AM
Denver
Friday, December 5th, 2025
Good morning, Denver. Here's your local news at a glance for Friday, the 5th of December.
CRIME NEWS
- ➤ Loved ones of missing 20-year-old Kaylee Russell searched near the Loveland-Johnstown Park-N-Ride on Thursday morning after she was last seen at 6 p.m. Nov. 30; first responders cleared searches at the Johnstown Ready Mix Plant following a tip about a car in water near Highway 402 and I-25. Denver7
CULTURE NEWS
- ➤ Denver experienced its first real snowfall just before the Indie Insiders holiday party took place on Dec. 3 in Cherry Creek at the Mistletoe Lounge; listeners enjoyed music, conversation, and a record swap hosted by the station. Colorado Public Radio
- ➤ The long-running sketch show Santa’s Big Red Sack is staging its final season with edgy holiday satire at the People’s Building in Aurora from Dec. 4 to Dec. 24—general admission is $38.58 and original cast members return for a memorable farewell performance. Sentinel Colorado
ECONOMY NEWS
- ➤ Colorado's job market has been sluggish after a shutdown left a gap in data and a technical error disrupted the new unemployment insurance system. Experts remain unsure about the true pace of employment growth statewide + future outlook. Colorado Public Radio
EDUCATION NEWS
- ➤ Dr. Rhonda Epper, president of Trinidad State College, is the sole finalist for CSU-Pueblo’s presidency as the CSU System Board of Governors will meet later this month to confirm her appointment after a required 14-day waiting period. Colorado Public Radio
GOVERNMENT NEWS
- ➤ Denver’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is now known as the National Laboratory of the Rockies effective immediately. A Department of Energy spokesperson said the lab’s research focus remains unchanged and no staffing changes are planned — earlier budget cuts were separate. Denver7
- ➤ The Denver Office of Emergency Management held its annual Mile High Ready tornado drill on Thursday to test emergency response with city agencies & private partners. The exercise recalled 19 tornadoes recorded since 1950 and advised residents to plan ahead when severe weather is forecast. Denver7
SPORTS NEWS
- ➤ Former Nuggets president Timothy Leiweke was pardoned Tuesday, clearing him of federal antitrust charges over a Texas arena bid-rigging case. Leiweke helped stabilize the Nuggets in the 1990s and later co-founded Oak View Group & advanced local venue projects. Colorado Public Radio
- ➤ A free ski program has launched at the National Sports Center for the Disabled to help veterans ride shuttles from the Denver metro to Winter Park; it covers lift tickets, ski gear and adaptive equipment (funded by a VA grant) so veterans can reconnect on the slopes. Denver7
TODAY'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.
Know who said this? Send us an email!
Reveal the authorAbout AM Denver
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