New Year's eve fireworks show from the Red Hawk Ridge Golf course Dec. 31, 2020. Castle Rock was prevented from having a fireworks show on the previous July 4th due to fire restrictions, so the city decided to put on this show to close out 2020 with a bang. The citizens of Castle Rock were encouraged to watch the show, socially distanced, from multiple vantage points across the city.
Editor’s Note
Every new year carries over storylines from the previous year, but given the weight of the events of 2020, this year began with an unusual amount of baggage. Politics continue to polarize. Colorado is still battling the pandemic. Our communities keep struggling with racial, environmental and economic issues. Conclusions remain elusive.
From our eyes to yours, Denver Post photojournalists brought readers a wide variety of human experiences in 2021. The mass shooting at a Boulder grocery store haunted us with all too familiar scenes of terror and a community coming together in the aftermath of tragedy. As the delta variant of the coronavirus surged across the state, we documented the different ways Coloradans responded to the ongoing crisis. We dug into issues around water availability and rights on the Eastern Plains, the effects of living with trauma from police brutality and what a rare case of so-called “long COVID” looks like.
The Nuggets and Avalanche once again made competitive playoff runs. In a last-minute turn of events, Denver hosted baseball’s All-Star Game, for the second time at Coors Field. And this fall, the Denver Broncos welcomed back fans at full capacity for the first time since before the pandemic.
This annual presentation could not come to life without so much work behind the scenes from Matt Swaney, Katie Rausch, Donovan Henderson, Maureen Burnett, Chris Paul and George Tanner.
We present to you the Year in Photos.
— Patrick Traylor, Senior Editor for Photography & Multimedia
The Milky Way is seen from the valley at Windy Point on Slumgullion Pass near Lake City in the San Juan Mountains on Jan. 13, 2021.
X Games
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Silver medalist Cassie Sharpe warms up before the X Games Aspen women's ski pipe final at Buttermilk Mountain on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Eileen Gu prepares for her run during the X Games Aspen women's ski superpipe final at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. Gu became the first Chinese gold medalist and first rookie gold medalist in women's ski superpipe at X Games Aspen.
Ongoing Pandemic
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
WWII Air Force Veteran, Eugene Jiggitts, left, gets his COVID-19 vaccination shot from Dr. Richard Pang at the UCHealth mass vaccination clinic in the Coors Field parking lot Jan. 30, 2021. UCHealth partnered with the Governor's office, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Rockies to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to 10,000 qualified and registered people of two days.
LEFT: Andy Cross, The Denver Post and RIGHT: Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
LEFT: Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger, between the second and third rows of cars on the left, greets people lined up for a UCHealth COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic in the Coors Field parking lot on Jan. 30. RIGHT: Being extra cautious, Joan Beer made a protective barrier out of cardboard before getting her COVID-19 vaccination during the mass vaccination event at Coors Field on Jan. 31.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Elizabeth Hood cries after receiving her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination from RN Kathleen Gelverio, left, at a mass vaccination clinic at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 22, 2021 in Commerce City. The event was jointly operated by the state of Colorado and Centura Health. 500 vaccinations were given today with more available in the coming days. Hood is pregnant and was overwhelmed with relief to get the vaccine.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Using the Hug Tent, Lynda Hartman gets to hug her husband Len, 77, for the first time in almost 8 months at Juniper Village, a memory care facility, on Feb. 3, 2021 in Lafayette. Len is a resident at Juniper Village. The Hug Tent, the creation of TRU Community Care, is made of a pop-up tent with three fabricated clear plastic walls and velcro allowing for relatives to be able to have physical contact with their loved ones like hugging them or holding hands with them. There are four sets of arm holes cut into the front wall with plastic sleeves for the hug. The lower set of arm holes is meant to be used by people in wheelchairs. The tent can be disinfected relatively quickly and is able to be transported easily." Social isolation has become an unfortunate consequence of the pandemic. Senior living facilities must follow strict safety guidance when they set visitation policies. This results in short window or outdoor visits while maintaining a six-foot distance. TRUÕs hug tent offers a moment for families to feel closer.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
From left to right, Melinda Taylor, Melissa Arp and Andrea German have a laugh and a beer inside one of the beer bubbles at the Empourium Brewing Company Feb. 10, 2021.
Final Moments
Alyssa Kapnik Samuel, Special to The Denver Post
Merrily Wallach strikes a pose while receiving a hand massage from a hospice nurse on Dec. 3, 2020. Merrily never missed an opportunity to ham it up, no matter the circumstances.
TOP LEFT: Wendy Wallach cries in the backyard of Merrily Wallach's Denver home on Dec. 9, 2020. Her 98-year-old grandmother, who had beaten COVID-19, had decided it was her time to go. And, thanks to Colorado's End-of-Life Options Act, Merrily could choose a date to make her final exit. TOP RIGHT: Seth Samuel holds his 4-year-old son, Eri, to the window to talk with Merrily, Eri's great-grandmother, in her bedroom. Because of COVID-19, visiting through the window was the only way most people were allowed to visit Merrily at that time. BOTTOM LEFT: Two hospice nurses help Merrily with a finicky catheter on Dec. 3, 2020. Hospice nurses visited almost every day to help Merrily feel more comfortable in the last weeks of her life. BOTTOM RIGHT: Merrily lays in her bed next to son Daniel on Dec. 7, 2020. In their nightly ritual, the two would spend hours talking - about death, family memories and what Merrily thought of her life.
Flying Parts from Plane
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A airplane that appears to have smoke trailing from its left side seen heading east towards Denver International Airport seen from Montview Blvd and Peoria St. Feb. 20, 2021. A United Airlines 777 had engine failure moments before and scattered parts over a neighborhood Sheridan Blvd at 13th in Broomfield.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A North Metro firefighter and a Broomfield police officer walk towards a large piece of an airplane engine in the front yard of Kirby Klements on Elmwood Street near East 13th Avenue on Feb. 20, 2021. A United 777 airplane had an engine fail above and scattered parts over the entire nearby neighborhood and Broomfield Commons Park.
Jan. 6 in Denver
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Trump supporter Deborah Olin yells past Colorado State Troopers who were separating Trump rally participants from counterprotesters outside the Colorado Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Winter Wonderland
Meghan Lyden, Special to The Denver Post
Andrew Thorne hangs out his second-floor window to clear snow from the top of his porch roof in Arvada on Monday, March 15, 2021. Northwest Arvada received about 30 inches of snow since Saturday in the storm.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Frigid temperatures, light snow and fogged up glasses doesn't stop Petricio Gonzalez' from riding his bike at Confluence Park on his way to work at Denver Health in frigid temperatures and light snow Feb. 12, 2021.
Challenges
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Leilani Osmundson, center, and her teammates Molly Hayes, left, and Sasha Reeves with team Quaran Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get doused with buckets of cold water as they take part in the Denver Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics on March 7 in Denver. Special Olympics has been taking part in the Polar Plunge for 13 years. Its goal this year was to raise $500,000 to help the organization continue its year-round training programs for the athletes, health screenings and continued competitions.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Rock climber Angela Lee climbs on a route called "Black is Beautiful" in Penitente Canyon in Colorado's San Luis Valley on Jan. 14, 2021. The route, which was first put up by Bob D'Anotino and Mark Milligan, was originally called "The Whipping Post."
Zoo Birthday
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Greater one-horned rhino Tensing wreaks havoc on the presents set out for her calf Joona during the younger rhino's first birthday party celebration at the Denver Zoo on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.
Southern Colorado
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Sandhill cranes take to the skies above the Sangre de Cristo mountain range on March 10, 2021, near Monte Vista, Colorado. Spring’s arrival is marked in the San Luis Valley by the migration of sandhill cranes and other birds as they pass through Southern Colorado. The high-soaring cranes are one of the world’s oldest living bird species, dating back 50 million years and ranging over multiple continents. Approximately 23,000-27,000 cranes migrate biannually through the valley. The valley, rich with wildlife and open land, offers refuge to hundreds of bird species. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been protected in the area, including Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge, Alamosa Wildlife Refuge and Medano-Zapata Ranch, where 100,000 acres have been preserved.Ranchlands head wrangler Skye Challener runs with her horse Walker through Medano Creek at the base of the Great Sand Dunes during a ride near the Medano-Zapata ranch on March 10, 2021. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Boulder Shooting
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
People who were inside the King Soopers are escorted down the street by Boulder Police after being taken out of the supermarket after a shooting in the store on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 22, 2021.
On March 22, a gunman terrorized a King Soopers in Boulder, killing 10 and shattering a tight-knit workplace and a larger community’s sense of security around an everyday task — grocery shopping. The mass shooting, Colorado’s worst since a gunman killed 12 and injured 70 in an Aurora movie theater in 2012, became the latest in a state that is all too familiar with high-profile, large-scale violence. The attack also came within a week of a killing spree in the Atlanta area, where a gunman fatally shot eight people at three spas. The back-to-back incidents ended a year-long stretch during the pandemic when America seemed to have escaped shootings with such high victim counts.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Law enforcement officers wait outside broken windows at the front of the store as they respond to a mass shooting at the King Soopers on 3600 Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 22, 2021.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Longtime Boulder resident Mike Turner, 80, lays flowers by the police vehicle belonging to fallen Boulder Officer Eric Talley on March 23 in Boulder. Talley was killed in the line of duty by the gunman at the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive. He was the first Boulder police officer killed in the line of duty since 1994.
Photos courtesy of friends and family
Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Denny Stong, 20; Jody Waters, 65; Teri Leiker, 51; (Bottom row, from left) Officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Rikki Olds, 25; Lynn Murray, 62; Neven Stanisic, 23.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
From left: Nirbisha Shrestha, Sophia Kennedy, Josie Elowsky and Kaylynn DeVivo, all 19, hug near the fence surrounding the King Soopers. The four went to high school in Boulder and often spent their lunch hours at the grocery store. Hundreds turned out to pay their respects to the shooting victims.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A couple embraces in front of a memorial outside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 26, 2021.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
King Soopers employee Nadine Morganflash waves the flag for Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley in front of King Soopers on State Highway 7 near the corner of Sheridan Blvd in Lafayette, Colorado on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
Helen H. Richardson (Left) and Andy Cross (Right), The Denver Post
LEFT: Bryanna Whitehead speaks during a service for her sister, Rikki Olds, on April 7 at Boulder Valley Christian Church. The 25-year-old was the front-end manager at the Table Mesa Drive King Soopers. "Rikki endured many hardships in her younger years," her uncle Bob Olds said. "Despite that, she set goals for herself and worked hard to achieve them." RIGHT: Margie Whittington puts her hand on top of the box containing her daughter's ashes at Teri Leiker's memorial service April 9 at the University of Colorado Events Center in Boulder. Family friends, co-workers, Gov. Jared Polis, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and others attended the service to offer condolences and share memories.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Police officer pallbearers bring out the casket of fallen Boulder police officer Eric Talley after a Solemn High Requiem at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on March 29, 2021, in Denver.
Unclear waters on the Eastern Plains
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Ed Johnson smokes a cigarette in Hasty, Colorado on Sept. 22, 2020. "I am hightailing it out of here," he said. In the morning, he planned to start driving to South Carolina and move in with his brother. Johnson said he is not leaving because of the water issues in the area, even though the water has been bad as long as he could remember. "It tastes like there is sweat in it," he said. "That is nothing new. No. I'm leaving because this place is just plain hard."
For nearly a century, leaders in southeastern Colorado have worked on plans to bring clean drinking water to the area through the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit, but progress on the pipeline project stalled after a major push in the 1960s. Pollution, water transfers and years of worsening drought amid a warming climate continue to build stress for water systems in the area. The area continues to see population decline combined with a struggling economy.
The water needed for the conduit will be sourced from melting snowpack in the Mosquito and Sawatch mountain ranges. Under the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project Act, passed in the early 1960s, the water has been allocated for usage in the Lower Arkansas Valley. The water will be stored at Pueblo Reservoir and travel through existing infrastructure to east Pueblo near the airport. From there, the conduit will tie into nearly 230 miles of pipeline to feed water to 40 communities in need.
Renewed plans to build a pipeline to deliver clean drinking water to the Lower Arkansas Valley are bringing hope for many people in southeastern Colorado. But in an area that is inextricably linked to its water, the future can seem unclear.
A dried up, abandoned farm in Crowley County, Colorado, is seen from the air on Oct. 3, 2020. Crowley County sold much of its water rights to the City of Aurora for municipal use. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Shasta Nieto gives her 3-month-old baby, Jakobe Rodriquez a bath in the kitchen sink at her boyfriend's apartment in Rocky Ford, Colorado on Feb. 18, 2021. Nieto and her boyfriend Manny Rodriquez, Jakobe's father, grew up in the area. Manny, who has other children, said he buys bottle water for his family to drink, but they have no option but to bathe with the water. “I don’t think anybody in town drinks the water,” said Manny.
Photos by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
TOP LEFT: Will Crow, 16, stocks water at Crow's Shop and Shop Food Market in Eads on Feb. 16. The owners said they sell a pallet of water every week and sometimes more in a town with a population less than 800 people. TOP RIGHT: This roadside market sells the melons that Rocky Ford is known for during the season, but it is otherwise empty, as seen on March 9. BOTTOM RIGHT: A storefront window in an abandoned building is shattered and left on the ground in Eads on Oct. 12, 2020. Eads is one 40 participants planning a spur to the future Arkansas Valley Conduit. BOTTOM LEFT: Kevin Karney ear tags a new calf at his ranch in southern Otero County on March 10. The fourth-generation rancher and water manager has been fighting to keep water from being transferred out of agriculture. "Take little bites of an apple. Cumulatively, over time, it's gone," he said.
In Silhouette
Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post
Polly Robson of Strausburg exercises her horse at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds Event Center on Friday, March 19, 2021. Her husband Mike Robson exercised three additional horses while Polly rode. They said it was difficult to find dry ground due to the recent snow.
Colorado Rockies
Throughout spring training, the Rockies carried a big chip on their collective shoulder and talked about the hustling, exuberant brand of baseball they were going to play.
On April 1, on a gorgeous 70-degree opening day at Coors Field, they delivered in front of 20,570 rowdy fans eager to watch baseball in person again. It was the first time since 2019 fans had been able to watch the team in-person.
The Rockies began the season on a high note with an 8-5 win over the Dodgers but eventually fell to 71-82, clinching their third consecutive losing season and the 20th losing season in their 29 years of existence.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Stella Boulier, 4, center, holds hands with her parents, Shaun, left, and Tawnya, right, on opening day against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field April 01, 2021. Stella said her favorite Rockies player is "Chuck Nazty." (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Colorado Rockies catcher Willie Maclver jogs back to the clubhouse during practice at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Feb. 23, 2021.
Nuggets center named NBA MVP
Nikola Jokic was named league MVP in June, becoming the lowest draft pick to ever win the award and the first Nuggets player ever to do so.
After the shortest offseason in NBA history, Jokic entered the season with a rare intensity.
Teammates quietly remarked how steadfast he was in his work ethic. Others noticed his unimpeachable engagement. Jokic played in all 72 games — a point of pride considering the condensed NBA schedule, the mental toll of playing through a pandemic and the nuisance of COVID testing multiple times a day. Jokic didn’t blink.
Despite losing Jamal Murray for the season to a torn ACL in April, the Nuggets defeated the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the NBA playoffs before ultimately losing to the Phoenix Suns in the second round.
Read more about how Nikola Jokic became the NBA’s most improbable MVP here.
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets holds his MVP trophy as teammates celebrate with him before the game against Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena on Friday, June 11, 2021. The Denver Nuggets hosted the Phoenix Suns for Game 3 of their best-of-seven series in the Western Conference Semifinals, which Phoenix won in four games. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Photos by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
LEFT: Nikola Jokic gathers with teammates before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Ball Arena on March 30. Denver went on to win 104-95, with 30 points from Jamal Murray, 27 from Michael Porter Jr. and 21 from Jokic. RIGHT: The Denver Nuggets exit the tunnel to face the Portland Trail Blazers before the game at Moda Center in Portland on May 29.Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets swats Cameron Payne (15) of the Phoenix Suns resulting in a flagrant foul that would lead to his ejection during the third quarter at Ball Arena on Sunday, June 13, 2021. The Denver Nuggets hosted the Phoenix Suns for game four of their best-of-seven NBA Playoffs series. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets waves to the scant crowd after the fourth quarter of Denver's 114-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Ball Arena on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche thrilled its fanbase last season — with a best-in-the-NHL 39-13-4 regular season record — and in the first round of the playoffs, only to be eliminated by Las Vegas in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
From left, Colorado Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor (25), defenseman Devon Toews (7), left wing Brandon Saad (20), and Tyson Jost (17) celebrate a goal form Saad during the first period of Game 5 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Las Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena on June 8, 2021.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Melissa Landskog holds up her daughter, Linnea Landeskog, a year and a half old, for her father Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on May 13, 2021.
Prep Sports
Photos by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
LEFT: Alamosa senior Joshua Medina, left, wins the Boys 3A 1,600-meter run during the Colorado high school track and field championship at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood on June 26, 2021. Medina had already won the 800 and 3,200 and with the 1,600 he made a clean sweep of the distance races. He runs with dyed pink hair to honor his family, which has been hit hard by cancer. RIGHT: Senior Taylor Coe attends Gateway High School's football practice in Aurora on May 12, 2021. The mouthpiece that he placed on his face mask resembles a mustache as he looks at the camera for a portrait. Gateway's head football coach resigned two weeks before the start of the spring season, but the team still managed to reach the 4A state championship game.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Cherry Creek head coach Marc Johnson celebrates his team’s 6-5 win over Grandview on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Johnson set the all-time wins record for Colorado high school baseball with his 808th victory, which was a nine-inning thriller that saw his Bruins battle back from a 5-1 deficit in the sixth inning to win 6-5.
