Small businesses in Colorado are getting a $17 million boost through two new capital access programs announced by Gov. John Hickenlooper, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), and Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA).

DENVER — Despite the chill in the air Friday night, it’s quite heated at auditions for the 2013 Colorado Firefighter Calendar in Denver.

This is the calendar’s first major event since a financial scandal last fall forced the former organizer to step down.

The screams firefighters hear are usually for help–not this–ladies screaming and squealing with delight.

And usually firefighters battle smoke and flames–not each other.

“Whether I make it or whether I don’t, just being asked to do it is a great honor,” says Eric Pingel from Buckley AFB Fire Department.

These professional firefighters compete for one of 14 coveted spots in the 2013 Colorado Firefighter Calendar.

“Firefighters are all about helping people. If we can use our role as firefighters to promote fire safety and help Children’s Hospital, I think any of us would take advantage of the opportunity,” says Matt Zavala with Boulder Fire Department.

GOLDEN, Colo. – A 19-year-old Denver man faces charges of animal cruelty and theft for allegedly stealing hamsters from a pet store in Westminster, and then torturing and killing them.

Prosecutors say William Joseph Riddick stole at least six hamsters from the PetsMart on Town Center Drive, where he was employed, over a span of two months.

He was arrested at the store on May 4.

According to the arrest affidavit, Riddick told police he would steal the hamsters, and then throw them against a wall or hit them repeatedly until they died.

Riddick was freed on a $200 cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 11.