1) Science Museum Gets Record Grant to Study Life After the Asteroid

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) received a federal grant of $1.3 million, the largest in the museum’s history, to continue a massive study of life after an asteroid hit the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico 66 million years ago. The study, currently featured in the Museum’s “After the Asteroid” exhibit, has been pivotal to the scientific community to learn how the earth recovered and mammals emerged in the years following this mass extinction event.

In 2016, a team of DMNS scientists led by Tyler Lyson made a crucial discovery that helped answer those questions. The team uncovered thousands of fossils in the Corral Bluffs open space on the east side of Colorado Springs, including fully formed 65-million-year-old mammal skeletons. The “After the Asteroid” exhibit at DMNS features more than 100 of those mammal fossils along with displays that explain how the planet developed in the first million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. Lyson says the grant will allow DMNS to purchase innovative equipment and hire more scientists to better understand the recovery of the ecosystem and the evolution of mammals.

2) Statewide Ban on Plastic Bags

Starting January 1, Colorado implemented a law banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores, retail centers, and convenience stores. This policy was enacted in 2021 by the state legislature with House Bill 21-1162. Stores now have until June 1 to use or sell the remaining plastic bags that they have in stock, and after that grace period, plastic bags will be prohibited from all stores except for restaurants and small shops. The bill also prohibits restaurants from distributing expanded polystyrene take-out containers.

3) Accolades for The Urban Farm Director Michelle Rodriguez

The Denver Broncos selected The Urban Farm Executive Director Michelle Rodriguez for their 2023 Changemaker Award to honor her program that enables juveniles in the criminal justice system to work on the farm, learn about animals, and earn an income. All 32 NFL teams give Inspire Change Changemaker Awards to individuals in their city who make positive improvements to the community through social justice advocacy or non-profit services. Rodriguez was celebrated at the Broncos game on Christmas Eve and The Urban Farm will receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation.

The Farm also obtained a sizable grant in January that will facilitate significant land restoration. The $48,000 grant from Greater Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) will allow the city to work with the Mile High Youth Corps to restore habitat within The Urban Farm at Sand Creek Open Space. This project will enable crews to apply herbicides, eliminate invasive species, construct new trails, and plant native seeds.

4) Tag Burger Moves to Eastbridge

After closing its Congress Park location in 2021, restauranteur Troy Guard is reopening Tag Burger in Central Park’s Eastbridge Town Center. For 11 years, Tag Burger was a staple of Congress Park featuring an extensive menu of burgers with a creative selection of toppings. The new Tag Burger, expected to open in April, joins two other Guard restaurants at Eastbridge: Hashtag and Los Chignones.

5) The Shop Outpost Opens on East Colfax

Vintage Wild West attire is featured at The Shop Outpost on East Colfax. Located in the antiques district, the store is replete with a vast collection of old items that tell stories of the Western past. Clothing items include leather boots, cowboy hats, embroidered jackets, denim skirts, and handmade jewelry. Customers can also buy household items, such as quilts, rugs, pillows, and blankets.

Owner Taylor Woodard says her background in design and a love of history helped determine the look and contents of the store. She credits her grandmother, who also owned a store, with her entrepreneurial spirit.

6) Mile-Hi Sweets and Treats Coming to Northfield

Mile-Hi Sweets and Treats is opening its first physical store in the Shops at Northfield. The Denver-based small business uses a vacuum pump to extract liquid and expand the candy into a fluffy texture, which intensifies the flavor. The company offers a wide variety of freeze-dried candies that include sweet, sour, and spicy options. Previously, Mile-Hi Sweets and Treats only sold its candy on its website or at fairs throughout Colorado. Founder Ian Kullhem is excited to open the company’s first brick-and-mortar location, and he hopes that the store will be ready in the spring.

7) Dilapidated Motel Site to be Redeveloped

Shuttered for more than a decade, the Royal Palace Motel at Colfax Ave. and Colorado Blvd. was sold in January to the real estate firm Laramar Group for $7.3 million. According to city records, the firm plans to demolish the motel and erect a six-story apartment building with at least 153 units on the one-acre site. The Laramar Group did not respond to requests for comment.