Oh, and support public media 📻✊.

But I'm very excited to join the Strib's growing newsroom and start telling the stories of my own people. I'm sure I'll be back in Colorado from time to time -- especially if that train to Boulder ever starts rolling.

Hello! A little news from me. Next week is my last at @CPRNews. Later this month I will join the @StarTribune's politics team covering the Capitol. Denver, Colorado and CPR have all been wonderful to me since I arrived more than a decade ago. I'll miss this place dearly.

If you are an RTD insider, or otherwise have a story to tell me, please reach out! nathaniel.minor@cpr.org.

RTD's board last week approved a ~5% raise to take Johnson's salary to about $420,000 a year. It is scheduled to vote tonight on an 18-month contract extension.

Johnson denied nearly all of these allegations, and said she was taken aback. "I am just trying to do the best that I can," she told me. But she did confirm that living in Denver is a challenge. “I like an environment where there's a greater sense of culture,” Johnson said.

Former officials told me Johnson was a difficult leader who would belittle her staff, insult board members and commuter leaders, and Denver itself. She also failed to develop a clear vision for RTD's future, they say. “I have no idea what her vision is,” one said.

Records show RTD under Johnson has paid out ~$700,000 across five separation agreements w/ former senior managers. A sixth also signed an agreement but did not get a payout.

NEW: At least a dozen senior leaders have left RTD in recent years. Some say CEO Debra Johnson is why —>

RT @sam_tabachnik: NEW - Wyatts Towing is no more. The towing giant has apparently sold to Elite Towing. On Tuesday, the phone number l….

I had no answer for her in the moment; it turns out there is one a few miles ahead. I hope she finds the poultry sandwich she’s looking for.

chick*.

Woman in car in the middle of Colfax just stopped me, a pedestrian in crosswalk, to ask if there was a chic-fil-a ahead.

ICYMI, I checked in with some of the new board members-elect last week:

So the new board in January will be:

The AP has called the last RTD board race. Chris Gutschenritter will rep District D:

NEW: Incoming directors-elect to the RTD board say they want more accountability, transparency, and riders —>.

How far can you bike in 15 minutes in Denver? Check out this map from @avistopper and co.

700 parking spaces is a lot of parking spaces next to a light rail station and future BRT station, but 20 stories is also a lot of stories for Denver's south side.

I asked RTD /why/ they released the termination letter now after withholding it for weeks. "In this unique circumstance and upon further review given information already in the public domain, RTD determined that the letter should be released," a spox just told me.