DENVER — Hundreds of cyclists gathered in Denver on Saturday for a "We Ride in Unity" memorial ride honoring Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement agents last weekend in Minneapolis. 

Many riders felt a connection to Pretti after learning he was both a cyclist and a health care worker. Similar events took place across Colorado and in cities around the country, with organizers describing them as both tributes and demonstrations.

In Denver, riders met at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in City Park around midday before setting off on a roughly seven-mile route through the city. 

The ride passed through Five Points and RiNo, moved by Union Station and the 16th Street Mall, continued past the Denver City and County Building, paused at the Colorado State Capitol and returned to City Park. Volunteer organizers, known among cyclists as “blockers” and “corkers,” stopped traffic at intersections to allow the group to move together.

Before the ride began one cyclist, Judy Toms, walked through the crowd handing out small stickers printed with Pretti’s face.

“When Alex was shot, and it came out that he was not only a member of the bicycling community, but a member of the medical community, I think both of those groups really saw themselves,” said Toms. "He was one of us."

Toms said the stickers gave participants a way to show they had taken part and to continue expressing support beyond the event.

For several riders, the event was about more than remembrance; it was a rare chance to join others in solidarity and publicly express concern over how Pretti was killed. 

“To just come out and say enough is enough... It's the kind of thing, I thought was completely an impossibility in our country that our own government would be shooting people in our streets who were trying to stand up for the rights of others,” said Toms.

She also framed the moment as one she believes could have implications beyond a single city. 

“Taking advantage of the fact that it's still relatively safe for us to do this,” she said. “Because I think it's predictable that the same kinds of things happening in other cities across the US will eventually happen in Denver if we don't stand up and stop it now.”

Similar rides were held in other Colorado communities, including Fort Collins, Boulder, Golden, Grand Junction, Basalt, Gunnison, Durango, Salida, Trinidad and Colorado Springs.

BRIGHTON, Colo. — Brighton Police are asking for help finding a 12-year-old and 13-year-old girl who haven't been seen since Tuesday. 

Briana Rivas-Alvarez, 12, and Omarlys "Sophie" Rojas-Ramos, 13, were last seen walking in the 800 block of Jessup Street in Brighton at around 8 a.m. Tuesday. 

Rivas-Alvarez is described as being 5 foot, 2 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing blue jeans and a black sweatshirt when she went missing. 

Rojas-Ramos is also 5 foot, 2 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds, according to police. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a yellow crop top and blue jeans. 

Police said they believe the girls could be with two unknown males. 

Anyone who has seen either of the girls, or who knows where they might be, is asked to call 911 or Brighton Police at 303-288-1535.

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A Southern California hockey mom remains hospitalized in intensive care one week after a snowplow lost control and struck a van carrying members of the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers youth hockey team on Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, leaving one father dead and multiple families injured.

Brenda Greenwald, 48, is being treated for multiple injuries, including a torn aorta, torn groin artery, torn bowels, shattered pelvis, broken ribs, broken clavicle and a brain injury, according to information from a GoFundMe page established for the family. 

The crash occurred on the morning of Jan. 29, 2026, when the snowplow struck the team van head-on. The father of one of the players died in the crash.

Three of Brenda Greewald's children — Joshua, 11, Matthew, 9, and Emily, 13 — were also injured. Joshua was airlifted to a children's hospital with an injured spleen, broken elbow, fractured nose and severe facial trauma. Matthew suffered painful contusions across his body, while Emily sustained physical lacerations, a knee injury and psychological trauma from the accident.

All three children have been treated and released from the hospital. Their father, Jason Greenwald, flew them back to California on Monday while Brenda Greenwald's father remains by her bedside in Colorado.

"Just trying to get back into some form of normalcy for a little bit until we get mom back home," Jason Greenwald said.

Jason Greenwald received the call about the crash while at home in California. 

"You get that call, you know, you pick up the phone, you know it's from out of state, you know it's a hospital cause they make sure it says 'health something,' so you answer and it's a call that nobody ever wants to get," he said.

A family friend who lives outside Denver rushed to the hospital to sit with some of the children, while Jason Greenwald's father-in-law flew out to be with Joshua at the children's hospital.

"I think we were just running on adrenaline, luck and love," Jason Greenwald said.

Brenda Greenwald will remain in the ICU in Colorado until her heart rate and blood pressure stabilize, and she regains consciousness and can respond to questions, according to the GoFundMe page.

"She's doing a lot better mentally," Jason Greenwald said. "She is coming around. It sounds like there are some physical attributes they are waiting on and trying to get her health enough to be released from the ICU so she can move into recovery." 

Despite her injuries, Emily attended her team's championship game from the bench after being released from the hospital.

The hockey community has rallied around the family. 

"That goes for the community out in Colorado, and other states, it's amazing how much the hockey community has rallied around our family," Jason Greenwald said.

Jason Greenwald is currently unable to work while managing the crisis and caring for his five children.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is renewing its call for information in the disappearance of Robert Gautsche, a cognitively impaired man who vanished five years ago in Castle Rock.

Gautsche was last seen on Feb. 4, 2021, walking near the 5900 block of Promenade Parkway. He was 58 years old at the time of his disappearance.

The case has recently received national attention after being featured on the true crime podcast “Missing Persons.” Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tinsley was interviewed for the episode and said investigators have received no credible leads since the initial week of the search.

“Since that first week, we have not received any leads or potential sightings of Robert,” Tinsley said. “Without someone stepping forward to let us know he’s ok, it is going to be very difficult for us to ever locate him.”

Related: At-risk man missing after walking away from Castle Rock care facility.

Investigators emphasized that Gautsche is cognitively impaired and said that detail remains a critical part of the case. Despite the passage of time, the sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active.

“Robert vanished five years ago, but Detective Tinsley continues to work this investigation, refusing to let Robert be forgotten,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.

Authorities are urging anyone who may remember seeing Gautsche or noticing anything unusual the night he disappeared to come forward, saying even small details could prove significant now.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The department is also encouraging the public to listen to and share the “Missing Persons” podcast episode covering Gautsche’s case in an effort to generate new tips.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — At least three Colorado ski resorts have reduced hours for part-time employees as a historic lack of snowfall leaves runs closed and visitor numbers down.

Allie, a first-year ski resort employee who requested 9NEWS not share the name of her employer, said she is working just two days per week despite signing on with plans to go full time for the season.

"When I was hired in November, I was expecting to start working full-time in mid-December, and I think I had one full week so far," she said.

The reduced hours are forcing workers to seek additional employment in an already difficult job market.

"I'm trying to find a second part-time job," Allie said. "But with the current job market, it's pretty tough."

Arapahoe Basin confirmed it has cut hours for hourly employees because less of the ski area is open than typical this time of year, requiring fewer staff to run operations.

"There's no denying that a low snowpack year affects our staffing needs, with less terrain open we need less people to run the place," a spokesperson for Arapahoe Basin told 9NEWS. "And as a mountain that prides itself on community, we are doing everything in our power to support our staff through a difficult season."

The resort said it has implemented support measures, including weekly staff dinners organized by the leadership team, low-to-no cost wellness events, work and grocery shuttles to help employees save on gas, and offering front line staff hours in other departments like event support.

"Some of this has been really great how our team has banded together to support one another and really speaks to the community we have here at The Basin," the spokesperson said.

Steamboat Resort reported it has 75% of its skiable acreage open and is not operating at the level it recruited and staffed for last fall.

"With less terrain and reduced operations, we've prioritized maximizing demand for some lifts and outlets, and protecting hours of our full-time employees, which means reducing hours for some seasonal team members," the ski resort said in a statement.

Meanwhile, as others are reducing employee hours, Loveland Ski Area says it is not.

"We have not reduced any of our employee hours. We manage hiring timelines and start dates to align with operational conditions as needed, a Loveland Ski Area spokesperson told 9NEWS."

A spokesperson for Vail Resorts, which operates Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Crested Butte, said the company needed more time to gather information, but provided a statement saying employees can access support through its Epic Promise Employee Foundation.

"Every season, we are closely monitoring conditions and available terrain and adjusting staffing in real time to align with operations — while working to provide our employees with the maximum number of hours possible," Vail Resorts said. "We recognize that periods of uncertainty require care and foresight, and we have been taking proactive steps to support both our team members and our local communities."

Allie, who has been skiing for 20 years, said the current conditions represent the worst season she has ever witnessed.

"Every day I go to work, and we just don't have snow. Nowhere does. It's pretty sad," she said.