Today is Oct. 16, 2023, and here’s what you need to know:

Colorado elected officials, Jewish leaders and hundreds of Israel supporters rallied at the steps of the state Capitol on Sunday – nine days after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel – to mourn, pray and come together.

 “This country will make sure that Israel has the resources to fight back,” said Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper in a joint statement.

Nearly 7,000 miles away were those in Denver on Sunday afternoon, echoing comments by Israel supporters from around the world.

Emerging from the Capitol, for a brief moment, was Gov. Jared Polis.

“These evil acts of terrorism are our greatest fears brought to life,” Polis told the crowd. “We need to come together and take on hate and bias because we know that in Colorado, hate for Jews, Muslims, or Christians, for anyone, cannot find a home here in the state of Colorado.”

Some of Colorado’s progressive legislators distanced themselves from the Denver Democratic Socialists of America, which on Saturday said it “unequivocally stands” with Palestine in its “fight for liberation from the apartheid regime of Israel.”

The group posted its position exactly a week after Hamas, a group on America’s terror list, attacked Israel, killing an estimated 1,400 people. The group also captured at least 155 others, including children. Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed nearly 2,670 Palestinians.

Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, and Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, said they’re disappointed in the group’s position.  

“And I reject it in the strongest possible terms,” Mabrey said. “I deeply believe that we must reject violence and terrorism in all of its forms and that each of us had a duty to appreciate the fundamental value of all human life.”

Mabrey said the “horrific actions of Hamas, the murder, hostage taking, and brutalization of innocent civilians can never be justified.”

“We can recognize that, while also condemning the brutality of the Israeli response – the collective punishment and killing of Palestinians all while calling for an end to the oppression of the Palestinian people,” he added.

Alan Salazar’s selection as the next head of Denver Water may have come as a surprise to some, given he’s better known as the chief of staff to former Mayor Michael Hancock or as a strategist in the administration of former Gov. John Hickenlooper.

But Salazar’s lifelong commitment to public service and leadership made him a stellar choice for the state’s largest water utility. And as it turns out, he’s got some pretty good water chops to go with it.

Salazar’s appointment is interim for the next year while the utility’s board of directors board considers long-term strategic needs for the organization. He sat down with Colorado Politics to discuss his new role.

Colorado Politics: So what do you know about water?

Salazar: Well, I am not a water lawyer, nor am I a civil engineer. And historically, Denver Water has been led by one or the other, unless you go back to the very beginning. I’m not a stranger to working with and managing civil engineers. Did that at the city for six years, and I’ve worked with and been around water lawyers for the entirety of my career.

Before Kathryn A. Starnella moved to Colorado more than a decade ago to clerk for a federal judge, she prepared for the job by volunteering at the federal court in Chicago.

Then when Colorado’s U.S. District Court announced last year that she would be joining the bench as a magistrate judge, Starnella spent her free time at the courthouse, learning about the job and even sitting with her predecessor for a trial.

“I am in awe of our justice system and our independence, especially as the judiciary’s independence is being threatened in other countries,” Starnella said at her ceremonial swearing-in in downtown Denver. Quoting one of the hosts of the “Strict Scrutiny” podcast, she added that the role of the courts is to “facilitate democracy” and then “get out of the way.”

Starnella began work as a magistrate judge in August, but her public ceremony, known as an investiture, took place on Friday. Unlike district judges, who the president appoints and the U.S. Senate confirms for life, magistrate judges are screened by a selection panel, hired by the district judges and serve for eight-year terms.

In his latest column, Eric Sondermann wrote:

The book is simply called, “Things Fall Apart.” Written 65 years ago by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, it portrays pre-colonial life in Igboland, now southeastern Nigeria. Achebe’s beautiful work was one of the first African novels to receive international acclaim.

In partaking of the news over recent days and weeks, the book title sprung back to mind. Those three words too aptly describe a rather large chunk of the world condition.

Going into a stunning fall weekend now eight or nine days ago, I did not have a concerted, orchestrated attack on Israel and the consequent outbreak of war on my bingo card. But here we are.

Speaking of “things falling apart,” it was a shocking failure of intelligence gathering and analysis by the Israelis. As such, it is a reminder that neither institutions nor individuals can rest on their laurels. Each day dawns with a fresh challenge.

It also serves as a lesson that low-tech is not completely out of vogue. The Hamas barbarians used everything from fence-cutters to paragliders to launch their attack. Israel’s response will be far more sophisticated, even as the number of innocent hostages vastly complicates their military options.