
220+ restaurants closed in Denver last year
As inflation remains high and restaurants continue to struggle with labor shortages and rising costs, it's expected that more restaurants in Colorado will close their doors for good this year.
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Ashley Portillo is a multimedia journalist for CBS News Colorado and is passionate about Covering Colorado First.
Ashley chose reporting as a career with the goal of telling stories in her community and listening to what others have to say.
"I knew since middle school that I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up," she says.
She also believes it's important to get answers, hold people accountable and give people a platform to share their story through tragedy or through celebration. She's covered everything from court and crime to city and county government, plus education, breaking news and severe weather.
Before joining the team in Denver, Ashley was a reporter at KOAA in Colorado Springs for three years. At KOAA, she covered the mass shooting at Club Q, the Letecia Stauch murder trial and the Joshua Johnson murder trial. She also covered stories during the Olympics and Paralympics. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter at KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Outside of the newsroom, you can find Ashley trying new restaurants around town, cooking, traveling or hiking in the mountains. She also enjoys soaking in the hot springs and she says it's just a matter of time before she learns how to snowboard or ski.
Just The Facts
Position: Multimedia Journalist
Year hired: October 2023
Alma Mater: Temple University, go Owls!
Why I am a journalist: To give people a platform to share their stories, listening to others, creative storytelling and making a difference in my community.
Most memorable interview: Sharing the stories of recovery and resilience after the Club Q shooting
Dream job: I'm doing it!
Star sign: Taurus
First TV appearance: Haha, does doing the morning announcements in high school count?
First story: My first several months in the industry, I was covering the aftermath and devastation of Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that hit the Coastal Bend of Texas.
Hidden talent: I can spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and antidisestablishmentarianism.
Hometown: Maryland/Pennsylvania
Favorite food: Mexican food
Number of pets: I don't have any pets, but I'm a big dog lover and will most likely ask to pet your dog if I meet them
Favorite sports team: I was born in Baltimore, so go Ravens!
Favorite vacation spot: Somewhere warm and tropical
What keeps you in Colorado? The mountains, the beauty, the fact that there is so many things to do, and of course the people and the community
What's the biggest risk you've taken? Moving away from all of my family and everything I knew when I was 22 years old
Who would play you in a movie? Selena Quintanilla, but then again J.Lo already did a phenomenal job playing her
You can contact Ashley by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.
As inflation remains high and restaurants continue to struggle with labor shortages and rising costs, it's expected that more restaurants in Colorado will close their doors for good this year.
Winter weather and cold temperatures are still impacting flights across the country and at Denver International Airport on Tuesday morning.
As dangerously cold temperatures linger across the Denver metro area, hundreds of flights have been cancelled at Denver International Airport.
An Arvada restaurant that's been a staple in the community for 35 years will close its doors for good this weekend. COVID was the catalyst they could never recover from, among other personal reasons.
Many migrants arriving in Denver have never experienced cold temperatures like what Colorado will see over the next week. However, beginning Wednesday night, a local church will open its doors overnight to migrants new to the community.
A settlement reached between the state of Colorado and a company that manages properties that are mostly rented out by college students should help all renters, state officials say.
People from across Colorado, as well as across the county and the world attend the National Western Stock Show and celebrate Western culture.
The term "shop local" is taking on a high-tech meaning in Littleton. A new reward program in the city is aimed at encouraging shoppers to support small and locally-owned businesses.
On Wednesday in a Jefferson County courtroom, three separate trial dates were set for three young men charged in the death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell.
New information has been released involving the Colorado Springs mother arrested in the United Kingdom for the deaths of her two children.
A new Colorado state law is doing away with plastic foam and bringing in compostable containers. Meanwhile, a local girl who's still years away from getting her driver's license helped to drive the big change for Colorado's environment.
A 35-year-old woman suspected of killing her two young children and wounding a third is no longer believed to be in the Colorado Springs area where the crimes happened.
This Saturday will mark two years since the Marshall fire devastated multiple communities in Boulder County, ripping through neighborhoods and destroying more than 1,000 homes.
Restaurant owners say this change will impact both their business and customers.
At last check, DIA had more delays and cancellations than any other airport in the country on Tuesday, with more than 530 incoming and outgoing flights delayed. More than 20 flights have also been canceled. That's according to Flight Aware.