AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Former Broncos coach and fitness guru Bill Phillips, shown here with his wife, Maria on Aug. 23, “did not get vaccinated because I made a mistake.” “I thought since I had COVID in January 2020 I was immune to it,” he said during an interview. He spent more than 40 days in a hospital this summer and lost 70 pounds battling COVID-19. “That mistake came…close to losing my life.”This year, we divided our Year in Photos into three parts. Click here to see Part 1 and Part 2.
Health care
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
EMT Clay Trevenen, left, and Brooks Bingman, a paramedic, help a patient out to an ambulance in Craig on July 20, 2021. Voters in Moffat County on Nov. 2 rejected a pair of ballot measures that would have funded ambulance services. The future of the service in Colorado’s second largest county remains uncertain. A crew operates out of Memorial Regional Hospital in Craig, but the hospital takes a roughly $600,000 loss annually on the service and its leaders say that can’t continue.Lilly’s struggle
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Lilly Downs, 17, center, and her mother Elisa Downs, left, celebrate Lilly’s vaccination after receiving the shot from nurse Beth Ann Wagy, right, at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, May 27, 2021.Ever since Lilly was first hospitalized with the coronavirus in November 2020, she has lived with persisting symptoms — quick heart rate, fatigue, mouth ulcers, brain fog and more — from the infection. She, along with her parents and doctors, have struggled to find answers as to why her symptoms have lingered and how to treat them as she navigates the return to activities, such as soccer and school, with a condition that no one knows how long will last.
“Is it going to be months? Is it going to be forever?” said Dr. Nathan Rabinovitch, a pediatric immunologist at National Jewish Health in Denver and one of Lilly’s physicians. “We don’t know yet because we are so early in the pandemic.”
Click here to read more about Lilly and how she and her family are adapting to life with long COVID.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Lilly Downs, 17, checks her oxygen level at her family’s home in Golden on June 23, 2021.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
LEFT: Lilly Downs, 17, prepares to take medicine at her home in Golden on June 23, 2021. RIGHT: Lilly Downs, front, and her mother Elisa, center, listen to doctor Chad Lomas, left, speak about gene testing at National Jewish Health in Denver on May 19, 2021.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Wearing a mask, Lilly Downs, 17, visits with friends and teammates during a tryout practice at Denver Kickers Sport Club in Golden on Friday, June 6, 2021. The visit to soccer practice was the first time that she’d seen her teammates since she started getting sick in Nov. 2020. Downs stayed on the sideline during the team tryout.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Nurse Danae Andrews, left, prepares heart rate and oxygen level sensors for Lilly Downs, 17, right, at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver on Aug. 16, 2021. Lilly had hoped to join other seniors at Lakewood High School at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to watch the sun rise on the first day of classes but was still in the hospital.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
After being discharged from the hospital, Lilly Downs, 17, still has to take liquid food through a tube placed in her nose. She had been hospitalized for dehydration; she started having gastrointestinal symptoms and couldn’t keep food down.Masks
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
People jump as community members give comments against mask mandates during a school board meeting to discuss the use of PPE in Douglas County on Aug. 24. People from the county gathered to contest a mandate that students wear masks in the county’s schools. The county has since formed its own health department and in November elected of slate of anti-mask school board candidates.School
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Siena Yeh, 10, is pictured at Brown Elementary School in Denver on Dec. 16. Colorado students returned to the classroom this fall after a tumultuous school year that included frequent switches between in-person and online classes or entirely virtual schooling as COVID-19 cases repeatedly disrupted learning.
Photos by Helen H. Richardson, Andy Cross, RJ Sangosti and Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Denver Public Schools’ new superintendent Alex Marrero high-fives students in the Marrama Elementary School hallway on Aug. 23, the first day of school. Marrero visited a variety of schools on the first day back to class. TOP RIGHT: Second-grader Lily Ringham, 7, reaches for salad tongs at the salad bar in the lunchroom of Alicia Sanchez Elementary School in Lafayette in September. BOTTOM RIGHT: East High School students stage a walkout Sept. 20 to protest DPS board member Tay Anderson after an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against the 23-year-old official. The investigation did not substantiate the claims, but students felt he still should resign. BOTTOM LEFT: Surrounded by supporters at a news conference, DPS board member Tay Anderson announces in Sept. that he will not resign and called his treatment a “high-tech lynching” — shortly before other board members voted to censure him.Fort Lewis College
The scars of history were laid bare in September beneath the clock tower at Fort Lewis College as three panels were removed from it. The timeline depicted on the panels showed Fort Lewis’ transition from a military fort to a federal Indian boarding school in the late 1800s to the college that stands today. But inscriptions claimed Native students — forcibly taken from their homes and cultures by the U.S. government — were “well clothed and happy” and received “extremely good literary instruction” while participating in enriching activities.
The real history was “nothing short of attempted and, sadly, sometimes successful cultural genocide,” Fort Lewis College President Tom Stritikus said.
Rebecca Slezak, The Denver Post
Speaking in front of the crowd, Irene Bitsóí closes her eyes recalling the experience she had while attending a boarding school as a young girl during the ceremony at Fort Lewis College in Durango on Sept. 6, 2021. The crowd sat listening in silence.Denver Indian Center
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Nick Ohitika-Najin, a member of the Mnicoujou-Lakota tribe of the Cheyenne River, dances while he participates in the Denver Art Museum’s Friendship Powwow at the Denver Indian Center on Sept. 12, 2021. The 32nd Annual Denver Art Museum Friendship Powwow and American Indian Cultural Celebration is one of the Denver Art Museum’s longest running events and represents an opportunity for all families and generations to come together and celebrate the diverse indigenous communities across Denver and the Front Range. The event featured American Indian dance competitions, hands-on activities, and artists and vendor booths. Food was provided by Tocabe, an American Indian eatery. Portions of the proceeds from the event supported the Denver Indian Center. The dance competition featured tiny tots, juniors, adults and golden age divisions and presented a variety of dance styles.Mount Evans
9/11
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Shelli Scrimale kisses her husband David Pykon on the head at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum after the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2021. Pykon’s older brother, Edward Pykon, was killed in the attacks in 2001.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Two lights shine in Manhattan in tribute on on Sept. 11, 2021, marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.College Football
Photos by Andy Cross, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Colorado State wide receiver Thomas Pannunzio, front, celebrates a fumble recovery on a punt return against San Jose State with teammate and long snapper Ross Reiter in the second quarter at Canvas Stadium on Oct. 9. The Rams beat the Spartans, 32-14. TOP RIGHT: Buffaloes wide receiver Brenden Rice catches a long pass against Wildcats cornerback Isaiah Rutherford and scores a touchdown at Folsom Field in Boulder on Oct. 16. Colorado went on to crush Arizona, 34-0. BOTTOM RIGHT: The Air Force Academy band performs for fans in the tunnel before the Falcons game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs on Oct. 23. The Falcons fell just short, losing 20-14 to the Aztecs. BOTTOM LEFT: Nova keeps an eye on things during Air Force’s game against San Diego State on Oct. 23. This is the female gyrfalcon’s first season as the Falcon’s mascot. Nova replaced Aurora, who died at 23 and was the academy’s longest servicing mascot. The first mascot was named Mach 1 and began its service in Oct. 1955.Prep academies
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Denver Prep Academy men’s basketball players take part in a morning practice at the school in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. The school is one of three elite athletic academies in the state.Some of Colorado’s most promising young basketball players have transferred from a traditional high school experience to embrace the newest wave of athlete education to hit Colorado — private schools offering specialized basketball training against elite competition.
The prep school experience is designed to mimic college, with players often living on campus. Class time is scheduled around early morning practice, afternoon workouts and games played on national circuits to maximize exposure.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Denver Prep Academy principal Eric Mosley, left, makes protein smoothies and breakfast for Kaleb Mitchell, 17, right, along with five other basketball players at the dorm in Denver on Oct. 13, 2021.
Photos by Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Denver Prep Academy’s Michael Lewis, 16, takes a break at the dorm after physical training in Denver. He is one of 10 elite basketball players at the school. TOP RIGHT: Denver Academy’s Mason Hudnall, 16, heads to the kitchen for lunch at the dorm on Oct. 13. The academy gives students a chance to hone their basketball skills and be seen by a wider audience. BOTTOM RIGHT: Chandler Wilson Jr., right, helps Justin Daniels to stand during a night practice. The players are hoping to boost their basketball careers. But the specialized training isn’t cheap: tuition, feels, travel, food, recruiting services, room and board for the 2021-2022 school year is $50,560, as listed on the Denver Prep Academy’s website. BOTTOM LEFT: Teacher Shazia Sulehria, third from left, looks at Lewis’ homework during an Oct. 13 creative writing class in the South West Improvement Council building. His assignment was to write his athlete biography for the academy’s website. Some of the students have moved from other parts of the U.S. to attend the academy.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Denver Prep Academy’s Kaleb Mitchell, 17, right, and Chandler Wilson Jr., 18, run to the gym from the dorm to catch the morning meeting with principal Eric Mosley on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.Prep sports
Photos by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Derrick Hester, of Palmer Ridge’s football team. TOP RIGHT: Dre’Monti Jackson, of Far Northeast’s football team. BOTTOM RIGHT: Randy Yeboah, of Thomas Jefferson’s football team. BOTTOM LEFT: Steven Gartman, of Pomona’s football team.Athletes took part in Colorado High School Activities Association’s 3d annual media day on Aug. 16.
Denver Nuggets
Denver Broncos
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Javonte Williams (33) of the Denver Broncos hurdles Trevon Moehrig (25) of the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. This season Denver Broncos fans returned to Empower in full capacity for the first time since 2019. The Raiders won, 34-24.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Tim Patrick (81) of the Denver Broncos celebrates his touchdown reception over Donovan Wilson (6) of the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. The Broncos won, 30-16.
Photos by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
LEFT: Peyton Manning’s father Archie Manning gives his son a thumbs-up as Peyton unveils his pillar outside Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 31 before the Broncos game against Washington. He is the 35th individual to have his name placed in the Ring of Fame. RIGHT: Fans hold up a mask of Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller as Frankenstein as they wait to see Peyton Manning be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame on Oct. 31. Miller was traded the next day to the Los Angeles Rams.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Mike Shanahan poses for a portrait at his home on Oct. 13, 2021. Shanahan, who was the Broncos head coach for 14 years and won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1990s, was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame during halftime at the Broncos’ matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 17. “It’s something you dream of and you know what a special group it is and to be a part of that ‘team’ is a great honor.” Shanahan said of his induction.Pro Bowl receiver and Super Bowl champion Demaryius Thomas, who played nine seasons for the Broncos, died Dec. 9. Thomas, who played for the Broncos from 2010-18, and whose on-field performance was matched only by his popularity among teammates, coaches and fans, was 33 years old.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Seven-year-old Dominic Nickel of Grand Junction prays at a temporary memorial for Demaryius Thomas, who died Dec. 9 at the age of 33, on Dec. 12, 2021. The Broncos built a the memorial for Thomas at the base of the horse sculptures at Empower Field at Mile High.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Kareem Jackson (22) of the Denver Broncos remembers late Broncos great Demaryius Thomas after the fourth quarter of Denver’s 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021.Fall colors
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Snow covers distant peaks as the aspen trees are in full fall colors along Rabbit Ears Pass on U.S. 40 between Steamboat Springs and Kremmling on Sept. 20, 2021.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Camille McCoy, 9, left, and Ashton Chesebro, 9, right, play on a swing with fall colors behind them in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood on Oct. 18, 2021. Experts said good moisture in the spring and mild temperatures in the fall made for a stunning color show this year.Halloween on Broadway
Photos by Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
LEFT: Twin sisters Jade, left, and A’mya Solomon, 9, dressed up to participate in the annual Halloween celebration on Broadway in Denver. RIGHT: “The Bat Hearse” leads vehicles from the Denver Hearse Association and other themed floats down Broadway to entertain revelers who turned out for the parade on Oct. 23.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Denver Hearse Association vehicles lead the Fourth Broadway Halloween Parade in Denver on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Local businesses, organizations and community members took to Broadway to fill the street with themed floats and costumed marchers as revelers dressed as unicorns, zombies and more.Shootings near schools
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Edgar Jaimes, center, and his wife, Olga Aguirre, left, hug their child, Hinkley High School student Mia Jaimes, right, in front of the high school on Nov. 19, 2021. Three teens were shot in the parking lot of Hinkley High School, the second time that week that an Aurora high school had seen its students rushed to hospitals with gunshot wounds. A drive-by shooting at nearby Aurora Central High School that same week left six teens wounded.COVID-19
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Jake Mackie, 6, right, waits in line for his vaccination with his father Erik at West High School in Denver on Nov. 16. Denver Health, in partnership with DPS, hosted several mass vaccination clinics across the metro area for 5-11-year old’s now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Daniel Montoya, 35, top, gives a hug to his wife Brittany, 35, as two of their children Harlen, 2, bottom left, and Selena, 7, eat at the kitchen table in their home in Manassa on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. The parents of five children, Daniel and Brittany are both vaccinated, but were not yet ready to vaccinate their four oldest children who are eligible for the shot because they are concerned about the safety of the vaccine.
Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post
Lilah Uran of Broomfield, 11, receives a COVID-19 vaccine from RN Joe Pumo at the Kaiser Permanente Lone Tree Medical Offices on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Uran was the first five to eleven-year-old child to have the vaccine administered at a Kaiser Permanente facility in the state of Colorado.Home on the range
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Wranglers help push cattle through open space in between housing developments during a cattle drive through Sterling Ranch in Littleton on Nov. 21. Harold Smethills, founder and chair of the development company, said he wants the herd on the property as a way to keep its 3,400 acres as natural as possible. The few dozen cattle will soon be joined by perhaps 100 more and the whole herd will spend the winter grazing just west of the community, Smethills said. By living on the land, the cattle will cut the risk of wildfires, boost soil health and provide a more hospitable environment for some of the area’s ground-based species such as burrowing owls.Mental health treatment centers in Colorado
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Travis Bickford and his 6-year-old son Trent shop for groceries in Breckenridge on Dec. 8, 2021. Bickford has been raising Trent alone since the suicide of his wife, Jackie Bickford, in 2016. He blames Mind Springs Health for her death.Mind Springs Health is the private nonprofit responsible for providing behavioral health safety-net services in Summit and nine other Western Slope counties: Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt. It is one of 17 regional “community mental health centers” statewide that long have been responsible for inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient psychiatric care, counseling, and other forms of treatment for Coloradans on Medicaid or who are indigent, underinsured, or in crisis.
A recent Colorado News Collaborative investigation found that many of those mental health treatment centers fail to serve the most vulnerable Coloradans, aided by a system that creates a financial incentive to take on fewer ill people and charge higher costs, while also protecting them from competition.
Communities served by Mind Springs are among the most frustrated. Nowhere is that disappointment expressed so bitterly and publicly than in Summit County.
Photos by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
LEFT: Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons exits the Summit County Jail in Breckenridge, Colorado on Dec. 9, 2021. FitzSimons, who took office in 2016, doesn’t mince words in his criticisms of Mind Springs Health. He has yanked its contracts to provide crisis response in his community and mental health services in his jail. RIGHT: Alex Wolfe, 22, has spent years in and out of treatment at Mind Springs for borderline personality disorder. He says he nosedives when its clinic runs out of and forgets to order an injection he needs to stabilize his mood.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Six-year-old Trent Bickford asks his dad, Travis, for more orange juice as he eats the spaghetti his dad made for his dinner at their home in Breckenridge on Dec. 8, 2021.Adoption day
Kevin Mohatt, Special to The Denver Post
Sir El Rentie, 3, pounds a gavel after his adoption to Anthony Rentie, center, and Daryl Rentie, right, is finalized with with Judge Elizabeth J. McCarthy, left, at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver on Nov. 5, 2021. The Renties were one of 27 families who adopted 31 children as part of Denver’s 16th annual Adoption Day.Christmas lights
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Santa Claus wishes children Merry Christmas before leaving in a vintage red Corvette after turning on the holiday lights in Blue River Plaza at the annual Breckenridge Holiday Lighting Festival on Dec. 4, 2021.Denver-Lakewood shooting spree
When a gunman opened fire inside a Broadway tattoo parlor on the evening of Dec. 27, the shooting spree that would zigzag through Denver and Lakewood was just getting started.
Less than an hour later, the rampage ended with his death on the streets of Lakewood’s upscale Belmar shopping district, as the final gunfight with Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris — herself injured — shattered a pizza restaurant’s two large windows, sending shocked diners diving for cover behind overturned tables.
When it was all over, five of the victims in Monday’s shooting spree had died and another two had sustained serious injuries, including the officer, in one of the most unusual, confounding multiple-victim shootings the metro area has seen.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Flowers and messages are placed at the Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway in Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, one day after two people were shot and killed there in a spree that continued across two cities, Denver and Lakewood. Alicia Cardenas, owner of the Custom Tattoo and Body Piercing shop, has been confirmed to be among the dead by her family.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Dylan Danielson wipes away a tear after leaving flowers on a small memorial outside Lucky 13 Tattoo and Body Piercings in Lakewood on Dec. 29, 2021. Danny Scofield, 38, a tattoo artist at the shop, was one of five victims killed during a shooting spree, that spanned two cities, Denver and Lakewood. Scofield is remembered as a genuine and loving artist. Danielson said he had been friends with Scofield for over 10 years — Danielson has 10 tattoos that were done by Scofield. “He was a good, good soul,” Danielson said.Boulder County Wildfires
On the last day of 2021 — a year that dealt Boulder County a tragic mass shooting in the midst of ongoing pandemic woes — thousands of residents who’d evacuated Superior and Louisville waited ahead of a looming snowstorm to learn whether a wildfire had engulfed their homes.
Pushed due east by 100-mph winds, the Marshall fire sparked late Thursday morning, Dec. 30, south of Boulder, burning across 6,000 acres that afternoon and evening, destroying as many as 1,000 homes and businesses in Superior and Louisville.
The winter wildfire, which exploded amid bone-dry conditions fueled by climate warming, quickly became the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A house is fully involved in flames in Superior on Dec. 30, 2021.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
LEFT: Smoke from nearby fires obscures visibility in Superior on Dec. 30, 2021. RIGHT: A horse runs through Grasso Park in Superior on December 30, 2021.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Police officer explains a road closure to a driver heading to Superior at the corner of 96th St. and West Dillon Rd. in Louisville on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.
Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post
Fires fueled by heavy winds destroy homes in a subdivision in Superior on Thursday night, Dec. 30, 2021.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
LEFT: A good samaritan tosses buckets of water on a home that burned in the Marshall Fire in Louisville on Dec. 31, 2021. RIGHT: The Marshall Fire continues to burn out of control in Broomfield on December 30, 2021.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Fire crews work to put out flames at a home burned by the Marshall Fire in Louisville in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2021.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A homeowner places the American Flag on the back of his burned-out truck on Cherrywood Lane near Cypress Lane in Louisville on Dec. 31, 2021. The homeowner, who declined to give his name, lost his home in the Marshall fire.
LEFT: RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post, RIGHT: Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post
LEFT: Much of the Coal Creek Ranch neighborhood in Louisville was destroyed in the Marshall Fire that sweep through Boulder County on Dec. 31, 2021. RIGHT: Scott Sherr carries a suitcase to his car after packing essential items from his home. He walks past the charred remains of his friend’s house on Mt. Evans Court in a Louisville subdivision to the south of Harper Lake on Friday, December 31, 2021. Sherr’s house was spared but has no electricity or water so they chose to stay with family in Colorado Springs.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Jordan Hymes hugs her grandmother Nancy Grigon, left, as her grandfather Guy, right, looks towards their burned-out subdivision in the Coal Creek Ranch subdivision in Louisville in the aftermath of the Marshall fire on Dec. 31, 2021. Hymes and her family lost their home of ten years. The fire may have burned 1,000 homes and numerous businesses. The fast-moving fire was stoked by extremely dry drought conditions and fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph along the foothills.
