• Alabama chef Timothy Hontzas was named as a finalist for a prestigious James Beard award, only to be disqualified days later for alleged violations of the organization’s code of ethics – screaming at customers and employees.
• A driver stopped by Baca County, Colo. police quickly switched places with his dog in the passenger seat and claimed he was not driving. Police say the man, who “showed signs of intoxication,” then fled and made it about 20 yards before they apprehended him. This is Colorado’s most notable DUI arrest since one of the co-founders of Crocs wrecked his car and then claimed that his girlfriend Taylor Swift was driving.
• Philadelphia TV reporter Shawnette Wilson was shot with pellets from an airsoft gun during a live broadcast. She handled it amazingly well.
• A brawl broke out at Disney World when one family refused to move for another so they could take a picture in front of the “Happiest Place on Earth’s” iconic sign.
• Edelman’s latest “Trust Barometer” report finds that 69% of people are concerned about systemic racism and racial injustice in the U.S., but that people “distrust all types of institutions to address racism, including non-governmental organizations, media and government.” 
• Organizers of Spain’s Carrera de la Mujer women’s running race have (half-heartedly) apologized after the winner was awarded a kitchen appliance, which sparked accusations of sexism.
• The Oakland A’s have suspended announce Glen Kuiper indefinitely after he uttered a racial slur on-air during the team’s pre-game show.
• The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has decided to close its North American Indian Cultures exhibit hall because it  “reinforces harmful stereotypes and white, dominant culture.“
• The IRS is reviewing the algorithms that guide who gets audited after acknowledging that Black taxpayers are audited a a far higher rate than others.
• It’s Miller moth season in Colorado. Ecologists say you should learn to love the annoying little guys.
• LinkedIn and Facebook parent company Meta are the latest tech companies to announce layoffs. LinkedIn will let 716 employees go, which represents about 3.5% of its workforce. Meanwhile, Meta said it will eliminate yet another 6,000 jobs.
• A Chinese comedian was fined the equivalent of $2 million for making a joke about the People’s Liberation Army.
• West Virginia University suspended men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins three games and find him $1 million after he appeared on a sports radio show and inexplicably dropped multiple homophobic and anti-Catholic slurs.
• The Denver Public Schools board approved a 10% raise for the district’s superintendent amid a wave of concerns about both finances and student safety.
• The gender gap at the top of the largest PR agencies has declined slightly. PR Week’s latest survey shows only 42.2% of the firms currently are led by women, down from 44.7% last year.

So, who won the week?

• Barefoot PR was named a finalist for the Denver Business Journal’s small business awards.
• Linhart PR promoted Marina Salais-Robbins to senior account executive and hired Claudia Witczak as a senior account executive.
• The Denver Nuggets lead the L.A. Lakers 2-0 in their playoff series. If the Nuggets win, they will make their first trip in franchise history to the NBA finals.
• The University of Denver women’s lacrosse team made it to the Final Four.
• Author Salman Rushdie made his first public appearance since he was stabbed on-stage in an attack at a literary event nine months ago. Rushdie famously was the subject of a fatwa calling for death by the Iranian government for authoring “The Satanic Verses.”