01 29 26 Broncos QB Bo Nix talks about the season and his injury also Colo Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown

When the day is over, your bed shouldn't make things harder. Karaloha bed sheets are crafted from organic bamboo to deliver naturally breathable, moisture wicking, and irresistibly soft comfort, helping you stay cooler and comfier throughout the night. It's comfort that's gentle on skin and designed for better rest. Healthier qualities were proud to highlight through our partnership with the National Exema Association. Tonight, discover what Cari Loja Bamboo Comfort feels like. Shop Carriloha.com. That's C-A-R-I-L-O-H-A.com, Ceraloha. Sleeping Better starts here. K-O-A, an high-heart radio station. Guaranteed human. 5 o'clock Thursday morning on Colorado's morning news, 8.50 a.m., 94-1 FM, and on the IHeart Radio app. Good morning. I'm Tina Kotek. Fox 31 pinpoint weather, mostly sunny today. Our high temperatures should be in the upper 40s, dipping down into the mid-20s overnight tonight, mid-40s again tomorrow, and then back into the 50s, warming up for the weekend. Currently, though, we're at 31 in Denver. Dressed in power, Alex Freddie, we'll take over from here. Nurses from around the country and here in Colorado gathering outside VA hospitals last night for a candlelight vigil honoring the VA nurse who was shot and killed Minneapolis last week during a nice protest. It's nice to see our fellow citizens stand up for... a person who led an exemplary life. Really reassuring that we know that what's going on is not okay, regardless of what everyone's beliefs are. Organizers of the vigil say Alex Preti's ties to Colorado inspired them to come together to support his family. Pretty's parents live in Arf Adam. Denver, among three dozen cities and counties joining in Minneapolis's legal fight against ICE in an amicus brief, which allows a party to weigh in on another party's legal claim. Denver argues that President Trump recklessly deployed ICE to the Twin Cities to cause chaos as punishment for state and local policy, a violation of the 10th Amendment. Mayor Mike Johnson says ICE's occupation of American cities must end now. The federal agents involved in the deadly shooting of an anti-ice protester have now been placed on leave. Two of the federal agents involved in the second deadly shooting of a Minneapolis protester are now on administrative leave. Homeland Security tells Fox the CBP and Border Patrol agents seen on video firing their weapons during an altercation with Alex Preddy are no longer on field duty. The department says this is standard procedure as it investigates the incident. This move comes just days after Borders R Tom Homan took over immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. Minnesota. Attorney General Pam Bondi is also in the state. The arrest of 16 more protesters accused of assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers. Pam Bondi says more arrests are coming. That's Fox is Garrett Tenney. Now a new video has surfaced of Preti involved in a conflict with ICE enforcement agents 11 days before his death. In it, he was seen kicking and breaking a taillight on an agent's car and spitting on it.

A former Colorado State Senator could soon be headed to prison after a jury convicted of felony forgery charges. Former Colorado State Senator, Sonia Hawkes-Lewis, will be sentenced next month for faking letters of support during an ethics investigation. Fellow Democrats were looking into claims that the Longmont lawmaker mistreated staff. She then submitted a fabricated letter claiming it was written by a former employee. That employee denied writing it. Hawkes-Lewis resigned to avoid the ethics investigation only to find herself in the middle of a criminal investigation. She could face several years for four counts of forgery and attempting to influence a public servant. Brenda Stewart, K-O-A. Two weeks into the legislative session means time is running out to figure out the state's budget shortfall. To hear States Senate have been already leader Cleef Simpson talk. Everyone is fighting for their own spending priorities. We largely have not experienced any cuts. in the six years I've been here. Simpson told K-OA's Ross and Gina, there have been so many new programs brought up by federal money, and now those dollars are drying up. Three weeks ago, Democrat Jeff Bridges told K-Away, there has been some fat trimming. We found a half a million dollar program that was helping marijuana companies become more energy efficient, and I love energy efficiency, but I don't think it's the state's job. The budget shortfall, estimated to be $800 million. Rob Dawson, K-O-A. The Cherry Creek School District Superintendent is leaving Chris Smith, announcing his retirement effective tomorrow. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Perry will serve as the interim superintendent while the school board is searching for Smith's replacement. Smith recently came under fire after staff members accused him and his wife of creating a toxic culture. Smith's wife Brenda is the district's chief human resources officer. We're learning more about a man accused of driving through the front of Greeley High School. 28-year-old Eduardo Perez drove his pickup truck straight through the front doors of University High School, finally coming to a stop after crashing inside one of the school's halls. School security member Dennis Labato tells Fox 31 there were staff members inside the building. One one, to our knowledge, was right in the direct path, although there were people here and there in the vicinity. It was something that could have been a lot worse. For sure. Court records do show that this is Perez's fourth felony DUI charge. An investigators say he initially refused chemical testing after the crash. Neabender, K-O-A news. Just months after the longest government shutdown in history, the government could close again if a deal is not reached by midnight Friday. Democrats say their support for the Department of Homeland Security funding bill hinges on new restrictions on President Trump's immigration enforcement agencies. While Republicans say they're open to hearing proposals. Any agreement would need to clear both chambers of Congress. Any changes to the six bill, $1.3 trillion funding package would force House lawmakers to return from recess to approve the revised measure.

That's Fox is Kevin Cork. The FBI spent yesterday afternoon inside a Fulton County Georgia elections warehouse looking for materials related to the 2020 presidential election. Agents retrieved documents, phones, and computers after a judge signed a warrant. President Trump has long made Georgia and specifically Fulton County a target of his complaints relating to the 2020 election. Shortly after that election, then President Trump spoke to Georgia's Secretary of State, Brad Rappell. Rappensberger and said he needed to find 11,780 votes to win the state. At the time, Rappensberger said he felt pressure from Trump and denied any widespread election fraud. Fox is David Spont. Saturday Night Live, the live comedy sketch show will air its 1,000th episode this weekend. Actor Alexander Scarsgard will host with musical guest, Mark Carney B. S&L has been doing live comedy broadcasts from NBC's headquarters in New York City since 1975 and recently celebrated its 50th birthday. You're up to date on Colorado's morning news. Let's take a look at the latest business and money news with Keenan Dixon and Keenan 2025 was another record-breaking year for passenger traffic at DIA. But the growth has slowed significantly. The airport served more than 82.4 million passengers last year, up just 0.1% from 2024. July was the busiest month ever at DIA, exceeding 8 million passengers for the first time. The busiest single day at the airport was July 6th, with more than 97,000 passengers. passing through TSA checkpoints. It was also a record-setting year for international passenger traffic, which was up nearly 5% in 2025. The airport was the 10th busiest in the world during the first 11 months of the year. The global data for the entire year comes out in the spring, but this could mean a drop from the sixth busiest airport in the world if December numbers aren't higher. The Texas Republican behind the creation of the Trump account's savings plan for kids is taking a victory lap. Senator Ted Cruz says that. benefits of the Trump accounts is huge. We are going to create a generation of new capitalists. Our kids are going to be the owners of the largest employers in America, and that is a big, big deal. He adds the program will invest trillions of dollars in America's youth, regardless of their economic background. Under the program, every American child born during Trump's second term will receive a $1,000 tax-free government deposit to jumpstart their account. Spotify is paying out a large sum of money to the music industry. The streaming platform says they've recently paid out $11 billion in royalties to labels, signed artists, and independent musicians. This brings their all-time payments to $70 billion. Spotify has faced criticism in the past from artists over low royalty rates from streaming, with Apple Music's VP arguing that it devalues music as a product. I'm Mark Mefield. Costco is being sued over allegedly misleading claims about its $4.99-scent rotissory chickens. The lawsuit filed in federal court in California says the chickens are...

Advertised is containing no preservatives. The proposed class action suit says Costco is systematically cheated customers through false advertising. The chickens allegedly contain two preservatives that control pH levels and to slow spoilage. Despite filing the lawsuit, the two plaintiffs say they plan to keep buying the chicken. You're up to date on the latest business of money news. Let's take a look at your early Thursday morning drive. We head to the K-OA Traffic Center and say good morning to Jonathan Steele. Hey, good morning to you. Happy Thursday. We're often running in good shape out here. The volume's light. We're not dealing with any delays, but there was one incident that happened a little bit earlier this morning on Highway 58. This is the ramp to I-70, a big semi-rig. Apparently took the curve there a little bit too quickly, and he overturned. And the contents of his trailer. came out and went down an embankment and wound up on Youngfield. So it was quite a mess. They've been in there trying to get it cleaned up. There are restrictions on Youngfield if you're heading in or out of the golden area. But it's not a delay at this point. You can still get through. Mountain roads looking a little grim if you're heading up to the divide and then west, basically from Georgetown to Vale. It's the traction law that's in place. It is partially snowpack, very icy and very slow moving. So be well prepared if you're heading that way. We'll keep the advised this morning. Jonathan Steele on K-O.A. 50 a. and 94-1 FM. The first week of the off season is providing some clarity on the Broncos' magical season, cut short in part by Bo Nix's ankle injury in the divisional round win over Buffalo. Speaking for the first time since last week's procedure, Nick contradicted, Nick's contradicted head coach Sean Peyton's assertion that he had three previous ankle surgeries, and there was a pre-existing condition that made a fracture inevitable. Didn't have any... predisposed issues, man, my ankle's fulfilling really good. I don't think he really should share how many surgeries I've had in the past, to be honest with you, but, because I don't, you know, he doesn't really even know that. Nick says had season-ending ankle surgery. That was in 2021 while still at Auburn. He says this surgery went well. He should be back to normal soon, starting his off-season workouts on schedule. As spring training approaches, the Rockies are making some roster changes. The team traded for infielder, Edward Julian, and right-handed pitcher Pearson Oll from the Twins, and sent minor league pitcher to Minnesota, new president of baseball Lops, Paul D. Podesta, on Julian. We're certainly intrigued by the bat. I think he had a really. really good track record, even going back to time when he was in. you know, high A, AA, AAA, AAA into his rookie season. You know, he's produced at the major league level at different times. Colorado also sent reliever Anhevee to the Yankees for minor league first baseman, T.J. Rumfield, who was ranked as the organization's 22nd overall prospect, and the 25-year-old hit 285 in AAA Scranton last year. Rumfield is the third top 30 prospect from the Yankees that the Rockies have gotten since the trade deadline.

Cavs have lost five of their last seven, including last night in Ottawa, frustration from head coach Jared Bairdardar in the five to seven loss. Fly, fly the whole, almost the whole team. Bednard says injuries and other factors have created a tough spell, but these rough patches aren't all bad. It never hurts to go through a little bit of a stretch where you have to push and play your best. You know, you've got to be a spot. Good response. The abs have little time to dwell on this loss. Playing in Montreal tonight against the Canadians, puck's drop is at 5 o'clock. I'm Kenan Dixon on KOA, home of the buffs, Broncos and Rockies, and KOA Sports today at 3. Colorado's morning news. K-OA News Time 517. A tragic ending to a pond rescue in Aurora. The man who fell through the ice at Sand Creek Park has now died. He and three dogs were seen walking near the pond Tuesday night and a witness called 911 after they saw a hole in the ice and a dog in the water. Cruz rescued the dog and quickly located the man who was taken to the hospital where he later died. His name has not yet been released. Denver City Councilman Chris Jim Himes launching a pilot program hoping to keep people from surrending their pets to animal shelters due to the high cost of veterinary care. Denver Animal Protection's Aidan McMorrow points out that it's also tough to find a place that will accept animals. Another thing that is really difficult is the high pet deposits that we see so many landlords asking people to make. That's why Councilman Jim Himes is proposing a program that will pay the one-time deposit for the... first 100 animal owners in his district to apply. Nearly 3,000 pets were surrendered to the Denver animal shelter last year, nearly three times as many as in 2019. Local temperatures will reach into the upper 40s today, but cold weather alerts still persist for millions across the country. Much of the south is still dealing with freezing temperatures and another blast of Arctic air is expected tomorrow. Forecasters say that will spread into the east and southeast through Saturday. China and the UK are taking steps toward building a new partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said that China is willing to develop a long-term strategic relationship with the UK. Keir Starmer is on a four-day visit to China with dozens of other bridges. British business leaders. And good news for those who are listening this morning, new research says early birds have healthier hearts than night owls. The findings in the journal of the American Heart Association show that those who stayed up late had a 16% higher risk of having heart attacks or strokes, while early risers had no increased risk. The association recommends adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep a night in order to maintain optimal heart health. An update from Broncos Court. quarterback bow next. That coming up in just a minute. Jonathan Steele joining us with a look at our Thursday morning drive from the K-OA Traffic Center.

Yeah, it's light volume building. Speeds are way up on the high side, probably 60s, 70s, mainly. I-25 across the city looks great. East side of I-70 building nicely, as well as 225, which is about a 10-minute commute out of Aurora. That's both directions there between I-70 and I-25. Pennius 15 minutes from I-70 to the terminal. Eastbound routes, like 6, C-470 looking good. Now, out of the Applewood or Golden Area, we do have a restriction on Youngfield this morning. They're cleaning up debris from a semi-that overturned. coming off of Highway 58 to I-70. You can still get through, but it's a hazard in there. And everything else good. Boulder Turnpike's about 25 minutes, Denver to Boulder. Jonathan Spiel on K-O-A 850 a.m. and 94-1 FM. K-O.A. News time, 520. Gina contact on Colorado's morning news. It'll be absolutely no issue this off-season. I'll be able to actually start training back at the same time I was going to start training. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on the road to recovery after ankle surgery last week. Speaking publicly for the first time since the procedure, Nix reflected on both the joy and the struggle that he felt at the end of the bill's game. It was a bummer. It was a little bit unknown at the end of the game, so I was just going about business as usual. It was very, very just, I think a little bit, not in shock, but just very happy and very. thrilled how we finish that game, just how the game ended, how it went down with Jamack's interception, with our last drive there, just to put the game away with Will's last kick. You know, you don't get these opportunities. I mean, that's my first one. You don't get them often. And we're trying to make that a theme around here. But, man, that's our first one at a while. So it was really awesome to not only be in that situation, really awesome to see our fans, see our organization, see the atmosphere, just see. overall how the game went, just pick up a first playoff game. I think that was the most exciting. And then, yeah, got into the locker room, celebrated a little bit, and then, you know, got checked out, and then unfortunately found the news. And then it was just a bummer. It's crushing. It's a beating for, you know, you go that long and you play that many games. And, you know, you have that bigger season. And it just kind of comes to an end abruptly like that. It stinks. was just very fortunate to have the team that I have and have the support staff that I have, man, everything was very smooth, you know, got great doctors, great trainers, coaching staff, teammates, man. It was just, it really just showed how blessed I was to be in such a great spot and, you know, to be here. Even though it wasn't necessarily great news, it was, you know, had a lot of guys lifting me up. Bownex also contradicted Coach John Payton's assertion that he had three previous ankle surgeries and there were pre-existing conditions that made the fracture more inevitable. Yeah, it was just a simple step with my foot up in the air. My body weight came down on it and sort of got twisted up and got out of there pretty quick. I think that's the good part of being athletic. Sometimes your body gets out of worse situation. So it could have been a worse landing, but I think all that force went into the... only place it could and was just one of those missteps. And didn't have any predisposed issues. My ankles were feeling really good. I don't think he really should share how many surgeries I've had in the past, to be honest with you. Because I don't, you know, he doesn't really even know that. But I think it's going to be good, you know, to get back, get to work, start from ground zero, work from the bottom up, get back to training. And nothing really that.

concerns me, nothing that scares me going forward like I'm, you know, injury prone or anything. This is one of those just inconvenient football plays, and, you know, I'm excited already to get back to work. Can't necessarily avoid anything in the future, but I feel really good that my body's going to be in good shape. Again, Nick says he'll actually be able to start his off-season training on normal timetable in a few weeks. Stay away, news time, 528. Gina Gondack on Colorado's morning news. They don't forget, it's the final week to thank a veteran, active military member, or a first responder with $2,500. Now through this Sunday, all you have to do is submit your nomination name and they're deserving reason of why they should receive $2,500 all at KOA, Colorado.com slash contests. It's a hero's thank you presented by common spirit health and fix it 24-7. You can see more from Benjamin Netanyahu Albright and Nick Ferguson. on our Instagram page with some further details of a hero. Thank you as well. The newscast coming up next, let's take a look at your Thursday morning drive first. Here's Jonathan Seal, the K-OA Traffic Center. Yeah, we're still doing well here in the city. Not much to contend with. Watch for a restriction on Youngfields could be the southbound lanes near Highway 58. They're clearing up some debris from an overturned semi that lost part of the load or all of it. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it's been a little bit of a mess in that area, but it's not causing a real big delay. If you're heading west on I-70. You're slow from Georgetown to the tunnels and all the way to Vale. You've got partial snowpack, very icy conditions up there this morning. Oh, about an inch or two is what they're saying, has fallen overnight and early this morning. So little wintry and the traction law is in place. Jonathan Steele on K-Wa, 8.50 a.m. and 94-1 FM. K-OA news time 530 on Colorado's morning news, 8.50 a.m., 94, 1 FM, and on the IHurt Radio app. Good morning. I'm Gina Gondack. Fox 31 pinpoint weather, plenty of sunshine today. Our high temperature, a little cooler than yesterday into the mid-40s. Overnight lows tonight will be in the mid-20s and then back into the mid-40s tomorrow. Warming up for the weekend, we'll see mid-50s by Saturday. Currently, we're at 31 in Denver. Say his name. Alex Brady. Say his name. Alex Brady. More protests in Minneapolis last night as a vigil for the VA nurse shot by ICE agents over the weekend and Renee Good, who has killed earlier this month by federal agents. Colorado nurses came out in solidarity holding a candlelight vigil outside the VA Medical Center in Aurora. He was one of those people. He cared. We're all human beings and everyone matters. It does particularly hit home more for me because I am a nurse. Alex Preddy's death has ignited protests nationwide and prompted lawmakers, nursing unions, and civil rights groups. to call for an independent investigation into what happened. A new video has now surfaced that shows Prattie in another confrontation with ICE agents several days before he was shot and killed. In this video, you see Prattie scuffling with federal agents. As a federal vehicle is driving away, you actually see someone who looks like Prattie, walks up to the back of the car, kicks the taillight, and actually the tail light falls off of the car. That's ABC's Matt Rivers. The immigration crackdown at the center of a funding fight in Washington that could send us into another.

partial government shutdown. Congressional Democrats have threatened to block all funding for the Department of Homeland Security, but minority leader Chuck Schumer and President Trump say that they're close to reaching a deal on possible new restrictions on immigration agents. It is our social media poll question for this morning with that deadline looming coming up on Friday at midnight. Do you believe we'll see a government shutdown over this DHS funding? You can engage with us on our social media platforms. Leave us a talk back. Hit the red mic button on the Iheart radio app. We'll soon hear from the Bordersar, Tom Homan, who is now in Minneapolis, is set to speak to reporters in a few hours, hoping to quell the anti-ice anger. Oman has met with Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey, who says they made little progress. He did not make a commitment to ending it on any given timeline. However... My hope, my expectation is that the troops and the agents we're seeing will be drawn down. Fry also insists his city will not reinforce, enforce federal immigration law, prompting President Trump to warn the mayor's playing with fire. There's a change in leadership of the Cherry Creek School District. Superintendent Chris Smith has resigned from his position and his last day is Friday. He'll then retire from the district. Smith was the subject of a Denver 7 investigation earlier this month where current and former employees described a toxic culture stemming from him and Brenda Smith, the chief human resources officer and his wife. School Board President Ann Egan says Smith's tenure included notable achievements, including the building of the Traverse Academy for students suffering for mental struggle. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Perry will be the interim leader. Rob Dawson, K-O-A. A former state senator has been convicted of forgery for submitting fake letters of supports to the Colorado Senate Ethics Committee. Sonia Hawkes-Lewis resigned last year amid accusations of mistreating capital AIDS. A jury took four hours to find her guilty of attempting to influence a public servant of felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The forgery count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. She's due to be sentenced next month. If you think the lines are long now at the DMV, well, just wait. It could soon take you a lot longer to get your driver's license. That's because the state is getting ready to overhaul the digital systems at the DMV, including the public e-services platform. That means you won't be able to apply for a license online from February 13th to the 16th. There will also be no appointments available at state DMV offices on February 17th while the staff gets up to... speed with the new system. The agency urges anyone with outstanding driver or vehicle transaction to get those done as soon as possible. Brenda Stewart, K-O-A. A driver recovering after crashing through several fences ending up in the South Platte River yesterday. It happened near 96th, then Monaco. Only one person was inside the vehicle and police say the driver may have fallen asleep.

We love to fly, and it shows, as DIA is celebrating another record-breaking year for passenger traffic. The airports served more than 82.4 million passengers last year, up 0.1% from 2024. July was the busiest month ever at DIA, exceeding 8 million passengers for the first time. The busiest single day at the airport was July 6th, as more than 97,000 passengers passed through TSA checkpoints. It was also a record-setting you for international passenger traffic at DIA. which was up nearly 5% in 2025. Chad Bauer, K-O-A. Nearly 300,000 people across the country still without power after last weekend's storm, and some people are in for another bitter cold weekend. Sub-zero wind chills from the Great Lakes into the northeast. Feels like freezing all the way down to Orlando. That's just scratching the surface. More severe Arctic pushes to come. That cold will help give life to a nor'easter, a powerful ocean storm. ABC's meteorologist Lee Goldberg. There are ghosts lurking around college campuses around the country and they're stealing money. ABC's Steve Osamaami says there's our... They're scammers who get fraudulent student loans. In some instances, they are actually going to class and continuing the scam, continuing the identity theft. And the reason why they're doing that is because they can continue to take out loans. One of the people we talked with was a federal investigator with the U.S. Department of Education. He says that what the ghost students do is they register the students for classes, and then once they get the first check, they disappear. Some colleges report a flood of bogus application. put together with the help of AI. And life expectancy in the United States rose to 79 years in 2024. That's the highest number in our history. The preliminary statistics suggest continued improvement for 2025. Death rates declined across all racial and ethnic groups in both men and women. And heart disease remains the nation's leading cause of death, but the death rates due to it dropped by about 3% for the second year in a row. The U.S. still ranks below dozens of other countries when it comes to life expectancy. You're up to Dayton, Colorado's morning news. Well, speaking of life expectancy, maybe not, but I mean, Gina. There you go. Gina and joining us with business and money news. So those were tissory chickens that we always see. I always think it's just first off a very random thing just to have like at an end cap of a checkout. Yeah. But we're also like my husband and I, he's always like, I'm going to grab one all the time. He's like, I'm down. We'll grab a rotisserie chicken. Why? I don't know. These are products at grocery stores, they lose money on. It just brings people in. Right. You know they can go get a mortissory chicken and maybe something else. Hundreds of dollars later and you're like, fine. Throw the rotissory chicken in the cart too. But it's an extra few bucks. It sounds like it's a bad idea for Costco, though. It is. Costco's being sued over allegedly misleading claims about its $4.99 cent rotissory chickens. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in California and says the chickens are advertised.

Franco's owner, Greg Penner, says while he's disappointed with Sunday's AFC championship game loss to the Patriots, it was an unforgettable season, and the future is bright. He also discussed the progress on the Burnham Yard Stadium Project. We're listening. That's what this period is about, taking in that input and thinking about how that's going to impact what our plans are, is we come up with a community benefits agreement, also a lot of conversations with city council members. Penner says they're going to create something that's going to be special for the city of Denver. in the state of Colorado, but also understand when it's a project of this skill. They're going to be a lot of different opinions. He says they will consider those and come up with the right solution. The new stadium is expected to be ready for the 2031 season. Broncos quarterback, Bowenix, giving an update about his ankle surgery, speaking publicly for the first time since the procedure. It's a very quick procedure, very easy operation, just a simple bone break. We've got that fixed up, great surgeon. great care and, you know, just right back on my road to recovery. Nick says he'll actually be able to start his off-season training on his normal timetable in a few weeks. As spring training approaches, the Rockies made a couple of trades. They acquired infielder Edward Julian and right-handed pitcher Pearson All from the Twins in exchange for minor league pitcher. Colorado also sent reliever Anheve to the Yankees for minor league first baseman T.J. Rumfield, who was ranked the organization's 22nd overall prospect last season. The 25-year-old hit 285 in AAA's Grant in last year. Rumfield is the third top 30 Yankees prospect acquired by the Rockies since the trade deadline. Colorado men's basketball takes on number eight Iowa State tonight in Ames. K-OA coverage starts at 4.30 tonight. The a abs have lost five of their last seven, including last night in Ottawa. Frustration from head coach Jared Bednar and the 5-2 loss. We're running a little thin with some guys, and we've got some guys that aren't playing that well, so you start. And tonight, when you've got a bunch of guys that don't play well, then you're running a pretty short bench trying to stay in the game and just hoping some other guys will find it. Tonight they did. The abs have little time to dwell on the loss. They play in Montreal tonight against the Canadians. Pucks Rop is at 5 o'clock. I'm Gina Dixon on K-O-A, home of the buffs, Broncos and Rockies, and K-O-A sports today at 3. Colorado's morning news. K-O-A news time 547. We're learning more about an incident from a week ago where a pickup truck driver crashed through the front doors of University High School in Greeley. Police now say four employees were in the school at the time and two janitors had to jump out of the way as the truck traveled nearly 50 yards down a hallway before stopping. The driver was identified as 28-year-old Eduardo Perez, who officers say showed signs of impairment and refused testing. This marks his fourth felony DUI case. Commerce City, the latest agency targeting drivers with expired tags or no plates, insurance, or driver's license. There's a lot of people driving without driver's license throughout the city, and I see that daily.

Commerce City Police Sergeant A.J. Aguilar tells Fox 31 that some cases are far more serious than others. Running a stop sign, running a red light, speeding, racing, possibly. There's a bunch of different variables that could constitute reckless behavior. Multiple agencies across the front range are conducting patrols just to catch people who are clearly in violation of the laws. And a historic Denver Hotel will soon become affordable housing for seniors. The Downtown Development Authority approved a low-interest loan of up to $6 million for a project to renovate the Barth Hotel built back in 1882 at 17th and Blake Streets. There was a development battle in hopes of reopening it as a hotel. But now the plan is to create 50 new residential units for seniors, earning 30 to 50% of the area's median income. Construction is expected to start next year. Our local business outlook for the new year will get a preview coming up next. Taking a look at your drive from the K-OA traffic center. Here's Jonathan Steele. Yep, and doing quite well out here this morning. Those ramps are starting to back up with the 270-I-76 interchange, but not really in a delay mode, just a little bit slower than average. Pena still looks great to and from the airport. We're seeing a little more company coming out of Aurora. If you're heading north on 225, just up past 6 to Colfax. So a slight reduction in speeds there. For the most part, it's been in the 60s and 70s citywide I-25, in fact, looks great all the way across. And into the foothills, no problem spots. Floyd Hill area. Idaho Springs. Heading west, though, we are starting to see quite a bit of slowing. It's all due to the kind of wintry conditions, basically from Georgetown, the veil, will be slower than average, and it's real icy up there, and partially snowpack, too. Jonathan Steele on K-OA, 850A.50A news time 550. Gina Gondack on Colorado's morning news, Colorado's business climate, a mixed bag. That was the conversation yesterday at the Colorado Business Roundtable's State of the State with Governor Jared Polis. highlighted a recent U.S. News and World Report ranking and putting Colorado's business environment at fourth in the nation, there's still struggles with heavy regulation, affordability, tariffs, and expanding housing and job training. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to speak with Debbie Brown, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, with an outlook on the state and local businesses for 2026. I think businesses are feeling the crunch of affordability, just like families are. And it's really a mixed bag. There's a lot of things coming through ballot initiatives and through the legislature that are going to affect businesses. And most of it's not positive. What do you think is some of the biggest concerns that our local business leaders have right now? I think the biggest concern is regulatory overreach. We're actually doing some really productive work with the governor and his team on giving feedback specifically. to the regulators on what's holding businesses back. And I think that's a really, really positive sign. And I hope we can grow that with other bodies that oversee regulatory framework. When you talk to local business leaders, do you find them more concerned about some of the local politics and the legislation going through our local legislatures? Or is it something that's in the White House or things that come from the administration and a higher up that they're worried about? Or a mix of both. Yeah, good point. It really is a mix of both. It's a layering effect.

Boy, it even starts with a local level, local state, federal, regulatory issues. But we did a recent survey that actually had profiled the business sentiment of how people are feeling about federal policies versus state policies. The word that rose to the top of the state is regulation. The word that rose to the top in terms of federal framework was uncertainty. But there is actually more optimism for federal growth in how businesses are looking around the country. than for the state. And a lot of it just stems from affordability, frankly. Affordability, a big topic, regulations. Let's think of maybe a bright spot. Let's think of something that, okay, new businesses or long-time businesses stick around or hang out in Colorado because why? There's lots of bright spots. It's still quality of life in Colorado. Look, we've got sports teams to keep us busy, the mountains to keep us busy, the quality of life is wonderful. We've got to figure out as a state how to make sure we keep our state business friendly because at some point that becomes less of a draw. But no, lots of bright spots. I think about the aerospace industry, the tech industry, the startup community. There's a lot, a lot of bright spots and a lot that we want to protect. This was the last business roundtable with Governor Jared Polis. Maybe some words of advice for the next governor looking at what we can expect with businesses and what you want to see in the partnership and the health when it comes to the governor and business relationship. Sure. We've had a good... productive relationship with Governor Jared Polis over the years. We've not agreed on every one of his positions, which makes sense. You know, it would be strange to think that you would agree on every position. But we've always had a good working relationship. He's had a very hybrid approach to how he approaches his leadership in which I would say he doesn't stick to one party or one particular ideology. He listens. He thinks outside the box. I would encourage the next governor to do the same. If they want to see a healthy job environment, a healthy healthy economy. They need to be asking businesses what they need to make sure they can continue to grow, thrive, and provide jobs because we're all in this together. That's president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, Debbie Brown. K-OA news time 556. Wrapping up the show here on Colorado's morning news as Ross Kaminsky is stepping in. And Ross, I will ask you the poll question for this morning. All right, fire away. Deadline coming up Friday at midnight, which it feels like we just went through this. Because we did just go through this and it was the longest government shutdown in history. So do you believe we will see a partial government shutdown over the DHS funding debate after Friday, after tomorrow? No. Okay. I think Trump and the Democrats are going to find some way to keep. to keep government open while maintaining a side conversation about funding DHS and Border Patrol and stuff like that going forward. I think neither side wants a shutdown. And the Dems really felt like they got toasted by a shutdown last time, even though in the past they have felt like they won the politics of a shutdown. Last time they didn't. And so I think they're going to. Find a way. I haven't been closely watching what the spending bills look like, but do you think it would be passing a funding bill without DHS spending in it and then discussing DHS later on? A little bit, but a big part of ICE funding for another three years or something was already in the big, beautiful bill. So the Dems can't stop funding of that stuff right now. So it'll be some kind of future funding conversation.

And what the Dems are going to want in exchange is probably something like requiring them to wear body cameras, maybe requiring them to work without wearing masks, stuff like stuff like that. So I think, yeah, I... Look, you can lose a lot of money betting that government will get something done on time, right? Do you think that's a bet you can put money on right now? One of those prop bets. Yeah. What are they called? Oh, I bet you go to polymarket and bet on whether there would be. In fact, we'll look that up during, we'll look that up during the break. But I. Yeah, if you made me bet on it, I'd bet there won't be a shutdown. Is that your poll question? Yes. And what is it looking like so far? Yesterday, man, the should Kristi Noem resign had over 600 comments on Facebook and was pretty split down the middle on X. Right now, oh, right now on X, 80% are saying yes, we'll see a partial government shutdown over DHS funding. 20% no. Right. And it was 52% yes, Kristi Noem should resign yesterday with 48% no. That's actually a surprisingly high number because we tend to have a slightly right of center participation on social media. So to have more than 50% say yes to that is pretty interesting. Gina and I have a ton of other stuff we're going to do on the show today. We've got some really interesting guests, including a lady at CU, associate professor of media studies at CU. Her name is Sandra Rostovska. And we're going to talk with her about video activism, people taking videos of things. But then more interestingly for me, perhaps, is. how those things can be used in a court of law, and whether eyewitness testimony is actually accurate, which is separate from video thing. But anyway, that's going to be really interesting. And then see you with another see-you-guess physics professor, Paul Beale, is going to join us, and we are going to drag Gina into the world of leap seconds. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. When the day is over, your bed shouldn't make things harder. Keraloha bed sheets are crafted from organic bamboo to deliver naturally breathable, moisture wicking, and irresistibly soft comfort, helping you stay cooler and comfier throughout the night. It's comfort that's gentle on skin and designed for better rest. Healthier qualities were proud to highlight through our partnership with the National Exema Association. Tonight, discover what Kariloha bamboo comfort feels like. Shop Kariloha now at Kariloha.com. That's C-A-R-I-L-O-H-A dot com, Keraloha. Sleeping Better starts here.