Denverite

A dozen dogs frolicked on Tuesday morning at the Broadway Bark dog park, a patch of land tucked between apartment buildings in south Baker. At other hours, the canine crowd swells much larger. The privately owned park at 380 S. Cherokee St. opened in 2024 and is freely accessible to the public, becoming a hub for the fast-growing neighborhood in recent years.

If you smell something fishy in Denver government, the city’s watchdog, Auditor Tim O’Brien, wants to know. “What should we look into next?” he’s asking. The auditor is tasked with scrutinizing city agencies, ensuring their work is efficient, money is being used well, and rules are being followed. O’Brien has the power to investigate agencies, issue subpoenas and make strongly worded recommendations. Still, the audit reports are meant to help the public understand their government.

This first appeared on chalkbeat.org. By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado Denver students won’t be allowed to use cellphones, smartwatches, or other personal devices during the school day when they return to class this fall. The Denver school board unanimously passed a new bell-to-bell ban Monday. A 2025 state law requires each Colorado school district to adopt a policy on student cellphone use by July 1, but doesn’t require a ban.

A 6-inch cast-iron pipe burst in the Congress Park neighborhood on Tuesday morning, flooding parts of Colfax Avenue. The water-main break happened at 1442 Clayton St. Water poured east on Colfax Avenue, causing trouble for construction workers on the bus rapid transit project. Neighbors scrambled to move cars and contended with a surprise lack of water that could last most of the day.

Former Denver City Council aide Divenia Johnson accused Councilmember Flor Alvidrez of race-, gender- and age-based discrimination in a federal lawsuit filed June 3. Alvidrez is the first-term representative for District 7. The lawsuit names the city of Denver, Alvidrez and the city’s Career Service Authority as defendants. It alleges Alvidrez created a hostile work environment and showed preference to white male employees. Alvidrez learned that Johnson had sued her from Denverite on Friday.

Veo Micromobility scooters officially rolled out in Denver last month. Dockless scooters have been around Denver since 2018, but Veo is the new — and only — operator in town after the Denver City Council ended the city’s relationships with Lime and Bird. So how does Veo compare to its predecessors? Denverite asked scooter-ers in downtown Denver and checked in on online chatter. Veo offers standing scooters, seated scooters, e-bikes and a tricycle, with a total of five different configurations.

Family shelter is in short supply in Denver, and lawmakers and nonprofits are working for a fix. Denver City Council added more than $600,000 to a contract with the Denver Rescue Mission to build an additional 20 units for families in need of housing at The Crossing, in Northeast Park Hill off Smith Road. In all, The Crossing will have 30 units of non-congregate family shelter. The council approved a contract with a new total value of just over $2 million.

The city of Denver was under a tornado watch Monday afternoon — but the hazard sirens that howled just after 4 p.m. were a mistake, city officials said. "Siren was sounded inadvertently. There is no threat of destructive weather to Denver at this time," wrote mayoral spokesperson Jon Ewing. The area still faces a general risk of hazardous weather.

Denver neighborhoods 2 min. read The charred remains of City Park's bandstand. May 3, 2026. The City Park bandstand will need to be completely rebuilt, with an assessment showing the historic structure sustained irreparable damage from a March fire. The bandstand has been fenced off for months, with scorch marks visible all over the nearly century-old structure.

You’re supposed to be 18 years old to rent a scooter or e-bike from Veo, the company that is now operating a fleet of mobility contraptions around Denver. But if you’re not, they won’t likely notice. For most customers, the app uses the honor system as its sole test of age: Simply tell the app that you’re 18 or older, and you’ll soon be zipping around town.