Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Thursday October 8th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today we’re bringing you a story of honks, flags and fistfights, as election tension boils over in Highlands Ranch.

Before we begin, we’re going back in time with Colorado history adapted from Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to October 8th, 1991 when Patricia Schroeder, a longtime member of Congress from Denver, rallied fellow elected women to demand an investigation of sexual harassment charges gainst Clarence Thomas - President George H.W. Bush’s nominee to the US Supreme Court.

 

Now, today’s feature story. 

The four corners of Broadway and Highlands Ranch Parkway have become political ground zero in Denver’s conservative southern suburb. 

-- It all began with one guy in a cowboy hat, holding an American flag in one hand and a Joe Biden flag in the other. 

It was the Fourth of July, and thanks to coronavirus, Bob Marshall’s other plans were canceled.

The white-haired, retired Marine - now known as “Cowboy Biden” - was encouraged by the honks from passersby. Some of the drivers in this conservative suburb gave him surprised looks. A few shouted F-bombs.

Marshall, a former Republican who left the party because of Trump, said he wasn’t shocked that his Biden flag drove people to yell obscenities out their windows, but he didn’t expect what came next. 

As the coronavirus summer wore on, more Joe Biden supporters gathered at the intersection. And while Marshall walked, they waved flags. Supporters of President Donald Trump started coming too, setting up on an opposite corner.

The Biden corner grew to include Black Lives Matter protesters. While the Trump side came with Blue Lives Matter flags. One side wore face masks. The other did not.

And on one particular night, the night of September 10, the intersection was illuminated in flashing red and blue after fistfights broke out between members of each group. Patrol cars from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office lined the streets and deputies charged five people with disorderly conduct -- including Cowboy Biden.

Details of how it all went down are sparse.

Kellee Fertig, a Trump supporter who was charged after the fistfight, told The Colorado Sun, “They are the ones who jumped us. Stupid erratic liberals. Like always.” But she refused to explain further.

Bob Marshall, alleged that he wasn’t treated fairly by the officers and said the case could end up in court.

Even the sheriff’s department refused to release its report on the incident, citing an “ongoing investigation.” 

The brawl put a damper on the political honking match for a couple of weeks, But as the election nears, the intersection is filling up once again.

Lisa Vargo, who had never before done any political campaigning, put out the word to fellow Trump supporters on Facebook, inviting them to the Walgreens corner every Tuesday evening until Election Day. Four people joined her the first week. The next week it was more than 10, including a few high school boys.

 

Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown spoke to Lisa Vargo as she waved a Trump flag at the intersection this week.

Bob Marshall said he liked walking the intersection as Cowboy Biden more when the groups were smaller. He had even befriended some of the original Trump supporters. One man who helped organize the Republican side of the street told Marshall that he came outside because he was “inspired” by Cowboy Biden, out there walking in a square path, alone.

“I was trying to demoralize you,” Marshall told him, jokingly, “not inspire you.”

 

Thanks for listening. And before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

The University of Colorado Boulder will bring thousands of students back to its campus for in-person learning on Oct. 14 after rising coronavirus case numbers last month had pushed the school to move entirely online.

-

CDFIs, like Colorado Enterprise Fund, provide underserved communities with capital when banks say no. They’re helping small businesses in tough times and the niche is attracting investors searching for impact, including Google and Netflix.

-

Insulin copay caps have fallen short in Colorado and other states, fueling underground exchanges.

-

 

And finally, Colorado sent ballot information guides known as the Blue Book to 2.5 million voters ahead of the 2020 election - can you trust it? Check out the full story on our website.

For more information on all of these stories, visit us at, www.coloradosun.com. 

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.


You can stay on top of Colorado news by signing up for free newsletters at coloradosun.com/newsletters. And you can join our Sun community by becoming a member, starting at just $5 a month. Thanks again for starting your morning with us and remember to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Thursday October 8th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today we&rsquo;re bringing you a story of honks, flags and fistfights, as election tension boils over in Highlands Ranch.
Before we begin, we&rsquo;re going back in time with Colorado history adapted from Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
&nbsp;
Today, we take you back to October 8th, 1991 when Patricia Schroeder, a longtime member of Congress from Denver, rallied fellow elected women to demand an investigation of sexual harassment charges gainst Clarence Thomas - President George H.W. Bush&rsquo;s nominee to the US Supreme Court.
&nbsp;
Now, today&rsquo;s feature story.&nbsp;
The four corners of Broadway and Highlands Ranch Parkway have become political ground zero in Denver&rsquo;s conservative southern suburb.&nbsp;
-- It all began with one guy in a cowboy hat, holding an American flag in one hand and a Joe Biden flag in the other.&nbsp;
It was the Fourth of July, and thanks to coronavirus, Bob Marshall&rsquo;s other plans were canceled.
The white-haired, retired Marine - now known as &ldquo;Cowboy Biden&rdquo; - was encouraged by the honks from passersby. Some of the drivers in this conservative suburb gave him surprised looks. A few shouted F-bombs.
Marshall, a former Republican who left the party because of Trump, said he wasn&rsquo;t shocked that his Biden flag drove people to yell obscenities out their windows, but he didn&rsquo;t expect what came next.&nbsp;
As the coronavirus summer wore on, more Joe Biden supporters gathered at the intersection. And while Marshall walked, they waved flags. Supporters of President Donald Trump started coming too, setting up on an opposite corner.
The Biden corner grew to include Black Lives Matter protesters. While the Trump side came with Blue Lives Matter flags. One side wore face masks. The other did not.
And on one particular night, the night of September 10, the intersection was illuminated in flashing red and blue after fistfights broke out between members of each group. Patrol cars from the Douglas County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office lined the streets and deputies charged five people with disorderly conduct -- including Cowboy Biden.
Details of how it all went down are sparse.
Kellee Fertig, a Trump supporter who was charged after the fistfight, told The Colorado Sun, &ldquo;They are the ones who jumped us. Stupid erratic liberals. Like always.&rdquo; But she refused to explain further.
Bob Marshall, alleged that he wasn&rsquo;t treated fairly by the officers and said the case could end up in court.
Even the sheriff&rsquo;s department refused to release its report on the incident, citing an &ldquo;ongoing investigation.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The brawl put a damper on the political honking match for a couple of weeks, But as the election nears, the intersection is filling up once again.
Lisa Vargo, who had never before done any political campaigning, put out the word to fellow Trump supporters on Facebook, inviting them to the Walgreens corner every Tuesday evening until Election Day. Four people joined her the first week. The next week it was more than 10, including a few high school boys.
&nbsp;
Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown spoke to Lisa Vargo as she waved a Trump flag at the intersection this week.
Bob Marshall said he liked walking the intersection as Cowboy Biden more when the groups were smaller. He had even befriended some of the original Trump supporters. One man who helped organize the Republican side of the street told Marshall that he came outside because he was &ldquo;inspired&rdquo; by Cowboy Biden, out there walking in a square path, alone.
&ldquo;I was trying to demoralize you,&rdquo; Marshall told him, jokingly, &ldquo;not inspire you.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. And before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
The University of Colorado Boulder will bring thousands of students back to its campus for in-person learning on Oct. 14 after rising coronavirus case numbers last month had pushed the school to move entirely online.
-
CDFIs, like Colorado Enterprise Fund, provide underserved communities with capital when banks say no. They&rsquo;re helping small businesses in tough times and the niche is attracting investors searching for impact, including Google and Netflix.
-
Insulin copay caps have fallen short in Colorado and other states, fueling underground exchanges.
-
&nbsp;
And finally, Colorado sent ballot information guides known as the Blue Book to 2.5 million voters ahead of the 2020 election - can you trust it? Check out the full story on our website.
For more information on all of these stories, visit us at,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
 You can stay on top of Colorado news by signing up for free newsletters at<a href="http://coloradosun.com/newsletters"> coloradosun.com/newsletters</a>. And you can join our Sun community by becoming a member, starting at just $5 a month. Thanks again for starting your morning with us and remember to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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