Our talented visual journalists have covered the stories impacting Coloradans across the state in 2022 — here are some of the most important ones.
It seemed like 2022 would be the “get back to normal” year as Colorado pulled itself out of the pandemic, and the business and travel shutdowns that came with it. That manifested itself with things like Red Rocks setting an attendance record in 2022 with an estimated 1.54 million attending ticketed events making it the most-attended concert venue in the world. And things like the June victory parade for the Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche, which drew more than 500,000 people downtown for the first time since 2019.
But the year also saw its share of tragedy. Starting with the Marshall fire in Boulder County that actually started Dec. 30, 2021, but the destruction it wrought on thousands of residents kept it a high-profile news story for all of 2022. And ending with the deadly shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs Nov. 19 that left five dead and dozens injured.
The Denver Gazette polled our staff writers for their ideas on the most impactful news stories of the year. Here’s what they came up with:
Club Q (The Denver Gazette)
In a tragedy that drew the attention of the entire nation and world, a gunman on Nov. 19 minutes before midnight walked into Club Q — an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs — and opened fire with an AK-15 style assault rifle. Five people were killed before the attack was stopped by two club patrons considered heroes of the night. The incident highlighted hate crimes against the LBGTQ+ community.
It was later learned the shooter had a past history with law enforcement. An El Paso County judge opened a sealed case from a year prior after the attack at the request of news organizations. The records revealed the shooter had threatened family members and was arrested with a cache of firearms and bomb-making materials, but the charges were not pursued at that time.
Prosecutors charged the shooter with more than 300 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, assault and bias-motivated crimes causing bodily injury. In a initial hearing, an attorney claimed the shooter was non-binary. He appeared bruised and battered around the face, wounds suffered at the hands of the heroes who stopped him.
Survivors of the Club Q shooting and club owners appeared before Congress in December. They testified on the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ violence before the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Marshall Fire (Carol McKinley)
Last year ushered in the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. The Marshall fire started in Boulder County at around 11 a.m. Dec. 30, 2021, and roared into nearby Superior and Louisville fueled by drought conditions and hurricane force winds of 115 mph.
In the densely-populated town of Superior, Mountain View Fire Protection District firefighters were ready, but in minutes, monstrous flames were eating up Anderson Drive. The doomed block is right across the street from the fire station.
“We drove up the walking path as flames were hitting the homes. We set up down here knowing it was coming this direction,” said District Lieutenant Paul Ostroy. “As I walked back along this sidewalk, one home caught fire and then the next one caught fire and then the next one caught.”
The Marshall fire killed two people, destroyed 1,084 homes and seven commercial structures including a tanning salon, a spa and a Subway sandwich shop. Estimates show the total price tag could top $2 billion in damages, according to the Colorado Division of Insurance.
The first solid piece of normalcy happened Friday, Dec. 16, when Jessica Carson and her two children became the first Marshall Fire victims to actually move into a rebuilt home. Others should follow once the ground thaws.
Immigration (Nicole C. Brambila)
The immigration crisis at the border in El Paso spilled over in Denver this year with more than 2,600 migrants making their way to the Mile High City in December. The influx of immigrants fleeing Central and South America has put a tremendous strain on city resources with the response costing more than $2 million. City officials are seeking state and federal reimbursement for those costs. Not all of the immigrants will make Denver home. An estimated 60% plan to move to other cities, officials have said.
City of Denver (Alex Edwards)
The biggest stories of the year for the City of Denver revolved around redevelopment. Denver continues to grow rapidly, home prices and rents — though they went down in 2022 for the first time in years — left many struggling to find affordable housing. Denver’s City Council hosted a 2-hour public hearing in which more than 80 people signed up to speak. Plans to redevelop 27th and Larimer in Denver's River North/Five Points neighborhood brought heaps of support.
The City’s new policy requiring developers include affordable housing in new construction – or pay a fee to support affordable housing elsewhere — started in 2022.
Meanwhile, the City’s Community Planning and Development department struggled to keep up with the number of building permits — delaying projects by months and adding costs for developers and homeowners trying to make improvements alike.
And, of course, 2022 marks the end of Mayor Michael B. Hancock's 12 years as Denver mayor. He gave the Denver Gazette an exclusive interview reflecting on his three terms in office, saying he still doesn’t know what he’s going to do after he's a civilian in May 2023.
Environment (Scott Weiser)
The year 2022 saw some significant wins in government transparency and accountability when it comes to environmental policies. Gov. Jared Polis reversed course and objected to an impending EPA mandate for high-priced reformulated gasoline due to ozone violations after The Denver Gazette reported how Polis rescinded a letter by former governor John Hickenlooper asking the EPA to extend ozone compliance deadlines in March 2019.
The Public Utilities Commission backtracked on denying access to reports on the September RTD R-Line derailment in Aurora after pressure to release RTD’s corrective action plan detailing how it was going to prevent future derailments.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission also cut by 70% a request by Xcel Energy’s for a $295.6 million rate increase it asked to layer on top of a $500 million rate increase for 2021’s polar vortex storm Uri and a $1.7 billion request for new power lines, saying the request was “akin to signing a blank check.”
City of Aurora (Jessica Gibbs)
In 2022, the City of Aurora took up numerous pressing issues. Leadership travelled to cities in Texas in search of a better homelessness reduction models, ultimately drafting a new vision for Aurora that includes plans to build a campus. The city's hunt for a new chief of police stalled out, and a second interim chief with a national reputation was selected while the search for a permanent top cop continues. City officials are also narrowing down the search for a new Aurora Fire chief, picking four finalists for 2023 interviews and public meetings.
Fentanyl (Carol McKinley)
The February 2022 deaths of five young Coloradans in one apartment at the same time from a fentanyl overdose was a wake-up call. Not only was opioid use out of control in Colorado, but also, the simultaneous ingestion appeared to be an accident. Family members said their daughters, sisters and sons thought that they were ingesting cocaine the night of Feb. 20. This magnified the realization that drugs could be laced with deadly fentanyl without people's knowledge.
The five who died in Commerce City represented the most common age group to die of a fentanyl-involved overdose, Coloradans between the ages of 25-44.
Fentanyl-involved opioid deaths for 2022 appear stands at 604 with 60% of the data for the fourth quarter complete.
Kirk Bol, manager of the Vital Statistics program for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, said that there is a lag in reporting which could mask the actual numbers, but he thinks 2022 is on track to equal the number from last year. "The factors affecting this lag vary across the state, (and) we are not able to project estimated total number of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl," said Bol in an email. He told the Denver Gazette that final numbers would be available in the Spring.
According to CDPHE data, a total of 912 Coloradans died from a fentanyl overdose in 2021 and 540 in 2020. This shows a significant spike from 2018 when the final death toll was 102.
Fentanyl did not discriminate in Colorado as shown by a summer of 2022 Denver Gazette investigation. The stories of some of those poignant deaths were profiled in a report called “The Faces of Fentanyl" which documented the human toll taken by a drug which killed sometimes unexpectedly and always too soon.
Fentanyl poisonings in 2022 happened on the sidewalks of Denver, and in a $1,200-per-night hotel room in Aspen. One teenager died in her Colorado Springs classroom, another collapsed in a Dairy Queen lobby and a sixteen year-old Lakewood girl succumbed in the back seat of a car.
Christina Luna's 15 year old son, Josiah Velasquez, collapsed in an Arvada Dairy Queen last May. She still grieves every day. "I hope you're still up there," she wrote to Joey in a Facebook post. "I miss you."
Denver Gazette Investigative Reporter Team (Chris Osher, David Migoya, Jenny Deam)
The Denver Gazette’s coverage of the judiciary discipline scandal ran the gamut, from the creation of a committee to investigate changes to flubs in the criminal inquiry that was dismissed because of problems, from exposure of the chief justice wanting to control what information around the debacle becomes public to the legislative recommendation of a constitutional amendment for voters.
A Denver Gazette investigation found the industry of parental custody evaluations profits while parents and children suffer in contentious custody cases.
Criminal justice (Julia Cardi and Kyla Pearce)
A group of protesters in Denver hauled the city into court over the police department's use of force during the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations and won a $14 million verdict.
Amid a spike in Colorado car thefts since 2019, law enforcement leaders, policymakers and criminologists remained divided on where the increase has come from. Some say people keep stealing cars over and over again because pretrial release practices and state penalties for car thefts are too lenient. Others counter that penalties themselves don't act as a deterrent, and say the COVID-19 pandemic created a perfect storm of circumstances that made a ripe incubator for car thefts.
The year also saw struggles and unrest for law enforcement in some of Colorado's biggest cities. Denver's former police chief Paul Pazen retired abruptly at the end of summer, and the then-chief of patrol Ron Thomas stepped up to take his place. This came a few months after Aurora's former police chief Vanessa Wilson was ousted, and since then the department has struggled to find candidates for a permanent replacement. Meanwhile, at the state level, Department of Corrections Executive Director Dean Williams — an advocate of social "normalization" in corrections — announced his resignation the day after the midterm elections in November, when Gov. Jared Polis won a second term.
An Arvada police officer was killed Sept. 11 when he attempted to disrupt a domestic dispute. Officer Dillon Vakoff, 27 — who aspired to be a SWAT officer and was a seven-year Air Force veteran — was killed responding to a fight in the neighborhood that was his regular beat, according to neighbors, who said that he was always smiling and ready to help in whatever way he could.
Hundreds of officers and rescue personnel from as far away as Utah came to participate in Vakoff's mile-long funeral procession to Lafayette, which culminated in a service at Flatirons Community Church where friends and family memorialized the fallen officer.
The suspect in his death is in the Jefferson County jail facing eight charges including first-degree murder of a peace officer, attempt to commit murder in the first degree, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and two counts of child abuse.
Business (Savannah Mehrtens)
Colorado’s economy delivered a mixed bag in 2022, with inflation and continuing supply chain issues. Its unemployment level finished strong, at 3.5% — which was below the national average of 3.7% and down considerably from the 4.4% level a year ago.
The state’s aerospace industry continued to grow, and celebrated when NASA got the un-crewed spacecraft Artemis launched to the moon, and back successfully. More than 184 Colorado companies support the Artemis mission’s supply chain, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.
After years of delays and billions in cost overruns, the Space Launch System rocket roared skyward early Nov. 16, rising from Kennedy Space Center on 8.8 million pounds of thrust and hitting 100 mph within seconds. The Lockheed Martin-built Orion capsule was perched on top and, less than two hours into the flight, busted out of Earth's orbit toward the moon.
The liftoff marked the start of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, named after Apollo’s mythological twin sister. The space agency is aiming to send four astronauts around the moon on the next flight, in 2024, and land humans there as early as 2025.
The state’s cannabis industry, however, did not have a great year. Sales declined almost every single month in 2022 from 2021 levels, which means the state could earn about $100 million less in tax revenue, according to the Marijuana Industry Group. The still-young industry enjoyed a peak year in 2020 due to the pandemic and cannabis shops being considered “essential businesses.” But after a year of declining sales, many businesses have had to lay off employees or even close doors.
Arts & Entertainment (John Moore)
While some might presume 2022 was a return to normalization in the performing arts, the year was most definitely a tale of two stories: Indoors and outdoors.
While more Coloradans returned to outdoor activities in record numbers, performing-arts companies of all shapes and sizes struggled to get audiences to come back inside, and the stress of it all has taken its toll both on arts organizations and their leaders alike. One snapshot: Red Rocks obliterated all previous records for attendance in 2022, with 371,000 more visitors at ticketed events than in 2021. Meanwhile, Denver Film reported that attendance at its flagship Sie FilmCenter is down a full 50 percent from pre-pandemic highs. Theater companies, abandoned by local, state and federal officials on COVID guidelines, were beset by tripledemic breakouts that caused rolling performance cancellations throughout the year. The financial toll will take years to recover from – for those that survive. Then again, Meow Wolf drew 1 million visitors in its first nine months in Denver, so go figure. The biggest story of the arts year was the ascendancy of women into arts leadership roles. Meanwhile, hate reared its ugly head, much of it targeted at drag queens reading stories to children. But at the same time inspiring, life-changing art was produced in prisons, and powerful monologues commemorated the 10th anniversary of imperiled DACA. One of the little stories that went national was the dance company Wonderbound’s decision to leave social media in the dust.
Denver’s role as a national leader in immersive theater grew, largely on the strength of 40,000 attending David Byrne’s “Theater of The Mind.” In local film, ‘The Holly’ rose from controversy to one of the hottest documentaries of the festival circuit. The Denver-born play “The Whale” turned into an Oscar-contending film for Brendan Fraser.
Sports (Chris Schmaedeke)
March 8: The Denver Broncos made a huge splash acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson from Seattle. The blockbuster trade had Denver send quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick to Seattle. The trade was thought to get Denver back in the playoffs, but it has been the complete opposite.
March 16: The Colorado Rockies make a huge splash in free agency by signing Kris Bryant to a seven-year deal which pays $182 million. The first year was not a success as Bryant only played 42 games and hit five home runs.
April 9: DU hockey was back on top of the college world as the Pioneers defeated Minnesota State to claim the program’s ninth NCAA title. The title tied the Pioneers for the most in NCAA history.
May 12: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is named NBA MVP for the second straight season. The center received 65 of the possible 100 first-place votes. Jokic averaged 27.1 points a game as he carried the Nuggets to the sixth seed in the playoffs where Denver bowed out to Golden State.
June 26: The Colorado Avalanche completed their season long journey as they defeated the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 2001. Star defensemen Cale Makar had 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy. A few days later, the team celebrated with a parade in downtown Denver that drew more than 500,000.
Dec. 3: After a terrible 1-11 season, the CU Buffs football program had to make a splash. And they sure did. The Buffs hired Jackson State coach and former NFL/MLB star Deion Sanders to lead their football program. Sanders has already brought plenty of excitement to Boulder and continues to make headlines with his recruiting.
Dec. 26: After a 4-11 start and an embarrassing loss on Christmas Day, the Broncos fired coach Nathaniel Hackett. A season that started with so much promise spiraled downhill from Week 1. Hackett struggled with game management and other aspects of being a head coach. The Broncos offense was the worst in the league despite the trade for Wilson.
PHOTOS: 2022 Year in Photos - The Denver Gazette
The crowd fills Civic Center Park in Denver as they celebrate during the Colorado Avalanche 2022 Championship celebration Thursday, June 30, 2022 (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Vehicles evacuate in front of a large grass fire on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Superior, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Residents fight the Marshall Fire Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, as it burns through a neighborhood in Louisville, Colo. The fire, fueled by high winds, burned through Boulder County destroying hundreds on homes and businesses. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Superior, CO - Ariel photos of homes that were destroyed in the Marshall Fire over night. More than 500 homes were destroyed and that number could climb to nearly a 1,000. The fire consumed homes, businesses and even the Element Hotel near Hwy 36 and McCaslin, the hotel is completely gone. (Photo by John Leyba/Air Cam Helicopter Services)
Resident Lori Smith, right, comforts one of her daughters as the family prepares to leave with a few items found in the rubble of their home on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Louisville, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
A Central City Fire Department firefighter sprays down the hot debris that’s accumulated in the basement of a home that burned down on the 2000 block of Andrew Drive on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Superior, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Anne Fox helps daughter Ava Fox, 4, down the stairs of the lake house before skating on Evergreen Lake on Wednesday Jan. 5, 2022, in Evergreen, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Luna Schneider-Zuniga, 8, grabs a chunk of snow from the sled where little sister Sol Schneider-Zuniga, 3, has been collecting it while building an igloo in front of the Colorado State Capitol Building with their father Aaron Schneider during a snow day for Denver Public School students on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden exit Air Force One before boarding Marine One and heading towards the Marshall Fire burn area in Boulder County on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, at Signature Flight Support at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Ella Holtmeyer finds a pony just her size at the HW Hutchison Family Stockyards Event Center opening on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Liz Copan / special to The Denver Gazette)
Hadasah Espinoza, 9, finishes strong in the pole bending event at The National Western Stick Horse Rodeo during a free grounds admission day at the National Western Stock Show on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Lee Simmental Farms’ Lane Engelbrecht, right, helps guide the farms’ simmental cattle through the shows’ brand new stockyards during a free grounds admission day at the National Western Stock Show on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Sen. Kerry Donovan’s dog Gary runs down the staircase during the first day of Colorado’s 2022 session at the Colorado State Capital Building on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
The Martin Luther King Marade marches down East Colfax Avenue on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Kendall Henderson looks out to the arena with other children before participating in the mitten busting show during the African-American Heritage Rodeo at the National Western Stock Show on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Bullrider Blaine Devers stands in the doorway next to the chutes during the African-American Heritage Rodeo at the National Western Stock Show on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
A dog who walks on two legs must be a favorite. I was laughing the whole I followed him around the Ouray, Colo. Dexter, a 6-year-old Brittany spaniel, walks with his owner Kentee Pasek Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. Dexter lost one front leg and lthe use of his other one after being hit by a truck when he was less than a year old. He learned to walk on his hind legs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Cami Miller of El Dorado, Kansas, is comforted by her mother Charlene Miller after auctioning off her grand champion catch-a-calf during the National Western Stock Show Junior Livestock Champions Auctions on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Hometown favorite Hanna Faulhaber from Basalt, Colo., rides to a third-place finish during the Women’s Ski SuperPipe finals Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, on the first day of the X Games Aspen 2022 at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
A fire inspector carefully walks down the first floor stairs of an apartment building that was the scene of an early morning fire that killed one at the Bella Terra at City Center apartment complex on the 15300 block of East Evans Avenue on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, in Aurora, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Snow clings to the fur around Rosie McQuiggan’s jacket hood as she walks her six-year-old dog Koda during a morning snowstorm on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Susan Cabaniss uses an umbrella to shield herself from the snow as she crosses Grant Street on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
The top edge of a license plate peaks out from snow covering a vintage Volkswagen Beatle after an overnight snowstorm on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Crowds greet and applaud Table Mesa King Soopers employees as they make their way into the store on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. The King Soopers staff had not been to work since March of 2021 when the store was closed indefinitely after the shooting. Many of the employees were in the grocery store that snowy day in March when a gunman opened fire on shoppers and staff. (Armond Feffer/for The Denver Gazette)
David Hilburn walks three-year-old hovawart Brett past the Denver City and County Building during an afternoon snowstorm on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Crews can be seen through the broken windows of a truck across the street from a home that exploded on the 7700 block of Knox Court on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in Westminster, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A Firefighter holds a hose while they work to extinguish a fire after a suspected explosion at the Stratus Townhomes on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, in Westminster, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Harold Nelson is presented with his birthday cake at a party in honor of his 107th birthday and induction into The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at the VFW Post 3631 in Aurora, Colo. (Sara Hertwig/for The Denver Gazette)
Director of cultivation Jess Cordova smells for resins on her fingers while inspecting a row of Apex strain plants at the Euflora cannabis greenhouse on Monday, Feb 28, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A pedestrian walks down Bannock Street past the Denver City and County Building lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Pastor Rev. Valeriy Kandyuk, second from right, listens as he speaks with church members, from left, his wife Halyna Kandyuk, Mariya Lubyanetska and Thordosia Fedak about the Russian invasion of Ukraine after a morning mass at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Ukrainian Olksandria Levchenko, left, and Russian Iveria Lorenz, center, hold signs and wave to passing traffic during a protest outside the Colorado State Capitol in support of Ukraine on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Denver, Colo. Levchenko’s parents, grandparents and friend are in Kyiv, and her husband reportedly lost his best friend in Ukraine yesterday when his car, carrying himself, his niece and his niece’s husband, was shot by a tank and burned. The protest, organized by Nataliia Bondarchuk through Ukrainians of Colorado, is requesting that the skies over Ukraine be sheltered, help the Ukrainian military with troops, and sending ammunition and financial help to Ukraine. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Chainsaw artist Bongo Love carves an owl out of a log of reclaimed beetle kill pine on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, off Colorado Highway 93 in Boulder, Colo. Love, who is a stone carver originally from Zimbabwe, will be one of the artists featured in the ice carving competition at this weekends’ Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Father and son Gene and Beau Tsatoke of Kiowa Nation walk to the Denver Coliseum during the Denver March Powwow on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Denver, Colo. The annual powwow returned after a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Several bison wait to be loaded onto a trailer during an event to recognize the donation of Denver Mountain Park bison to the Northern Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe tribes, as well as to the Tall Bull Memorial Council on Monday, March 21, 2022, at Genesee Park in Golden, Colo. Every year, the city of Denver thins their bison herd to keep it at a manageable size for the land they occupy, though the donation of the bison to Indigenous nations is a new tradition. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
The first six bison are grouped up in a holding pen in front of a one line of vehicles that came to an event to recognize the donation of Denver Mountain Park bison to the Northern Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe tribes, as well as to the Tall Bull Memorial Council on Monday, March 21, 2022, at Genesee Park in Golden, Colo. Every year, the city of Denver thins their bison herd to keep it at a manageable size for the land they occupy, though the donation of the bison to Indigenous nations is a new tradition. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Eric Armas of the White Mountain Singers plays “Honor Song” with the group during an event to recognize the donation of Denver Mountain Park bison to the Northern Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe tribes, as well as to the Tall Bull Memorial Council on Monday, March 21, 2022, at Genesee Park in Golden, Colo. Every year, the city of Denver thins their bison herd to keep it at a manageable size for the land they occupy, though the donation of the bison to Indigenous nations is a new tradition. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Slain Boulder police officer Eric Talley’s mother Judy Talley embraces one of her grandchildren during a Line of Duty Death commemoration for officer Eric Talley at the Boulder Police Department on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. On March 22, 2021, a gunman entered the King Soopers grocery store on Table Mesa drive in Boulder, killing 10, including officer Eric Talley. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Shonta Wimbush kisses the cheek of her 10-year-old daughter Niesha Wimbush after pinning a badge to her shirt after Niesha was presented as an honorary deputy of the Adams County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, in Brighton, Colo. Niesha was deputized for her role in caring for her younger siblings after their mother’s car was stolen while the children were still inside. They were allowed to leave the vehicle, where Niesha kept her siblings calm and walked them to a nearby school where they found officers. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Retired Denver County Judge Gary Jackson looks up to hills above his family’s historic cabin, named “Zephyr View,” just before a site visit by History Colorado members on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the historic Lincoln Hills Retreat in Gilpin County, Colo. The cabin, which is currently being restored and renovated, was built by Jackson’s great-grandfather William Pitts in the late 1920’s. The name Zephyr View refers to the proximity of the cabin to the cross-country California Zephyr passenger train that crosses over South Boulder Creek right in front of the cabin. Lincoln Hills was a mountain resort founded by and built for Black Americans in the 1920s. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Christina Madsen holds her three-year-old son, Marius, while watching the smoke of the NCAR Fire from the safety of Fairview High School on Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. They evacuated their home in the Shanahan Ridge neighborhood. (Jacob Byk/For The Denver Gazette)
A tear rolls down Brandee Lee Eighmy’s cheek while she talks about the death of her younger brother, Bradyn Heit, on Monday, April 4, 2022, at her home in Aurora, Colo. Heit overdosed after taking a pill laced with fentanyl in Grand Junction before his 18th birthday. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Alvy Kilgore, 7, uses a cloth to dry one car while father Brian Kilgore sprays down another as they and Brian’s other son Declan, not pictured, take the opportunity to wash the family cars on a warm and sunny Monday afternoon, April 4, 2022, in Denver, Colo. Declan and Alvy have always helped wash the cars, but this is the first year they’ve been able to wash a car beginning to end by themselves. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis rides bikes with the kindergartners at Queen Palmer Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Kids on Bikes, HDR, and BNSF Railway Foundation teamed up to deliver Strider Balance Bikes, helmets and pedal-conversion kits to the elementary school as part of the All Kids Bike initiative to teach children to ride a bike in their kindergarten physical education classes. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Rockies fan Joshua Pugh rocks his signature mohawk while talking with media outside Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Artists Kyle Banister, right, and Eric Matelski paint the piece “Eye Black and Bubblegum” on the sidewalk leading into McGregor Square before the Colorado Rockies home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
University of Denver students, bottom-right, Ellie Sullivan, Megan Hulser and Analeez Atensio sing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” during the 2022 National Championship Celebration for the school’s men’s hockey team on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
William Washington, right, prepares to place the remains of U.S. Navy airman apprentice Jerry Burton Blodgett into his gravesite while Christopher Lane looks on, after a memorial program to inter the remains of seven unclaimed veterans on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Five-year-old Austrian shepherd Ollie tries out his “doggles” for the first time walking into the wind with owner Alex Highstein on Friday, April 29, 2022, on Green Mountain Trail at William Frederick Hayden Park in Lakewood, Colo. After weeks of next-to-no precipitation, April ended up being one of the driest months on record for several Colorado cities including Denver and the surrounding foothills. Conditions are so extreme that the National Weather Service office issued a Fire Weather Watch nearly every day in the month of April. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A tear rolls down the cheek of abortion-rights advocate Justine Sandoval as she speaks over a megaphone during an abortion-rights protest on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, on the west steps of the state Capitol building in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Horizon West Builders president Bryan Neitenbach uses a pressure washer to remove the paint used to vandalize a statue by artists Dee Toscano the previous night, as seen on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Parish in Boulder, Colo. The church was spray painted with abortion-rights slogans and had multiple windows broken in the vandalization. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Angel Shabazz, the creator of "A Mother's Love" support group for mothers who have lost children, poses for a portrait with a photo of her son Davarie Armstrong in the Girls Inc. of Metro Denver gymnasium on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Denver, Colo. Davarie would catch the bus after school to Girls Inc., where his mother is the manager of middle school programs, and would often spend time in the gymnasium. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A graduate kisses his girlfriend before the commencement ceremony at Folsom Field on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (Armond Feffer/The Denver Gazette)
Children perform in front of the Capitol at Civic Center Park during the Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Denver. Dozens of different dance groups entertained the crowd with traditional Mexican dances. (Armond Feffer/The Denver Gazette)
From left, Senior Policy Analyst Deep Badhesha, Rep. David Ortiz and Rep. Brianna Titone attempt to play with yo-yos that were given out during the last day of the legislative session on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at the Capitol building in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Trainees from various local and national law enforcement agencies fire live rounds at bullet traps on the field from the east side club level during a “Police Sniper Response to a Public Venue” training by TacFlow Academy on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) leaps into defenseman Josh Manson (42) as the Colorado Avalanche celebrate Manson’s goal during the overtime period of Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. The Colorado Avalanche won 3-2. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Lakewood police officer Ashley Ferris speaks to media during a press conference on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the Lakewood City Council Conference Room in Lakewood, Colo. Ferris sustained gunshot wounds to her leg and abdomen while confronting and killing a gunman who went on a cross-town shooting spree, killing five victims in multiple locations across the metro area. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
The Denver Police Metro SWAT teat performs a 21 gun salute on Thursday, May 19, 2022, during the Denver Police Department’s annual fallen officers memorial ceremony at the department’s administration building in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Fans give their support for Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) as the Colorado Avalanche warm up before Game 5 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
California resident Edgar Ureta fills up his car before heading home from a visit to The Mile High City on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Conoco gas station at Speer Boulevard and Zuni Street in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Outgoing Historic Denver executive director Annie Levinsky poses for a portrait in the entry stairwell next to stained glass windows that were restored in 2018, as seen on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at the Molly Brown House in Denver, Colo. After 14 years as the executive director, Levinsky is stepping down to take a position with History Colorado. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Nick Moore and a packed house in Ball Arena celebrate as the Avalanche takes a 2-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena in Denver Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Flying insects are backlit by the sun while ThinAir Communications tower technician Ryan Heisler installs an infrared camera at the top of a 120 for tower on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at Elk Creek Fire Station 3 in Conifer, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Carol Reinhardt, center, takes a studied look at one of the Denver Botanic Gardens’ corpse flowers, named Lil Stinker, while the flower is in its brief bloom on Friday, June 17, 2022, in Denver, Colo. The flower is one of three at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and only blooms once every four to five years, and the bloom is only open for 24 to 48 hours. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Clouds build below Exhibition class driver Scott Birdsall’s Superlite LMP-1 as he heads into the Olympic hairpin turn during the first day of qualifying and practice sessions for The Broadmoor Pike Peak International Hill Climb early Tuesday morning, June 21, 2022, on the upper section of the Pikes Peak Highway in El Paso County, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A cyclist rides south on the Cherry Creek Trail past artist Jonny Pucci’s mural of African American cyclist, Marshall “Major” Taylor, during the 32nd annual Bike to Work Day on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Avalanche fans Adam Giffen, left, and Mike West give each other a fist bump as they wait in Thunder Alley to enter Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Giffen and West are both season ticket holders in Denver and flew to Tampa to see Game 4. They sit across from each other at Ball Arena. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Protestors pack onto the west steps during an abortion rights protest outside the Colorado State Capitol Building in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Avalanche fan Drew David, center, reacts as time expires in the third period during the Colorado Avalanche loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Friday, June 24, 2022, at a watch party at McGregor Square in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the Colorado Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 to win the 2022 Stanley Cup at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, Sunday, June 26, 2022. Colorado won the series 4 - 2. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
I shot many players hoisting the Cup after the Colorado Avalanche won Game 6 and the Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay, but I thought this was my favorite moment of the night as Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon kissed his girlfriend Charlotte Walker after family and friends joined the team on the ice to celebrate Sunday, June 26, 2022. The Colorado Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl speaks to media after the race was called for her during an election watch party at Wide Open Saloon on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Sedalia, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Avalanche centerman Nathan MacKinnon kisses the Stanley Cup during the Colorado Avalanche 2022 Championship Parade on Thursday, June 30, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Avalanche left-winger Gabriel Landeskog’s daughter Linnea shows him a cutout of his face during the Colorado Avalanche 2022 Championship Parade on Thursday, June 30, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
The Colorado Symphony plays as fireworks illuminate the sky in celebration of Independence Day at Civic Center Park in downtown Denver, Colo. on Sunday, Jul. 3, 2022. (Liz Copan/For the Denver Gazette)
Bob Reynolds, the son of longtime Denver city councilwoman Cathy Reynolds, hugs his father Rick Reynolds after Rick unveiled his late wife’s name on the newly-renamed council chambers’ doors on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at the Denver City Council Chambers in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Tuber Nathan Parrott keeps his coffee upright as he and others float down Boulder Creek during Tube to Work Day on Friday, July 15, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Aubrey Dearman, a relative of Veronica Moser-Sullivan, the youngest victim of the 2012 Aurora Theater shooting, stands with her boyfriend Riley Laguana after placing signs next to the rocks placed out for the 10 killed in 2012, before a memorial for the victims of the mass shooting, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at the Aurora Water-wise Garden in Aurora, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
After a two-year hiatus, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival came back to Sloan's Lake with live music, food, performances, dragon boat racing and the colorful dragon dance. (Sara Hertwig/for The Denver Gazette)
Kim Osterman, who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose in February of 2021, is reflected in a photo of Max while standing for a portrait on Monday, July 25, 2022, in the Denver Metro Area, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Adrian Mata holds out his eight-month-old daughter Alivia Mata while Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) signs autographs after the third day of the Broncos’ training camp practices on Friday, July 29, 2022, in Centennial, Colo.(Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Mary went through a process of having a custody evaluation done by a psychotherapist in 2016. She has said the mental health professional who performed the evaluation did not document a history of abuse by her ex-partner, with whom she shares a 12-year-old son. Mary, using a pseudonym at her request, stands for a portrait in her home on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Fans sing and dance while Brazilian singer Pabllo Vittar performs on the first of three days at Meow Wolf's Vortex festival on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at The Junk Yard in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
E•motion owner and trainer Erica Valenzuela sits for a portrait in front of a neon sign in the chill room on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at E•motion in Westminster, Colo.(Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Sofia Beauprez, 5, kicks a dirt out of her sandal while searching for flowers with her family at Anderson Farms’ second annual U-Pick Sunflowers on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, in Erie, Colo. The farm has over 17 varieties of sunflowers on 15 acres and the event runs Thursdays through Sundays, through August 28th. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
The little brother of Josiaz “JoJo” Aragon, a 14-year-old who was killed last Monday with his body found near the baseball field at the Southwest Recreation Center, holds a candle with others gathered for a candle-lit vigil on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022, in Denver, Colo.(Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Early risers take pictures of the sunrise from the summit of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Saturday was the first sunrise opening since 2018 because of the construction of the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex that was completed in the summer of 2021. The next sunrise opening will be Sept. 11. A timed entry permit and admission must be purchased in advance online at DrivePikesPeak.com. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Regimental Drum Major Craig Stevens prepares to enter the arena to perform at The Estes Park International Tattoo during the first day of the Long's Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Estes Park, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Bryce Laude, a half-brother of fallen Arvada Police officer Dillon Vakoff, rubs his eyes while walking around the memorial for Vakoff, on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in Arvada, Colo. Laude and Vakoff didn’t know each other much, but had been in contact and had plans to someday meet up. Vakoff was killed in the line of duty early Sunday morning. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) enters Lumen Field in Seattle for warm ups before the start of the Broncos season opener against his former team The Seahawks Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in Seattle. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Lots of hype going into the Denver Broncos season this year. Russell Wilson was the new quarterback and things were looking up for the fans in Colorado. The Broncos played the Seahawks in game one in Seattle on Monday Night Football. Wilson against his former team. The Broncos lost 17-16 on a missed field goal in the final seconds. After the game Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson traded jerseys with former teammate Seattle Seahawks wide receiver. Nice reunion of good friends. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
A mourner does the sign of the cross while holding a thin blue line American flag during a the funeral procession for fallen Arvada Police officer Dillon Vakoff on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, at Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo. Vakoff was killed in the wine of duty last Sunday while responding to a call in Arvada. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Towers for a new chairlift are flown in via helicopter and installed by Leitner-Poma of America employees at Loveland Ski Area on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The lift is replacing the outdate Lift 6 that was built in 1977 and demolished earlier this year. (The Gazette, Parker Seibold)
Anthony Ochoa, a self-described traveler, looks into the locked front door of Denver Public Library’s Central Library branch on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Denver, Colo. Ochoa was planning to use the library’s internet to try to stay in touch with family and friends and was unaware that all Denver public library branches had been closed for the day due to online threats that were eventually deemed unsubstantiated. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Vehicle headlights show a male tarantula attempting to cross a dirt road on the Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Southern Plains Land Trust near Lamar, Colo. Many male tarantulas are killed while crossing roads and highways as they search for mates. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
I had spent much of the day before in Rocky Mountain National Park while reporter Seth Boster and I reported on a elk rut season. I wasn't happy with what I had shot after spending the morning in the Park again so we went back to Estes Park. Sometimes it pays to be lucky as I found these two bull elks battling in Lake Estes on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Coco Clough drives an all-terrain-vehicle behind 50 heads of cattle as they move to winter grazing pastures on Sterling Ranch in Littleton, Colo. on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (Liz Copan/special to The Gazette)
A red-tailed hawk takes off from a roof with a pigeon in its talons in the alleyway behind the Paramount Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) and Denver Broncos wide receiver Montrell Washington (12) go up for a catch on a deep pass by Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. Sutton ultimately came down with the pass. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) leads a prayer at midfield after a 12-9 loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
OCTOBER 8, 2022 - Nasim Bahari and Mitra Azizian both from Iran attend and hold up their signs during a rally at Civic Center Park to listen to guest speakers talk about the focus on equality and reproductive rights following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The Womxn’s March took to the streets and marched around the Capitol building, Civic Center park and the City & County building on Saturday October 8, 2022 in downtown Denver. The Womxn's March Denver is a collective of womxn committed to amplifying marginalized voices in the movement to end sexism, oppression, and injustice. (John Leyba/for The Denver Gazette)
Retiring Denver Police chief Paul Pazen stands for a portrait in his office overlooking the city on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, at Denver Police Headquarters in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Christina Luna, the mother of Josiah Velasquez, left, and her close friend and sister Tara Garcia set up camping chairs to spend time at Josiah’s grave that’s been decorated for Halloween on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Lakewood, Colo. Luna and Garcia visit the site often and bring a large photo of Josiah with them each time they visit. Velasquez, who was 15-years-old, died from a fentanyl overdose in the dining room of a Dairy Queen earlier this year. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
A squirrel pokes its head out of a chewed and hollowed out pumpkin on a home’s front porch on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in the Baker neighborhood of Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Keith Jackson and Megan Manning search for a couple of pumpkins on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, at Rock Creek Farm in Broomfield, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Skiers head up the Black Mountain Express Lift for their first run during opening day at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, near Dillon, Colo. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area is the first ski resort in Colorado to open for the season. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
José Estrada runs the steps of Red Rocks Amphitheatre through the snow at sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, in Morrison, Colo. Estrada usually makes it out to the amphitheater at least once a week and wasn’t going to let the Metro Area’s first snow of the season stop him. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Newly-badged Officers Lauren Flores, right, and Denise Cardoza hug after the Denver Police basic recruit class 22-1’s graduation ceremony on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at the Denver Police Training hangar in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Ariel Ramos carries a horse skeleton Halloween decoration to the garage to be stored away for the year while working with his wife Kimberly DeHaven to pack away their wide assortment of decorations on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at their home at the intersection of South Logan Street and East Nassau Avenue in Englewood, Colo. Their home has become a destination for trick-or-treaters due to their large display that they start building by Labor Day weekend each year. DeHaven began decorating her yard for Halloween back in 2007, but it really began growing in about 2012. She estimates they had about 200 trick-or-treaters this year. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
World War II veteran John Sekulich, 105, is reflected in the glass of a shadowbox filled with medals earned during his service while sitting for a portrait at his and his wife Charlotte’s home on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Lakewood, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Migrant seeking asylum in the U.S. from Nicaragua, Milena, carries her son Mateo, 2, from the bus they arrived on after a drive from El Paso, Texas, and into a temporary shelter on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at an undisclosed location in Denver, Colo. The migrants are expected to be housed in this location for about 48 hours as volunteers from various organizations help them make arrangements to travel to host families around the country. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Voter Matt Wentzel drops off his ballot in the drop box outside the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Mourners line all levels of the rotunda during a ceremony preceding the lying in state of Colorado House Minority Leader Rep. Hugh McKean on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, at Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, Colo. McKean died unexpectedly of a heart attack in late October while running for reelection. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Gov. Jared Polis presents a folded Colorado state flag to Colorado House Minority Leader Rep. Hugh McKean’s son Aiden McKean during a ceremony preceding the lying in state Rep. McKean on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in the rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, Colo. McKean died unexpectedly of a heart attack in late October while running for reelection. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
I have so much respect for the people in our military. In November, reporter Mary Shinn and I followed the soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division as 8,000 of them participated in The Battle of Dak To PT Event to celebrate the division's heritage and honor the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam battle where the 4th ID lost hundreds of lives. I've never had so much fun getting tear gassed and running the course with them. I left with even more respect for our soldiers. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Sophie Kamerrer, left, and Torrey Lovett embrace while visiting a memorial near Club Q Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, after five were killed and 25 injuried in a shooting Saturday night at the Colorado Springs, Colo., bar. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
A Parasol Patrol member who identified themself as Guard Otto Declosett looks on as other share their feelings with the crowd during a vigil in response to a mass shooting at the Colorado Springs LBGTQ+ nightclub Club Q that killed five and injured 17 others just before midnight last Saturday, as seen on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at the State Capitol Building in Denver, Colo. The Parasol Patrol is a group that started using their rainbow umbrellas to shield people gathering for drag story readings, but have since been shielding mourners of the recent mass shooting at vigils and rallies. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
From left, Club Q staff members and performers, Carter Rodriguez, Michael Anderson, Wyatt Kent and Autumn Quinn stand in the front row during a flag ceremony at Colorado Springs City Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. The 25-foot historic pride flag, which has flown at the White House and Pulse nightclub, will stay on city hall for two weeks. (The Gazette, Parker Seibold)
The “Sacred Cloth” pride flag is dropped from the roof of Colorado Springs City Hall during a ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. The historic flag, which has flown at the White House and Pulse nightclub, will hang from City Hall for two weeks. (Parker Seibold/The Denver Gazette)
Veterinarian Peter Sepp does jumping jacks to stay warm before running in the first wave with five-year-old brittany Watson during the 49th annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at Washington Park in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Denver Gazette)
Deion Sanders speaks at Folsom Field at CU Boulder on Monday, Dec. 4, 2022. Sanders will become the 28th University of Colorado head football coach. (Alyson McClaran/ for The Denver Gazette)
Denver mayor Michael Hancock sits for a photo in his office at the Denver City and County Building on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Denver East boys basketball head coach Rudy Carey celebrates his record-breaking 877th win with the team in the locker room after beating Palmer High School on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Fire spinner Cipo Bazan entertains the crowd during Chanukah at the State Capitol on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Members of the Public Safety Cadet Program rearrange cots in the outside hallways of the Denver Coliseum, which is being opened as a 24-hour emergency warming shelter on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)
Commuter Beck Schoenwetter heads to his shift at the Colorado Convention Center after an overnight snowstorm on Thursday, Dec. 22, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette)