Tag: news

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • Kanye West pulled what The Wall Street Journal called a “switcheroo” when he submitted local-market Super Bowl ads that directed people to his website that sold non-controversial apparel, and then swapped the clothing out for wildly sexist and antisemitic versions. The ads aired in markets such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta before the local stations realized what was going on.
  • Kid Rock threw an on-stage temper-tantrum that was posted to social media when a Nashville crowd was not clapping enthusiastically enough for his taste. “If you ain’t gonna clap, we ain’t gonna sing. That’s how it’s gonna go,” the singer told the crowd. In (probably) unrelated news, reports emerged this week that Kid Rock was seen getting into a cab at 2:30 a.m. with Colorado‘s own Rep. Lauren Boebert on inauguration night.
  • If you are hug-deprived, good news! Denver apparently has a cadre of “professional cuddlers” who can help. That’s not creepy at all.
  • Mittens the cat may have more frequent fliers miles than you do. The cat ended up making repeated trips between Australia and New Zealand when cargo unloaders overlooked her crate due to a wheelchair that had been stowed in front of it.
  • Are egg prices out of control? Thieves swiped 100,000 of them from the trailer of a semi in Pennsylvania. I doubt George Clooney or Brad Pitt will play any of the characters in the movie version of this whodunnit.
  • If you were hoping President Donald Trump would get tired and settle down a bit, it’s not looking good. This week he banned AP reporters from news conferences for not using his “Gulf of America” designation, gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, stopped DOJ investigations into friends WWE founder Vince McMahon and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, banned eco-friendly paper straws from government buildings, appointed himself chair of the Kennedy Center (expect a lot of Lee Greenwood and Kid Rock performances), fired numerous inspector general watchdogs, furloughed 97% of the employees at USAID, and cut federal NIH medical research funding, among other things.
  • Meanwhile, President Trump‘s announcement that he wants the U.S. to stop minting pennies could hit the Denver Mint hard. The facility makes more than a billion pennies each year.
  • The Colorado legislature saw some rare bipartisan spirit this week. Unfortunately for Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D-Longmont), it was the Senate Ethics Committee that is investigating accusations that she was abusive toward five of her legislative aides. She did not impress her colleagues by railing against the appropriateness of an ethics investigation when she herself publicly called for one to investigate the allegations several months ago.
  • Happy Valentine’s Day! (Presumably male) researchers have found that men are actually more romantic than women. The researchers did acknowledge that, “In relationship research, ‘romanticism’ refers to general beliefs about love, rather than (actual) actions taken within romantic relationships.” So, in men’s minds, thinking about getting you flowers is basically the same thing as doing it.
  • A celebration of life was recently held for Ned High, a Denver journalist and public relations firm owner. He passed away at the age of 90.

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment
  • The Girl Scouts of Colorado say they could lose millions of dollars in cookie sales due to the King Soopers strike. “We’re respecting the strike and the picket lines, but also being creative and really banding together and making calls and doing whatever we can to support the girls,” said Leanna Clark, CEO.
  • Six years – SIX YEARS – after a Comcast–Altitude Sports carriage dispute blacked out Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets games for most of Denver, the two companies agreed to a new television deal that reflects the terms essentially offered back in 2019. What did fans miss in those six years? Two championships and four MVPs.
  • 9News parent company TEGNA has laid off its 20-member VERIFY fact-checking team whose mission was “to stop the spread of false information.” I’d love to hear the “Next with Kyle Clark” editorial commentary on that decision.
  • Media outlets have been dismissive of President Donald Trump‘s strategy of using “deceptive advertising” claims as a legal strategy to sue media he doesn’t like (CBS, Des Moines Register, etc.), but now some First Amendment lawyers are growing concerned it could actually lead somewhere with the current U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Few Colorado school districts are taking the Denver Broncos up on their generous offer of free “smart” football helmets. Districts are concerned about potential liability and student privacy. The Broncos intended to donate more than 15,00 helmets statewide at a cost of about $12 million.
  • Karla Sofia Gascón, the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for an Oscar for best performance by an actress in a leading role, has apologized for since-deleted social media posts in which she appears to attack Muslims, George Floyd and the lack of diversity at the Oscars. She probably only needed to apologize for two of those.
  • Waffle House is charging a $0.50 surcharge per egg due to the shortage caused by an aggressive strain of the avian flu. Speaking of bird flu, you may want to stock up on milk and butter now. A new strain has started infecting dairy cows.
  • The cost to insure a car in Colorado increased 26% last year, one of the largest jumps in the nation. The biggest jump was Minnesota at 58%. Extreme weather, including hail, is driving the increase in our state.
  • Side hustles are all the rage, but the NFL cannot be happy that the president and head of communications of the New Orleans Saints have gotten caught up moonlighting in a local Catholic diocese sex abuse scandal. Emails show that team representatives may have persuaded city prosecutors to remove some names from a list of clergy members accused of abuse that was released, and the PR head gave media interview critiques to church officials.
  • Colorado could see fewer federal transportation dollars thanks to a new directive from President Donald Trump that prioritizes projects in places with high birth and marriage rates. Colorado has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country.
  • It’s been a tough few weeks for “old” Denver. First, we lost preservationist Dana Crawford and now we have lost Dan Ritchie. The impact of both on the development of Denver was immeasurable.

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment
  • The air control tower at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. was understaffed when an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter, killing 67 people.
  • A spectator was killed at a high school track and field meet on the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus when a competitor lost control of a hammer in the hammer throw event and hurled it into the stands.
  • You might want to grab your popcorn to watch this situation play out: the Downtown Denver Partnership has hired a London– and New York City-based branding firm – DNCO – to create a new brand identity for the 16th Street Mall. Not sure the firm’s “concepts for new digital and physical logos, brands and wayfinding signage” will overcome issues such as the recent double murder and the challenges with the mall being overwhelmed with people experiencing homelessness.
  • Frontier Airlines took the bottom spot (and Delta the top spot) in The Wall Street Journal‘s annual ranking of U.S. airlines. From the report: “The good news for fliers: Carriers held it together relatively well. They lost fewer bags. More than three of four flights arrived on time (by the government’s admittedly generous definition), on par with 2023. Cancellations were flat. Hold the thunderous applause, though. Bumping and tarmac delays were weak spots.”
  • How did the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team celebrate a recent win over LSU? By having the team’s in-arena DJ blast a song from the late rapper Camouflage, who was the father of one of LSU’s players. USC apologized and suspended the DJ.
  • If we aren’t already in a post-truth society, we’re headed there fast. Edelman‘s latest Trust Barometer data finds that 7 in 10 people believe government officials, business leaders and journalists deliberately mislead them by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.
  • Facebook and Instagram parent Meta threatened to fire workers who leak information in a memo that was leaked to the media.
  • In the past month, ABC News and Meta, two companies who have deals that will need to be approved by the federal government, have settled legally dubious claims from President Donald Trump for a combined $41 million. And now CBS parent company Paramount is negotiating a settlement with President Trump over allegations that “60 Minutes” deceptively edited a story on former Vice President Kamala Harris, a claim that would never survive court. As Taegan Goddard noted, “Trump’s lawsuit settlements look a lot like bribery.“
  • Five years after the pandemic, U.S. students’ test scores still have not recovered. Overall, just 39% of fourth-graders and 28% of eighth-graders scored at or above the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standard for proficiency in math.
  • 9News parent company Tegna is using AI to write articles for some of its affiliates’ websites.
  • Medals won by athletes at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 are already disintegrating due to a defective varnish intended to protect them. Olympic officials promise that all the medals will be systematically replaced.
  • CNN anchor Jim Acosta has been a thorn in President Donald Trump‘s side for years, and it appears that the network was eager to try to get back into the president’s good graces. CNN moved Acosta’s show to midnight ET, a move that caused Acosta to resign. It also prompted President Trump to praise CNN and post, “Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up.”
  • A BBC investigation into comedian Russell Brand when he was one of its radio presenters acknowledged that the company mishandling what the broadcaster called Brand’s “unacceptable behavior” that included sexual assault.
  • A total of 30 professional tennis players have now been suspended for their connections to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium.
  • A woman who gave birth at a Krispy Kreme in Alabama named her newborn son “Glaze.”

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week – 2024 Year in Review

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Once again, we learned there is no shortage of people doing stupid things. It’s like that is humanity’s superpower. Below is a stroll down memory lane as we remember some of the dumber things that happened in 2024.

JANUARY 2024

  • A Peloton instructor complained that a Christopher Nolan movie was a waste of time not knowing the director was in her class.
  • A firearms instructor with the Denver Sheriff’s Department was suspended for 14 days after accidentally shooting his neighbor’s house.
  • Boeing faced yet another public relations crisis when its 737 Max aircraft was grounded again after a side door plug blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines jet.
  • Disgraced former Denver Public Schools board member Auon’tai Anderson first chose not to run for school board re-election because polls showed him with the support of only 9% of voters. Then he announced he would instead run for a state house seat. Well, it turns out those voters also recognized his name, and in January he dropped out of that race as well.
  • The L.A. Times was thrown into a state of mayhem as it laid off 115 positions – about 20% of its newsroom. Said one staffer, “I cannot overstate the level of chaos.” It was a harbinger of what was to come.

FEBRUARY 2024

MARCH 2024

  • We learned that about a dozen people who attended the bitterly cold playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins suffered such severe frostbite that amputations were required. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, Patrick Mahomes was not one of them.
  • Colorado Public Radio eliminated 15 employees in its audio and podcast production departments, although the station’s newsroom was spared.
  • Comedian Nick Swardson had a melt-down on-stage in Beaver Creek that forced organizers to yank him from the stage. He blamed the effects of alcohol and edibles for his bizarre behavior.
  • Russia added the “LGBT movement” to its list of terrorists and extremists.
  • To political progressives, it must have felt like mommy and daddy were fighting. Former Colorado Public Radio host Vic Vela lawyered up and accused CPR of “belittling and mocking his mental health concerns” related to his ongoing struggles with addiction. Meanwhile, CPR contends that Vela was fired because he “demonstrated behaviors that are not in alignment with the values, culture and environment we have at CPR.”

APRIL 2024

MAY 2024

JUNE 2024

 JULY 2024

  • A Chinese company accidentally launched its prototype rocket during what was supposed to be a ground test.
  • A Washington, D.C., woman was accused of killing a man and using his severed thumb for several days to access his electronic devices to steal money from his bank account and pay for Uber rides.
  • Investment company BlackRock pulled a two-year-old viral online ad that coincidentally included footage of Thomas Crooks, the man who was killed while trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
  • Former Denver Bronco and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis was handcuffed and removed from a United Airlines flight by FBI agents after a flight attendant alleged Davis hit him. Davis said he and witnesses to the incident were left confused because he simply tapped a flight attendant’s arm to ask for ice.
  • The Clocktower Cabaret in the basement of the Daniels & Fisher Tower on 16th Street was flooded with raw sewage during a construction mishap.

AUGUST 2024

SEPTEMBER 2024

OCTOBER 2024

NOVEMBER 2024

DECEMBER 2024

  • Edelman announced it is laying off 330 employees as it navigates what it expects to be an 8% decline in revenue in 2024.
  • The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed while arriving at an investor conference Manhattan. After a five-day manhunt, the alleged shooter is found in Altoona, Pa. wearing essentially the same clothes and mask, and still carrying the murder weapon. DB Cooper, he is not.
  • The Morrison Police Department, most known for running the most brazen speed traps in the state, has disbanded. 
  • Albertsons officially ended its merger agreement with Kroger after federal and state rulings against it, ending what would have been the largest supermarket acquisition in U.S. history. Albertsons then sued Kroger for breach of contract and accused it of failing to exercise its “best efforts” to get regulatory approval.
  • Consulting firm McKinsey & Co. will pay $650 million to resolve a U.S. DOJ investigation into its work advising opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma on how to boost sales.

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • The Olympics are here, and already we have seen some interesting storylines:
    • Charlotte Dujardin, a six-time Olympic medalist from Great Britain, withdrew from the Paris Olympics abruptly after a video of her repeatedly whipping a horse during a training session surfaced. In a statement, she said the video “does not reflect how I train my horses,” but of course it actually does.
    • It was a tough week for the U.S. men’s and women’s national basketball teams. In tune-up games leading to the Paris Olympics, the men’s team barely beat South Sudan and the women’s team lost to a WNBA all-star team composed of women who were not picked for the national team.
    • The head coach of the Canadian national women’s soccer team has been sent home after members of her staff were caught flying a spy drone over the practice of their first opponent, New Zealand. Seems like a pretty low risk-to-reward ratio. The drone probably confirmed that New Zealand planned to kick the ball around a bunch and then try to shoot it in the opponent’s goal.
    • Vandals created a series of arson fires on high-speed rail lines overnight in what officials describe as a “coordinated attack” intended to disrupt access to the opening ceremonies.
    • Meanwhile, the IOC awarded the 2034 Winter Olympic Games to Salt Lake City, but only if the United States goes easy on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA has been accused of allowing Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance to participate in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Every time you think FIFA is the most corrupt organization on the face of the planet, the IOC steps its game up.
  • It’s not exactly like Cleveland Browns fans throwing D-cell batteries at opponents, but a professional soccer match in Norway had to be suspended after fans objected to a referee’s call by throwing fish cakes onto the field.
  • The janitors who clean the office buildings in downtown Denver could strike as early as Sunday if they don’t reach a new agreement.
  • RTD police chief Joel Fitzgerald has been on administrative leave since July 1 for unspecified reasons.
  • It’s not just reporters who have an issue with what records governmental agencies hand over. Denver City Auditor Tim O’Brien is pushing to give his office subpoena power. Meanwhile, the Colorado Department of Human Services is charging its own Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman $30 per hour to gather records it has requested.
  • Things are tough all over. King Charles and his British Monarchy have received a $60 million pay raise as Great Britain grapples with the impacts of inflation.
  • Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A brother of a Denver Nuggets player has been arrested. This time it was Strahinja Jokic, the brother of NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who was arrested for assaulting a man during a Nuggets playoff game against the L.A. Lakers in April.
  • Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest have caused Denver to rank in the Top 10 globally for worst air quality.
  • Former Denver Bronco and local sports radio host Chad Brown has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former business partner. Curiously, the settlement bars the business partner from defaming Brown, including any mention of “’sex, sexuality, cameras, extramarital affairs, pornography’ or a particular adult toy.”
  • Southwest Airlines announced it would begin assigning seats, ending its 50-year practice of letting passengers pick their seats when they board. Business passengers, particularly, had not been happy with the number of people pre-boarding by claiming medical, military or other reasons.
  • Climate activists in Germany forced the cancellation of more than 100 airline flights in an attempt to highlight climate change. The protesters breached security fences at Frankfurt Airport, an important European hub. Meanwhile, flights in South Korea have been disrupted by a North Korean campaign to send large balloons filled with trash into the country. The balloons have small explosive devices with timers that cause the balloons to pop and rain debris.
  • After 101 years in Denver, the Hanneck Dry Cleaners on East Sixth Avenue is closing. As Westword noted, Hanneck is older than bubble gum, parking meters and penicillin.
  • You think you are annoyed by the never-ending 16th Street Mall construction? The Clocktower Cabaret in the basement of the Daniels & Fisher Tower on 16th Street was flooded with raw sewage during a construction mishap.

Who won the week?

  • The Colorado State Rams are retiring the No. 14 across all of its sports teams in honor of Lt. Col. John Mosley. Mosley, who enrolled at CSU in 1939, was a Tuskegee Airman and the first Black person to earn a varsity letter at the university.
  • Colorado Rockies star Todd Helton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Denver Nuggets announcer Chris Marlowe, a volleyball gold medal winner in the 1984 Summer Olympics, is headed to Paris to serve as an announcer for his tenth Olympics.
  • Boulder was named one of six finalists to be the new host of the Sundance Film Festival.
  • The movie “Twisters” nabbed $80.5 million in its opening weekend, blowing away pre-opening estimates of $50 million to $55 million.

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Who won the week?

  • PRSA Colorado announced the winners of its annual Gold Pick Special Awards:
    • Public Relations Person of the Year: Merideth Hartung | VP, Social and Digital Media, B Public Relations
    • Joe Fuentes Rookie of the Year: Caroline Campbell | Public Relations and Communications Manager, VISIT DENVER
    • Chapter Service Award: Liz Viscardi | Owner, LV Events and PR
    • Jane Dvorak Mentor of the Year: Shawna Seldon McGregor | Founder, Maverick Public Relations
    • Business Person of the Year: Doyle Albee | President and CEO, Comprise
    • Media Person of the Year: Greg Avery | Managing Editor, Denver Business Journal 
    • Public Relations Team of the Year: Gomez Howard Group
  • My colleague Ramonna Robinson was featured in a Denver Business Journal “Outstanding Women in Business” panel discussion on work-life harmony.
  • Proof PR, which has opened additional offices in New York City and Los Angeles, added Katrina Salon as a PR manager in its Denver office. The agency also announced a number of recent client wins, including Bagel Brands (Einstein Bros.), Tide Cleaners, Lake Hour and Wing Snob.
  • History Colorado named its board room in honor of outgoing board members Cathey McClain Finlon and Tamra Ward.
  • Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and his wife Jocelyn purchased a $7 million home in Highlands Ranch. The home has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
  • Tennis star Serena Williams once tried to deposit a $1 million check at a drive-thru ATM. Said Williams, “I just went through the drive-thru and the guy was like, ‘Uh, I think you need to come inside for this.'”
  • Billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg has donated $1 billion to Johns Hopkins University to make medical school free for most students and increase financial aid for those in its nursing and public health graduate programs.

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment
  • Coke bottles in Europe that have the tops attached to aid in recycling keep hitting drinkers in the face. “You literally have a fight with your bottle now every time you take a drink,” said one frustrated soda enthusiast.
  • Colorado Public Radio reached a confidential settlement with former host Vic Vela. The agreement opens the door for CPR continuing Vela’s “Back from Broken” podcast, which is a curious development since the news outlet previously claimed Vela was fired for “repeatedly fail(ing) to address his hostile behavior” in the workplace.
  • Speaking of CPR, it has now been nine months since the news organization received $8.3 million from a donor it still refuses to disclose.
  • Kid Rock went full-Kid Rock in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, in which he allegedly “ranted about immigration, liberally used the N-word and, at one point, waved a gun in the air.”
  • The liability waivers that Colorado ski resorts have relied on to protect them from litigation and financial judgments aren’t as iron-clad as thought, according to a new ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court.
  • Colorado has seen a spike in gun-related road rage incidents over the past six years, and now has a rate that is double the national average.
  • The WNBA is investigating a mass sponsorship agreement between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and all 12 players on the Las Vegas Aces that would give each player $100,000. The WNBA is concerned that the deal circumvents its team salary cap. The real issue is how vulnerable the WNBA is to outside influences such as gamblers and sponsors because its salaries are so low. Top veteran players barely make more than $200,000 per season, and rookie stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese make closer to $76,000.
  • Cable channel AMC‘s threshold for adding trigger warnings to old movies seems to be moving. It makes sense that AMC would add disclaimers disavowing racist or stereotypical portrayals of characters in movies such as “Gone with the Wind” or “The Jungle Book,” but the channel has now added them to “Goodfellas.”
  • Actress Scarlett Johansson has threatened a lawsuit alleging that OpenAI illegally copied her voice after she refused to license it to the company for its AI efforts. Johansson famously portrayed the voice of the AI assistant in the 2013 movie, “Her.”
  • Denver-based online worker training platform Guild unexpectedly laid off 25% of its 1,200 employees, and its explanation for why was a “buzzword salad” that felt like it was written by AI, according to SE2‘s Eric Anderson.
  • The chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), Martin Gruenberg, agreed to resign once a successor is confirmed following a damning report that concluded Gruenberg was responsible for a hostile workplace at the agency.
  • A recent Fox31 social media post about a drunk-driving crackdown in Denver featured a prominent photo of a police officer wearing a City of Miami safety vest. I guess the Fox31 photo archives aren’t curated all that carefully.
  • Tom Brady‘s attempt to purchase a minority stake in the NFL‘s Las Vegas Raiders has hit several road bumps with other team owners who must approve the sale. They are concerned that his presence as the lead FOX Sports analyst for NFL games poses a conflict, and they aren’t happy about the steep discount Raiders owner Mark Davis appears to be trying to give Brady.
  • A California mother was fined $88,000 after her children “collected clams — thinking they were picking up seashells — on the beach without a fishing license.” A judge has agreed to reduce the fine to $500.
  • The stock of E.W. Scripps, owner of Denver7/KMGH, is trading at about $2.50, its lowest level since 2009. You might want to say a prayer for the employer contribution portion of its employees’ 401(k)s.

Who won the week?

  • Altitude Sports’ Vic Lombardi is being inducted into the Heartland Emmy Silver Circle, which recognizes his 25 years in the television industry.
  • CBS4‘s 10 p.m. newscast finished the May ratings period as No. 1 among adults 25-54 for the first time since 1995.
  • The Trust for Public Land ranks Denver as the 13th-best big-city park system in the nation.
  • Liam and Charlotte were the most popular baby names in Colorado in 2023. Milo, Arlo and Atlas also made the top 100.
  • The median pay for CEOs of S&P 500 companies is now $15.7 million.
  • Colorado Springs is the third-best place to live according to U.S. News & World Report, while Boulder ranks 10th, Fort Collins 39th and Denver 40th. Huntsville, Ala., ranks as the seventh-best place to live, so there probably is a flaw in the methodology.
  • The NCAA has reached a $2.8 billion settlement that opens the doors for universities to directly pay its athletes. Part of that settlement will be used to pay former athletes who were denied payment in the past.

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ 1 Comment

Who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • Vogue released its 2024 list of best Denver restaurants, which is great. One of its selections, Populist, closed in 2019, however, which is not. I expect Racines to be on next year’s list.
  • AI-generated fake photographs of a “nude” Taylor Swift spread across the internet this week. The silver lining: it may spur federal legislation making the creation and dissemination of deepfake images illegal.
  • Gov. Jared Polis claims he wants a high-speed transportation option to connect Denver and Colorado Springs, but when a motorcyclist posted a video showing him making the commute in just 20 minutes (he was, at times, traveling 180 mph), the Colorado State Patrol issued an arrest warrant.
  • CDOT has made $4 million so far from the cameras that identify drivers illegally weaving in or out of carpool lanes. I expect potholes to now be fixed faster, CDOT.
  • Speaking of CDOT, thoughts and prayers to I-70 this weekend. It is that time of year when the Aspen X Games, the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championship and the Freestyle Competition in Vail all happen on the same weekend.
  • Tesla lost about $80 billion in market cap this week after its Q4 2023 earnings disappointed analysts. CEO Elon Musk didn’t help much when his earnings conference call was described by analysts as a “train wreck.”
  • Thefts from online payment apps such as Venmo, Cash App, PayPal and Zelle are “skyrocketing.”
  • Director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie – the driving forces behind the billion-dollar “Barbie” movie – did not receive Oscar nominations for their work while actor Ryan Gosling did for his portrayal of Ken. That, some say, “kind of proves the point of the movie, that the patriarchy is still with us.”
  • Denver-based VF Corp. – parent company of brands such as Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies – had personal information for 35.5 million customers stolen by cyber criminals.
  • Atomic scientists are keeping the “Doomsday Clock” at 90 seconds to midnight – as close to midnight as ever – as conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza drive the risk of global catastrophe.
  • Former WWE CEO and current board member Vince McMahon has been sued for allegedly engaging in human trafficking.
  • The L.A. Times “has been thrown into a state of mayhem as it laid off 115 positions – about 20% of its newsroom. Said one staffer, “I cannot overstate the level of chaos.”
  • Speaking of layoffs, those in the tech industry continue. This week, eBay announced plans to lay off 1,000 employees, SAP 8,000 employees, and Microsoft, 1,900 employees. Those cuts follow recent ones from Amazon, Google, Twitch and Audible and TikTok.
  • The CEO of Kyte Baby, a manufacturer of infant clothing, has now had to apologize twice for refusing to allow an employee to work remotely from a NICU where the employee’s newborn was being treated. The first apology was immediately shouted down for being robotic and insincere.
  • The CEOs of Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines are all expressing frustration and anger at Boeing’s ongoing quality-control problems. That’s not exactly a recipe for Boeing getting past this quickly.
  • Closing retailer H&M has removed and apologized for a school uniform ad that critics said sexualized children.
  • Beloved University of Colorado and Denver Broncos announcer Larry Zimmer passed away. He was 88.

So, who won the week?

Who Had the Worst Week?

~ Jeremy Story ~ Leave a comment
  • The Boeing 737 Max has become the Ford Pinto of jets. The aircraft faced a global grounding for 20 months starting in 2019 due to malfunctions in its flight control system, leading to two fatal crashes that claimed 346 lives. This week, it has been grounded again after a side door plug blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines jet.
  • A Texas man accused of shoplifting filed a handwritten lawsuit against Walmart demanding either $100 million or “unlimited lifetime free shopping” at the store.
  • There are a lot of talented reporters in Denver, but I have never used regional Emmy award wins as a measure for who is among the best. The number of reporters, both great and average, who have more than a dozen of the things speaks to how liberally they hand them out. That belief was further confirmed this week when ESPN acknowledged submitting fake names to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) to obtain more than 30 fraudulent Emmy awards for members of its “College GameDay” show who were technically ineligible. ESPN then re-engraved the Emmys with actual names and gave them to the employees.
  • Frigid weather has caused more than 10,000 flight delays today across the country.
  • The National Association of Realtors is a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment. CEO Tracy Kasper abruptly resigned this week after allegedly receiving a blackmail threat, five months after her predecessor resigned after being accused of sexual harassment.
  • The Wall Street Journal reported concerns among leaders and board members at Tesla and SpaceX regarding alleged illegal drug use by CEO Elon Musk. The mercurial CEO responded in part with a couple of statements, including “Whatever I am doing, I should obviously keep doing it” and “If drugs actually helped improve my net productivity over time, I would definitely take them.”
  • It will be 78 degrees in Miami this weekend, but weather forecasters are predicting 0-degree weather with a negative 30-degree wind chill for Saturday’s Kansas City Chiefs–Miami Dolphins playoff game in Kansas City.
  • Some members of the Gambian national soccer team passed out mid-flight on their way to an Africa Cup of Nations tournament when the oxygen supply on their Air Cote d’Ivoire flight failed. Said the team’s coach, “I am ready to die for Gambia, but on the football pitch, not off it. I had short dreams where my life passed, I had moments where I thought I was dying.”
  • Quote of the week: “I am not trying to villainize my mom,” uttered by Denver restaurateur Frank Schultz as he attempted to villainize his mom in court regarding a lawsuit about the finances of his company, Tavern Hospitality Group. Schultz’s mom handled the company’s financial accounts.
  • Disgraced former Denver Public Schools board member Auon’tai Anderson first chose not to run for school board re-election because polls showed him with the support of only 9% of voters. Then he announced he would instead run for a state house seat. Well, it turns out those voters also recognized his name, and he has now dropped out of that race as well. And now he has founded an education nonprofit, but of course there is already an issue: 9News reported that “the nonprofit is not currently recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which would allow for tax-deductible contributions while requiring more financial transparency and conflict of interest protections.”
  • Even winners at this year’s Golden Globes weren’t aware of who is behind the awards. Many thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a now-defunct organization that had been heavily criticized over the past few years for a lack of diversity, transparency and competency. It turns out that Dick Clark Productions actually owns the Golden Globes, having acquired the brand earlier this year.

So, who won the week?