Good morning, Denver.

Georgetown had 28,000 visitors last weekend to see the fall foliage and is now hosting its first-ever Leaf Peeping Market—town leaders say the event brings a boost to local merchants while a flexible traffic plan keeps the roads safe.

Vendors and officials plan to build on this success with another busy weekend ahead.

Almost Home in Brighton lost key federal TANF funding—forcing the nonprofit to shut down its family services program and plan for staffing cuts while it expects only $290,000 from July 1 to December 31.

The funding drop has raised concerns about the future of its emergency family shelter and other vital supports for local families.

On November 11 at 6:30 p.m., conductor Scott O’Neil and curator Angelica Daneo will host a performance at the Denver Art Museum’s Sturm Grand Pavilion that explores music’s connection to Impressionism by featuring works from Debussy and his peers — the $25 ticket includes a $5 coupon to visit The Honest Eye exhibit from Oct. 26 to Feb. 9.

More than 450 people gathered at RiNo Art Park on Sept.

27 to enjoy a cake picnic organized by Denver-based pastry chef Morgan Bennett—she was inspired by a similar event in San Francisco and a global trend. Every participant had to bring a cake and families shared sweet treats and simple joy at the event.

Denver area residents have a busy weekend in Aurora with events ranging from today’s horse-drawn wagon rides at Plains Conservation Center to the Art in the Park market at Winged Melody Park, running 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additional cultural outings include the 'First Date' musical comedy at Vintage Theatre, Aurora Fox’s 'Schoolhouse Rock Live!', and the Aurora Borealis Festival with a laser show set between Oct. 10 and Oct. 11—each event offering community engagement for all ages.

Denver Public Schools has started a pilot program using weapon detecting dogs to boost safety at large district events.

Vivian—an 8-year-old black lab—worked at the All-City Stadium homecoming game last Friday and will serve at events through the end of the first semester.

Colorado national parks are open even though many services are cut because of the federal government shutdown—visitor centers, fee stations and trails at Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison remain closed or limited.

Gov. Polis said the state is trying to keep the parks accessible while local towns may lose tourism revenue.

After a $175 million renovation and three and a half years of construction, downtown Denver's 16th Street reopens today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.—city leaders hope the improvements boost foot traffic and support local businesses.

Gov. Jared Polis proclaimed Oct 1 as Music Advocacy Day during a small ceremony at the Capitol, marking an initial step to support Colorado's music industry.

The Recording Academy organized the event to help foster policy changes and pave the way for a possible Colorado Music Office.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden said in an interview that a recall effort against her did not show a serious push, as not a single signature was turned in out of the 75,875 needed—she called the move driven solely by partisan politics.

Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky led the campaign, but it failed to trigger a special election.

A study by experts including Ben Nevis Barron from the University of Colorado Boulder shows that prisons in Colorado put inmates at high risk from extreme heat, smoke, and floods because many facilities were not built for today’s climate—researchers say many inmates have suffered and call for urgent improvements.

Denver-based Simpson Property Group, along with Greystar and 24 other companies, have agreed to pay more than $141M to settle a class action lawsuit that accused them of using rent-setting algorithms to raise rents.

The companies have also promised to stop sharing nonpublic information with RealPage—an order that now awaits judge approval in a Tennessee federal court.