[LOCAL]

• Aaron Brockett wins a narrow mayoral race in Boulder’s first ever ranked-choice voting system
• Thornton City Council results eliminates mayor Kulmann’s majority power bloc, dropping from 6-3 to now a minority of 4-5
• King Sooper shooter pleads not guilty, claiming insanity l Change in Boulder city energy code will eliminate gas power in most new buildings to lessen impact on environment
• Colorado Judge allows Trump to appear on statewide ballot for 2024 Presidential race, rejecting efforts to bar the insurrectionist from running again
• Erie and Superior both approve Home Rule Charters, allowing more autonomy for the city governments

[NATIONAL]

• Henry Kissinger finally dies, here’s to hoping hell exists
• Mike Johnson, MAGA Republican from Louisiana, is finally voted in as the next Speaker of the House after a tumultuous vacancy
• New York City mayor Eric Adams had his phone seized by the FBI in a campaign finance violation investigation
• Joe Manchin will not run for reelection, a move that will have implications next year when a Republican is highly likely to take his Senate seat
• Voters in Ohio pass a ballot measure in ensuring access to abortion in big win for reproductive rights access in the midwest
• Trump takes the stand in New York civil trial while losing his temper during and ranting on social media after, surprising noone but rightly prompting a gag order from the judge
• Hollywood Writers and United Auto Workers strikes — admittedly very different groups — both came to end with very favorable outcomes to auto workers unions and concessions to the writers unions in two wins for labor

[INTERNATIONAL]

• Israel surrounds Gaza City in an attempt to remove Hamas from power in Palestine, sparking another humanitarian crisis in the process
• Pod of Orcas sink yet another boat near the Strait of Gibraltar in an apparent coordinated attack on the vessel
• Sudan’s Darfur region erupts into ethnic violence, continuing this century’s first genocide and widening violence in the country
• Argentina elects far-right libertarian as president, his platform includes abolishing the national currency, shutting down the national bank, and slashing public services. Small Talk

“We’re going to make sure every Colorado voter knows about how Boebert, Buck, and Lamborn turned their backs on Colorado by supporting a MAGA extremist for speaker.” – Colorado Democratic Party statement on new House Speaker

“Once you’ve been to Cambodia, you’ll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands. You will never again be able to open a newspaper and read about that treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag sitting down for a nice chat with Charlie Rose or attending some black-tie affair for a new glossy magazine without choking.” – The late Anthony Bourdain on Henry Kissinger

“Coloradans are looking to us to reduce property taxes and provide relief to families, and as we always have, we will work to deliver solutions that protect and enhance the Colorado we love.” – Gov. Polis on defeat of Prop HH

“Saving approximately 100 people in Colorado this year outweighs the aggregate harm of minimal expenditures of time and sacrifice business opportunities.” – Judge John Kane on his ruling to uphold Colorado’s three day waiting period for gun purchases “No refugees in Jordan.

No refugees in Egypt.” – Jordan’s King Abdullah said at newconference regarding Palestinians fleeingthe war in Gaza

By the Numbers

$5.14 Million – 2024 budget for the city of Boulder
190 – Bodies found improperly stored at Return To Nature funeral home in Colorado Springs
1 guilty, 2 acquitted – Results of the three police officers trials for the Elijah McClain murder
$1.7 million – Amount raised by 2023 Weld County Fair’s Junior Livestock Sale, breaking previous fundraising records
$15 – Average cost of a burger in Colorado according to Colorado Sun article