NEW: Minnesota rebuffs DOJ demand for voter rolls, says feds don’t have legal right to it -->

NEW: Republican bill in Congress would explicitly ban federal funding for train between Twin Cities and Duluth, gut grant program that would fund Blue Line extension.

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.