• ESPN has officially cut ties with media analyst and former Denver Bronco Shannon Sharpe two weeks after he settled a lawsuit accusing him of rape. ESPN had previously suspended Sharpe when the lawsuit was filed.
• If your favorite DUI defense or class-action attorney seemed a little giddy this week, its because a packaging mix-up caused highly alcoholic High Noon vodka seltzers to be distributed in decidedly non-alcoholic Celsius Astro Vibe energy drink cans.
• An undetermined number of Denver city employees will begin receiving layoff notices on Aug. 18 as the city tries to close a $250 million budget gap.
• The City and County of Denver, which has thrown some pretty sharp elbows in the past to retain the annual National Western Stock Show, has green-lighted a $3 million campaign encouraging city residents to eat less meat. That sound you just heard was the marketing team at the Aurora-based Gaylord Hotel sketching out details for an on-site arena.
• Some bad news for local home-sellers. Denver led the nation in price cuts on for-sale listings in June, indicating that sellers are getting nervous and that buyers may hold the upper hand.
• U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum officials may be approaching the facility’s fifth anniversary, but lower-than-expected attendance figures and declining year-over-year revenue are putting a damper on the celebration.
• Fox31 had a weird non-story about the executive chef at Guard and Grace leaving on amicable terms.
• The state of Colorado sued PetSmart, accusing the national pet store chain of tricking employees into enrolling in a “free” dog grooming school that locked them into a form of indentured servitude.
• The annual Dragon Boat Festival may need to leave Denver due to “dead fish, increasingly warm and shallow water, blue algae blooms, and a lack of filtration from untreated runoff” pouring into Sloan’s Lake.
• A 50% drop in ratings, the rising cost of materials needed for home renovations and DIY TikTokers have forced HGTV to cut costs and dump at least seven of its shows.
• After days of rumors swirling online, The Denver Post outed three of the contributors to the DoBetterDENVR social media account, and they couldn’t back-pedal fast enough from its content that many have described as cruel to people experiencing drug addiction and homelessness. Two of the three don’t even live in Colorado.
  • (Speaking of rumors, when will the highly anticipated Colorado Public Radio story on the staff turnover and work culture at the Denver Metro Chamber finally appear?)

Who won the week?

• Barefoot PR‘s Cori Streetman, Red Energy‘s Amy Sufak, Barrie Cohen Public Relations‘ Barrie Cohen and Avocet Communications‘ Lori Jones were among the winners of ColoradoBiz‘s 2025 Top Women in Colorado.
• KOA Radio is celebrating its 100th birthday.
• University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders announced he is cancer-free following surgery to remove his bladder.
• University of Denver history professor Susan Schulten officially becomes Colorado‘s state historian today.
• American Eagle is riding a free media bonanza after its jeans ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney caused a backlash in some corners of the internet that then provoked a national debate.
• Astronomer, the tech company whose CEO and head of HR resigned after being caught on camera embracing at a Coldplay concert, has hired Gwyneth Paltrow as its “temporary spokesperson.” It’s a brilliant move for the company, but probably not so much for the couple.