Post Premium: Top stories for the week of Jan. 23-29

January 29, 2023

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Kanajai Burton stayed up all night after his son was born.

The baby was born early and spent his first months in the neonatal intensive care unit. At all hours of the day, Burton checked the hospital’s video stream and watched his son doze and wriggle under the masses of wires keeping him alive. When the baby came home to Burton’s apartment, the 18-year-old changed his diapers. He got up in the night when he cried.

Burton smiled every time his boy smiled, the teen’s mom, Casandra Watkins, said. He was thrilled to be a father, even if it delayed his plans to graduate high school and play arena football. Burton named his son Sekani, which means joy and laughter.

But Burton never got to graduate. He never saw his joy’s first steps. Instead, Burton was gunned down and killed on Colfax Avenue a month after his 19th birthday — one of 88 people killed in homicides in Denver last year.

“Someone looked at my baby and decided his life wasn’t worth living,” Watkins said. “My baby became a crime scene.”

— Full story via Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post

Denver homicides fell slightly in 2022, but non-fatal shootings rose — and more teens are being killed

Casandra Watkins' son Kanajai Burton was shot and killed near the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Ogden Street in Denver on Jan 29, 2022. Burton was a new dad and was on Colfax helping a friend when an 18-year-old shot and killed both him and his friend. Watkins, pictured on Jan. 19, 2023, is now raising his son, Sekani. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post) — Casandra Watkins’ son Kanajai Burton was shot and killed near the intersection of East Colfax Avenue and North Ogden Street in Denver on Jan 29, 2022. Burton was a new dad and was on Colfax helping a friend when an 18-year-old shot and killed both him and his friend. Watkins, pictured on Jan. 19, 2023, is now raising his son, Sekani. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

Five don’t-miss stories from last week

Ex-Aurora police Chief Vanessa Wilson used position of power to have partner’s ex-girlfriend arrested, lawsuit alleges
Colorado’s population growth hit a wall. Here’s what to expect in the coming decades
Casa Bonita now hiring for 550-plus jobs, including cliff divers
Elitch Gardens owners pay $7M for site south of Meow Wolf
Owner Dick Monfort: Rockies can “play .500 ball” in 2023

Photo of the week

See more great photos like this on The Denver Post’s Instagram account.

A view of Georgetown from Guanella Pass on January 24, 2023 In Georgetown, Colorado. A battle is brewing in Georgetown over lodging taxes. Both the town and Clear Creek County are making a claim on the 2% tax and neither will budge. Meanwhile, bed and breakfasts and short term rental owners are caught in the middle, finding themselves paying a double tax on lodging. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

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