DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies are bringing in Denver Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner through a minority investment from the Penner Sports Group.
Rockies chairman & CEO Dick Monfort and owner/general partner Charlie Monfort announced the deal Friday. It's been approved by Major League Baseball.
The Penner group is purchasing approximately a 40% share of the Rockies, a person with knowledge of the situation said. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the figure hasn't been released. The group becomes the largest minority partner for the Rockies, a team Forbes has valued at $1.68 billion.
Dick and Charlie Monfort will continue their roles, with Walker Monfort serving as the team's president. The organization said the investment allows the club to “retire all outstanding debt” in addition to providing an enhanced experience at Coors Field.
“Greg and Carrie have proven that they share the same passion for our region and a strong commitment to compete at the highest level," Dick Monfort said in a statement. "We are thrilled to add them to the Colorado Rockies’ ownership group as we best position this franchise for long-term sustained success.”
The Rockies are off to a 6-7 start this season. They made big changes in the offseason after a third straight year with 100 or more losses. The front office is now led by Paul DePodesta, the president of baseball operations, and general manager Josh Byrnes.
The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group bought the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust in August 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion. Walmart heir Rob Walton also is an owner, while Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, Mellody Hobson and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice serve as limited partners.
Denver made it to the AFC championship game last season before losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots.
“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball,” the Penners said in a joint statement. “We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.”
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Denver Broncos owner Greg Penner walks after attending a session at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Supporters of Bolivia’s influential ex-President Evo Morales clashed with police on Monday in the capital city as they called on the president to resign, joining a nationwide protest movement fueled by the worst economic crisis in a generation.
Thousands of Morales' followers converged on the plaza outside the government headquarters as Bolivia remains paralyzed by road blockades that have strangled cities and triggered food and fuel shortages in the last two weeks.
The unrest presents the biggest challenge yet for President Rodrigo Paz, a business friendly centrist who came to power six months ago as a wave of conservative electoral wins swept the region.
Security forces pushed back protesters who tried to break police ranks with canisters of tear gas before they could reach Congress or the presidential palace. Dynamite blasts rumbled, forcing staffers and lawmakers to evacuate. “Homeland or death, we will win!” demonstrators chanted, ripping shop doors off their hinges and setting fire to looted sofas used as barricades.
The public prosecutor announced 90 arrests.
“They can march if it’s peaceful, but we will take action if they commit crimes,” said Deputy Interior Minister Hernán Paredes.
Paz's shock victory last year highlighted Bolivians' disillusionment with two decades of political domination by Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, as the country reeled from its worst economic crisis in 40 years. But his victory over more right-wing candidates also revealed the nation's unwillingness to support drastic austerity measures.
As Bolivia's first elected conservative leader since 2006, Paz has sought to balance belt-tightening with the need to placate Morales' powerful allies who could disrupt his presidency.
To rein in a massive budget deficit, he eliminated fuel subsidies that represented a pillar of the MAS economic model. But he maintained social welfare programs and offered new benefits to informal workers to blunt the blow of inflation.
That wasn't enough for many Bolivians. The protest movement began with the national labor union demanding wage hikes. Then farmers furious about poor quality fuel joined. Then miners strapped for dynamite piled on pressure. Now loyalists of Morales want Paz gone.
“Small things have been accumulating — the wage issue, the economic crisis, dirty gasoline that people say is ruining their cars, diesel shortages," said Veronica Rocha, a Bolivia political analyst. “There’s a huge portion of the population that feels orphaned politically. They don’t trust anyone anymore, and because of that, anything can happen.”
Paz accuses Morales of orchestrating the unrest to undermine his administration. Road blockades have long been a main weapon of social movements tied to Morales that claim to represent Bolivia’s rural Indigenous majority.
Over the past 16 days, the protest tactic has stranded around 5,000 trucks on highways, leaving supermarket shelves empty and hospitals without some medical supplies. Critics say it's a perverse way to protest economic pain — business chambers report the blockades cause over $50 million in losses a day.
Paz has negotiated with some protest groups, reaching deals in recent days with striking miners and teachers who agreed to end their demonstrations. He deployed thousands of police and military officers across La Paz to try to break the blockades over the weekend.
But the crisis continues, worrying the wider region. Eight allied Latin American governments, from Chile to Costa Rica, released a joint statement rejecting “any action aimed at destabilizing the democratic order.” Neighboring Argentina said it would start a weeklong humanitarian airlift to alleviate shortages in the country.
The United States, now rebuilding relations with Bolivia after years in which Morales defined the country in opposition to Washington, said it supported Paz’s efforts “to restore order for the peace, security and stability of the Bolivian people.” The State Department issued an alert this week urging U.S. citizens traveling to Bolivia to be vigilant.
Morales marshaled the latest march from his hideout in Bolivia's remote tropics. He has been holed up in the highlands for the past year and a half, evading an arrest warrant on charges relating to his sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. He says the allegations are politically motivated.
Right-wing politicians have seized on the protests to demand authorities arrest Morales, who was held in contempt of court last week after he failed to appear for a trial.
But Morales' enduring influence “is only one piece of the puzzle,” Rocha said. "If the government wants to survive politically, it will have to make drastic changes.”
DeBre reported from Ushuaia, Argentina.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Military police stand outside the government palace while anti-government protests take place in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Police stand guard behind a fence during anti-government protests near the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A miner launches a firecracker at police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
