🌱 Colorado's Best Places To Live + Good News Roundup + Cute Pets

Good morning, Denver! Here's everything you need to know to get this Sunday started off right. We have a good news roundup, the best local pumpkin patches and a new report about the best cities to live in the nation.

First, today's weather:

You can expect a lovely Sunday with plenty of sunshine: High: 71 Low: 46.

Here are the top stories in Denver today:

1. Let's start things off with a good news roundup from across our metro area — I've highlighted stories about two highly-acclaimed Colorado restaurants, some energetic Lemur twins, and an Arvada dream home listing. (Patch)
2. Mid-October is a great time to pick up the best pumpkin possible at metro Denver pumpkin patches. With fall in full swing, a trip to the pumpkin patch is a favorite tradition for many families here in Denver. Many fields have complementary activities like corn mazes, hayrides and apple cider tastings. Here's a list of hotspots! (Denver Patch)
3. More than 8.4 million vaccines have been distributed to Colorado, but only 87.2 percent of allocated vaccines had been given to residents as of Wednesday. (24/7 Wall St. - Denver)
4. Four Colorado cities are among the best 100 places to live in America, according to a new ranking released by the community research outlet Livability. The report named Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins and Longmont. (Denver Patch)
5. In search of a four-legged family member? These pets are waiting for their forever home in Denver area shelters. Many facilities are still working to find forever homes for dozens of cats, dogs and other adorable critters coming through. (Denver Patch)

Today in metro Denver:

• Free Family Mini Photo Sessions in Arvada! (9 a.m.)
• 18th Annual Prog Fest - Progressive Rock Showcase (6 p.m.)
• Brian Simpson & Frank Castillo perform at Comedy Works (7 p.m.)

Denver Patch Notebook

• Denver Police Department: "Sixty-two years ago, the Denver Police Department established their very first K-9 Squad. In 1959, the squad was mad up of 18 handlers and German Shepherd police dogs." (Facebook)
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science: "The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is home to many amazing women in science. To honor that, we will be running a #WomeninScience series to highlight some of our incredible staff and their work..." (Facebook)
• City and County of Denver Government: "From a segregated farm town to the first Latina elected to the Colorado Senate, and then onto the national political stage - Polly Baca has been crashing through glass ceilings for decades..." (Facebook)
• Denver Public Schools: "In celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth, our students shared their celebrations of Hispanic and Latinx cultures! Check out student submissions by school ..." (Facebook)
• Denver Broncos Community Development: "Participating in Miles for @5280Miles this week from home? Download your very own #MilesforMiles bib and walk certificate." (Facebook)

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Events:

• Taxes in Retirement Seminar (Oct. 19)
• Career Fair (Oct. 20)
• Psychic Medium John Edward live in Denver! (Nov. 7)
• Dakota Ridge Soccer Indoor Clinic/Tournament (Nov. 14)
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You're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update! If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Amber Fisher

About me: I'm a Patch editor covering news in Denver's metro area and Boulder. I've spent the past nine years working for various news outlets across North America, including Chicago Patch, Global News and WBEZ. I've covered high-profile court cases, civil rights abuses, mass shootings, natural disasters and major crimes — but also countless happy news stories about kindness, innovation and resilience. When I'm not writing articles, I can be found hiking, snowboarding, debating politics with my husband and attempting to be a sci-fi and astronomy geek.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Denver Daily? I'm all ears. You can contact me at amber.fisher@patch.com.