• Officials have not said it explicitly, but it appears that members of Twelve Tribes, a curious Christian sect with a compound in Boulder, are suspected of starting the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.
• The Denver Broncos‘ loss last weekend means that they are officially eliminated from the playoffs and will have their fifth straight losing season.
• The annual stock show parade through the streets of downtown Denver was cancelled this week due to the threat of snow, high winds and dangerously low temperatures. Meanwhile, the Denver public health director had to have a conversation with organizers after they said the city’s mask mandate would be “lightly’ enforced at stock show venues.
• Fourteen months after Denver voters overturned a pit bull ban, data from the Denver Animal Protection department shows the breed leads all others for number of moderate and severe bites on people. Pit bulls were responsible for 117 bites, outpacing runners-up German shepherds (61 bites) and Labrador retrievers (54 bites).
• Tennis star Novak Djokovic became the least popular person down under when the Australian Open granted him a vaccine exemption to participate in the tournament. Aussies ranging from politicians to sports stars to average citizens expressed outrage at the decision. Djokovic, however, filed the wrong type of visa, and the government appears to be using that as a pretext for preventing him from actually entering the country. A hearing is scheduled for Monday. It may be a no-win situation for Djokovic, though. He’ll either miss the tournament, or try to set the all-time men’s wins record for majors in an arena of people booing him.
• David Bateman, the founder and chairman of tech firm Entrata, resigned after sending a blast email claiming the COVID-19 vaccine is part of a plot by “the Jews” to exterminate people. Confronted with the email, Bateman denied being anti-Semitic, noting that,  “Some of my closest friends are Jews.”
• Tesla is being condemned by human rights activists around the world for opening a showroom in China’s Xinjiang region, home to Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority group that has been subject to genocidal tactics by the Chinese government.
• Washington Wizards broadcaster Glenn Consor is either a world-class a**hole or one of the unluckiest people alive.
• “Who is Amy Schneider?” is the answer to the clue, “This reigning ‘Jeopardy’ champion was robbed at gunpoint in her hometown of Oakland, California.”

So, who won the week?

• Murdoch the basset hound was elected honorary mayor of Littleton. He won by shaking hands and licking babies.
• Motor Trend named the electric Rivian R1T pick-up truck as its 2022 “Truck of the Year.” Nine years ago, the magazine named the Tesla Model S as its 2013 “Car of the Year,” an honor that helped launch the then-emerging car company. We’ll see if Rivian enjoys the same success.