Good morning, Denver.

Work Options, a Denver nonprofit that trains adults for food service careers, is feeding its 25 students with grocery gift cards as their federal SNAP benefits remain frozen due to the government shutdown—donors like the Daniels Fund and Schlessman Foundation provided $290 per student to bridge the gap while the program continues preparing them to work in food service for homeless populations.

Early returns from Tuesday show that Proposition LL leads by 27 points and Proposition MM by 14 points—both measures will use higher taxes on wealthier families to fund free school meals, pay cafeteria workers, and buy fresh local foods.

The proposals may also use extra funds to help low-income families if money remains.

Gov. Jared Polis proposed a state budget for 2026-27 that will raise K-12 spending by $276 million, boosting per-student funding to about $12,272.

The plan lets colleges raise in-state tuition by the inflation rate & includes a small increase for the universal preschool program.

Political influencer Katie Grossbard interviewed Sen. Michael Bennet for free on Instagram while her team told AG Phil Weiser’s campaign that an interview might cost up to $2,000—emails show that she uses set rates for political content.

The practice has raised concerns over blurred lines between free journalism and paid messaging—fueling debate in the governor's race.