Month: January 2026

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Before I get into this week’s edition of “Who Had the Worst Week,” I wanted to share that a Celebration of Life for Dawn Doty is scheduled for Monday, February 23, at 4 p.m. at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC) Auditorium. It is located at 4001 Discovery Drive on the University of Colorado Boulder’s East Campus. Members of the community are invited.

Now, on to the list.

  • The documentary “Melania” about First Lady Melania Trump is projected to bring in about $3 million in its first week, a disappointing total for a movie that Amazon‘s MGM Studios paid more than $75 million to produce and promote. Meanwhile, approximately two-thirds of the crew has requested they not appear in the credits at the end of the movie.
  • The decision to spend more than $75 million on “Melania” looks even worse given that Amazon announced this week that it will lay off more than 16,000 workers.
  • Amazon wasn’t the only one announcing big layoffs. UPS said it will cut as many as 30,000 jobs this year as part of a continuing effort to reduce costs and shore up profits, in part because it is delivering fewer packages for … Amazon. UPS eliminated 62,000 positions last year.
  • Staff members at the Denver Zoo killed two rare Malayan tapirs when they misdosed them with copper, a common dietary supplement for tapirs. The zoo did not say how the mistake happened or whether anyone had been disciplined for causing the deaths.
  • Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls as a head coach and another two as an assistant coach – more than anyone else in NFL history. So, naturally he was a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, right? Nope. The voters rejected him as part of this year’s class.
  • Scientists are warning that an influenza virus informally called “Canine Coronavirus” could evolve to pose a similar threat as the recent COVID-19 virus.
  • The Trump administration has made clear who it is making the scapegoat for the ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis: Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol commander who had been put in charge of the city’s immigration operation.
  • The United States will host most of the 2026 World Cup matches this summer (Mexico and Canada will host the others), and calls are mounting globally for a boycott. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is the latest to join the chorus.
  • The NCAA continues to pretend that college football players are not professionals, but bit by bit that veneer is disappearing. The latest example: University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders is now fining players as much as $2,500 for missing practices without approval. It’s only $500 if you are late.
  • The latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein-related materials released by the U.S. Department of Justice includes a claim that Microsoft founder Bill Gates asked Epstein to help obtain prescription drugs to treat an STD he caught from “Russian girls.”
  • Dom Testa is out at KOOL 105, apparently ending his more than 30-year reign as one of Denver‘s most recognizable radio personalities. Prior to joining KOOL 105, he spent three decades at KIMN Mix 100.
  • The board of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association voted to pursue moving its headquarters from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne, Wyo., but there is still at least one obstacle: conservative Wyoming legislators who are balking at public funding for a private enterprise.
  • An unexpected feud has erupted between Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and QB Bo Nix. Nix was unhappy that Payton spoke to media about the QB’s history of ankle injuries and described the latest injury as something Nix was “predisposed” to have. Said Nix, “I don’t think (Payton) really should share how many surgeries I’ve had in the past, to be honest with you, he doesn’t even really know that.”

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment
  • Go big or go home, they say. Aurora City Councilman Rob Andrews embraced that philosophy when he tested at more than three times the legal limit for alcohol – a 0.252 – while being arrested for DUI this past weekend. Inexplicably, his sober son was in the car with him when he was arrested, and police turned Andrews’ car over to him while taking his dad to jail. Which begs the question, why was the drunk guy driving?
  • Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to join President Donald Trump’s “peace board,” but could not attend the signing ceremony because he’s wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.
  • A tech glitch caused a shelter-in-place warning intended for a two-block radius in Denver to be sent city-wide.
  • British troll broadcaster Piers Morgan tripped and fell so hard at a London restaurant that he suffered a broken femur and had to have his hip replaced.
  • Denver native Lindsey Halligan was removed from her role as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after a judge ruled her appointment invalid and called her efforts to remain in the office “a charade.”
  • Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot flooded Twitter/X with millions of sexualized images in a period of just nine days, according to a new analysis. Of the more than 4.4 million images, more than 40% were sexualized images of women, many without their consent.
  • Two Denver executives – Thomas Sandgaard and Anna Lucsok – with now-bankrupt Zynex, Inc. have been indicted for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, securities fraud and mail fraud. The most illuminating paragraph in the DOJ press release: “When financial reporters raised questions about Zynex’s business practices, … Sandgaard hired an individual to attempt to disrupt the reporters’ personal lives. These efforts included signing reporters up for therapy sessions and (sending) used female underwear to a reporter’s spouse at the reporter’s home with a thank you card addressed to the spouse, detailing the reporter’s alleged ‘illicit behavior’ – all apparently with the intent to convince the spouse that her husband was being unfaithful.”
  • Denver Broncos second-year QB Bo Nix helped carry the team to the AFC Championship this past weekend by beating the Buffalo Bills, but the jubilation was short-lived. Approximately 45 minutes after the game ended, head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix had fractured his ankle at the end of the game and would miss the rest of the playoffs.
  • Speaking of the Buffalo Bills, if you thought their overtime loss to the Broncos in the playoffs would be their lowest point this year, team owner Terry Pegula managed to top that by firing adequately performing head coach Sean McDermott, promoting underperforming GM Brandon Beane, and holding a train-wreck of a press conference where he – unprovoked – attacked one of his own wide receivers. Anyone thinking about taking the head coach role is probably reconsidering.
  • “60 Minutes” correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi are reportedly close to being fired for pushing back against CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss‘ attempts to influence their coverage.
  • Patagonia had negotiated a truce with drag queen Pattie Gonia that allowed the performer to use her stage name, but Pattie’s recent attempt to trademark and sell merchandise under the “Pattie Gonia” brand was a bridge too far. Patagonia has sued Pattie Gonia, claiming “irreparable harm.” (A hat tip to Eric Anderson for that one.)

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • Vail Resorts reports that skier visits are down 20% this year, which the company blamed on the dry, warm fall and winter in the western United States.
  • Verizon‘s cell and data services went down for a day this week, leaving millions of customers without service.
  • A group of Kaiser Permanente affiliates that includes the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado and Colorado Permanente Medical Group P.C. have agreed to pay $556 million to settle allegations they committed Medicare fraud and pressured doctors to list incorrect diagnoses on medical records to receive higher reimbursements.
  • It was a tough week for celebrities:
    • Former “West Wing” and “Thirtysomething” actor Timothy Busfield is facing allegations of child sex abuse in New Mexico and California.
    • Former “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland was arrested for allegedly assaulting a ride-share driver.
    • Former “Home Alone” actor Daniel Stern has been charged with soliciting a prostitute.
  • Twenty current and former college basketball players have been charged with rigging the outcome of NCAA basketball games. The players represented universities including Tulane, DePaul and Fordham. That news is brought to you by ESPN and its official sports book provider DraftKings.
  • Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip “Dilbert,” passed away from metastatic prostate cancer at the age of 68. At its height, “Dilbert” appeared in more than 2,000 newspapers globally and was made into a short-lived TV series. But “Dilbert” effectively ended in 2023 when Adams shared his view that African-Americans were “a hate group” and that “the best advice I would give to White people is to get the hell away from Black people.”
  • The San Francisco 49ers continue to have far more than their fair share of injuries, and some amateur sleuths have identified what they say is the culprit: an electrical sub station located adjacent to the team’s stadium and practice facilities. Experts have dismissed the theory, but a social media post alleging that “low-frequency electromagnetic fields can degrade collagen, weaken tendons, and cause soft-tissue damage” has gone viral among players.
  • The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) suspended two Norwegian ski jumping coaches and the team’s suit technician for 18 months for altering suits during the world championships last year.
  • Sebastian Ofner, an Austrian playing in an Australian Open qualifier match, celebrated “winning” the fifth set tie breaker 7-1, only to learn that you must reach 10 points to win in Grand Slams. Naturally, Ofner then lost 12 of the next 16 points to lose the match.

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • Members of Telluride‘s ski patrol agreed to a new contract with the resort, ending a contentious two-week strike that divided the town. Locals feared the ongoing strike would cripple the town’s economy if it continued.
  • The U.S. House of Representatives failed to override President Donald Trump‘s veto of a water pipeline that would have brought clean water to heavily Republican southeastern Colorado. The override vote needed the support of two-thirds of House members, but only received 58% of votes.
  • Tony Dokoupil‘s first week as anchor of the CBS Evening News has been a bit of a train wreck, and someone was going to pay the price. That person is Javier Guzman, the show’s No. 2 producer, who was fired after Wednesday’s show.
  • The National Rifle Association has filed suit against its own charitable arm, alleging that the NRA Foundation is unfairly using the NRA brand to attract a rival donor base and undercut it.
  • NASA announced it will bring four astronauts home from the International Space Station a month early due to a medical emergency. The agency did not disclose additional details, citing medical privacy concerns
  • The Corporation for Public Broadcasting that has funded NPR, PBS and local radio and TV stations across the country for more than 50 years will shut down after Congress zeroed out its federal grants.
  • “High School Musical” actress Ashley Tisdale has gone to war with what she says are toxic members of her moms group, which include other quasi-celebrities such as actress Hilary Duff and singer Meghan Trainor.
  • American Chloe Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder, dislocated her shoulder while training and may miss next month’s Winter Olympics.
  • Denver Fire officials have called in the ATF to help investigate the five-alarm fire that burned a 283-unit apartment building set to open in May. How big was the fire? Approximately 18 million gallons of water were used fighting it.
  • The Miami Dolphins fired head coach and Smoky Hill High School alumnus Mike McDaniel.
  • Class-action attorneys have filed suit against McDonald’s alleging that the restaurant’s McRib sandwich doesn’t actually contain pork rib meat. The attorneys claim it does include pork shoulder, heart, stomach and tripe. Mmmm.
  • More than a dozen Denver-area gas stations sold gas that was contaminated with diesel, causing vehicles to stop working shortly after driving off.
  • Actor Mickey Rourke says he is embarrassed by a GoFundMe that has raised more than $100,000 for him after media reported that he was facing eviction from his home. He wants people who contributed to get their money back.
  • Elon Musk‘s Grok has responded to complaints about the chatbot being used to create sexualized images of people without their consent by limiting that capability to paying users, a move critics say allows Musk to profit off the issue without actually solving it.

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Before I get into this week’s edition of “Who Had the Worst Week,” I wanted to shared that a Celebration of Life for Stacey Sepp is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 26, at 10 a.m. at the Southeast Christian Church in Parker. Members of the community are invited.

Now, onto the list.

  • Flu hospitalizations in Colorado have surged to their highest levels in 20 years, and medical experts expect it to only get worse in the coming weeks.
  • President Donald Trump‘s revenge tour against Colorado appeared to be in full force over the holidays. First, he vetoed a bill that would have funded a pipeline to bring clean water to 50,000 residents in heavily Republican southeast Colorado, infuriating conservative U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Jeff Hurd. Then, he offered holiday wishes to Gov. Jared Polis and Mesa County D.A. Dan Rubinstein (“I wish them only the worst. May they rot in Hell. FREE TINA PETTERS!”). And, finally, his EPA ordered that Tri-State‘s coal-burning plant in Craig remain open rather than shut down as planned this week.
  • In a bit of stunt-casting, Cards Against Humanity has hired Jeffrey Epstein – no relation to the disgraced financier – as a spokesman to appear in the card game’s new commercial. The company explained, “We were looking to cast a big name—someone who could really grab people’s attention—and we found the perfect guy. He wasn’t even that expensive.”
  • Aspen Daily News Publisher David Cook announced he is selling the newspaper to Florida-based Hoffmann Media Group. HMG has been on a buying spree over the past few years, and The New York Times profiled its billionaire CEO David Hoffmann last year.
  • The long-awaited Denverite article on turmoil at the Denver Metro Chamber finally appeared, and it put CEO JJ Ament squarely in the crosshairs. Rumors of the article had circulated for more than nine months.
  • Back in October, Sam Tabachnik at The Denver Post published an incredibly unflattering article about Chuck Horning, the combustible owner of the Telluride ski resort. It included details such as he was booed out of an upscale restaurant, he engaged in fist fights with his son and the resort’s CEO, and he sexually harassed and/or assaulted multiple women. Now, Horning is in the news again, this time for shutting down the entire resort during the prime holiday season because members of the ski patrol went on strike.
  • A woman was found dead on a hiking trail in Larimer County in what authorities believe to be the first fatal mountain lion attack in more than 25 years.
  • The University of Colorado now owns the longest bowl win drought among Power 4 conference members. It last won a bowl game in 2004.
  • President Donald Trump is quick to claim his late-night TV show host adversaries have low ratings, so he can’t be happy that last week’s Kennedy Center Honors special that he hosted saw record-low ratings.
  • Tesla is no longer the best selling electric vehicle manufacturer in the world. That title now belongs to China‘s BYD, in part because Tesla sales declined 9% last year.
  • Champagne sparklers held too close to the ceiling likely sparked a fire at bar at a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve. The fire killed at least 40 and injured another 120.

Who won the week?