🌱 Marshall Fire Update + Trucker's Sentence Reduced To 10 Years

Rise and shine, Denver! Let's get New Year's Eve started off right. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening today in town, including an update on the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, the sentence for trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the shooting spree investigation in our city and local hospital capacity.

First, today's weather:

You can expect snow in the afternoon, with a high of 39 and a low of 9.

Here are the top stories today in Denver:

1. Hundreds of structures were lost and thousands of residents were evacuated Thursday as wildfires burned in Boulder County. The Marshall Fire, which forced evacuations in Superior, Louisville and Broomfield, spread to 1,600 acres by Thursday evening. (Boulder Patch)
2. Gov. Jared Polis reduced on Thursday the sentence for truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, who caused an explosive crash that killed four people on Interstate 70 in 2019. The trucker was granted commutation and his sentence has been reduced from 110 years to 10 years. (Lakewood Patch)
3. The omicron variant now comprises more than 90 percent of new COVID-19 infections in Colorado, Polis said. In just two weeks, the variant went from comprising 1 percent of cases, to nearly all cases, the latest state laboratory data shows.
4. Around 69 percent of inpatient beds and 75 percent of intensive care unit beds in hospitals across Colorado were occupied on Wednesday, public health officials said. But some hospitals in the Denver area are reporting that more than 90 percent of their ICU beds are in use. (Denver Patch)
5. Denver area shooting spree update: Police said Lyndon James McLeod knew most of the people he's accused of shooting, and had named some in self-published fictional books. (Associated Press)

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Today in Denver:

• New Year’s Eve with ISMO in Denver (5:30 p.m.)
• Resolution 2022 - Denver New Years Eve Party 2021 | 2022 (7:30 p.m.)
• Denver NYE Black Tie Party (8 p.m.)
• 2022 Denver New Year's Eve (NYE) Bar Crawl (8 p.m.)
• New Years Eve - Lost In Japan, in Denver (8:30 p.m.)
• Studio 54 Soiree: Denver NYE 2022 "The Happenings" (9 p.m.)
• Denver New Years Eve 2022 - 19th White Rose Gala (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Denver Police Department is warning residents not to party with “celebratory” gunfire this New Year's Eve, because it's illegal and dangerous. (Facebook)
• The Denver Art Museum collaborated with local artists Moe Gram and Frankie Toan on the design of activities and experiences throughout the Creative Hub, a dynamic space that celebrates creativity, in the museum's newly renovated Martin Building. (Facebook)
• Lost 1-year-old husky in the Mar Lee neighborhood. (Nextdoor)
• A Bear Valley resident owns a truck with a snow plow, and they are generously offering free snow removal to those who need help. (Nextdoor)

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That's it for today. I'll see you soon!

— 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.