• January 6th Select Committee refers former President Donald Trump to the Justice Dept. for felony charges. The Committee’s charges include insurrection, obstruction of the proceeding, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Four Trump allies, Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, and Andy Biggs, all Republicans, were also referred to the House Ethics Committee for a failure to comply.
• Brittney Griner is released from a Russian labor camp. The WNBA star was released in an exchange between the United States and Russia. Convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was swapped for Griner, who was accused and convicted of possessing marijuana. Welcome home Brittney!
• UN Member Nations Oust Iran from Women’s Rights Panel. This obvious move was the latest effort by the international community to condemn the Iranian government’s crackdown on widespread protest and unrest. The women’s movement to remove the requirement to wear a hijab had been met with violence.
• President Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act. The newly signed bill recognizes a national right to a same-sex marriage, and mitigates the potential impact of a conservative Superme Court overturning the currently established law. Governor Polis was a strong advocate for this bill during his time in Congress.
• Kyrsten Sinema switches party affiliation from Democrat to Independent. Just as her relevance as a swing vote was fading, Sinema once again captures a news cycle by announcing she is leaving the Democratic party. Sinema consistently voted against progressive policies as a Democrat, leading many to doubt that her party affiliation will change the landscape of Congress.
• FTX’s co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the U.S. in connection to the collapse of the crypto-exchange company he founded. He was released on a $250 million bond and is now on house arrest.
• Argentina defeats France to win the World Cup. Lionell Messi helps lead his team to victory in what many are calling the best final match ever, despite the numerous off-field scandals involving FIFA and the host nation, Qatar.
• 25 People arrested in Germany for an attempted plot to overthrow the democratic government. Raids were conducted across the country in a coordinated infiltration of an extremist group plotting a coup against the democratically elected government.
• December 30th marks the one year anniversary of the Marshall Fire that swept through Superior, Louisville and parts of Boulder County forever changing the landscape of these treasured towns.
• 2 Killed in Shooting at Jehovah’s Witness Church in Thornton. The Christmas Day shooting happened when no services were occuring. Authorities say a man shot his wife before taking his own life. There was no threat of wider violence to the public.
• University of Colorado Football program hires Deion Sanders as Head Coach. The former NFL superstar coached Jackson State for their recent winning seasons but prompted controversy by leaving for CU Boulder. Jackson State is a historically black college and critics say Sanders left early after promising the college he would remain at the helm.
• The District Attorney filed hundreds of hate crime and murder charges against the Club Q shooter. Attorney for the 4th District Michael Allen filed the charges as a clear message to the community as well as the shooter that the DA will take a strong stand. Bias-motivated charges have also been filed under a new Colorado Law that allows additional prosecution for crimes committed against specific groups of people.

Small Talk

“The testing stems from a recent spike in reports of individuals smoking in public restrooms over the past four weeks. On two occasions, city employees were evaluated and cleared of ongoing health concerns after experiencing symptoms consistent with a potential exposure to meth residue or fumes.”

– Boulder City Staff regarding the closure of Arapaho Ave. Library due to presence of methamphetamine in the air conditioning system.

“A key contributor during the winningest four-year period in franchise history, Ronnie was part of two Super Bowl teams and led the Broncos in rushing during our Super Bowl 50 championship season.”

– Denver Broncos statement on the passing of Ronnie Hillman, age 31.

“We will celebrate Christmas. Maybe candlelit. Not because it’s more romantic, no, but because there will be no electricity. Millions won’t have neither heating nor running water. All of these will be the result of Russian missile and drone attacks on our energy infrastructure.”

– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his December 21st address to Congress.

“I am ready for my next chapter outside of this golden dome as I plan to continue to work for the people of Colorado… With my fellow Latino legislators, we have grown our caucus to 14 members, the largest in Colorado history. I am proud of our work to engage Latinos across our state and ensure the needs and concerns of our Latino communities are addressed. This outreach and advocacy will continue under their watchful eyes, and I look forward to seeing their continued impact.”

– Colorado State Representative Adrienne Benavidez said in her resignation letter.

“It’s happening all over the place, and it’s very alarming for publishers and the larger book world.”

– Elizabeth A. Harris, New York Times writer on banned books.

“It’s a great tragedy that for 1,500 fish there was no chance of survival. The focus in the afternoon was clearly on saving the fish in the remaining tanks.”

– Almut Neumann, Berlin City Official on the AquaDom Aquarium collapse.

By The Numbers