Who Had the Worst Week?

• Comedian Amy Schumer created a mock “Colorado” ad to promote her upcoming shows that leans heavily into our state’s abortion rights, and it is making executives at the Colorado Tourism Office uneasy.
• University of Colorado Regent Glen Gallegos is facing an unprecedented censure for violating policies barring the mistreatment of university employees. Gallegos thoughtfully responded to the threat by saying, “A censure, it’s not good,” while also noting that he “can burn a little hot at times.”
• The owners of a Richard Crowther-designed house in Cherry Creek are trying to stop efforts to “Tom’s Diner” them by securing landmark status on the house they want to tear down. Among those leading the effort to secure historic status is Tom Hart, the husband of DeeDee LeGrand Hart, the founder of the eponymous PR firm that has since shut down.
• The feds say Liberty Global owes $284 million in back taxes and penalties because a scheme the company used – code named Project Soy – was not legitimate. Liberty’s accountants at Deloitte first approached the company about exploiting what it said was a loophole in the tax code.
• Rosenberg’s Deli has closed its Boulder location, citing the lingering effects of the pandemic, inflation and an inability to get traction on The Hill.
• The union representing RTD operators blames poor design for the recent derailment on the R Line. Video of the incident indicates that speeding and inattentiveness might have had something to do with it.
• Sandy Hook-denier Alex Jones was ordered to pay $965 million for his lies and conspiracy theories that harmed families of the children who were murdered.
• Fox Business News contributor Scott Martin tried to illustrate the impact of inflation by sharing that his recent Taco Bell lunch order cost $28. That claim sent the Twitterverse scrambling to research how anyone could spend that much at Taco Bell and even caused Fox host Neil Cavuto to ask in disbelief, “Wait a minute, you spent $28 at Taco Bell for just yourself?”
• Mike Chambers, The Denver Post hockey reporter, quietly left the paper shortly after a photo appeared on social media of him hoisting the Stanley Cup while celebrating with Colorado Avalanche players. At the time, the photo raised questions as to whether he could cover the team objectively. Chambers says his departure is unrelated to the photo.
• Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – Kanye West was suspended from Instagram and Twitter for violating the platforms’ policies. This time, it was antisemitism.
• The hits to Gannett publications keep coming. The largest newspaper publisher in the country and the publisher of the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Pueblo Chieftain, announced widespread cost-cutting efforts that will affect newsrooms, including mandatory unpaid vacations and voluntary buyouts. The move follows 400 layoffs the company made two months ago.

So, who won the week?

• Children’s Hospital Colorado and GroundFloor Media won PR News‘ Healthcare Campaign of the Year for the hospital system’s “Youth Mental Health State of Emergency” campaign.
• Colorado resorts have enjoyed an unexpected late summer/early fall jump in bookings, which is giving them optimism for a successful 2022-2023 ski season.
• Six Colorado towns are on the list of Country Living’s “40 Prettiest Towns in America to Visit in Winter:” Glenwood Springs (5), Dunton (7), Telluride (18), Crested Butte (25), Steamboat Springs (31) and Ouray (39). All of them are beautiful, but there is no way that is the correct order.