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MorningMagazine_2025-02-27 Gabrielle Mendoza
Denver strip clubs ordered to pay millions in back pay and penalties to workers
The City of Denver’s official auditor has ordered two Denver strip clubs to pay nearly $14 million for “widespread wage theft.”
According to the audit issued yesterday, Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret violated “nearly every applicable provision” of Denver’s minimum-wage laws for nearly 230 workers. The clubs have also been accused of stealing money from staff: they required strippers to pay a “house fee” of up to $85 per shift, while managers routinely took performers’ tips.
The strip clubs have already spoken out against the audit, accusing Denver Labor of disregarding legal boundaries and “wielding subpoenas like weapons.” They’ve pledged to fight the city in court.
That’s all from reporting by The Denver Post.
Denver accused of denying homeless shelter entry to people with disabilities
A local housing advocacy group is accusing Denver of denying homeless shelter entry and services to people with disabilities.
The suit was filed on behalf of Housekeys Action Network Denver, or HAND, on Tuesday. The group is accusing Denver of violating state and federal disability laws by not providing relevant services to people with disabilities at its shelters. HAND provided examples of inadequate wheelchair access and staff confiscations of medical supplies.
Six plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit say they suffered medical complications because of the shelters’ inadequate accommodations. One told the public at a press conference yesterday that he had to crawl on the stairs to move around the shelters. Another said she had to use nail clippers to change her colostomy bag after shelter employees took away her scissors. Her bag filled with blood, and she ended up in the hospital.
At that same press conference, organizers from HAND and their legal representation listed several shelters they claim are guilty of discrimination. These include the Denver Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army Crossroads Center, the 48th Avenue Women’s Shelter, and tiny home villages.
The lawsuit is the latest of many to challenge Denver’s approach to working with unhoused over the last decade.
Denver’s monthly rental rates fall
Rent in Denver has gotten slightly cheaper since the start of the year.
Rates in Denver dropped 0.4% in January. According to Zillow’s monthly rental report, that’s the largest observed decline in rental prices in the nation over the course of that month.
The typical January rent in Denver was $1,918, which is a .8% decrease from last January. Multi-family rentals saw a larger drop in prices than single-family rentals.
Denver was one of 11 major metro areas where monthly rental rates fell, along with Cincinnati and Birmingham.
Generally speaking, there’s been a national trend of rent increases – 47 of the 50 largest metro areas saw price hikes in January compared to the same month last year.
That’s all according to the Denver Business Journal.
Colorado’s gray wolves on the move into Western Slope
Colorado’s gray wolves are on the move.
According to a new map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the wolves roamed farther into the Western Slope last month, with at least one venturing in a watershed that extends to the Utah border.
The latest map is the first from CPW to include a full month of data on the 15 wolves captured in Canada and released in Colorado back in January.
Colorado’s voter-mandated gray wolf reintroduction continues to be contentious, with ranchers concerned for their livestock and land. State wildlife officials are letting local ranchers know when wolves are in the area and are helping to work on deterrence measures. That’s all according to The Denver Post.
Former House speaker will run for AG
Chrisanta Duran, a former speaker of the Colorado House, will be running for attorney general.
The Democrat was House speaker from 2017-2019. She aims to take the place of current AG Phil Weiser, who will be running for governor in 2026.
Duran graduated from the University of Colorado with a law degree, and went on to work for a Colorado Supreme Court justice. More recently, she worked at a metro Denver law firm.
Duran’s only known opponent for now is Boulder County District Attorney and Democrat Michael Dougherty. These two, along with anyone else who joins the race, will run in the June 2026 primaries.