Big photo below.

​This morning, a colleague texted me to ask if I wanted a lift. Why would I? I've got snow pants, double layer gloves, and a fixed gear bike. 

I ride my bike to work every day, and as with recycling and eating local, there's a certain self-satisfaction that comes with an eco-friendly commute. But on days like this, when the snow nearly closed the office, I'm not just smug, but nearly invisible.

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​A running gag in the classic comedy Raising Arizona is that just about everybody in the vicinity of Tempe is packing heat -- even the pimple-faced kid at the convenience store, who whips out a Dirty Harry special and starts blasting away at stickup man Nicholas Cage. But it's no joke that statehouse Republicans would like to extend the sanctions offered by Colorado's "Make My Day" law to allow citizens to use deadly force to defend their businesses as well as their homes.

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​I'm three weeks an intern for Westword, and with each day, I'm made more aware of the strengths (and the pitfalls) of my journalism education at CU-Boulder. Nothing scares me more than joining my older brother in his misery caused by the mania surrounding this economic downturn. "Good luck finding a job. Your generation has it bad-d-d-d," they tell me -- a fair warning prior to my upcoming graduation from a program that's transitioning from journalism to "Journalism Plus."

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Before I began working with Jaime Richards, one of the matchmakers in this week's cover story, I had to dig deep. Really deep. It's common practice for date coaches and matchmakers to ask their clients for letters of recommendation, but they're not the kind you're thinking of. In preparation for our first meeting, I was tasked with asking a minimum of six friends and family members to write Richards letters explaining why they think I'm single.

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Gallinari.

​No snow day for Denver blog posts.

Denver Stiffs' Andrew Feinstein on the Nuggets' emphatic victory over the Clippers, to whom they'd lost at home just days earlier.

WhoSaidYouSaid turns the cameras on candidate Coors.

When it comes to toddlers, Mile High Mamas' Lisa Vratny-Smith asks: To nap, or not to nap? I choose the former.

Mason Tvert.

​Earlier this week, Brian Vicente, one of the primary proponents of the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, told us that news about whether the measure qualified for the November ballot could come as early as Friday. This prediction proved accurate, but the word isn't one Vicente and fellow backer Mason Tvert wanted to hear. The Act is 2,409 signatures shy of winning approval from the Secretary of State's Office.

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Laura Bradford.

​About the only good thing that has come out of the Representative Laura Bradford mess this week was the sarcastically suggested name (on Twitter and elsewhere) for a future Capitol Hill dive bar called the "Legislative Function." Every other aspect of this situation, from the way the police handled it to the way Bradford's party is dealing with it, to Bradford's actions in and of themselves, deserves a swift veto.

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Willie Shepherd.

​Attorney and former Democratic power broker Willie Shepherd was sentenced to one year of probation, domestic violence classes and alcohol monitoring after pleading guilty earlier this month to third-degree attempted assault, a class two misdemeanor.

The plea stemmed from Shepherd's September 14 arrest on domestic violence charges.

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Carl Gruber.

​Our post about competitive pilot Carl Gruber, who was arrested at Boulder Memorial Airport after allegedly transporting 55 pounds of marijuana to the facility, sparked a number of wry comments.

Here's one that questioned whether Boulder really needed such an influx of weed.

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Denver Diner.

​Last month, Denver's Civil Service Commission reinstated officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin Devine, who'd been fired for their actions in an alleged brutality incident at the Denver Diner in 2009.

A lawsuit over the matter is still alive, but the victims' attorney is angry about the latest development: The city, which had promised to appeal the cops' reinstatement, has reportedly missed a deadline to do so.

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​The jury examining the March 2011 slaying of University of New Hampshire football player Todd Walker didn't take long to determine the guilt of Kevin McGregor, the sandwich shop staffer charged in the slaying. Late yesterday, just a day after closing arguments, McGregor was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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Tweets, pics below.

​YouTube users began sharing videos of Colorado's ongoing snowstorm hours before daybreak today.

But they've got nothing on Twitter users, plenty of whom are dispatching photos and messages of delight about having a day off work.

Lucky bastards. Look below to some of our favorites among the latest tweets and pics.

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Big photos below.

​The Internet is filled with forgotten pages -- cyberspace cul de sacs filled with oddball content. Take Procheerleader.blog. It was folded in to UltimateCheerleaders.com several years ago, but content from 2004 to 2008 continues to linger, including lotsa quirky pics of Denver Broncos cheerleaders. In honor of this weekend's Super Bowl, we grabbed screen captures of the weirdest offerings. Check them out below.

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Big photos below.

​What does a minter look like? Despite a recent Google search, we at the Latest Word are still unsure how to picture one. But we could find out soon, because minters are among the choices offered by the student government at CU Denver as a new mascot for the school's downtown and Anschutz Medical campuses. Look below to check out the widely varied options and the countdown to our top pick.

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Race for the Cure.

​For many years, the regional Planned Parenthood headquarters was Westword's neighbor, and we had a front-row seat for the picketers who harassed employees of an organization that does so much more than providing abortion services.

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Video below.

​ESPN's Skip Bayless loves Tim Tebow so much that many viewers are ready to stage an intervention -- and that won't change after they see Bayless's Super Bowl week chat with The Chosen One. The full interview won't air until later this morning. But in the following preview, Bayless does everything short of bursting into tears to get Tebow to say he feels disrespected by not being guaranteed the starting QB gig. Yet Timmy won't play.

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Videos below.

​In today's world, as we know, an experience doesn't seem real until it's been captured on video. With that in mind, check out the very first YouTube documentations of our ongoing Colorado snowstorm -- all of them posted hours before sunrise.

They're capped by a clip from a Broomfield High student who's unbelievably psyched about not having to go to school today. Wouldn't you be?

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​Timberline Herbal Clinic isn't anything fancy, nor does it pretend to be. It's a working-class shop in a working-class part of town north of I-70 on Colorado Boulevard, where hardworking guys at nearby tire yards and truck-repair shops stop in on their lunch break to pick up edibles for after-work relief.

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Doug Lamborn

​I know, I know. There are lots of other folks out there struggling to make ends meet, unsung worker drones subsisting on sweatshop wages. But let's face it: Doug Lamborn is underpaid.

I'm not talking about his base salary of $174,000 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. That's standard. But the real gravy -- the gratuities, emoluments, wet kisses and campaign support he receives from the oil and gas industry in exchange for services rendered -- it's a disgrace, frankly.

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Colorado Cottage Food

​GOP lawmaker Laura Bradford has been making headlines lately -- and not for her adorable "cottage food bill," also now being called the "sweet bill," which would allow bakers and cake-makers to sell their delicious wares directly to consumers. Will the future of House Bill 12-1027 be affected by Bradford's misadventures, which now include a possible break from the Republican party?

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