The Titans totaled over 170 yards on the ground and two touchdowns between three players, scoring twice in the first quarter before Nicholas Farley went over the top in the fourth to break a 14-all tie and send Legend to a victory.

Grandview quarterback Blitz McCarty threw for over 150 yards of his own in his debut under center, nearly rallying the Wolves back from a two-score deficit. But the Titans’ ability to answer with a grinding, 13-play scoring drive proved to be the difference.

“This was a playoff-level game for sure,” Legend head coach Monte Thelen said. “Grandview’s an excellent football team. … We showed a lot of character, converted some downs and won the game in the fourth quarter, which is what we kind of thought was going to happen tonight.”

The first quarter proved fruitless for Grandview, as the team could not convert more than one first down in any of the first three drives. Legend, on the other hand, capitalized on the Wolves’ slow start, scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game after a Grandview punt sailed only 7 yards.

Legend kept the pressure on at the end of the first. The Titans used a timeout to force Grandview to punt the ball with its back against the end zone late in the first quarter.

One second was all Legend needed to double its lead. Quarterback Michael Marsenich connected with running back Jaden Lawrence, running a streak down the left side of the field for a one-play touchdown as time expired in the first quarter to put the Titans up 14-0.

After the Wolves failed a fake punt attempt from their own 36-yard line, Legend had the ball a prime opportunity to go up three scores before halftime. But on the very first play after the turnover, Grandview defensive back Zach Johnston intercepted a pass from Marsenich and returned it to the Legend 25-yard line. From there, the Wolves only needed two plays to find the end zone.

The 14-7 Legend lead held through the third quarter and into the fourth until McCarty found wide receiver Kyler Vaughn on a 3rd and long for 63 yards and a touchdown.

The 14-14 scoreline did not last long. With Farley substituting in for Marsenich at QB on the ensuing drive, Legend ran the ball down the Wolves’ throat. With 12 rushing plays and only one passing play, Farley scored the game-winning touchdown, icing the game in a 21-14 victory.

“We needed to play really good football to beat them, and we had too many mistakes offensively,” Grandview head coach Tom Doherty said after the game. “We played a really good team and we lost.”

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But these adjustments come not out of strategy but rather necessity, as a system that was already collapsing is now under far more stress, said Juan Sebastian Olivares, the mobile outreach coordinator for Hunger Free Colorado, a statewide food advocacy nonprofit.

Metro Caring, an anti-hunger organization featuring a fresh food market downtown, saw nearly 5,000 visits in January 2024, almost double the number recorded in the same month a year prior, said the organization’s Communications & Marketing Specialist Brandon McKinley. With wait times for a market appointment stretching as long as six weeks, the new clients instead turned to the organization’s emergency bags, filled with ready-to-go food items, for immediate sustenance.

But what was supposed to be an emergency solution became more popular than fresh food appointments, McKinley said, as visitors routinely sought out a few days’ worth of short-term food options in the bags rather than waiting for a chance to get a week’s worth of healthier food at the market. To combat this trend, Metro Caring will pause distribution of the bags at the end of February, though McKinley noted that the agency does not have a definitive timeline for how long the pause would last.

“Sometimes those bags were not filled with enough variety or quality of food that would last folks even a couple of days,” McKinley said. “The community has shared with us that the (market) model is better, more dignified and more equitable than just handing out bags of food that people may or may not want to use.”

Community members are eligible to shop in the market every month, McKinley said.

Losing a resource for immediate food aid is part of a larger issue concerning Denver food distributors, said Olivares, which were lacking adequate food resources and a consistent workforce to distribute them even before the influx of migrants to the city.

“There are too many immigrants that are requesting help,” Olivares said. “Before that, the food banks and food pantries (already) had limited resources.”

The end of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program emergency food stamp allotments in March 2023 made it harder for many low-income Coloradans to buy groceries, and, in addition to food inflation and cost of living increases, forced more to turn to food banks and pantries for help, said Erin Pulling, president and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, a nonprofit that mainly distributes food to over 800 local organizations in Colorado and Wyoming.

The food bank has seen a drastic increase in demand since the program ended, Pulling said. The bank is now outright purchasing one-third of its distributed food, spending over $1.5 million per month to supplement a donation pipeline that has not kept up with the soaring demand.

To keep up with the growing demand from the migrants coming into the Denver area, the bank began creating and distributing its own emergency bags in August 2023, Pulling said. Since then, the organization has spent nearly $100,000 on over 15,000 bags filled with shelf-stable ingredients meant to serve as meal preparation for migrants without access to kitchens.

Although the Food Bank of the Rockies has been spending more than usual on food, the organization has not yet been forced to remove any of its other services to accommodate the extra expenditures, Pulling said.

“What it has meant is we are more dependent on philanthropic income than we ever have been before,” Pulling said. “We’re depending on the generosity of the general public to make financial gifts to make this possible.”

The lack of resources extends to the city level as well. While city shelters serve meals three times per day to those housed inside, the influx of migrants brought shelter capacity to an all-time peak of 4,900 people in mid-January, said Jon Ewing, marketing and communications specialist for Denver Human Services. But while the city saw 300 arrivals per day at the peak of the influx, those numbers have since subsided.

City officials are now encouraging eligible migrants to sign up for work authorization, hoping to discharge people from the shelters into more sustainable living situations, Ewing said.

“I’m enormously appreciative of any of the food banks who have stepped up to help folks,” Ewing said. “When they’re feeling the strain, we’re feeling the strain. I think we’re all feeling the strain of this response right now.”

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The comments came less than two days after several pieces of the monument were stolen Tuesday night, including a bronze torch and angel and a bronze panel that depicted Black military veterans. The ACLU of Colorado also condemned the vandalism Thursday afternoon in a statement, with Executive Director Deborah Richardson calling it a distressing act that highlights the continued importance of civil rights work.

“This is something that all Coloradans and all Denverites and all people in America should be concerned about,” Wilma Webb said Thursday. “This is certainly an assault and insult to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

A Colorado state representative from 1980 to 1993, Wilma Webb sponsored legislation to designate King’s birthday as a state holiday before it was federally recognized. Additionally, when Wellington Webb was Denver’s mayor in 2000, he and Wilma Webb helped establish the memorial in Denver’s City Park.

Standing in front of the monument, the former mayor called for better security measures in the area.

“This location needs to have lights around it, it also needs to have video cameras,” Wellington Webb said. “If we had video cameras and lights I think we would have caught who damaged this sculpture the other night.”

Dwight, the creator of the monument, noted the original welding job attached the panel from the back, making it vulnerable to being torn off.

“It was a lever, that’s all it took. All they had to do was get under the edges and work at it, they didn’t have to take it and rip it off all at once,” Dwight said. “That’s why we need a security system here, because it took them time to do that. I imagine they were here (about) an hour and a half.”

Dwight added that he may have to do some more advanced work on the new panel to ensure that all four corners are locked down to the monument to keep it from being removed so easily in the future.

The Webbs have launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for the repairs and added security measures. The link to the campaign is gofundme.com/f/repair-the-martin-luther-king-jr-sculpter.

“Whoever took it down, you’re wasting your time; all we’re going to do is put it back up,” said Wellington Webb. “You don’t have enough money to keep taking it down. We’re going to outraise you, we’re going to outwork you and we’re smarter than you.”

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After the change goes into effect, commuters will have to take the South Line between Union Station and Colorado Springs before connecting to local transportation at the line’s Skyridge and Colorado Stations to reach Denver Tech Center, according to a release from the Colorado Department of Transportation. The walk from either station to the nearest Denver Tech Center station takes at least an hour and 40 minutes, according to Google Maps.

“While Bustang service has proven incredibly popular and has shown remarkable demand post-COVID, this limited service has not been able to perform at acceptable ridership levels,” said CDOT Division of Transit and Rail Director Paul DesRocher. “We will continue to grow other Bustang services to offer this reliable and comfortable option to as many Coloradans as possible.”

DesRocher also noted in the release that CDOT teams pay attention when a transit line isn’t performing to a level justifying taxpayer investment.

The resources from the once-a-weekday rush hour round-trip service will be redirected toward the company’s mainline services, such as the South Line, according to the release. Bustang is currently working with commuters and nearby employers to explore options for alternative transportation to Denver Tech Center.

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Police on Monday arrested a 25-year-old University of Colorado student in connection with the dorm-room shooting on the Colorado Springs campus last week that claimed the lives of a student and a 26-year-old woman.

The arrest came just hours before the university hosted a healing walk through campus to give community members a space to process Friday’s double homicide.

Nicholas Trevon Jordan, 25, of Detroit, was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a news release.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Jordan’s arrest on Friday evening and had been searching for him ever since. He was arrested at 8:37 a.m. after officers found him in a vehicle in the 4900 block of Cliff Point Circle East in Colorado Springs, the department said.

Jordan was enrolled at CU Colorado Springs at the time of the shooting, university spokesperson Jenna Press said. He is being held at the El Paso County Jail on a $1 million bail and is set to appear in court Tuesday, according to jail records.

Knopp, of Parker, and Montgomery, of Pueblo, were killed in the shooting early Friday morning in a Crestone House dorm room. The shooting sparked a lockdown on campus and led to classes and activities being canceled and the campus being closed through the weekend.

In an online profile for music teachers offering in-home lessons, Knopp described himself as a lifelong musician who started playing viola at 8 years old.

Knopp fell in love with the guitar after moving to Colorado from Ann Arbor, Michigan, when he was 17 years old, according to the profile. He was pursuing a degree in music theory at CU Colorado Springs and most enjoyed playing classical and lead electric guitar.

At 2 p.m. Monday, hundreds of people — including university students, staff and faculty as well as city residents — embarked on the healing walk from the north end of campus to its center before hearing remarks from campus Chief of Police Dewayne McCarver, student body president Axel Brown and Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet in front of the mountain lion statue in the center of campus.

“I’m just super grateful that the university is doing this for us because a lot of us are grieving still,” said AJ Vafiades, an alumna who now works in human resources for the university’s visual performing arts department. “There has (been) a very big, dark shadow hanging over campus; I feel like everyone is very somber.”

And the somber feeling echoed throughout the afternoon. Several students cried and hugged one another in the crowd. Some students said that the incident was too recent to publicly discuss, with nearly 30 declining to speak to a reporter about the shootings.

University staff handed out red, white, pink and yellow roses to everyone in attendance before the walk began. At the conclusion of the event, everyone was invited to place their roses on top of the mountain lion statue. Brown noted in his speech that the flowers will be moved to a more permanent memorial inside the library.

In addition to the tremendous amount of UCCS participation in the walk, Sobanet noted in her speech that several students and staff from CU Boulder traveled south to show their support during the walk. Additionally, many city residents participated to support the university, including some who have no connection to it whatsoever.

“One of the more important roles we play as members of a community is to show support for one another, whether we have a direct connection to an event or not,” said Colorado Springs resident Seth Palmer Harris. “Even though I’m not directly connected to UCCS, I still wanted to show my support and appreciation.”

McCarver, Brown and Sobanet all took time in their speeches to share their appreciation for the community support during such a difficult time and noted the love they feel and shared with all in attendance.

“I’m glad you (all) are taking the time to come together with your fellow mountain lions,” Brown said in his speech after the walk concluded. “While I wish that we were gathered here under better circumstances, it is difficult moments like this that highlight just how strong our UCCS community truly is.”

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The Cheyenne Tribe teenager was reported missing after last being seen near Loomis and Chamberlin avenues in Colorado Springs on Feb. 14, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

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The portrait of the first U.S. president, which had been in the possession of a family for more than 50 years, was taken Jan. 10 after thieves forcibly broke into a storage unit in the 3300 block of South Santa Fe Drive, Englewood police confirmed Tuesday.

Police said they were unsure whether the thieves knew the painting was in the unit.

The painting is about 24 inches by 30 inches and is encircled by a gold-colored frame, according to a post by Englewood police on Facebook. Since the painting is historically significant, it is difficult to directly estimate its value.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for tips related to the crime. Englewood Police and the FBI Denver Office could not confirm more details about the incident at this time.

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The inside of the station at 1800 14th St. in Boulder was closed last January after an investigation into strong odors emitting from a restroom revealed levels of meth exceeding Center for Disease Control limits, according to Regional Transportation District news releases. Residue was also detected in the ductwork and was impossible to clean out, necessitating a full replacement of the ventilation system.

“The collective goal of all employees involved in this project was to ensure the station could be reopened in a safe condition,” said RTD General Manager and CEO Debra Johnson in a Monday release. “While illicit drug abuse is a societal issue that is not unique to RTD, it is our responsibility to provide employees and the public with a space that is clean and welcoming to inhabit.”

The agency spent $295,000 on external contractors to remediate the methamphetamine contamination, including testing for contamination, repairing areas affected by replacing all ductwork and repainting the station interiors, said Project Manager Pauline Haberman.

The new ducts installed in the station have exterior insulation, allowing for the insides to be cleaned, the release noted. Additionally, restroom ventilation was improved with more powerful exhaust fans that will keep smoke within those spaces.

The RTD also gave the lobby of the station a refresh, repainting the walls, adding a new coating to the benches and deep cleaning and sealing the main tile floor.

The agency will use its police department — now made up of many sworn officers instead of a traditionally contracted security agency — to proactively reduce potentially dangerous situations, Haberman said.

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Thornton police and fire crews were dispatched to the 9100 block of Clarkson Street just after noon on Friday to put out a fire, according to a release from Thornton Police. After arriving on the scene, police were told a child was inside the home, so three officers went inside to try and find them.

Fire crews arrived a short time later and extinguished the fire and began searching for the child, according to the release. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Three police officers received care for smoke inhalation at a local hospital, according to the release. No firefighters were injured during the incident.

Officials declined to comment on the story, citing the ongoing investigation. The identity of the child will be determined by the Adams County Coroner’s Office. Anyone with information is asked to call the detective tip line at 720-977-5069.

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The proposed location would be the latest in the fast food chain’s Colorado building spree and would feature 3,887 feet of building floor area, according to the development site plan submitted in January. Additionally, the 1.58-acre lot would be taken up by a drive-thru and 52 parking spots.

“At this stage, we are in the development application review phase, so it’s still too early to say when, or even if, we will be able to open a restaurant there,” said Mike Abbate, vice president of store development, in a statement. “Once we do begin construction on a new location, it usually takes us eight to nine months to build a restaurant and open it for business.”

The proposal is currently in the review process, according to the site plan. Upon completion, it would be Colorado’s 10th and northernmost In-N-Out franchise, according to the company’s website.

“We know the Timnath area is a wonderful community, and we are excited about the prospect of opening a new location there to better serve our customers in the near future,” Abbate said in the statement.

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