• Plans by the University of Colorado to honor national championship-winning football coach Bill McCartney with a statue outside Folsom Field has sparked resistance from advocates who object to his legacy vilifying LGBTQ+ people and issues.
• X/Twitter has now hired its third new head of U.S. public relations in the past year. It’s Rosemarie Esposito, but I’m not sure I’d bother learning her name.
• People are falling out of Colorado ski lift chairs at record rates.
• Attempts by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX to build a program to send manned missions to Mars suffered a setback when the company’s massive Starship spacecraft exploded into an enormous fireball during testing.
• Manufacturers of artificial turf are playing hardball with scientists who have identified health risks with the product, and sued several for defamation before they even had a chance to present their findings at a seminar. The manufacturers are responding to “a growing body of scientific research showing the presence of harmful chemicals in synthetic turf, and potential environmental and health implications.”
• Former University of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders‘ redemption tour after falling to the fifth round in the NFL draft has hit a speed bump. The Cleveland Browns draft pick has received two speeding tickets in Ohio in the past few weeks for 91 and 101 mph. That is hardly the way to impress the coaching staff with your maturity.
• The former Dominion Voting Systems executive suing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for defamation won a $2.3 million judgement, but it was Lindell claiming victory after the jury only awarded the plaintiff about 3.5% of what was asked.
• In the aftermath of that verdict, conservative talk radio station KNUS apologized for its role in airing false election rigging claims.
• President Donald Trump used the Juneteenth holiday to complain that America has “too many non-working holidays” and claimed that workers don’t like the vacation time either.
• A “heat dome” will bring record heat and high humidity levels to much of the United States this weekend.
• Pro golfer and Denver native Wyndham Clark has apologized after he damaged an historic, 100-year-old locker at the Oakmont golf course that hosted the U.S. Open. Clark had bogeyed his last hole to miss the cut by one shot and couldn’t contain his anger.

Who won the week?

• GFM|CenterTable promoted Katie Maher to Director.
• Longtime Denver7 investigative reporter Tony Kovaleski announced he will retire later this year after a 42-year career.
• Telemundo Colorado has named Kehiry Castillo co-anchor for its “Noticiero Telemundo Colorado” newscasts.
• Scripps News has hired Denver-based journalist Maura Barrett as its new business and technology correspondent.
• The Buss family purchased the L.A. Lakers for $67.5 million in 1979 and just agreed to sell the team this week for $10 billion, the most ever for a professional sports franchise. Fun fact: If the Buss family had invested that original $67.5 million in an S&P index fund, it would be worth about $13 billion today.
• The co-founder of Smashburger has sold his Cherry Hills mansion for $10.7 million.
• The Colorado Rockies are 5-5 in their last 10 games. That’s extraordinary for team that is 17-58 overall.
• Another fun fact that doesn’t really fit in either list: nearly a quarter of Denver-area homes for sale have pools.