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Week of January 20, 2022
DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
VOLUME 95 | ISSUE 9
These 14 Denver King Soopers stores are striking The 7 biggest lines from Polis’ 2022 State of the State address
Union wants better PPE, heightened safety measures, improved benefits, higher wages
Governor discusses focus on saving people money and reducing crime
BY MATT BLOOM DENVERITE
When Mark Fry, a meat cutter at the Bear Valley King Soopers, got COVID-19 last January, he spent 64 days in the hospital. Doctors put him on a ventilator for three weeks, he said. He nearly died. But the 58-year-old recovered and went back to work. In the months after his experience, he started to notice more customers not wearing masks while shopping, he said. Some would even remove their masks to speak to him over the counter. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “We’re exposed to (COVID) all day and there’s no one enforcing it. It shouldn’t be that way.” On Wednesday, Jan. 12, Fry walked off the job along with thousands of other King Soopers workers in one of the city’s largest SEE STRIKE, P6
BY JESSE PAUL AND DANIEL DUCASSI COLORADO SUN
tion are keeping it exciting for new generations. “Guitars are something that connect for so many of us. I remember getting my first guitar and wherever I went, that guitar went with me,” said Jennifer Moss Logan, Denver Museum of Nature & Science educator. “This exhibition speaks to so many
Gov. Jared Polis on Jan. 13, delivered the final State of the State address of his first term, focusing mostly on the ways in which his administration and fellow Democrats plan to drive down the cost of living in Colorado. Polis also discussed his plans to combat rising crime and gaps in children’s mental health care, while briefly delving into his climate and environmental priorities. Here are the biggest lines from Polis’ speech along with an examination of why they are so notable: 1. “If it isn’t clear, saving Coloradans money and keeping our state affordable is my top priority this session.” About a third of the governor’s speech was spent on ways he feels he has or can save Coloradans money. That tracks with what Democratic leadership at the Capitol focused on Jan. 12 as the lawmaking term began. House Speaker Alec Garnett said affordability was also his top issue at the Capitol this year. It makes political sense. Polling has shown Democrats’ numbers slumping across the nation amid rising inflation. Members of both major parties say they hear from voters that the cost of living is a top-of-mind issue. “We promise to use every single tool at
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Chris Arceo protests with his King Soopers colleagues outside of the Sheridan Boulevard and Florida Avenue location in Denver’s Mar Lee neighborhood on PHOTO BY KEVIN J. BEATY/DENVERITE Jan. 12.
Rock the world at Denver Museum of Nature & Science The National Guitar Museum exhibit highlights past, present and future BY CLARKE READER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
If you read about pop music with any regularity, you’ve prob-
ably seen a story that pops up every now and then — one that says guitar-based music is dead. And yet, the instrument and its music never seem like they’re going anywhere. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s latest exhibit, “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,” not only explores the history of the instrument, but how innovation and experimenta-
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 8 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | CALENDAR: PAGE 7
JUST THE HIGH POINTS Exploring the highest elevations in Metro Denver
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