave of coffee locally, which focuses on honoring the beans’ agricultural roots and using techniques like pour-over to extract more flavor from each brew. The company started with a wholesale roastery and retail shop in Lakewood before expanding to Arvada through a merger with another company called Two Rivers, and later to Westminster. In 2022, Food and Wine magazine named Sweet Bloom’s Westminster locale the best coffee shop in Colorado.
Queen City Collective has certainly earned the popular vote among Mile High City coffee drinkers if the company’s expansion is an indication. Since opening its first retail location in 2018, in a spot shared with Novel Strand Brewing Co., Queen City has expanded to seven locations between Denver and surrounding suburbs, including Wheat Ridge and Aurora.
To see the full list of must-hit coffee shops across the globe, visit theworlds100bestcoffeeshops.com. For additional recommendations, check out our list of Colorado’s best coffee shops with picturesque patios and views.
Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.
DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.
Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.
“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”
A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.
“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.
This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.
“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.
He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.
“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.
With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.
McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.
“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.
Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.
“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.
Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.
“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.
As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.
“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.
To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.
-
New York45 minutes agoHarvey Weinstein’s Third Trial on Rape Charge Opens in Manhattan
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMan jumps into action to save girlfriend in crash involving teen driver fleeing MSP
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSanta Rosa: The 1906 earthquake almost lost to history
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoJohnston scores twice, Stars hold off Wild in Game 2 to even West 1st Round | NHL.com
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoBetween Providence And Boston Is A Vibrant Massachusetts Town Bursting With Diverse Entertainment – Islands
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Apr 20, 2026 Game Summary
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoAthletics Beat Mariners in Seattle 6-4
-
San Diego, CA2 hours agoEl Cajon crisis unit opens, bringing county’s total to eight