Boeing says it plans to move its corporate headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area.

The company made it official on Thursday.

Boeing is a major defense contractor, so the move would put its executives in Arlington, Virginia, close to customers in the Pentagon.

It would also put them near the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing's business of building passenger airplanes.

The relocation will also put the company close to its rivals, including Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, which already in the D.C. area.

Boeing’s roots are in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina.

The company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001 after an unusually public search that also considered Dallas and Denver.

Boeing isn’t the only company to recently decide to pack its bags for the D.C. area.

In April, local officials approved Amazon’s plan to build a 350-foot-tall building in Arlington.

The building will serve as Amazon’s second headquarters.

LITTLETON, Colo. (KMGH) — Rocky is a certified therapy animal that visits assisted living centers in Colorado.

His owners, Steve and Julie Donizio, decided to get Rocky after Steve spent time in the hospital. He said he saw the impact therapy animals had on the patients.

“I seen all the therapy dogs and they kinda made you happy when you were in there. I said, 'We're going to get a therapy pony,'" Steve recalled.

Everyone seems to fall in love with Rocky once they meet him, but the seniors appear to be the most grateful.

"It brings back good, old memories from their childhood days when they had animals and horses," said Julie. "Their love for horses just never dies, so they love seeing them."

Rocky's work doesn't stop at assisted living centers. He also visits children at schools.

“We’re lucky he’s such a good boy. Might not know it, but he is a good boy.” Steve said.

This story was originally reported by Danny New on thedenverchannel.com

DENVER —

Nine people were injured in a shooting early Tuesday in Denver in an area where basketball fans had been celebrating the Nuggets' first NBA title win, police said, and a suspect was taken into custody.

The shooting happened about 12:30 a.m. and three of the injured were in critical condition, the Denver Police Department said in a statement.

The shooting happened about a mile from Ball Arena, where the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday night.

"As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that's still under investigation at this time," police spokesperson Doug Schepman said. "It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night."

A small crowd was in the area at the time of the shooting, he said, but had "diminished quite a bit at that point." He said the shooting was in an area where a lot of people might have come out of bars after the game.

Police were interviewing witnesses and Schepman described the ongoing investigation as "expansive."

DENVER — Rose Gale of southeast Denver started working on one of her drawings in 2020, but then put it aside until recently.

“This one I was going to keep and come back because sometimes you have to walk away from your art when you feel it's not working,” she said.

Gale fell in love with art at 8 years old. That love has continued throughout her life.

Her passion is using pastels. She draws portraits of people, pets, and even landscapes, and does a lot of commissioned work for people who've reached out over the years.

“This is my happiness now, especially since I’ve retired,” said Gale.

She retired a few years ago, but that happiness was part of her life long before, even when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2009. Gale didn't let the disease get in the way of her love of art — then and now.

“You have to learn to deal with what you have. Whatever the diagnosis is, you've got doctors helping you, a lot of people helping you, and you make the adjustments,” said Gale.

That’s what Gale did.

“I use my thumb. I can't use my fingers anymore,” she explained. “And yes, I can hold a small piece... I can hold it right there, no problem.”

To those who feel like they have to give up their passion, Gale offers these words of advice.

“You’ve got to try it. If the first attempt doesn't work, try something else. Because I want to let others know you can do it. Don’t ever doubt yourself. Keep moving forward," she said.

Gale says she plans to enter some competitions, get her work back into art galleries and eventually teach art to people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

This article was written by Amy Wadas for KMGH.

Two faculty members were shot at a Denver high school Wednesday morning and the suspect remained at large, authorities said.

Officers responded to the shooting at East High School at about 10 a.m., the Denver Police Department said in a social media post.

Two adult victims were located and taken to hospitals, and police said the suspect was no longer believed to be on scene.

East High School, not far from downtown near a busy street that cuts through the city, was placed on a lockdown as police investigated the shooting.

It was unclear if the shooting happened inside or outside the school. Denver Public Schools said the victims were faculty members.

Earlier this month students from the school skipped class and and marched to Colorado’s state Capitol to demand stricter gun laws, following the death of a fellow student who was shot while sitting in a car near school.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Colorado police said four people were killed and at least three others were injured, including an officer, in a shooting spree in two cities Monday night.

It ended when the suspect was shot and killed.

Police say it started in Denver, Colorado, and moved into Lakewood.

There was a shootout with police chasing the suspect's car, and he later escaped on foot.

Police said when officers caught up with him, he shot one of them.

The suspect continued to fire and was eventually shot and killed, but it's unclear if he was shot by an officer.

The officer who was shot is undergoing surgery.

No one involved has been identified.

There's no word on the motive behind the shooting spree.

This is breaking news and the story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Snowless in Colorado? No, this is not a follow-up to the Tom Hanks movie "Sleepless in Seattle," but rather a real-life drama unfolding across the state with very real-life consequences.

It's been 224 consecutive days (and counting) since it snowed a measurable amount in Denver, and it has just broken the record for the latest date for a first snowfall — a record that has held since snowfall records began in 1882. In that time, Denver has never entered December without measurable snow.

This extended dry period has implications for the state's long-standing drought, a dwindling water supply and a population that wants to hit the slopes.

"Everywhere across the state is experiencing some kind of drought conditions," Ayesha Wilkinson, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told CNN. For example, "Denver has just recorded their second-least snowiest November," with no measurable snow observed — meaning they had some flurries, but nothing accumulated. This November is behind only 1949 when literally "no flakes fell from the sky."

Colorado looks representative of the rest of the country, too, at the start of meteorological winter on December 1, and only 11.1% of the United States is covered in snow.

Ski resorts push pause on opening day

While the state endures one of the driest and warmest periods in modern record-keeping, the effect it's having on ski resorts can't be overlooked.

Like Telluride, some ski resorts were forced to delay their opening day until after Thanksgiving, foregoing revenue from the extended holiday weekend.

Ski resorts have had to make artificial snow to cover the deficit and make it possible for skiers to return safely to the mountains. Even so, the weather hasn't exactly played ball.

"Normally we have about 300 hours of snowmaking under our belts by this time of year, but we've been able to run our guns about 200 hours" Loryn Duke, director of communications at Steamboat Ski Resort, explained. "Our snowmakers are literally filling in for Mother Nature."

Optimal snowmaking conditions involve a "combination of low temperatures and low humidity," also known as the wet bulb. Conditions within the mountains must remain at or below freezing both at night and during the day to help maximize the base snowpack.

"We have all the tools in our kit to assist Mother Nature and then once Mother Nature shows up, we are ready to welcome her," said Duke.

Snow in Colorado is not only crucial for the nearly $5 billion ski industry, but it's also imperative for the state's access to fresh water.

Drought conditions worsen across Colorado

Over two-thirds of Colorado's water supply comes from the snowpack, according to the Environmental Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Less snow means less water, which is bad news for everyone, considering the long-standing drought plaguing the western United States.

The Colorado River Basin, whose headwaters originate in the western part of the state, supplies more than 40 million Americans with their drinking water. A water shortage has been declared for the first time, fueled in part by climate change.

Colorado's specific drought situation has once again taken a turn for the worse. After some brief improvement over the spring and summer, the statewide percentage under moderate drought was 88% last week and now sits at 95% with no precipitation in the forecast until next week.

Denver just recorded its "3rd warmest November on record," Wilkinson told CNN. The heat continues into December as record highs are challenged once again, along with below-average rainfall, consistent with the ongoing drought. "To date, Denver has only received 12.37 inches of liquid precipitation while normally we would have 14.14 inches," explained Wilkinson.

Winter conditions can make a comeback

Just because it's been a slow start to the winter season, it doesn't mean the rest of the winter will follow suit. December has historically been known to produce some healthy snowfall totals in Denver, with an average of 8 inches for the month. This often equates to feet of snow in the mountains, where skiers welcome it with open arms.

Joel Gratz, who forecasts snow for ski resorts and is founding meteorologist of OpenSnow, told CNN Weather, "A couple of feet of snow can help many mountains open a lot of terrain. One to three storms can deliver this much snow, so things can change quickly."

Colorado ski enthusiasts look for storms that come in from the southwest, because they carry abundant moisture from the Pacific Ocean that can equate to several feet of snow in the mountains. Another favorable track for snowstorms comes from the northwest, which favors lighter and fluffier snow trademarked by Steamboat Ski Resort as Champagne Powder.

A little art can spark a lot of emotion.

Artists are capturing the coronavirus crisis while turning boarded-up buildings into outdoor art shows that attract the eye and inspire the soul.

“It makes me feel like there’s hope and that we’re going to get back to normal soon,” one woman said of Project Plywood, a project where artists spray paint inspirational murals on plywood covering businesses shut down due to the coronavirus crisis.

The artist painting this pandemic is Weso Knarly,

@wesoknarly

on Instagram, who moved from Dallas to Denver to open an art gallery.

COVID-19 concerns caused Knarly to temporarily close his business, but his creativity opened his mind and his wallet.

“We like to have an element of us giving,” he said. “I myself am kind of a loner and like to paint by myself. So, this is a good opportunity to get out of my hole.”

At first, Knarly covered the cost of paint for Project Plywood murals while he and other artists supplied the talent and technique.

“Depending on the caliber of artist the whole mural might range you anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000,” he said.

With lockdowns lasting longer and more businesses closing down, more of Knarly’s murals are going on display

“We’ve done 12 to 15 different places and growing,” he said.

People are now donating to have Knarly spray paint plywood covering their businesses.

It’s enough to break even financially but emotionally its priceless.

“Creativity is the antidote for these hard times,” Knarly said. “Shakespeare created MacBeth during a pandemic.”

Knarly knows this beautification of businesses closed for quarantine won’t cure the coronavirus but he’s happy to help bring color to his community and inspire a growing outdoor audience.

“It gives me encouragement to get out and live life,” one passerby said. “And not let this whole thing get us all down.”

The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit in the last two months.

“The numbers that have come in so far about restaurant closures and restaurant job losses, have been nothing short of staggering,” said Sean Kennedy with the National Restaurant Association.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 8 million employees in the industry have lost their jobs. Since the pandemic began, that’s three times more jobs loss than other industry. In addition to job loss, total losses in revenue for restaurants stand at $80 billion with projections that could go up to $240 billion.

“It’s painful trying to manage this business,” said Ryan Fletter. “We are easily down 50% and I feel like we are enormously successful for being down only 50%. I have two restaurants and the other one is suffering a 90% loss.”

Fletter is the owner of Barolo Grill and Chow Morso Osteria in Denver. Like the 60% of restaurants around the country that are open, the establishments have been surviving on take-out orders for food. However, both have also been able to sell to-go cocktails, since Colorado began a temporary allowance for this at the end of March.

With no longer having dine-in service, selling liquor to-go with food has become a critical source of revenue.

“Everything is lifeline right now,” said Fletter. “You take that away and it would be like standing on top of our head while we are underwater.”

Colorado is not the only state to allow restaurants this additional stream of revenue. Around the country, 45 states have begun allowing restaurants and bars to now sell to-go cocktails and other liquor.

“That has actually been a huge revenue generator,” said Kennedy.

The National Restaurant Association believes the revenue stream has become a lifeline for the industry, but it is still not enough.

“We are really at our most dangerous point right now, and it is why we need a federal solution from congress if restaurants are going to survive into the fall,” explained Kennedy.

Kennedy and the National Restaurant Association have proposed stimulus package ideas for restaurants that include tax breaks and grant money for restaurants, but there has been little talk in Congress about it being part of the next stimulus package. For now, restaurants are relying on what has always kept them alive, their customers.

“We hope that everyone will continue to reach out to their local restaurant and participate in whatever program they are doing, whether it is food or beverages or both,” said Fletter. “It’s why we are alive.”

DENVER, Colo. – Powerful images emerged from downtown Denver on Saturday.

Hundreds of people protesting police brutality lay face down at the Colorado state capitol to honor George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died in police custody last Monday.

The unique demonstration mirrored the position Floyd was in during his final moments, face down against pavement.

A viral video of the 46-year-old’s arrest shows a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he gasped for air and said “I can’t breathe” before he lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital shortly after.

The officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with the man’s murder on Friday.

Chauvin and three other officers have also been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department for their role in Floyd’s death, but many say it’s not enough and they want to see the other officers face charges as well.

Saturday's protest in Denver was one of many across the country demanding justice for Floyd. It began peacefully but turned tense during the evening hours.

There were several small fires and instances of fireworks. Crowds of protesters built makeshift fences to try to hold their ground as officers began to enforce an 8 p.m. curfew put in place by the mayor.

Police say they ended up

arresting 83 people




for curfew violations throughout the night and some of those detained had additional charges for throwing missiles, damaging property and having prohibited weapons.

Three Denver police officers and a civilian were also

severely injured






after a car struck a police vehicle




Saturday night, according to police.

DENVER, Co. — Sisters Mathilde and Antonia Garcia are going through packs and packs of jewelry they made themselves.

To you and me, these bracelets and necklaces are beautiful pieces of wearable art. To these women, they mean housing security.

"It's very hard to see the families (that) have to move outside to start again in another place and for me. That's the saddest thing that's happened here," said Mathilde.

Mathilde is talking about Westwood, Denver's historically Latino neighborhood. What’s happening in Westwood is something that’s happening in neighborhoods like it all over the country and that's displacement and gentrification.

"We have been pushing for renters to have control over landlords because rent is being raised indiscriminately," said Irma Diaz.

Diaz, along with the Garcias, have been watching their neighbors, who have worked to make Westwood a better place, get priced out and have to move away from their cultural center.

"The cultures of the Mayans, Aztecs, Mexicas are in those murals, you feel a familiarity when you see your ancestors embodied in that art," Diaz said, talking about the colorful murals all around the neighborhood that highlight her culture.

The three women, originally from Mexico, wanted a way to prevent displacement from happening, so the Mujeres Emprendadoras Co-operative was born. Started in 2017, each member chipped in $100 to the cooperative and they work jobs that align with their already existing skills: jewelry making, catering, and salsa making.

The money they make goes into their goal: every member eventually owning their own home.

However, more important than the money they make is the financial knowledge and business skills they share with one another, because that, to them, it’s not only security but freedom.

"We used to hear like a lot of time, 'Oh, it's impossible. You cannot get a license to get to sell food,'" said Mathilde, "It's not true. Actually, it's very easy to get a license to sell food. You have to make to be sure that you are doing correctly."

The women have spoken about their cooperative in front of banks and universities and soon, their salsa line will even be selling in stores. To the women, the most rewarding thing is seeing their determination being passed down.

"I really appreciate the admiration our children have for us," said Antonia, "When you hear your children talk about what you do, it cheers you up. That’s why we keep going."

"I think in our community, the big thing that we have is we don't believe that we could, Mujeres is a way to say we could and we will do it," said Mathilde.

They hope they inspire others to find the inner power to prove to themselves that nothing, not freedom or security, is impossible.

DENVER — A viral TikTok video of a Denver Japanese restaurant created chaos, challenges, and changes for the small business.

In 1996, Gaku Homma opened Domo Japanese Country Restaurant. His restaurant provides a unique dining experience rich in flavor and culture that has attracted loyal customers over the last 25 years. Clients have the choice of sitting inside surrounded by Japanese décor or outside in a traditional Japanese garden.

The locally owned business became a Denver staple over the years, and in 2021, Zagat ranked the restaurant as one of the top five Japanese restaurants in the U.S.

But nothing prepared the business owner and staff for the power and impact of social media.

In July, a customer recorded a TikTok video restaurant. It was less than a minute long and without narration, but that's all people needed. In just one day, the video received hundreds of thousands of views.

"After it went viral, we definitely just got inundated with customers, almost instantaneously, so there was a big shift in our normal clientele," said Chef Koichi Ninomiya.

He said an employee pulled up the video, and it had more than half a million views in one day.

For several days, people lined up outside the restaurant before the doors opened. The line was so long it reached an apartment complex more than half a block from the entrance.

Ninomiya called the video a "blessing and a curse."

"It's nice to have people coming in, but at the same time, it's just a little bit too much for us to handle as a staff, and as a whole, we are not equipped with enough staff to handle the demand," Ninomiya said.

The business is home to many returning clients who went from experiencing a 30-minute maximum wait time to waits of three hours or more.

"It was busy to the point where we had to turn away customers," Ninomiya said.

Homma, the owner of the restaurant, said customers grew frustrated with the wait time.

A Facebook post on the restaurant's page stated that customers repeated insults and shouted hateful words at other people patiently waiting. Police were called several times to keep outbursts from escalating.

"There have been some disgruntled people," Ninomiya said.

Ninomiya said trying to predict how much food to prepare and order became difficult.

Homma was overwhelmed by the boost in business and closed for two weeks to prepare and set guidelines. He decided to scale back from seven days a week to three days a week and limited the seating capacity to keep people safe during the pandemic.

"We are still busy. We hit our capacity almost every night on those three nights," Ninomiya said.

Ninomiya estimates he's putting out 300 plates a day, and that doesn't include appetizers for the tables.

A customer waiting to be seated with her friends was in town visiting Denver and said a friend recommended dining at Domo. She said she typically searches hashtags on TikTok to find new restaurants and cool places to visit.

"It highlights the food; it highlights the ambiance," she said. "A lot of the time, it's the hidden gems that don't spend a lot of money on marketing, so you just get to see these real authentic type places, too."

Ninomiya stressed they're grateful for the extra business and simply asked for patience and understanding. He said, like most restaurants, they're short-staffed.

"We do want to serve everybody. You just have to come early, put your name down, be patient, and try not to get frustrated with us, and we will do the best we can," Ninomiya said.

Signs outside the restaurant now warn people about the extended wait time and remind customers that every dish is cooked with care.

This story was originally published by Adi Guajardo on Scripps station KMGH in Denver.

DENVER, Colo. — Doctors are advising people to wait for U.S. government approval before attempting to receive a COVID-19 booster shot. But some are not waiting around and have managed to get a third shot.

Gina Welch lives in Maine. She said she has asthma as well as a liver condition and didn’t want to risk getting COVID-19.

"I felt I had to go take this extra step to protect myself. I don’t want to be one of the 15% of symptomatic cases and get a severe case of long COVID, and then have them say in six months, 'OK, we’re now going to do booster shots,'" Welch said.

Welch decided to go to a different clinic from where she got her first two vaccines and got a third dose.

"I was fully prepared for them to have a system with the CDC and then look me up when they entered my information and say, 'You already had your doses.' But there was nothing, and they gave me my first dose," Welch said.

Welch’s decision is similar to a trend being seen in multiple states.

Dr. Michelle Barron with UCHealth said if you don’t have a compromised immune system, getting a booster might not be necessary. For other groups, it’s important to speak with your doctor before making this decision.

"If you do end up doing this, that you are doing it under the right circumstances so you get the full benefit of the protection," Dr. Barron said.

Barron said studies have shown people with compromised immune systems could benefit from a booster, but until recommendations come out, it could be best to wait.

"There will always be those who say, 'You know, I am willing to take a risk' or 'I really want to do this anyway,' and know that this is not what we would recommend," Barron said.

For Welch, who received her third dose in June, it’s a decision she stands by.

"I feel much safer now in the situation, knowing that I am as protected as I can be," Welch said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Safety said, in part, “experts are trying to learn more about both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity of COVID-19 to determine if/when third doses are needed.”

As of Tuesday, booster shots aren’t officially recommended by the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices.

This story was originally published by Ivan Rodriguez at KMGH.

Debris from a United Airlines plane fell onto Denver suburbs during an emergency landing Saturday after one of its engines suffered a catastrophic failure and rained pieces of the engine casing on a neighborhood where it narrowly missed a home.

The plane landed safely, and nobody aboard or on the ground was reported hurt, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Boeing 777-200 returned to the Denver International Airport after experiencing a right-engine failure shortly after takeoff. Flight 328 was flying from Denver to Honolulu when the incident occurred, the agency said.

Photos posted by the police department showed large, circular pieces of debris leaning against a house in the suburb about 25 miles north of Denver.

Passengers recounted a terrifying ordeal that began to unfold shortly after the plane full of vacationers took off.

The aircraft was almost at cruising altitude and the captain was giving an announcement over the intercom when a large explosion rocked the cabin, accompanied by a bright flash.

“The plane started shaking violently, and we lost altitude and we started going down,” said David Delucia, who was sitting directly across the aisle from the side with the failed engine. “When it initially happened, I thought we were done. I thought we were going down."

Delucia and his wife took their wallets containing their driver's licenses and put them in their pockets so that “in case we did go down, we could be ID'd," said Delucia, who was still shaken up as he waited to board another flight for Honolulu.

Tyler Thal, who lives in the area, told The Associated Press that he was out for a walk with his family when he noticed a large commercial plane flying unusually low and took out his phone to film it.

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“While I was looking at it, I saw an explosion and then the cloud of smoke and some debris falling from it. It was just like a speck in the sky and as I’m watching that, I’m telling my family what I just saw and then we heard the explosion,” he said in a phone interview. “The plane just kind of continued on and we didn’t see it after that.”

Thal was relieved to learn later that the plane had made a safe landing.

United said in a separate statement that there were 231 passengers and 10 crew on board. All passengers were to be rebooked on a new flight to Hawaii, the airline said.

Video posted on Twitter showed the engine fully engulfed in flames as the plane flew through the air.

Kirby Klements was inside with his wife when they heard a huge booming sound, he said. A few seconds later, the couple saw a massive piece of debris fly past their window and into the bed of Klements' truck, crushing the cab and pushing the vehicle into the dirt.

He estimated the circular engine cowling at 15 feet in diameter. Fine pieces of the fiberglass insulation used in the airplane engine fell from the sky “like ash” for about 10 minutes, he said, and several large chunks of insulation landed in his backyard.

“If it had been 10 feet different, it would have landed right on top of the house,” he said in a phone interview with the AP. “And if anyone had been in the truck, they would have been dead.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Aviation safety experts said the plane appeared to have suffered an uncontained and catastrophic engine failure. Such an event is extremely rare and happens when huge spinning discs inside the engine suffer some sort of failure and breach the armored casing around the engine that is designed to contain the damage, said John Cox, an aviation safety expert and retired airline pilot who runs an aviation safety consulting firm called Safety Operating Systems.

“That unbalanced disk has a lot of force in it, and it’s spinning at several thousand rotations per minute ... and when you have that much centrifugal force, it has to go somewhere,” he said in a phone interview.

Pilots practice how to deal with such an event frequently and would have immediately shut off anything flammable in the engine, including fuel and hydraulic fluid, using a single switch, Cox said.

Former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall called the incident another example of “cracks in our culture in aviation safety (that) need to be addressed.

Hall, who was on the board from 1994 to 2001, has criticized the FAA over the past decade as “drifting toward letting the manufacturers provide the aviation oversight that the public was paying for.” That goes especially for Boeing, he said.

Despite the scary appearance of a flaming engine, most such incidents don't result in loss of life, Cox said.

DENVER, Colo. — Juneteenth’s yearly celebrations bring the entire community together to celebrate when the last slaves learned of the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery in the United States, and it’s usually a great weekend of business for Black-owned shops and restaurants.

In Denver, the organizers of the celebration are planning to make this Juneteenth leave an impact far beyond the festival.

Fathima Dickerson sees the need for support and investment in Denver's historic Black neighborhood, Five Points. She and her family have owned the Welton Street Cafe restaurant for decades.

"We sacrifice friendships, relationships. We sacrifice our bodies with the labor. It's not easy. Restaurant work is not easy," said Dickerson.

Still, there’s nowhere she’d rather be than inside her family’s restaurant.

"It is the family reunion. It is where we gather, and food is why we gather," said Dickerson.

However, the place of love and soul is struggling to stay open.

"Surviving COVID as Welton Street Cafe has been a quiet storm," said Dickerson.

Her loyal customers are keeping the spot alive but her family doesn’t own their building, and rent in addition to maintenance is tough to afford.

"We always see a lot of pretty stories about being in business, and nobody likes to talk about the shortcomings or the downfalls, the failures that balance out success."

Dickerson's watched many Black-owned businesses struggle around her but she knows the neighborhood's success will only help all those around it too.

"This needs to continue to be the hub for us to call home so that we can get the resources and the services we need to better our families because that way we build a better community," said Dickerson.

She has hope that this neighborhood will survive and thrive, and this year, the Juneteenth celebration may help start that change to boost Denver’s Black community.

"When you think about it being larger than a weekend, it is. I'm Black every day, every single day. And when you're a Black business owner, you need support for your business every single day," said Dickerson.

"We look at it as a launchpad," said Norman Harris, the President of JMF corporation and the lead organizer of Denver's Juneteenth Music Festival.

Harris is organizing for partnerships with companies like Amazon and has web developers helping Black-owned businesses build websites for free.

He wants to make sure this festival is helpful beyond all the fun; that it is growing businesses, too.

Some of the proceeds of the event itself will go to businesses like Welton Street Café, so whether online or in person, this year's celebrations will help boost Black-owned businesses.

"When you get that type of synergy that happens within our community spaces, it's priceless," said Harris.

Denver’s online and in-person plan to boost businesses is modeling the way for Juneteenth celebrations across the country, a movement Fathima wants to last.

"Juneteenth is a lifestyle. I will say that it is. It is what I breathe, how I move. Juneteenth is representing and supporting the culture of Black people," said Dickerson.

Historian Dr. Vern L. Howard said it’s these moments of collaboration that can build Black wealth for generations to come.

"That is what the Emancipation Proclamation was about," said Dr. Howard, Chairman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission. "And that is what Black businesses are about, is to leave a legacy and an inheritance to your offspring."

And the chance to pass this business down is a dream Dickerson isn’t willing to let go of.

"You save Welton Street Cafe, you save Five Points. You save Five Points, you save Juneteenth. You save Juneteenth, you save the Black community. We are trying to save a life," said Dickerson.

BENNETT, Colo. — A military family made their way from Virginia to Colorado and didn't even have a chance to move in before thieves stole their moving truck with all of their belongings inside.

Evan Salas, his wife Stacey and their three little girls were excited when he received orders that would bring their family to Colorado. Salas is in the Air Force, and he's starting a new job at Buckley Air Force Base.

"So, we moved from Virginia, moved across the country. We packed up our stuff into a 26-foot Penske moving truck," Salas said.

He and his family were exhausted after the four-day drive. They pulled into the parking lot of a hotel near the Denver International Airport just before midnight. The next morning, they would drive to their new home and unpack.

When Salas woke up in the morning, he looked outside and saw the truck was missing.

"I was hoping, hoping that maybe it had just been towed, but that, unfortunately, was not the case," Salas said. "Somebody came in the middle of the night with the intention, specifically, of stealing, and they stole from us everything."

The truck had all their belongings inside, including furniture, clothes and outdoor gear they bought for their adventures in Colorado. There were also boxes full of family heirlooms, photos and their collection of Christmas ornaments.

"Stuff from my career, stuff that I have worked hard to achieve and earn. Military coin collection is gone. We’ve lost family silverware, all of our Christmas ornaments — everything we’ve put together over time. Memories, lots of memories," Salas said.

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Although he would like to recover all of their belongings, he hopes they can find some of those precious items that can't be replaced.

"We’re hoping that maybe someone in the community will see the truck, maybe find an abandoned Penske truck," Salas said.

In the meantime, other military families and complete strangers in their new neighborhood have stepped up to donate what they can. Denver7 Gives has also established an account, and donations can be made through Denver7 Gives by selecting "Help the Salas Family" in the dropdown menu. All of the funds will go toward helping this family rebuild what a cruel thief took away.

"We’re looking to get new furniture and the small stuff that makes a home a home," Salas said.

This story was originally published by Liz Gelardi at KMGH.

LEBANON, Ohio — A Lebanon producer of loading systems is closing, resulting in a job loss for more than 100 employees, but workers will have an opportunity to apply for openings with a Hamilton company, the business is telling Ohio government.

The Journal-News reports that OPW Engineered Systems, 2726 Henkle Drive, is permanently closing and will terminate employment for its 103 employees, James Anderson, OPW human resources director, said in a letter to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The letter is dated Thursday.

The closing of the OPW Engineered Systems facility will take place on a “rolling basis” no sooner than July 6 and finishing no later than the end of September, the company said.

“It is currently anticipated that all of the affected employees will be terminated from their employment by this time,” Anderson wrote. “The company does not have a bumping system, meaning that more senior employees will not be able to displace less senior employees as a result of this plant closure. However, employees will have the opportunity to apply for openings with Knappco, LLC,” in Hamilton.

The company makes loading and swivel mechanisms for the fluid handling industry, particularly the fuel supply chain in the United States.

OPW is part of Illinois-based Dover Corp.

The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO 9 News.