City Cast Denver: Recent Episodes
City Cast
Join Host Bree Davies and the City Cast Denver crew every weekday morning as we celebrate, explore, and challenge an ever-changing Denver. It’s the daily news podcast for all Denverites — whether you’ve been here for six months or six generations. We’ll break down the news you need (and want) to know with journalists and culture makers; activists and artists; neighbors and ne’er-do-wells — and John Elway, if he ever returns our calls. Learn more and subscribe to our morning newsletter at citycast.fm/denver. *Named Best Podcast in Denver of 2021 by Westword
The humble user review — taken alone, is just one person’s opinion. But put a bunch together, and that aggregated star rating can make or break a local business. So today, we’re going inside the minds of the people leaving one-star reviews for some of our favorite Denver places. Producer slash quizmaster Paul Karolyi puts producer Olivia Jewell Love and returning fave JD Lopez to the test. Can they guess famous Denver landmarks based only on one-star reviews? Who knows Denver’s haters best?
For more from JD, you can hear him share his ice cream obsession on our ice cream battle episode from July or interview local creatives on his podcast Left Hand Right Brain.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Thirst Denver
BadBoyBoards
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s easy to walk down the streets of Denver and see the major issues facing our city — housing, homelessness, public safety, etc. It’s much less clear how Denverites really feel about those issues. A brand new nonprofit polling group, Colorado Polling Institute, has stepped forward to fill the gap, promising regular surveys of how Denverites feel about their mayor, city council, encampment sweeps, DIA, RTD, and more. Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to break down the CPI’s first batch of cold, hard polling facts.
Patty mentioned Westword’s coverage and a piece about the first CPI poll in the Denver Gazette
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
BadBoyBoards
Thirst Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mayor Mike Johnston is tackling Denver’s homelessness crisis head on, but the city might not be able to wait for long. When Denverite reporter Kyle Harris spent 21 hours at a calzone shop on Broadway, he met a business owner who’s been pushed past his limit and heard rumors of a possible violent revolt spreading through encampments. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Kyle to talk about what else he saw that night and what that charged situation on Broadway says about the interconnected nature of our unhoused crisis. Plus, another round of wins and fails of the week — aka, our Rocky Mountain highs and lows.
Paul talked about UFOs in Southern Colorado, the Colorado Doula Project, Deion Sander’s post-game interview last Saturday, and Bomani Jones’ insights in this terrific documentary. Bree discussed sexual assault in the music scene and a local abortion clinic’s major milestone. Kyle talked about Barry’s on Broadway and the new “bike bus” near Sloan’s Lake.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For more than 100 years, the brick power plant at Zuni Street and West 14th Avenue generated electricity for Denver using steam. But now that the plant has been retired, it presents a conundrum: Should the crusty old building and its two smokestacks be demolished? Or somehow redeveloped into an asset for the Sun Valley neighborhood? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi visit the defunct Zuni Generating Station with Denver’s first-ever chief urban designer Eugenia di Girolamo to talk about how the building known to some as “The Devil’s Castle” could become Denver’s next iconic landmark.
The Denver Post has more on the old Xcel Generating Station, and the Colorado Encyclopedia has more on the Denver Tramway Powerhouse (Aka, the REI building). Bree talked about the latest development in DPS’s “seclusion room” controversy and flu season.
What non-residential building would you most want to live in? Residential conversions are all the rage, but is everyone thinking way too small! Of all the non-residential buildings in Denver, which would you most want to move into? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your pick on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
They don’t make stuff like they used to…turns out that’s true for Denver’s buildings as well. Art Writer and Architecture critic Michael Paglia has written about the Mile High’s growth spurts over many decades for Westword, and he’s seen some multi-story highs and lows, architecturally speaking. Michael joins host Bree Davies to discuss the city’s built environment of the 21st century — the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly — while pointing out some of the bright spots in our architectural story.
Read some of Michael’s in-depth pieces for Westword on Denver’s Architecture, both good and bad:
“Ten of the Best New Buildings in Downtown Denver” (2019)
“The Ten Worst 21st Century Buildings in Downtown Denver” (2015)
“With the AIA Convention in Denver, A Look at Ten Architectural Gems” (2013)
Bree and Michael talk about the One River North building with the canyon in the middle, as well as these buildings (and here’s a lil’ map of them, if you wanna do a tour):
Prism - 999 17th Street
Coloradan - 1750 Wewatta Street
Via - 828 Broadway
2785 Speer - 2785 Speer Boulevard
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Host Bree Davies and state politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval are breaking down all the local stories that matter this week — starting with a Democratic committee appointing Tim Hernández to the vacated 4th house district seat and Justine digs into what the appointment of a Chicano community activist says the current Colorado democratic party. Then, Bree talks about the list of 11 possible locations for short term housing that the Johnson Administration released a few days ago. Plus, we share your takes on the best way to get to the airport and what we left out on our visitor’s guide.
Justine mentioned DPS’s current day segregation issues, which Chalkbeat covered this summer; Bree talked about the neighbors’ lawsuit against the Park Hill United Methodist Church in 2021 for hosting a Safe Outdoor Space.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s park system is something to behold — we have more than 250 dedicated green spaces in the city proper and over 14,000 acres of Denver-owned parkland in the mountains, all open to the public for free. There are so many beautiful spots to soak up our Mile High magic outdoors, so where do you start? From the most underrated public landscapes to the most prime people-watching spots, host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and fave guest Joshua Emerson break down the must-visit green spaces around Denver.
Paul mentioned some recent re-thinking around dog parks, and Bree talked about the new park renaming process that’s just started.
Check out this interactive map from the City and County of Denver to find your new favorite park!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colorado Restaurant Association
“Beautiful: A Carole King Musical” at the Arvada Center
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the University of Colorado hired NFL Hall of Fame superstar Deion “Prime Time” Sanders to be their next head football coach, Boulder went bananas. But it’s time to see what the new-look Buffs can do on the field, and the off-field stakes are just as high. Producer Paul Karolyi is talking through the implications for Boulder and the whole CU system with 5280 Magazine’s Editor Lindsey King and Editorial Director Geoff Van Dyke. And as always, we wrap up the Friday show with a round of wins and fails of the week.
We talked about Ed Sheeran, John Fielder, Office-to-Residential Building Conversions, Proposed LGBTQ Book Bans, RVs for Hawaii, and (the lack of) air conditioning at Denver Public Schools. Also, here’s the 5280 Magazine interview with John Fielder from 2009 that Lindsey and Geoff talked about and Robert Sanchez’s terrific article on the Deion Sanders moment at CU Boulder.
Paul is pretty sure this is the same fleece John Fielder donated to History Colorado. He’s got some pretty good leads on identifying Fielder’s boots, too.
Do you know who offers the best photography class in town? Paul wants to follow in John Fielder’s footsteps, and he needs your help. Have you taken a class you love? Or know someone who did? Leave us a voicemail or text at 720-500-5418 or email us at denver@citycast.fm, and you might hear your rec on the show (or see it in Hey Denver) soon!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Girl Scouts of Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Guy Fieri’s people have returned to two Colorado restaurants made famous by “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” — which has us pondering what kind of an impact the show can make on a local business. Then, what was known for a quarter-century as the Park Tavern in Cap Hill is getting another chance at bar life, complete with tacos! And finally, we ask a contentious question: should dogs be allowed in restaurants? Host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor (and resident foodie!) Peyton Garcia break down the latest food news, plus pick the official City Cast Denver “Maybe” event for your weekend — as in maybe you’ll see the CCD crew there!
Here are links to all the events Peyton mentioned:
Shakespeare in the Wild
Shine Music Festival
Colorcon Mural Festival
Back to School Pig Roast Fundraiser
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
How do you feel about dogs in restaurants? We want to hear from you! Call our Dogs In Restaurants hotline and leave us a voicemail with your name, neighborhood, and hot dogs-in-restaurants-or-nah take and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Well, it’s happening again. Complaints about traffic have driven the powers that be to make the same old proposal: What if we just added an extra lane to that troublesome highway? This time it’s the main road out to Denver International Airport — Peña Boulevard. The transit experts say it won’t help. But what about our new Mayor Mike Johnston? And what about all the new neighbors set to move into the area soon — AKA, more than 35,000 families, Pepsi’s new bottling plant, and maybe even Elitch Gardens? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi speak with Denver Post reporter Jon Murray about why he thinks this highway widening seems “inevitable,” even though the A Line is right there.
If you have input on the planning process for Peña Boulevard, you can make your voice heard at the community event in Green Valley Ranch tonight from 5-8 p.m. There’s another one scheduled for next Wednesday at the same time.
Paul mentioned the DIA train’s new voice and Suncor’s latest legal settlement.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Girl Scouts of Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Tuesday, and we’re talking about all the local stories that matter this week. First, the Latino Cultural Arts Center recently announced plans for “Las Bodegas,” a sprawling arts and cultural campus in the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood. But that’s just the latest big project transforming the Westside, a section of the city marred by a history of displacement and divided by highway infrastructure. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about where Las Bodegas will fit alongside Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke’s big plans for Ball Arena, CDOT’s hopes for that defunct railyard, and the rapidly changing Sun Valley. Plus, we’ve got updates on the Mercury Cafe, Denver’s ongoing labor conversation, and an oven-hot pizza recommendation from you, our dear listeners.
The city is looking for partners on the Burnham Yard redevelopment project, which started when the Colorado Department of Transportation bought the land in 2021. Paul also mentioned the railyard in Santa Fe and the data on new business filings in Colorado this year.
Have you started a new business? We are interested in what’s driving the flurry of new business filings, especially since the labor market is so tight. So if you’re finally pursuing your dream or if you’re launching new side hustle, we wanna hear about it! Leave us a voicemail or a text, and you might hear it on the show soon: 720-500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Girl Scouts of Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A few years ago, the New York Times spent a weekend in Denver as part of its “36 Hours” series, offering a guide for how a visitor to the Mile High City could get the most out of our lovely city. This Denver travel guide felt somewhat theoretical, at best, and painfully unaware, at worst. Sooooo, we decided to fix it and make our own! Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to lay out our own “36 Hours in Denver,” giving visitors an on-the-ground guide to the restaurants, attractions, and city-close outdoor excursions that make this place great.
Paul mentioned our episode on DIA conspiracy theories. Bree talked about the Forney Museum’s old home in REI, and the story behind the historic brick building, which you can read about in our newsletter, Hey Denver!
What did we miss? We want to hear your can’t-miss spots that never fail to impress visitors. Leave us a voicemail or a text at 720-500-5418, and you might hear it on the show soon!
Here’s a list of all the places we recommended:
Colorado Tick Club (Curtis Park)
Blucifer (DIA)
RTD’s A-Line (It’s Free all August!)
Union Station (Union Station)
The Confluence (Highland)
“Confluent People” by Emanuel Martinez (Auraria)
Starbucks at the REI (Auraria)
Little Man Ice Cream (LoHi)
Bruto (Union Station)
Bodega (Sunnyside)
Red Rocks (Morrison)
Dinosaur Ridge Trail (Morrison)
J’s Noodles (Westwood)
Miss Saigon (formerly Pho 79; Westwood)
New Saigon (Athmar Park)
Meow Wolf (Sun Valley)
Raíces (Sun Valley)
Bastien’s (City Park)
PS Lounge (Congress Park)
Bluebird Theater (City Park)
Middleman (City Park)
Satire Lounge (Cheesman Park)
Tom’s Starlight (North Cap Hill)
Charlie Brown’s (Cap Hill)
Pho 96 (Ruby Hill)
Lakeside Amusement Park (Lakeside)
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Girl Scouts of Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Unions are all the rage this summer. It’s looking like the busiest summer of labor action since 2000, with 323,000 workers already having gone on strike, according to the Denver Post. But it’s not just grocery store clerks and Hollywood writers, the solidarity is spreading to nontraditional labor hotspots, like homeless shelters and The Mercury Cafe. With The Merc’s employees set to vote on their union next week, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by returning fave Joshua Emerson to talk about the iconic Five Points restaurant and venue and it’s role at the center of the latest labor fight.
Joshua is hosting his comedy showcase “Colorado Native” at the Holiday Theater on Aug. 24. You can get tickets here.
Paul talked about the amusement park Aurora could have had back in the late ’70s, Roger Zelazny’s classic sci-fi novel “Lord of Light,” and the Colorado Sun report on HOAs. Joshua mentioned secretive judges. Bree talked about Jason Perry, the DJ who was killed outside Dandy Dan’s recently.
ICYMI We’re working on an update to our recent episode, “Are Denver’s Strip Clubs Dying?” Check it out if you missed it!
For another dispatch from Hot Union Summer, our pal Chris Walker reported a surprising story this week about the local impacts of the Hollywood writers and actors strike.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Simple Steps, Better Air” - Regional Air Quality Council
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’re hitting that late-summer stride in Colorado as temps rise into the upper 90s, and being without air conditioning feels unbearable. The public pools close this weekend, so where do you go in this city for a chilly respite? Host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor Peyton Garcia and producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to share their favorite places to cool off — from cheap and/or free options to some pricey picks if you’re really desperate to beat that heat! Some links to learn more about all the things we talked about:
National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility (Lakewood)
Colorado Ice Works (Englewood)
Hessaire MC18M Swamp Cooler
IKEA Scavenger Hunt
Free days at various museums
Tubing in Golden, The Golden Mill (Golden)
Great Wolf Lodge (Colorado Springs)
Go dip your feet in a mountain creek (Maybe Estes Park?)
Ride the Pegasus Shuttle
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver looks different through everyone’s eyes. So, how do you capture the Mile High City in a way that showcases what makes it special or unique to you? Today on the show, producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love (@wasteofmylife) go behind the scenes and swap recs with local Instagram celebrity Amanda Bittner (@theamandabittner). From the overlooked alleyways to the restaurants poised to launch the next food trend, they discuss cool spots and unexpected backdrops that bring the city into focus.
Paul talked about Alameda Bridge and John Fielder’s passing.
Here are some links to the spots we talked about:
The Irish Rover
Dairy Block
The Mile-High Steps
“Wish You Were Here” at the Ramble Hotel
Plant Garage
Sushi-Rama
The Botanical Bakery of Denver
Red Rocks
Paul’s Secret Bonus Spot
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Simple Steps, Better Air” - Regional Air Quality Council
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are breaking down all the local stories that matter this week — starting with what some Dems have called “careless words” from Governor Jared Polis. First, he raised eyebrows after saying some confusing things about abortion on CNN; later, in an interview with 9News, he made remarks about childcare and the bumpy rollout of the statewide Universal Pre-K program. Then, Paul talks about why some WNBA bigwigs are sniffing around the Mile High and finally, listeners respond to our recent chat with former DPS teacher and HD4 candidate Tim Hernández about discipline and safety in public schools.
Paul mentioned Heinie’s Market in Wheat Ridge as a Palisade Peach hot spot. He also talked about big finance dude Robert Cohen, who was on the show a while back to make a case for Denver hosting the Olympics.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Simple Steps, Better Air” - Regional Air Quality Council
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Downtown Denver has a lot of big, beautiful office buildings that are… empty. Simultaneously, the city is facing an ongoing shortage of housing options, particularly affordable ones. Which all leads to one big question: Could some of those vacant office buildings be converted into apartments or condos or some kind of office-shaped domicile? The answer is yes, kind of. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Brad Segal — urban planner, real estate economist, CU Denver professor (and Bree’s former boss) — to talk about the potential for a vacant-office-to-housing pipeline and the future of downtown.
Paul forgot to mention this building on the 16th St. Mall that is being eyed for residential conversion. Brad spoke at length about the revitalization of downtown in the late 80s. To learn more about that, check out our interview with former mayor Federico Peña.
The City of Denver is in the midst of studying our office building situation, which Esteban Hernandez at Axios dug into.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Simple Steps for Better Air” - Regional Air Quality Council
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What a week it was in Denver! First, DPS is in the midst of a crisis, this time involving a fired principal, a questionable student “seclusion room” with a lock on the door, and a whistleblower unloading some serious allegations — all centered on the McAuliffe International School, a middle school in Park Hill. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by returning guest, public school teacher and HD4 candidate Tim Hernández to break down this complicated situation. Then, wins and fails of the week, from some important roller coaster news and new renter protection laws a Boulder case involving the devastating and permanently disabling outcome of solitary confinement.
Just a note: This episode contains graphic mentions of self-harm.
What do you think about the “seclusion room” at McAuliffe? This is a developing situation, and we’re far from finished talking about it. So we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think in a text or a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show soon: 720-500-5418
Find out more about Tim’s run for House District 4 here; and his opponents Rochelle Galindo and Cecilia Espenoza. Paul played a clip of this 9News report on former McAuliffe principal Kurt Dennis’s firing, shared an excerpt from this letter from parent of a student who spent time in the room in question, and talked about the new Department of Public Safety dashboards. We also discussed the 9News interview some say Dennis was fired for giving.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colorado Wine Board
Girl Scouts of Colorado - DreamLab
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
That Mile High sun is a-blazing, and that can only mean one thing. It’s patio season here in Denver. So where are the best spots to soak in some rays and toss back a margarita? And what if all you’re really looking for is a great view of good vibes? Host Bree Davies and Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shared their favorite patios in this conversation we recorded last summer — from prime rooftop party spots to those calm, garden-like hideaways.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colorado Wine Board
Wana Brands
Girl Scouts of Colorado - DreamLab
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Colorado Republican Party sued the state last week in an effort to stop unaffiliated voters — who make up 45% of CO’s registered voters — from participating in GOP primaries. One of the men behind that lawsuit? Attorney John Eastman, who also happens to be wrapped up in former President Trump’s Jan. 6th indictment. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun to talk about all of Eastman’s latest shenanigans and how his lawsuit could reshape our politics. Then, Westword staff writer Bennito L. Kelty joins to discuss his decision to hike a closed-off section of the DeCaLiBron Loop and what the blowback says about who owns Colorado’s 14ers.
We also discussed this response to Bennito’s hike from the executive director of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative and the chair of the Fix CRUS Coalition.
What’s the best place to get Palisade peaches? We want to share the love. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your rec on the show soon: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
What’s the best place to get Palisade peaches? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colorado Wine Board
Girl Scouts of Colorado - DreamLab
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prior to the first sweep of a homeless encampment on his watch, Mayor Mike Johnston made a visit to meet the Denverites living on the street at 22nd and Stout. So, how did it go? And now that the sweep has happened, what’s next? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into the details, plus take a look at Johnston’s homelessness plans for the remainder of 2023. Then, another fight over bike lanes ensues — this time, in Cap Hill — and Palisade peach season is in full effect!
We mentioned Denverite’s reporting on this sweep, along with his conversations with folks impacted by it. Bree talked a 2017 Westword profile of the Torres family, who lost their home twice to eminent domain. Paul talked about Harrison Ford’s legit aviation experience outside of the movies and recognized how cool Carpio-Sanguinette Park really is.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colorado Wine Board
Girl Scouts of Colorado - DreamLab
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is there still a place for strip clubs in Denver’s vast world of entertainment, arts, and “immersive” experiences? Can our local economy still support this kind of entertainment, between changing technology and an increasing cost of living? Denver Post reporter Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton dug into the business of strip clubs, and she sits down with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk financials, labor, and regulations of the industry — plus, they dig into the spicy, NBA-related controversy involving Shotgun Willie’s and the mysterious Texan strip club magnate betting big on the Denver market.
Bree talked about Mayor Mike Johnston’s first encampment sweep last Friday.
Oh and hey, check it out! Salt Lake City is still obsessed with us. Their newspaper of record recently printed an editorial calling on their mayor to follow our mayor Mike Johnston’s lead in declaring a state of emergency on homelessness. Check out City Cast Salt Lake for a breakdown of how it’s playing out there.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Explore Colorado wine with the Colorado Wine Board
Girl Scouts of America — DreamLab
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s wedding season in Colorado, and that means… your $2-million Aspen wedding could be ruined by a crappy sound system and an inconvenient gondola schedule? Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to talk epic weddings in the Centennial State. Then they take a look at local wins and fails of the week — like that brunch place Paul can’t stop gushing about and why Colorado politics Twitter basically disappearing sucks for everyone. As always, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins the crew to share her best bets for your weekend.
Got a crazy Colorado wedding story of your own? We want to hear it. Maybe you’ll help someone else avoid their own CO wedding fail. Text or leave us a voicemail on the Wedding Fail Hotline: 720-500-5418
Bree and Justine praised trash service being offered to some encampments, and Bree talked about the death of Darrius Davis as he was being evicted. Paul talked about Denver marriage registrations and the new Broncos coach’s recent interview with USA Today.
This episode mentions a death by suicide. If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can always call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. There's help available 24 hours a day.
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Free concerts at Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We love talking about cool events and things to do around Denver. But there are so many to choose from! Which ones are truly worth your time? Which ones are going to leave you with lasting memories? And which ones are gonna give you so much FOMO? Host Bree Davies and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia each picked four awesome August events to share, and producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love join to help narrow the field down to our best bet of all — the one August event where you’re most likely to see us.
Here are links to all the events Bree and Peyton recommended: Bree Picks
Listening Lawn, August 5 (Carpio Sanguinette Park, Globeville)
Hip Hop 'til Infinity, August 11 (Five Points)
Globeville Neighborhood Bike Ride, August 20 (Globeville)
5th Annual La Raza Park Day, August 27 (Sunnyside)
Peyton’s Picks
Meow Wolf Monster Battle, August 10 (Cheesman Park)
ElevAsian Night Market Fundraiser, August 19 (Auraria)
Summer Scream at Lakeside Amusement Park, August 24 (Lakeside)
Chicken Fight!, August 24 (Elitch’s)
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on the formerly known Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Free concerts at Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s summertime and we’re thinking about what else — hot dogs. Does the Mile High actually have a hot dog scene? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Can you put ketchup on a Chicago-style dog if you’re not in Chicago? To answer these questions and more, the City Cast Denver team met up with our hometown dog dude, Biker Jim, to survey the wiener scene. Host Bree Davies, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, and producer Olivia Jewell Love took a tour de hot dog from Lakewood to Northfield with Biker Jim himself to learn more about Denver’s place in hot dog culture, how he became so dang successful at slinging franks, and his famous meeting with Anthony Bourdain.
Places we visited:
Chicago Style Beef and Dogs (Lakewood)
Mustard’s Last Stand (DU)
The Dog Haus (Central Park)
Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs (Ballpark)
Did you catch Biker Jim’s recent appearance on Good Morning America? It was really something.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Got a favorite Denver hot dog? Or a response to something you heard on the show? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on a future episode: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are drivers more aggressive in Denver than they used to be? Has it become the norm to speed on neighborhood streets? And most important: Why do people keep crashing their cars into stuff? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into the bad driving problem, plus a new study that shows traffic downtown is back to pre-pandemic levels. Is there life downtown again? Then, we share listener voicemails about your favorite neighborhood rec centers and a Lowry resident wonders why we aren’t showing more appreciation for local liquor stores.
Paul mentioned Xcel’s new back-to-the-office policy. Bree mentioned friend of the show, reporter John Moore’s post about someone crashing into a Lakeside Amusement park building. Paul and Bree also discussed “Welcome to My Office” a new addition to DIA’s massive — and kinda weird — art collection.
What should we actually call DIA’s new bronze business man? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your suggestion on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Levitt Pavilion
“Pioneer Music of the Mountain West” at American Museum of Western Art, presented by Swallow Hill
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When it comes to climate change, Governor Jared Polis and the Democrats in control of the statehouse are betting big on electric vehicles, or EVs. Earlier this month, they increased the state incentive for residents purchasing an EV from $2,000 to $5,000, but that’s just the tip of this melting iceberg. CPR climate reporter Sam Brasch says there is “no better state in the country to buy an electric car than Colorado.” Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Sam to break down all the money available to EV-curious Coloradans, his personal experience owning a Chevy Bolt, and the complicated politics of EVs.
Learn more about our state’s EV incentive programs. Bree mentioned Naloxone at AEG venues and KeepThePartySafe.org.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’re less than a month into Mike Johnston’s first term as mayor, and things are already off to a bumpy start — some media outlets reported this week that the mayor would not enforce homeless encampment sweeps. Turns out that wasn’t quite the case. Plus, Suncor continues to fail, RTD is actually winning, and Denver Parks and Rec gets a well-deserved pat on the back. Host Bree Davies is joined by producer and chief conspiracy theorist Paul Karolyi and regular fave Joshua Emerson, comedian and co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission. And as always, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shares her best bets for your weekend — think brewery birthdays, vegan mania, Aurora chef celebrations, and more!
For more on the rollout of Mayor Johnston’s homelessness plan, check out this helpful piece from our pal Kyle Harris at Denverite. Paul mentioned the Aloft Hotel’s new vacancies, Cultivando’s air monitoring program in Commerce City and a new local investment opportunity. Bree talked about that big green building on Kalamath, her love for the Northside’s Ashland Rec Center, the Denverite piece on The Gathering Place-operated motel shelter shutting down, and her husband’s UMS party this weekend. Josh talked about RTD’s historic rate decrease and the prospects for this year’s sweet corn harvest.
For more on Suncor — the recent shutdown and its enormous economic impact — check out our episode from back in February with Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips.
Here are links to all the events Peyton recommended:
Colorado VegFest
Tattered Cover: City Silhouettes
Avery Brewing 30th Anniversary
Aurora Chef Speaker Series
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wana Brands
“Untitled” at the Denver Art Museum this weekend, featuring none other than our guest Joshua Emerson!
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Content warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual violence. Earlier this week on our episode about self care, we recommended a solo hike via the Brothers Lookout Loop in the Alderfer Three Sisters Park in Evergreen. Not long after, we learned about a sexual predator at-large who has been targeting women hiking alone in the Evergreen and Conifer areas, including the park we mentioned. Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Olivia Jewell Love to discuss what we know so far and how to best protect yourself if you are hiking alone.
If you have any information on the situation, contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department: 303-271-0211. Resources for survivors can be found at the Blue Bench. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Who makes the best ice cream in town? Is it the parlor with the best vibes? Or does it all come down to who accidentally spilled a bunch of salt on their Oreo cookies? We got tons of suggestions from readers and listeners, and we narrowed down the field to four ice-cold contenders — Em’s, Liks, Sweet Action, and Little Man. Who will we crown Mile High’s best ice cream? Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi, newsletter editor and resident foodie Peyton Garcia, and ice cream aficionado JD Lopez to eat way too much ice cream and pick the best in town.
Did we get it wrong? Or maybe we missed your favorite local ice cream? Don’t let your neighborhood parlor be forgotten! Call or text the Cool Treats Hotline at (720)500-5418 and leave us a message with your name, neighborhood, and pick for the best ice cream in town. You might hear it on the show soon!
When he’s not seeking out his next triple scoop, JD hosts the podcast Left Hand Right Brain, an exploration of creativity featuring local comedians, artists, and other creative types.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wana Brands
“Untitled” at the Denver Art Museum this weekend
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our friends at City Cast Salt Lake picked this fight, and we’re finally hashing it out. Can Salt Lake City really stack up to the Mile High when it’s only situated at a paltry 4,265 feet above sea level? Who has better transit, anyway? And what is with SLC’s cookie obsession? Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi plus a couple of special guests — City Cast Salt Lake’s host Ali Vallarta and producer Emily Means — to dig into the myths and facts, and determine once and for all whether we’re really rival cities — or just regional siblings who like to argue.
Bree mentioned Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Utah Governor Spencer Cox's recent plea for Americans to "disagree better."
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wana Brands
“Untitled” at the Denver Art Museum this weekend
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Neighbors in Congress Park and Country Club say that new infrastructure meant to keep cyclists safe is making their neighborhoods “ugly.” But is this change in our built environment really about aesthetics or more about who “owns” the road? Then, the Casa Bonita saga continues as management responds to concerns of employees who have been organizing with ROC United, and the rest of us try to figure out if we’ll ever get a table at CB again. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi tackle these stories, plus a look at Barbie mania in the Mile High and a comment from a listener about what we talk about when we talk about downtown.
Paul quoted a 9News story about the bike lane drama; Bree mentioned Kevin Beaty at Denverite’s story on the Casa Bonita drama that continues to unfold.
We played a very sweet ode to a very sweet cat at the end of today’s show, which you can find on musician Marty Jones’ bandcamp. Thanks to the Denver Post for this article about Smokey the cat’s retirement.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wana Brands
“Untitled” at the Denver Art Museum this weekend
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today is International Self-Care Day, and what more prompting do any of us need than to spend some time with just us? From bike trails and other outdoor adventures to concert series and day trip destinations, producer Olivia Jewell Love and Demi Harvey, host of “Serve It!” on Indie 102.3, share their favorite places for self-care in the Mile High.
Bree mentioned what’s bothering the workers at Casa Bonita and the halfway point of Zero Fare for Better Air.
Olivia and Demi talked about these cool spots:
Denver Botanic Gardens (Cheesman Park)
Hike/bike/swim at the reservoir (Cherry Creek State Park)
Brother’s Lookout trail, Willow Creek Restaurant (Evergreen)
Women in Sustainability's clothing swap on August 27 (Boulder Bandshell and Central Park)
Concerts at Levitt Pavilion (Ruby Hill)
Old Crows Antiques (Littleton)
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wana Brands
“Untitled” at the Denver Art Museum this weekend
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was a raucous night on Colfax last night -- as usual -- and the renovated garage behind Buzz Off Fax was no exception. A distinguished panel of Colfax aficionados inaugurated the first class of five Colfax icons to our new Colfax Hall of Fame in front of a crowd at the Colfax Indie Bash. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi were joined by Westword founder and editor Patricia Calhoun, Sie FilmCenter artistic director Keith Garcia, and owner and bartender of the Oak Creek Tavern, Skyler McKinley. Together this motley crew weighs in on the people, places, and things that embody the spirit, grit, and magical weirdness of our massive main street!
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Independents Day” on Colfax Ave.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next time you find yourself in LoDo or wandering around near Union Station, look down. Just below the streets of downtown, there’s a maze of old, out-of-commission tunnels that used to connect our hotels, restaurants, and stores of yore. Glimpses of these alternative pathways still exist at street level, if you know where to look. Back in January, host Bree Davies spoke with Tracy Beach, author of “The Tunnels Under Our Feet: Colorado’s Forgotten Hollow Sidewalks,” about this turn of the last century phenomenon. Beach explains what the tunnels were used for, who used them, and how to spot the remnants of these lost transit spaces today.
This interview first aired on January 5, 2023.
Bree and Tracy discussed the racist anti-Chinese riot of 1880 (which Bree talked with Dr. William Wei about on this show in 2021). Bree also mentioned Children’s Hospital’s new policy on gender-affirming surgery and “Casa Beer.”
What do you think about Salt Lake City? Are they worthy of being our rival? Hit us with your hottest take on SLC, and you might hear it on the show soon. Text it to us or leave us a voicemail at the SLC Hotline: 720-500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Independents Day” on Colfax Ave.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Robert Speer. Michael Hancock. Benjamin Stapleton. Federico Peña. Wellington Webb. Each mayor of Denver leaves their mark on the city — for good, for bad, and often for both. So what can we expect from Mike Johnston? He is the latest to lead the massive, unwieldy bureaucracy that is our city government. How will his administration bend the arc of Denver history? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi speak with Nicki Gonzales, a professor of history at Regis University and former state historian, to help us set expectations for the Johnston Era.
Paul mentioned Denver’s role in the brilliant utopian sci-fi novel “New York 2140” by Kim Stanley Robinson, one of the modern masters of science fiction. Bree talked about Mayor Johnston's emergency declaration on homelessness.
What do you think about Salt Lake City? Is it our rival city? Or would some other city be a more suitable rival? Text or leave us a voicemail with your SLC take, your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: “Independents Day” on Colfax Ave.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mayor Mike Johnston was inaugurated yesterday, with an inspiring speech and… a killer music festival? It’s Tuesday, so host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about all the local stories that mattered this week, from outgoing Mayor Michael Hancock’s last kiss goodbye to the vibes of Johnston’s first day in office. Plus, we respond to your comments on yesterday’s Colfax meme and some not-so-nice comments that our colleagues at City Cast Salt Lake made about Denver.
Wanna see our Colfax meme? Check out @colfaxthings on Instagram to see our “Colfax Starter Pack” and peep some more hilarious comments. Also, come out on Thursday, July 20, for a live recording where we’re going to induct the first class of Colfax icons — people, places, and things — to a Colfax Hall of Fame. RSVP here.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Independents Day on Colfax Ave.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you remember your first time on Colfax Avenue? It was probably equal parts exhilarating, interesting, confusing, and entertaining, as Denver’s most famous strip tends to be. But we wanted to get to the heart of what makes a true “Colfaxian experience” — like, why does this particular street attract and inspire so much weird wonderfulness? Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love decided to go right to the source, calling up Ashley, the human behind Colfax Things, an awesome Instagram account devoted to the wild, wacky, and wonderful nature of the Mile High’s most misunderstood place. Together, the crew builds a “First Time on Colfax Starter Pack” meme, in an attempt to distill the street’s glory into prime — and hopefully, viral? — internet content.
Check out the meme we made with Colfax Things on her Instagram or the official City Cast Denver IG!
Bree mentioned Nathaniel Minor’s reporting for Denverite on the failure of Vision Zero, and the 42 traffic deaths this year already.
Special thanks to our sponsor, Colfax Ave, the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District. Join us for a LIVE recording of City Cast Denver this Thursday, July 20th, from 6-9 p.m. at Bruz Off Fax as part of the Colfax Ave Indie Bash! Bree will be joined by a special guest panel on stage live to help nominate and select the first-ever “Colfax Hall of Fame”. RSVP for free and we will see you there!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colfax Ave Business Improvement District
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With our first new mayor in 12 years set to be inaugurated on Monday, we’re running out of time to resolve the most pressing issues of the Hancock Era. One of the most persistent sources of tension? Those iconic green-and-white “Denver Native” bumper stickers. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talk it out with returning favorite Joshua Emerson, stand-up comic and co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission. Then, a round of wins and fails from the week and Peyton is out, so Bree is sharing her top picks for your weekend.
Paul mentioned “zombie buildings,” the Great American Beer Fest, and the true story of the transplant behind the “Native” stickers. Bree mentioned water fountains without water, the El Chapultepec Legacy Project, and the celebrated Clara Brown. Josh talked up Jamal Murray and rising rents. We all praised John Wenzel’s work with The Denver Post. Here’s his profile of Josh from earlier this year.
Meet us on Colfax! RSVP here for our live recording on the ‘Fax next Thursday, July 20, and bear witness to the induction of the first class of the Colfax Hall of Fame. And if you think you know who should be on that list, send us a text or leave us a voicemail with your nomination, name, and neighborhood, and we might play it at the show: 720-500-5418
Here are links to the events Bree recommended:
Wakanda Forever INSIDE the Historic Elitch Theater
Friday Night Bazaar in the River North Art District
Taylor Swift Eras Before, During, and After Parties
New Moon Magick Makers Market
And Josh recommended Chelsea Kaiah and Cody Norton’s opening at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder on Friday and DeadRoom Comedy live at Leon Gallery on Saturday.
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
Colorado Wine Board
Denver Art Museum presents “Desert Rider”
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is there anything worse than a bad hike? Maybe you ran out of water. Maybe you didn’t pack the micro-spikes. Maybe you’ve been walking for 6 hours straight and you’re just plain sick of it! But this is Colorado, and we’ve got tons of great hiking trails for all occasions and skill levels. Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to dish on the latest hiking news and share some favorite hiking trails — whether you’re answering the call to adventure, hoping for more of a stroll, or if all you really care about is that nice, cold beverage waiting for you at the end.
It’s time to talk Colfax. RSVP here for our live recording on the ‘Fax next Thursday, July 20, and bear witness to the induction of the first class of the Colfax Hall of Fame. And if you think you know who should be on that list, send us a text or leave us a voicemail with your nomination, name and neighborhood, and we might play it at the show: 720-500-5418
Paul mentioned the fundraiser to support police sergeant Justin Dodge and his family, declining crowds on 14ers, and CPR reporter Nate Minor’s coverage of that dang empty lot at Colfax and Broadway.
Here are links to all the hikes we mentioned:
South Loop Trail at Elk Meadow Park (Near Evergreen)
Enchanted Mesa behind Chautauqua Park (Boulder)
Fountain Valley Loop Trail at Roxborough State Park (Near Morrison)
Brother’s Lookout and Three Sisters Loop (Near Evergreen)
Trail to the A (Outside Fort Collins)
Picketwire Canyon Trail (Near Rocky Ford)
Silverdale Heritage Trail (Near Georgetown)
Sky Pond (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes Loop (Near Leadville)
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
Colorado Wine Board
Denver Art Museum presents “Desert Rider”
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mike Johnston will be sworn in as Denver’s 46th mayor on Monday, and he’s already making moves. He hired a transition team and packed his calendar with community listening sessions. But will he roll out his “micro-communities” plan for homelessness that he campaigned so hard on? What about handling the perceptions and realities of public safety that Denver has been struggling with? And our most pressing issue: Can Mike make downtown cool again? Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi and returning fave, Westword editor Patty Calhoun, to talk through this week’s cover story on how Denver’s new belt buckle-wearing mayor could really help Denver get its mojo back.
Patty mentioned Kyle Harris’s reporting for Denverite on the status of the permit for the Park Hill Golf Course, the Museum of Illusions coming to 16th St. Mall, and 9News’ recent reporting on 911 wait times.
Patty also talked about Stephen Brackett’s idea to start a city office of a “night mayor.” He was on our show sharing more of his ideas to turn around Denver’s nightlife back in April.
Where do you think Taylor Swift will be spotted around town this weekend? She’s playing two sold out shows at Empower Field, but she’ll probably see some sights, right? Call in to the Denver Era Hotline, text or leave us a voicemail with your name, neighborhood and best guess for where to spot T Swift, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
Colorado Wine Board
Denver Art Museum presents “Desert Rider”
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
¡Viva! Streets! took over Broadway once again, literally intersecting with the Lowrider Show and Shine event outside the Denver Art Museum. And that had us wondering: Could this new clash of pedestrian life and car art culture start a new conversation about transit in Denver? Then, the Denver Post reported on how the Mile High stacks up when you compare rent hikes with average income increases — meaning, your housing nightmares were real all along. Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi to talk about all the local stories that mattered this week, plus a question for local Swifties ahead of the Eras Tour stop at Empower Field this weekend and some commentary from you, our dear listeners!
We shared some questions and comments on our recent episodes about police returning to DPS and local beverage trends this summer.
Our Question of the Week: Where would Taylor Swift take John Mayer out to dinner before her shows at Empower Field? Text or leave us a voicemail with your answer, name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
Colorado Wine Board
Denver Art Museum presents “Desert Rider”
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To the chagrin of many summer lovers, Denver’s public pools are once again operating with limited hours, due to — you guessed it — staffing problems. And that’s after they raised wages last summer! So why, as the Colorado Sun recently reported, are Denver teens increasingly skipping out on summer jobs? Host Bree Davies sits down with our official teen correspondent Shana Saint-Phard, who just graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and is not working this summer, to ask the big question: Why aren’t teens working anymore?
Before she graduated, Shana was a reporter with The TJ Journal. Check out her work here.
Bree mentioned the end of toll-free travel on I-70’s new express lane and the reduced toll program for neighbors affected by the highway expansion.
Who do you think should be in a Colfax Hall of Fame? We’re collecting nominations ahead of our live Colfax event on July 20, and we want to hear from you! We're looking for true Colfax icons -- be they people, places, or things that embody everything Colfax. Leave us your name, neighborhood, and nomination in a text or voicemail, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
Colorado Wine Board
The Denver Art Museum’s new exhibit “Desert Rider”
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re talking about all the news that mattered this short, holiday week. From our expansive craft brew scene and the burgeoning world of kombucha to Boulder’s historic — and celestial — tea empire, Colorado is a big player in the beverage world. Could kava be next? A new piece in Westword about the rise of ceremonial drink has us curious. Producer Olivia Jewell Love joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk all things drinks, plus wins and fails of the week, and then newsletter editor Peyton Garcia hops on the mic to help us pick our City Cast Denver “maybe” event of the weekend, as in maybe you’ll see us there!
We want to know what kind of cold ones are in your cooler this summer! Leave us a text or voicemail with your fave bev’, and your name and neighborhood on the Tell Us What Your Sippin’ On Hotline: 720-500-5418
If you enjoyed Helen Xu’s piece on kava as much as we did, check out her interview from last December with Paul when they discussed the Leprino family cheese dynasty drama. Bree mentioned a great episode from Gastropod about the origins of coffee’s popularity and Meow Wolf’s upcoming Monster Battle. Olivia wrote about Colorado’s mocktail scene. Paul mentioned Celestial Seasonings’ backstory and promised he’d share listener Cory P.’s vegetarian green chile recipe:
CORY P'S VEGETARIAN GREEN CHILE 12 roasted Anaheim or Pueblo chiles, peeled & chopped. 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 Roma tomatoes, diced 6 cups vegetable stock (I use Better than Bouillon, mixed in hot water) 1 tsp cumin 2-8 Tbsp Cornstarch to thicken Directions: Saute onion & garlic in olive oil until soft in a 5+ quart pot. Add stock, green chiles and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes. Simmer for 1 hour. Add cornstarch mixed with water (2 tbsp or more as needed) to thicken. Serve on everything! A note on chile heat: medium chiles are usually plenty of heat for this dish. If you’d like it a little milder, a mix of mild and medium (or even just mild chiles) is fine.
Peyton was stoked about the book, The Herbalist’s Happy Hour. Plus, here are some links to the events Peyton recommended:
DBG’s Garden to Glass (Congress Park)
Live art at Federales (Five Points)
Colfax Art Jams - Taste the Fax (East Colfax)
Crosscurrents (Downtown)
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Downtown Denver is definitely not the hellhole that some suburban Republicans think it is, but since the pandemic it’s certainly seen better days. The work-from-home boom means fewer and fewer people traversing the city’s core and, in turn, fewer customers for downtown shops, bars, and restaurants. But even with many eateries shuttering in the last few years — The Market, The Paramount Cafe, The Hard Rock Cafe, and even McDonald’s! — has come opportunity. Host Bree Davies is joined by Westword food editor Molly Martin and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia for lunch at one of the most exciting new spots — Little Finch on 16th Street Mall — and a conversation about the potential for a downtown dining rebirth.
Check out Molly’s write-up on Little Finch for Westword; she also mentioned Sofia’s and Dragonfly Noodle. Bree talked about the recent Supreme Court ruling on a local website designer’s refusal to serve the LGBTQ community. Don’t miss our episode on the case from last December!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did you keep a diary as a kid? Did you have that safe place where all of your teenage thoughts and daydreams lived on paper, never to be seen or read by anyone but you? Host Bree Davies certainly did — but instead of leaving her early 90s teenage musings behind lock and key, she joined a handful of fellow brave souls and read directly from her journals at Mortified Colorado a few weeks ago. Today, we’re bringing you the live recording of that fateful night on the Oriental Theater where rockstar fantasies, shopping mall dreams, and teenage drama come to life in front of hundreds of strangers.
Do you have a teen diary stashed somewhere in your attic? Maybe some salacious creative writing or drawings you turned in as homework in high school? What about notes you passed to friends between periods? Mortified Colorado would love to have you be a performer at their next show — find them on Facebook or fill out this form and you could be featured!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every city has its unwritten rules, and when Politico published its rules for surviving Washington DC, we figured why not share our tips for surviving Denver? Being new to this place can be daunting, so we wanted to answer some of those burning questions, like — does the altitude really matter? How much is too much when it comes to edibles? Why is everyone carrying around a giant water bottle? Earlier this year, Bree Davies chatted with producer Paul Karolyi and fave guest, former Westword staff writer Conor McCormick-Cavanagh, and compiled some helpful and fun tips on making your way around the Mile High City.
We talked about The Gathering Place losing its lease on a motel being used for temporary housing — learn more about how to support the nonprofit on their website.
Bree mentioned City Cast Denver’s next live event, the Colfax Indie Bash, happening on July 20 with our friends at the Colfax Ave BID. We’re compiling submissions for a yet-to-be-realized “Colfax Hall of Fame” and we want to know the people, places, and things you nominate. Send us your ideas via denver@citycast.fm or leave us a voicemail on the Colfax Hall of Fame Hotline at 720-500-5418!
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re talking about the big local stories this week. Casa Bonita continues to dominate the news cycle but this time it isn’t all roses and sopaipillas — the company changed its tipping policy last minute and many servers and bartenders are not ok with it. All this comes as a new study ranks Denverites among the highest tippers in the country. Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by podcast host and multimedia producer Graffiti to talk wins and fails: Will RTD’s zero fare summer mean better working conditions for drivers? What happened to BCycle, the Mile High’s OG bike share? And why oh why do the Rockies have to suck so bad? Plus, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shares her list of fun stuff to do and the City Cast Denver crew picks our official “Maybe” event rec for the weekend, as in maybe you’ll see us there.
Here are links to the events Peyton recommended:
FanExpo Denver 2023 (Downtown)
Cherry Creek Arts Festival (Cherry Creek)
Goat Head Weed Removal with Goathead Greg (Windsor)
Mo’Betta Green Marketplace (Five Points)
Plus, Graffiti is co-hosting Drake Night this Saturday at Ophelia’s if you want to go ‘Into the Aubrey-Verse.”
Paul mentioned Albert Edwin “Pinky” Roadhs and his cousin Riley’s barber school graduation. If you’re looking for a good haircut, check out queer.clips on Instagram. Bree talked about RTD’s woes and the possible renaming of the Ross-Barnum Library. Graffiti talked about the Rockies and Detour’s amazing Nuggets mural.
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Starting in July, the City of Denver is officially launching its free composting program, which will serve more than 180,000 households across the Mile High. This means that now, along with your recycle and trash bins, you’ll also have a composting bin to help cut down even more on what goes into the landfill. But the rules of compost are tricky and ever-changing. So what exactly goes into that big green bucket on wheels anyway? Are apple cores ok? What about tea bags? Or coffee grounds? Host Bree Davies is joined by City Cast Denver’s official gardening and dirt expert Ann Marie Awad to get the down and dirty details on what you can — and can’t — put in the compost.
Looking for more info on on the basics of composting? Check out the CSU Extension’s Composting 101 Guide. The City of Denver has an FAQ page with helpful tips; you can also download the Denver Trash and Recycling App for collection reminders, holiday trash schedules, and to play the trash, recycle, or compost game!
Bree mentioned DIA’s security wait time checker, new reservation system, and the Denver Post’s recent report on local liquor stores’ recent sales slump.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the wake of the March 23 shooting at East High School, thousands of students walked out of class in protest, and the school board started what became an emotionally charged, highly controversial, three-month debate on the possible return of police to Denver Public Schools. They ultimately voted, 4-3, that police should be a “persistent presence” in our schools, but not everyone is happy with that outcome. So today on the show, host Bree Davies speaks with the board's vice president, Aoun’tai Anderson, about how the debate played out and why he thinks his fellow board members reversed their position since police were removed from schools in 2020.
Bree mentioned Bike to Work Day and DPD’s new anti-theft bike registration system, as well as the official designation of La Raza Park as a historic cultural district. For a deep dive into the last three months of debate on the role of police in schools, Melanie Asmar has been covering all the twists and turns for Chalkbeat.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Tuesday, and we’re talking about all the local stories that matter this week. First up, RTD’s “Zero Fare for Better Air” promotion is back! Local public transit will be free in July and August this year, but is this really going to lead to better air quality? Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi are talking transit and responding to some listener comments and questions about tourist traps, public art, and Stephen King’s Colorado connections.
In case you missed it, here’s a link to the episode we made last week about local tourist traps.
Paul mentioned RTD’s report on last year’s free-fare month, David Zipper’s piece on free transit, and this deep dive from DPL into the controversy over Buffalo Bill’s real burial site.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After a wet winter and super rainy spring, our rivers and creeks are running high. Does that mean we’re about to witness the best tubing season ever? Lead Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by Rocky Mountain PBS reporter and tubing buff Alison Berg to break down what those high water levels mean for your summer floating plans, as well as her expert tips on the best tubing spots, safety tips, and the unspoken rules of the river.
Paul mentioned the city auditor’s report on Denver Police Department and Interim Police Chief Ron Thomas’s comments on the likelihood of another “Summer of Violence.”
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re talking about all the the stories that mattered this week. The big Pride weekend is finally here, but what is the state of our LGBTQ community in Denver right now? Some residents in Douglas County are (again) clamoring for libraries to ban queer books; meanwhile, the state legislature has seen major strides in LGBTQ representation. Host Bree Davies is joined by returning fave Ann Marie Awad and City Cast first-timer Demi Harvey, who hosts Indie 102.3’s “Serve It!” The trio also discuss the Red Rocks hail disaster, Detour’s epic new Nuggets mural, and of course, Casa Bonita. Then, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins to share the best bets for your weekend plans.
In addition to the many PrideFest weekend activities, here are all the weekend events Peyton recommended:
Health and Fitness Expo (Barr Lake)
Plant Swap and Giveaway (Sun Valley)
Beer and Ice Cream Pairing (Various)
Larimer Square Summer Market Series (Downtown)
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are lots of glitzy attractions around Denver — but which ones are really worth it? Which destinations are just tourist traps, and which ones are the real gems, you know — the tourist treats? In this final installment of our Summer Entertainment Guide, host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor Peyton Garcia and producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to break down their can’t-miss and definitely-pass attractions from downtown D-town to ski towns of the Rockies.
We want to hear from you, too! What are the Denver-area tourist attractions that you really unabashedly love? And which made you feel empty inside? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood on the Tourist Trap Hotline, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418
Here are links to all the places we mentioned:
Royal Gorge
Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave
The Denver Zoo
Downtown Aquarium
Water World
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Tiny Town
Winter Park
Peyton mentioned a 2022 Westword investigation into the Downtown Aquarium — we chatted with reporter Catie Cheshire about her findings. Bree also mentioned our tour of Water World last summer. Paul brought up Raven Payment’s Twitter thread on the Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Every weekday, you can get even more recommendations for fun stuff to do in our Hey Denver newsletter! Subscribe here or by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Colorado’s most infamous Republican, Rep. Lauren Boebert, won re-election last November by a mere 546 votes, shocking the unsuspecting Denver public and the national press. Something was clearly changing in Boebert’s mostly rural, southern and western Colorado district, and now the Democrats have a plan to take advantage of the moment. Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with the new chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Shad Murib, to talk about “The 546 Project,” his massive new effort to unseat Boebert in 2024, and why her vulnerability and her fame combine to make her the perfect next target for the Democrats’ push to turn Colorado blue once and for all.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You ever see one of those signs that say “We Buy Ugly Houses” stapled to a telephone poll? Or plastered in giant block letters up on a billboard? Did you ever wonder what happens when someone calls that phone number? ProPublica investigative reporter Anjeanette Damon cracked the story wide open, and she’s on today with host Bree Davies to explain how the mysterious HomeVestors’ business model works, how they scoop up the deeds to so many perfectly good looking houses, and who is paying the price.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Levitt Pavilion
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Nuggets are finally world famous! Denver’s hometown ballers won their first NBA Championship in franchise history, and the city has been celebrating all week. Everything culminated with a big parade downtown on Thursday, and the City Cast Denver team was there to take it all in. But of course, the Nuggets aren’t all the news — it’s Friday, so we’re talking about a new queer cultural district, a rash of shootings on the city’s streets, and question whether Trinidad has lost its shine. Diné comedian Joshua Emerson is back with producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to break down all the local stories that mattered this week. Plus, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shares her best bets for this (hopefully sunny) summer weekend.
Bree mentioned the walking tour of Cap Hill’s queer history that we did last June with local comics artist and historian B. Erin Cole.
We didn’t see this until after we recorded, but past guest and local author Jenny Shank wrote a beautiful commentary on the Nuggets’ win for her newsletter this week. Check it out and subscribe!
A programming note: We are taking Monday off in honor of Juneteenth. So there won’t be another new episode in your podcast feed until Tuesday. Our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver is also off on Monday.
Here are links to all the events Peyton suggested:
Veggie Viernes (Westwood)
Monster Truck Charity Palooza (Aurora)
Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Square)
Juneteenth Festival (Five Points)
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is full of dioramas depicting wolves in the arctic, rare birds from across the U.S., and… people. Since 1978, millions of Denverites have walked through the North American Indian Cultures Hall and seen indigenous people — who come from hundreds of diverse tribes, cultures, and communities — depicted behind panes of glass. As the museum prepared to close the exhibition for good this week, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi met up with Diné comedian and Denver American Indian Commission co-chair Josh Emerson to tour the hall with DMNS curator of anthropology Chris Patrello to learn more about why this big change is happening now and how they are reimagining this space for the future.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every Friday on City Cast Denver, our newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins the crew to offer some event recommendations, and we collectively pick the Official City Cast Denver Maybe For Your Weekend — aka the one weekend event where you’re most likely to see us. So for this second installment of our summer entertainment guide, City Cast editor Adrian González returns to help Peyton, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi pick City Cast Denver’s Ultimate Summer Maybe. Because there’s a zillion cool things happening around Denver this summer, and we narrowed it down to one rock solid recommendation.
Here are all the events Peyton recommended: Arts
Colorado Native: A Native American Comedy Showcase, August 24 (Highland)
REVEALED: John Fielder’s Favorite Place, July 22 (Golden Triangle)
Desert Rider: Dreaming in Motion, July 9 (Golden Triangle)
Food
Strawberry Days Festival, June 16-18 (Glenwood Springs)
Olathe Sweet Corn Festival, August 4-5 (Olathe)
Blues and BBQ Festival for Better Housing, July 15 (Edgewater)
Mountain Adventure
Fibark, June 15-18 (Salida)
Paul wants you to know that the pizza place he likes in Salida is Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub
Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, July 7-16 (Crested Butte)
Mushroom ID Foray, July 8 (TBD)
Misc.
Pollinator Palooza Festival, June 25 (Westminster)
Georgetown Loop Old West Days, August 19-20, 26-27 (Georgetown)
Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, June 23-25 (Estes Park)
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
UPDATE 6/13/23: After this episode was published, we learned that the location of the Jor'Dell Richardson community memorial and procession planned for Friday 6/16 has been moved to Aurora Municipal Center. The event is still set to begin at 5 p.m.
It’s Tuesday and we’re breaking down all the local stories that matter. First, the Aurora Police Department released bodycam footage of the killing of 14-year-old Jor’Dell Richardson, but questions still remain as to what happened. Also, Denver School Board director Auon’tai Anderson announced that he won’t be running for re-election; instead, he’ll be running for House District 8, where Democratic representative Leslie Herod is term-limited. Speaking of politicians, a new Colorado law says your elected officials can block you from their personal accounts on social media if they want to — but legal or not, the ACLU still thinks it's a free speech issue. Plus, producer Paul Karolyi tells host Bree Davies about a new brunch spot in LoHi that he’s excited about, which comes from Denver celeb chef (who beat Bobby Flay!) Carrie Baird.
We mentioned the GoFundMe for Jor’Dell Richardson’s family, as well as a community gathering and memorial for Jor’Dell on the steps of the capitol.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AI is everywhere right now — at least that’s how it seems. The technology has a lot of people worried, but we wanted to know: What does it actually mean for us as Denverites? Will our jobs be taken over by AI? How will it impact our daily lives? One local company has been on the cutting edge of this technology for years before the recent hype, and they recently deployed their AI at four local fast-food restaurants. So today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi take a trip to the Carl’s Jr. drive-thru in Lakeside to test out “Holly.” Then, Bree chats with Rob Carpenter, the CEO of Colorado’s Valyant AI, to learn more about how Holly works, how worried you should be about her taking your job, and what this technology is going to mean for Denver’s future.
Bree mentioned the Marshall Fire investigation findings.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: badboyboards
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re talking about all the local stories that grabbed our attention this week — aka, the election. Mike Johnston is officially Denver’s mayor-elect, and he made a lot of promises along the campaign trail, so which ones will he keep? Plus Casa Bonita gets a write-up in a little paper called the New York Times, Governor Jared Polis vetoes a housing bill, and the last drive-in theater in the Denver metro is closing. Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by host Bree Davies and founder of investigative news outlet The Lever and Academy Award nominee David Sirota for a rundown of everything Denver’s talking about. As always, stick around until the end for a round-up of the coolest events happening this weekend in the Mile High, curated by Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia. If you haven’t read the Times’ take on Casa Bonita, here’s a link. Paul talked about Colorado’s changing drive-in movie theaters, including this one in the San Luis Valley, and predatory towing. Bree mentioned about a story from Nate Minor in Denverite about RTD’s bad bus stop management.
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein! P.S. CONGRATS ON GETTING MARRIED, ANDY!!!!!!
Here are links to the weekend events Peyton recommended:
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Grand Opening
Summer Farm Fest
The Taylor Swift Party
Denver Chalk Festival (Watch out for the weather forecast though!)
Five Points Jazz Festival
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 or by visiting our website.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
badboyboards
Energize Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When nightclub owner Steven Alix bought the old Irish Snug, he didn’t know anything about Sid King or his famous Colfax strip club, Crazy Horse. But he soon learned that the bar at the corner of Colfax and Marion had been a staple of the strip’s infamous — and often debaucherous — nightlife scene from the 1940s to the 1980s. A few decades have passed, but now the man behind Colfax’s hottest LGBTQ bars is bringing Crazy Horse Kitchen + Bar back to life, complete with King’s original Googie-style neon sign. Host Bree Davies is joined by Steven and Keith Garcia, a fellow Colfax aficionado and artistic director at the Sie FilmCenter, to dig into the myths and magic of Colfax, Sid King’s lasting imprint on the street, and why Crazy Horse (and its companion basement nightclub) are important to the current landscape of Denver’s queer-welcoming establishments. Plus, Keith and Steven share their recs for celebrating Pride Colfax-style.
Did Playboy actually call Colfax the “longest, wickedest street in America”? Bree mentioned this Denverite article investigating the infamous claim.
Keith mentioned Sie FilmCenter’s slate of Pride events all month long, including a block party with Black Pride Colorado, and teased the return of the CinemaQ Film Festival in August. Steven highlighted the week of events planned at X Bar, Tight End, and Crazy Horse.
Bree commented on the protests outside the new Drip Café on Santa Fe and recommends listening to our episode on Denver’s best coffee shops.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
badboyboards
Energize Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The people of Denver have elected Mike Johnston to become their first new mayor in 12 years. While the results won't be official until June 20, former CEO of the Denver Chamber of Commerce Kelly Brough conceded after the belt buckle-wearing former state senator won a majority of the votes counted by 10 p.m. on Tuesday. “Tonight we start a chapter about a city that is going to be big enough to care for all of us, to support all of us, to house all of us,” Johnston declared in his victory speech. “That is our dream of Denver.” Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi discuss the results of the mayor’s race and what to expect from mayor-elect Johnston, as well the City Council runoffs in districts 8, 9, and 10.
Follow Denver Elections for future updates on the races that were still too close for us to call.
What are your hopes and dreams for mayor-elect Johnston? The Mayoral Madness Hotline is still open... for now. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your comments on the show: (720) 500-5418
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Regional Air Quality Council
badboyboards
Energize Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re chatting about all the local stories that caught our eyes this week. With Election Day looming, the mayoral mudslinging has begun, and both the Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston camps are getting messy with their ads. Will these late-in-the-game attacks matter to Denver voters? And why go negative now? Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by host Bree Davies and City Cast Denver politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to parse the unfolding election drama. Plus, the crew picks their Mile High wins and fails of the week, then Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shares her recommendations for your weekend.
Paul mentioned a Western Slope graduate and the new culture of the Broncos’ locker room. Bree talked about D3 Arts. Justine shared the mystery of the missing hat and good news from RTD.
We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Denver an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 5 minutes long. You’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.
For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: badboyboards
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CEO Chris White co-founded Shinesty in 2014 selling thrift store finds to fellow CU Boulder students hoping to stand out at parties. Thanks to a surprise shout-out from Al Roker, Shinesty is now the fastest growing apparel company in Denver, with millions in venture-capital investment, new retail deals with Zoomies and Buckle, and their own MTV docu-series to boot. But they’ve captured Coloradans’ attention not with a better puffer jacket or cowboy hat, but with novelty underwear and raunchy, irreverent, and over-the-top designs for the kind of theme parties millennials love. Host Bree Davies sits down with White in Shinesty’s Highland office to ask how he made millions with products like the “Daytona Dong Sarong,” where to find the best thrift shops and estate sales across the Front Range, and what Shinesty’s success says about Coloradans’ taste in fashion.
Paul mentioned the e-bike rebates re-opening today at 11 a.m., Mayor Hancock’s bike lanes, and layoffs at Twitter and Guild.
The “Year of Efficiency” Hotline is Open! Have you or someone you know been affected by layoffs in the tech industry? We’d love to hear what’s happening inside these local tech companies. Send us a text or leave us a voicemail at (720)500-5418.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Or instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: badboyboards
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What does it mean to have a safe space? We tackle that question from two different directions in this week’s Friday news round-up. First, Club Q’s owner has pledged to re-open after the mass shooting left 5 dead and 22 injured less than two weeks ago. Will it still be a respite for the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs? And second, dozens of parents and students from Athmar Park’s American Indian Academy of Denver — a charter school rooted in indigenous values — flooded the Denver Public Schools board meeting on Monday to protest the possible closure of their school. But should it stay open right where it is? Public radio veteran and fan favorite guest Jo Ann Allen returns to break it all down with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi. Plus, Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins us to pick our official Maybe for your weekend.Jo Ann mentioned this episode of her excellent podcast Been There Done That with Mia Yamamoto. For more on the American Indian Academy of Denver, guest host Avery Lill and former CCD producer Xandra McMahon visited the school and talked to its founder almost exactly one year ago. Are you feeling the holiday spirit? Help us get in the mood! Leave us a voicemail with your name, neighborhood, and favorite Denver holiday tradition, and you might hear it on the show soon. Our number is 720-500-5418.Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866, and check out today’s newsletter for Peyton’s list of spots to watch the USMNT take on the Netherlands at the World Cup on Saturday.Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenverLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertiseLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Libertarian Party celebrates its 51st birthday next week — that’s 51 years pushing a fiscally conservative, socially liberal agenda. And the party’s origins trace back to a living room in the Denver suburbs — Westminster! — when a group of people fed up with the Nixon administration imagined a different way. Their message has shaped Colorado in many ways in the decades since, but why was Colorado the perfect place for this political ideology to be born? And is Governor Jared Polis really a secret Libertarian? Today on the show, author and former party leader Ari Armstrong joins host Bree Davies to talk about Libertarianism’s impact on local and national politics, why Colorado became the birthplace of this movement, and more. Read Ari’s work on his website.Here’s the interview with party founder David Nolan: https://lpedia.org/wiki/Document:Memoir_2001_David_Nolan_Reflects_on_the_Libertarian_Party_on_its_30th_AnniversaryLooking for more Denver news you can use? Sign up for our daily newsletter, Hey Denver, by texting “Denver” to 66866You can also find us on Twitter: @CityCastDenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertiseLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With no fewer than 20 declared candidates, the race to be Denver’s next mayor seems to be getting more crowded by the day. And more of those candidates might have a fighting chance this year, thanks to the new Fair Elections Fund, which matches certain campaign contributions with public money. But there’s only so much money available, and some of the requirements could make this election in particular a bit unwieldy. Producer Paul Karolyi talks with Westword editor Patty Calhoun about what she’s seen in 45 years of covering mayoral elections and if this fund is, indeed, a game-changer, as some have called it.
Find out more about the Fair Elections Fund and its ramifications in this article from Westword.
Paul mentioned James Leprino, the reclusive pizza cheese billionaire who hasn’t been photographed in public since 1978. His family is in court this week fighting over his billions, and if you want to learn more, the only interview we could find was with Forbes in 2017: “This Secretive Billionaire Makes the Cheese For Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s”
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s a milestone year for Su Teatro, the 50-year-old Westside institution and third-oldest Chicano theater in the country. They’re also close to paying off the mortgage on their building, cementing their place in a part of town that has seen so much change — and displacement — over the years. Host Bree Davies sits down with Su Teatro’s Executive Artistic Director Tony Garcia to hear the story of how Su Teatro came to be and why their mission is still important.
Starting this weekend, Su Teatro is bringing their acclaimed play “The Westside Oratorio” back to the stage. Learn more and buy tickets at http://suteatro.org/the-westside-oratorio/
Paul mentioned the indictments in connection with the killing of Christian Glass. He also talked about the World Cup, which would be great to watch at these local spots recommended by our pals at Westword.
Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 and learn more at https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Youth on Record’s Underground at the Showcase podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whether you’re celebrating Cyber Monday today or thinking about a wardrobe refresh for the new year, it’s time to talk fashion. Do Denverites have style? Do Crocs, cargo pants, a puffer jacket, and a cowboy hat count as fashion? LA-based designer Lil Fresh Sam grew up in Denver and now styles superstars like Doja Cat and Method Man. She sits down with host Bree Davies to talk about about finding her style in a fashion-challenged Denver, how she’s styling mayoral candidate Leslie Herod, and whether or not Denverites have style.
Looking for great local charities and nonprofits to support on Giving Tuesday tomorrow? We rounded up a list of our favorites in today’s edition of our newsletter Hey Denver, which you can subscribe to by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been a difficult week in Colorado, as the nation reels from yet another mass shooting — this time apparently targeting the LGBTQ community at Club Q in Colorado Springs. So we’re taking a break from the news to have some fun. Host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia swap tips for surviving DIA this holiday season. Then, producer Erin O’Toole shares your craziest edibles stories and we pick a winner to receive a private dinner with world-class cannabis chef Jarod Farina, AKA Chef Roilty.
Programming Note: We’re taking the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving, so City Cast Denver won’t be back in your podcast feed until Monday morning.
For even more DIA hacks, Peyton rounded up a bunch of reader-submitted ideas in our newsletter Hey Denver. And don’t miss today’s newsletter to see that pic of Emily N.
You can subscribe to Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Bree also mentioned Westword editor Patty Calhoun’s 2017 articles about the “Interior Garden” art piece at DIA.
Learn more about DIA’s food delivery service, therapy animal program, and other things to do at DIA.
A few airport restaurant recs from the team:
Root Down
La Casita
Shake Shack
Voodoo Doughnut
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everyone knows Denver’s got a housing shortage — but so many proposed fixes seem too expensive, too controversial, or just too out of reach. So what if we took some of the city’s existing structures and turned them into, well, places for people to live? That’s what Monica Martinez and The Fax Partnership decided to do when they bought two dilapidated old motels on East Colfax. These vestiges of a time when Route 40 was a tourism paradise have since become makeshift affordable housing — but Monica hopes her organization can bring stability, upgrades, and eventually, more housing to these properties. Monica joins host Bree Davies to explain why, as executive director of an East Colfax-centered non-profit, she chose to take on the housing crisis, one motel at a time.
Bree also mentioned this Denverite report on Denver Rescue Mission. For the latest affordable housing developments and other news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
As of this writing, we are (were?) still on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Youth on Record’s Underground at the Showcase podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, November 19, a 22-year-old armed with a semi-automatic weapon entered one of Colorado Springs’ few LGBTQ+ nightclubs, Club Q, and opened fire on the crowded dance floor, killing 5 people and injuring at least 25. The attack comes after Colorado Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl, deployed increasingly anti-queer rhetoric in the lead-up to the midterm elections earlier this month. Journalist Heidi Beedle reports on far-right extremism for the Colorado Times Recorder and was on the ground covering the aftermath of the shooting on Sunday. She sits down with host Bree Davies to talk through what happened over the weekend and the connections she sees with the increase in anti-queer rhetoric around the election.
Our friends at CPR have put together a list of resources and ways to help out the victims of the shooting: https://www.cpr.org/2022/11/20/colorado-springs-club-q-shooting-resources-how-to-help/
Find more of Heidi’s reporting here: https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/author/heidi-beedle/
We'll be covering the aftermath of the Club Q shooting in our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver, which you can subscribe to by texting Denver to 66866.
Share your thoughts! Just leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When city officials threatened to shut down yet another hip-hop club late last week — this time Roo-Bar Lounge at 3480 Park Avenue West — co-owner Jugurta Tighrine made a provocative allegation: “They don’t want hip-hop.” And in a city that has never made waves on the national hip-hop stage, we take on a big question: Does Denver have a hip-hop problem? Longtime promoter and champion of the local music scene Ru Johnson joins host Bree “Coco” Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to offer an insider’s take. Then we tackle a doozy of a listener-submitted question and hear from Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca on this weekend’s annual Feed-a-Family event in honor of “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and Rev. Ron Wooding.
Wanna volunteer or donate to support the Daddy Bruce Feed-a-Family Thanksgiving drive this weekend? Here’s the link to volunteer for a shift, and here’s the link to donate.
For the latest on the Boebert-Frisch race in CD3, here’s a report from last night from the Colorado Sun.
Subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With enrollment declining across Denver Public Schools and funding as scarce as ever, Superintendent Alex Marrero has thrust the highly dysfunctional DPS board into a controversial and traumatic debate over school closures. Parents, students, and activists are up in arms over his proposed “consolidations,” and for many board members, the issue is personal — past school closures motivated them to run for the board in the first place. So will the board approve his list of closures or somehow find another way out of this mess? Host Bree Davies talks to producer Paul Karolyi about how the district got into this situation; then she sits down with DPS board member Michelle Quattlebaum to talk about about why she’s approaching this vote differently than any other she’s cast before.
For more on the proposed closures, check out our friend at Chalkbeat Melanie Asmar’s recent reporting.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How long would you wait in line for a killer mimosa and huevos rancheros? What about a great bloody mary and a stack of pancakes? One of Denver’s most divisive brunch chains, Snooze, is opening a new location at 101 N Broadway this week, so we’re talking all things brunch. Host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia are breaking down the best simple brunches, brunches for big groups, vegetarian brunches, and the big kahuna: What’s the best brunch in Denver?
Brunch spots mentioned in this episode:
Snooze
Rupert’s at the Edge
Pete’s Kitchen
Bob’s Diner
Village Coffee Shop
Lookin' Good Restaurant and Lounge
Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery
Mercury Cafe
The Broadmoor
The Empress
Star Kitchen
City, O’ City
Watercourse Foods
The Wooden Spoon
Syrup
Breakfast on Broadway
The Cookery at Myrtle Hill
Denver Biscuit Company
Lucile’s Creole Cafe
Dozens
For even more brunch, check out this piece from the Denver Post about the recent surge in brunch options around Denver. And for all the Snooze-heads out there, here’s a great article from Denver Eater on how they cracked the brunch code.
Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Youth on Record’s Underground at the Showcase podcast
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The holidays are right around the corner. Wouldn’t it be fun if you could add a little something extra to your turkey and mashed potatoes… you know, like weed? Colorado’s decade of recreational weed has ushered in a growing movement of ambitious cannabis chefs — experts who have found new, interesting, and tasty ways to marry fine dining and fine bud. Today on the show, decorated culinary champ Jarod Farina of Chef Roilty cooks up a game-changer for the City Cast Denver crew. Farina explains how to easily make edibles at home, how to dose your meals properly, and answers our burning question: did he get Bobby Flay high on TV or what?
Plus! We’re giving away a night of in-home fine dining with Chef Farina! All you have to do is leave us a voicemail with your worst edibles experience, and you will be entered to win a private dinner for four with a decorated cannabis chef — a $500 value. Call 720-500-5418 and tell us your worst weed-eating story. Deadline to enter is midnight on November 20, 2022.
But if you don’t want to risk it, you can book Chef Farina through his website and peruse his various how-to guides there too.
Check out Hey Denver, our weekday local-centric newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The Holly” debuted at the Denver Film Festival earlier this month and caught a lot of local attention. Based on a book by investigative journalist Julian Rubinstein, “The Holly” centers on Terrance Roberts, a former gang member who left that life behind and returned to his Park Hill neighborhood to work as a community activist. But things went sideways and Roberts found himself targeted in an alleged conspiracy involving Denver police and local government officials. The book and the documentary have generated a lot of interest over the last year, only to be made more fascinating when Roberts announced his candidacy for mayor. Regular contributor Theo Wilson also grew up in Park Hill, and met Roberts through various community circles. He joins host Bree Davies to talk about what makes Terrance Roberts such a compelling mayoral candidate.
Bree mentioned this earlier City Cast Denver episode with Terrance Roberts himself and author Julian Rubinstein.
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
Hi, we’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Mental Health with Marielle
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Election day might be over, but Colorado’s still reckoning with some big decisions voters made this midterm, annnnd we have questions: What’s going to happen with Congressional District 3, where MAGA darling Lauren Boebert is in a shockingly close race with Democrat Adam Frisch? And what about the decriminalization of psychedelics? This is the beginning of what could be a massive industry, but will it even be commercialized in the first place? And does our back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokić have a role in our electoral outcome? Producer Paul Karolyi, host Bree Davies and Westword editor-in-chief Patty Calhoun tackle all these questions and more, plus some special hot takes from some of City Cast Denver’s favorite contributors.
Paul mentioned the city’s new Business Facade Improvement Program, the Colorado Sun’s oral history of the fight for legal weed ten years ago, and Westword’s interview with indigenous comic Josh Emerson about the Native Comedy Showcase at the Hi Dive this Sunday.
Get more deets on the City Cast Denver official “maybe” event of the week (as in maybe we’ll be there!) in editor Peyton Garcia’s newsletter, Hey Denver! You can also subscribe by texting DENVER to 66866.
We are definitely still on Twitter, ‘til that ship sinks: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like so many other Coloradans, we are watching with bated breath as the race for Colorado’s Congressional District 3 goes down to the wire. We never saw it coming, but it seems like MAGA celebrity congresswoman Lauren Boebert could actually lose. Ballots are still trickling in from across the southern and western Colorado, so host Bree Davies called up Pueblo Chieftain politics reporter Anna Lynn Winfrey, who has been camped out at the Pueblo Clerk and Recorder’s office reporting on what could turn out to be the upset of the year.
Check out Anna Lynn Winfrey’s coverage of the CD3 race for the Pueblo Chieftain.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are the baristas at Thump really rude, or is there more going on with Denver’s coffee scene than we realized? Our episode on the best (and worst) coffee shops in the city really struck a nerve with our listeners, and today on the show we’re sharing some of those responses, as well as other questions and comments you all had on Denver’s recent bout of “tipping fatigue” and Denver’s role in the West’s water crisis.
Catch up on our recent episodes on coffee, tipping and water:
Roasted! Denver’s Best (And Worst) Coffee Shops
Should Tipping Have a Place in Our New Normal?
‘Tipping Fatigue’ Hits Denver
These Service Industry Vets Have Choice Words For Your ‘Tipping Fatigue’
Could Denver Run Out of Water?
Is Denver Hoarding Water?
Water Woes in the ‘Burbs, Touchdown Trouble at Mile High
In his voicemail, Nate mentions these five coffee shops as Denver’s best: Sweet Bloom, MiddleState, Corvus, Little Owl, and Huckleberry.
Here’s the New York Times article on Illegal Pete’s that we talked about.
Bree mentioned this explainer about why “hipster coffee” tastes sour.
Also, here’s the Denver Post article we mentioned about the closing of Amethyst Coffee this fall. And don’t miss our conversation last year with Elle Taylor, the shop’s co-owner.
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The midterm elections were tight across the country, but the Democrats held their ground in Colorado, with Governor Jared Polis and Senator Michael Bennet cruising to reelection yesterday. But what about the other important state offices, ballot measures, and all those local ballot initiatives — sidewalks, eviction defense, recycling, library funding, etc.? The City Cast Denver crew was up late to bring you the results and context for what’s to come.
For a full breakdown of all the latest results, we’ve got you covered in our newsletter Hey Denver: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Got something to say about the election results? We’ll be talking more about the fallout from this one, so leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418.
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When “How to Build a Sex Room” premiered on Netflix in July, it took the home renovation reality show formula to an entirely new, R-rated place. Oh, and it was filmed almost entirely in Denver with local couples! With its screening at the Denver Film Festival this month sparking new conversations about the show and the many diverse sexual proclivities of Denverites, we decided to bring some of these conversations to the podcast. Today, producer Erin O’Toole talks with the show’s executive producers Scott Feeley and Corinna Robbins about why they filmed here, what the reception has been so far, and what exactly a sex room is.
Go vote!
Subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As the weather changes and we turn toward our favorite snowy outdoor activities, camping is often left out of the picture. But beyond skiing, snowboarding, and maybe snowshoe trekking, have you ever considered pitching a tent in the high country during the winter months? Patricia Cameron — writer and executive director of Blackpackers — thinks you should. Coming off a trip to Alaska where she camped on a glacier, the outdoor expert returns to the show to talk with host Bree Davies about why camping in the snow can be fun (and actually isn’t that much different than sleeping in the great outdoors any other time of year!).
Patricia mentioned this winter camping guide she wrote a few years ago for the Denver Post.
Bree promised some last-minute help finding your nearest polling place and ballot drop-off.
Looking for more resources on the ballot issues? Check out the Hey Denver newsletter, which you can subscribe to by texting DENVER to 66866.
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the Friday before Election Day, and all through the state, every political creature is stirring — donkey, elephant, and mouse. So you know we’re talking all things Colorado politics — and not Christmas (it’s too early, Bree, if you read this). Host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi and City Cast Denver state politics correspondent Justine Sandoval to discuss which ballot issues we’re keeping an eye on and which candidates are saying the weirdest things. Plus, Justine talks about the transphobic mailers many (assumed) Spanish-speaking households in Colorado received, and what issues might not be “on” the ballot this election, but are playing a part in how we’re voting.
Still looking for guidance on how to vote on the psychedelics measure we talk about? Check out our four-part series “Ballot Trip” on the push to decriminalize across the state.
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Between David Byrne’s “Theater of the Mind” and Immersive Dalí, the hottest trend in Denver art is the immersive experience. But all these shows are so different! And too many of them feel like cash grabs. At least, that’s how they look to host Bree Davies, a bonafide immersive skeptic. So we called up Dr. David Thomas, AKA the “Professor of Fun,” who also happens to be co-founder of Immersive Denver, to make the case for this new art form.
If you haven’t heard our first episode with Professor of Fun David Thomas breaking down why Casa Bonita is fun, don’t miss it!
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As usual, there’s a lot on the Denver ballot this year. We’re voting on everything from library funding to expanding recycling and composting across the city — but what, exactly would any of these measures do? Ballot language is notoriously cumbersome and vague, so today on the show, producer Paul Karolyi sits down with host Bree Davies to break down a few key decisions voters will make on this year’s Denver municipal ballot. They’ll cover Initiated Ordinances 305, 306, and 307, along with Referred Questions 2I, 2J, 2K, and 2L.
For more on the ballot, check out Monday’s edition of our newsletter Hey Denver, where editor Peyton Garcia rounds up a bunch of great resources on local and statewide issues PLUS shares links to our past episodes where we chat with folks and organizations behind some of Denver’s initiatives.
(Or just subscribe to Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866!)
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret: Colorado loves the Grateful Dead… and all the jam bands that formed in the shadow of the influential group (see: String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Yonder Mountain String Band, just to name a few!) But a band is nothing without the fans. So why has this place become such a haven for Deadheads? In advance of founding Grateful Dead member Bob Weir’s back-to-back shows at Mission Ballroom this weekend, host Bree Davies talks with CPR host and reporter Vic Vela — a self-professed Deadhead — about the band’s lasting impact on our state.
Check out Vic’s podcast, Back From Broken, where he talks with others working through substance use disorders and mental health issues.
Bree mentioned the recent troubles at Sancho’s Broken Arrow, the Grateful Dead-themed bar on Colfax. For more, don’t miss our episode last summer about the sexual assault allegations facing Sancho’s former owner Jay Bianchi: “Denver’s Jam Band Scene Has an Ugly Open Secret”
Read and subscribe to Hey Denver, our weekday newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Were you at that Dead show at City Park in the 60s? Tweet us @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A search for clues at Lakeside Amusement Park. A clandestine meeting at Union Station. A round of putt-putt through an old motel. These are scenes from Erika T. Wurth’s new indigenous literary horror novel “White Horse,” which sends readers on a fast-paced mystery across Old Denver and beyond. The Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee author joins host Bree Davies to talk about how she built this literary horror-mystery hybrid from her own experience growing up as an urban Indian around Idaho Springs, and why she chose to take on the gilded legend of The Stanley Hotel — and add her own mythical, indigenous twist to it.
"White Horse” goes on sale tomorrow, and Erika will be speaking and reading from book in Denver twice this week:
5:30 p.m., Nov. 1, Meow Wolf Denver (1338 1st St.)
6:00 p.m., Nov. 3, Tattered Cover on Colfax (2526 E. Colfax Ave.)
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
What do you think is the creepiest place in Denver? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Got any last-minute questions about your ballot before election day next week? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and we might answer your question on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Halloweekend! So we invited the biggest Halloween freak we could find — host Bree Davies’ friend Thad Mighell, who is also co-curator of Understudy — to swap some of Colorado’s spookiest stories and talk about our favorite local haunted houses. Along with newsletter writer Peyton Garcia and producer Erin O’Toole, the crew talks murders most foul, hauntings, and tales of ghosts you might encounter right here in the city. Plus, Thad gives us some expert recs on the best haunted house attractions in the Mile High so you can plan your spooky, scary weekend!
Peyton mentioned Philip Jett’s book about the Adolph Coors murder, The Death of an Heir, which came out in 2017.
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our kickass weekday morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
HeyDenver.org - a queer-focused sexual health nonprofit
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the November 8 midterms just around the corner, some voters are feeling anxious about election security. And others are more worried about all the ghosts, ghouls, vampires, and all the other monsters that are emboldened this time of year. So today on the show, Denver’s Clerk and Recorder Paul López sits down with host Bree Davies to make the case for why voting in Denver is among the easiest and most secure in the country — and why you’re way more likely to come face-to-face with an actual ghost than election fraud.
If you have questions about the election, take Clerk López’s advice and make your first stop denvervotes.org.
Subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866. But that’s only if you want more news, cool events, and awesome things to do around Denver delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“If we do not stand up when they go to steal the election, our country is over. It’s over.” That’s what local conservative provocateur Joe Oltmann said on his podcast earlier this week in response to a segment about Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems on 60 Minutes. So yes, Tina Peters lost her primary to become the GOP’s nominee for secretary of state, but the Big Liars are still here, and they’re still lying about the outcome of the 2020 election. Westword editor Patty Calhoun has been obsessed with Colorado's connections to the Big Lie, and she’s on with host Bree Davies to break down all the lies they’re already telling about the 2022 midterms.
Bree mentioned Oltmann’s suggestion that conservatives throw “ballot box parties” and our episode with Coffee at the Point owner Ryan Cobbins about the predatory development scandal he has been dealing with on Welton St.
Patty mentioned the page on Dominion’s website where they’ve been debunking conspiracy theories.
For more election news, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.
Are you a Twitter person? Follow us @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s that time of the year again, when Spirit Halloween pop-ups fill all the empty box stores around Denver, hawking mass-produced costumes and cheap plastic decorations. But Denver also has a handful of quirky, unique costume shops, too! Host Bree Davies loves The Wizard’s Chest on South Broadway, so today we’re taking a swing through the racks with one of their costume experts to get some inspiration, her take on the hottest trends, and professional advice before the festivities this weekend.
Some links to the other great, local costume shops that Sophie mentioned:
Reinke Bros.
Disguises
Fun Services
Bree talked about the Denver Post’s report that Welton St. Cafe is working on a big new remodeled space at 2883 Welton St. Check out our episode on the soul food staple for more.
For even more Halloween fun this week, subscribe to our newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Have you ever had a Denver-themed costume? Tell us about it on Twitter or, even better, share pics and tag us @citycastdenver!
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film Festival (11/2 - 11/13)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With Denver’s minimum wage set to go up on January 1, we have got our eyes locked on the local dining community. At least one business has preemptively closed. Others are ratcheting up menu prices. And, as we discussed recently, many Denverites are already experiencing tipping fatigue, plunking down less and less of their hard-earned cash on top of new, unclear “service charges.” What is the well-intentioned diner to do? We reached out to the co-hosts of the hilarious 3 Stars Podcast — Brad Kaplan, Samatha Bolte-Woods, and William Phillip Tyler Hutcheson. They are service industry veterans and have lots to say about tipping fatigue, the minimum wage, and those mysterious service charges.
Serious, 3 Stars is super fun and funny. Each week, Brad, Samantha, and Bill read yelp reviews for local restaurants and review the reviewers right back. Learn more and subscribe here: http://3starspodcast.com/
For even more news and inside info on dining in Denver, subscribe to our newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Do you have tipping fatigue? Let’s talk on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This weekend, we’re proud to present an episode from our friends at History Colorado and their podcast “Lost Highways: Tales and Investigations from the Shadows of the Rocky Mountains.”
A few weeks ago, we brought you the little-known historical tale of Black homesteaders and The Dry, which has been preserved thanks to some innovative work being done at History Colorado. This episode of “Lost Highways” explores another, much better preserved story of Black homesteaders in Colorado and their community near Greeley, called Dearfield.
A fourth season of Lost Highways is in production now, with a planned release beginning in January 2023, with eight episodes exploring where the myths and realities of the West converge. They’ll look at the complicated history of western films as propaganda, the vexing management of wild horses, the legacy of the west's first black millionaire among others.
Subscribe to Lost Highways wherever you get your podcasts and learn more at HistoryColorado.org.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two things seem to be in short supply around Denver these days: water and touchdowns. After signing superstar quarterback Russell Wilson to a five-year $245-million contract over the summer, our beloved Denver Broncos have managed to score only seven touchdowns in six games. Maybe they’re thirsty or something? Castle Rock and Arvada sure are. Like the rest of Colorado, those two Denver suburbs are looking at a dwindling water supply and increasing population — but they’re responding very differently, with a turf ban in Castle Rock and big new connection fees in Arvada. But could there be another way? Denver Post columnist Jo Ann Allen joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to work through our collective growth anxieties and commiserate over the Donkeys.
In addition to being one of our favorite guests, Jo Ann is a public radio veteran and the host of the Been There Done That podcast, which tells the real life stories of and by the Baby Boom Generation. Don’t miss her recent episode with Marc Maron!
We discussed past guest Michael Booth’s recent piece for the Colorado Sun about new water policies in Arvada and Castle Rock.
Subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver a big batch of curated event recs for your weekend. All you’ve got to do is text “Denver” to 66866
What do you think is wrong with the Broncos? Let’s hash it out on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The future of the neighborhood liquor store is at stake in next month’s election, at least if you listen to the owners of neighborhood liquor stores. There are three big state ballot measures each with major implications for alcohol drinkers and sellers alike. But what would these initiatives actually change? Why is DoorDash spending so much money supporting them? And why are those mom-and-pop shops so worried? Colorado Sun politics reporter Jesse Paul is on today with host Bree Davies to break down all the booze on your ballot.
For more 2022 election coverage from Jesse Paul and the rest of the Colorado Sun’s politics team, check out their full voter guide, plus more on Proposition 124, Proposition 125, and Proposition 126.
Did you hear that Denver’s elections office made a translation error on our ballots? Get the whole story in Hey Denver, our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Gotta burning election question for Clerk Paul Lopéz? Text it to us or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and we might ask the clerk: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Larimer Square has for decades been a draw for tourists, a nightlife destination, and a place to get a fancy steak dinner. And while the shops, offices, and restaurants populating the storefronts have turned over many times, the turn-of-the-century brickwork, stone masonry, and ornate woodwork have stood the test of time. But the Mile High’s first-ever certified historic district is on the verge of yet another big shift, as longtime tenant Bistro Vendôme joins the list of high-profile departures from the block. Westword Editor-in-Chief Patty Calhoun joins Host Bree Davies to answer the big question: What’s going on with Larimer Square?
Patty mentioned Bree smoking at the now-defunct Paramount Cafe — an experience Bree wrote about for Westword more than a decade ago.
For a full timeline of the historic preservation efforts around Larimer Square, here’s a write-up from Historic Denver.
The man in charge of Denver’s elections, Clerk and Recorder Paul López, is scheduled to be on the show soon. Do you have any questions about the election next month? We’d love to pose your question to the clerk. Send it to us as a text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and we’ll ask him! (720) 500-5418
Subscribe to Hey Denver, our fresh and snappy morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Pepsi broke ground last month on a massive, new bottling plant out by DIA, PepsiCo Beverages president of North America’s West Division Johannes Evenblij told CPR: "We're thrilled to call Denver, a city that shares so many of our values, home to PepsiCo's most sustainable U.S. plant location.” So yes, the new plant will be Pepsi’s biggest in North America. And yes, many Denverites love a nice, cold Pepsi. But does Denver share Pepsi’s values? And could Denver be more than just a Pepsi town, but THE Pepsi town? Host Bree Davies sits down with producer Paul Karolyi and Diet Pepsi-lover slash artistic director for the Sie FilmCenter Keith Garcia to hash it out.
What do you think? Is Denver a Pepsi town or more of a Coca-Cola place? Tweet at us @citycastdenver or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Bree mentioned the UFCW Local 7’s response to the Kroger/Albertson’s merger. Subscribe to Hey Denver, our awesome morning newsletter, by texting “Denver” to 66866
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Local historian Phil Goodstein is an… interesting Denverite. On one hand, he has done more than anyone to document our changing city over the course of dozens of books and his monthly newsletter, The Naysayer. On the other, he’s widely known as Denver’s “crankiest historian” for his radical views and sardonic sense of humor. Producer Paul Karolyi has been interviewing Phil on various topics over the years, and his new book on the history of Denver Public Schools covers Bennet’s time as superintendent. So who better than our anti-establishment historian to tell the story of our senior senator as he’s running for re-election next month?
Phil is offering walking tours of Denver’s haunted history throughout the rest of October. Just bring $25 to the east lawn of the Capitol building for a two-hour walking tour on any of the following days:
7-9 p.m.: Oct. 21, 22, 28, and 29
6-8 p.m.: Oct. 31
He’ll also be giving a lecture and signing copies of his new book, “Schools for a New Century,” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 6, at Broadway Book Mall (316 S. Broadway)
We have a daily newsletter! Sign up for Hey Denver online https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ or by texting DENVER to 66866.
Connect with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver was abuzz this week with two big celebs in town to mark major milestones: First, Blink-182 lead singer Mark Hoppus was at Ball Arena Wednesday night for the Colorado Avalanche’s home opener, where he led the crowd in the now-traditional singing of his band’s 1999 hit “All The Small Things.” But the Avs’ owners — the Kroenkes — have let another year pass without a new Comcast deal, leaving the Stanley Cup champs largely off Denverites’ televisions. And second, President Joe Biden made the trek up into the mountains to designate a new national monument at Camp Hale, the historic home of the legendary 10th Mountain Division. So today, host Bree Davies and producers Paul Karolyi and Erin O’Toole are digging into the latest round of the Altitude/Comcast fight and the politics of Camp Hale — plus, a new historic preservation fight brewing in Cherry Creek North.
Bree mentioned Michael Paglia’s write-up on the Richard Crowther home for Westword.
There’s a bazillion cool things happening in Denver this weekend. To get our curated picks, subscribe to our newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866
Follow us on Twitter! We’re at @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summer, spring, winter, fall… every season is coffee season! It’s no secret, Denver has an excellent selection of coffee shops to cater to our every java whim — but which ones are the best? Who serves up the best vibe? Which shop’s food menu is top notch? Which coffee shop in Denver has, uh, the best coffee? Producer Paul Karolyi joins host Bree Davies to chat about some of their fave spots and offer recommendations on the best coffee shops in Denver to get that good good wifi, a great table on the patio, and a perfectly roasted cup of joe.
Here are the coffee shops we mentioned:
Boyer’s Coffee (I-25 and 270, with distribution all over the city)
Dazbog (Various locations)
Stella’s (South Pearl)
Bardo (South Broadway)
Crema (RiNo)
Vinh Xuong Bakery (Alameda and Zuni)
St. Mark’s Coffeehouse (17th Ave.)
Kaladi Coffee Roasters (Various locations)
Cultura Chocolate (Morrison Road)
Thump (Cap Hill)
But we want to hear from you too! What's your favorite coffee shop? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
We also want to shout out Coffee at the Point, a solid coffee shop in Five Points that is running a GoFundMe to help them re-open. Don’t miss our episode with owner Ryan Cobbins about the predatory development situation on Welton St. that, in part, led him to temporarily close his shop.
Did you know we have a newsletter, too? Sign up for Hey Denver by texting DENVER to 66866
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 1864 Sand Creek Massacre was one of the most horrific moments in Colorado history — hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children, and elders were murdered by U.S. soldiers as they camped under a white flag of peace. More than 150 years later, the painful remnants of this brutal mass murder are still fresh for many survivors’ descendants, but they haven’t always been treated respectfully by those in charge of commemorating our state’s history. Host Bree Davies sits down with Westword editor Patricia Calhoun to talk about the story she broke about the last time History Colorado tried to open an exhibit dedicated to the Sand Creek Massacre, in 2012, and the decade of soul-searching that led to the new one opening next month.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently dedicated more than 3,000 additional acres of land to become part of the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site. Almost a decade after the first ill-conceived History Colorado exhibit closed, the museum will open a brand exhibit with support of the tribes next month.
We talked extensively about Patty’s 2013 Westword investigation, “A Century and a Half Later, the Wounds of Sand Creek are Still Fresh”, which looked into History Colorado’s mishandling of its first Sand Creek Massacre exhibit.
In the newscast, Bree mentioned Camp Hale — Learn more about the new historic site from our pal, reporter Catie Cheshire at Westword, in this story: ”Five Things Joe Biden Should Know About Camp Hale and Leadville”.
Check out our newly redesigned newsletter! Read and subscribe to Hey Denver here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
World-renowned art-rock icon David Byrne is not from Denver. So we were as surprised as anyone when he announced that his mysterious new project, an immersive theater experience rooted in neuroscience, would premiere in the Mile High. “Theater of the Mind” has been showing for a few weeks now, and our producers Paul Karolyi (a theater neophyte) and Lizzie Goldsmith (a huge theater lover) have both taken part. So today, host Bree Davies sits down with Paul and Lizzie to talk about their experiences, how the show fits into Byrne’s career arc, and what this high-profile premiere says about the state of immersive theater in Denver right now.
For another take on Theater of the Mind, Bree mentioned our pal John Wenzel’s review in the Denver Post.
For more of Lizzie’s enthusiastic take on the local theater scene, check out her recent coverage for Westword!
We’ve got way more news, helpful info, and cool events in our daily newsletter, which just got a cool new name — Hey Denver! It’s the perfect time to subscribe and check out our brand new look: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you seen Theater of the Mind? Let us know what you thought on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Incumbent governor Jared Polis is polling way up on his Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl, so she’s looking to gain traction ahead of next month’s election. But was stoking panic about furries in Colorado schools the way to go? Today, host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and Westword editor Patty Calhoun dig into the governor’s race and the shocking firing of renowned historian Patty Limerick from CU Boulder’s Center of the American West, which she co-founded 36 years ago. Plus, stick around for the Official City Cast Denver Maybe for your weekend.
We mentioned past City Cast Denver guest Jason Blevins’ reporting on the Limerick firing.
There are sooooo many cool events happening in Denver this weekend. Find the one for you in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about #FurryPanic? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The streets of Denver are already awash in crisp American lagers, hazy New England IPAs, ultra-tart fruited sours, and the darkest porters, because thousands of brewers and beer lovers are descending on Mile High for the Great American Beer Festival this weekend! After a two-year absence, the country’s biggest celebration of all things beer returns to downtown Denver, but this year it brings an uncomfortable question: Do craft brewers still want a massive fest like this? Host Bree Davies sits down with the Colorado Beer Man himself, Jonathan Shikes, to get some answers.
Jonathan is also Entertainment Editor at the Denver Post, where this week he and his colleagues published a few great stories on the return of GABF:
GABF turns 40: How Colorado’s biggest beer festival shaped the American craft industry
Big beer competitions like GABF could see a major shakeup this year
What will fill Falling Rock Tap House’s void during the Great American Beer Festival?
For even more from Jonathan on beer, check out his book: “Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing.”
We’ve got plenty of non-beer news you can use in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your current favorite local brewery? Give em a shout out on Twitter and remember to tag us! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fall is here and the chiles are roasting — but at The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive Inn, it’s always green chile season. For more than half a century, the Cordova family has been serving up some of the city’s spiciest and most beloved green chile, smothering everything from burritos and rellenos to burgers and fries. But it turns out, the secret to Chubby’s magic isn’t just heat and spice — it’s a whole culture spawned from the family’s matriarch Stella Cordova. Today on the show, City Cast Denver politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins host Bree Davies to give a neighborhood insider’s take on the sprawling Chubby’s family empire and her tips on how to have the best Chubby’s experience.
We gleaned a lot of great info on the Cordova family from “Smothered: The Saga of the Chubby's Empire,” Adam Cayton-Holland’s 2007 Westword piece (which includes a conversation with the late, great Stella Cordova herself!)
Bree mentioned our episode about the global meat giant JBS’s new plant-based subsidiary Planterra.
Get even more news, events and useful Denver in our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fall is in the air… and by that, we mean the air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of roasting chiles, ready to be bought by the bushel from farmers markets and roadside stands all over the state. But how did this become such a time-honored tradition in Colorado? Today on the show, we’re revisiting our conversation with Ron Morales, whose family has been roasting green chiles in a parking lot at 52nd and Sheridan for almost 30 years. Ron shared his story last October with producer Paul Karolyi and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Morales Family Chile Store. Plus, our producer Lizzie Goldsmith caught up with Ron this week to see how the 2022 chile season is going, and hint: It. is. hot!
Get a glimpse of the Morales Family Chile Store in this CBS report from last week.
If this episode gets you in the mood to buy some fresh roasted chiles of your own, there’s a helpful list of where to do that at denvergreenchili.com. (But really, all you need to do is stop at the next stand you see on the side of the road!)
Bree mentioned a survey from the Denver Public Library, which is taking responses until Oct. 6. Find it here: denverlibrary.org/survey
Our newsletter is chock-full of useful news - subscribe here! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweet us your green chile recipe: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Proud Boy spotted at a Northside supermarket. Local elected officials and law enforcement found on a leaked Oath Keepers email list. Members of the Far Right are still here and more visible than ever. So what is to be done about the white supremacists among us? Our pal Theo Wilson went undercover in the Alt Right a few years ago. (Maybe you were among the millions to see his TED talk?) But his thinking has evolved since then. So with another contested election a month away, Theo is on the show today with host Bree Davies to talk it out.
Bree mentioned the infamous Denver cop Buster Snyder, who she discussed with historian and comics artist B. Erin Cole on our walking tour of Queer Cap Hill.
In the newscast, we mentioned the closing of Japanese restaurant Domo. Former City Cast Denver guest Gil Asakawa wrote a lovely piece on it for Westword.
Campaign season is definitely ramping up, and we’ve got lots more politics news in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The epic conclusion of Pizza Week is here! With our host Bree Davies out with COVID, it’s up to producer and Denver Pizza Podcast co-host Paul Karolyi, newsletter writer and resident foodie Peyton Garcia, and a special guest pizza expert to pick the best pizza in Denver. Will it be the Old Denver champion that’s been slinging New York-style pies for 28 years from the south suburbs? Or the heavily favored Blue Pan Pizza, the best in class of New Denver’s pizza renaissance?
There is such thing as life after Pizza Week! Fill your weekend with cool events and happenings with today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think of Megan’s hub-and-spokes pizza theory of Denver pizza? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/29 - 10/2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Pizza Week: Day 3!
What is the deal with all these local pizza parlors offering honey for your crust? That simple question launched producer Paul Karolyi on a five-year quest to the original Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs and deep into the darkest corners of Denver’s pizza ovens. Today, host Bree Davies teases apart Paul’s complicated relationship with Beau Jo’s and “Colorado-style pizza.” Plus! Paul’s been doing some more reporting since we initially published this episode in April, and he’s got a major update to the story.
More police blunders and more pizza in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Do you like to eat your crust with honey? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pizza Week continues! Our producer Paul Karolyi is a certified pizza obsessive, searching low and Mile High for the most tantalizing combinations of cheese, crust, and sauce. But that search has yielded more questions than answers, especially around authenticity and Beau Jo’s, the infamous Front Range pizza chain that trademarked the phrase “Colorado-style pizza.” Today, Paul poses his most vexing pizza questions to local pizza expert Carol Helstosky. She’s a professor of history at the University of Denver, author of “Pizza: A Global History,” and fellow traveler on the never-ending quest for perfect pizza.
All the pizza places we mentioned today:
Marco’s Coal-Fired (LoDo)
Domino’s (Various)
Pizza Hut (Various)
Beau Jo’s (Idaho Springs, etc.)
Anthony’s (Various)
And today’s listener recs:
Pizzeria Leopold (Lakewood)
Pizzeria Lui (Lakewood)
Cosmo’s Pizza (Various)
Carol also has a hot tip for the home pizza chefs out there: “Before you put the pizzas in, when your oven’s as hot as it will go, throw in 3-4 ice cubes. It really makes a difference in the crust.”
We’ve got sooooo much more pizza goodness in today’s CCD newsletter, plus some real news and useful info: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us all your deepest, darkest pizza secrets on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/30 - 10/2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to City Cast Denver’s Pizza Week! We’re kicking off our week-long celebration of (and descent into madness through) Denver’s best crust, sauce, toppings, and cheese with a wide-ranging chat on the precarious position of Denver pizza today. Even before the pandemic, the Mile High City’s pies were wildly underrated, and we think it’s time to stand up and be proud of all the awesome pizza that we have! Westword’s food editor Molly Martin joins host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia to chew on some local pizza history and lay down a roadmap for Denver’s shining pizza future.
Paul mentioned the Denver Pizza Podcast that he co-hosts with his wife Megan Arellano.
All the pizza places we mentioned in this episode:
Cart Driver (RiNo)
Redeemer (RiNo)
The Greenwich (RiNo)
Joy Hill (South Broadway)
Blue Pan Pizza (West Highland, Congress Park)
Big Bill’s New York Pizza (Centennial)
ShowBiz Pizza (RIP)
Little Caesar’s at (Kmart [RIP]; Various other locations are still open. The mascot had his chest hair removed, too.)
Domino’s (Various)
Anthony’s (Various)
Pizza Hut (Various)
Carl’s Italian (West Highland)
Lechuga’s (Highland, Lakewood)
Organ Grinder (RIP)
Beau Jo’s (Idaho Springs, etc.)
Pizza Pals Playzone (Inside Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station; Designed by Everything is Terrible)
Crush Pizza + Tap (RIP)
Rosalee’s (Longmont)
All the other pizza places listeners and readers recommended:
Everyday Pizza (RiNo)
Mod Pizza (Lowry, etc.)
Papa Murphy’s (Various)
Osteria Marco (Larimer Square)
Funky Flame (Sunnyside)
Pietra’s (Wheat Ridge)
Patxi’s (Uptown, Cherry Hills, etc.)
Kaos Pizzeria (South Pearl)
Pie Hole (South Broadway)
Walter’s 303 (Lowry, Uptown, Littleton)
Ester’s (Virginia Village, Park Hill)
Pizzeria Lui (Lakewood)
Brooklyn’s Finest (Downtown, Regis)
Denver Pizza Co. (Various)
Hops & Pie (Berkeley)
Pizzeria Locale (Various)
Oblio’s (Recently redesigned their menu away from pizza, but still open in Park Hill)
Grabowski’s (RiNo)
Even. More. Pizza. Plus, some real news and useful info in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Talk pizza to us: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On June 10, 2020, Isabella Thallas was out for a walk in the Ballpark neighborhood with her boyfriend Darian Simon and his dog, Rocco. Out of nowhere, Bella — as friends and family called her — was killed and Darian was seriously injured. The couple was shot in broad daylight by a man they had never met. Peter Sagal is the longtime host of NPR’s “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me” and a Chicago resident, but he was so compelled by the lack of coverage of this particular Denver shooting that he decided to write about it himself. Host Bree Davies sits down with Sagal to discuss his recent report for The Atlantic, “Killed For Walking a Dog: The mundanity and insanity of gun death in America.”
Bree mentioned the response we got to our recent e-bikes episode from Denver’s Climate Action Office, which operates the city’s wildly popular e-bike rebate program. Here are a couple of key comments from the spokesperson’s response:
"I wanted to take a moment and share that our [Office of Social Equity and Innovation] team has actually pointed to our agency as an example of how to fold equity into this work, not as an afterthought. We’re pretty proud of that, and of the fact that most of the funding for e-bikes has gone towards the income-qualified program."
"Ben Chavez brings up a good point about access, and I think we collectively – in the city and beyond – are thinking about the many ways people need to get around. The Office of Climate Action weighs in on some of the how. E-bikes are a cleaner option and can often replace car trips; we don’t intend for everyone to adopt e-bikes. They are one part of the broader mobility puzzle. We will probably need cars for a good number of decades ahead us (hopefully mostly EVs soon enough), and the driving experience for people who need cars, such as larger families or multigenerational households, should improve as other options emerge."
Catch more news from across Colorado in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/30 - 10/2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Has Houston been so good at tackling its homelessness problem that Denver can take a page from its playbook? Last week, a group of local politicians and staff made a trip to Texas to see exactly how the country’s fourth-largest city has housed 25,000 people in the last decade. But while they were out of town, the Mile High was shoved into the spotlight when Fox News got wind of the soon-to-be-launched Denver Basic Income Project, a pilot program that would put cash directly in the hands of Denverites in need. Today on the show, host Bree Davies is joined by producer Paul Karolyi and Westword staff writer Conor McCormick-Cavanagh to dig into these stories and discuss what it all could mean for the future of Denver’s housing situation.
Paul mentioned the recent kerfuffle over Douglas County’s approach to homelessness and friend of the show Chris Walker’s recent interview with Councilman Chris Hinds about his trip to learn more about the “Houston model.”
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? City Cast Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has you covered. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/30-10/2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Much of who and what has been depicted as Colorado history paints a picture that is not very diverse, let alone accurate. Recently, History Colorado has been on an inward and outward journey of course correction — questioning everything we think we know about how we as a state came to be. Today on the show host Bree Davies talks with Dexter Nelson II, History Colorado’s new associate curator of African American History and Cultural Heritage, about The Dry — a Black homestead that dried up long ago and a story of Black excellence and perseverance in the face of harsh environmental and social conditions.
You can learn more about the Black History Trail and download the new History Colorado app.
Additional music in this episode is by Jason Shaw and adapted here under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
🍕 Calling all pizza freaks! 🍕 We want your hottest takes! 🍕 We're working on something big and very cool. So leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show next week: (720) 500-5418
Get even more news and ideas for your weekend in our daily morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about The Dry? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fall officially begins this Thursday, September 22. But what makes fall in Colorado so special? How do we celebrate the changing of the seasons? Today on the show, host Bree Davies chats with producer Erin O’Toole and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia about all things fall — from the best drinks to sip to the best corn mazes to explore, and all the ways to really soak in those autumnal feels, we’ve got you covered.
Here are a few of the farms, corn mazes, and festivals we’re looking forward to:
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, October 8-9
Pumpkin Nights, October 17-November 3
Fritzler Farm Park, through October 30
7th Generation Farm
We also mentioned last year’s pumpkin-themed conversation, this interview with scare actor Danielle Look (plus other spooky Halloween tales), and this episode about the Morales family, who have been roasting green chiles for almost 30 years.
Peyton has also rounded up some of your comments on our past episodes. Tap into the hot goss by reading and subscribing to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (Sept. 30 - Oct. 2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s election season and there’s some big ticket races going down in Colorado. But the one to watch? Congressional District 8. This newly drawn district stretching from Commerce City to Greeley is getting a lot of attention as Democrat Yadira Caraveo and Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer battle for the brand-new seat. But this race is also about representation: The district is home to many voters who identify as Latino and Hispanic, and the race is on to win their votes. But what matters to these voters? Host Bree Davies is joined by City Cast Denver state politics contributor Justine Sandoval to break down the nuances of this voting bloc — and why such an ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse population shouldn’t be treated as a monolith. (Just a note of transparency: Justine is a political strategist who works for various Democratic campaigns, offices, and efforts. The views expressed on City Cast Denver are her own.)
A new poll of Colorado Latino voters finds the economy and inflation, gun violence, and climate change are among the issues they find most pressing ahead of the November election. You can read more here.
Bree mentioned this article from CPR: Latino voters could be decisive in Colorado’s biggest races, and the campaigns know it
Learn all about tarantula migration in La Junta from our weekday newsletter! Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On June 11, 22-year-old Christian Glass called 911. His car had gotten stuck just outside of Silver Plume and he needed help. He told the operator that he was scared. Police responded — and just a few hours later, he was dead. The story came to light again this month when police body camera footage was released, raising new questions about how a man who called 911 himself asking for help ended up dying at the hands of police. Today on the show, host Bree Davies walks through the situation with Colorado Public Radio’s criminal justice reporter Allison Sherry, and talks about the larger implications of what happens when law enforcement approach someone in a mental health crisis.
Read Sherry’s latest reporting on Christian Glass’s killing here.
We’ve got even more news Denverites are talking about in today’s newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Tattoo Convention (Sept. 30 - Oct. 2)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this week, Bree sat down for an emotional conversation about walking with Jonathon Stalls, the man behind the wildly popular @pedestriandignity TikTok account and author of a new book, “Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, And Connect At 1-3 Miles Per Hour.” His book is full of meditations and visualizations drawing on his experiences walking across Denver, and in this bonus episode we’re proud to share a recording of Jonathon reading one of those visualizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The summer of the e-bike is over. Thousands of Denverites are now happily zipping around on these climate-friendly fun machines, thanks to the city’s wildly successful rebate program. But will the energy stick around when Hot E-Bike Summer turns into a wet, cold, snowy winter? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi tested out a couple of e-bikes earlier this week, and today they’re going inside the mind of a Big E-Bike Guy, Westword reporter and friend of the show Conor McCormick-Cavanagh.
Also in this episode, you’ll hear a few clips from our ride with past guest Avi Stopper of Bike Streets and MacKenzie Hardt of Hardt Family Cyclery, who generously lent us the bikes and would happily set you up with a test ride for yourself.
Paul mentioned Conor’s recent story about the drastic increase in car thefts in Denver, and Conor spoke about his experience buying and riding an e-bike, which he documented here for Westword.
Don’t miss Conor’s latest story on self-proclaimed made man and mayoral candidate Valentes Corleons, including those killer photos we talked about. And of course, if you haven’t heard our episode with Conor about Valentes, don’t miss it.
What’s at the other end of this weekend’s bike ride? We’ve got a big list of cool stuff to do this weekend in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about e-bikes? Let us know at @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We talk about transit a lot — but how often do we talk about, well, walking? The pedestrian experience is often overlooked in the modern city, but Jonathon Stalls is working every day to change that. In his new book, “Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, And Connect At 1-3 Miles Per Hour,” he offers meditations and visualizations about getting around in the world, and shares his own challenging life experiences that caused walking to become his “medicine.” Stalls joins host Bree Davies to dig into the whys of walking — and how he has used social media to bring others into the world of pedestrian advocacy.
Check out Jonathon’s wonderful TikTok, Pedestrian Dignity.
It’s Thursday, which means Peyton’s Plate is serving up a new hot & tasty dish! Read all about it in the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From the conspiracy theories to the seemingly endless construction, there’s never been a shortage of issues at Denver International Airport. And just this week, we learned that regulators have, for 12 years, looked the other way when it comes to an elevated risk of mid-air collisions at two of DIA’s runways! Host Bree Davies gets into the good, the bad, and the weird at DIA with Westword editor Patty Calhoun, from the political climate that led to DIA’s construction in the 90s to its controversial public art and those runways that are just a little too close together.
Bree and Patty talked about the sounds you hear riding the train to and from the terminal. You can learn more about that here.
Here’s the Colorado Sun article Bree mentioned about the FAA’s recent notice concerning potential mid-air collision risks at DIA.
Fly above the fray and get the Denver news you need in our daily morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your take on DIA? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Japanese food has always been a deeply personal obsession for local author Gil Asakawa. He grew up in Japan and made his way to Denver in time to witness first-hand what he calls a “cultural evolution — nay, revolution” in the availability of Japanese food in America. Now with ramen shops and sushi bars drawing crowds all across Denver, Asakawa’s got a new book out combining memoir with history, called “Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! A Tasty History of Japanese Food in America.” So we invited Asakawa back to the show to go deep on his love of Japanese food in Denver, from Benihana and Sakura Square to his family’s unique relationship with the defunct Denver Tofu company. Plus, don’t miss Asakawa’s personal recommendations for the best Japanese food in town.
Looking for even more inspiration for your next night out? Chow down on our daily morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your favorite Japanese restaurant in Denver? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the end of an era for Denver — Rocky’s Autos has closed its doors for good after 40 years. So, the north Federal staple is out of the car game — but the thing we’ll miss the most? The dealership’s crazy TV commercials featuring the adventures of Audra, Officer Odell, and of course, The Shagman. After we heard the news about Rocky’s going dark, we called up Ron Vigil — the Shakespearean actor behind the infamous Shagman — to get his final thoughts on playing a uniquely Denver-famous character for more than two decades.
Keep up with The Shagman’s shenanigans on Instagram or check out his production company.
Bree mentioned a previous City Cast Denver episode with reporter Yesenia Robles about the Adams 14 school district drama.
More news you can use. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweet us your favorite Rocky’s Autos commercial! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s minimum wage is going up to $17.29 starting in January, and with restaurants already on the brink, Denverites can. not. stop. talking about tipping. Many local restaurants are adopting service fees to balance things out, but according to a new survey, Denverites are feeling “tipping fatigue.” What can be done? Host Bree Davies, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, and producer Paul Karolyi are digging into this multi-faceted problem and looking at some new ideas local restaurants have tried to fix it.
Plus! We debut a new segment. There’s tons of cool stuff happening around the city this weekend, but only one event will get the official City Cast Denver stamp of approval. Stick around to the end of the show to find out where you’re most likely to find us this weekend!
We previously discussed tipping on the show last summer, when producer Paul Karolyi interviewed Elle Taylor, co-founder of Amythest Coffee, about their decision to eliminate tipping and pay all their employees a living wage.
Paul made a joke about the Palisade peach grower who also happens to be a 9/11 truther. Read all about him in this great story from friend of the show Andrew Kenney, politics reporter with CPR.
Peyton mentioned this funny video that lays out an argument against tipping and the Bonanno Concepts’ explanation of their service fee.
Peyton’s got even more awesome recommendations for your weekend in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you a big tipper? A begrudging tipper? A cow tipper? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Colfax Crawl, presented by the Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver has a trash problem. And so far, efforts to improve recycling and composting rates have fallen far short of the city’s goals. In June, city council adopted a plan to make recycling and composting easier for homeowners. And this November, voters will have their say on a ballot initiative that would require businesses and apartment buildings to provide compost and recycling pickup. Ean Thomas Tafoya —co-founder of Headwaters Protectors, co-chair of the Colorado Environmental Justice Action Taskforce, and state director of GreenLatinos— stopped by to chat with host Bree Davies about the Waste No More initiative and his run for mayor.
Oh and Bree mentioned some Rocky’s Autos commercials you might enjoy. RIP Rocky’s!
Peyton’s got allll the food news to get you through to the weekend! Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hi. We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Colfax Crawl, presented by the Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s Chief of Police Paul Pazen is retiring. After 28 years on the force, Chief Pazen was appointed to the position in 2018 by Mayor Hancock. Since then, he’s faced increasing scrutiny for the police’s behavior under his leadership — including a $14 million settlement for police brutality against protestors during the George Floyd uprisings and, most recently, police shooting and injuring six innocent bystanders on a crowded street in LoDo. Today on the show, Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies to discuss Pazen’s departure, what the new chief is walking into, and what the next state and city elections have to do with the police’s role in Denver.
For more on Chief Pazen, check out Bree’s interview with the man himself from earlier this year.
Patty mentioned her last appearance on the show, when she told the story of Elvis the cop lover’s admiration for Denver’s own Fool’s Gold sandwich.
Hey! We have a newsletter. It’s great. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Colfax Crawl, presented by the Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the entire month of August, public transportation was completely, utterly FREE. The no-cost ride effort was in part meant to lure drivers out of their cars and mitigate our annual, late-summer problems with air quality. We wanted to know how this $14-million “Free Fare for Better Air” experiment actually worked for people, so producer Lizzie Goldsmith spent the month riding buses and light rail, and talking to dozens of RTD riders about their experience. Today, she chats with host Bree Davies to share some stories and try to answer the big question: Was the free fare worth it?
Get all the news you need here in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweet us pics of your RTD transit stop @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colfax Avenue BID presents The Colfax Crawl
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Labor Day weekend is upon us! We put our heads together and came up with our favorite places around Colorado to fill that one extra day. We’re talking tourist traps, killer hikes, dynamite vistas, and an Estes Park salt water taffy hack that you’ll never forget. Host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia are gossiping about the very best day trips that are a less than two-hour car ride outside Denver.
Bree mentioned this recent Colorado Sun story about Leadville’s recent transformation. Patty Calhoun wrote in to suggest the one-of-a-kind World’s Wonder View Tower, which she co-owns.
Looking to catch up on some news before clocking out for the long weekend? Check out our morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What great day trips did we miss? Let’s talk. We’re on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s a new space race on, and getting back to the moon or Mars is only part of the fun. There’s money to be made out there! At least, that’s what a lot of smart people in Colorado are banking on. They’re still sorting out little stuff like how and why. So today, producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Denver Business Journal senior reporter Greg Avery to talk about what’s fueling the country’s second-biggest commercial space industry and introduce us to the Colorado-born Orion spacecraft, which is currently sitting on the launchpad in Florida awaiting takeoff after an aborted launch Monday morning.
Here’s Greg’s latest on the Orion launch, now planned for this coming Saturday.
Catch up with all the Denver news you need to know in our morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Blast off with us to Planet Twitter: @citycastdenver
The 150th Colorado State Fair is open through Monday, and we want to know if it’s worth the trip! Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts, name, and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the very first Chipotle opened on E. Evans Ave. in 1993, hungry DU students fueled the restaurant to world domination, ushering in a new fast yet casual style of dining along the way. Nearly thirty years later, the dining experience is once again at a turning point, with eaters still unsure what exactly they want out of a post-pandemic night out. Westword’s food & drink editor Molly Martin recently stopped by two new fast-casual chains that just opened right across from the original Chipotle on Evans — BirdCall and Next Level Burger. Both are hoping to attract DU students with new types of service and climate-conscious menu options. So producer Paul Karolyi and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia tried both and invited Molly on the show to compare notes.
Check out Molly’s first impressions at Next Level Burger and BirdCall.
There’s so much more interesting stuff happening in Denver. Subscribe to our morning newsletter and don’t miss a beat! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you tried Next Level Burger or BirdCall? We want to hear what you think! Tweet at us @citycastdenver or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Legal Help in Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s no faster route to a bad day than having your car towed. And especially in the last few years, complaints of predatory towing have been on the rise across the Denver metro area. State lawmakers have been debating the problem, and earlier this month they enacted a new “towing bill of rights” that promises to shift the balance of power away from the towers. Community organizer, journalist, and City Cast Denver contributor Theo Wilson is back to explain why he’s optimistic about this new law and what can happen when a “poverty tax” like predatory towing gets out of hand.
What exactly is in the new towing law? Check out this full breakdown from our friends at CPR: https://www.cpr.org/2022/06/08/tow-companies-give-notice-new-law/
Paul mentioned a CBS Colorado story about the new towing law, the Coors family’s big plans for Golden and Denver Water’s latest conservation pledge.
Fill your week with curated event recs, new restaurants and food trends, and more with our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ever since Denver Water was founded in 1918, the agency has demonstrated enviable foresight, building out a massive infrastructure across 4,000 square miles to ensure Denver’s population (and economy) can continue to grow. But now that reservoirs and rivers are drying up across the West, is it time for Denver to share the wealth? Today, Colorado’s top water reporter, Luke Runyon of KUNC, joins producer Paul Karolyi to explain where Denver fits into the recent conflict over the Colorado River and offer an outsider’s perspective on Denver Water’s ambitious growth.
For more from Luke Runyon, you can find all his water reporting for KUNC here.
Paul mentioned his June interview with Denver Water’s chief planner Greg Fisher, Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, and the Denver Post’s report on mosquito problems in southeast Denver.
Thirsty for more Denver happenings to start your week? Take a big sip from our daily morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Legal Help in Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On July 17, Denver police shot into a crowd of hungry club-goers waiting for a bite to eat around let-out time in LoDo, injuring seven people. And in response, the city decided to ban… food trucks. So with our host Bree Davies out for a few days, we wanted to share this episode from last December, when the city took a very different approach to keeping the peace in LoDo. It’s a profile of nightclub kingpin Valentes Corleons, who believes he was railroaded by the city — just like the food truck operators now. It also features Westword reporter and friend of the show Conor McCormick-Cavanagh.
Oh, and we added some extra good stuff to this version. Call it a director’s cut.
For more on the LoDo let-out situation, check out our recent episode with Westword editor Patty Calhoun where she breaks down some alternatives the city isn't trying.
Still looking for fun stuff to do this weekend? We’ve got you covered with a curated events round-up in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Could it be true? Could Colorado really be working toward our climate goals… and actually stop widening our highways? According to a new plan in front of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), yes. After a state mandate set new standards for greenhouse gas emissions related to our transit habits, DRCOG could vote to shift hundreds of millions of dollars toward better public transit infrastructure, bike lanes, sidewalks, and more. Colorado Public Radio’s transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor is back on the show today to talk about why this could mark a “seismic shift” for our transit system and, for the first time in Host Bree Davies’ life, stop the expansion of I-25 and C-470 in the city.
DRCOG is currently looking for public comment on this big new plan. Submit yours here ahead of their board’s vote scheduled for Sept. 21.
Bree mentioned that the City of Denver is looking for your input on the “shared streets” idea. You can do that here. And you can read more about the downtown highway that almost happened here.
More news you can use in the City Cast Denver newsletter: Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The secret is out: Denver is an awesome place to live. But in the past 15 years, that’s led to a massive influx of new residents who collectively pose an essential Denver question: How do we get bigger without sacrificing what made this city great? Fortunately, there’s an iconic local institution that answers that question every day in the form of great burgers, good vibes, and a consistently high quality experience — despite a similarly massive expansion over the past few years. So today, host Bree Davies visits the original “Black Sheep of Cherry Creek,” AKA the Cherry Cricket, to uncover the secret to managing growing pains.
Get all the news you need and a bunch of fun things to do and places to eat in our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We want to hear what you think about the Cherry Cricket! Got a favorite burger topping combo? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Legal Help in Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the Denver Broncos open their regular season on September 12 against the Seattle Seahawks, they’ll look completely different than last year. They’ve got a new celebrity quarterback, a new goofball head coach, and a brand new ownership group — led by one of the richest people in the world, Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune. Our sports guy Jake Shapiro from Denver Fan 104.3 is back to introduce host Bree Davies to the new Broncos and explain why local football fans are so optimistic.
Bree mentioned this editorial from Colorado Newsline about the new Broncos’ ownership group.
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home podcast
Trade Coffee
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Students head back to Denver Public Schools today — but what in the heck is going on with the district’s school board? DPS’s governing body has been all over the news lately, and for all the wrong reasons. Infighting, accusations of misogyny and racism, and power struggles have plagued this teachers’ union-backed slate of elected officials, and there are fears their personal disagreements are impacting students and teachers. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Chalkbeat Colorado’s senior reporter Melanie Asmar about what the heck is going on with Denver’s divided school board.
Check out Melanie’s reporting for Chalkbeat Colorado on the ongoing Denver school board drama.
Melanie mentioned DPS board president Xóchitl "Sochi" Gaytán’s recent interviews with Westword and Denver7, which we excerpted in this episode.
We want to hear your favorite way to enjoy a Palisade peach! Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Find more news you can use. Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Legal Help in Colorado
How to Buy a Home podcast
Trade Coffee
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Which four people embody the spirit of Denver? Which four represent the very highest of our ideals? Which four represent us to the world? Community organizer and all-around Denver OG Ben Chavez joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi for the Friday news round-up, then we grab our granite chisels and duke it out over who should be repped on Denver’s Mt. Rushmore.
Ben is co-organizing La Raza Park Day, going down this Sunday, August 21, from 1pm to 5pm. It’s free and families are welcome!
Paul mentioned e-bike mania, Hickenlooper and the climate bill, and Aurora’s latest backasswards proposal to “help” our unhoused neighbors.
What are you doing this weekend? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has a big ol’ list of cool stuff for you to do. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Who did we forget to put on our version of a Denver Mt. Rushmore? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stuck between highways and hidden under a viaduct, the Sun Valley community has quietly gone about its business — until a few years ago, when it started getting a lot more attention and big money interest in its land. Meow Wolf has moved in, a new Latino cultural museum is on the way, and lots of big housing developments are in going up. But what do the people of Sun Valley want? On the show today, Glenn Harper, Manuel Aragon, and Lindsay Miller of Sun Valley Kitchen explain what makes Sun Valley so wonderful — and why they are inviting people to not “discover” this neighborhood, but come celebrate it at this weekend’s Sun Valley Rising Night Market.
Bree mentioned a 5280 Magazine interview with local activist and educator, Tim Hernandez.
Pull up a chair for newsletter editor Peyton Garcia’s Denver food news round-up. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Around 1:30 a.m. on July 17, just as the bars and nightclubs were letting out in LoDo, Denver police confronted an allegedly armed man and shot into a crowded street in LoDo, injuring 6 innocent bystanders. The city’s response? Ban food trucks from the neighborhood. Host Bree Davies sits down with Westword founder and editor Patty Calhoun to get some historical perspective on the persistent late-night issues in LoDo and hear her thoughts about what’s actually causing the problems — and how to fix them.
Plus, to commemorate this week’s 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, Patty shares the real Denver story behind Elvis’s famous peanut butter and bacon sandwich.
Bree mentioned that law enforcement officials released body cam footage from the July 17 shooting. You can watch that here, via the Denver Post.
We’ve got even more about the LoDo situation and the fallout from the July 17 shooting in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Legal Help in Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ever since South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker bought Casa Bonita last year, Denverites have been worrying, speculating, and looking forward to the day when the pink palace on West Colfax will re-open. Stone and Parker say they want to “change nothing, improve everything,” but what exactly does that mean? 9News investigative journalist Jeremy Jojola recently set his sights on the South Park guys’ Casa Bonita renovation project, and he’s on the show today to share all the juicy, insider details he uncovered.
Here’s a link to Jojola’s report on the documents outlining the Casa Bonita renovation, and here’s a recent interview Matt and Trey gave to the Denver Post on their investment in this project.
We’ll be following every twist and turn in the Casa Bonita saga as it develops. Subscribe to our daily newsletter and you’ll never miss a beat: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
How do you feel about the changes happening at Casa Bonita? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret: most Denver neighborhoods have sidewalks that are pretty terrible. In fact, around 40 percent of sidewalks around the city are either nonexistent, in bad shape, or are not accessible for people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. Part of the reason our sidewalks suck? The city doesn’t have a dedicated funding stream to pay for construction or maintenance. But this November, voters will decide if a new ballot initiative, Denver Deserves Sidewalks, can change our mobility fate — by asking property owners to chip in a little each month. On today’s show, host Bree Davies talks with Molly McKinley of Denver Streets Partnership to learn more about why they hope voters will say YES to sidewalks this November.
Got a janky sidewalk in your neighborhood? Tweet a pic to us @citycastdenver!
Or share your worst sidewalk experience by leaving us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Sign up for our morning newsletter here.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Legal Help in Colorado
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver crew is back at the table with a new local food challenge and this time, we’re taking on sandwiches. While the Mile High is overflowing with great grinders, subs, hoagies, and tortas, today’s showdown is all about two out-of-town chains that Denverites have embraced as our own: Cheba Hut vs. Snarf’s Sandwiches. Which tasty sub will reign supreme? Host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, plus producers Paul Karolyi and Erin O’Toole for a great debate over who puts the best meat and cheese (or guacamole and cream cheese???) between two perfectly toasted pieces of bread.
Looking for more City Cast Denver food battles? We’ve also taken on the best burger, enjoyed the local delicacy of breakfast burritos, taste-tested fried chicken, indulged in Denver’s most decadent donuts, and compared Illegal Pete’s and Chipotle!
Peyton mentioned a story she wrote on Quizno’s earlier this year: https://denver.citycast.fm/2022/03/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-denver-sandwich-empire/
Paul quoted from this Celebstoner.com interview with Cheba Hut founder Scott Jennings: https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2021/03/04/cheba-hut-founder-scott-jennings-interview/
And finally: some Casa Bonita news!!!! Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us about your dream sandwich on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More than 3 million Coloradans are receiving $750 checks in the mail this week, but who’s to thank? Is it Governor Jared Polis and the Democrats, who re-branded and re-worked our tax policy to create this ‘Colorado Cashback’? Or is it the conservatives who convinced Colorado voters to approve the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (aka TABOR) in 1992 and have defended it ever since? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dive into the politics of TABOR to figure out the real story behind these $750 checks.
For an even deeper dive, Bree recommends The Taxman, CPR’s podcast series about the origins and lasting impact of TABOR.
Want to get more plugged in to all the cool stuff happening in Denver? Subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What are you doing with your $750? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On July 15, Ma Kaing was shot and killed outside her home in the East Colfax neighborhood. The mother, restaurateur, and beloved community member was the latest victim of gun violence in Denver. But soon after Kaing’s death, her community came forward with serious concerns over the effectiveness of 911 calls made from the Denver neighborhood that sits on the border of Aurora. Today, host Bree Davies sits down with Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips to talk 911 call centers, emergency response, gun violence, and East Colfax’s unsteady relationship with their councilwoman.
Read more of Noelle Phillips’s reporting on the East Colfax community tragedy in the Denver Post.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ma Kaing’s family.
For more on the removal of the racist Chinatown plaque Bree mentioned, here’s the report from Rocky Mountain PBS. Listen to our episode with Dr. Wei from last August to learn more about Denver’s lost Chinatown.
Casa Bonita is back in the news this week, and you know we’re all over it. Get the latest in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
South Park, AKA the show that introduced the world to Casa Bonita, is celebrating 25 years on TV this week. That’s hundreds of episodes packed with thousands of jokes made at the expense of politicians, pop stars, and us, the faithful residents of Colorado. Host Bree Davies sits down with her friend and South Park superfan Kalyn Heffernan to talk all things Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman. A musician, artist, former mayoral candidate, and disability rights activist, Heffernan has a deep love for South Park’s irreverent humor and the version of Colorado portrayed on the show, and Bree wanted to get to the bottom of that love.
If you want to join the 25-year anniversary celebrations, there’s a two-night live music extravaganza happening at Red Rocks with creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, along with their band-friends Ween and Primus. Of course, South Park is also cashing in on the immersive experience trend with a shipping container wrapped in Cartman’s image, peddling photo-ops and memorabilia for fans to see and pose with. That’ll be outside the concert and at McGregor Square this weekend. More on that here.
Bree offered an update on BALLOT TRIP, our four-part investigation into the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To hear the whole series, here’s where you can find part one, part two, part three, and part four.
Catch up on all the Denver news with the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Got a favorite South Park joke about Colorado? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
***This is the final episode in our four-part series on the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To get the rest of the story, here’s where you can find part one, part two, and part three.
Who will decide the future of psychedelics in Colorado? Is it the big-money, out-of-state campaign with nationwide ambitions? Or the grassroots-driven Decriminalize Nature measure that wants to take things a little slower? In this final episode of our four-part series Ballot Trip, award-winning investigative reporter Chris Walker highlights the grassroots approach and why their organizers are wary of moving too fast.
Get all the Denver news you need, plus cool events happening this week and more in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s only been six weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ripple effects are still being felt across the country — including here in Colorado, where surprising new fronts have opened in the battle to keep reproductive healthcare safe, legal, and accessible. Today, host Bree Davies sits down with two Colorado experts on abortion issues: Denver Post reporter Elizabeth Hernandez shares insight from her reporting on healthcare providers and Coloradans looking for reproductive healthcare, and Justine Sandoval, a political insider who’s been working on abortion rights legislation for close to a decade. Find all of Elizabeth’s fantastic reporting on the local ripple effects of the Roe decision via The Denver Post.
Justine mentioned supporting abortion access advocates already doing the work, like: Cobalt, COLOR Latina, and National Abortion Funds.
Looking for fun stuff to do this weekend? Check out the City Cast Denver newsletter for editor Peyton Garcia’s handpicked list: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver is home to many neighborhoods, cultures, and people. But lately, our host Bree Davies has been stuck on a certain kind of Denverite: the Denver Foo. Thanks to the @DenverFoos303 Instagram account, you can stay up-to-date on where local Edgars get their Polo shirts, what’s really going down in LoDo after let-out, and who serves the best tacos on a paper plate in the city. Bree sat down with Benny, one of the guys behind the IG account, to talk about what makes a true Denver Foo, what this particular subculture says about Denver, and why this account is an appreciation — not an appropriation — of a certain style of Mile High human.
More news you can use in our daily City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Give a shout out to the Denver Foo in your life on Twitter, bud: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The journalist and community organizer Theo Wilson is fresh off a high-profile new gig, hosting his own show for the History Channel. On “I Was There,” Theo explores the history you know from an angle you don’t know. So we invited Theo to give the “I Was There” treatment to an issue many Denverites are dealing with in different ways: our housing crisis. It turns out Theo is in the market to buy a home himself, and he’s got tons of insight from history, his research into other housing models around the world, and his own personal experience to help point us in the right direction.
Theo mentioned that he is taking advantage of a new housing equity program called the Dearfield Fund. Check out our episode from March 9 with another beneficiary of the program and one of the folks who designed it to learn more. Craving more Denver news? Subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the first time in the history of legal weed, sales are falling. It’s an unthinkable turnaround for an industry that was once seen with limitless potential, and it’s going to mean a loss of tax revenue for all the public services funded by cannabis sales. So why are weed sales dropping? Ricardo Baca is the founder and ceo of Grasslands, a cannabis-focused PR agency. He’s been digging into the numbers, and he sees more than what’s on the surface. Host Bree Davies sits down with the veteran cannabis journalist-turned-weed biz insider to parse out what, exactly, is going on with cannabis in Colorado. Oh, and- We’re doing another food battle! This time, it’s a showdown between Denver’s favorite sandwich chains: Snarf’s vs. Cheba Hut. So which colorful sub-maker will reign supreme? Or is there another local sandwich maker that deserves a spot in this battle? Leave us a voicemail with your take, name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Bree mentioned Mutiny Information Cafe’s GoFundMe, which you can support here.
Get all the Denver news you need, plus event listings and more fun tidbits and bobs in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
***This is the third episode of a four-part series on the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To hear the whole story, you can find part one here and part two here.
Recently, news broke that at least one of the dueling campaigns to get a psychedelics measure on the November ballot has been successful. This means Colorado voters will decide on Initiative 58, also known as the Natural Medicine Health Act, which is the one that aims to to legalize psychedelics, but also regulate their distribution at licensed “healing centers.” It’s a controversial proposal with big money behind it. This time on BALLOT TRIP, investigative journalist Chris Walker explores the origins of this scheme, including its surprising financial backer, and looks at how a similar initiative is already playing out in Oregon.
We’ve got all the news you need to start your week right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Trade Coffee
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been all over the news: RTD is going FARE-FREE for the entire month of August! Our elected officials pushed for the transit agency to adopt a month of no-cost rides in an effort to combat Denver’s chronic smog problem. But the move also comes as the metro area grapples with a decades-old traffic congestion issue that many think could be solved if car drivers would just fundamentally change everything they know about their own transit habits. Today on the show, producer (and bike-loving) Paul Karolyi sits down with host (and unabashed single-occupant car driver) Bree Davies and special guest, retired public radio heavyweight (and public transit lifer) Jo Ann Allen to get deep on RTD.
Don’t miss Jo Ann’s new column for the Denver Post! The first one is out now, and it’s all about Black generational wealth. We are also delighted to recommend Jo Ann’s podcast, Been There Done That! Paul mentioned a couple of articles about RTD’s month of free fares: this one from the Washington Post profiling a Denver bus driver, and this one from friend of the show Nate Minor for CPR about the time RTD offered free fares in the 70s.
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? We’ve got you covered in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Control Group Productions presents THE END
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After our episode yesterday with Planterra CEO Darcey Macken, City Cast Denver’s resident vegetarian, producer Paul Karolyi, and “flexitarian” host Bree Davies were itching to talk more about protein. Today on the show, Paul and Bree discuss their experiences with non-meat, plant-based, and animal-alternative options in Denver and tackle the big question: does the Mile High’s reputation as a literal cow town still hold true? Or are we a city that can celebrate an array of culinary, veg-friendly options that go beyond the “meat and potatoes” stereotype of our past?
If this episode has you hungry, check out today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, where editor Peyton Garcia digs into her fave dish at Tamayo. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your fave vegetarian/non-meat restaurant or menu item on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Summer of Soul
How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plant-based protein is all the rage, with Beyond- and Impossible-branded products popping up in grocery stores and on fast food menus across the country. But there’s a plucky new local startup, Planterra, angling for its share of this new market, and they’ve got a not-so-plucky parent company lurking behind the scenes, armed with data and know-how from running a global “protein” business. That company? JBS, the largest meat producer in the world. Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Planterra CEO Darcey Macken to hear all about JBS’s first step into the plant-based arena, starting with a production plant here in Denver.
For more on Planterra’s business plans, here’s the Denver Business Journal story where we first learned about the company.
All Coloradans can expect TABOR refunds in the mail soon. Wanna know why? We’ve got a full breakdown in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver is a dog city, that’s for sure. But what happens when dogs run free at one of many informal “dog parties” popping up in parks across the city? Host Bree Davies sits down with producer Erin O’Toole and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia to talk about park-roaming dogs and their scofflaw owners, the controversy around these so-called dog parties, and some reader comments about the great off-leash dog debate.
What do you think about all the off-leash dogs running amok in our parks? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Check out our morning newsletter to find out more of what’s going on in the city. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Catch our tweets @citycastdenver!
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cannabis has been legal in Colorado for close to a decade. In 2019, Denver decriminalized psilocybin. Soon, voters will be asked to consider changes in the regulation of psychedelics statewide. But before Colorado has the chance to capitalize on this latest potential drug policy shift, some experts are sounding the alarm. Will historic inequities that followed other legalizations play out with psychedelics, too? In the second episode of Ballot Trip, a new four-part series from City Cast Denver, award-winning investigative reporter Chris Walker digs into the potential impacts of plant medicine legalization. He talks with plant medicine healers, ancestral knowledge keepers, and advocates who fear that if the legalization and decriminalization of psychedelics isn’t laid out carefully, communities could be harmed. As Chris mentioned in the episode, here are Kuthoomi Castro’s resources for listeners interested in decolonization work in the psychedelics space: Dr. Rocio Rosales Meza, a Seer, Medicine Woman, Counselor, and Educator, and Puma Fredy Quispe Singona, an Andean Medicine Man. This reporting is supported by the Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Reporting Fellowship. More news you can use in newsletter form. Read and Subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Have psychedelics helped you? Tell us about your experience on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are many narratives about Denver — we’re a boom n’ bust town, we’re a weed town, we’re, well (in the eyes of one rural Colorado politician), a “toilet bowl.” Earlier this week, Mayor Hancock shared his own, albeit bland, narrative of the Denver he’s been in charge of for the last 11-plus years. Over at Westword, editor-in-chief Patty Calhoun and the crew pondered that same narrative and asked: has Denver lost its mojo? On the show today, host Bree Davies sits down with Patty and Westword staffer Conor McCormick-Cavanagh to discuss what makes Denver worth celebrating, and what we can do to put that pep back in our Mile High step.
Check out Westword’s latest cover story contemplating the mojo question from Patty, Conor, and a slew of other great writers.
Listen to our episode from earlier this week where Paul and Bree discuss Mayor Hancock’s final State of the City address. (Conor did a great summary of the speech for Westword, too!)
Looking for cool stuff to do this weekend? Editor Peyton Garcia’s got you covered. Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colfax Ave. BID presents Independents Day
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Outdoor concerts are a staple of the Colorado experience, and this month, Levitt Pavilion Denver is celebrating five years of bringing live shows to the Ruby Hill neighborhood. On the show today, host Bree Davies talks with Levitt’s Interim Executive Director, Andy Thomas, and Marketing and Development Director Jessi Whitten about why Levitt is about more than live music — it’s about creating community, paying local musicians fairly, and creating the next generation of Denver music lovers, movers, and shakers. Levitt Pavilion Denver still has dozens of free and ticketed shows coming up this season — check out their concert calendar for a list of great local and national acts to see this summer and fall!
Miguel Aviña, front-person for the band iZCALLI, was mentioned several times — hear his interview with City Cast Denver from a few months ago!
All the news you need, right here in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your Levitt Pavilion Denver memories with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Colfax Ave. BID presents Independents Day
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s host Bree Davies’ Sweet 16 sober anniversary and she’s ready to celebrate! Because not-drinking can sound like a drag, Bree wanted to shed some light on what can make a bar inviting to those who don’t imbibe. She invited friend of the show, Artistic Director at the Sie Film Center AND fellow non-drinker, Keith Garcia, to chat about how to go out on a Friday night and find fun in Denver, whether you choose to drink or not.
Keith mentioned the monthly-ish queer-centered dance party Junk Drawer and the new event space slash hair salon Scorpio Palace on Brighton Boulevard. Bree talked about Clearheads, happening this Sunday at Fort Greene; check out our May interview with the party’s founder, Jen Korte!
More news you can use: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Where are your fave spots to get fun, booze-free drinks? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colfax Ave. BID presents Independents Day
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On Monday, Mayor Michael B. Hancock offered many thoughts and some interesting prospects for Denver’s future in his last State of the City address. Winding down his third and final term as Denver’s mayor, Hancock focused mostly on what he’s done for us lately — like championing programs and policies to address housing and homelessness and announcing the new Denver Institute of Racial Equity, Innovation and Reconciliation, a think tank that’s supposed to improve public safety. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi break down Hancock’s speech, respond to some of his claims, and ask: What will be Mayor Hancock’s true legacy?
To read or watch Hancock’s whole State of the City address, click here.
Paul mentioned a Westword story about the Denver Basic Income Project. You can read that here.
There’s plenty more Denver news you might want to know. Fortunately, we’ve rounded it all up for you in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Summer of Soul
Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District presents Independents Day
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms — maybe you’ve heard of ‘em? Or, you know, tried them for yourself? Because here in Denver, voters decriminalized psilocybin back in 2019, but the statewide fight to regulate naturally derived psychedelics like mushrooms — and mescaline, ibogaine, ayahuasca, and DMT — is only just beginning.
In the first episode of a new four-part series for City Cast Denver, award-winning investigative reporter Chris Walker brings us Ballot Trip, a deep dive into debate over how psychedelics will fit into life in Colorado. From practitioners of traditional, ancestral healing work to the multi-million dollar PAC behind policy reform in Washington, Chris explores the many perspectives that exist within the world of legalization and decriminalization of psychedelics.
Get more news you can use from the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Have you ever had your car towed in Denver? Was it by a company called Wyatt’s Towing? You are far from alone. Attorney General Phil Weiser is cracking down on predatory towing, and we want to hear from you. Tell us your Wyatt’s Towing stories! Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colfax Ave. Independents Day (July 22-24)
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What happens when an anti-gang activist shoots someone at his own peace rally? For Terrance Roberts of Northeast Park Hill, that question came to define his life following that very incident on September 20, 2013. Award-winning journalist Julian Rubinstein spent seven years reporting Roberts’ story. The resulting book, “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood,” came out in May 2021. It won a Colorado Book Award for best general nonfiction, and has been made into a documentary film that premiered at this year’s Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. And recently, Roberts announced a run for Denver mayor. Roberts and Rubinstein joined host Bree Davies last May to talk about the book, the nature of gang violence in Denver, and police reform. NOTE: This interview originally aired in May 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series.
Learn more about the documentary film "The Holly," which Julian Rubinstein directed, at TheHollyFilm.com
Connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver And sign up for our morning newsletter!
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks: Summer of Soul
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In “The Guide,” Colorado author Peter Heller weaves a suspenseful tale centered on Jack, a young wilderness and fishing guide at an elite resort near Crested Butte. Things aren’t quite as idyllic as they seem, though, and Jack finds himself questioning what he sees and hears at every turn. Heller joined City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia for a conversation about his inspiration for the book, and what it was like writing a fictional story set during a pandemic — while actually experiencing the pandemic in real time. NOTE: This interview originally aired in August 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more! Learn more about Peter and his work at PeterHellerAuthor.com We’d love to know what your favorite summer book is! Tweet us @citycastdenver Or leave us a voicemail with your name, neighborhood, and the title of your favorite book and why you love it. (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jenny Shank grew up in southeast Denver, but when it was time for school, she was bused all over the city — from an elementary school with a Chicano-rooted curriculum on the West Side to a predominantly Black middle school near Five Points. And it was those experiences that informed her new collection of short stories, “Mixed Company.” It explores all the awkward, comical, and challenging ways that very different kinds of Coloradans can find connection. The book has been awarded the George Garrett Fiction Prize and a Colorado Book Award since it was released last November — which is when host Bree Davies sat down with Shank to talk about their shared history with Denver Public Schools and busing, and how they understand their similar education experiences differently today. NOTE: This interview originally aired in November 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!
To learn more about her work including “Mixed Company,” check out her website, JennyShank.com And for more on Denver’s history of busing, check out our episode from September 8 with playwright Alicia Smith Young!
What books are keeping you company this summer? Tweet us your recs! @citycastdenver Sign up for our morning newsletter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Almost 20 years ago, Erika Krouse took a job as a private investigator. Her first big case? A massive sexual assault scandal that revealed a toxic culture of abuse within CU Boulder’s prized football program. Krouse’s new book, “Tell Me Everything: The Story of A Private Investigation,” is part true crime thriller and part memoir, as she weaves together her recollections of the case with the story of her own experience with sexual assault. City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia spoke with Krouse about what it was like going up against an institution as powerful as the University of Colorado, the legacy of the case today, and how she saw her own story in the stories of the survivors. NOTE: This interview originally aired in March 2022, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!
Warning: While there are no graphic descriptions, this episode contains discussions about sexual assault.
Learn more about Erika Krouse and her work at erikakrousewriter.com. And for more about the scandal at the heart of Krouse’s book, ESPN has a full timeline right here. Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Colorado isn’t usually the first state people think of when it comes to barbecue. But it turns out, we have our own barbecue story to tell — and our Black community is at the center of it all. James Beard award-winning author Adrian E. Miller has that story and more in his most recent book, “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.” He joined host Bree Davies on the show last May to talk about everything Colorado barbecue, from the 1898 barbecue riot at the Stock Show to the legacy of “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and his son, Bruce Jr.
NOTE: This interview originally aired in May of 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more! Learn more about Adrian and his work at adrianemiller.com
What’s your favorite barbecue spot in Denver? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
***UPDATE (7/8/22): Since we published this episode this morning, we received a clarification from a Meow Wolf representative. She wrote in response to our guest John Wenzel's description of his reporting process: "The Denver Post article came out Wednesday morning, but the Meow Wolf Workers Collective Convergence Station Organizing Committee didn't formally reach out to CEO Jose Tolosa about the union until after 5 p.m. that day, after the article was published. Meow Wolf's brief statement and lack of answers to John's questions did not come from an unwillingness to be transparent, but rather a lack of information as the situation was still evolving."
Since Meow Wolf opened the doors to Convergence Station in Denver last year, the Santa Fe-based arts collective-turned-corporation has been the talk of the town. They brought jobs, global clout, and millions of dollars to the often overlooked Sun Valley neighborhood. But the company has also struggled with lawsuits related to gender discrimination in Denver and fair pay issues in its home state. Now, the Meow Wolf Workers Collective says employees here have taken steps to unionize. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Denver Post arts reporter and critic John Wenzel, whose recent piece digs into the unionization efforts at the Denver Meow Wolf outpost.
Bree also mentioned this story past guest Jason Blevins wrote for the Colorado Sun this week about the Rainbow Family gathering, which went down last week in Routt National Forest
Still don’t have plans for the weekend? We’ve got a rundown of curated picks in today’s newsletter https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you been to Convergence Station yet? Let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
All it takes is one rush-hour morning to see that Denverites love their cars. Some city officials think having more environmentally friendly options — like e-scooters — are key to breaking that dependence. But are scooters really the best option for Denver’s busy, crowded streets and sidewalks? Not everyone is a fan of the compact devices that zip around with abandon, and can be parked seemingly anywhere. Host Bree Davies checked in with District 10 councilman Chris Hinds, a scooter skeptic, to hear about his dive into this hot-button issue.
If you’re a scooter lover hoping to be a good citizen of our shared streets and sidewalks, our friends at Denverite put together a very helpful guide for how to ride a scooter and not be a jerk.
Hungry? Editor Peyton Garcia chows down on the latest Denver food news in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Scooters: Menace, public good, or both? Let us know what you think and follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been said that Colorado has everything… except a beach. But ever since 1979, Water World has filled that ocean-sized hole in our hearts, serving up family fun in the form of wild rides, crazy slides, and zillions of funnel cakes along the way. Host Bree Davies has loved visiting Water World since she was a kid, so one recent morning we asked for a behind-the-scenes tour to see what you don’t see from the bird’s eye view of Alpine Springs gondola — everything from a backstage look at the animatronics powering Voyage to the Center of the Earth to the engineering marvel literally making waves at Thunder Bay.
Share your favorite Water World memory with us on Twitter! We’re @citycastdenver
Worried about monkeypox in Colorado? Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia has a breakdown of all things monkeypox in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like many American cities, Denver and its adjoining suburbs have had moments defined by malls. From Cinderella City to Villa Italia, Buckingham Square to Westminster, malls have come and gone, but created indelible memories for many Denverites. These intergenerational spaces played host to first jobs, first dates, and for many teens, first parent-free experiences in the public realm. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with author and architecture critic Alexandra Lange about her new book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall. Together, they trace the architectural and social history of Denver through the lens of a built environment meant for shopping — but remembered for so much more.
Bree and Alexandra talked about beautiful images of dying malls — like these photos from Seph Lawless.
(Pssst… today’s blooper comes courtesy of these amazing in-store tapes from KMart that someone kindly posted to the Interwebz. Also, Bree recommends the album Vacant Places by Hantasi if you really want to immerse yourself in the mall’s aural aesthetic.)
Want more Denver metro mall history? Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Shout out your fave Denver metro mall of yore on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What an up and down week it was in Denver. Elections officials were counting primary votes (some had to be counted twice!) and the final results for one key race arrived less than an hour before host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi started recording with Westword editor Patty Calhoun on Thursday morning at the Westword office. At the same time just down the street, the Stanley Cup was slowly approaching, with hundreds of thousands of hockey fans swarming downtown to watch as our victorious (and increasingly drunk) Colorado Avalanche paraded from Union Station to Civic Center Park. In short, it ruled!
A programming note: We’re taking a long Fourth of July weekend, so there’ll be no new episode in your feed or newsletter in your inbox until Tuesday morning.
Paul mentioned a 9News report on Democrat-linked spending in the Republican primaries. Here’s a link to see that for yourself.
Still don’t have plans for the Fourth of July weekend? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has you covered: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Did you attend the Stanley Cup parade on Thursday? We want to see your pics! Tag us @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
***Due to a technical error, some subscribers downloaded a mostly silent, 1.75 hour long version of this episode. This is a re-uploaded, correct version.
After a recent visit to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, our former producer Xandra McMahon proclaimed, “Ugh, why do we have zoos?” That episode didn’t go over so well with the folks from the Denver Zoo, and they invited us to come see for ourselves why zoos are still cool. So newsletter editor Peyton Garcia (zoo lover), producer Paul Karolyi (zoo skeptic), and host Bree Davies (zoo ambivalent) stopped by recently for some fresh perspective.
We finally have results from Tuesday’s Democrat and Republican primaries. Peyton’s got a round-up of all the key races in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Would you rather visit the Denver Zoo or the Wild Animal Sanctuary? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Control Group Productions presents THE END
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The long Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and producer Paul Karolyi hasn’t planned anything — let alone an epic camping trip. Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, on the other hand, is a camping pro. So Paul and Peyton hopped on the mics to talk through the whole process: when to start planning, getting out of REI without going broke, what gear is worth the trunk space, stepping up your campfire cookery, and the great bluetooth speaker debate!
Oh, and if you’re interested in an outdoor adventure minus the fossil fuels, past guest Nate Minor recently wrote a helpful guide for car-free hiking and camping for Colorado Public Radio. And if you, like Paul, neglected to book a campsite, 5280 Magazine has a great guide for booking a last-minute campsite right here.
Paul mentioned our episode from earlier this year with Councilman Jolon Clark explaining why he was so excited to get Denverites to pay for trash pickup service. That plan passed City Council Monday night, so it’s a perfect time to revisit that episode.
Wanna see Peyton’s camping checklist? She’s got that and more camping tips in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Do you know of a local reproductive healthcare provider in need of support? Or maybe some kind of related service provider that Denverites should know about? We want to help get the word out, so tweet at us @citycastdenver, or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, Cale Makar, Devon Toews: These difficult-to-spell names will be etched onto the Stanley Cup this summer, alongside those of their teammates, coaches, staff, and so many other champs to come before them. The Avalanche won it all on Sunday night, sending thousands of hockey-loving Denverites into the streets to celebrate — mostly responsibly — and City Cast Denver’s sports guy Jake Shapiro was there. Now also a sports analyst for DenverFan.com, Jake is back on the show today with producer Paul Karolyi to talk about the Cup riot that wasn’t and break down the Avs’ big win.
Plus, this episode includes a re-run of one of our favorite Avs’ stories from last year. Click this link after you listen to see their Reverse Retro for yourself.
We have a new producer! Get to know Erin O’Toole in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Were you downtown Sunday night? Get any good pics of the drunken debauchery? Tag us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Five Points is rooted in Denver’s Black history and culture, with monuments to the swinging jazz age and soul food eateries still dotting the historic Welton St. corridor. But the iconic Rossonian Hotel remains vacant and many Black-owned businesses have closed or been forced to move in the last few years. So what is it going to take to revitalize Welton St.? Host Bree Davies recently sat down with Five Points Business Improvement District president Ryan Cobbins to connect the dots between gentrification, the pandemic, and a once-promising business deal that now has him fending off lawsuits.
Cobbins is also the owner of Coffee at the Point.
Bree mentioned the displacement of the Welton St. Cafe from its longtime home, but there’s good news! They recently announced on Instagram that they’ve found a new permanent location on Welton and in the meantime they’re serving takeout out of 2258 California St.
For more details on Matthew Burkett’s work in Five Points with the FlyFisher Group, here’s a link to Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanagh’s article breaking down the various deals and what went wrong.
We are still thinking about the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, so newsletter editor Peyton Garcia rounded up some local abortion resources and information in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/. And if you haven’t heard it, check out our episode about the local implications that we published back when the draft opinion leaked.
What’s your favorite local business in Five Points? Tweet at us @citycastdenver, or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday, and we’re still deep in this Colorado primary conversation. But today, we’re talking about the craziness on the GOP side — and what role independent voters could have in next week’s primary election. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Ian Silverii, a longtime Democratic Party insider, to dissect the Republican candidates and chat about what, exactly, you should be doing with your Republican or Democratic primary ballot. (Hint: he wants you to fill it out!)
For more of Ian's political analysis, check out the awesome podcast he co-hosts, The Get More Smarter Podcast.
Ian mentioned past CCD guest Ryan Warner’s longform interviews with GOP gubernatorial candidates Greg Lopez and Heidi Ganahl.
Still not sure how to vote in this primary? Check out this helpful guide from Colorado Public Radio.
Looking for fun stuff to fill your weekend? https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you an unaffiliated voter planning to return the GOP primary ballot? Let us know how you’re thinking about the candidates on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: CU Boulder’s Masters of Journalism Entrepreneurship program
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Democratic primary for House District 6 in central Denver is a hot one, with unprecedented amounts of money flowing in and plenty of media coverage. But the question at the heart of this race: How progressive is Denver? This democratic showdown could reveal the answer, and there are two candidates who hold the key: Elisabeth Epps and Katie March. Today, host Bree Davies talks with March about how she approaches her ongoing work on gun control, and how she laid the groundwork for her campaign after spending years as a Dem State House staffer.
Be sure to check out our episode from yesterday with March’s opponent, Elisabeth Epps.
In today’s newsletter, editor Peyton Garcia digs into the legacy of LGBTQ+ rights pioneer and former Boulder County Clerk, the late Clela Rorex. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you dropped your primary ballot in the ballot box yet? Brag about it to us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is the race for the House District 6 seat the most interesting primary in Colorado? It’s certainly among the most expensive and the most divisive, with all eyes on the Democratic candidates for the office: Elisabeth Epps and Katie March. In this last week before the polls close, we’ve invited both candidates to come on the show. Today, Bree talks with Epps about why she’s running for office, what HD6 needs the most right now, and why she isn’t “too progressive” to get elected.
Stay tuned tomorrow, when her opponent, Katie March, is scheduled to join us.
Hear our episode from last summer with Elisabeth Epps, where she talked with producer Paul Karolyi about ending cash bail.
You still have a week to say your goodbyes to Bonnie Brae Tavern! Bree took a trip to the 88-year-old establishment last weekend — see pics in our newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What Colorado primary race are you watching? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver, or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver has always been home to revolutionary movements — Chicano civil rights, disability justice, and the fight for LGBTQ+ equality have all played out here across decades. For each of those movements, geography plays an important role, like Capitol Hill, where queer people found refuge, support, and community. Ahead of PrideFest this weekend, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi join comics artist and historian B. Erin Cole on a walking tour of Cap Hill, as seen through a queer historical lens. B. Erin has researched and illustrated a map with markers from the State Capitol to Cheesman Park — but it’s the flipped homes, demolished buildings, and long-gone bars in-between that tell the deeper story of the neighborhood's vibrant LGBTQ+ history.
B. Erin Cole’s illustrated map of queer Capitol Hill can be found as part of History Colorado’s Rainbows and Revolutions exhibit, on view now. Find more of B. Erin’s work here.
In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, producer Lizzie Goldsmith has a roundup of summer theater events. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have your own memory or shoutout for a queer space in Denver? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Queer America Clothing
Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As of this year, Juneteenth is officially a state holiday in Colorado — but Denver’s Black community has been recognizing and celebrating June 19th for decades. A staple celebration in Five Points since the 1960s, an official Juneteenth music festival launched in the community in 2012 and is going strong today. (For more on the history of the Mile High’s Juneteenth history, check out our newsletter from earlier this week.) Today on the show, we share a story we aired last year with producer Xandra McMahon walking down Welton St. with Norman Harris, an organizer of the annual Juneteenth music festival. Norman digs into the past, present, and future of this celebration of Black life, culture, and community in Denver.
Looking for even more great things to do this weekend? Check out Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia’s top picks: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Does your family have a Juneteenth tradition? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Don’t Tell Comedy
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After years of low test scores, concerns of gang activity, and accusations of discrimination against Spanish-speaking students, a new state-mandated “reorganization” order could seal the fate of the Adams 14 school district — schools may close and thousands of students could be forced to attend classes outside their community. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks to Chalkbeat reporter Yesenia Robles about where the school district sits now, how it got to such a dire state, and where the people of Commerce City stand when it comes their much-maligned schools.
Read Yesenia Robles’ in-depth reporting on the Adams 14 situation in English and Spanish for Chalkbeat.
Bree mentioned the latest on the impending Rainbow Gathering. Hear our interview from earlier this year with a veteran RG attendee addressing the controversy.
Celebrate Juneteenth this weekend with a great list of events from City Cast Denver Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you an Adams 14 alum or have kids in the district? Tell us how you feel about the situation on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s prime outdoor-dining season in Denver. But what, exactly, makes a good patio? Today on the show, host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor and foodie extraordinaire Peyton Garcia to discuss the role of ambiance and a killer view when it comes to judging the perfect patio scenario. From our favorite rooftop party spots to those calm, garden-like hideaways, Peyton and Bree share a robust list of restaurants and bars doing outdoor dining in Denver right.
Bree also mentioned James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, who stopped by our show last summer to talk about his book, “Black Smoke: African-Americans and the United States of BBQ.”
In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, Peyton digs into the history of the Denver Zoo (and stay tuned for a companion podcast episode about the zoo, coming soon!) Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your fave Denver patio spots with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Got something to say about Denver? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Don’t Tell Comedy
Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ten years ago, Tom Sullivan lost his son Alex in the Aurora theater shooting. It was a tragedy that sparked a political career, with Sullivan stepping up to run for office and lead a decade’s worth of gun reform campaigns. But those campaigns have had limited success, and mass shootings continue to plague our community. So now that the City of Denver is trying to get more guns off the street and Sullivan is campaigning for a seat in the state senate, host Bree Davies sat down with him to discuss the challenge of local gun policy, explain his theory on the political gridlock, and respond to critics who say that Denver’s ban on concealed carry in public buildings and parks will lead to more racial profiling.
Bree interviewed one of those critics, Anubis Heru, co-owner of the 1770 Armory and Gun Club, a few weeks ago on the show. You can listen to that episode here.
Bree’s also got updates on a couple more past stories, about FashioNation and Denver’s teen drag scene, in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The How to Buy a Home Podcast
Wonderful Waste
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do we really need the moisture? Or is that just something Denverites like to say? Recently, local news has been awash in headlines about the state of Colorado’s water supply, and it’s got us wondering: Is Denver at risk of running out? Are we good or bad at the natural resource game? Are we water suckers or water misers? Today on the show, Producer Paul Karolyi talks with Denver Water’s chief planner Greg Fisher about the Mile High City’s own H2O situation and what — if anything — Denverites could to do better when it comes to our water usage.
Paul mentioned several scary water stories, including Governor Polis signing a bill last week offering cash to folks who rip out their water-sucking lawns; Aurora looking at banning future lawns and golf courses; and then there was a potential (but ultimately shelved) plan to pipe water from the San Luis Valley to Douglas County.
Learn more about Denver Water’s Garden in a Box program and sign up for their fall sale here: https://www.denverwater.org/residential/efficiency-tip/garden-box-sign-fall-sale
Thirsty for more water knowledge? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has got you covered in today’s edition: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you replaced your lawn? Share some pics with us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ask any Denverite, and they’ll tell you: Everything here is getting more expensive, especially housing. So we’re digging into two stories that could have a huge impact on our real estate market: Walmart heir Rob Walton’s purchase of the Denver Broncos, including a huge parcel of land around Mile High Stadium, and City Council’s approval of a long-awaited, much-talked-about affordable housing policy. Can either bring Walmart-style “great prices” back to Denver? Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanagh is back on the show with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to help get to the bottom of it.
Paul mentioned this article from the Denver Post about how Denver took inspiration from Atlanta’s affordable housing policy.
Lookin’ to have a kickass weekend? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has got you covered: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about the Walmart-ification of Denver? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For 13 years, the Black Actors Guild created and performed some of the most provocative and entertaining plays in Denver. They started out as students at Denver School of the Arts and went on to bring in as much as $700,000 per year through their plays and arts education courses. But after a rough couple of years, they’re closing the curtain. So host Bree Davies sat down with her friend and Black Actors Guild co-founder Ryan Foo to talk about the state of theater in Denver and answer some big questions: Is “diversity” still just a buzzword, or are our arts institutions actually doing the work? What can theater companies do to uplift and make space for younger creators — and audiences — of color? If Denver can attract big, sell-out Broadway shows but not support local artists in the same way, has the city become a victim of its own success?
We mentioned Ryan Foo’s latest immersive theater-party, IllFooMinati VI, happening tomorrow and Saturday night at the Savoy Denver. Tickets and more information here.
More news you can use in our daily City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Wonderful Waste
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s outdoor swimming pool season! But Denver Parks and Rec has a shortened operating schedule and Colorado is facing a lifeguard shortage (along with the rest of the country). Still, there’s plenty of reasons — and places — to swim in and around Denver. Today on the show, host Bree Davies chats with producer Paul Karolyi about what’s up with our pool sitch and how the key to your best poolside summer yet may mean looking outside Denver city limits.
Paul mentioned this NPR piece with a surprising explanation for the lifeguard shortage and this Denver Post article from City Cast Denver’s favorite meteorologist Andy Stein about how long Denver could keep its outdoor public pools open.
Bree talked about a whole gang of good pool options in surrounding municipalities that won’t break the bank:
Brighton Oasis (Brighton) The Splash at Fossil Trace (Golden) Pirates Cove (Englewood) The Bay (Broomfield) H2O’Brien Pool (Parker) Island Kingdom at Elitches
Check out the City Cast Denver newsletter, where today, Peyton digs into the new City Council-approved affordable housing mandate. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your best pool recs with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Optimum Joy
Wonderful Waste
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver Public Schools let out for the summer last week, which means DPS superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero now has one full school year under his belt — and it was a rough one. Declining enrollment sparked fears of school closures. A beloved Northside teacher was let go, prompting student walkouts and protests. Mass shootings tested DPS’s security plans and resurfaced the debate over cops in schools. And oh yeah, COVID-19. Host Bree Davies sits down with Dr. Marrero to go through the ups and downs, and his plan for the future.
For more on the issues Bree discussed with Dr. Marrero, here’s a few links:
Recommended school closure criteria presented to Denver school board [Chalkbeat, 6/2/2022]
Denver school board votes to phase police out of schools [Chalkbeat, 6/11/2020]
He’s a Beloved Northside Teacher. Why Did DPS Let Him Go? [City Cast Denver, 5/11/2022]
One Denver Teacher Says They’re Not Just Burned Out, They’re Being Set on Fire [City Cast Denver, 1/11/2022]
With the school year wrapping up last week, there’s been a ton of news related to DPS and other schools across the state. Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia has got all the important stuff rounded up for you in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about the possibility of school closures? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret that Denver’s housing market is nuts. But when we sit down to talk about the causes and solutions for our ongoing issues with housing, things tend to get heated, complicated, and divisive. So, we’re looking to Denverites for their “big ideas” to help steer this and other conversations about our city’s future. What can the Mile High do to make this place better for everyone? Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with fellow housing wonk Adam Estroff, member of YIMBY Denver and aspiring politician, about what he thinks we can do right now to put Denver on a better course toward more affordable — and attractive — housing.
Check out Adam’s campaign for city council, representing “Lucky” District 7.
This is the Denver Post article about the city's landmarks that Adam mentioned in the episode.
Colorado primary ballots start arriving in mailboxes this week. Editor Peyton Garcia has all the voting resources you need in today’s City Cast Denver Newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summer’s (almost) officially here, and we’re here for it! Today on the show, Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia and Host Bree Davies to chat about what makes summer the best season in Denver. From short mountain jaunts to cool new art installations, the City Cast Denver crew has lots of ideas for your next weekend outing.
Bree’s Picks:
Go for evening bike rides! (Grab some lights at Yawp Cyclery or another local bike shop)
Pack a picnic for a summer concert at Levitt Pavilion or the Denver Botanic Gardens
Peyton’s Picks:
Eat your way through a food festival! Especially Top Taco and Burger Battle
Find your own dang hiking/camping/backpacking spot with help from Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Paul’s Picks:
James Turrell’s newest Skyspace opens on June 18 at the Green Box Arts Festival.
Go stargazing and spend a single night camping at the Pawnee Buttes
Peyton’s got even more fun stuff for your weekend in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Where’s your favorite place to swim in the metro area? Send us an email at denver@citycast.fm, or call us at (720) 500-5418 and let us know!
Catch us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If I-70 had a mayor, it would be Alejandro Brown. He started the I-70 Things Instagram account a few years ago when he was stuck in ski traffic. It was a fun way to share silly moments and crazy stuff people (and animals) were doing on the side of the highway. But then, something changed — Alejandro realized that the account could also serve as a public service, too. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Alejandro about why I-70 Things seems to resonate with so many Coloradans (200,000 and counting!), how he’s managed to encapsulate our complex relationship with the well-traveled highway, and why he chose to use his powers for good.
Wanna know the latest local restaurant hot goss? Peyton Garcia’s got all you need to know in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Wonderful Waste
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Drag has come a long way in the past century — and more recently, thanks to shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, the culture and art form have fully entered the mainstream. Now, a whole new generation of performers who grew up watching Ru and her kin have created scenes of their very own. Like here in Denver, 17-year-old Jameson Lee and his mom, Robin Fulton, created Dragutante, an annual event spotlighting kid drag performers. Host Bree Davies talks with Jameson and Robin about the new Discovery+ docu-series spotlighting their story and why it is crucial now more than ever to support young people in their quest to express themselves on stage and in life.
Watch Generation Drag starting TODAY on Discovery+ (which has a seven-day free trial option!)
With Parks & Rec delaying outdoor public pool season to June 13, we want to know: Where are the best places to swim in the Denver metro area? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood at (720) 500-5418, and we might share it on an upcoming episode!
Suncor has been polluting neighborhoods around its Commerce City refinery for 90 years, so it might be a bit of a shock to learn about their “climate champion” reputation in Canada. Producer Paul Karolyi has the story in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
How to Buy a Home Podcast
Wonderful Waste
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Way back in 2018, the theater wizards behind Control Group Productions started dreaming about what it might feel like to live in a not-so-distant future Denver wrecked by climate change. Then the pandemic came along and, as they say, “helped with that.” This weekend, they are premiering The End, an immersive bus tour of our local culture and ecology — just, you know, a heck of a lot drier, meaner, and set in that imagined future. City Cast producer and resident theater buff Lizzie Goldsmith got a sneak peak behind the scenes of The End, talking with cast members Caroline Sharkey and Krista Zozulia. Today on the show, she brings us along for an early preview of the apocalypse.
Producer Paul Karolyi mentioned Denver’s public pools and the application to become a lifeguard. Please share it far and wide so our public pools can stay open longer!
Looking for a good way to help stave off climate catastrophe? Peyton Garcia takes a look at lawn replacement and native plant alternatives in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
CU Boulder’s Master of Arts in Journalism Entrepreneurship
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret — Denver’s a car-centric place. But it doesn’t have to be! Today on the show, we’re bringing you a conversation with transit advocates and experts about what we could do differently when it comes to embracing multiple modes of getting around, while keeping equity and the climate in mind. Host Bree Davies is joined by Marcus Robinson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Ride for Racial Justice; Grace Rink, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Denver; and Skyler McKinley, Regional Director for Public Affairs at AAA.
The conversation recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Transportation Solutions Foundation’s annual Road Ahead conference, which took place yesterday at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Fill your long weekend with all sorts of cool stuff to do using our handy dandy events round-up in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Just a note: We’re out for Memorial Day, so you won’t see a new podcast or newsletter until next Tuesday!
On Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated more than 10,000 Americans of Japanese descent at a concentration camp smack in the middle of desolate, hardscrabble southeast Colorado. It’s an ugly chapter in American history that has, in the last few years, been subject to renewed interest and attention from archaeologists, historians and, most recently, horticulturalists. Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner has been following a surprisingly heartwarming story to come out of this dark time. Today, he sits down with Host Bree Davies to talk through the legacy of Camp Amache, the story of the Amache rose, and what it has meant to at least one survivor.
For more on the story, check out Warner’s original story and his update from earlier this week.
Also, stay tuned to the end of this episode for a note from Bree on our recent episode about Denver’s new concealed carry ban.
We are heartbroken by the mass killing at an elementary school in Texas earlier this week. In our newsletter today, Peyton Garcia has got a bunch of links to help if you want to help out or get involved: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/.
Join us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If there’s anything constant about Denver, it’s change. Recently, Host Bree Davies was driving down Colfax and noticed that a lot of things about her favorite street in the city were in flux. Block after block, recognizable buildings were now holes in the ground; other familiar parts of the built environment had been fenced off; and many beloved businesses were closed. Bree took her woes online and Frank Locantore, Executive Director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, reached out with an offer — a tour of the strip by foot, to offer a different perspective on the block-by-block transformation in progress. Today on the show, Frank, Bree, and producer Paul Karolyi wander together and talk about what the street has been up to and why we should be embracing the Colfax of the future.
For more on the long-awaited Colfax bus rapid transit system — or BRT — discussed in this episode, check out all the details on the City of Denver’s website.
Bree mentioned the sexual assault allegations against jam band promoter and notorious dingdong Jay Bianchi. Here’s our episode about those allegations from last summer.
Remember a couple years back when Denver nearly tore itself apart over the effort to cull our flocks of geese and use the fowl to help feed families in need? Peyton’s got an update on how that’s been going: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Optimum Joy
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Starting on June 17, Denverites registering a phone number might get a new area code: 983. Yes, it can spell W-T-F, but that’s not what’s got people talking. Old Denver heads are proud of their 303 and, to a lesser extent, 720 area codes! So host Bree Davies (720), producer Paul Karolyi (614), and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia (720) are wading into the messy native/transplant conversation and uncovering some neighborhood history along the way.
In the newscast, we mentioned the latest developments in the creation of the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Check out our episode with Raven Payment from last month for more of that backstory.
The Avs’ playoff run is getting ugly, but the worst of it is playing out off-ice. Paul has the latest on the racist threats made against Avs center Nazem Kadri in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We're also on Twitter @citycastdenver!
Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver City Council voted last week to ban the concealed carry of guns in city buildings and parks, with the goal of making these areas “gun-free” zones, according to City Attorney Kristin Bronson. But Anubis Heru, co-founder of 1770 Armory and Gun Club in Five Points, doesn’t think that’s the answer to the problem of rising gun violence. Today on the show, he talks with Bree about racial profiling, the importance of gun training and education, and why he thinks concealed carry in parks especially actually keeps people safer.
Did this weekend’s snowstorm wreak havoc on any trees in your yard? If so, you’ll want to check out today’s newsletter, where Peyton has the details on getting those branches included in your trash pickup this week: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your take on the concealed carry ban? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsor of today’s episode: Optimum Joy
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Stan Kroenke-owned Colorado Avalanche are tearing up the NHL playoffs, but the billionaire tycoon still won’t make a deal with Comcast to allow most Denverites to watch. Now, Kroenke wants to tear up the parking lots around Ball Arena in favor of a brand-new 55-acre downtown neighborhood — which could mean some downtown Denverites would lose their views of the mountains. So today on the show, host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and Westword editor Patty Calhoun are pulling back the curtain and talking about all the things Mr. Kroenke doesn’t want you to see.
We talked more about the new Pueblo-themed bar at the beginning of this episode, including John Rodriguez’s op-ed for Westword. Here’s a link to that piece: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/pueblo-appropriation-brand-fuel-iron-colorado-14042148
Wanna pack your weekend with fun stuff? Peyton’s got you covered in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your hope and dreams for what the sea of parking lots around Ball Arena could be on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Optimum Joy
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When we heard about a new bar opening in downtown Denver themed after the city of Pueblo, we were skeptical, to say the least. Who would want to theme a bar after a Colorado town? Would this place make a mockery of our southern Colorado cousin? And really, how could you even capture the essence of such a misunderstood and overlooked place like Pueblo, anyway? Host Bree Davies wanted answers, and she knew just who to call: her best friend, David Casados, a born and raised Puebloan. Today on the show, Bree, David, and producer Paul Karolyi head down to Fuel & Iron in the heart of LoDo to sip on a fancy cocktail named after the Pueblo neighborhood of Aberdeen, dig into a version of Pueblo’s famous “slopper,” and try to figure out if this place is legitimately Pueblo.
At the top of the show, we mentioned John Rodriguez’s editorial in Westword about the bar: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/pueblo-appropriation-brand-fuel-iron-colorado-14042148
Fuel & Iron’s owners response to that editorial: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/pueblo-denver-fuel-future-investment-opinion-14087932
Check out our newsletter, where today, the City Cast Denver crew shares their hottest takes on Denver’s new area code. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you a Puebloan living in Denver? Tell us what you miss about your home city on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Styler Rising opened Metamorphosis Fitness in 2015, they focused on creating a place that embraced exercise, strength, and transformation. But what Styler didn’t realize was that they were also providing something else — a safe, queer-affirming gym environment. So, the fitness business went through a transformation of its own, and things really took off after a TikTok about the gym went viral. Today on the show, Bree talks with Styler about all the work they have done to create a cool, welcoming place for all bodies who want to get fit.
Want to own 800 pounds of prime Denver history? Bree’s got an exclusive lead on a very interesting opportunity in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you love most about your gym? We’ll share all the local love on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the waning hours of their 2022 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly finally reached a compromise on a bill meant to stop the spike in fentanyl-related deaths across Colorado. After months of debate, they agreed to toughen punishments for possession of smaller amounts of the synthetic opioid. Just like the lawmakers, we made this bill our top priority for the legislative session, so Bree and Paul are looking back at how it all went down, unpacking what made it into the bill, and what’s next.
To get a full picture of how this debate played out, here’s a rundown of our recent coverage:
“More Like Poisoning than an Overdose” with Attorney General Phil Weiser (February 22, 2022)
“Why the New Fentanyl Bill Has Harm Reductionists Concerned” with Harm Reduction Action Center executive director Lisa Raville (March 29, 2022)
“Inside the Fentanyl Fight at the Capitol” with State Representative Leslie Herod (May 2, 2022)
Here’s a few of our sources for this conversation:
For a breakdown of all the little things that were included in the final version of the fentanyl bill, check out this piece from Colorado Public Radio.
This Denver Post article has a good explanation of the closing minutes of the legislative session, when a flurry of compromises led up to the final vote.
Bree mentioned a new repatriation effort underway at the Denver Art Museum. For more on that fascinating story, Peyton’s going deep in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
How do you feel about the fentanyl bill our lawmakers delivered? Share your thoughts on Twitter and tag us @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: How to Buy a Home Podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Move over Greta Thunberg, Colorado’s got its own wunderkind climate champion. Her name is Madhvi Chittoor. She’s 11-years-old, and she lives with her parents in Arvada. But every chance she gets, Chittoor zips across the world speaking out against plastic pollution, leading climate rallies, and meeting with world leaders, like Vice President Kamala Harris. Today, Bree sits down with Chittoor to talk about her life in activism, her budding music career, and her latest legislative achievement, a bill that would ban the sale of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” across Colorado.
Check out this profile of Chittoor from Conrad Swanson at the Denver Post for even more on her inspiring activism: https://www.denverpost.com/2022/04/26/colorado-pfas-madhvi-chittoor-environmental-activist/
For more, here’s the full Denver7 report on the PFAS bill that we excerpted in this episode and, per Chittoor’s recommendation, CNN’s documentary, “Midway, A Plastic Island.”
Chittoor’s album, “I am… Princess Genius,” is available through her website, and we found it on Spotify here.
After the Colorado state legislative session wrapped up last week, Governor Jared Polis has got to get out his signing pen. Peyton’s got a breakdown of all the important stuff that hit his desk in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
How was your Denver weekend? Hit us with a pic on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It has been ten years since Denver enacted an urban camping ban, providing the legal basis for what many housing activists are now calling “Denver’s Decade of Doom.” So to mark the occasion, we are bringing you this bonus episode of the new Elevated Denver podcast. Their hope for the podcast is to build compassion for the experience of being unhoused, to see this as a system issue and not an individual issue, and to spark hope for solving homelessness.
You can learn more about their broader advocacy project, subscribe to the Elevated Denver podcast, and listen to the whole 10-episode series here: https://elevateddenver.co/podcast/
Here’s how they describe this episode: “Myra takes on her journey from being housed to being unhoused, and then searching out the resources she needed to get back into stable housing. *Trigger warning: Myra's story may be triggering to some of you. Please take care.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ten years ago this week, Denver leaders signed an urban camping ban into law. Since then, folks across the city have experienced displacement, skyrocketing housing costs, and fewer and fewer sheltering options for those living on the margins. Today on the show, Bree sits down with Denver Homeless Out Loud cofounder Benjamin Dunning and Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanaugh for a wide-ranging conversation on how Denver got here and what the future looks like for a city that desperately needs more affordable housing options.
For a thorough breakdown of Denver’s recent history dealing with our housing crisis, do yourself a favor and spend some time with McCormick-Cavanagh’s terrific feature story from last December: https://www.westword.com/news/denver-homelessness-decades-hancock-hickenlooper-pena-12975252
Interested in the work advocates and the unhoused community are doing? Denver Homeless Out Loud offers resources and information, like this “Seven Myths of Homelessness” list. Also, events commemorating the “Decade of Doom” culminate this weekend. More info here.
Wanna have a kickass weekend? Peyton’s got a rundown of cool events and other stuff to do in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
If you were running for mayor in 2023, what would be your stance on the urban camping ban? Repeal it or extend it? Tell us why on Twitter @citycastdenver or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood and we might play it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On April 27, Gary Arellano was shot and killed in La Alma-Lincoln Park. The city’s response? Fence off the park to the community, something that Arellano’s family says is in direct opposition to what he would have wanted. And this wasn’t the first time the park has been closed to the public because of violence. So what’s to be done in this rapidly gentrifying neighborhood? Denver Post reporter Elizabeth Hernandez has been reporting on the situation at La Alma-Lincoln Park, and she’s on the show to explain what happened, why, and explore this moment’s connections with the historic displacement of Auraria, just on the other side of Colfax.
Gary Arellano’s family is hosting a benefit this Saturday, May 14, at The Denver Inner City Parish from 1-6 p.m. You can find details for that, a link to their GoFundMe, and their petition to “Save La Alma Park in Honor of Gary Arellano” here.
The Park Hill golf course drama continues and Peyton’s breaking it all down in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Do you have a connection to La Alma-Lincoln Park? Tweet us: @citycastdenver. Or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this year, North High School teacher Tim Hernández came on the show to talk about his experience teaching in a pandemic. But he also spoke passionately about the cultural significance of the work he does as a Chicano teacher on the Northside, and the importance of teaching Chicano and Latino history to his mostly Latino classes. So last week when Tim posted online that he was being let go from his beloved Northside school, we knew there was more to the story. Today on the show, Bree talks with Tim about his impending departure from North High School, and why — in a city with a supposed teacher shortage — a devoted, community-centered educator like him would be let go.
On the show today, Bree also mentioned “Denver’s Decade of Doom,” a term some housing and unhoused community activists are using to mark the 10-year anniversary of Denver’s urban camping ban this week. See their event page for more details about the planned week of “grievance and action.”
Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Say hi on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s our producer Xandra’s last hurrah in Denver before she heads off to Philadelphia. So we had to ask: What‘s on your bucket list before you leave Colorado? Her number one choice was a trip to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg, home to 38 tigers that once belonged to the man they call the Tiger King. So we sent her off to visit this past weekend. Bree sits down with Xandra to get the inside scoop on what the sanctuary is like, what kinds of animals you can find there, and why this space made just for lions, tigers, and (very big) bears feels so different from visiting a traditional zoo.
Plus: you, our dear listeners and readers, had some fantastic recommendations for Xandra’s bucket list and Peyton rounds them up in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chit-chat it up with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver is sooooo bad at recycling and composting. In fact, our diversion rate — the amount of waste we divert from landfills to recycling and composting — is a paltry 26%. So how did Denver get so far behind when it comes to trash? And what are we doing to catch up? Councilman Jolon Clark has been pushing for one surprising, seemingly counter-intuitive measure since he was elected to City Council in 2015, and it looks like he might finally have the support to make it happen this year. So Bree sat down with Councilman Clark to hear why he wants Denverites to start paying for our trash.
Councilman Clark mentioned an initiative that’s going to be on Denver’s ballot this fall to require all businesses, including apartment buildings, offer recycling and composting bins. Here’s a link to learn more about the Waste No More initiative.
The City of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency recently adopted Clark’s new pay-for-trash proposal and incorporated it into their broader plan to increase our diversion rate to 50% by 2027.
After complaints from the neighbors, Number 38 is no longer allowed to host super loud concerts in RiNo. Peyton’s got the whole story and all the news you need to know to start your week right here in our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver]
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’ve brought you a burger crawl, a breakfast burrito battle, and a fried chicken chowdown. Now, we’re tackling something sickly sweet and asking the big, round, frosted question: Who makes the best donuts in Denver? Peyton, Paul, Xandra, and Bree took on the task of taste-testing four of the top contenders in the Mile High City (and may have suffered a collective sugar overload in the process, so you don’t have to). Settle in as we debate who bakes, fries, (and in one case, blowtorches) the best dang donuts in Denver.
It’s Friday! Peyton’s rounded up all the cool stuff happening in and around the Mile High in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweet at us: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jen Korte likes to throw big parties. She also doesn’t really drink that much. But as a musician, Korte has seen first-hand how much art and music are often intertwined with drinking culture — so, she set out to change that. The result is Clearheads: A Booze-Free Hang, Korte’s monthly party happening this Sunday, May 8, from 12pm to 4pm at Fort Greene bar in Globeville. The all-ages party de-centers alcohol, while refocusing on community, entertainment, and fun. Bree talks with her old friend Jen Korte about what makes Clearheads feel so fresh and what’s driving the increasing interest in sober bars and booze-free gatherings all across Denver.
For more information or tickets to Clearheads: A Booze-Free Hang, check out Eventbrite.
It’s Cinco de Mayo! Peyton has a hearty list of ways and places to celebrate today and throughout the weekend in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Gotta a go-to bar or restaurant that serves your fave mocktail? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
This episode is sponsored by the How to Buy a Home Podcast.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The U.S. Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old decision guaranteeing federal protection of Americans’ right to an abortion. That’s according to a leaked, draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito published by Politico earlier this week. What would that decision mean for Colorado, where our state just put a new law on the books defending abortion rights? Bree and Xandra are talking out the local implications of a decision that could affect every person in this country.
Our brilliant, thoughtful listeners sent us a couple of suggestions for how to contribute to the effort to protect abortion rights: Abortion Care Network and Colorado Doula Project.
Tell us what you think about the status of abortion rights in Colorado! Leave us a message or text us with your name and neighborhood and we might share your message on the show: 720-500-5418
For a deeper dive into the local policy implications of this threat to abortion access, Peyton has got you covered in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Were you at any of the pro-choice rallies yesterday? We’d love to see some pics! Tweet them at us @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver Public Library’s Central Branch is one of the city’s most beautiful, iconic structures, with a design by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. Graves’ addition to the original 1955 Burnham Hoyt designed structure came in 1995 — while still gorgeous, in the past few years, the library has really started showing its age. But thanks to Denver voters — who approved a bond package in 2017 — the library received the funds for a massive renovation. Last week the newly renovated children’s area opened to the public for the first time. Today, join Bree on a trip through DPL’s present and future with the central branch’s administrator Rachel Fewell.
Want more Denver news fresh in your inbox everyday? Subscribe to our newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
If you visit the new children’s library, share photos with us on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: How to Buy a Home podcast
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everyone agrees that the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a serious threat to the health and well-being of Coloradans — but the question of what to do about fentanyl has sparked one of the hottest debates of this year’s legislative session. Lawmakers are reaching across the aisle in both directions. Harm reduction advocates are rallying on the steps of the Capitol. Law enforcement officers are calling for stiffer penalties. Rep. Leslie Herod has been at the center of it all, and today on the show, she takes Bree inside the “political hell” around the fentanyl issue at the Capitol.
For more on the new e-bike and other green rebates offered by Denver’s new Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency Office, check out their website and see what you’d be eligible to save.
A shooting at La Alma Lincoln Park upset plans to celebrate Denver’s Chicano murals this week. Peyton’s got the story in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, alongside all the other news you need to know today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
With less than two weeks left in the Colorado legislature’s session, what do you hope they get done? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re talking politics. Specifically, we’re talking politicians — this week, some Colorado legislators were up to no good. Paul is joined by Bree and Westword editor and founder Patty Calhoun to talk about Gov. Polis’s promise to “gift” taxpayers money (that’s already ours), Rep. Matt Gray’s DUI arrest, and Rep. Dave Williams’s court battle to get his bogus nickname on the ballot. Plus, Xandra is leaving us for Philly — but before she goes, Paul and Bree help narrow down her very Colorado bucket list.
Got suggestions for the best Colorado things Xandra should do before she jets off to the East Coast this summer? Call the “Xandra’s Big 303 Bucket List” hotline and leave her a message: 720-500-5418.
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out Peyton Garcia’s picks in the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
If you heard yesterday’s episode about Beau Jo’s, we know you’ve probably got piping hot takes on “Colorado Style Pizza,” sooooo tweet them at us! @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two years ago, producer Paul Karolyi and his wife, Megan, reviewed local iconic pizza joint Beau Jo’s for their show, the Denver Pizza Podcast. (Spoiler alert: they weren’t impressed.) But the experience turned into an obsession for Paul who had to get to the bottom of why Beau Jo’s was considered the only “Colorado-style pizza” around. Now that Beau Jo’s is opening a new location in Lone Tree, Bree thought it would be a good time to ask Paul about his strong feelings about the institution, and discuss his in-depth pizza investigation into the phenomenon of putting honey on the crust and how Beau Jo’s trademarked the term “Colorado-style pizza.”
Paul and Megan’s full pizza investigation: Range & Slope: The Honey Trap
For more Denver food news, Peyton’s got you covered with today’s roundup! Check it out here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think of Beau Jo’s? Let us on know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As Denver continues to grow and change, there’s a constant conversation happening about our identity. Who are we as a city? What makes Denver, well, Denver? One characteristic often in question is the way we speak. Do we have an accent? Is there a way — or more than one way — Denverites talk? Turns out, there isn’t a lot of information out there on our particular speech patterns, but researchers at CU Boulder are on the case. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Jeremy Calder, an assistant professor in the linguistics department, and graduate student Andrew Ting about their “Voices of Colorado” project and what they’ve learned about how Denverites speak.
Think you have a Denver accent? Jeremy and Andy need your help! Check out their Voices of Colorado project on Facebook.
Have you ever eaten a hot dog from a stand outside Home Depot? Well, strap in, because those hot dog vendors have been in a years-long battle with the company, and all processed meat fans are gonna wanna read Peyton’s breakdown of the situation in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about the Denver accent? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver, or text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418. Just remember to include your name and neighborhood, and we might play it on the show!
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You know the movie “Dodgeball”? The one where Vince Vaughn saves his neighborhood gym by bringing together a team of misfits to win a quirky adult version of a kids' game? Over the past few years, the plot of “Dodgeball” has been playing out here in Denver, but centers on a parkour gym called APEX and a scrappy group of Coloradans who are now two-time national champions at World Chase Tag, a relatively new sport that exploded in popularity during the pandemic, with tournaments airing on NBC and ESPN. The APEX squad is now in training for the tag world championships in May. So earlier this week, Bree visited their backyard practice arena to meet some of the players and watch them in action.
The rules of chase tag are simple — "1 chaser, 1 evader, 20 seconds, don't get caught!" — but seeing the sport in action is something else entirely. Check out APEX’s latest national championship match from last June here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n29ni9Khe14
We asked for your recycling and composting tips, and you answered! Peyton rounded up your responses in today’s newsletter. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you ever caught World Chase Tag on TV? Tell us what you think on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With one week left in the NHL’s regular season, the Colorado Avalanche are sitting pretty at the top of the standings. Though widely considered favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the team is known to underperform in the post-season. So, is this the year? Can the Avs can get it done? Or could another early exit lead to big changes within the franchise? Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with City Cast Denver sports guy Jake Shapiro to preview the Avs’ playoff run.
Jake and Paul briefly discuss the Avs’ connection with the old Quebec Nordiques and their beautiful powder blue uniforms. For more, check out this episode from last year.
Take a look at today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, where Peyton Garcia breaks down this year’s wildfire forecast: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Shoot us your Avalanche hot takes on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the City Cast Denver green and mean Earth Day special! Producers Paul Karolyi, Xandra McMahon, and Lizzie Goldsmith are joined by newsletter editor Peyton Garcia to talk climate wins and fails. From Denver’s lag in recycling (and plans to rectify that) to beef fat being used to power airplanes, there’s been a lot of environmental news around Colorado lately. We also talk about the most endangered river in America (spoiler: It’s the Colorado River), rebates for e-bikes, DPS Students for Climate Action, and more.
For more on the Colorado River, check out the book The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko.
Have thoughts or tips on how to recycle or compost efficiently in the city? Give us a call and 720-500-5418 and let us know!
Looking for things to do this weekend? Peyton has you covered in the newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us how you recycle and compost in the city on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Today’s episode is brought to you by Choir League. Check out their concert, “Choral Bangerz,” at the Stanley Marketplace this Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
She dazzled the judges all season with her Victorian baby doll style, and now Denver’s own Willow Pill has made it to the finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” If she wins, Willow would become the second Drag Superstar hailing from the Mile High City. Her mentor, friend, and fellow oddball Yvie Oddly won in 2019. But Willow has been dreaming of Drag Race success for longer than that, since she was a baby queen at Colorado State University. Bree sat down with Willow ahead of Friday night’s finale to talk about her experience on the show, how it’s helped her discover new things about her gender identity, and why Denver’s drag scene keeps producing these weirdo, eccentric queens.
Peyton has rounded up ways you can celebrate Earth Day in the newsletter. Find that edition and subscribe to get future ones here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your reactions to the “Drag Race” finale with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Today’s episode is brought to you in part by the How to Buy a Home podcast. Learn more at https://www.howtobuyahome.com/podcast/.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Could you imagine a better way to spend 420 than a sweet hang at Denver’s first-ever, smoke-friendly public weed consumption site, Tetra Lounge? Join host Bree Davies and City Cast Denver weed contributor Ann Marie Awad as they talk through Denver’s up-and-down relationship with public weed consumption and chat with Tetra’s owner, Dewayne Benjamin.
There’s a ton of 420 stuff going on today, as usual, so Peyton rounded up your best bets in today’s edition of the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Get our tweets @citycastdenver
Today’s episode is brought to you by Choir League. Check out their concert, “Choral Bangerz,” at the Stanley Marketplace this Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the news dropped a few weeks ago that 30,000 hippies are likely to descend on Colorado this summer for the 50th annual Rainbow Gathering of the Tribes, the backlash was swift and vocal. A Reddit post on how to take action against the Rainbow Gathering even garnered more than 600 comments in less than 24 hours. Wildfire risk and the environmental impact of this weeks-long shindig were some of the major concerns cited. But one thing the City Cast crew didn’t see in any of the coverage? Information from an actual attendee of the Rainbow Gathering. So we called one up. Tenali Hrenak has been going to Rainbow Gatherings all over the world for more than 20 years, and he chatted with City Cast Denver Host Bree Davies about what this event is really all about, what myths need to be dispelled, and if Coloradans have a reason to be concerned.
Hrenak has been collecting field recordings from Rainbow Gatherings for his own podcast. Learn more here: https://soundsfromtherainbow.org/
Catch up on the latest Denver happenings via our daily newsletter! Check out past issues, or sign up here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Want some more back-and-forth in real time? Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s brown cloud is in the news… again. And it doesn’t seem to be getting better. In fact, in a new move by the EPA, the Front Range’s air quality has gotten so bad, it’s been downgraded from a "serious" to "severe" violator of national ozone standards. But what does it actually mean for Denverites when it comes to quality of life? Are we looking ahead to another summer locked indoors because our air quality is so terrible? Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with CPR climate reporter Sam Brasch about what, exactly, this new EPA categorization means, how it will impact our lives, and what — if anything — we can do about it.
Read Sam Brasch’s reporting for Colorado Public Radio: The EPA moves to declare the Front Range a ‘severe’ air quality violator. Here’s why that matters.
City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia has rounded up some of the most outrageous hot takes about Denver in today’s newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In less than a year, Denverites will start casting their votes for the next mayor of our city. It may seem early in the race, but the field is likely shaping up to be an already crowded one. From a former gang member-turned-community activist to several state legislators throwing their hats in the ring, there’s plenty of interesting potential mayors to talk about. And it’s not just the mayoral race that will be juicy — lots of city council seats are up for grabs, and those people can make a big difference in the trajectory of Denver, too. Producer Xandra McMahon is joined by host Bree Davies and Westword founder and editor Patty Calhoun to preview the 2023 city election and provide some hot insider campaign goss.
Looking for things to do in Denver this weekend? The City Cast Denver newsletter has you covered. Find today’s issue and subscribe to future ones here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
How are you feeling about the city election this far out? Tweet us @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since 1987, FashioNation has been outfitting Denver’s goths, punks, ravers, and fest-goers with wild streetwear and the latest in counterculture style. The little indie boutique sells everything from leather pants and platform boots for teens and adults to tutus and bowling shirts for rockabilly babies and toddlers. When Pam and Paul Italiano set out to share their love of clothes and music, they didn’t imagine they would one day be celebrating 35 years in Denver. The secret to their success? FashioNation is a true family business. Pam and Paul have dedicated their lives to the store, and now their daughters Mia and Sydney are helping out too.
But Mia and Sydney are more than just sales people — they’ve transformed FashioNation into a global attraction, all through the viral magic of TikTok. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon take a trip down to south, South Broadway to visit the Italianos and hear the story of how FashioNation has stayed weird and wonderful for three decades. And of course, Mia and Sydney give us the scoop on what their millions of followers on TikTok think about Denver’s coolest goth and punk clothing store.
For pictures of FashioNation and more on the history of the store, check out (and subscribe!) to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What are your fondest memories of FashioNation? Tell us via Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For Denver cyclist Marcus Robinson, biking equals freedom. It’s a chance to experience new things and reach places he’s never been able to reach before. It was this idea that was at the heart of his Ride for Racial Justice organization that started in 2020 amid the protests over the murder of George Floyd. He thought if he could get people talking to each other about race from the seat of a bicycle, folks might be more open to listen. Robinson has continued to push for racial equity from his bike, most recently by testifying in favor of the “safety stop” bill recently passed by the state legislature. The safety stop, or “Idaho stop”, would let cyclists roll through stop signs legally. It might seem like a small change, but producer Paul Karolyi chats with Robinson about how this is a big win in the fight for racial justice and safety.
We first heard about Robinson and Ride for Racial Justice from past City Cast Denver guest Nathaniel Minor. Check out his piece for Colorado Public Radio on the Idaho Stop here.
Newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a breakdown of Denver’s consideration of a concealed carry ban for its parks. Find today’s edition and subscribe to get future ones in your inbox here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Let’s be friends on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We got a crap-ton of super interesting voicemails about our story on 1800 S. Broadway, the once and future weed lounge. So producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon are taking your calls and talking it out.
And if you don't know what this is about, check out part one and part two of our story on real estate developer Josh Horwitz's effort to carry on his father's legacy by opening a weed lounge in a contentious spot on South Broadway.
Do you have something to say about 1800 S. Broadway or smoking weed in public? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood and we may play it on the show: (720) 500-5418
Xandra mentioned a story she reported a few years back about weed tourism. You can listen to that whole story here: https://www.cpr.org/show-segment/as-marijuana-mainstreams-bus-tours-view-themselves-as-industry-ambassadors/
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ever since the killing of Elijah McClain in 2019, the Aurora Police Department has been mired in turmoil. Now, the chief of police they hired to help reform the department has been fired. Former Chief Vanessa Wilson spoke publicly about her firing for the first time yesterday, and Colorado Sentinel managing editor Kara Mason is on the show today to explain how we got here and why it matters. Want some of Bree’s insider tips on the best stuff in Denver? Check out today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Chit-chat with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you haven’t heard part one of our look at 1800 S. Broadway and the dawn of public weed consumption in Denver, scroll back in your podcast feed to last Friday or click here.
When the city of Denver opened applications for marijuana hospitality businesses last year, the new program attracted a diverse mix of go-getters, from the owner of a private marijuana club who wanted to go public to a Cap Hill mansion whose owners thought weed would help attract more tourists. Among them was an enterprising young real estate tycoon, Josh Horwitz. He applied to open a weed lounge at 1800 S. Broadway, the exact spot where Habibi Hookah Cafe undermined the trust of the neighborhood with excessive late-night partying and violence. The neighbors are organizing to stop Horwitz and City Councilman Jolon Clark is opposed to his permit, but no one has heard his side of the story. Until now.
This isn’t the first time Denver has tried to set up a regulatory framework for marijuana hospitality businesses. They tried before a few years ago, but the rules were so restrictive that only one business ever opened. You can learn more about that and Denver’s long on-again, off-again relationship with weed in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think should be done about 1800 S. Broadway? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ever since Coloradans started taking the prospect of legal weed seriously, stoners have wanted a place to partake in public. The city of Denver opened permits for public consumption businesses a few years ago, but the regulations were so restrictive that only one business was ever able to open. But after last year’s sweeping revamp of our weed laws, a wave of new ganjapreneurs have come forward with proposals for how they’d want a public weed lounge to look and feel — and, more importantly, where one could actually open. It’s a new era of legal weed, and it’s begging the age-old question: if not here, where? Producer Paul Karolyi stumbled upon a red-hot neighborhood battle over one proposed weed lounge a few weeks ago. Today on the show, he breaks it down with producer Xandra McMahon and host Bree Davies.
Stay tuned to the show next week for part two of our look at the fight over 1800 S. Broadway. In the meantime, we want to hear from you! Are you excited to smoke weed in public? Would you want a weed lounge in your neighborhood? And how do you feel about the debate over this one in particular? Text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418, and we might share your thoughts on the show!
No weekend plans? No problem. Peyton’s got a rundown of all the cool stuff happening in Denver this weekend in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your hot takes on 1800 S. Broadway with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Daylight Saving Time. Love it or hate it, it’s part of our lives… but if a new law passes in Colorado, it might change our concept of time forever. The bill already passed Colorado’s House of Representatives, and now the Senate is considering adopting DST year round, meaning we would never have to change our clocks again. But how would this impact our days? What does it mean for our sunrises and sunsets? And why do our ski resorts care so much about it? Today on the show, host Bree Davies took these questions to our resident weather expert, meteorologist Andy Stein, who researched everything we wanted to know about the fight over Daylight Saving Time.
A whole lot of news broke over the last few days, and City Cast Denver newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a round-up— read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Give us your Daylight Saving Time hot takes via Twitter: @citycastdenver
We’re hiring a producer to help make City Cast Denver! If you love Denver and know your way around an .mp3, let’s talk. Email questions to paul.karolyi@citycast.fm and check out the job listing here: https://citycast.fm/audio-producer-city-cast-denver/
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Janae Burris used to fudge the numbers when people asked how long she’s been doing stand-up comedy. “I kind of stopped doing that, though,” she told the Denver Post earlier this week. “I’ve gotten to the point in my [career] that I can tell people the truth and still get jobs.” But now that the stand-up scene is finally creeping back after two years of terrible comedy over the internet, Burris is on the precipice of great change: She’s eight and a half months pregnant. To document this unique moment, she’s recording her first big comedy special in front of a live audience at the Aurora Fox Arts Center next week, and she’s on the show today to talk with host Bree Davies about being funny while pregnant.
Learn more about Burris’ special, “Long Overdue,” and get your tickets to the taping here: https://www.aurorafoxartscenter.org/janae-burris-is-long-overdue
Maybe you heard that election denier and My Pillow Guy, Mike Lindell, was on the steps of the Capitol yesterday for an election conspiracy rally? Peyton Garcia has more on that event, and all the other news you need to get through your day in the CCD newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Let’s be friends on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It might be a false spring, but can you blame us for letting a little nice weather get us excited for camping season?! Some of us, at least. Host Bree Davies has never been super outdoorsy, and all the gatekeeping around the best spots and the reports of overcrowding at our state and national parks don’t make it seem that appealing. So we invited Blackpackers founder and outdoors educator Patricia Cameron to help make it all feel a little more approachable.
Check out this piece Cameron published in 2019 about her journey to the outdoors: https://www.elevationoutdoors.com/go-outside/feet-to-the-ground/
One of Denver’ biggest companies is going to court. Learn all about dialysis giant DaVita and the eccentric former CEO at the center of the case in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What are your favorite hikes or campsites? Let’s swap notes on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“There is no accurate picture” of how many indigenous people have been murdered or gone missing in Colorado, according to our guest today, Raven Payment. Amid a growing, international movement to address the crisis of MMIR — Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives — she helped form a task force to take on the issue locally. Step one? Push for legislation to create a state office that can figure out exactly how big this problem even is. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Payment, who identifies as Kanien'kehá:ka and Anishinaabe, about her work on the task force and how the creation of this office could help Indigenous people all across Colorado.
Our guest Raven Payment mentions a couple of times how the Urban Indian Health Institute’s 2017 report on MMRI was a catalyst for organizing around this issue. If you’re interested, here’s a link to that report: https://www.uihi.org/resources/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-girls/
30,000 hippies are descending on an as-yet-undisclosed location in Colorado this summer. It’s an annual event called the Rainbow Gathering, and it’s got lots of folks really worried. Catch up on the whole backstory in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter! We’re at @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Union Station is a mess. At least that’s what news outlets keep saying about the transit hub and fancy downtown hangout. In the last six months, complaints of violence, open drug use, and people sleeping in the public space have become the narrative of Union Station, painting it as a scene of constant chaos. At the beginning of 2022, Mayor Hancock responded by swarming the place with police — as a result, he said that DPD had made 700 arrests since January.
The City Cast Denver crew hadn’t made a trek down to the shiny train station since before the pandemic, and knew it was time to see for themselves what was going on there. Host Bree Davies and producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon met up with Denverite reporter Kyle Harris — who has covered issues at Union Station extensively — for a walk around the downtown spot. They wanted to see for themselves what, exactly, was so concerning.
Read more of Kyle Harris’s original reporting on Union Station for Denverite:
We spent 18 hours at Union Station. Here’s everything we saw and heard.
A swanky Union Station high rise holds clues about how the rich and poor will coexist (or not) downtown
Denver police have arrested more than 700 people at Union Station this year — only a third for drug crimes
Just a note: Street sweeping starts today! Find out when to avoid that parking ticket in your neighborhood and more in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Say hello on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
News broke last week that local music non-profit Youth on Record was buying a stake in the Underground Music Showcase, one of Denver’s biggest annual music festivals. But this is far from any run-of-the-mill music biz deal: YOR’s Executive Director, Jami Duffy, sees the UMS as a platform to propel a “musicians’ middle class” in Denver and beyond. Today on the show, Duffy chats with host Bree Davies about her long-term plans to turn a staple Denver music fest into a pipeline for careers in the arts, while also cultivating a better experience for music fans.
Read and sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter, where today, Peyton Garcia tells the story of how the modern day coffee break has its origins in a labor dispute that happened in CO: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your favorite UMS stories on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The push to unionize Starbucks workers started in Buffalo, New York, with one small group of baristas stepping forward to call for better working conditions at their cafe. Then slowly, one by one, workers at more than 120 Starbucks locations across the country petitioned for union elections at their shops, including here in Denver, where three separate Starbucks are now in the middle of organizing campaigns. Host Bree Davies sits down with two baristas — Jack Janzen and Hannah Mehlman — to hear why they’re trying to unionize their Starbucks at Leetsdale and Holly, and how the coffee giant is pushing back.
WE’RE HIRING! We are looking for an audio producer who loves Denver as much as we do! We’re looking for someone who wants to help us continue to tell beautiful, complicated, compelling stories about the people and things that make this city what it is. Think you or someone you know fits the bill? Take a peek at the official job posting here.
In today’s newsletter, Peyton has all the juicy gossip about the Outdoor Retailer show leaving Colorado and heading back to Utah. Find that newsletter and subscribe to future ones here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
By the way, tell us what you think of the newsletter! Fill out this short survey and get entered to win two tickets to RadioLab’s Jad Abumrad live at the Paramount Theatre. https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/
Let’s connect on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With fentanyl-related deaths spiking across Colorado, our elected officials have been debating new measures to better protect people from the highly potent, synthetic opioid. Should they go after drug users who are at risk of unwittingly taking a lethal dose? Should they focus on dealers and manufacturers who lace their goods with fentanyl? And what are the roles of “overdose prevention sites” and harm reduction, a strategy borne from the failures of the war on drugs? Now that they’ve formally submitted their bill at the state legislature, it’s time to dig in. Host Bree Davies sits down with Harm Reduction Action Center’s executive director Lisa Raville to break down the policy and politics around the new Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act.
For additional perspectives on this new bill, Peyton has got a deep dive in our newsletter today. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And if you’d like a more thorough breakdown of the fentanyl situation, Harm Reduction Action Center and Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition co-published a brief, titled “Fentanyl in Colorado: Overview and recommendations for addressing the overdose crisis.”
Don’t let another day go by without RTing a great Denver tweet and tagging @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Too often there’s inherent bias at play when we think about who makes a good firefighter — strong, athletic… manly. “I think that we forget sometimes that the people we are serving like to see a familiar face when they're having their worst day,” says Kathleen Vredenburgh, who wants people to know that firefighting requires a lot more than just physical strength. She was named deputy chief of Denver Fire last month, making her the highest ranking woman in the fire department’s 156-year history. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Vredenburgh about her experience as a firefighter and her work getting other women to join the department.
In today’s newsletter, City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia breaks down the $14 million settlement protesters won in an excessive force case against DPD. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Catch us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday and we’re chatting about stories big and small in Denver this week, starting with Union Station — which can’t seem to get a decent headline in its favor these days. Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by host Bree Davies and Patty Calhoun, founder and editor of Westword, to discuss perceptions of crime downtown and the re-opening of a beloved Denver Mexican restaurant. Plus, the pickleball player who’s landed himself in a real pickle with the police.
Read the latest from Westword on crime statistics at Union Station here: https://www.westword.com/denver/Print?oid=13699478
For more on the pickleball power struggle, Denverite’s Desiree Mathurin has been all over this story: Here’s the original piece and here’s the follow-up.
Get the whole backstory on the Outdoor Retailer trade show’s move back to Salt Lake City from past City Cast Denver guest and Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins: https://coloradosun.com/2022/03/23/outdoor-retailer-leaving-denver-salt-lake-city/
The Denver Post story about the situation downtown and at Union Station that we talked about is here.
Paul shouted out his father-in-law and his favorite Longmont brewery, Wibby Brewing. For directions to their taproom and more, click here: https://www.wibbybrewing.com/
Peyton’s got a roundup of fun things to do this weekend in our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chit-chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
Oh, and we’re hiring!! https://citycast.fm/audio-producer-city-cast-denver/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The painter Stevon Lucero was his own person through and through. He created his own style, which he called “metarealism,” and through painting he explored the outer bounds of consciousness, connecting dots no one else saw. When top Denver art galleries didn’t seem interested in him or other Chicano artists, they started up their own thing — Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, or CHAC — paving the way for a surge of interest in Chicano art today. Lucero passed away last year, but not before finishing a room at the hottest gallery in town, Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, where “meta” is the name of the game. Host Bree Davies visited Convergence Station with Lucero’s wife and fellow artist Arlette Lucero to discuss her husband’s legacy and the special exhibition of his works opening there tomorrow.
Peyton’s got all the hot Denver food gossip in our newsletter today. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Do you have a favorite Stevon Lucero painting? Share a pic with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About an hour west of Denver is a place called Lincoln Hills, an outdoor recreation destination created especially for — and built by — Black people. For 100 years, it has offered a safe, welcoming space for Black folks from across the country to come enjoy all the natural beauty Colorado has to offer. Today on the show, host Bree Davies sits down with past City Cast Denver guest host donnie l. betts, whose Lincoln Hills documentary which screens at History Colorado next month, and retired judge Gary Jackson, whose great grandfather was one of the original builders of Lincoln Hills and whose family has owned a cabin there ever since.
History Colorado is celebrating Lincoln Hills’s 100th anniversary all year long. On April 15th, they’re hosting donnie l. betts for a screening of his documentary and a Q&A. Then, on June 3rd, they’re hosting Gary Jackson for a talk on his experience and research into the Lincoln Hills story.
There a restaurant in Denver that’s taking a stand against drug cartels by… taking avocados off their menu. Peyton’s got a deep dive into why in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you ever been to Lincoln Hills? Tag us in your pics! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lipgloss is one of the longest running indie club nights in the country — and it takes place every Friday evening, right here in Denver. Started by DJ Michael Trundle and a group of friends in 2001, Lipgloss is a music connoisseur’s dream: when you hit the dance floor, you’re apt to hear everything from The Killers to The Supremes to Fontaines D.C. Trundle has been the sole DJ behind the turntables for the last half-decade or so of Lipgloss, but he’s been at the heart of the dance night from the beginning. Today, he joins host Bree Davies to talk about how the little indie dance night that could has survived —and thrived — for more than two decades in Denver, and what’s next as it moves to its latest location, HQ, on South Broadway.
Looking to take in some live theater next month? Our producer Lizzie Goldsmith has got recommendations, plus a behind-the-scenes interview about Curious Theater Company’s latest production, “Refuge.” Find that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Wanna advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nearly 800 Coloradans have received aid-in-dying medication since voters approved a controversial law giving doctors that prescription option under certain circumstances in 2016. While the debate over the right to die has grown no less controversial in the past six years, one leading eating disorder doctor based in Denver wants to expand access to people with severe eating disorders, prompting alarm within the psychiatric field across the country. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Colorado Sun reporter Jennifer Brown about this new turn in the death-with-dignity debate and what it could mean for people who suffer from life-threatening eating disorders all across the country.
Read Jennifer Brown’s report for the Colorado Sun here: https://coloradosun.com/2022/03/14/denver-doctor-gaudiani-aid-in-dying-aneroexia-patients/
There is a ton going on at Denver schools right now, so Peyton rounded up all the important stories for you in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday! And we’re looking back at two years in Denver since lockdown. What’s changed about the city for the better? What structural, social, and political shifts do we want to keep with us from these pandemic times? How did we survive the two-hour prohibition of weed and alcohol sales that sent many Denverites running Black Friday-style to their nearest dispensary and liquor store? The whole team is here — Host Bree Davies, Producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon, and Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia — and we’re trying to focus on the silver linings, like city council going online and the joys of car-free streets.
Want to snag a couple free tix to see Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad at the Paramount on April 17? We’re giving a set away, and all you have to do is write a nice review of City Cast Denver wherever you listen to podcasts and send a screenshot of that review to denver@citycast.fm by April 1. Because, come on, it’s Jad freakin’ Abumrad. One of the greats.
Wanna know what to do this weekend in Denver? Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us lurking on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads: citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Almost 20 years ago, Erika Krouse took a job as a private investigator. Her first big case? A massive sexual assault scandal that was exposing a toxic culture of abuse within CU Boulder’s prized football program. Krouse’s new book, “Tell Me Everything: The Story of A Private Investigation,” is part true crime thriller and part memoir, as she weaves together her recollections of the case with the story of her own experience with sexual assault. City Cast Denver newsletter writer Peyton Garcia sits down with Krouse to talk about what it was like going up against an institution as powerful as the University of Colorado, how she saw her own story in the stories of the victims, and the legacy of the case today.
Warning: While there are no graphic descriptions, this episode contains discussions about sexual assault.
If this is your first time hearing about the scandal at the heart of Krouse’s book, ESPN has a full timeline right here.
Catch all the latest Denver food news and gossip in our newsletter today, including Peyton’s take on the James Beard Award finalists: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There was a time when food trucks were the hottest thing out there, and it seemed like every chef and restaurateur wanted to sell sushi burritos on a street corner for $15 a pop. But now that the novelty has worn off, where do food trucks fit in Denver’s dining scene? And what does it take to start one now? We’ve been looking at all aspects of Denver dining alongside Denver Restaurant Week this week, and today host Bree Davies speaks with Maria Rangel, a former EMT who left healthcare to start cooking and selling gorditas out of a truck in the middle of a global pandemic.
Find out where Rangel is going to be serving up gorditas and vegan green chile next at maizdenver.com.
Interested in learning more about the business course Rangel took at Mi Casa Resource Center? Check out micasaresourcecenter.org.
Did you know Bree has a tattoo dedicated to the old Colfax laundromat Smiley’s? Well she does. And now that the old Smiley’s building is being demolished, Bree shared some of her Smiley’s stories in our newsletter. Read and subscribe at denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your favorite local food truck? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver]
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver Restaurant Week is the perfect occasion for a nice night out without breaking the bank. And that means Frank Bonanno’s restaurants have been packed. Along with his wife Jacqueline, he runs a growing empire of restaurants across the city, including the flagship fine dining spot Mizuna and the downtown food hall Denver Milk Market. Host Bree Davies interviewed Bonanno almost exactly one year ago when Mizuna was celebrating its 20-year anniversary under the shadow of a possible sale and demolition. So we invited him back ahead of our one-year anniversary for an update on Mizuna’s real estate situation, an explanation of some of the changes he’s made during the pandemic, and his thoughts on the future of Denver’s dining scene.
Do you want a chance to see Radiolab founder Jad Abumrad at the Paramount Theater on April 17? We’re giving away two free tickets, and all you have to do to enter is write a really nice review of City Cast Denver wherever you listen to podcasts, and rate us 5 stars. Then, take a screenshot of your review and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm by April 1.
There is an HOA in Green Valley Ranch that has foreclosed on more than 50 homes, according to recent reports from Denverite and Denver7. Peyton’s got a full breakdown of the story in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your favorite Denver restaurant? Tweet at us @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Denver Restaurant Week and we’re exploring all aspects of the dining scene. Today, John Hinman is a pastry chef and the owner of Hinman Pie. But he’s also the founder of Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness, or CHOW, a nonprofit offering support groups and mental health courses to restaurant workers that’s grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years. Host Bree Davies sits down with Hinman to talk about how his own mental health struggles led to CHOW, the specific challenges of working in Denver restaurants today, and what kinds of positive changes he’s seeing in the local food world.
If you’re interested in attending one of CHOW’s support group meetings, check out the Denver chapter’s in-person gatherings on Monday nights at 6 p.m. at 1633 Fillmore Street. Follow @CHOW_org on Instagram for up-to-date information on meetings and other resources.
In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, local musician Arnie Swenson remembers his friend, collaborator, and jazz great Ron Miles, who passed away last week: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Check us out on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver Restaurant Week kicks off today! We’re talking Mile High culinary history, the cowtown stereotype we can’t seem to shake (Rocky Mountain Oysters, anyone?), and more. Host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter writer and resident CCD foodie Peyton Garcia, along with regular Friday chat contributor, Westword’s Patty Calhoun, plus Denver restaurateur-turned-behind-the-scenes-culinary-expert John Imbergamo for a look at what Denver’s food world means to us — and the rest of the country.
In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, Peyton rounds up the best escape rooms in the metro area. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your favorite restaurant in Denver? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City of Denver has already paid out more than $3 million in settlements to people injured by the police while protesting the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. But now, a group of 12 protesters has taken their case to court, marking the first federal trial in the country to challenge police violence against those racial justice protests. The ACLU’s Colorado office is representing most of the plaintiffs, and senior staff attorney Sara Neel joins host Bree Davies to take us inside their case and talk about the implications for future criminal justice reform.
Bree mentioned the Office of the Independent Monitor’s December 2020 report on the Denver Police Department’s response to the racial justice protests that summer. You can read the whole 94-page report documenting multiple examples of excessive force here: https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/374/documents/2020GFPReport_OIM.pdf
Plus, this episode includes another installment of Voice on the Street, our partnership with Denver’s street paper, The Denver VOICE. You can support the Voice by buying a copy from your local vendor, donate online or via Venmo. And if you want to get a little extra support to Albert Bland, our guest on this episode, make sure to include his name in a note with your Venmo transfer.
Denver Restaurant Week starts on Friday, and Peyton has got all the local food news you need to know before booking your reservations in our newsletter. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Until recently, Justin Murchison wasn’t really thinking about buying a home. He was more focused on paying down his credit card debt and taking care of his plants. Then he stumbled upon on opportunity that most young people in Denver only dream about: a path to buying their first home. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chats with Justin about his journey to homeownership. Plus, we’ll hear from Santhosh Ramdoss, vice president of impact investing at Gary Community Ventures. He helped create The Dearfield Fund that made Justin’s home purchase possible and he says it could be the key to shrinking Denver’s racial home ownership gap.
Wanna know where Gary Community Ventures got that name for their fund — Dearfield? We talked about the historic Black homesteading community with Westword editor Patty Calhoun a few weeks ago, and you can learn even more courtesy of the Colorado Encyclopedia.
Do you want a chance to see Radiolab founder Jad Abumrad at the Paramount Theater on April 17? We’re giving away two free tickets, and all you have to do to enter is write a really nice review of City Cast Denver wherever you listen to podcasts, and rate us 5 stars. Then, take a screenshot of your review and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm by April 1.
Near the end of this episode, Bree mentions a federal civil rights trial over the Denver Police Department’s use of force during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. We’ve got a full breakdown of the trial in our newsletter today. Read that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More than 1,000 homes were destroyed when the Marshall Fire ripped through Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County in late December, sending thousands of Coloradans headlong into an urgent search for an affordable place to live. Now that the dust has settled, all those families are thinking about rebuilding what was lost, and it’s going to be expensive — especially with the brand new climate-friendly building codes Louisville instituted last October. Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips has been covering the story, and she joins host Bree Davies to talk about the fire’s impact on our housing market, the cost of a “green” rebuild, and how Louisville residents are feeling about those new building codes now that it’s wildfire survivors who’ll be footing the bill.
Subscribe to the CCD newsletter for more Denver news fresh in your inbox every weekday morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the summer of 2020, the mayor’s office joined forces with Colorado Village Collaborative to launch the Safe Outdoor Space program as an emergency measure to help address Denver’s crisis of homelessness. Safe Outdoor Spaces, or SOS sites, have since provided warmth, shelter, food, restrooms, trash service, and more to more than 240 unhoused Denverites. Still, many people were against the sanctioned campsites and fought hard to keep them out of their neighborhoods. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Cuica Montoya, SOS Program Director for the Colorado Village Collaborative, and Ian Stitt, an SOS Site Manager liaison for the St. Francis Center. They discuss how these spaces create community for our unhoused neighbors, how the SOS program convinced the haters, and how they attracted another $3.9 million in city funding this year.
Learn more and support the Colorado Village Collaborative’s Safe Outdoor Space program here.
Check out previous City Cast Denver episodes from 2021 about the Safe Outdoor Space program from the perspective of an SOS resident, and learn about the battle one local church that fought to bring the program to its neighborhood.
Did you know Quiznos is from Denver? The first location ever opened on 13th Avenue in 1981, and it looks…. like every other Quiznos. But the chain has gone through A LOT since then, and Peyton’s got the whole story for you in our newsletter today. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hey, we’re on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the transportation quagmire of a generation: the RTD train to Boulder that never arrived. CPR transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor would even go so far as calling it a “Ghost Train.” For this week’s Friday chat, he joins City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to discuss his podcast series Ghost Train and what he learned about Denver’s relationship to transit. Oh, and what really happened with that Denver to Boulder train.
Listen to all four parts of Ghost Train right here: https://www.cpr.org/podcast/ghost-train/
Nathaniel also wrote up a piece about some of his reporting for Denverite: https://denverite.com/2022/02/22/why-dont-rtds-trains-go-into-denvers-neighborhoods/
And here’s the Streetsblog piece by David Sachs that Paul mentions: https://denver.streetsblog.org/2022/01/31/commentary-in-streetsblog-denvers-absence-local-news-has-a-responsibility-to-get-out-from-behind-the-windshield/
Looking for things to do this weekend? The CCD newsletter does a weekly events roundup every Friday. Find that and subscribe to the newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Give us all of your transit hot takes on Twitter. Follow us @citycastdenver
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Last May, we brought you the story of Shawn and Ben Johnson, a Sunnyside couple who wanted to build an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, in their backyard so Shawn’s disabled mom could live close. The Johnsons were stymied by an obscure body called the Board of Adjustment for Zoning Appeals (BOA), which is in charge of approving any exceptions to the zoning code and which the Johnsons came to see as discriminatory. Now, after a year throwing themselves against the bureaucracy, the Johnsons have helped to make a change: Denver City Council recently voted to reform the BOA. So we called up Kathryn White, the Denver North Star reporter who alerted us to the Johnsons’ situation in the first place, to unpack the reform and its possible citywide impacts. Plus, we checked in with the Johnsons to hear if this means they can finally build their ADU.
For the full backstory, here’s a link to our first episode with the Johnsons (May 19, 2021): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cant-this-denver-couple-build-adu-for-their-disabled/id1557798162?i=1000522342311
Here’s a link to Kathryn White’s first story laying out their case (May 14, 2021): https://www.denvernorthstar.com/north-denver-couple-denied-zoning-variance-to-house-disabled-mom-subjectivity-and-bias-on-denvers-board-of-adjustment-for-zoning-enters-public-spotlight/
And here’s her latest, a report on the recent reform of the BOA (February 15, 2022), which has since passed: https://www.denvernorthstar.com/city-council-moves-to-bring-zoning-departments-board-of-adjustment-into-modern-era/
Looking for somewhere good to eat this weekend? Peyton’s got a roundup of all the latest food news and other delicious tidbits in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about the BOA reform? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You know that spot on I-70 on the way into the mountains? That spot where it goes from three lanes to two, and there’s always traffic? Well, it’s called Floyd Hill, and last week the Colorado Department of Transportation kicked off a new $700 million effort to fix it. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was even in town to celebrate the occasion! But is their plan really going to address the root of the problem? Host Bree Davies talks to Colorado Sun environment reporter Michael Booth about why our elected leaders are so eager to cheer on the project and how CDOT is planning to mitigate the climate impact.
For more on the Floyd Hill project, check out Michael Booth’s full report for the Colorado Sun, including the impact this project will have on the people who live in the area. Imaging getting on I-70 and sitting in an hour of traffic just to pick up groceries!
They’re finally demolishing the old Ramada Inn on East Colfax, so Bree is sharing stories and reminiscing in the newsletter today. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about adding an extra lane to I-70 at Floyd Hill? Let us know @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Search for the “best” schools in the Denver metro area, and you’re going to find your way to the Cherry Creek School District. They’ve got 67 schools in and around Greenwood Village, Glendale, and Cherry Hills Village that consistently rank among the best in the state, academically. But one former administrator and several current and former employees say that A+ reputation is obscuring a toxic culture of discrimination, racism, and sexual misconduct. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Denver Gazette reporter David Migoya about his investigation into the school district’s alleged issues, including a look into a Title IX investigation launched last summer by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Read David Migoya’s full investigative reporting on the school district for the Denver Gazette here.
Newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a round-up of all five film festivals happening across Colorado this week. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lots of people move to Colorado to enjoy our mountains and sunshine, and that means that Denverites tend to be outdoorsy and relatively fit. But for Andrea Parés — a self-proclaimed fat-positive yoga teacher — growing up here meant she never felt welcome in aerobics classes, Zumba sessions, or a simple yoga flow with friends. That all changed a few years ago when Parés found a yoga workshop for people with bigger bodies like hers. Today, Parés joins Host Bree Davies to talk about why it’s important for bigger bodies to have dedicated spaces for fitness, what it means to identify as “fat” in Colorado, and how she unlocked the pent-up demand for her new, monthly Yoga for Bigger Bodies class.
Follow Parés’ yoga pursuits and get updates on her latest yoga classes via @AndreaParesYoga on Instagram. You can also check out her class and other offerings at Courageous Yoga.
Today, City Cast Denver newsletter writer Peyton Garcia shares a “moment of joy” for your Monday. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have a favorite teacher or place you do yoga? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this month, Texan transplants in Colorado were hit with some life-changing news: We’re getting a Buc-ees. So what's the deal with this legendary convenience store? Why does it hold such a special place in Texans’ hearts? And should the rest of us be excited, too? When newsletter writer Peyton Garcia heard the news about a Buc-ees opening near Johnstown, she had questions about this cult-favorite convenience store with the allegedly award-winning bathrooms, so she checked in with our colleagues at City Cast Houston, where host Lisa Gray and producers Ferrill Gibbs and Dina Kesbeh were happy to oblige.
Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Houston (Original airdate: 2/11/22) and tell your Texan friends to subscribe! They’ve got a podcast and Lisa writes their daily newsletter, too.
For more on what and where to expect the new Colorado-based Buc-ees, here’s a write-up from 303 Magazine: https://303magazine.com/2022/02/buc-ees-announces-first-colorado-location-to-open-by-2024/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
No, it’s not deja vu. The Supreme Court is going to hear yet another LGBTQ+ discrimination case out of Colorado. But aren’t we supposed to be on the vanguard of LGBTQ rights? Producer Xandra McMahon and host Bree Davies are joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun to chat through this new case involving a wedding website maker’s Christian views, the legacy of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, and the evolution of the LGBTQ community in Denver. Plus, nine Democrats are running to replace Lauren Boebert in Congress, and we’re talking about the “shitstorm” brewing on the Western Slope.
The Democrats running for Boebert’s district, CD-3, will be in conversation with each other for the first time on Saturday. You can watch the virtual forum starting at 4 p.m.
Local musician Sedrick Avenue is featured in today’s show. Check out his latest release, 39, on Bandcamp.
In the CCD newsletter today, producer Lizzie Goldsmith has got her monthly rundown of all the best live theater happening in Denver. Get it here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter? @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been dominating the news over the last 48 hours, impacting Ukrainians at home and all over the world. Denver is no exception. The city’s Ukrainian community and allies gathered on the steps of the state capitol this afternoon and City Cast Denver producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon were there to document the scene.
UPDATE: Since this episode was originally published, we decided to remove a short excerpt from the very end. It featured clips from a brief exchange Paul had with a protester holding a sign featuring Russian president Putin with a mustache that looked like Hitler’s mustache. We removed the excerpt for a couple of reasons. One, the protester did not agree to our offer to explain the sign. Two, we neglected to add sufficient context to the exchange. So it was confusing and, we feel, not representative of the event we were intending to document. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A frothy mix of supply chain issues has set two longtime collaborators on a collision course: Westminster’s aluminum can giant, Ball Corporation, and the local brewers who like to sell their beer in cans. Ball’s always been good to small craft breweries, but the past two years have put the company in an impossible predicament. So what does this mean for your favorite neighborhood brewery? Will you still be able to buy their beer in a store? Will a 6-pack cost you an arm and a leg if you do? City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Denver Business Journal beer reporter Ed Sealover to talk through the whole story.
For more of Sealover’s reporting on the Ball Corp./craft brewing situation, click here.
After the interview, we asked Sealover for a local beer rec, and he did not disappoint. You can read all about it in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about those plastic wraps and stickers on craft beer cans? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Parker McMullen Bushman and her business partner, Crystal Egli, founded Inclusive Journeys, they were on a mission to bring the idea of the Green Book into the 21st century. While they found enthusiastic support for their idea of an internet-based inclusive spaces travel guide, the financial backing other tech companies seemed to attract wasn’t as easy to come by. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with McMullen Bushman about the struggles and triumphs Inclusive Journeys has experienced as a tech company founded and operated by Black women in Colorado.
Learn more about Inclusive Journeys and how to support the project on their GoFundMe page.
Sign up for our newsletter, where today producer Paul Karolyi unpacks Police Chief Paul Pazen’s response to our previous reporting on the recent spike in vehicle thefts across Colorado https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The overdose deaths of five people in Commerce City over the weekend were a harsh reminder that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is wreaking havoc in our communities, and has been for some time. Fentanyl’s growing presence in Denver’s drug supply the last few years directly correlates to alarming spikes in overdoses. According to the Denver Post, “An average of two Coloradans died of fentanyl overdoses every day in the first nine months of 2021, state data shows.” Back in December, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said enough is enough and announced steps to tackle the crisis alongside state lawmakers. Today, he joins City Cast Denver host Bree Davies to talk through those plans and consider the question: Is this just an extension of the war on drugs? Or could it be a turning point for harm reduction and destigmatization?
In the interview, the attorney general mentioned a New York Times story about the opioid crisis. Here’s a link to that: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/briefing/opioids-drug-overdose-death-toll.html
If you or someone you know needs access to fentanyl testing strips, just fill out this form and Denver will ship them to you for free: https://us.openforms.com/Form/0b3ab074-c139-481b-9912-331b3c9b147b
Did you know you can earn free City Cast Denver swag? All you have to do is refer a friend to subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. Learn more and refer now, right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/?email=%2A%7CHTML%3AEMAIL%7C%2A&autoDetect=1
Stay in touch on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver has a unique relationship with the Olympics, that's for sure. But our friends on the other side of the Rockies have been grappling with the Games lately, too. Utahns are currently discussing a bid for the 2030 Olympics, so City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta invited CCD host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to hash it out. We had a ton of fun recording this and there are a bunch of interesting parallels between Denver and Salt Lake when it comes to the Olympics, so we wanted to share the episode with you! Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Salt Lake (Original airdate: 2/17/22) and tell your friends in Utah to subscribe! They’ve got a daily newsletter, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s time for another City Cast Denver food fight! This time, the crew chows down on fried chicken, and tries to determine who does it best. Today on the show, producer Xandra McMahon is joined by host Bree Davies, newsletter writer Peyton Garcia, and special guest Keith Garcia, artistic director of the Sie FilmCenter, for an epic poultry battle. After narrowing it down to four top fried chicken spots in the city, the team mulls over flavor profiles, grease level, crispy-ness, seasoning ratio, and more — all in full ASMR-detail. Tune in to find out if your favorite bone-in, crispy fried chicken joints made the cut!
If this episode left you hungry to learn more about the Welton St. Cafe, here’s the episode we recorded with Chereka Dickerson there a few weeks ago: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rdkWgdzdsL3FwtwM289Dc
Looking for cool stuff to do this weekend? Check out Peyton’s Friday event round-up in our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Serve up your own fried chicken hot takes directly to us via Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“As we are all keenly aware, our community is experiencing a disturbing rise in crime,” said Mayor Michael Hancock on February 3, as he stood alongside Police Chief Paul Pazen to unveil their new plan for public safety. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Pazen to break down the plan. They discuss the role Pazen sees for harm reduction at Union Station, the logic behind DPD’s “hot spot” approach to stemming gun violence, and the human impact of the surprising recent spike in vehicle theft.
We did not walk into this interview with Pazen expecting to talk about vehicle thefts, but it’s clearly top of his mind. So in our newsletter today, Producer Paul Karolyi dug into the recent spike, including the one piece of legislation Pazen said is to blame: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
If you’re a Twitter person, follow us! We love to tweet @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The pandemic has created a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to tackle Colorado’s housing crisis. At least, that’s according to our guest today, State Senator Julie Gonzales. She’s been leading a task force of state lawmakers to figure out how best to spend $550 million in federal pandemic relief to help get our housing market back under control. But this is a big, multi-faceted problem with tons of moving pieces and strong feelings. And isn’t housing normally a local issue? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sat down with Gonzales to hear what her task force is recommending, why now is the time for a statewide approach to what has traditionally been a local issue, and how this unique moment has led to some surprising bipartisanship.
Find the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force’s whole report of recommendations here: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/affordable_housing_report_final.pdf
Subscribe to the CCD newsletter for more Denver news fresh every weekday in your inbox: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Show us some love on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Before comedian Josh Blue was headlining world tours and making Simon Cowell bust a gut on America’s Got Talent, he was living in Cap Hill spending every night at Denver’s legendary club — Comedy Works. It was there that he got to rub elbows with some of his heroes, and work on routines that would launch him into comedy stardom. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chatted with Josh about his recent America’s Got Talent run, how his cerebral palsy has shaped his comedy, and why he thinks Denver is one of the best cities for this industry.
More Denver happenings are just a few clicks away. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whether you’re spending the day in love with love or grumpy with the greeting card companies, this Valentine’s Day special episode is for you. Because we asked you for your best Denver love stories — tales about that special someone, place, or pet — and we were bowled over by all the good Denver-y vibes you shared. So join Host Bree Davies as she listens and reacts to a few of your Denver love stories.
And don’t miss today’s CCD newsletter! We’ve got EVEN MORE of your Denver love stories there to share: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Which Denver love story was your favorite? We’ll tell you ours if you tell us yours on Twitter. We’re @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Even with Omicron slowly waning, Denverites are still not going downtown at a rate anywhere close to pre-pandemic levels. The lack of hustle and bustle has led the City of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership to propose yet another plan to “reactivate” the 16th St. Mall: rent-free pop-up shops to fill all the empty storefronts. Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi speculate on the future of downtown with Westword editor Patty Calhoun. Then, Colorado’s own skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin shocked the world this week at the Beijing Olympics, prompting another round of the age-old debate: Should Denver make a bid to host the Winter Games?
For more on Denver’s unique relationship with the Olympics, check out our two-parter from last summer:
The Case For A Denver Olympics (with Downtown Denver Partnership board chair Robert Cohen)
The Case Against A Denver Olympics (with former Colorado governor Dick Lamm)
Paul mentioned that even elephants are getting into yoga in Denver now. Here’s a gallery of photos courtesy of The Denver Gazette: https://denvergazette.com/multimedia/elephant-yoga-at-the-denver-zoo/collection_52340c18-888e-11ec-9d91-874d09fbd4e4.html
It’s your last chance to submit a Denver love story before Valentine’s Day on Monday! Email yours to denver@citycast.fm or leave us a voicemail: (720) 500-5418.
If you don’t have plans yet, we’ve got a round-up of Valentine’s Day events in our newsletter today. You can read that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about Denver hosting the Olympics? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The King Soopers strike last month showed Coloradans what organized labor can accomplish to improve working conditions… but what about public workers, who don’t currently have the right to collective bargaining under state law? That’s where the Communication Workers of America (CWA) 7799 comes in. They’re a coalition of workers at Denver Public Library, the University of Colorado, Denver Health and UC Health who are working with state lawmakers to beef up Colorado’s labor laws and, they say, strengthen our public institutions in the process. Adjunct professor Alex Wolf-Root and library worker Liana Kiddy-Gan join host Bree Davies to talk about why collective bargaining is so important for public workers like themselves.
To find out more about CWA 7799 and ways to get involved in the fight for collective bargaining rights, visit their website: www.cwa7799.org
Wolf-Root mentioned that collective bargaining tends to help close race and gender gaps in the workplace. A true academic, he passed along a few links to relevant research after the interview: “How today’s unions help working people” and “The Union Advantage for Women.”
Colorado House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar explains her support for their campaign in this editorial for The Gazette: https://gazette.com/denver-gazette/we-owe-public-employees-collective-bargaining
And here’s your reminder to send us your Denver love stories by this weekend, for inclusion in our special Valentine’s Day episode! Leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, or email us at denver@citycast.fm
Get your Denver food news fix in today’s newsletter! You can read it and sign up at https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And join the conversation on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are so many people experiencing homelessness in Denver. And in some ways, Colorado’s problem is bigger than any other state’s — according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study, Colorado’s “chronically sheltered” population has grown more than 250% in the last 14 years. Recently, two 9News reporters discovered that this uptick in folks looking for shelter has led them to places they’ve not typically gone before — like the airport. Jeremy Jojola and Zack Newman are back on the show to discuss their latest investigation into why arrests have tripled at the airport in the last few years, and how it’s all connected to Denver’s greater housing crisis.
Definitely check out Jeremy and Zack’s original report: https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/homeless-crisis-denver-airport/73-096826a3-658f-4036-a3d3-83bba7fda134
And keep sending us your Denver love stories! Call us at 720-500-5418, or send us an email at denver@citycast.fm, and tell us about that special person, place, or pet.
For more Denver news fresh in your inbox every weekday morning, subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One day in 1925, Kate Slaughterback and her adopted son Ernie were riding horses near Hudson, Colorado, when they were beset by rattlesnakes. Being no ordinary frontierswoman, Kate shot and clubbed 140 of them to death, earning her the nickname Rattlesnake Kate. Nearly 100 years later, another extraordinary Colorado woman stumbled across a dress made entirely out of rattlesnake skins and found herself beset by inspiration. A former member of The Lumineers, Neyla Pekarek wrote and recorded her first solo album based on Kate’s story a few years ago, and now, with help from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, she’s adapted it into a full-blown musical. Host Bree Davies sits down with Pekarek to talk about what she saw in the little-known story of Rattlesnake Kate and why she deserves her place in the history of the Old West.
“Rattlesnake Kate” is in previews this week ahead of the big opening this Friday. You can learn more about it and find tickets here: https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/rattlesnake-kate/
Plus, after hearing about the upheaval in the Douglas County School District yesterday, we checked in with parents Nara Altmann and Ishmeet Kalra. They helped create DougCo Schools’ equity policy in 2020, which the new conservative board majority has been dismantling alongside their efforts to oust former superintendent Corey Wise and cancel mask mandates. Catch our episode with Altmann and Kalra from last August about the equity policy here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ksJbnJksbUQdvIyVBjcK1
At the end of last week, Mayor Michael Hancock announced a series of new public safety programs and policies. Peyton’s got a full rundown in today’s newsletter, which you can read and subscribe to right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you excited to see Rattlesnake Kate: The Musical? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In a private (and allegedly illegal) meeting last week, two conservative members of the Douglas County School Board issued Superintendent Cory Wise an ultimatum: resign or be fired. It was the latest in months of drama between students, teachers, parents, administration, and the newly elected, now-majority conservative board. Colorado Newsline reporter Chase Woodruff was on the ground in Castle Rock when thousands of protesters were gathering outside district offices last week, and he joins host Bree Davies to explain what’s been happening in DougCo’s contentious school district and why it all went off the rails at Friday night’s impromptu board meeting.
You can read Woodruff’s latest piece on the situation in DougCo, which was published before Wise’s firing, here: https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/02/04/protest-douglas-county-school-board-oust-superintendent/
Check out our daily newsletter for an even deeper dive on the DougCo drama: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Denver Broncos — what a week. From news of the team officially being put up for sale to a lawsuit alleging John Elway was a hungover slob in a past head coach interview, we’re here to talk about this mess of a football team. Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by City Cast Denver contributor Jake Shapiro and Westword editor Patty Calhoun to talk about what this means for the future of the Broncos, and if Denver could ever accept Aaron Rodgers as the city’s next football darling.
In the second half of this Friday Chat, producer Xandra McMahon, host Bree Davies, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia share their Denver love stories… and we want to hear YOUR Denver love stories, too! Whether it’s about a special person, a pet, or a place — what’s happened in Denver that makes you feel those warm fuzzies? You can leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, send us a text, or email us at denver@citycast.fm. And stay tuned for something sweet in time for Valentine’s Day!
Head on over to our newsletter for your Friday event roundup! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And while you're at it, follow us on Twitter! @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Billions of people all over the world celebrated the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, including here in Denver, where Mimi Luong’s family has made it their mission to share the holiday with everyone. Her grandparents, her dad, and her uncles all fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975. When they arrived in Denver, they had nothing. But Mimi’s family worked hard to build a piece of home here and that dream eventually led to the Far East Center — a shopping plaza in Southwest Denver that celebrates Asian culture and heritage. This weekend, the Far East Center will host Lunar New Year festivities after taking a year off because of the pandemic.
For more details on the events visit: https://littlesaigondenver.com/
Newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a robust roundup of other Lunar New Year events happening in Denver. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We would absolutely love it if you shared photos from any Lunar New Year fun happening in your area this weekend. Tweet us @citycastdenver
And be sure to share your Denver love stories with us! Whether it’s about a person, a pet, or a place — what’s happened in Denver that makes you feel those warm fuzzy butterflies? Leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, and stay tuned for a something sweet, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this week, Mayor Hancock announced that he was letting Denver’s indoor mask mandate expire on Thursday. This means the days of mask requirements and proofs of vaccination will soon be a thing of the past. Though he cited waning numbers of Omicron cases and hospitalizations, the mayor also stated that we’re still dealing with an ongoing “public health emergency.” Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Dr. Jonathan Samet — a pulmonary physician, epidemiologist, and dean of the Colorado School of Public Health — about where we are with the Omicron variant and if this latest lifting of the mask mandate means we’re in the clear.
Producer Paul Karolyi caught mushroom fever and went down a rabbit hole of local wildfire science, ecology, and mycology. You can learn all about it in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, which you can read and sign up for here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We love Twitter! Find us there: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is a special place in Denver with all the best old junk: shelves of antique tools, a ratty old flightsuit, bright yellow bombs hanging from the ceiling (decommissioned, we hope), and all sorts of hidden nooks and crannies filled with dusty treasures of yesteryear. Surplus Tools & Commodities now bills itself as a “unique shopping experience,” but long before all the artists and scavengers discovered its secrets, Roger Cox’s grandfather opened the shop in 1947 selling government surplus. Host Bree Davies lives a few blocks away, so when she saw Roger’s note that the shop is closing later this year, she invited her friend, artist Lauri Lynnx Murphy — who has been making art out of Surplus’s goods for decades — for one last spin through the aisles.
Wanna see photos of the treasure we found on our visit to Surplus Tools & Commodities? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share the weirdest thing you’ve purchased at Surplus Tools with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you’ve visited Denver’s Downtown Aquarium recently, you probably noticed something fishy. According to numerous current and former employees, the current owners have allowed the place to deteriorate, with issues ranging from paint chips in the stingray pool to piles of expired food for sale to not-so-subtle anti-mask messaging. So Host Bree Davies sat down with Westword reporter Catie Cheshire to talk about her recent investigation, including her undercover trip to the aquarium’s restaurant. They discuss the aquarium’s unique regulatory situation, the current owners (they run a chain of seafood restaurants!), and what, if anything, can be done to clean up this mess.
To read Cheshire’s whole cover story for Westword, find it on newsstands or online here: https://www.westword.com/news/aquarium-downtown-denver-landrys-stingray-fish-starbucks-employee-complaints-13300068
The Irish Snug is gone!!!!!!!! Bree lamented the loss of a Colfax favorite in our newsletter today. Read that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re keeping it real on Twitter every day. Join us: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Too many neighborhoods in Denver lack access to fresh food. It’s an ongoing problem as the city continues to grow and become more expensive, and the mom and pop markets get put out of business by the grocery conglomerates. But this week, one Republican lawmaker decided he had a plan to solve Colorado’s food desert problem: just put groceries into existing liquor stores. Hmmm…easier said than done. For this week’s Friday chat, City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi chats with host Bree Davies, and Westword editor Patty Calhoun about why food in liquor stores is actually a bad idea. Plus, the three discuss the exciting proposal to turn the historic Black farming settlement of Colorado’s Wild West days — Dearfield — into a National Park.
Like the music you heard on today’s show? It comes from the local group, Bluebook, who have a new album out soon. You can check out two of the tracks from the upcoming record on their website: https://www.thisisbluebook.com/listen
Folks can also listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/thisisbluebook or Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/thisisbluebook
Get all the news and recommendations in your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Connect with us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s Phamaly Theatre Company doesn’t just accommodate theatre artists with disabilities, they welcome them and celebrate them — they are them. Actor, director, and advocate Regan Linton is one of the filmmakers behind the 2021 documentary imperfect that takes audiences into this “sacred space,” as she calls it, as the actors and crew members put on a production of Chicago. The documentary won the audience award for best documentary at last year’s Denver Film Festival, and today, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Linton about disability representation and affirmation, the importance of vulnerability, and why this film is for everyone.
You’ll hear clips from imperfect in this episode, but you can stream it online (for $10, which includes access to all the other films in the Slamdance Film Festival) starting today at slamdance.com.
And find out more about Phamaly and their upcoming production, The Spitfire Grill, on their website.
Sign up for our daily newsletter, which, today, includes a local theatre round-up! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have a favorite Phamaly Theatre Company production? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vail Resorts isn’t just the biggest ski resort operator in Colorado, it’s the biggest operator in all of North America. But now, more than 40,000 skiers and snowboarders across the country are fed up with how Vail Resorts does business. A petition circulating in the ski and snowboard world aims to hold the company accountable for things like “mismanagement of the ski area, the failure to treat employees well, or pay them a livable wage, and the failure to deliver the product we all paid for and bought with hard-earned money during a pandemic.” So we called up Jason Blevins in Eagle, CO. When he’s not hitting the slopes at Beaver Creek, he’s reporting on all things outdoors for The Colorado Sun. He’s also a former ski bum, and walked City Cast Denver host Bree Davies through this skier vs. multi-million dollar corporate ski resort conflict.
Sign up for our daily newsletter to get an even bigger head start on the news of the day: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And we love tweets! Follow us: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The mass shooting across Denver and Lakewood last month led to the deaths of five people, many of whom were leaders in the local tattooing community, including Alicia Cardenas. But as Westword's Culture Editor Emily Ferguson discovered when she was reporting on an art opening at a local parlor, the Denver tattoo community has a dark history of violence that long predates the events of December 27, 2021. Host Bree Davies sat down with Ferguson to talk about how Cardenas and a new wave of artists revolutionized the city’s tattoo scene and discuss Ferguson’s own experience of reporting on this community before and after the tragedy.
Content warning: Ferguson recorded an interview with Cardenas 12 days before the shooting. This episode includes clips from that interview.
For more on the Denver tattoo story, we highly recommend Ferguson’s story, including some pretty epic photos of 1970’s tattoo artists: https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-tattoo-murders-history-alicia-cardenas-peter-poulos-13222137
Remember last week’s episode when City Cast CEO David Plotz came on to ask his embarrassing Denver questions? Our producer Paul Karolyi dove deep into the question of baking at altitude in our newsletter today, and your next focaccia will thank you for reading. Subscribe and read that issue here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Join us on Twitter for more Denver chit-chat: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ten days after more than 8,000 grocery store workers across Denver walked out on strike, Kroger-owned King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 announced a tentative agreement on Friday morning. Union president Kim Cordova said that the new three-year contract would address "the company's unfair labor practices and ensures that our members will receive the respect, pay, and protection they warrant.” But really, that’s for the workers to decide, and a vote is scheduled for today. So producer Paul Karolyi called up someone who’s been through this before. Miguel Jimenez worked for King Soopers from 1984 through 2006, including during several contract negotiations and strikes, and he shares his perspective on today's pivotal vote.
At one point in this conversation with Jimenez, Paul mentioned Ernie Duran Jr. He was Kim Cordova’s predecessor as president of the UFCW Local 7, and his tenure ended with quite a flameout of controversy. For the whole story, we recommend this deep dive into the tense 2009 union presidential election by past City Cast Denver guest Melanie Asmar: https://www.westword.com/news/can-a-mild-mannered-bakery-clerk-solve-the-grocery-workers-labor-strife-5106281
Just how bad is crime in Colorado? Here’s the Denver Post article Paul referenced with a deep dive into the data: https://www.denverpost.com/2022/01/23/colorado-crime-rate-homicides-shootings-assaults/
Is the King Soopers strike of ’22 ready for the history books? Or will workers reject the contract and return to the picket lines? No matter what, we’ll have the story in our weekday morning newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/.
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For this week’s Friday news roundup, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Westword editor and founder, Patty Calhoun, to discuss a couple legacy businesses in the city that are undergoing some big changes. First, in a lengthy investigative piece, Denverite found that some employees of Denver’s largest independent bookstore, Tattered Cover, are less than satisfied with the new owners who took over in 2020 and started aggressively expanding the business. Then, Denver Business Journal revealed this week that Tom’s Diner on Colfax might be coming back from the grave as…a 1970s-era Las Vegas-style cocktail lounge?
By the way, we want to find the best fried chicken in Denver, and we want your help! Email your pick to denver@citycast.fm or leave us a voicemail explaining why at 720-500-5418.
Subscribe to the CCD newsletter for great food recommendations around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
You can also talk to us about fried chicken on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People have been moving to Denver since, well, Denver became Denver. And it’s no secret, this tension between longtime residents and new folks is kinda the crux of our struggle as a city. So we thought, what better way to help get new Denverites acclimated than to bring in our boss David Plotz. He’s a lifelong Washingtonian, but as CEO of City Cast it’s part of his job to get to know all the cities that are part of our network: Chicago, Houston, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, and of course, Denver. So today on the show, David asks City Cast Denver host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon some of his most embarrassing Denver questions, like: “What the heck is Red Rocks and do you actually get to sit on the rocks?” and “Does the altitude really affect your life that much?”
City Cast is growing and we’re hiring in a lot of cities! Check out the list here: https://citycast.fm/jobs/
Get all the Denver news and recs you need in your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
How would you answer David’s questions about Denver? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denverites are slowly returning to public buses, trains, and light rail, but ridership is still far below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, bus drivers have been leaving the fleet in droves, and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is still paying off huge loans from major projects of yesteryear. So why is now the right time for RTD to propose the biggest overhaul of bus routes since the 1970s? Colorado Public Radio’s transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor is back on the show to connect the dots. All of them. No matter how dispersed they are across the metro area.
For more on this new RTD proposal, check out Minor’s article laying out the details: https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/12/rtd-bus-network-overhaul/
At the end of the episode, Minor suggested that listeners who want a say in this route overhaul should get in touch with their RTD director. You can find yours and their contact info here: https://www.rtd-denver.com/board-of-directors
We’ve got even more Denver news in our newsletter. Subscribe now and get your first edition tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Talk transit to us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welton St. Cafe has seen Five Points change — a lot. But unlike many other Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood, the restaurant has been able to stay alive — and thrive — amid the displacement and gentrification of its own community. Still, real estate pressures have crept up on the decades-old, family-run business and the restaurant is ready for a new home. Host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon sat down with Chereka Dickerson, whose family has been running the restaurant for most of her life, to find out more about their campaign to raise money for the next chapter of Welton St. Cafe and how they manage to keep the spirit of old Five Points alive.
If you’d like to support Welton St. Cafe’s effort to open a new restaurant space, here’s a link to the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/c6p4h-last-man-standing
Get more news in your inbox every weekday morning by signing up for our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have nice things to say about Welton St. Cafe? Tell us via Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This past Wednesday morning, after negotiations with their parent company fell apart, thousands of King Soopers workers across metro Denver went on strike. We heard stories about tension along the picket lines, so host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi went out to see for themselves. We heard from workers, shoppers, a protester, and one assistant manager, who really, really did not seem happy to be dealing with us or any of this.
If you haven’t heard Bree’s interview with UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova from earlier this week, she explains why they called for a strike in the first place. You can listen to that here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6h7WKDjze5BpNYvqNFzEG0
Here’s a link to the survey Bree references in the episode: https://inthesetimes.com/article/kroger-grocery-survey-disturbing-new-report-shows-dire-conditions-for-workers
We’ll be following the King Soopers strike as it develops, and you can keep up with every twist and turn in our weekday morning newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter too! We’re @citycastdenver, @cocodavies, @paulkarolyi, @xandramcmahon and @peytongarcia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Marshall Fire burned hundreds of homes and businesses in Colorado to the ground, leaving many of us to wonder: Are wildfires in urban areas becoming a common occurrence? To get a better understanding of what happened with this latest megafire, host Bree Davies talks with Dr. Natasha Stavros, a fire ecologist and the Director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub at CU Boulder. Dr. Stavros discusses the role of climate change and the conditions that led to the Marshall Fire. She also explores how — if we were to embrace hundreds of years of indigenous knowledge on how to use fire as a tool — we could potentially change the outcomes of these disasters.
Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter and stay up-to-date with news from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chit-chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
State Sen. Brittany Pettersen has served the community of Lakewood for 10 years, leading legislative efforts to fix our broken mental health safety net and impose new gun safety measures. And as of yesterday, she’s running for Congress. Pettersen hopes to replace fellow Democrat Ed Perlmutter, who has represented Colorado’s District 7 for the past 15 years. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chats with Pettersen about her new campaign, what she has her sights on this legislative session, and how the “Red Flag Law” she co-sponsored back in 2019 could have done more in the Denver/Lakewood mass shooting on Dec. 27.
It would mean so much to us if you’d subscribe to our newsletter and then tell a friend to sign up too! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
You can also connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With a snowstorm bearing down on Denver last Wednesday evening, Denver Public Schools sent an email to families cancelling the next day’s classes “due to severe weather" but also citing “continued severe staffing shortages.” We’ve been hearing about teacher shortages throughout the district for months, but something about this new mix of winter weather and the Omicron variant felt different. So we asked a teacher. Host Bree Davies sits down with North High School teacher Tim Hernández to hear why teachers are feeling so burned out, what are the stakes of the remote vs. in-person learning debate, and how the DPS staffing shortage is affecting his students.
For more on the poetry and photography project Bree mentioned at the end of this episode, check out this piece from the Denver Post. You can also find a digital copy of the project here.
Subscribe to the City Cast Denver weekday morning newsletter for even more news and cool events from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Early on in the pandemic, employees of grocery stores were deemed “essential” and “frontline workers.” But for many of them, going to work never stopped feeling like going to war. And now, the parent company behind Colorado’s largest grocery chain, King Soopers, is playing hardball on their new contract. So starting Wednesday, approximately 8,400 King Soopers employees are planning to go on strike. Host Bree Davies sits down with Kim Cordova, the president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents King Soopers workers in Colorado and southern Wyoming, to hear how we got to this point, why the UFCW Local 7 filed a lawsuit over “scabs,” and how this strike would fit into the recent surge of labor organizing across the country.
For more on the parent company’s side of this labor dispute, we recommend this Westword article with a detailed breakdown of their latest contract offer and the union's counterproposal: https://www.westword.com/news/king-soopers-rips-union-over-strike-plan-13179992
The UFCW Local 7 is planning for the strike to last three weeks, and we’ll be following all the twists and turns in our newsletter. So subscribe now to stay informed: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday, which means the City Cast Denver crew is back for a roundtable discussion on all things Denver. Producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon, newsletter writer Peyton Garcia, and host Bree Davies discuss the upcoming Stock Show, its lax stance on vaccination requirements, and what the whole agricultural enterprise historically means for Denver. Plus, SPOILER ALERT: the team discusses “Don’t Look Up,” the most-watched movie on Netflix ever that just so happens to be created by some Colorado-connected folks.
In the show, Paul mentions the Colorado Encyclopedia entry for “The First National Western Stock Show” : https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/first-national-western-stock-show
The song featured at the end of today’s episode was “Seeds We Sow” by David Lawrence and the Spoonful: https://davidlawspoonful.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two years ago, thousands of Denverites took to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd. Many politicians joined the protesters, lending weight to their calls to defund the police and reform our criminal justice system. But at the Denver City Council meeting this past Monday night, when a five-year, $4.7-million contract with a controversial gunshot detection technology went up for a vote, only one councilperson stood against it. Councilperson Candi CdeBaca joins host Bree Davies to explain why she opposes Denver police’s use of ShotSpotter and why we’ve seen so little movement on criminal justice reform since the protests.
For more on ShotSpotter, check out our episode from last September when Bree interviewed Axios Denver reporter Alayna Alvarez about the technology and the controversy surrounding it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xiPsLlR1vg2lhNhTFUXBn
Every Friday, Peyton puts together a carefully curated list of things to do, read, watch, see, and eat in Denver over the weekend. Subscribe to our newsletter right now and get this week’s in your inbox tomorrow: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What do you think about the ShotSpotter contract extension? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What do Jay-Z, John Elway, Jeff Bezos, and Peyton Manning have in common? They’re all rumored to be interested in buying the Denver Broncos. And that might be exactly what the team needs after five straight losing seasons — to say nothing of all the behind-the-scenes drama around former owner Pat Bowlen’s last will and testament, which pitted brother against sister in a years-long legal battle over ownership of the team. Broncos president Joe Ellis said that an “ownership transfer” would be happening after this season. Now that the Broncos have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with a loss last weekend, host Bree Davies sits down with Ryan Koenigsberg and Zac Stevens of the DNVR Broncos Podcast to talk about Mr. Bowlen’s legacy in Denver, what a new owner could mean for the team and the city, and what we should make of those wild rumors. Jay-Z? Really???
When important Denver news breaks, you can trust that we’ll break it down for you in our newsletter. Subscribe now to make sure it hits your inbox every weekday morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
When someone posts a dank Denver meme, you can trust that we’ll retweet it. Follow us @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It seems ironic that in a state that touts healthy lifestyles like hiking and biking and being outdoors, we have some of the worst mental health stats in the country. For a long time, Colorado has landed at the bottom of lists ranking state suicide rates and access to mental health care. Why? Susan Greene, a reporter for Colorado News Collaborative, recently published a six-month investigation into why Colorado’s mental health care “safety net” — the publicly funded community health care centers that are supposed to serve the uninsured — is failing so many Coloradans. She chats with City Cast Denver host Bree Davies about how our system got so broken and what it means for the people who need care most.
To read Greene’s whole story, here’s the version that was published in The Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/12/05/colorado-mental-health-centers-investigation/
This story is part of a broader project from the Colorado News Collaborative, called On Edge. You can learn more about the project and read all their stories exploring Colorado’s mental health system here: https://colabnews.co/projects/on-edge-colorado-mental-health/
Want news and great Denver recs right in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver entered the new year under a dark cloud of tragedy. First, a man shot and killed 5 people last Monday in downtown Denver and Lakewood. Though the perpetrator’s motive is still unclear, he reportedly knew most of the victims through the tattoo and body modification community. Three days later, grass fires fueled by high winds forced tens of thousands of Coloradans to evacuate their homes in Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County. According to the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management, 991 homes were destroyed, making the Marshall Fire the most destructive in Colorado history. Host Bree Davies, Producer Paul Karolyi, and Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia come together to discuss what happened and share a few stories.
Do you have a connection to the shooting or the fires? We would love to offer up City Cast Denver as a platform for stories about victims, personal experiences of the fires, or anything else you’d like other Denverites to hear about these two tragedies. Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood at 720-500-5418.
We’ll be collecting stories and sharing ways you can help the victims of the shooting and the fire in our daily newsletter. All you have to do is subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is best steward of Old Denver…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the guest with the most alluring voice…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the biggest bagel fan…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the guest most likely to get stuck in the gum tree…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the guest who is most likely to make your mouth water and tummy grumble…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Up first: the guests who are most likely to get your toe tappin’…Who could it be?!
City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes.
Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver
Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s orginal episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
All week, we’ve been revisiting the biggest Denver story of the year — Casa Bonita’s bankruptcy and eventual sale to South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. And now it’s time for the thrilling conclusion. Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi revisit the not-too-distant past — late November — when Matt and Trey began unveiling their plans for CB 2.0, starting with a very exciting hire: Chef Dana Rodriguez.
Oh, and here’s that 5280 Magazine story about Raquelita’s that Paul mentioned.
Here’s how we described this episode when it initially aired on November 22:
For the last 20 months, the fate of Casa Bonita has been uncertain. Would Denver’s original “immersive experience” survive a pandemic, not to mention a bankruptcy? Things were looking up when Matt Stone and Trey Parker (you know, the guys who created South Park) announced they were purchasing CB. But optimism quickly turned to skepticism and hardcore fans wondered: Was our landmark of kitsch and fun in danger of being changed forever? Turns out, things are changing. But it sounds like… for the better? Last week, news broke that Parker and Stone have hired renowned chef Dana Rodriguez, the culinary visionary behind hit restaurants like Super Mega Bien and Work & Class, to improve the food. Host Bree Davies called up the chef to find out what, exactly, she has planned for CB 2.0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The biggest Denver story of the year was undoubtedly Casa Bonita, and the watchword for this second chapter of the story is “uncertainty.” Because back in August, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker announced they'd be buying the place. We all knew that Matt and Trey found the Mexican restaurant in a strip mall comical, but did they get it? Like, if they were going to be the stewards of this place, did they really understand what made it special?
Join Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi as we revisit that moment of uncertainty after the South Park guys bought the pink palace, when we took a tour with Westword editor Patty Calhoun and Bree interviewed David Thomas, “professor of fun” — both of whom really helped us understand what makes Casa Bonita so dang fun.
Here’s how we described this interview back when it aired on October 6:
It’s official: Trey Parker and Matt Stone have purchased Casa Bonita. So, now what? Will the Lakewood landmark stay the same, or become a fully South Park-themed eatertainment destination? While the iconic restaurant’s future hangs in the balance, we wanted to know: What really makes Casa Bonita fun? Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi took an official tour of the still-closed-for-dining immersive eatery with David Thomas, the “Professor of Fun.” David explains why Casa Bonita is more than just a theme restaurant — it’s an architecturally designed masterpiece that invites play, stirs imagination, and ensures that all who visit will be transported to another place and time for an experience that can be hard to put into words.
The City Cast Denver Crew joined Westword editor Patty Calhoun for the Casa Bonita tour, too — you can read her take on CB and the concept of fun here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
City Cast Denver will return with new episodes on January 3. In the meantime, we’re looking back at some of our favorite moments of the year. First up, probably the story of the year in Denver, it’s the Casa Bonita saga.
Join Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi to look back at all the ups and downs, starting today with our first interview on the topic from back in April just after Casa Bonita’s owners filed for bankruptcy. It was a dark time for the pink palace, to be sure.
Here’s how we described this episode when it initially aired on April 15:
Get Eric Cartman on the phone, Casa Bonita needs help. More than a year into the pandemic, the iconic Mexican restaurant slash immersive entertainment experience filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. There have been reports of community efforts to raise money to save the place, but until now it’s been unclear exactly how that might work. Andrew Novick, who’s visited Casa Bonita 300 times, and entrepreneur Danny Newman, who helped save My Brother’s Bar, have been working behind the scenes, and they’re on the show today to explain their strategy and how you can help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's time for another #listenlocal podcast recommendation from our friend Berry of Podcasts in Color, the largest database of podcasts produced by people of color in the world.
Berry's pick this month is From the Margins to the Center, a new podcast from House of Pod. Hosted by Becca Mendoza Nunziato and Jeanette Harris-Courts, this show "unapologetically amplifies voices of marginalized folks." Please enjoy the episode included here, featuring Natasha Pepperl on foster care, and subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more at houseofpod.org and follow Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been a year, Denver. Maybe not a particularly great one, but it wasn’t all bad. And that’s why, for the final new episode of 2021, the City Cast Denver crew is calling out the wins and fails of the last year in this complicated city we all love.
City Cast Denver will be in your feeds all next week and the week after with some fun re-runs, so stick with us!
And Peyton is cooking up some special newsletters to get your through the holiday break. Don’t miss out, subscribe now: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us what your Denver win and fail of the year is on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Burnout is hitting nurses hard as we barrel toward the pandemic’s second anniversary. Nearly one in five nurses in Colorado plans to quit their job in the near future, according to an American Nurses Foundation survey. Hospitals across the state are already strained by the number of COVID patients they’re seeing, and staff shortages could make the situation worse. Nurse Tara Rynders talks with guest host Avery Lill about the pressures nurses face and how they could be better supported. Rynders shares that her organization, The Clinic, is helping nurses at hospitals across Denver through art and play-based workshops.
If you want to watch the full performance of “COVID Stories” by The Clinic click here: https://www.theclinicperformance.com/covid-stories
Want to know more about your city? We’ve got a newsletter for you: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’d love to hear from you on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
So apparently Denver International Airport just needs a billion more dollars to finish the construction project that’s already over-budget, overdue and over the top with its new, sparkly white floors that look like snow. The Great Hall renovation project has been a headache for more than four years now, but it’s supposed to make the travel experience… better? Somehow? Denver Post reporter Jon Murray has been covering the project since the beginning, and he’s back on the show with guest host Avery Lill to explain why the project has taken so long, where all that money is supposed to come from, and who all of this hoopla is really for.
For more details on next steps for the Great Hall project, here's Murray's latest for the Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/12/10/denver-airport-terminal-project-completion/
Wanna know what’s on Peyton’s Plate this week? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter, and get personal restaurant recs and food news in your inbox every Thursday. https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/]
Don’t you wanna be Twitter friends? Hit us up @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For a long time, schools have been used to erase Indigenous identities. Take the boarding schools of the 19th and 20th centuries where children were forced to shed their culture and assimilate into a Euro-Christian one. And the erasure can still be seen today in curricula and the staggeringly low graduation rates for Indigenous students. But a new charter school in southwest Denver hopes to reclaim what’s been lost and invest in the future of Denver’s 200 different Indigenous tribes. On a recent visit to the American Indian Academy of Denver, City Cast Denver guest host Avery Lill met the school’s founder, Dr. Terri Bissonette.
Want to feel even more connected to your city? Sign up for the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Hey are you on Twitter? We are too! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas died last Thursday at the age of 33. He last played for the Broncos in 2018, but he left an enduring legacy here in Denver, where teammates, sports reporters, and fans alike spent the weekend swapping stories of Thomas’s kindness and quiet pursuit of “everyday greatness,” as ESPN reported.
Our friends at the DNVR sports network recorded a raw conversation sharing some of their and their listeners’ experiences with Thomas, and we loved it, so please enjoy this bonus episode today.
Here’s how they described it:
It is a hard day for Broncos Country, the NFL, and anyone who had the pleasure of meeting or just watching Demaryius Thomas. The impact DT left on the world is being felt by the thousands of messages pouring in of what he meant to them.. We spent this episode remembering our favorite memories of Demaryius Thomas, looking back at all the good times and we also asked and share some of the moments our listeners and community had with DT. It’s a hard episode but one that we needed to have to truly remember the man DT was on and off the field. RIP Bay-Bay, you’ll always be remembered.
You can subscribe to The DNVR Sports Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Pocket Casts, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christmas lights have been a tradition for so long, it’s hard to imagine December without them. We heard a rumor that Denver was the birthplace of these magical twinkling bulbs — so we called up Colorado history expert Dr. William Wei to find out more. Guest host Avery Lill chats with Dr. Wei about his latest book, Becoming Colorado, which traces the state’s history using the backstories of one hundred objects, including a box of Christmas lights. We also went on a mission to find the folks behind the brilliant light displays at Denver’s City and County Building and connected with Nate, Madeline, and Heidi Webb . The Webbs have run their event lighting company Blazen Illuminations in Colorado for more than two decades and they share the secrets to what makes those holiday light shows so fun to watch.
Find out about more fun holiday stuff going on in Denver by subscribing to our weekday newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have a favorite local Christmas lights display you think we should know about? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Where does Denver’s power come from? It’s a deceptively complex question, loaded with all kinds of personal, political, and global implications. But one thing is certain, less and less of the electricity that powers our city is coming from coal. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal-fired power plants provided 36% of Colorado’s electricity in 2020, down from 68% in 2010. So this weekend on the show, we’re bringing you a little perspective from outside the city. Our friends at the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science are producing an eight-part podcast exploring the transition away from coal in one of the most coal-reliant cities in the state — Craig, Colorado. This episode includes the first part in that series. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and click here to learn more: https://coalatsunset.org
Here’s their description for this first episode:
There's a popular saying in Craig: "Coal keeps the lights on."
But in 2020, the electrical utility Tri-State announced that it would close its coal-fired power plant and coal mines in Craig by 2030. The news was like an earthquake. Hundreds of jobs would be lost. The town now faces the prospect of massive economic disruption as its primary industry disappears.
In our first episode, we travel to Craig to hear from coal workers who are bracing for change and one local business owner who's already looking for ways to reinvent the town's identity. Plus, we'll talk with the CEO at the center of the decision that changed everything. What will Craig do now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One RTD driver recently described Union Station as a “hellhole,” and concerns with safety, drug use, littering, and public urination are mounting. The city’s response? More policing. Today on the show, Producer Xandra McMahon chats with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi about other possible solutions to social issues that don’t involve more versions of law enforcement. Plus, the crew tackles a horrific editorial the Denver Gazette ran this week that targeted our unhoused neighbors. Oh, and we’re joined by a special guest whose voice you’ll be hearing more often on the show!
A note: On the show today, we read part of a response from Benjamin Dunning from Denver Homeless Out Loud, regarding the Denver Gazette’s editorial. Here’s the full version of the statement he sent to us:
“Peoples ignorance when it comes to homelessness is amazing as evidenced by the editorial 'Denver’s drifters glamp on taxpayers’ tab.' from the Denver Gazette. The article has no declared author. We take this as evidence of them being unable to accept responsibility or accountability. The shaming sentiment they put on our homeless communities with their coined word is disrespectful.
Their stupidity and lack of insight is evidenced by statements like “It’s bad for the unfortunate soul who chooses that life as well as for the neighbor who has to put up with it.”
No one, and I mean no one chooses to be homeless. To sit behind a locked door and call the police on folks stuck in homelessland, over and over and over only makes things worse. 70% of calls to the STAR program are for unwanted persons and not for emergencies. Apparently there is a person who alone has called emergency services 500 times. It is sicking the disrespect we show our homeless communities. And this anonymous author is no different.
The SOS camps do a great job offering help with dignity and respect. So when folks are offered some help with dignity, are we to shame them as grifters? Makes you wonder what kind of grift this author is manufacturing.
Here is a bit of what enduring homelessland actually looks like. Glamping my A**- Being chased from street to street by city officials week after week, month after month. No rest, never sleeping with both eyes closed. Asking for housing and being told there is none. Asking where you could go and being told an “overcrowded emergency shelter during a pandemic”. Not a safe place at all.
How about housing? Efforts to address homelessness should emphasize housing. Housing ends homelessness. Shelters do not work, they never have. Is the anonymous author willing to accept housing vouchers at their properties? Trust me the anonymous author owns property. (remember the grift they were on we mentioned earlier) Many folks on the streets have housing vouchers that private landlords refuse to accept. Making a problem even worse. People who have housing being denied the right to access the housing they have been granted. Only then to be shamed by Karen's excessively calling the police on them. But then that is what stupid people do. Make their problems worse and then blame it on someone else.”
And here’s the Denver Gazette’s “Denver Drifters Glamp on Taxpayer’s Tab” Find Peyton Garcia’s best of local gift guides in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Tell us what you thought of the Denver Gazette piece on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A traditional holiday celebration in Spain and Latin America, La Posada has never really taken root here in Denver. But maybe that should change? Miguel Aviña certainly thinks so. He and his band, iZCALLi, put on an annual concert commemorating the event, and this weekend it’s going to be bigger and better than ever, with a jam-packed line-up taking the stage at Meow Wolf’s Perplexiplex Saturday night. Host Bree Davies sits down with Aviña to talk about the meaning of La Posada, his favorite Christmas music to perform, and what to expect at iZCALLi’s big bang of an end-of-year show.
Looking for a little more local holiday music for your weekend? One of the acts joining iZCALLi on stage for La Posada, Kayla Marque, live-streamed a set of holiday tunes on PBS12 last year. Catch “How COVID Stole Christmas” here: https://www.facebook.com/PBS12.CO/videos/1357156864622162/
The songs we featured in this episode include:
“Corriendo Con Todo” off of iZCALLi’s 2018 album “IV”
“Villain” off Kayla Marque’s 2020 record “Left Brain”
We’ve got plenty more recommendations for your Denver weekend in our newsletter. All you’ve got to do is subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We promise to send you some really good tweets today: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did you know that today is actually a holiday here in Colorado? Happy Margaret Coel Day! So we thought, what better way to celebrate than to share this audio documentary our producer Paul Karolyi made last year featuring Coel and her work? She’s best known for her Wind River mystery novels, but before she got into fiction, she published a historical biography of Arapaho Chief Left Hand, who famously uttered these famous words about Boulder Valley: “People seeing the beauty of this valley will want to stay, and their staying will be the undoing of the beauty.” Or did he? This is a story about exactly that uncertainty, as well as the nature of storytelling itself and land acknowledgements.
This audio doc originally appeared on the podcast Range & Slope, where you can hear a couple of Paul’s other audio docs, like this one about Beau Jo’s so-called Colorado-style pizza or this one about Fort St. Vrain, Colorado’s first and still only nuclear power plant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The LoDo nightclub Beta was once one of the top EDM clubs in the country, if not the world. But after a few high-profile violent incidents over the summer, a couple of undercover police raids, and one off-the-wall Von Miller party, Beta is on the verge of losing its liquor license, which would effectively shut it down for good. So what happened? Host Bree Davies sits down with Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanagh to break down the story and the self-proclaimed “made man” at the center of it all — Beta’s owner, Valentes Corleons. Plus, Producer Paul Karolyi called up Corleons to get his side of the story.
For more on the Beta situation, here’s McKormick-Cavanagh’s latest for Westword.
Every Thursday in our newsletter, Peyton is reviewing a Denver restaurant and sharing the inside scoop on Denver restaurants. Subscribe now to make sure Peyton’s Plate hits your inbox tomorrow morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you ever been to Beta? Let’s talk: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tay Anderson made national headlines in 2019 when he was elected as the youngest Denver Public Schools board member in Colorado history. In 2021, he made headlines again — this time for accusations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. But then a third-party investigation concluded that the most serious of the allegations were unsubstantiated, and just last week his peers elected him Vice President of the DPS board. Host Bree Davies sits down with Anderson to talk about the ups and downs of the last year and what he sees for his future and the future of Denver Public Schools.
Stay up-to-date with Denver happenings by subscribing to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Of all Denver’s great holiday traditions, there’s only one carefully crafted to drive whiskey lovers wild. Local distiller Stranahan’s started selling small batches of “Snowflake” whiskeys way back in 2007. But in the last few years, the Snowflake has taken on a lore of its own as aficionados camp out for days next to the distillery, just for the chance to get a bottle of that year’s unique, limited-edition recipe. This year, Stranahan’s decided to do things a little differently, turning the low-key campout into a full-fledged blowout at Red Rocks, complete with food trucks and live music. City Cast Denver correspondent JD Lopez — host of the Left Hand Right Brain podcast — headed over to the amphitheater’s parking lot at the crack of dawn to talk to Colorado’s whiskey tailgaters and find out what makes the Snowflake blend good enough to wait in line for.
Plus, our VOICE on the Street segment is back — this time, we hear from Denver VOICE street paper vendor Brian Augustine, who talks candidly about why he loves being out in the community. Learn more about the Denver VOICE and read an online version of the paper at denvervoice.org. Donate directly to the Denver VOICE via Venmo: @DenverVOICE.
We’ve got plenty more news from around the city in our weekday morning newsletter. Sign up here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s official: the Omicron variant has hit Colorado. As we brace for continued disruptions in our daily lives, there’s still a lot at stake — schools are short-staffed, hospitals are overloaded, and our local economy is still dealing with supply chain issues and employee shortages. So, what does this all mean for family-owned businesses in Denver? Oblio’s, a long-running pizza joint in Park Hill, has been very forthright about the pandemic’s ongoing impacts on their business. In fact, they recently launched a GoFundMe in an effort to keep the family restuarant afloat — and in the post, owner Morgan McKay candidly shared what it has been like trying to save her family’s pizza legacy. City Cast Denver Producer Paul Karolyi chatted with Morgan about Oblio’s future and the concerns she has going into what looks like another winter of suriving a pandemic.
Find great stuff to do this weekend by subscribing to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your fond memories of Oblio’s via Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is only one lesbian bar left in Denver. It’s one of only around 20 left in the United States. But according to a new lawsuit from three former employees, Blush & Blu owner Jody Bouffard has used that status for years to “create a culture of obligation where workers were required to accept mistreatment and brazen underpayment as a ‘service’ to the bar and broader queer community.” City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon sits down with one of those former employees, Jordan Feltner, to talk about what happens when power dynamics are at play within a vulnerable, marginalized community.
You can read the entire lawsuit here: https://towardsjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021.11.12-Filed-Blush-Complaint.pdf
Here is the full statement we received from Blush & Blu:
"Jody Bouffard and Blush & Blu deny these untrue and shocking allegations from three former off-and-on part-time staff. Bouffard has never intentionally belittled anyone in the manner described or otherwise, nor withheld rightfully earned pay. This filing is an unfortunate retaliation against Bouffard and Blush & Blu for unrelated staffing decisions, and does not accurately represent the work environment at Blush & Blu.
As a lifeline and community space for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people alike, and one of the last lesbian bars in the country, Blush & Blu feels strongly about their responsibility to create and maintain a safe and accepting space.
When the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies’ Civil Rights Division investigated Savage’s claims of discrimination, Blush & Blu fully cooperated. Similarly, Blush & Blu provided a complete response to the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment regarding Jordan Feltner's wage complaint. Bouffard and Blush & Blu exercised care and due diligence in their response to both claims, despite the limited information included in Savage's and Feltner'sComplaints.
Bouffard and Blush & Blu responded to each of the complaints lodged by Ms. Savage in her CCRD charge in full, with corroborating business documents, shift records, bank statements and payment records, social posts, photos, and specific eyewitness accounts. Similar evidence rebutting Feltner's claim was provided to CDLE in the form of shift records, payment stubs, and bar receipts. Reviewing the evidence presented on behalf of Bouffard and Blush & Blu, and legal discussion of the charge, no standing of discrimination was recognized by CCRD. The CDLE complaint was pulled before it could be dismissed. Now, they have apparently opted to try their case by public opinion."
Don’t miss another CCD newsletter! Subscribe now and get Peyton’s guide for your weekend tomorrow morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Talk to us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Pastor Ryan Canaday confessed his alcoholism to his congregation back in 2013, he was shocked by the outpouring of love and stories from others who were on their own journeys of recovery. It was that experience that eventually led him and his wife Tami Canaday — a former climber on the corporate coffee ladder — to build their own community around coffee and recovery. Host Bree Davies sits down with the Canadays to talk about how the “gift of desperation” led them to start a non-profit, a coffee roasting company, Wagon Coffee, and now their very own coffee shop — all to help normalize and support people in recovery from alcoholism.
The Canadays have been hosting support groups virtually every Saturday at 7 p.m. throughout the pandemic, and they are excited to return to in-person meetings this Saturday, December 4, at 2122 S. Lafayette St. Find all the details here.
For more on the Canadays, here’s the 303 Magazine piece where we first heard about them.
Don’t miss another newsletter fresh in your inbox every weekday! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Yeah yeah, don’t worry, we’re on Twitter too: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We may have yet to see snow on the ground, but artist Lonnie Hanzon has successfully captured the feeling of Christmas in his annual immersive installation, Camp Christmas. Lonnie’s work is kitschy, but not cynical; it’s over-the-top, but not obnoxious. This year, he’s transformed the entire 15-building campus at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park into a lavish and sparkling winter wonderland, complete with neon trees, glitter horses, rainbow chandeliers, and psychedelic sheep. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies caught up with Lonnie Hanzon to learn all about the creation of Camp Christmas and how he captured the feeling of the season in this beautiful, interactive landscape.
Camp Christmas is in partnership with the DCPA and the city of Lakewood. It runs until Jan. 2, 2022 and you can buy tickets by clicking here.
Get more local Christmas info via the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your favorite Denver Christmas traditions on twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What’s the best part of any good local bookstore? The staff recs! Duh. We love those colorful little handwritten notes on the shelf pointing us to that next page-turner. So as holiday shopping gets under way, we invited two of Tattered Cover’s book buyers to come on the show and share some of their favorites of the year. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Jeremy Patlen and Kathy Baum to talk through Tattered Cover’s 2021 Books of The Year and give us a little behind-the-shelf insight into how these recommendations happen.
Find links to all the books mentioned and the full list right here: https://www.tatteredcover.com/2021-books-year
And for even more on The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and The Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood, check out our interview with author Julian Rubinstein and Terrance Roberts, the former gang member-turned-anti-gang activist at the heart of Rubinstein’s book: https://open.spotify.com/episode/55BtBvCfcJZ52TJB34sKbv?si=67eb748add9b4bc9
Wanna help Capitol Hill Books rebuild after a truck drove through their front window? Here’s a link to their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/t2b6z-help-capitol-hill-books-rebuild
For more local shopping inspiration, be our inbox buddy! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What was your favorite book of the year? Shout it out and tag us @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’re taking the rest of the week off to be with friends and family, so please enjoy this re-run of one of our favorite episodes of the year. We took out the bleeps and added back some of the good stuff that didn’t make it onto the plate last time. Enjoy!
Here’s our original description for this episode:
So what exactly is Denver-style Mexican food? How do we differentiate our particular brand of Mexican food? (Hint: We’re talking green chile. On everything.) Food writer Gustavo Arellano and Westword editor and Den-Mex super fan Patty Calhoun break down where it came from, what we need to do to protect it, and what makes Den-Mex so special.
Warning: Side effects of this episode may include a growling stomach and watering mouth.
Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After suffering a stroke in 2019, Kristen Aguirre was let go from her dream job at 9News. Her colleagues supported her recovery. The station even broadcast her story of recovery on World Stroke Day. But behind the scenes, she says management made it clear: they didn’t want her on TV anymore. Host Bree Davies sits down with Aguirre to talk about what happened, why she’s now suing 9News for racial and disability-related discrimination, and why it is so important for her to bring her experience with disability and discrimination to light.
Read the details of Kristen Aguirre’s case via original reporting from The Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/11/11/kristen-aguirre-sues-9news-discrimination/
Peyton’s been cooking up some good stuff over at the City Cast Denver newsletter, which you can subscribe to here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Say hello on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the last 20 months, the fate of Casa Bonita has been uncertain. Would Denver’s original “immersive experience” survive a pandemic, not to mention a bankruptcy? Things were looking up when Matt Stone and Trey Parker (you know, the guys who created South Park) announced they were purchasing CB. But optimism quickly turned to skepticism and hardcore fans wondered: Was our landmark of kitsch and fun in danger of being changed forever? Turns out, things are changing. But it sounds like… for the better? Last week, news broke that Parker and Stone have hired renowned chef Dana Rodriguez, the culinary visionary behind hit restaurants like Super Mega Bien and Work & Class, to improve the food. Host Bree Davies called up the chef to find out what, exactly, she has planned for CB 2.0.
Subscribe to the Casa Bonita Podcast…er, City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your hopes and dreams for CB on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
These days, it seems like the Casa Bonita news faucet never turns off. This week, the new owners Matt Stone and Trey Parker (ever heard of ‘em??) announced that renowned Denver chef Dana Rodriguez would be taking over the CB kitchen. The internet all but imploded and so did the City Cast Denver team. So producer Xandra McMahon, host Bree Davies, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia are on the show today to talk through those reactions and nervous feelings. Plus, Peyton has a curated restaurant recommendation to get you through your weekend.
For more about chef (and possible future mayor) Frank Bonanno, he was one of our very first guests when we launched this show back in March. You can hear that episode right here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5w7mP3I6DQ8P7fZk5OMSCF?si=00ddd5163eec485d
Get Peyton’s Plate in your inbox on Fridays! And a healthy digest of news and cool events throughout the week: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Bookies has been an institution in Denver for decades. Tucked away inside a nondescript Glendale strip mall, the bookstore has served generations of curious young readers and helped teachers curate their classrooms affordably for more than 50 years. But in July, the bookstore lost its owner and steward, Sue Lubeck — and the fate of the quirky bookseller was unknown. Enter Nicole Sullivan, owner of BookBar across town. Host Bree Davies sat down with The Bookies’ new owner to talk about her plans for the beloved Denver staple. Plus, we chatted with one of The Bookies’ many longtime employees about how Sue Lubeck’s kindness was so infectious.
Get more news delivered to your inbox every weekday by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your Bookies memories with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret that Denver’s a pretty expensive place to live these days. But there’s hope — in recent years, voters have approved measures to help ease the burden of high housing costs. Still, there’s a lot of mystery around how, exactly, affordable housing gets built in Denver. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies speaks with developer Kimball Crangle of Gorman & Company, who has built affordable housing all over Colorado, to explain how it works, why it's important, and how you can help.
Also: Denver recently proposed a new affordable housing policy. The Department of Community Planning and Development has a whole mess of documentation for Denverites to dig through, plus dates and times for open houses and focus groups to talk about the proposal, if you’re into that sort of thing: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Community-Planning-and-Development/Denver-Zoning-Code/Text-Amendments/Affordable-Housing-Project
The first announced changes to Casa Bonita are here! Read the latest in our daily City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Way back in the spring of 2019, Denver became the first American city in the country to decriminalize psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, with 50.56% of voters in favor. That left many Denverites worried about where decriminalization could lead — like Jeff Hunt, who said this to CBS4: “What I’m afraid we’re going to see happen now is people go, ‘Denver is a place where I’m not going to get prosecuted, so we’re going to increase the use of these drugs.’” Well, Jeff, the first batch of numbers are in! Today on the show, host Bree Davies sits down with Kevin Matthews, the former West Point cadet who led the decriminalization campaign. He’s been working with the city to monitor the situation and last week he presented a report and some interesting recommendations for next steps to City Council.
To see Matthews’ whole presentation to City Council last week, click here: http://denver.granicus.com/player/clip/14561?view_id=180&redirect=true
For more on the push toward legalization across the country, Matthews was quoted in this recent New York Times piece about veterans leading the charge: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/health/veterans-psychedelics-ptsd-depression.html?referringSource=articleShare
Subscribe to our newsletter for more news and cool events! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow our twitter account for nonsense and memes! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like many American cities, Denver is home to many buildings, streets, and monuments commemorating problematic figures from our sometimes violent and racist past. Slowly but surely, we’re changing that. Like this past weekend, the Byers Branch Library in La Alma Lincoln Park was officially renamed in honor of John Emhoolah Jr., “Thunderbird Man,” a Kiowa and Arapaho elder who spent his life advocating for Native American education and religious liberty. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi was at the ceremonial renaming ceremony on Saturday, and he has the story.
For more on why Denver Public Library wanted to rename the Byers Branch, here’s a brief summary of his support for the Sand Creek Massacre: https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/william-n-byers-contributing-massacre
What’s the latest on Denver’s pandemic protocols? Supply chain issues? And housing crisis? Get all that and more in our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We don’t always tweet. But when we do, we use the handle @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver had to face a hard truth this week: so far in 2021, 73 people have been killed on the city’s roadways. That’s the highest number of traffic deaths Denver has seen since the Vision Zero plan was implemented in 2016. The plan hoped to end all traffic deaths by 2030, but clearly the numbers are going in the wrong direction. Why? Host Bree Davies and producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon discuss the age-old Denver question: Who really owns these streets? Plus, the crew debates whether Denver’s bid for the 2026 World Cup is a good idea or not.
Paul mentioned a website that leaks all of FIFA’s dirty secrets. Here’s a New Yorker story about it: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/03/how-football-leaks-is-exposing-corruption-in-european-soccer
For more on Colorado’s obsession with big SUV’s, check out Nate Minor’s story for CPR News: https://www.cpr.org/2021/10/01/colorado-suvs-sales-carbon-emissions-pedestrian-safety/
Our newsletter writer Peyton Garcia cooks up an extra special newsletter every Friday. Don’t miss another one: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Let’s be friends on Twitter! @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Last week, it was announced that the boarded-up Denver Diner would not re-open, but instead become a Chase Bank. The beloved late-night dining spot that had served the city for decades (even long before it became The Denver Diner in the ’90s) was going away for good — leaving Denver with even less options for a 24-hour gathering place with affordable meals. Today on the show, host Bree Davies reminisces with fellow Denver Diner enthusiast Kalyn Heffernan about their mutual love for a dining spot that acted as an intersection for humanity and proved to be one of the most physically and economically accessible meeting places in the city. Plus, we hear from newsletter writer Peyton Garcia about hers -and some of your- favorite diners in Denver. Wondering what diners still exist in the Mile High City? Westword has an excellent survey of the current diner scene: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/late-night-food-diners-denver-12725841
Get more dirt on Denver in your inbox every weekday by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Share your Denver Diner memories with us on twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jenny Shank grew up in southeast Denver, but when it was time for school, she was bused all over the city — from an elementary school with a Chicano-rooted curriculum on the West Side to a predominantly Black middle school near Five Points. And it was those experiences that informed her new George Garrett Fiction Prize-winning collection of short stories, “Mixed Company.” It explores all the awkward, comical, and challenging ways that very different kinds of Coloradans can still find ways to connect. Host Bree Davies sits down with Shank to talk about their shared history with Denver Public Schools and busing, and how they understand their similar education experiences differently today.
“Mixed Company” comes out later this month. For more details on how to get yourself a copy or attend an upcoming reading, check out Shank’s website or RSVP to this reading she's doing in January with a couple of other local authors.
For more on Denver’s history of busing, check out our episode from September 8 with playwright Alicia Smith Young!
We’re trying some new stuff in our newsletter this week! Check it out and tell us what you think: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
If you follow, we’ll send you some really good tweets today from @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you’ve tried to watch the Nuggets or the Avalanche on TV at all in the last three years, you may have noticed that well, you can’t. That’s because Denver is going into its third season of a blackout, thanks to a dispute between Altitude, the regional sports network that broadcasts our teams, and Comcast, the metro area’s most popular cable provider. While the corporate giants battle it out in court, fans are left to try to watch games in person, switch cable providers, or find less-than-legal streams online. Today, Host Bree Davies chats with Denver Post reporter and City Cast Denver sports expert Jake Shapiro about why, exactly, local sports fans are shut out from watching their teams on TV.
Get news you can use every weekday morning by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Give us your Altitude TV/Comcast hot takes via Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Walk into SAME Café on East Colfax, and it looks like your average fast-casual lunch spot. But there’s A LOT of good stuff going on under the surface. SAME, which stands for So All May Eat, is a donation-based “participatory” restaurant. Anyone can go in and get a freshly cooked meal made with local produce. All you have to do is give something back to the community in exchange — be it a donation of produce, money, or your time. Host Bree Davies sits down with SAME Café’s new executive director Brad Reubendale to talk about SAME’s 15-year anniversary, his winding journey to this job, and the restaurant’s new “trauma-informed design.”
For more on SAME Cafe’s 15-year anniversary, check out this article from 5280 Magazine: https://www.5280.com/2021/11/celebrating-one-of-the-countrys-oldest-pay-what-you-can-restaurants/
The holidays are just around the corner! Do you have a favorite tradition around this time of year where you like to give back or connect with our community? Let us know your favorite ways and places to give — and receive — via email at denver@citycast.fm or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418
For more Denver news and cool events, subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have you ever had lunch at SAME Café? Tell us how it was @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Way back in the early ’90s, the Denver-style-Mission-style burrito rolled into town thanks to Chipotle. They introduced a massive meal you could eat with two hands — a steamed tortilla chock-full of rice, beans, meat, and all sorts of toppings. Illegal Pete’s appeared just a few years later in Boulder with a similar style burrito, but a restaurant environment all its own. Today on the show, the City Cast Denver crew gets together to talk about these burrito behemoths and tries to decide who makes the best Denver-style-Mission-style meal in the Mile High City.
Want more of Peyton’s culinary recs? Check out the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us where you stand on the Chipotle/Illegal Pete’s debate on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this morning’s episode, Bree talked to documentarian Sara Terry about her new film A Decent Home, which is premiering this Saturday at Denver Film Fest. It was a fascinating, wide-ranging conversation, so we wanted to share a little bonus excerpt. It’s about the scene in the documentary where Sara visits Mobile Home University, a Colorado-based program that teaches people how to buy and make the most money possible out of mobile home parks.
Here’s a great piece from the Denver Post’s Sam Tabachnik about Mobile Home University if you want to learn more: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/05/mobile-home-university-rv-horizons-impact-communities-frank-rolfe-dave-reynolds/
Stream Sara Terry’s new documentary, A Decent Home, online: https://watch.eventive.org/denverfilmfestival/play/6154d7761d62fd003e42366d
Or catch a screening in-person, as part of the 44th Annual Denver Film Festival: Sat, Nov 6th, 4:00 PM @ Maglione Theater (Sie) Sun, Nov 7th, 2:30 PM @ AMC House 3 Thu, Nov 11th, 4:15 PM @ Maglione Theater (Sie)
Want more news in your inbox every weekday morning? Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your experience with housing in Colorado via twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After filmmaker Sara Terry almost lost her home in 2008, she thought a lot about housing stability and inequality. In Terry’s new documentary, A Decent Home, she tackles an often unseen side of the housing crisis — the precarious nature of mobile home parks — with the vigor of a career journalist and the humanity of a natural storyteller. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Terry about her film and the people she chose to profile, particularly the residents of Aurora’s Denver Meadows mobile home park as they fought to stay housed. Terry also discusses the documentary’s exploration of predatory park owners across the country, who make their money by squeezing every last penny out of people on the margins of society.
Terry is hosting a convening this Saturday ahead of the premiere at 4 p.m. It will feature former residents of Denver Meadows alongside activists and elected officials. The event is set to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and space is very limited, so if you’re interested act fast. Email gretchen@adecenthomefilm.com if you’d like to attend.
Stream A Decent Home online: https://watch.eventive.org/denverfilmfestival/play/6154d7761d62fd003e42366d
Or catch a screening in-person, as part of the 44th Annual Denver Film Festival: Sat, Nov 6th, 4:00 PM @ Maglione Theater (Sie) Sun, Nov 7th, 2:30 PM @ AMC House 3 Thu, Nov 11th, 4:15 PM @ Maglione Theater (Sie)
Find the full Denver Film Fest schedule of screenings, both in person and virtual, here: https://www.denverfilm.org/denverfilmfestival/dff44/
Want more news in your inbox every weekday morning? Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your experience with housing in Colorado via twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yes, voter turnout was low. And yes, there weren’t any major offices up for grabs. But there were a lot of important issues at stake in Denver’s election, and we stayed up all night — okay, some of the night — to see what happened. Bree, Peyton, Paul, and Xandra break down what voters approved, what they rejected, and what that’s going to mean for all of Denver.
As the fallout from the election unfolds, we’ll have plenty of coverage in our newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
You heard our first reactions to the results. But we want to hear from you, too! Tweet us your hottest election takes @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the spring of 1958, Marilyn Van Derbur was on University of Colorado’s ski team, worried about moguls and final exams. By fall, she was crowned Miss America. Decades later, she used her Miss America platform to support and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse — something Van Derbur herself endured throughout childhood at the hands of her father. But now, after more than 60 years of philanthropy and advocacy, she’s decided to sell her Miss America crown. Host Bree Davies sits down with Van Derbur to talk about what the crown has meant to her and why she decided to sell it now.
Van Derbur’s crown, as well as a collection of other Miss America memorabilia, will be going on auction through Heritage Auctions starting November 4, 2021. The bidding will reportedly start at $20,000.
Want the results of today’s election delivered straight to your inbox tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.? Subscribe to our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We promise to send you some really good tweets today @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret that RTD has been struggling for years. Even before the pandemic, the regional public transportation provider was experiencing a drop in ridership, despite the state seeing a population boom. Then there was the bus driver and light rail operator shortage, the organization’s ever-consuming debt, constant bus schedule changes, and whole routes being cut. Recently though, $34.2 million in federal transit aid made its way to Colorado… but RTD didn’t get any of it. Instead, the millions of dollars landed in Boulder. Host Bree Davies talks with RTD Board Director Shontel Lewis about what happened with this money and why the transit organization continues to struggle.
Read Shontel’s Op-Ed for the Denver Post about CDOT withholding federal transit funding: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/10/25/rtd-cdot-federal-funding/
Looking for more local news? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver weekday newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us about your commute on twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Halloween weekend and the City Cast Denver crew created a special episode to celebrate the spooky season. Today on the show, Denver’s Clerk and Recorder Paul López joins Host Bree Davies to share a ghostly tale involving one of the Mile High City’s oldest (and possibly haunted?) hotels in downtown. Will you be able to guess which one it is? Then, professional fright expert and haunted house actor Danielle Look shares her tips and tricks for scaring the pants off people. She’s also got some recommendations for the scariest spots in town.
Looking for good trick-or-treat destination recommendations and other spooky things to do this holiday? Check out today’s newsletter, which is packed with Denver Halloween weekend fun: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tag us in your Denver Halloween fun this weekend on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s election season here in Denver, but elections are far from the only way to make changes you want to see in your community. Take, for example, the group of kids who recently pitched Councilwoman Kendra Black on building a skate park in her southeast Denver district. Is that really how it works? Host Bree Davies sits down with Black to talk through why their pitch clicked with her and how she plans to make it a reality.
If you want to show your support for Councilwoman Black’s skate park project, there are two good ways to do that right now. First, as she mentions in this episode, you can get in touch with her office and potentially join a steering committee to work on it directly. You can find contact info for her office her: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Denver-City-Council/Council-Members/Kendra-Black-Council-District-4
Second, you can let the Parks and Recreation Department know how strongly you feel about skate parks or any other outdoor adventure and alternative sports infrastructure. They’re running a survey right now, and as you heard from Councilwoman Black, they take the results from this kind of thing really seriously. Find that survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DPROutdoors
Bree briefly mentioned how her husband Gregg helped Joyce Foster get Denver’s first skate park built downtown. For the whole crazy story, we recommend this longread from Westword that was published when the park opened in 2001: https://www.westword.com/news/a-tough-grind-5067465?storyPage=2
Halloween is this weekend. Do you have plans yet? Peyton is rounding up all sorts of spooky events and activities in our newsletter this week, so subscribe now: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our tweets are here: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s been a battle brewing over kids and vaping for the past few years — and now Denver is mired in the haze. It all started when Councilmember Amanda Sawyer thought her daughter was buying bubblegum-flavored vape juice on the internet. But now her proposal to ban the sale of all flavored smoking products has evolved into a passionate, multi-sided debate, and the only thing that’s clear is that not everyone can get what they want. Host Bree Davies talks to Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips about why this proposal was so provocative for so many different kinds of Denverites.
For more, Noelle’s piece on the push to ban sales of flavored smoking products is here: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/10/25/denver-flavored-tobacco-vape-ban/
Keep up with all the breaking Denver vaping news in our newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweet us @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The National Western Stock Show has been a big deal in Denver for decades, drawing farmers, ranchers, equestrians and rodeo enthusiasts to the city. This two-week long event at the beginning of every year is also big business — and Mayor Hancock thinks its worth investing in, to the tune of $190 million. This election, Denver will vote on a bond package that includes measure 2E, which asks voters to approve the construction of a 10,000-seat arena along with renovations to an existing Stock Show Complex building. Host Bree Davies talks to #NoOn2E campaign manager Sarah Lake and Alfonso Espino, a representative of community activist group, GES Coalition. Lake and Espino make their case for why voters should think twice before signing off on a multi-million dollar project in the middle of a community that has seen neglect by the city for decades.
Don’t miss yesterday’s show with Bree and at-large councilwoman Deborah “Debbie” Ortega — who represented the National Western Center’s surrounding neighborhoods on council from 1987 to 2003 — about why Denverites should vote #YesOn2E.
Get more news in your inbox every weekday by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your thoughts on the bond measure on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every January for more than 100 years, Denver has hosted the National Western Stock Show. The event draws farmers and ranchers from across the West to show off their livestock, compete in the rodeo, and remind Denver that despite its big city ambitions, it’s still surrounded by those amber waves of grain. But how much are Denver taxpayers willing to invest into this relationship? Mayor Michael Hancock has asked voters to approve $190 million for renovations and upgrades at the National Western Center, including a brand new, 10,000 seat arena. So it’s time for voters to decide: should the National Western Center get a $190-million facelift or should we be spending that money elsewhere? To understand the case for a new arena, Host Bree Davies speaks with at-large councilwoman Deborah “Debbie” Ortega — who represented the National Western Center’s surrounding neighborhoods on council from 1987 to 2003 — about why #YesOn2E is best for the community.
Make sure to come back tomorrow when we’ll explore the other side of this issue!
Election day is a little over a week away, so it’s the perfect time to make sure you’re getting all the important news you need to be an informed voter. Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us what you think about #YesOn2E and Councilwoman Ortega’s argument on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Denver Art Museum opened up its new $175-million front door this morning, and Bree has some thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Berry is back! That's right, our favorite local podcast critic is back with another #listenlocal recommendation for your weekend. Berry’s pick this month is How Art is Born, the first-ever podcast from Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art. Also of note, it's hosted by R. Alan Brooks, who local podcast fans will recognize from his show about comics and culture, Motherf**ker in a Cape. How Art is Born features interviews with all kinds of Colorado creatives, from comedians like Janae Burris to photographers like Armando Geneyro, who is featured in the episode Berry recommends you start with. For more podcast news and gossip, we recommend following Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. While you’re there, say hi to us @citycastdenver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s an off-year election, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an important one. Denver voters will be deciding things like which big projects to spend money on and how we deal with aspects of our housing crisis. While ballot language is often hard to understand, the 2021 election’s seemed super daunting — so the City Cast Denver crew got together to try to talk through some of what we learned in researching the measures.
We didn’t talk about the school board races today, but we still want to help you out as you make your choices in those races. So consider this an endorsement of past City Cast Denver guest Melanie Asmar’s thorough interviews for Chalkbeat, which you can find here, along with a very helpful contextual introduction: https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/10/13/22723116/denver-public-schools-board-of-education-candidates-2021-election-voter-guide
For more on the election, sign up for our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And follow @citycastdenver for some of the best tweets you’ll ever see Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s a measure on Denver ballots this year that was many, many years in the making. After countless community debates, angry posts to Nextdoor, and level-headed conversations between neighbors, City Council passed an amendment to our zoning code in February allowing up to five unrelated adults to live together in a single home (previously, it was capped at 2). But even after the vote, the debate waged on. Critics collected more than 13,000 signatures to put a repeal motion on the ballot, so now it’s up to Denver voters to decide the fate of group living. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies used to live communally, so today on the show she sits down with her old roommate Piper Rose to talk about why group living was so important to them.
Also, and we’re asking for a friend: what’s the statute of limitations on zoning code violations?
We requested an interview with a representative of the group that collected the signatures to put a repeal measure on the ballot, Safe and Sound Denver, and they declined. So if you’re looking for a different perspective on this issue, including the other changes it would make to our zoning code (e.g. expanding possible locations for halfway houses), we recommend perusing their website: https://www.safeandsounddenver.com/
For more on all the measures in front of Denver voters this election, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Get those good tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver is in the middle of another election. Did you notice? It’s an off year, but there are still plenty of important issues to decide. We’ll be digging in to all of them as election day approaches, but first the question of Defend Colorado, a so-called “dark money” group that’s poured $540,000 into several different measures so far. So what exactly is dark money? And how is Defend Colorado using it to shape some of the most important issues facing our city? Host Bree Davies sits down with Conor McCormick-Cavanagh, who’s been reporting on Defend Colorado’s dark money spending for Westword, to sort it all out.
For more from Conor, here’s his latest piece on the dark money at play in Denver’s election: https://www.westword.com/news/dark-money-defend-colorado-denver-election-expenditure-12404774
We shared a doozy of a story about some shady dealings at the Parks and Rec Dept. in our newsletter this morning. Did you catch it? Don’t miss another one and subscribe right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Does knowing about dark money spending affect the way you’re going to vote? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The music you hear every day on City Cast Denver wasn’t made for a podcast — it’s the work of Denver Chicano band Los Mocochetes. The songs we weave into each episode are rooted in the history and culture of Denver, and help us convey a range of emotions throughout our more than 100 episodes. They are also the foundation of a new record, Mucho Gusto, which Los Mocochetes will be releasing this Saturday, October 23rd at Raíces Brewing Company. In advance of their big show, Diego Florez and Joshua Abeyta sit down with Host Bree Davies to discuss the new album and talk about what it means to identify as a Chicano band in Colorado.
Grab tickets to Los Mocochetes album release party at Raíces Brewing Company: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/los-mocochetes-ep-release-mucho-gusto-tickets-181456670787?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
Get more news delivered straight to your inbox every weekday: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tell us your favorite Los Mocochetes track on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Palantir Technologies is a massive, publicly traded defense contractor founded on the promise of bringing Silicon Valley-style data analysis to the U.S. armed forces. And now, after years spent complaining about the “monoculture” of the Bay Area, Palantir’s leaders have moved the company’s headquarters to Denver. So what do they see in us? Why are people protesting them in the street? And what can we expect from our new neighbor? City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi speaks with Max Chafkin, reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and author of a brand new book on Palantir’s co-founder Peter Thiel: The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power.
For more on Palantir’s early operations in Denver, past City Cast Denver guest Ed Sealover has a good article for you right here: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2020/11/16/palantir-technologies-denver-headquarters-move.html
After speaking with Max, we reached out to the City of Denver and the State of Colorado to learn more about what kinds of negotiations or incentives helped lure Palantir to Denver, and neither said they actively recruited or offered any sort of special benefit. “But we’re not surprised that our workforce talent pool and quality of life is a major selling point for any major tech company, and has made us a destination for these businesses to locate and relocate,” a spokesperson for the city added.
Hate Chipotle’s new queso? Got an off-menu order that changes the game? We’re talking all things Denver-style, Mission-style burritos this week, and we want to hear from you! Give us your name, your neighborhood, and your hottest take, and you may hear your voicemail on the show. The number to call is (720) 500-5418.
Sign up for our newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome back to Fridays at City Cast Denver where the crew chats about the news of the week and shares their perspectives. Today, host Bree Davies, producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia hash out the New York Times’ picks for “the most vibrant and delicious” restaurants in the country. Spoiler alert: restaurants in Denver and Boulder made the cut. Plus, Xandra hit a silver mine when she found a Denver trivia game from the ’80s at a yard sale for a buck. She’ll be testing the team’s true knowledge of the Mile High City and you can play along!
(This has nothing to do with the New York Times’ list but…) do you have strong feelings about Chipotle or Illegal Pete’s? Leave us a voicemail: 720-500-5418.
Have more Peyton in your life! Subscribe to the CCD newsletter she writes every weekday: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Let’s keep in touch. We’re on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It has been 500 years since the fall of Tenochtitlan, but the Spanish colonization of Mesoamerica still reverberates across the world today — including here in Denver, where Museo de las Americas is opening a new exhibition that explores that legacy. Smoking Mirrors: Visual Histories of Identity, Resistance and Resilience was curated by Chicano/a Murals of Colorado Project and features the work of more than 20 muralists and other artists from Colorado and New Mexico, including Emanuel Martínez, Nani Chacón, Gregg Deal, Ratha Sok, and more. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with the show’s curator, Lucha Martínez de Luna, about the importance of telling these stories of resistance, decolonization, and multi-dimensional identity through the work of artists who aren’t always given their rightful space in a museum context.
Learn more about Smoking Mirrors: Visual Histories of Identity, Resistance and Resilience opening this Friday night via Museo de las Americas.
For more with Lucha Martínez de Luna, do yourself a favor and revisit our episode about her work preserving the remaining Chicano murals around Denver: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-urgent-push-to-preserve-chicano-murals/id1557798162?i=1000518191869
Want more news in your inbox every weekday? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ron Morales has been roasting green chiles in a parking lot at the corner of 52nd and Sheridan every fall for the past 28 years. He learned the trade from his father and hopes to pass it on to his kids one day — if any of them decide to take on the family business. But what exactly does it take to make this signature Colorado ritual possible year after year? Ron shared his story with City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia on a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the Morales Family Chile Store.
If this episode gets you in the mood to buy some fresh roasted chiles of your own, there’s a helpful list of chile roasters available at denvergreenchili.com. But really all you need to do is stop at the next stand you see on the side of the road.
Want your mornings to feel as good as fresh roasting green chiles smell? Subscribe to our newsletter right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Got a go-to green chile supplier? Let’s talk: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since 2012 when the City of Denver enacted the Urban Camping Ban, the forced removal of people from tents and other temporary shelters — commonly known as “sweeps” — have become the norm. Even as houseless neighbors and advocates protest these displacements, the Hancock administration continues to conduct them. But one recent sweep of an encampment outside the Four Winds American Indian Council in Baker challenged the status quo in a different way. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Four Winds American Indian Council chair Mateo Parsons about why this sweep is different and where things stand with this part of the indigenous community and the city.
To hear from one of the residents of the encampment outside Four Winds, here’s a link to a video of a man talking about a confrontation he had with DPD at the camp: https://www.facebook.com/fourwindsamericanindiancouncil/videos/?ref=page_internal
Here’s the full response we got from the mayor’s office:
General about the cleanup: We remain focused on connecting those living in any unsanctioned encampment with services, shelter and housing that will help them exit homelessness as quickly as possible. Unsanctioned encampments pose a health and safety risk to those living in them and those living around them. The Mayor has been clear that they cannot persist when better alternatives remain available. About the meeting with Four Winds folks: Mayor Hancock and city staff meet with representatives from the Four Winds American Indian Council and the encampment that was located outside their building. The meeting was productive and alternative options were discussed for those who were in the encampment, including housing, shelter and access to safe outdoor spaces. As well, several of the individuals in the encampment were connected with housing already through outreach efforts prior to the encampment cleanup. Additional context: For further context on those who were connected to real solutions as opposed to the accusations of those who want them to stay in these conditions: there were five people from that encampment who were placed in Safe Outdoor Spaces and 10 who were provided two-week motel vouchers to help them connect with longer term services and resources. The week before the actual cleanup, the Homeless Outreach Team contacted a woman living in the encampment outside Four Winds who had three small children (including a toddler) living in the tent with her. Nobody at Four Winds or within the camp had offered her assistance or bothered to provide resources for the children. DPD was able to get her and her children out of the encampment and connected with supportive resources.
And here’s the full response we got from the Department of Housing Stability (HOST):
Prior to all encampment cleanups, street outreach teams are deployed on multiple dates leading up to the cleanup to connect individuals with resources, services, shelter and housing. Outreach prior to the Four Winds cleanup resulted in the following:
One family (mother plus three children) placed into family shelter and connected with services
Five individuals placed into Safe Outdoor Space managed campsites
10 individuals placed, via motel vouchers, into motels for 14 days with follow-up visits provided by street outreach teams
One person referred for permanent supportive housing with another successfully rehoused
Three individuals completed case management steps necessary in order to be prioritized for future housing referral
In addition, individuals were provided with food, vaccinations, and medical/behavioral care
HOST continues to work with individuals who were residing in this encampment. HOST has partnered with several Native American-led organizations, as well as with the Colorado Village Collaborative, on visioning efforts related to future Safe Outdoor Space sites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Redistricting is important. We swear. Every ten years, our elected officials fight over how and who will elect them next time -- or not. Which groups will be overrepresented? Or underrepresented? Who knows! Fortunately, we're doing a feed-swap this week with the Get More Smarter podcast, which is hosted by a couple of guys who have been around Colorado politics for a long time: Ian Silverii, formerly of ProgressNow Colorado, and Jason Bain, of ColoradoPols.com. They talk about Lauren Boebert and the state GOP primary to take on Michael Bennet, then go deep on redistricting with Evan Wyloge, a veteran redistricting reporter with coloradopolitics.com. Also, and this is for podcast fans, how cool is it that they have a theme by Breakmaster Cylinder? Here's their description of this episode: This week, our favorite Colorado insurrectionist joins the US Senate Republican Primary and we're taking bets on how badly this ruins GOP chances to beat Michael Bennet in 2022. Our 7th favorite congressperson from Colorado makes us ask, once again, “What the hell is wrong with our 7th favorite congressperson from Colorado?” The Colorado Republican Party doesn’t know the first rule of fight club, so the break the hell out of it. We have another edition of MAP MADNESS, where we discuss the brand-new redistricting and reapportionment process in Colorado AND we interview Evan Wyloge, reporter for the various Gazettes and ColoradoPolitics.com who has had the distinct pleasure of covering this public-political-cartography process not once, but twice!
Follow Evan on Twitter: @EvanWyloge
Some of Evan's redistricting articles mentioned in the interview - Coordinated persuasion efforts emerge in Colorado redistricting commissions’ public comments (9/20/21) - Challenge to congressional map plan over minority protections announced already (9/30/21) - Newly revealed interactions added to redistricting lobbying complaint (9/27/21) - Colorado nonprofit targeted with redistricting lobbying complaint helped draft others’ map proposals (8/30/21)
This week, we're doing a feed-swap with our friends at City Cast Denver, Denver's only local daily news podcast. They make terrific content, and you'll find their recent episode about Casa Bonita in our feed. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver podcast and newsletter.
Hosts: Jason Bane | Ian Silverii Producer: Ethan Black Intern: Taleen Sample Music: Breakmaster Cylinder
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Visit our website at getmoresmarter.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Friday, which means the City Cast Denver team chats about some of the craziest news items from the week. Today on the show, Producer Xandra McMahon sits down with Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia and Host Bree Davies to discuss the Boulder Daily Camera’s removal of its front page 9/11 anniversary story and the journalism drama that followed. Plus, the crew takes Conde Nast to task for proclaiming Aspen the “Best Small Town in America” (ever heard of Estes Park?) Oh, and Chowdermeister — the festival claiming to bring clam chowder and Jägermeister together. But the whole thing got canceled, because apparently, Jäger can’t take a joke. Whatever, we thought it was funny.
Want more news in your inbox every weekday? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Be our friend on Twitter! @citycastdenver
Tell us about your favorite small town in Colorado — leave us a voicemail: (720) 500-5418 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s tough to talk about, but we’ve got a problem. There are 20,000 people on Colorado’s sex offender registry, including many whose offenses date back to when they were under 18 and many others whose offenses were as minor as peeing in public. But what exactly is the problem with the registry and the way we deal with sex offenders? And is there anything we can do to fix it? Host Bree Davies talks with psychologist and professor Dr. Apryl Alexander about an issue most of society doesn’t want to talk about — sex offenders and their rights. Along with being an associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver, Dr. Alexander is on the board for the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center and has spent much of her career working with both survivors of sexual assault and youth sex offenders in treatment programs.
Want more news delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have an idea for the show or just want to say hi? Tweet at us: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this morning’s episode, Bree went deep on what makes Casa Bonita special with David Thomas, “professor of fun." But their conversation didn’t end there! So here we are with an afternoon bonus episode with Bree and David putting Casa Bonita up against two other fun Denver spots: Meow Wolf’s new Convergence Station and Lakeside Amusement Park.
If you haven’t heard this morning’s episode, go listen to that one first! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s official: Trey Parker and Matt Stone have purchased Casa Bonita. So, now what? Will the Lakewood landmark stay the same, or become a fully South Park-themed eatertainment destination? While the iconic restaurant’s future hangs in the balance, we wanted to know: What really makes Casa Bonita fun? Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi took an official tour of the still-closed-for-dining immersive eatery with David Thomas, the “Professor of Fun.” David explains why Casa Bonita is more than just a theme restaurant — it’s an architecturally designed masterpiece that invites play, stirs imagination, and ensures that all who visit will be transported to another place and time for an experience that can be hard to put into words.
The City Cast Denver Crew joined Westword Editor-In-Chief Patty Calhoun for the Casa Bonita tour, too — you can read her take on CB and the concept of fun in this week’s Westword.
Get Denver news delivered straight to your inbox every weekday by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Got a favorite Casa Bonita memory? Share it with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver
Or, give us a ring and leave us a message: (720) 500-5418 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in March, Black Lives Matter 5280 posted an account of alleged sexual assault by Denver Public Schools board member Tay Anderson. Then, a woman claiming to speak on behalf of more than 60 students testified at the Colorado state legislature, bringing dozens of sexual assault allegations that were eventually connected to Anderson. In September, after a five-month investigation, all sexual assault accusations against Anderson were found to be unsubstantiated (the investigators did find evidence of other, less serious allegations). But during the intervening months, many journalists published the allegations without any effort to verify them or figure out what was really happening. One of the few voices to question the allegations’ credibility was Colorado Sun columnist Theo Wilson. So today, Host Bree Davies sits down with Wilson to talk about what, exactly, the rest of us seemed to miss about this situation with Director Anderson.
For more from Theo Wilson, check out his organization Shop Talk Live, which is dedicated to the education and empowerment of and improvement of human rights for Black people, and his column in the Colorado Sun.
Like news? Check out and subscribe to our weekday newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver has been in a housing and homelessness crisis for many years, and the pandemic only increased the need for more shelter options. In response, one of the City of Denver’s temporary solutions was to rent underutilized hotels and motels and convert them into a new kind of shelter. But as City Cast Denver Producer Xandra McMahon discovered, this temporary housing solution is leaving a lot to be desired. Today on the show, Xandra talks with Host Bree Davies about what she saw at one of these new shelters, what she’s learned from activists and the unhoused community, and how the City and its partners are working to improve this program — and maybe even make it permanent.
For more, here’s Marshall Zelinger’s full report for 9News on the widespread vacancies at these temporary hotel/motel shelters: https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/denver-hotel-rooms-homeless-empty/73-3dd22a0a-b274-4d1b-9088-d5aa7e58b918
Got something about Denver to share? Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood: (720) 500-5418.
Want more news in your inbox every weekday? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s the City Cast Denver Friday chat with Producer Paul Karolyi, Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia, and Host Bree Davies. This week, the discussion centers on outgoing Westword Culture Editor Kyle Harris’s cover story, which asks: “With Culture Becoming a Commodity, Is There Room for Real Creativity in Denver?” Plus, with temps dropping and October approaching, the team shares their favorite fall activities, and Peyton talks extensively about her love for all things pumpkin. (Warning: This episode contains multiple mentions of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.)
Ray Mark Rinaldi’s review of Meow Wolf for the Denver Post/New York Times: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/29/review-meow-wolf-denver/
Kealey Boyd’s commentary on Meow Wolf for Hyperallergic: https://hyperallergic.com/678101/meow-wolf-expands-its-immersive-schtick/
Want more news every weekday? Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thirteen years ago, a group of friends and strangers got together and decided to start a music festival in Denver. But it was so much more than your average fest — it was, and still is, a community that calls itself Titwrench. An art-centered collective was formed under the Titwrench umbrella where anyone who wanted to join could learn how to run sound at a concert, teach others how to build their own instruments, and maybe even perform their own music on stage for the first time. Host Bree Davies sits down with her longtime friend and Titwrench cofounder, Sarah Slater, to talk about the evolution of this fest and community.
The festival component of Titwrench is set to begin this Sunday at 4 p.m., with performances from Nacha Mendez, The Milk Blossoms, Machete Mouth, My Name Is Harriett, and Sol VidaWorldwide.
For more on Titwrench, here’s a preview of this weekend’s festival from Westword: https://www.westword.com/music/titwrench-music-festival-comes-to-city-park-12405030
Subscribe to our newsletter right now and never miss another cool Denver event: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Are you going to Titwrench this weekend? Post some pics and tag us @citycastdenver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You’ve called, you’ve written us, and now we bring you the hotly anticipated Breakfast Burrito Throwdown where the City Cast Denver crew will attempt to crown Denver’s best breakfast burrito. It’s not a contest for the faint of heart. But host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, producer Xandra McMahon, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia were up for the challenge.
For more burrito news (and regular news too, I guess) subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Want another way to connect with the CCD crew? Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s sidewalks are in a sorry state, and that’s if you’re lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has them. What’s worse is the fact that property owners are responsible for maintaining our sidewalks, which means not much maintenance gets done at all. So how are we supposed to get out of this mess? Last week, City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon tagged along on a walking tour of Cap Hill with District 10 councilperson Chris Hinds and Denver Streets Partnership executive director Jill Locantore to talk about how we got here, the disproportionate impact on our neighbors with disabilities, and what’s stopping us from addressing the problem.
There’s a lot more important stuff happening out there, and you can read about it all in our nifty morning newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
They say that every time you retweet @citycastdenver a sidewalk gets repaired. Should we try it out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The first legal weed deliveries happened in Denver last month. But like many aspects of the weed business, the actual implementation of legal delivery hasn’t been easy. Currently, only six dispensaries are permitted for delivery and so far just one, Strawberry Fields, has launched, in partnership with a delivery service called doobba. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with journalist and podcast host Ann Marie Awad about what makes the delivery process so cumbersome for local companies, what it means for those impacted by the war on drugs, and how accessible — or inaccessible — cannabis delivery really is for the average Denverite.
If you want to see how the City of Denver is soliciting applications for cannabis deliver licenses, here’s their site explaining the process: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Business-Licensing/Business-Licenses/Marijuana-Licenses/Delivery-Permit
Want more local news every weekday? Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter here.
Say hello on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy first Friday of fall! For our news roundup, this week: Producer Paul Karolyi and Host Bree Davies discuss the ongoing Tay Anderson school board saga. Plus, Bree reminisces about an older version of Denver, one where her neighborhood Kmart was thriving and Paul comes to the defense of abandoned parking lot activities.
For more on the Tay Anderson story: Check out our episode with Chalkbeat Colorado reporter Melanie Asmar, plus Melanie’s original reporting on the issue.
The Kmart situation has dragged on for years — read/watch more about the former retailer and plans for the new site over on The Denver Channel.
Have a hankering for more news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our weekday newsletter here.
Find City Cast Denver on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On September 15, the City of Denver set up metal barricades around Civic Center Park, blocking people from taking in all the new public art, eating lunch on the steps of the amphitheater, and strolling among the flower beds. But of course, that’s not what this was about. City officials describe the temporary shutdown as an essential measure to stem violence, crime, drug use and unsanitary conditions. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with past guest Ean Thomas Tafoya, who organizes what he calls “compassionate trash service” in the park, for a practical conversation about Denver’s housing crisis and other ways to make Civic Center Park more welcoming for everyone.
👉 What you can do: The Civic Center Conservancy and City of Denver are hosting a virtual, public workshop to help reimagine Civic Center Park tonight, September 23, at 5:30 pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/1528587610814267/?ref=newsfeed
Mayor Michael Hancock announced a “STAR-like” program for Denver’s jails last week. What the heck does that mean? We’ve got a full breakdown in our newsletter today, which you can read and subscribe to here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Smash that follow button: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Zaidy’s is back! Once a Cherry Creek staple, the Jewish deli’s owners decided it was time to close up shop after 35 years at the height of the pandemic in 2020. But thanks to a few enterprising Denverites, the restaurant returned last month — this time in the heart of southeast Denver’s Jewish community, where the new owners hope copious parking, a new event space, and a bakery will help Zaidy’s flourish for decades to come. One Denverite who was particularly happy about the new Zaidy’s? Journalist, political figure, and southeast Denver resident David Sirota. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies met up with Sirota for breakfast at the new Zaidy’s to talk about his relationship with the restaurant, his thoughts on Denver’s secret bagel wars, and how Zaidy’s fits into its new neighborhood, Virginia Vale.
For more on the new Zaidy’s, including some sweet pics courtesy of past City Cast Denver guest Kevin Beaty, here’s Denverite’s report on their reopening last month: https://denverite.com/2021/08/17/zaidys-reopens-in-virginia-vale-starting-a-new-chapter-for-the-beloved-jewish-deli/
Want more news delivered to your inbox each weekday morning? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Have strong opinions on Denver’s bagel scene? Tweet us: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After being unhoused and struggling with food insecurity himself, Jim Scharper knew he wanted to help others. What started out as Jim making and handing out sandwiches to unhoused folks turned into Feeding Denver’s Hungry, a full-scale food access operation that connects Denverites with free groceries. Friends and strangers alike showed up to help Jim and now, eight years into this work, Feeding Denver’s Hungry connects thousands of community members with groceries of their choice. That idea of giving people a choice is crucial for Jim; he works to ensure that the people who utilize his services are able to maintain a sense of dignity — especially in a time of struggle. Host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon met up with Jim and his crew at the Feeding Denver’s Hungry free grocery store in Montbello to learn more about this food access organization.
Plus, we’ve got another installment of our series “VOICE on the Street,” this time with Denver VOICE vendor LarMarques Smith. LarMarques takes us on a journey from his drag performer days in Indianapolis to his current life here in Denver. Learn more about the Denver VOICE’s work and read a current issue of the paper: denvervoice.org. Donate directly to The Denver VOICE via Venmo: @DenverVOICE
Get more news in your inbox every weekday morning by subscribing to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in March, Black Lives Matter 5280 issued a statement on behalf of a woman who said that Denver Public Schools Board Member Tay Anderson had sexually assaulted her. From there, other claims of misconduct and assault surfaced, including statements by another woman who claimed to be speaking on behalf of more than 60 DPS students who Anderson supposedly assaulted. Anderson, who is also an influential activist leader and champion of local progressive politics, has maintained his innocence since the beginning. In response, DPS hired an outside investigative team to look into the claims, and last week the investigators published their findings. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Chalkbeat Colorado reporter Melanie Asmar to parse the report and lay out a timeline of this complex, ongoing saga involving one of Colorado’s youngest political figures and activists.
Tay Anderson is planning to address the community about his future with Denver Public Schools tonight — Monday, September 20 — at 6 pm at 2863 Welton St. For details, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2995835457304477/?ref=newsfeed
Read Melanie’s coverage of the investigation for Chalkbeat Colorado: https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/9/15/22674564/tay-anderson-colorado-investigation-results-released
Read the full 96-page investigative report: https://go.boarddocs.com/co/dpsk12/Board.nsf/files/C6VTCC76B280/$file/FINAL%20PUBLIC%20ILG%20REPORT%2020210915.pdf
Get more local news from the City Cast Denver daily newsletter by subscribing: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow the City Cast Denver team on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As more businesses and events require a COVID vaccine, and Gov. Jared Polis chomps at the bit for booster shots, the City Cast Denver crew asks the really tough questions: What’s it even like to go to a concert right now? When do you need to show proof of vaccination? Should you be wearing a mask? How much is it the ticket-takers' or security’s responsibility to uphold these big mandates?
Plus, Paul, Bree, and Xandra talk about Red Rocks’ dystopian, Bezos-approved ticket entry system. And a new segment is introduced that focuses on Glendale’s shenanigans, the tiny town in the middle of Denver that Paul warmly refers to as “the fully-loaded nacho lodged in Denver’s throat.” For example: How come Shotgun Willie’s is no longer bankrupt?
Here’s the whole letter to Fiddler’s Green that’s referenced in the episode: https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusColorado/comments/po82j3/an_open_letter_to_fiddlers_green/
Let’s be inbox buddies too! Subscribe to the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re also on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The High Plains Comedy Festival returns to South Broadway this weekend and the line-up is stacked with funny people, including Denver’s own Justine Marino who went from a “girl who loves the Cherry Creek Mall” to LA-minted stand-up comedian with her own show on E! to boot. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with her longtime friend and former Catholic school rival to discuss the festival, Justine’s own podcasting venture, and why Denver’s mall scene is so much better than LA’s.
Hey it seems like you enjoy podcasts. Check out Justine’s! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glitter-and-garbage/id1506683181
Want more Denver news in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We would love to be friends on Twitter! Follow us @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeremy Jojola and Zack Newman were doing what they normally do as journalists at 9News: Poking around. What they came across though was a $2.3 million PPP loan fraud that could be traced back to a single office suite in Denver. We still don’t know who exactly was behind this fraud, but the bigger question is, how did they pull it off? Turns out, it’s not that hard to take over dormant business licenses in the state of Colorado. So what can the state do to close these loopholes and prevent further fraud? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Jeremy and Zack to get the story behind the investigation and talk through the regulatory challenges around this kind of fraud prevention.
Have a tip for Zack, Jeremy and the 9Wants to Know team? Email them: blowthewhistle@9news.com
Stay up to date on what’s happening in Denver without ever leaving your inbox: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Connect with us on Twitter! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the Denver metro area — the 1965 South Platte River floods — that initially led Douglas County to join the Tri-County Health Department in 1966. As DougCo grew and grew since then, Tri-County provided residents with crucial public health services ranging from syringe disposal to restaurant health inspections. But after 55 years and one global pandemic, their relationship has come to an end. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Elliott Wenzler, who covers DougCo for Colorado Community Media, about why conservative-leaning Douglas County is breaking up with the Tri-County Health Department and what it’s going to mean for the health and safety of DougCo residents.
For more on the break-up with Tri-County Health and other goings-on in Douglas County, you can find all of Elliott’s stories at coloradocommunitymedia.com.
Want more Denver news and cool things to do in your inbox every weekday morning? You should subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’ve been saving some of our best tweets for today. Don’t miss them! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For breweries in Colorado, September is typically a month of fests. There’s Oktoberfest, of course. And then there’s the Great American Beer Fest to prepare for in early October. But with the Delta variant on the rise and increasing fears of breakthrough cases, the party is canceled — mostly. A community hub for Latino beer fans on Denver’s Westside, Raices Brewing Co. is bringing back Suave Fest this Saturday, and this year it comes with a gentle, thoughtful nudge in the direction of a COVID-19 vaccine. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Raices co-founder Tamil Maldonado to talk about her personal experience with COVID-19, the Latino community’s lagging vaccination rate, and how Raices is working to get more shots in her customers’ arms.
We’ve got plenty more Denver news and cool events you should know about in our newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Got a favorite local beer event that we should know about? We’re thirsty and listening: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our friend and resident podcast connoisseur Berry of Podcasts in Color is back with another recommendation to spice up your podcast feed with a little more local flavor. Berry’s pick this month is Escaping Denver, a fiction podcast that may or may not explore the conspiracy theories surrounding Denver International Airport.
For more podcast news and gossip, we recommend following Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. While you’re there, say hi to us @citycastdenver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this week, the city of Denver shut down Civic Center Park, closing off the public space for at least two months. Though Denver Department of Public Health and Environment cited health and safety issues as the primary reason for the closure, the City Cast Denver crew actually saw this story as part of a larger conversation about housing issues. We discuss our thoughts on the park closure, as well as a new shipping container housing concept coming to Colorado and a look at the slimy practices of a national mobile home park giant wreaking havoc on local renters.
Plus, stick around for staff picks— Peyton, Paul, Xandra, and Bree share things to do, places to see, and good stuff to eat in the Mile High City!
Get a steady stream of news delivered right to your inbox every weekday by subscribing to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Chat with us via Twitter: @citycastdenver
OR leave us a message on our brand new City Cast Denver hotline: (720) 500-5418 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s eviction moratorium two weeks ago, approximately 12,000 Denverites woke up to the increasingly imminent threat of losing their home. But a new organization called NEWR Denver wants to give tenants a fighting chance. NEWR, or No Eviction Without Representation, is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that, if passed, would give renters free legal counsel. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chats with NEWR Denver’s Wren Echo about the city’s current housing crisis and how much of a difference having a lawyer makes at eviction hearings.
Want more Denver news in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We also sometimes tweet things @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the late ‘60s, Denver Public Schools began busing children across the city in an effort to desegregate our schools. Then came the pushback in the form of lawsuits, harassment of school board members, and in 1970, a bombing at the DPS bus depot off Federal Boulevard. But many Denverites’ memories of the busing era offer a more complicated story. Host Bree Davies sits down with Alicia “Lisa” Smith Young, director and producer of the new play “Busing,” which marks the first production from the new theater group IDEA Stages and tackles the legacy of Denver’s busing era with intergenerational stories of race and community.
Interested in checking out the show? You can find tickets here: https://controlgroup.wellattended.com/events/sojourners-project-busing?httpsRedirect=tru
Want to know more about what’s going on in Denver? Check out and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re always listening - get in touch with the City Cast Denver crew on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Police departments across the country have fallen in love with an obscure technology company called ShotSpotter, which purports to use microphones, algorithms, and artificial intelligence to detect and help combat gun violence, including right here in Denver. It’s “one of the most important cogs in our wheel of addressing gun violence,” said one Ohio police chief, according to the Associated Press. But after a few high-profile incidents involving ShotSpotter in Chicago earlier this year, a new level of scrutiny has inspired investigations and some cities have canceled their contracts altogether. Axios Denver’s Alayna Alvarez has been reporting on the Denver Police Department’s contract with ShotSpotter, and she’s back on the show today with host Bree Davies to sort out the situation and lay out the questions that still need answers.
For more on ShotSpotter, here’s a great piece from the Associated Press about how the technology works and how it’s been implemented across the country.
More Denver news and cool things to do could be on their way to your inbox as soon as tomorrow morning! All you’ve got to do is subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What questions do you have about ShotSpotter? Let us know @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that the Aurora police officers and paramedics involved in Elijah McClain’s 2019 death will face 32 criminal charges, including manslaughter and assault. Producer Xandra McMahon, host Bree Davies, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia recap the grand jury indictment and the years of investigation that led up to this moment.
Plus, some weird business stories that happened this week in Denver. And, staff recommendations for your weekend. City Cast Denver will be enjoying the Labor Day holiday and will return on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Want more news in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What’s going on with the Broncos? That’s one of the many questions producer Xandra McMahon asked our Sports Guy Jake Shapiro. From quarterback problems to who of the Bowlen family estate runs the team now, our pressing Broncos questions get answered just in time for the start of a new season. Speaking of seasons, how will COVID affect the Broncos in 2021? Yeah, we asked that too.
[Insert shameless plug to subscribe to our newsletter here.] No, really you’re gonna love it: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Also, we have a Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You’ve heard it before and probably uttered the words yourself: “Colorado has 300 days of sunshine.” It’s no secret that our weather here is great most of the time, but is it really that good? Meteorologist Andy Stein wanted to find out, so he did some research, revealing his findings in a recent story for The Denver Post. Host Bree Davies talks with the weather expert to find out if the thing we like to brag about the most in Colorado really is all its cracked up to be.
Still haven't subscribed to our morning newsletter? We got you: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We're also on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Harm Reduction Action Center isn’t rehab, it’s a community. Not only does the center help people living with substance use issues find resources, but people who visit can also get clean needles, coffee, and even someone to talk to. So when it was reported that Colorado overdose deaths were at an all-time high, executive director Lisa Raville knew that the community she helped build needed to lean on each other more than ever. City Cast Denver Host Bree Davies speaks with her longtime friend Lisa about the family the center’s built, how fentanyl has affected Denver as of late, and how to get rid of stereotypes around drug addiction.
HRAC is hosting a memorial and rally today for Overdose Awareness Day. Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/350293813357389?active_tab=about
Always stay in the loop with what’s happening in Denver. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And hey, if you’re on Twitter, we are too! Follow us @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver author Peter Heller joins City Cast Denver Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia for a conversation about his latest thriller, “The Guide.” The novel, set outside Crested Butte, weaves a suspenseful tale centered on young protagonist Jack and his job as a wilderness and fishing guide at an elite resort. But things aren’t quite as they seem, and Jack finds himself questioning what he sees and hears at every turn. Peyton digs into the author’s inspiration for the book and what it was like writing a fictional story set during a pandemic — while actually experiencing the pandemic in real time.
Want more Peyton? Well then subscribe to her newsletter! Fresh every weekday: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
For more ways to connect with the CCD team, follow us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Host Bree Davies and the City Cast Denver team did a live podcast taping at this year's Underground Music Showcase. And now you can hear it! This candid conversation explores the idea of "diversity in music" and what that really means for performers of color. How does "diversity, equity and inclusion" truly extend to show booking, venue operations, and other positions of power within a music scene? Does representation go beyond the stage? As white folks scramble to "diversify," does it feel like anything meaningful is happening or changing for the actual artists? We're honored to be joined for this panel discussion by several guests from around the Denver music scene:
Alicia "Bruce" Trujillo - Alicia "Bruce" Trujillo is a Chicana feminist from occupied Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe land, in what's now called Colorado - raised on the Western Slope, and currently in Denver. Bruce has been working in the community and public media since 2012, with a mission to spotlight, book, and amplify the voices of those who are currently under-heard and underrepresented, with a focus on independent and locally made music and art. Bruce is Concert Director at Denver's Swallow Hill Music Association; a the weekend host on Colorado Public Radio's new music service, Indie 102.3, and is the creator of Especial, a weekly, hour long dive into new and independent Latin-made music from around the 'Americas' and en Colorado. She's also Executive Director and host of Colorful Colorado Collaborations, bringing together BIPOC businesses and musicians, and founder and host of Whiskey, Women and Song, which pairs local female-identifying musicians with locally crafted whiskies for performances, interviews, and whiskey tastings. She sometimes writes for Denver Westword, with a focus on local art.
Wes Watkins - We Watkins is a multi-instrumentalist, band leader, show organizer, and long-running member of the Denver music community known for his work in The Other Black, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Cosmic Slim, and more.
Miguel Aviña - Miguel Aviña is a Mexican singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the band iZCALLi. He has enjoyed consistent success and is widely credited as one of the key artists of the Rock En Tu Idioma (RETI) movement in Colorado. Miguel founded RETI Rock En Tu Idioma LLC in 2011, an artist management, promoter and marketing company responsible for community events such as Rock De Mayo, RETIFest and La Posada which seek to bring awareness and accessibility to the hispanic music and arts culture in Colorado. With iZCALLi Miguel has traveled throughout the US for over 15 years, showcasing their diverse brand of Rock En Tu Idioma. As a solo artist, Miguel takes the opportunity to journey into a deeper exploration of music. His lyrics and melodies resonate from the heart and exude raw emotions. These are best exposed through a more simple approach… his voice and his guitar. There is something familiar yet refreshing about Miguel’s approach to song-writing that showcases Miguel’s passion for The Love Song; these songs exhibit his wide range of influences: traditional folk ballads, pop, indie sounds, that are always tinged with a Latin flare, a flare that takes you into your heart, and warms the soul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
City Cast Denver is hosting a LIVE show tonight at the Underground Music Showcase! Catch us at 6pm at Mutiny Information Cafe with a panel of awesome musicians and leaders in the local music scene: Wes Watkins, Miguel Aviña, and past guest Alicia “Bruce” Trujillo!
It’s free and all ages are welcome. See you tonight!
RSVP → https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154
But until then, please enjoy this re-run of one of our favorite episodes:
In-N-Out has been getting all the buzz — and insanely long lines — since it opened its first Denver area location last year. Five Guys is an East Coast favorite. Shake Shack strutted into town from NYC with a hip new look and a lot of big talk. But really, who do these transplant burger chains think they are, coming into our city thinking they can make burgers?! City Cast Denver’s crack team of eaters are here to settle it once it for all. And can any of them stand up against our homegrown fast food burger darling Good Times? Follow along with Bree, Paul, Xandra, and Peyton, then let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenver. Hit us with your favorite out-of-state burger chain and the hashtag #CityCastBurgerCrawl.
Don’t miss the City Cast Denver newsletter for breaking burger updates and more news from around the city: denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
The excerpt of the oral history with Bill Clements Jr. in this episode comes courtesy of the oral history collection at History Colorado. You can listen to the whole conversation, including a wild story about Bill’s dad and Colonel Sanders, right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since 2006, Keith Garcia has been curating films for Cinema Q, Denver’s annual celebration of queer cinema. Garcia is the Artistic Director for the Sie FilmCenter and created the festival as a celebration of LGBTQ filmmakers, directors, actors, and the storylines they bring to life. Garcia joins City Cast Denver Host Bree Davies to talk about what makes a film queer and what movies shaped his own experience as a young, gay kid obsessed with the big screen.
For more on Keith and Cinema Q, check out this profile of the festival from the Denver Post.
Plus: City Cast Denver Producer Xandra McMahon joins Bree to offer recommendations for artists to see and things to do at this weekend’s Underground Music Showcase! Bree will also share information about Sunday’s 3rd Annual La Raza Park Day and Cruise, a celebration of Denver’s unique Chicano culture. Here are links to all the cool UMS acts we talked about:
Kayla Marque/The Grand Alliance Neoma YaSi City Cast Denver LIVE at UMS (duh.)
Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter for even more Denver news and events: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Which acts are you looking forward to seeing at UMS this weekend? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Way back in 2005, then Mayor John Hickenlooper put forth an ambitious, 10-year plan to address Denver’s crisis of houselessness. Ten years and one recession later, our housing issues were worse than ever. That failure, in part, led our current mayor, Michael Hancock, to create a brand new Department of Housing Stability (HOST) in 2019. And guess what? HOST just published their first long-term plan to address the housing crisis. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Britta Fisher, the head of HOST, to talk about what’s in this plan and why this time is going to be different.
HOST is soliciting public comment on their new plan until September 3. After that, the plan will head to City Council in November. Here’s the link to read the full report and fill in HOST’s community survey. Get to it soon, though! You only have another week!
For more on our housing crisis and other Denver news you need to know, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
What’s your favorite Denver hashtag? Tell us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For 31 years, Florida “Flo” Archuletta has taken care of a plot of land on the Southwest corner of 14th and Lipan. After the 1993 killing of her son, Archuletta turned the once-abandoned Westside lot into a tribute to him, dubbing it the “Jerry Martinez Family Memorial Park.” But there’s a problem: Archuletta never formally owned the land, and now that real estate in the neighborhood is a hot commodity, the legal owners have come calling. So who really owns this community park? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies met up with Flo in the park over the weekend to hear the whole story. Plus, we hear from the legal owners about their plans.
This Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the live taping of City Cast Denver. Podcastin’ podcastin’, yeah. RSVP here: City Cast Denver LIVE at UMS!
Looking for even more Denver news, cool things to do, and ways to get involved in your community? Look no further than the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Let us know what you think should be done with the Jerry Martinez Family Memorial Park on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For more than three decades, the Mercury Cafe has been a destination for artists, activists, and outsiders. It’s more than just a restaurant and venue space; it’s a hub for out-there ideas, unexpected collaboration, and lasting community. And the heart of the Merc has always been its owner and operator, Marilyn Megenity. That is, until June 22, when Danny Newman and his business partners purchased the iconic, vine-covered building in Five Points. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Newman to find out how they plan to carry on her vision and what the future might hold for this counterculture institution.
Come see us LIVE! This Friday at the Underground Music Showcase, Bree will be on stage with a panel of musicians and leaders in the music community exploring the idea of "diversity in music" and what that really means for performers of color. We’ve got an incredible panel, lots of cool CCD merch, and it’s FREE. FOR. EVERYONE. RSVP and details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Follow, retweet, and like @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the delta variant spreading like wildfire, it feels like we’re headed for another long, lonely winter. So we’re looking past the doom and gloom for a game of Guess That COVID Restriction! City Cast Denver’s Bree Davies, Paul Karolyi, and Peyton Garcia are hanging out and chatting all things COVID and Colorado, along with another round of New Denver/Old Denver.
Looking for more Denver news and event recs? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We tweet @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After 20 years and $83 billion, the U.S. war in Afghanistan is finally ending. On Sunday, Taliban forces swept Kabul, taking back control of Afghan capital from the U.S.-backed government and putting the thousands of Afghan civilians who worked with the U.S. and allied forces in an extremely vulnerable position. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Aurangzaib Sharifi, an Afghan journalist who worked as an interpreter before eventually finding his way to Denver in 2015.
Aurangzaib’s Facebook group for the Denver Afghan community can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/DenverAfghans.
Some members of the Denver Afghan community are holding a demonstration tonight — August 19 at 6 p.m. — outside the Capitol Building downtown to call for an end to the humanitarian crisis. For more details, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/575630286805756
Every single edition of the City Cast Denver newsletter comes with more ways for you to get involved and help shape our city’s future. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our tweets are often frivolous, ephemeral, and ill-suited to help you do much of anything but lol: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s no secret — Denver has been in an affordable housing crisis for a long time. But what if there was a solution all along that would allow Denverites themselves to build some of that needed housing stock? Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval (District 1) has been leading the charge, pushing for the adoption of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, as part of Denver’s zoning code. So what exactly is an ADU? And how would ADUs help address our housing crisis? Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Sandoval about everything ADUs and why Denver needs to adopt them as an equitable housing solution right now.
For more on Sandoval’s work on ADUs, including a guide for how to build one for yourself, here’s a website she and her team set up to break it all down.
Unlike New York, they say that Denver is a city that sometimes sleeps. When you wake up, wouldn’t it be nice to get a quick digest of news and cool event recs? Subscribe to our newsletter and get exactly that in your inbox every weekday!
Got a question for us? Or just want to chat about ADUs or something else you heard on the show? Find us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Meow Wolf opens its newest and biggest immersive art museum, Convergence Station, in Denver next month, it will feature the work of more than 100 local artists, each one putting their own Denver-y spin on Meow Wolf’s particular brand of interdimensional weirdness. One of those artists, Colin Ward, was a leading figure in Denver’s DIY community before he died by suicide in 2018, shortly after submitting a proposal for an installation with fellow artist and friend Peniel “Pepe” Apantenco. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies tours the as-yet-unfinished Convergence Station, including Colin and Pepe’s room, with Pepe and Kim Shively, who was also Colin’s girlfriend. They discuss Colin’s art, his legacy, and their complicated feelings surrounding his posthumous acceptance into the mainstream.
Come hang with us at UMS! Friday, August 27, 6:30 pm at Mutiny Information Cafe. We’ll be giving away some brand new CCD swag too, so you don’t want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154
For more on Colin and his legacy, here’s a piece Bree wrote for Westword after his death: https://www.westword.com/music/denver-artist-colin-ward-dies-at-27-9969201
And here’s a link to a Mayoreo video, as discussed in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9YA1735l0g
Our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since 2002, a unique team of highly trained, motivated people have been fighting wildfires across Colorado. But of the 2,500 people who have participated in the State Wildland Inmate Fire Team, or SWIFT, fewer than 10 have gone on to get firefighting jobs after their release from prison. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Garry Briese, executive chair of Colorado State Fire Chiefs, about why it’s been so difficult to get SWIFT graduates jobs fighting wildfires after they get out.
Looking for things to do in Denver this week? We’ve got tons of great recs in our newsletter. All you've got to do is subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Freshen up your Twitter feed with @citycastdenver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Friday, that time of the week where we look back on what’s been happening in Denver. This week, host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon are joined by rapper, activist, and most recently, Meow Wolf artist Kalyn Heffernan. They chat about the immersive art installation’s long road to Denver and what Meow Wolf means to the hundred plus local artists it employs. Plus, Kalyn gives a backstage sneak peak of PHAMALY Theatre Company’s original rendition of “Alice in Wonderland,” scored by Kayln’s band, Wheelchair Sports Camp. Get tickets and more details here: https://phamaly.org/show/alice/
Want more piping hot news in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And how ‘bout some tweets? @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Colorado’s worsening air quality to the recent UN report declaring a “code red for humanity,” climate change is at the forefront of our lives. This serious global issue may have once felt like a distant threat, but Coloradans are increasingly finding their everyday experiences impacted by the constant threat of wildfires, an increase in ozone days, and unbearable summer temperatures. But the issue of climate change can feel both overwhelming and intangible, as we ponder just what, exactly, we as individuals can do to make meaningful changes in our lives and environment. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Chase Woodruff, environmental reporter for Colorado Newsline, about what’s happening on the climate change front in Colorado, whose fault it is, and what, if anything, we as citizens can do to leave a better planet for the next generation. Got a hankerin’ for more Denver news? We’ve got a newsletter just for you, pardner: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And some dadgum tweets to boot! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When playwright Jessica Kahkoska set out to write something about the real-life impacts of wildfires on residents in Colorado, she looked to survivors of Grand County’s East Troublesome Fire, which burned more than 190,000 acres last year. In conjunction with History Colorado’s Museum of Memory and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Kahkoska produced “Wild Fire,” a composite of her interviewees’ often traumatic memories of living through the fire. As wildfire smoke once again blankets our state, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies spoke with Kahkoska about the urgency of processing this trauma, her personal connection with Colorado wildfires, and the unique power of theater to address this kind of climate catastrophe.
“Wild Fire” opens Monday, August 16th at Levitt Pavilion. For tickets and more information, visit Levitt Pavilion.
We’ve got more cool events to attend, shows to see, and news to catch up on in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Get some tweets while you’re at it: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the Douglas County School District announced a new equity policy earlier this year, many parents in the predominantly white, affluent district cried foul, accusing the district of inserting “critical race theory” into the curriculum and fueling the major conservative media narrative of the summer. So with classes in DougCo schools starting up again this week, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with two of the parents who helped craft the equity policy, Nara Altmann and Ishmeet Kalra, about the need for such a thing in the first place and what they hope lingers after the national spotlight moves on.
Looking for even more City Cast Denver in your mornings? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Eight is an auspicious number in Chinese and other Asian cultures. That’s why some leaders of the local AAPI communities chose yesterday, 8/8, to unveil their new plans to commemorate Denver’s old Chinatown. It was at one point one of the largest Chinatowns in the American West, but now all that’s left is a racist old plaque a few blocks from where the neighborhood once was. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with one of the organizers, Dr. William Wei, to hear how the old plaque brought the group together, why it’s so important to enact change now, and what they hope for the future.
Dr. William Wei is professor of history at CU Boulder, a former state historian, and the author of Asians in Colorado, which you should read if you want to learn more about the history of Colorado’s Chinese community.
As unveiled at the event at Zoe Ma Ma across from Union Station yesterday, here is Dr. Wei’s proposed text for a new plaque commemorating Denver’s old Chinatown:
Denver’s Historic Chinatown: 1869-1940
Of the over 20 Chinese communities that once existed in the American West, Denver’s Chinatown was one of the largest and most prosperous. Chinatown’s origins can be traced to an anonymous Chinese immigrant who arrived in Denver in June 1869. He was probably one of the Chinese railroad workers who were mostly responsible for building the western half of the famous Transcontinental Railroad that unified the country economically and culturally.
Chinatown was located on Wazee Street between 15th and 17th Streets, extending up to 22nd Street. It was a flourishing frontier community that provided a wide range of ethnic goods and services in a welcoming environment to Chinese immigrants working in Colorado and the Intermountain West. The Chinese immigrants performed mainly physical labor such as working in mines and building infrastructure. Eventually, they were relegated to marginal livelihoods such as laundrymen and cooks. Even though there were comparatively few Chinese residents, the local white population perceived them as an economic and cultural threat. Chinese encountered racial hostility and were denied civil rights, economic opportunity, and social equality. This hostility gave rise to “The Chinese Question,” a national controversy over whether Chinese laborers should be allowed to immigrate to the United States.
Local antagonism led to Denver’s anti-Chinese race riot. On October 31, 1880, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 Denverites descended upon Chinatown to destroy it and drive out the Chinese. During the mob’s rampage, they lynched and beat to death a laundryman named Look Young. Though the murderers were brought to trial, they were acquitted of the crime. Despite continued tensions, most of the Chinese community remained to rebuild Chinatown. What sounded the death knell of Denver’s Chinatown were national laws preventing Chinese immigrants from establishing families in America and even from entering the country. Ironically, Denver’s anti-Chinese riot was cited as one of the reasons why the U.S. Congress enacted the disreputable Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) to ensure social stability.
Since the end of World War II, Chinese and other Asian Pacific Americans have returned to Denver’s lower downtown area to live and work. No longer confined to an ethnic enclave, they can now be found throughout the Greater Denver Metropolitan area and Colorado.
Looking for more stories of Denver past, present, and future? Look no further than the City Cast Denver newsletter. Subscribe now and get your first edition tomorrow morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Tweets tweets tweets tweets tweets tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A note from producer Lizzie Goldsmith:
The end of May was a time of transition for City Cast Denver. Our regular host, Bree Davies, was heading off on maternity leave, producer Paul Karolyi was getting ready to take over as temporary host, and the whole team was preparing to welcome me, Lizzie Goldsmith, as a producer for the summer. I rarely stepped behind the mic, but I worked behind the scenes on this wonderful whirlwind of a podcast, getting to know its wonderful creators.
It was an honor to help tell so many important stories, but it was also a lot of fun. There were so many outtakes from our three crew members who took turns as host — Bree, Paul, and producer Xandra McMahon — that didn’t make it into the show, so I put together this blooper reel for the team to commemorate the first summer of City Cast Denver. I hope you listeners enjoy it too!
For more City Cast goodness in print form, subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We’re also on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TGICCDF (Thank God It’s City Cast Denver Friday) which means it’s time to look back on the news of the week. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi chat about Historic Denver’s 50 actions for 50 places list that was released on Tuesday. They’ve also got a story update regarding the Park Hill Safe Outdoor Space (hear our episode from May 3 on the program here) and some weekend recommendations for things to do. Finally, the City Cast Denver crew learns a new locally-made board game: Canoosh.
Here are links to Bree and Paul’s recommendations:
Bree: Denver photographer Armando Geneyro’s exhibition “Brick & Soul” is at History Colorado through next July Paul: Former Denver Post reporter Dick Kreck’s “Smaldone: The Untold Story of An American Crime Family” should be available now from your favorite local bookstore.
Want to know even more Denver things?! Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Want some tweets? Here ya go: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every day since July 5, Colorado health officials have issued an “action day” alert, warning residents about poor air quality across the Front Range. So what are we supposed to do about that? Not go outside during the summer anymore? Not breathe? Move? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies had questions, so we invited Dr. Anthony Gerber on the show for answers. He is professor of medicine and director of pulmonary research at National Jewish Health, as well as the chair of the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. Dr. Gerber breaks down what exactly is so bad about our air, what we as individuals can do about it, and what we should be worried about.
If you’re digging the pod, check out the newsletter! Subscribe right now and get all the Denver news delivered right to your inbox every weekday morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Or if tweets are more your speed, we do those too: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl, and Ben Roy: Together, they are The Grawlix, a comedy supergroup that has risen to the top of Denver’s comedy scene over the past 20 years, consistently selling out shows and even skipping off to Los Angeles for a few years to make a big Hollywood TV show (“Those Who Can’t” is now streaming on HBOMax). So now that they’ve restarted their monthly comedy nights at The Bug Theater, we invited Adam, Andrew, and Ben to look back talk about how Denver shaped them and whether they think it’s still a good place to be funny.
Get ready for some plugs!
Together, Adam, Andrew, and Ben make a very funny podcast called The Grawlix Saves the World and perform on the last Saturday of every month at The Bug (tickets are available now). Individually, Andrew launched an independent game publishing company last year called Occupied Hex Games. Adam has a new album, Hot Takes, coming out soon and is performing his one-man show, Happy Place, at The Bug on September 4. Ben has a new album out called Take the Sandwich, makes a podcast called 97.9 The Rat Race, performs with his band SPELLS, oh and he also finds time to teach jiu-jitsu at Easton Training Center in Arvada. Ben says to come take a class!
Think about this: You wake up tomorrow, you sit down to breakfast and a morning scroll, and whoa! It’s City Cast Denver in your inbox! Awesome! And all you’ve got to do to make it happen is click this link: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
We promise to write some really good tweets for you today: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Big name concerts and massive summer festivals are back in full swing, but how have local musicians fared throughout the pandemic? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with local music expert Bruce Trujillo to dig into the state of things for the music community here in Denver. As a radio host at Indie 102.3, an independent show booker, and now, as Concert Director for Swallow Hill Music, Trujillo knows the ins and outs of Denver’s diverse music scene. She shares her takes on pay equity for musicians, the importance of DIY music venues, and how online artistic collaboration has helped many artists stay connected to their communities throughout the last year and a half.
Bruce’s local music recs from the episode: Ritmo Cascabel Katiria The Manañas
Want more Denver news in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And don’t forget about those piping hot tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Of Denver’s 56 historic districts and 352 individual landmarks, less than 3% commemorate non-white contributions to the city’s history. Tonight, Denver City Council could change that. They are set to vote on the creation of a historic cultural district in La Alma Lincoln Park, which would make it the first historic district in the country to honor the Chicano movement. Sitting outside the La Alma Rec Center, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies spoke with Ean Thomas Tafoya and Cathy and Desiree Prieto, community members who have strong roots in the neighborhood. They talk about the importance of La Alma Lincoln Park as not only a place where Chicano civil rights took hold, but where community pride is housed in the structures and city blocks they’ve called home.
For more on the push to designate La Alma Lincoln Park a historic cultural district, here’s a write-up from Historic Denver.
City Cast Denver was proud to have published one of the final interviews with former Colorado governor Dick Lamm last Monday. His wife Dottie Lamm announced this past Friday that the former governor died of complications related to a pulmonary embolism on Thursday evening. He was 85 years old. We have included a short remembrance in this episode. For more on his life and career in politics, we recommend these articles from the Denver Post and Colorado Public Radio:
Former Gov. Richard ‘Dick’ Lamm, A Complex And Controversial Figure In Colorado Politics, Dies At 85
Former three-term Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm dies at 85
Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter for more news from around Denver: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For this week’s news round-up, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies, producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia unpack the proposed $450 million infrastructure bond package, which Mayor Hancock detailed this week in his State of the City address. What would all that money fund? Who’s for it and who’s against it? And what’s a bond again? Smash that play button for answers to all those questions and more. Plus, we debut a new segment: New Denver/Old Denver.
Subscribe to the newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And follow us on Twitter! @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Alex Marrero has only lived in Denver for three weeks. But as the new superintendent of Denver Public Schools, it’s his job to lead 90,000+ students when classes start next month. With open questions looming on masks in the classroom, equity, and cops in schools, he’s got quite the mountain to climb. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sat down with Marrero yesterday to get to know him a little better and hear about his plans for DPS.
For more from Dr. Marrero, here’s his open letter introducing himself to the DPS community: https://www.dpsk12.org/our-dps-weekly-july-16-2021/
What goes together better than peanut butter and chocolate? A podcast and a newsletter. Subscribe to ours right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And throw some tweets on top for a little extra flavor: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most loved places in all of Colorado. After a dip in visitation last year, it’s on a record-setting pace once again. But many people who visit see only the same old, same old: Trail Ridge Road, Bear Lake, etc. Enter: Exploring Estes Park, a new podcast aiming to help the 4+ million people coming through RMNP get off the beaten path and understand the land’s history through stories and inspiration from across the region. Award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar hosts the podcast, and he sits down with City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon to talk through some of the fascinating stories they found and offer some tips for your next trip to RMNP and Estes Park.
Learn more about Aaron’s travel writing here: https://www.thebluedotperspective.com/
And if you do want to follow in Isabella Bird’s footsteps any time soon, you’re going to need to follow this link and make a reservation before visiting RMNP: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm
Don’t forget to subscribe to our morning newsletter for even more news from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And would someone please think of the tweets?! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are more than 1,000 people sleeping in their vehicles in Denver right now, according to the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative. And with the federal evictions moratorium set to expire at the end of the month, that number could skyrocket. So today on the show, we bring you the story of Lando Allen, a man who was experiencing homelessness before he fell into the “insidious trap” of living in a vehicle, as CSPI co-founder Chelsey Baker-Hauck describes it. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi spoke with Lando and Chelsey about this oft-overlooked dimension of our housing crisis.
The City of Denver has compiled a list of resources for people facing possible evictions, which you can find here. Their advice for anyone who has received a 10-day advance notice from their landlord is to contact the Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection by calling 720-944-2498 or emailing FEC@denvergov.org. They’ll connect callers with navigators who can help get them connected with relevant services.
We initially recorded this episode as an installment of VOICE on the Street, our partnership with Denver’s street paper, the Denver VOICE, which provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like Lando Allen, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to Lando, follow this link and add his name to the note attached to your transfer.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our morning newsletter for even more news from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
For following purposes, the official City Cast Denver Twitter account is @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
So far, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been nothing short of surreal. With protesters in the streets and no fans in the stands, the Opening Ceremony on Friday begged the question: Why is this even happening? And almost 50 years ago, that was that exact question that led Dick Lamm, a young Colorado state lawmaker who would go on to become governor, to lead a campaign to block the 1976 Winter Games from coming to Denver, setting the tone for half a century of Colorado politics. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Lamm to talk through that formative story, his surprising feelings about the Games, and what it would take for him to support a Denver Olympics bid in the future.
For more on Denver’s unique relationship with the Olympics, check out our episode from July 23, titled “The Case for a Denver Olympics.”
There’s a whole lot more to this City Cast Denver thing than just a podcast. We also have a newsletter, with the Denver news you need, as well as great event recommendations and other ways to help you connect with your city. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And don’t forget about the tweets? @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since he guest hosted the show this past week, you know that donnie l. betts is an activist, storyteller, filmmaker, and producer of audio dramas. So we couldn't help but share a little more of his work, especially since it connects with so many of the themes we discussed on the show this week. "The Tale of the Bullet" explores America's obsession with guns from the perspective of the bullet. He initially released it as an episode of his podcast, Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days, which is a revival of the first African-American radio drama by Richard Durham, and, like its predecessor, tells the stories of people of color and highlights important issues.
The full version of "The Tale of the Bullet" ends with a conversation with activists and families who have been impacted by gun violence, which you can find on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Find out more about Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days on donnie's website, and check out the original Destination Freedom show here.
Don't miss our daily newsletter, delivered fresh to your inbox every weekday! Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And don't forget about the tweets! @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is tonight! Yes, they’re still calling it that, even though it’s definitely 2021. No, there won’t be fans in the stands. No, the Japanese public doesn’t want this to be happening. Yes, we’re feeling as conflicted about it as you are. But Denver’s relationship with the Games has always been conflicted. We were the first city to be awarded the Games that turned around and said, “no thanks.” And every 20 years or so since, some group of local boosters has tried to get them back. So today and Monday on the show, as the Tokyo Games get underway, City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi is exploring Denver’s unique connection with the Olympics. First up, IMA Financial Group CEO and Chairman Robert Cohen. He led the most recent effort to bring the Games to Denver, and he’s on the show to share his case for a Denver Olympics. One hundred dollars. We’re giving it away, and it could be yours. All you’ve got to do is fill out our listener survey! It’ll only take a few minutes, and you’ll be helping us out a ton: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ Did you hear that Lakeside Amusement Park opened for the summer last night? If not, you should really subscribe to our morning newsletter. It’s the best way to keep up with all the most important stuff happening in Denver. Get it here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Tweets! Get your tweets here! Fresh hot tweets! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been two months since Denver lifted its mask mandate, and more than half of Coloradans are fully immunized against COVID-19. But many still aren’t, and the new, more contagious Delta variant is now the dominant strain. So are we going to see another mask mandate like they have in Los Angeles? And what’s going to happen when schools open in the fall? We had questions about the state of the pandemic, so City Cast Denver guest host donnie l. betts sat down with epidemiologist Dr. Jonathan Samet to talk about the Delta variant, the latest vaccination numbers, and what we can learn from the 1918 flu pandemic.
It’s donnie’s last regular show with us for the time being, but be sure to follow him on Twitter @donniebetts! You can find out more about his films and other work at www.nocredits.com, including the radio drama Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days (which is also available on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts).
Subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And catch the tweets here: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Just when the government was about to let crowds of people congregate again so that we could play our horns once more, the lid was clamped down tighter than ever.” That’s how jazz legend Louis Armstrong remembered his experience of the 1918 pandemic in New Orleans in his 1954 memoir Satchmo. “Everybody was down with it, except me.” Because he managed to survive, jazz flourished across the country in the mid-20th century, including here in Denver, where Five Points earned a reputation for world-class jazz. Armstrong himself even played at the iconic Rossonian Hotel on Welton Street. So now that the government is again allowing some crowds to congregate, are we on the brink of a jazz renaissance? City Cast Denver guest host donnie l. betts visits one of Denver’s premier jazz clubs, Dazzle, to listen to some music and talk through this moment in Denver jazz with legendary pianist Purnell Steen, Dazzle co-owner Matt Ruff, and trombonist Stafford Hunter.
If you’re interested in sampling some live jazz for yourself, Stafford Hunter’s Young Lions are playing a set at Dazzle tonight — July 21 at 7 p.m. — but if you can’t make it down there, Dazzle is offering a livestream to enjoy the performance from home. Find all the details right here.
Looking to pocket an extra $100? All you’ve got to do is fill out our listener survey, and you’ll have a chance to win it all! It’ll only take a few minutes, and you’ll be helping us out a ton: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/
Get our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
And follow us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
These are boom times for gun sellers in Colorado, with more gun purchases reported in 2020 than in 2000, 2001 and 2002 combined, according to the Denver Post. Look a little closer at those numbers, and the story gets a little more complicated, especially for Black people in Denver. City Cast Denver guest host donnie l. betts sits down with Alton Clark, the founder of 5280 Steel, a local gun club that saw its membership double in the past year. Then, he takes a tour of 1770 Armory and Gun Club, a new virtual firing range that opened in Five Points last September, with one of its founders, Shawn McWilliams. They discuss their personal relationships with guns, the taboo of gun ownership in the Black community, and what they think is driving the recent boom in gun sales.
To hear donnie’s production of The Knock-Kneed Man: The Story of Crispus Attucks Freedom Fighter, click here.
Want to win $100? All you have to do is tell us what you think about City Cast Denver. Take our listener survey, and you’ll be entered to win! https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/
Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this year, journalist Julian Rubinstein published The Holly, a thorough and revealing look at the history of gang violence in Denver, focusing in particular on the story of one former gang member turned anti-gang activist Terrance Roberts. It’s a fascinating book that answered many questions about a little-understood issue in our city, and it landed as violent crime is once again on the rise. So is the current spike in homicides and shootings related to gang violence? And how big is Denver’s gang problem anyways? City Cast Denver guest host donnie l. betts sat down with the new head of Denver’s anti-gang efforts, Nicole Monroe, to talk through how gangs operate in Denver today and what her office is doing about it.
For more on gang violence in Denver, here’s a link to our episode earlier this year with Julian Rubinstein and Terrance Roberts.
Want to get your hands on some ferociously cool City Cast Denver swag? Sign up for our new perks program. Get your personal referral link here, and start sharing with friends you think would appreciate a little more Denver in their days. If just one person uses your link to sign up, we’ll send you our personal recommendations for summer fun in Denver. Learn more and get started: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/
And if you’re not already getting the City Cast Denver newsletter, you can subscribe right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/
Don’t miss the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's time for another #listenlocal podcast recommendation from our friend Berry of Podcasts in Color, the largest database of podcasts produced by people of color in the world. Berry's pick this month is The Taxman, Colorado Public Radio's three-parter on Douglas Bruce, the man behind the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and his legacy in Colorado today. Initially published in 2017, this is still a must-listen for any Coloradan who has ever wondered why our state has such a complicated relationship with taxes. The Taxman was produced by CPR News, specifically Rachel Estabrook, Ben Markus, and past City Cast Denver guest Nate Minor. Listen to the whole series here and follow Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. Catch up with the rest of CPR's podcast slate here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TGIF! We’re back with another news round-up for you today, and this week City Cast Denver producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon are joined by award-winning storyteller, inventor, and activist donnie betts. We’re excited to have him on the show today, and to announce that he’ll be guest hosting City Cast Denver all next week! But first, listen in to this conversation about the week’s top stories, “meh” stories, and each person’s highlight of the week.
If you want to hear more from donnie before he starts guest-hosting the show on Monday, do yourself a favor and listen to a few episodes of his podcast Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days.
Speaking of highlights, did you know we put together a list of our favorite things to do in Denver in the summer? Refer just one person to the City Cast Denver newsletter, and you’ll get these recommendations in your inbox. Want to refer more people? We got some swag for you! Find out more and get your referral link here: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/
If you have a few minutes, fill out our listener survey and let us know what you think of the podcast! It’ll really help us out, plus you’ll be entered in a drawing to win $100!
Subscribe to the newsletter and stay on top of all the happenings: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
History Colorado has been documenting the state’s stories since 1879, just three years after Colorado became a state. And the way we teach history has changed a lot in the last 142 years. In the organization’s recent past, controversy around a 2013 Sand Creek Massacre exhibit propelled History Colorado towards a more community-centered mission. And just this past week, the organization announced a new executive director, Dawn DiPrince. City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon sits down with Dawn to talk about History Colorado’s past, present, and future. Like the show? Have an idea of how we could make it better? Take our listener survey and get a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ Want even more City Cast Denver in your life? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And don’t forget about the tweets! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What do Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead have in common? If you guessed music, good for you, that’s correct. But more specifically, they all played shows at a long-forgotten hippie rock club in southwest Denver that was only open for 10 months in 1967 and 1968. DU professor Scott Montgomery and filmmaker Dan Obarski made a documentary, The Tale of the Dog, which argues that without that short-lived little club, Denver would never have been able to attract such high-profile acts and become the live music destination we know it as today. City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon sits down with Scott and Dan to talk through the six years of research that went into their documentary, the Family Dog’s lasting legacy, and the real story behind Canned Heat’s famous run-in with Denver police. The Tale of the Dog is available for streaming now. Find out more at thetaleofthedog.com. Do you love the show? Are there things we’re doing you want more of? Less of? We want to hear from you! Take our listener survey and be entered for a chance to win $100. It’ll only take a few minutes. Here’s the link: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ Want even more City Cast Denver in your life? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And don’t forget about the tweets! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Housing activists and our unhoused neighbors say that the City of Denver has been increasing sweeps of homeless encampments ahead of today’s MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field, and many have accused Mayor Michael Hancock of attempting to whitewash our housing crisis for the TV cameras. But there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Denverite reporter Kevin Beaty filed records requests to get a better picture of the underlying data, and he sits down with City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon to unpack it. For an even deeper dive into the data Kevin dug up, here’s his report for Denverite. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Globeville and Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhoods never seem to get a fair shake. Hemmed in by industrial polluters, highways, and massive commercial real estate developments, the area has long been among the poorest and most marginalized in the city. So when the City of Denver suspended work on one piece of the redevelopment of the new National Western Center during the pandemic, they saw an opportunity to claim some community control. City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon sits down with the director of the GES Coalition Organizing for Health and Housing Justice, Nola Miguel, and GES Coalition organizer and lifelong resident Alfonso Espino to talk about reparations and their new campaign to establish a “community-driven” planning process for that land. Read the GES Coalition’s whole plan for The Triangle right here. Have you been hoping for a way to support your favorite local daily news podcast? We want to make the best show we can, and we could use your help. Take just a few minutes to fill out this listener survey, and you’ll be entered to win $100: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ Want even more City Cast Denver in your life? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And don’t forget about the tweets! @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy Friday! We’re shaking things up a bit and have 15 minutes of news catch-up for you. City Cast Denver producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon chat about the top stories from the week, that huge upcoming sporting event, and the news that made them feel “meh.”
Want a shot at a $100? All you’ve got to do is fill out our new listener survey here: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ It’ll take 5 minutes, and no matter what we’ll be grateful!
And you can get some sweet City Cast Denver swag FOR FREE if you refer some of your friends to subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter. If just one of them signs up, you get our personal recommendations for summer in the city. How cool is that! Grab your referral link and get started here: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/
Subscribe to the newsletter and be caught up on the news all the time: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this week, City Cast Denver listeners brought to our attention the story of Lakewood resident Ameer Allen and the alleged police brutality he experienced in February. He says he was the victim in an altercation with a tow truck driver, but when the police arrived, they too assaulted him. He was arrested and now faces four misdemeanor charges. Since then, a Lakewood city council member who heard his story has taken up his case, which goes to trial in August. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi talked with Ameer and Moe Clark, the journalist who broke the story, about the incident itself and its aftermath. Want a shot at a $100? All you’ve got to do is fill out our new listener survey here: https://denver.citycast.fm/survey/ It’ll take 5 minutes, and no matter what we’ll be grateful! Hey, do you think some of your friends or family members would enjoy the podcast and our awesome newsletter? Refer them with this link: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/ and get hooked up with swag! Subscribe to the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And find the tweets here: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We are smack in the middle of Great Outdoors Season, and it might be a good time to remind you that no, you should not touch that cute baby animal. City Cast Denver Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Jason Clay of Colorado Parks and Wildlife to talk this year’s wildlife trends. Plus, a new VOICE on the Street! This time, Denver VOICE vendor Raelene Johnson shares a poem she wrote about gun violence. The Denver VOICE provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like Raelene, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to Raelene, follow this link and add her name to the note attached to your transfer. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Feast your eyes on the tweets: @CityCastDenver Hey, do you think some of your friends or family members would enjoy the podcast and our stellar newsletter? Refer them with this link: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/ and get hooked up with swag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lisa Calderón is one of those people in Denver politics that everybody knows. Whether she’s running to be Denver’s first female mayor or making change by working as Chief of Staff for her friend, Councilperson Candi CdeBaca, she’s built power around her name. And now she’s taking that power and reputation to Emerge Colorado — an organization that trains Democratic women on how to run for office. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Lisa to chat about her plans as the organization’s new executive director and why, in 2021, women still aren’t equitably represented in politics. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of moths? We know. It’s that time of year, when the miller moths complete their annual migration from the plains to the mountains, wreaking havoc on Coloradans along the way. This year, we caught it all on mic … except, not really. Enjoy this dramatic audio presentation from the City Cast Denver crew, which is a loose adaptation of Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds. For moth removal tips, check out this article. To learn more about the miller moths in particular, this CSU fact sheet should answer all your questions. Looking for some fun stuff to spice up your summer? Sign up for our new perks program and get personal summer recs from the City Cast Denver crew if JUST ONE of your friends subscribes with your referral link. Get your link here, and start sharing now! Learn more and get started: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/ The tweets! Won’t someone please think of the tweets!? @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When longtime CEO of Denver International Airport Kim Day announced her retirement back in May, Mayor Michael Hancock called up an old friend and colleague to see if he wanted the job. That friend, former RTD CEO Phil Washington, jumped at the chance to move back from Los Angeles — can you blame him? But now that some pretty serious allegations about his time with LA Metro have come to light, Phil has got some explaining to do. Axios Denver’s Alayna Alvarez has been covering the allegations, and she chats with City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi to break it down. Plus, producer Xandra McMahon was there yesterday when City Council members questioned Phil Washington on his record, the allegations, and his plans for the future of the airport. For more on Phil Washington’s record with RTD and LA Metro, past and future City Cast Denver guest Jon Murray has the story for the Denver Post. Want to get your hands on some ferociously cool City Cast Denver swag? Sign up for our new perks program. Get your personal referral link here, and start sharing with friends you think would appreciate a little more Denver in their days. If just one person uses your link to sign up, we’ll send you our personal recommendations for summer fun in Denver. Learn more and get started: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/ And if you’re not already getting the City Cast Denver newsletter, you can subscribe right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two years ago, Kayvan Khalatbari was running to be mayor of Denver. He had started a chain of pizza shops, helped legalize cannabis, supported numerous arts organizations, and he had big plans for managing Denver’s growth. Now he’s the ringleader of a growing group of progressive-minded Denverites decamping for Trinidad, Colorado, a small rundown town on the New Mexico border. Mutiny Information Cafe is opening an outpost down there this summer. So are the owners of Grandma’s House Brewery and the Hi-Dive. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Kayvan to talk about what he sees in Trinidad that he no longer sees in Denver. Plus, we’ll hear from another Trinidad booster, Denver’s iconic historical preservationist, Dana Crawford. Don’t miss another morning with the City Cast Denver newsletter! Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Free love, psychedelic drugs, and the Grateful Dead: These are the tenets of Denver’s thriving jam band scene. But for decades, jam musicians say they’ve been dealing with a gatekeeper who projects a positive image while walking all over them. After some much more serious allegations against Denver’s ‘Grandfather of Jam Music’ came to light in March, some of those frustrated musicians are taking a stand. Two of the organizers behind the new Colorado Musicians Union, Aidan Pagnani and Sarah Mount, are on the show today to talk about Jay Bianchi’s role in the scene, their boycott campaign, and their plan for a more equitable local music community. Plus, one of the women accusing Jay Bianchi of sexual assault shares her story. Past (and future) City Cast Denver guest John Wenzel has been covering the allegations against Jay Bianchi for the Denver Post. Click here to read Jay’s response and more about the case. The Colorado Musicians Union is organizing a picket/protest outside So Many Roads Brewery at 5:30pm on July 1. More details are available on their Facebook page. Craving a little more Denver in your day? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s beach-reading season, people. And one of Denver’s best novelists is back with an absolute corker of a mystery. Since he left a career in criminal justice, Manuel Ramos has published 11 novels and one short story collection — all revolving around Denver and specifically the Chicano community Manuel knows so well. His latest is Angels in the Wind: A Mile High Noir. It follows ex-con private investigator Gus Corral out of his native Northside and onto the Eastern Plains for a story rooted in family and the urban-rural divide. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Manuel to talk about Chicano Noir and how the genre allows him space to explore some of the darker aspects of life in Colorado. In addition to his many novels and short stories, which you can find here, Manuel is also co-founder and a regular contributor to La Bloga, the award-winning Chicana Chicano, Latina Latino literary blog. For more local authors of color, Manuel recommends checking out Mario Acevedo, who writes mysteries and thrillers with a supernatural twist; Rudy Garcia, who writes supernatural fiction geared toward young adults and children; and David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an indigenous author whose book Winter Counts was nominated for the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The 2021 Colorado Book Awards were awarded this past Saturday. For a full breakdown of nominees and winners, click here. Looking for a little more Denver news and culture in your life? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’re doing things a little bit differently today. It’s Friday and it’s Pride weekend, so City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon invited her friend and fellow journalist Danika Worthington to hang out and talk all things Denver Pride at the city’s last lesbian bar, Blush & Blu, which also happens to be one of the last lesbian bars in the whole country. Xandra and Danika talk about what Blush & Blu means to them, why they think lesbian bars are going away, and how they’re planning to celebrate Pride this weekend. If you haven’t heard our episode with Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax, about his organization’s tough decision to block the police from formally participating in Pride this year, definitely go back and listen to that one this weekend. For more on Blush & Blu, here’s Danika’s profile of the place from the Denver Post back in 2017. If you’re still planning your Pride weekend, here’s a few helpful guides: How to Celebrate Pride in Denver This Week [Westword] Yes, there are in-person Denver PrideFest events this year. Here’s what you need to know. [Denver Post] Denver Pride [The Center on Colfax] Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the world of single-use plastics and Styrofoam, big changes are on the horizon for Coloradans … eventually. While Denverites will have to start paying for plastic and paper bags in July, the rest of Colorado won’t see the effects of a new bill until 2023 (if Polis signs it, of course). CPR News reporter Miguel Otárola has been following this potential plastics ban as it’s progressed through the legislature, and now that it’s poised to become law, he sat down with City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi to talk about what exactly is — and isn’t — in the bill, who opposed it, and what it means for restaurants, grocery stores, and the health of our planet. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The economic recession caused by the pandemic is driving a wedge through Denver — and all of America. While many people have lost jobs or worked in dangerous conditions, many others have seen their lots in life improve, leading to explosive growth in the real estate, car, and furniture markets. It’s not an easy thing to talk about, and it’s way harder to do anything about it. That’s where Resource Generation comes in. It’s a nonprofit that helps young people with access to wealth and/or class privilege equitably redistribute money, land, and power. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi chats with two members of Resource Generation’s Colorado chapter who are each an heir to a family fortune. They talk about why they’re sharing their stories now, what they plan to do with that money, and how concentrated wealth can shape our city. Craving a little more Denver in your day? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This past year, Cherry Creek was more of a respite than ever. It’s the place to see world-class murals, walk with friends, and go for bike rides, but it’s a heckuva lot more important to Denver than just recreation. When City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi stumbled on a massive new creek renovation project last year, he uncovered a fascinating history of creek management (and mismanagement). Today on the show, Paul explores that history with Jesse Clark, a landscape architect the Mile High Flood District contracted to help reimagine our urban waterways and facilitate a healthier relationship between us humans and our beloved Cherry Creek. To see what this stretch of Cherry Creek between Quebec and Iliff is supposed to look like in a few years, here’s a mockup flyover Jesse shared with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErfDZs0N2qU For even more on our urban waterways, past City Cast Denver guest Michael Booth has a great story this week in the Colorado Sun about a proposed rule change that would affect how much pollution gets into our water. Don’t miss another morning with the City Cast Denver newsletter! Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the past 12 years, Denver has experienced an explosion of economic growth (as well as a slew of growing pains, such as increasing rates of inequality, homelessness, traffic, and gentrification). And it just so happens that those are the same 12 years that Kelly Brough served as a leader for the business community in her role as president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. She’s made or influenced many key decisions that shaped Denver into what it is today, but no more! On September 1, she’ll be stepping down from the chamber to pursue other opportunities. So City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sat down with Kelly to talk through the ups and downs of the past 12 years, how she sees the current economic moment, and how she feels about the rumors of a mayoral bid. Want to meet more of the people shaping Denver today? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The City of Denver finally recognized Juneteenth as a commemorative holiday earlier this year. But for many Denverites, it’s always been a big deal. The Juneteenth Music Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and every year the event gets bigger and the message gets stronger. And as we learned this week, it’s something of a family affair for organizer Norman Harris III. City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon tagged along with Norman as he made some final preparations for the concert, parade, and food festival. So take a trip down Welton Street with Norman and Xandra, and hear about the festival’s humble beginnings in a building developed by Norman’s grandfather and what it means to Norman to see Juneteenth become what it is today. Check out the full slate of events for this year’s Juneteenth Music Festival: https://www.juneteenthmusicfestival.com/ Don’t miss another morning with the City Cast Denver newsletter! Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Oh, and we’re friends on Twitter too, right?? @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A few months ago, the Nuggets and the Avalanche both looked like championship contenders, but both teams flamed out hard in the playoffs. So what happened? City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi commiserates with Sports Guy Jake Shapiro (who also happens to be a breaking news reporter for the Denver Post). Plus, City Cast Denver’s resident foodie Peyton Garcia ate at Denver’s buzziest new fine-dining restaurant, Sunday Vinyl, and she’s here to tell you whether it’s a must-visit or a skip. Catch more Denver news and events with Peyton every weekday morning in the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Don’t miss the tweets either: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When The North Face refused to print co-branded jackets for a Houston-based fracking company, Denver oil and gas execs cried foul, sparking a months-long trolling campaign to highlight what they see as hypocrisy in the outdoor recreation industry. It’s a showdown between one of Denver’s most powerful legacy industries and the new kid in town, VF Corp, the multi-billion dollar company that moved here in 2019 and owns The North Face, Jansport and dozens of other outdoor-oriented apparel brands. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sat down with Denver Business Journal reporter Greg Avery to get the whole backstory and talk through what it all says about Colorado’s relationships with climate change and our own history. Want to learn more about the people and ideas shaping Denver today? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Don’t miss the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to kickstart an economic recovery that at the same time addressed our climate crisis? Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse thinks there is one. He’s proposing to bring back a popular program from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time — the Civilian Conservation Corps. Starting in the early 1930s, the CCC was meant to get people back to work after the Great Depression, and it left a lasting legacy here in Colorado — they built Red Rocks! But Neguse’s 21st-century version would look a little different. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sat down with the congressman to talk about the new and improved Civilian Climate Corps, and how it could affect life in Denver sooner than you might think. Want to learn more about the people and ideas shaping Denver today? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Don’t miss the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Councilperson Candi CdeBaca learned that Denverites were being evicted from their homes last year despite the federal eviction moratorium, she knew something had to change. The progressive young politician partnered up with Councilperson Amanda Sawyer on a new measure to help renters, and it passed unanimously on Monday night. City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Candi to talk through some of the challenges she faces passing measures like this one and how she believes the new policy is going to help everyone in Denver — not just renters. Plus, Paul gets Candi on the record on some recent issues we’ve featured on the show, including the Park Hill Golf Course, the Reimagine Police and Public Safety Task Force recommendations, and which playoff run she’s been rooting for harder: Nuggets or Avs. If you live in Candi’s District 9 (Five Points, downtown, etc.), we recommend signing up for her newsletter. You’ll get regular updates on what Candi is working on and how you can get involved. And of course you’re already signed up for the City Cast Denver newsletter, right? If not, here’s the link you’re looking for: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After the explosion of outrage over police violence last summer, many activists turned to the hard work of incremental criminal justice reform. One of those efforts came to a head earlier this week on the second to last day of the legislative session. Colorado Freedom Fund founder Elisabeth Epps was there pushing for change that, she says, would have kept more people out of jail (and out of harm’s way). City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Elisabeth for a raw discussion about what happened at the Capitol on Monday evening, the long road to get there, and what she’s going to work towards next. For more on the Colorado Freedom Fund, click here. And do yourself a favor and follow Elisabeth on Twitter @elisabeth. Don’t miss another City Cast Denver newsletter! Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And follow us for more news and fun from around the city: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What happens to Denver if every service worker leaving the industry learns to code? Turing School of Software & Design trains programmer newbs for entry level tech jobs, and at the height of the pandemic they decided to make remote learning permanent. City Cast producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Turing’s executive director Jeff Casimir to talk through the data that led to that decision, what it says about the future of work, and how it’s going to affect the non-techies who have to live with it. And if you haven’t heard yesterday’s episode with Elle Taylor of Amethyst Coffee about the so-called labor shortage, you can find it here. Looking for ways to get a little more City Cast Denver in your life? Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And get the tweets @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As we slowly re-emerge from the pandemic, it seems like everyone is talking about a labor shortage. But is that really the problem? And is there a bigger story to tell about how our economy is changing? Today on the show, City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Elle Taylor, co-owner and founder of Amethyst Coffee, to talk through her very different perspective on the so-called labor shortage. One year ago, as the coffee-buying people of Denver were sheltering in place, Amethyst eliminated tipping, raised prices, and increased wages for employees. Outside the Amethyst on Broadway, Paul and Elle discuss why she and her colleagues made that decision and why she hopes it was a just one small step towards a new, more equitable economy. We’re not done talking about the way our economy is changing. Watch your feed tomorrow for another take on the broader shifts and how they’re affecting Denver. Like what we do? Want more? Here ya go! Twitter: @CityCastDenver Newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every legislative session begins with hopes and dreams. Lawmakers propose hundreds and hundreds of bills, and over the course of a few months their dreams are mostly dashed. But with the Colorado State Assembly set to adjourn some time this week, the Democrats in control already have one big win under their belts: a long-awaited, much-needed $5.4 billion bill to address our state’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Denver Post reporter Jon Murray has been covering the bill, and he joins producer Paul Karolyi to explain how we let our roads get into this sorry state, why there are so many weird conflicting ideas in this bill, and what it’s going to mean for the average Coloradan. For more on how Colorado funds its transportation needs, here’s a helpful explainer from the Colorado Department of Transportation. And if you haven’t heard The Taxman, Colorado Public Radio’s brilliant TABOR retrospective, check it out. We recommend listening to the podcast version, but there’s a text edition too, so you do you. Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter for more: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And follow City Cast Denver on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've got another weekend bonus episode for you! It's a #listenlocal podcast recommendation from our friend Berry of Podcasts in Color, the largest database of podcasts produced by people of color in the world. Berry's pick this month is Bangin' & Slangin' with KMofo and Da Butcher, which they describe as "the podcast where anything goes." So yeah, this one's got some explicit content. Subscribe to Bangin' & Slangin' here and follow Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In-N-Out has been getting all the buzz — and insanely long lines — since it opened its first Denver area location last year. Five Guys is an East Coast favorite. Shake Shack strutted into town from NYC with a hip new look and a lot of big talk. But really, who do these transplant burger chains think they are, coming into our city thinking they can make burgers?! City Cast Denver’s crack team of eaters are here to settle it once it for all. And can any of them stand up against our homegrown fast food burger darling Good Times? Follow along with Bree, Paul, Xandra, and Peyton, then let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenver. Hit us with your favorite out-of-state burger chain and the hashtag #CityCastBurgerCrawl. Don’t miss the City Cast Denver newsletter for breaking burger updates and more news from around the city: denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ The excerpt of the oral history with Bill Clements Jr. in this episode comes courtesy of the oral history collection at History Colorado. You can listen to the whole conversation, including a wild story about Bill’s dad and Colonel Sanders right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The sun’s out, the rain’s finally cleared up, and it’s never been a better time to hop on a bike. And if you need help finding good trails and bike paths, Bike Streets has a map for you. Founded by Avi Stopper, the community bike advocacy group wants to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes, with community pledges, group rides, and informational resources. But one thing Avi’s not super focused on? Pushing for more bike infrastructure, like bike lanes. Today on the show, he chats with producer Paul Karolyi about why he thinks expensive bike lane projects might be more risky than they’re worth. Join Avi and take the #2Miles pledge! https://www.bikestreets.com/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At 60, Longmont Pastor Paula Stone Williams came out to her friends, family, and coworkers as trans. She had been a leader in the conservative evangelical community, but take one guess how that went over. Paula’s got a new memoir out this week about all that and what she learned along the way. It’s called “As a Woman: What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy after I Transitioned.” Today on the show, City Cast Denver producer Xandra McMahon sits down with Paula to talk through her unique perspective on gender, swap stories about life in evangelical Colorado, and offer some advice for anyone out there struggling with who they are. And if you want to hear another perspective on Paula’s story, Paula’s son Jonathan Williams was recently on past City Cast Denver guest Nadia Bolz-Weber’s podcast The Confessional. Find that episode here. For more Denver news worth knowing, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since last June, the City of Denver has been trying something new with its 911 emergency response system. In an effort to reduce violent conflicts with police, some calls are being redirected to a new team of paramedics and social workers, called STAR, or Support Team Assisted Response. The pilot program has proven enormously popular, with the team responding to almost 1,400 calls over the course of the year with zero referrals to police. Host Bree Davies sits down with one of STAR’s mental health clinicians Carleigh Sailon to hear what it’s like to respond to a 911 call and what she hopes for the future of the program. Here’s how to request assistance from STAR directly if you ever need to: 720-913-STAR (7827) For more on the STAR program and other Denver news worth knowing, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The local theater community is slowly emerging from its pandemic-induced hibernation, and they’ve got some wild new ideas to share. Like Control Group Productions, they’re putting on a new show starting next week called After the Flood. It’s an “immersive nature stroll” that combines live dance, music, history, and ecology in Littleton’s South Platte Park. City Cast Denver’s resident theater buff Xandra McMahon caught a preview of the performance last week, and today on the show she sits down with Control Group’s artistic director Patrick Mueller to talk about the David-and-Goliath story that inspired the performance and his family ties to the park that has become his stage. After the Flood is set to run in the evenings between June 2 and June 19, and Patrick says tickets are going fast. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://controlgroup.wellattended.com/events/after-the-flood Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When The Center on Colfax announced that law enforcement agencies would not be allowed to participate in this year’s Pride, CEO Rex Fuller said the response was “largely negative” — despite the long history of tension between police and the LGBTQ+ community. And if these tensions stretch back to the days of Stonewall — Pride’s origin story — then why do this now? Host Bree Davies sits down with Rex to talk about how The Center has been navigating the complicated relationship between Pride and the police, how they came to this controversial decision, and what it means for police who are also members of the LGBTQ+ community. For more from Rex, here’s a link to his recent op-ed in the Colorado Sentinel explaining The Center’s decision. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The NBA is known for elite athleticism, but it’s also the storylines, off-the-court fashion, and personal drama that make pro basketball so fun to watch. And it’s also why Denver Nuggets superstar (and presumptive NBA MVP) Nikola Jokic stands out. He plays an unorthodox style for a big man and is known for his lack of ego. Yet, it’s all but certain that he’ll be named MVP of the NBA this season. Today on the show, Locked on Nuggets and DNVR Nuggets Podcast co-host Adam Mares joins host Bree Davies to talk about Jokic's surprising rise from unknown second round draft pick to the biggest big man in the league. Plus, City Cast Contributor Eli Imadali ventures into the city with listener Troy Farkas to figure out just how adults make friends in Denver. For more from Troy, check out his podcast, The Troy Farkas Show. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s best known bookseller is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and it’s come a long way from that very first shop in Cherry Creek. As of last December, Tattered Cover has new owners. And as of this summer, they’ll have a new flagship location at McGregor Square, that fancy new development going in across from Coors Field. Host Bree Davies sits down with one of Tattered’s new owners, Kwame Spearman, to hear how they’re maintaining that familiar Tattered feeling and what they’re planning for the new downtown location. Kwame’s also got a book recommendation for you. Plus, Bree shares some City Cast Denver news. Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Almost a year after George Floyd's murder, communities across the country are still grappling with police accountability. In Denver, a group of civic leaders, non-profit organizations and community members came together to address this issue, creating a Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety. They’ve spent the last year working on a massive report with more than 112 recommendations, and today city officials will get their first look at their report. Dr. Robert Davis, one of the lead organizers of the task force, says this goes beyond policing. It’s also about issues of housing, support for formerly incarcerated people and more. Dr. Davis joins host Bree Davies to dive into this ground-breaking report and talk about how the city can implement the task force’s recommendations. Click here to read the task force’s full list of 5 strategies and 112 recommendations: http://www.denvertaskforce.org/uploads/1/2/5/5/125541169/reimagining__public_safety__recommendations_.pdf And here’s the best place to find contact information for your City Council representative: https://www.denvergov.org/maps/map/councildistricts Today at 4 p.m., the task force is hosting a rally outside the City and County Building in support of their 112 recommendations for change. Click here for details: https://www.facebook.com/events/4073110239378407/ Finally, sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter for more on police accountability and other issues shaping Denver: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If the past year has left us with anything good, it’s a feeling of righteous urgency to make the most of the time we have with our loved ones. Enter: Mamabird Interviews, a new company founded by a local teacher and some of his students to help families embrace and preserve their histories. When we heard about the work they’re doing, we needed to know more, so we had City Cast Denver’s very own Peyton Garcia, who you know from our newsletter, try it out. Today on the show, host Bree Davies sits down with Peyton and one of Mamabird’s co-founders Areyana Proctor to talk through Peyton’s experience and the value of preserving family history. BTW, when she’s not working with Mamabird, Areyana is kicking butt all up and down the quad. Last month, she was named Newman Civic Fellow at CU Boulder! Learn more about Mamabird here: https://www.mamabirdinterviews.com/ And if you want, Peyton will send you an email every weekday morning with important Denver news and cool events. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get more from us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver’s urban camping ban has been controversial to say the least. Though it has remained popular with a majority of the voting public since it was implemented in 2012, the ban has led to the near-constant sweeping of encampments and displacement of the people living in them. The ban has stoked distrust and exacerbated the precarious nature of life for our unhoused neighbors. So when Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced plans earlier this week to propose a similar ban for Colorado’s third largest city, it came as a surprise. Today on the show, host Bree Davies, a vocal opponent of Denver’s camping ban, sits down with Mayor Coffman to hear how he came to this proposal and how his week-long stint pretending to be homeless back in December informs his approach to Aurora’s growing homelessness problem. Mayor Coffman’s proposal will need the support of Aurora’s City Council, where it has already received some strong criticism. The City of Aurora is currently reviewing a variety of alternative housing options to address their growing homelessness population. Residents are invited to review the options and provide feedback here through May 31: https://engageaurora.org/Homelessness For more on the effects of Denver’s camping ban, make sure to listen to our episode from last month with David Gordon, in which he discusses his personal experience living in fear of a sweep: https://pod.link/citycastdenver/episode/36ef60a78752e3b83ba090e2bbc1c40a Looking for a little more City Cast Denver in your mornings? Subscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver And get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It seemed like a simple request to the city: Shawn Johnson and his husband Ben wanted to build an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, at their Sunnyside home so Shawn’s disabled mother could live close. But little did they know, this plan would send them down a rabbit hole of bureaucracy and bring them face to face with an inconspicuous board that holds a lot of power when it comes to zoning — the city’s main tool for managing our explosive growth. Today, host Bree Davies sits down with Ben and Shawn who say their struggle with the Board of Adjustments for Zoning Appeals reveals a system rooted in implicit bias. Read the piece by Kathryn White in The Denver North Star that tipped us off to Shawn and Ben’s story! We have included more of the BOA’s response to our story on Twitter: @CityCastDenver Subscribe to our newsletter for more news: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After less than two years on the job, Denver Public Schools superintendent Susana Cordova resigned last fall. She said it was because she got an amazing job opportunity in Dallas, Texas, but some think she was pushed out by a school board that disagreed with her vision. At the center of that conflict? Education Reform, a nationwide movement that found a fertile testing ground here in Denver about 15 years ago under then superintendent Michael Bennet (Yes, that Michael Bennet). So what is Education Reform? How did it get so controversial? And what does the board’s search for a new superintendent say about the future of the reform movement here in Denver? On the show today, host Bree Davies sits down with Melanie Asmar, who covers DPS for Chalkbeat and has reported extensively on the reform movement. Melanie breaks down the reform movement’s history in Denver, how the superintendent search plays into it, and what it all means for Denver as a whole — not just parents and kids. For more on the superintendent search, here’s Melanie’s latest on the three finalists: https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/5/14/22436681/denver-superintendent-finalists-student-teacher-interviews Also, follow Melanie on Twitter for more updates: @melanieasmar Follow us @citycastdenver And subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter for more Denver news and events: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Basically no one wants to keep a golf course on those 155 acres of open space in Northeast Park Hill, but that poses a big question: What do we want? Should we restrict development, as former mayoral candidate and open spaces advocate Penfield Tate argued on the show last week, or should we aim for a new kind of people-first development? That’s the case today’s guests are here to make. In part two of our series on the PHGC development fight, host Bree Davies sits down with the developers who own the land: Kenneth Ho, principal with Westside Investment Partners, and Norman Harris, co-founder and managing partner with The Holleran Group. If you want to make your voice heard after hearing from Penfield, Kenneth, and Norman, we’ve collected a bunch of good links for you: Tomorrow, Tuesday May 18, the Department of Community Planning and Development is hosting a public comment period at the end of the PHGC Steering Committee meeting (5:30-7:30 p.m.). You must register for the zoom meeting AND sign up to speak if you want your turn. Do all that here: https://denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Community-Planning-and-Development/Community-Engagement/CPD-Calendar/Park-Hill-Golf-Course-May-Steering-Committee-Meeting If you can’t make it, you can submit your thoughts on the future of the PHGC site at any time to the Department of Community Planning and Development: https://us.openforms.com/Form/68f78400-f89a-4450-ac8a-93eecf6c865c To learn more about Kenneth and Norman’s plans for the site, here’s Westside Investment Partners’ site about the project: https://www.parkhillgolfcoursereimagined.info/ If you’re interested in Penfield’s YES on Open Space Campaign, you can read more here: https://yesopenspace.org/ And here’s a link to the site for Save Open Space Denver, the community group pushing to maintain the old golf course as some kind of open space: https://sosdenver.net/ Did you know City Cast Denver has a newsletter? Subscribe right now for a friendly weekday morning roundup of Denver news and events: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There will come a time this summer when you’re hanging out in a park or walking around downtown, and someone with a clipboard is going to approach you about the future of the Park Hill Golf Course. They’ll talk about the need for more open space in the city or maybe they’ll allude to the Big Bad Developer coming in to change a historic neighborhood, and they’ll ask for your signature. What are you going to do? City Cast Denver is here to help. In this first episode of a two-parter on the PHGC site (and the extremely contentious/complicated debate over its future), host Bree Davies speaks with former mayoral candidate Penfield Tate about his personal connection with the old course and his work to wrench the future of those valuable 155 acres out of the hands of developers. Oh, and on Monday, we hear from the developers themselves who give their side of the story. For more on Penfield’s ballot initiative, go to yesopenspace.org. Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Get the morning newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When it comes to barbecue, Colorado tends to get left out of the national conversation. But it turns out, we have our very own barbecue story to tell, and our Black community is at the center of it all. James Beard award-winner Adrian E. Miller has that story and more in his new book, “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.” He joins host Bree Davies on the show today to talk about everything Colorado barbecue, from the 1898 barbecue riot to the legacy of “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and his son Bruce Jr. Learn more about Adrian and his new book at adrianemiller.com Head over to our Twitter @citycastdenver for a recipe straight from Adrian’s book for pork belly burnt ends! Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s a new book out about gang violence in Denver, and it’s causing quite a stir. Award-winning journalist Julian Rubinstein spent seven years reporting the story of Terrance Roberts, a former gang member turned anti-gang activist who shot someone before a peace rally he himself had organized on September 20, 2013. Julian says Terrance’s story has been widely misunderstood, and he hopes to correct the record with his new book, “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save An American Neighborhood.” They both join host Bree Davies on the show today to talk about that day in 2013, the nature of gang violence in Denver, and what it all means for Terrance’s neighborhood, Northeast Park Hill. Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! And we’re celebrating with a look into Denver’s fascinating Japanese American history with journalist and community leader Gil Asakawa. Host Bree Davies speaks with Gil about his personal connection with Sakura Square, the lasting legacy of former governor Ralph Carr, and special meaning of AAPI Heritage Month this year. Plus, Gil shares a local restaurant recommendation if you're looking for a good bowl of ramen. Follow Gil on Instagram for more Asian American food tips (and some sweet cat pics): @gilasakawa Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Denver City Council is deciding the fate of the Denver7 building on Speer tonight. Will they side with the owners, paving the way for a sale and demolition? Or will they decide it’s a landmark worth preserving? Host Bree Davies speaks with art and architecture critic Mary Voelz Chandler, who wrote for the Rocky Mountain News for many years, about the architectural merits of the building, the origins of Brutalism, and Denver’s contentious relationship with its own history. Plus, Amazon responds to our report on an alleged lack of Spanish-language COVID safety communications at their warehouse in Thornton. Read Mary’s writing on Denver architecture and more at her blog: http://chandlerindenver.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @citycastDenver Subscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What happens when a worker at an Amazon warehouse sees something concerning and speaks up? Today on the show, we bring you the story of Linda Rodriguez, a local grandmother who got a job at the Amazon fulfillment center in Thornton right before the pandemic started. Host Bree Davies speaks with Linda’s attorney David Seligman, who portrays her as a woman caught in an impossible situation, compelled to stand up for what she thought was right. We also hear from Linda herself about the conditions inside DEN3, the Amazon fulfillment center in Thornton where she says Amazon neglected to communicate important COVID safety information with its Spanish-speaking workforce. David Seligman is also executive director of the local legal nonprofit Towards Justice, which you can learn more about here: https://towardsjustice.org/ If you want to read more about Linda’s case, here’s a link to the formal complaint David and his colleagues at Swain Law LLC filed with the Department of Labor and Employment on Thursday: https://towardsjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/5.6.21-amazon-final.pdf Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Get the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Punch Bowl Social was a Denver success story — emphasis on the “was.” Starting with that one location on South Broadway in 2012, the arcade/bowling alley/bar quickly expanded across the country, operating 20 locations and raking in tens of millions of dollars per year at its peak. But then the pandemic hit, setting CEO and founder Robert Thompson off on a year of twists, turns, and tough decisions. With the original Punch Bowl Social re-opening next week, host Bree Davies speaks with Denver Business Journal reporter Ed Sealover, who’s been in touch with Robert through it all. Bree and Ed talk through Punch Bowl’s rise, fall, and the unclear future of "eatertainment." Get Ed’s tweets: @ESealoverDenBiz Get ours: @citycastdenver Subscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Cinco de Mayo and that means cruising — especially on Federal. But over the last year, Chicano car clubs have stopped meeting up along the strip, while at the same time, police have had an increased presence. It looks like a law enforcement crackdown, but is it? Councilperson Jamie Torres joins the show today to help get to the bottom of this issue of vanishing car clubs. We also hear from an OG low rider about the deep roots of the car club tradition. And hey! We’re still hoping to hear more of your Elitch’s memories. Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More than a third of foster children in Colorado will end up homeless by the time they are 21. A new bill making its way through the Colorado General Assembly would allow them to re-enter the system after they’re 18 and get help with things that many of us take for granted — like opening bank accounts and getting a driver’s license. Foster parent Natasha Pepperl has seen first-hand how much this support is needed. She joins host Bree Davies on the show today to talk parenting and the messy cracks that make navigating the foster care system so challenging. Check out Natasha’s podcast, Just As Special, right here. And check out our newsletter for even more…you guessed it — news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On our show last Friday, we featured a deeply human story from one man, David Gordon, about his experience living inside one of the most important new efforts to address Denver’s homelessness crisis. After a three-month stay at a Safe Outdoor Space, he said Denver should absolutely invest in this housing option. But the leases at the first two locations are up at the end of the month, and it’s unclear whether there’s much appetite for making this temporary pandemic relief measure permanent. On the show today are Cole Chandler, executive director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, the organization administering the SOS program, and Pastor Nathan Adams of Park Hill United Methodist Church. Host Bree Davies asks them how South Park Hill is reacting to their decision to invite unhoused neighbors into the community, why they believe in this new type of shelter, and how you can help make it permanent. The best way to reach Nathan is through Park Hill United Methodist Church, which you can learn more about here. You can donate to Colorado Village Collaborative here. Hey, don’t forget to listen to our first part of this conversation about Safe Outdoor Spaces with Denver VOICE vendor David Gordon who lived in the one on Pearl St. for three months. Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your Elitch’s memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person. Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are more than 4,000 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, according to the latest Point in Time Survey from Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. And that was back in January 2020, two months before the global pandemic caused a massive economic downturn. Last summer, the city sponsored a new effort to help house some of those people, but it’s been controversial to say the least. So this time on the show, we’re going inside one of the new “Safe Outdoor Spaces” to hear how it has benefitted one man, David Gordon, a longtime vendor with the Denver VOICE.
We initially recorded this episode as an installment of VOICE on the Street, our partnership with Denver’s street paper, the Denver VOICE, which provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like David Gordon, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to David, follow this link and add his name to the note attached to your transfer.
Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: denver.citycast.fm Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elitch Gardens is so much more than a theme park. It’s more like a nostalgia factory with roller coasters, and it’s been in business for over 100 years. The New Elitch’s, as the current incarnation is commonly known, is opening this weekend, so Bree invited three-time Emmy winning comedy writer Hallie Haglund and zero-time Emmy winning City Cast producer Paul Karolyi on the show to talk about everything Elitch’s — from the oldest of the old to the unclear future. Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your Elitch’s memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person. The excerpt of the oral history with Mrs. Harold Robinson (née Laura Besser) heard in this episode comes courtesy of the oral history collection at History Colorado. You can listen to the whole conversation, including a few more juicy Elitch’s tidbits right here. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: denver.citycast.fm Get the tweets: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nadia Bolz-Weber is on the show today to talk about the new season of her podcast, The Confessional, which she describes as “a carwash for our shame and secrets.” Nadia tells Bree about how she helps people process the worst moments in their lives and offers some tips for broaching difficult conversations. Bree interviewed Nadia for the first time in 2012, one year before Nadia published her first best-selling book, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint. Read that story here, and hey, since you’re already clicking on links we give you, why not click one more and subscribe to our newsletter? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Even if we don’t always like it, a city’s got to change. And your Denver might look very different from someone else’s Denver. Award-winning cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz explores this theme in his new illustrated history of Denver, “Queen City.” He joins host Bree Davies to talk about the book and how he brought places that have closed or been demolished back to life, while paying homage to living legends. The Breakfast King, Gabor’s and Satire Lounge all make appearances in this conversation, and can be seen throughout this book’s beautiful images and colorful Denver backstory. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter and learn more about us at denver.citycast.fm. Get the tweets @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In a city that’s been grappling with affordable housing issues for years, Denver landlords seem to hold all the power. Councilperson Stacie Gilmore wants to change that dynamic, with a new proposal that would strengthen renter protections and require landlords to be more accountable for their properties. Stacie is on the show today to talk through her proposal, including her personal motivation for getting it passed. The City Council is set to discuss her rental licensing proposal tonight (and vote on it next Monday), so now is the time to find your representative and make your voice heard! Plus, City Cast Denver contributor JD Lopez attended the Save Casa Bonita rally on Saturday morning to hear more about the community effort to make sure the old pink palace sticks around. Get the rest of the story in our April 15th episode, “Inside the Fight to Save Casa Bonita.” For more on that rental in Green Valley Ranch that Councilperson Gilmore mentioned, here’s the first report about it, from CBS4 in 2019. And here’s the CBS4 follow-up about what happened to the family that lived there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here at City Cast Denver, we love podcasts. There are so many different styles and topics; each one is a window into its own world. So what better way to explore different parts of Denver than through the many podcasts made here? We invited the biggest podcast fan we know, Berry of Podcasts in Color, to recommend a good place to start. So in this first weekend bonus episode, please enjoy Berry’s #ListenLocal pick: The COnnect with Graffiti, interviewing Denver’s own Suzi Q. Smith. Subscribe to The COnnect here and follow Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When is an “immersive art experience” worth the ticket price? What makes an art installation truly transformational and not just a cool place to take selfies? From Van Gogh to Star Wars to dinosaurs, Denver has been inundated with these “immersive” experiences. Today on the show, Denver Post arts and culture reporter and critic John Wenzel stops by to talk about the wave of all-consuming, immersive art installations that have set up shop in Denver and offer some advice on how to ride that wave. Plus, our resident foodie Peyton Garcia joins Bree to talk about Cho77, Linger, and STK, her top picks for the best spots to visit during Denver Restaurant Week, which starts today and runs through May 2. And if you haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet, subscribe now and Peyton will be your inbox buddy! Get the tweets @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chicano history runs deep in Denver’s Westside, particularly in its collection of murals. Many have already been lost to time and development, but now, a proposed Historic Cultural District and a city-wide campaign to recognize more Chicano and Latino historical sites are in the works to help protect what’s left. With the guidance of mural expert and archaeologist Lucha Martínez de Luna, director of the Chicano/a Murals of Colorado Project, this new push for historic preservation is working to incorporate the cultural and historic context that anchors the La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood. Lucha is on the show today to share her personal connection with the murals and the some of that important context. The City of Denver is holding two community meetings, on April 28 and May 15, to talk about the proposed Historic Cultural District. For more information, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Derek Chauvin is guilty of murdering George Floyd. With the verdict yesterday, the country exhaled after holding its collective breath through weeks of trial and 10 hours of jury deliberations. Here in Colorado, legislators gathered to share their reactions, their grief, and their plans to advance police accountability in our state. On the show today, some of their comments, some context, and a memory from last year’s uprisings in Civic Center Park. For more on the legislation mentioned in this episode, here is Bree’s interview with State Rep. Leslie Herod from last week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy 420, Denver. Sorry you can’t celebrate with Snoop Dogg in Civic Center Park this year, but we’ve got a weed day treat for you. Ann Marie Awad, who hosts Colorado Public Radio’s "On Something," joins the show to talk about the current state of weed culture and the fight for social equity in the cannabis industry — a topic that just so happens to be the theme of On Something’s upcoming third season. The trailer just dropped today, hear that here. Let us know how you’re celebrating the second pandemic 420! Tweet us at @CityCastDenver. And subscribe to our newsletter for more Denver news here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The numbers don’t add up. According to recent polling, 38% of Coloradans are not currently planning to sign up for the vaccine. That hesitation breaks down along political lines, with Republicans far more likely to skip the vaccine or, at the very least, take a “wait and see” approach. Herd immunity will require at least 70% of a population to be vaccinated or carry antibodies, according to the CDC. So, what are we to do? Denver Post columnist Krista Kafer, who identifies as center-right on the political spectrum, is on the show today to talk about her decision to get vaccinated and how she’s talking about it with her Republican friends. You know what goes great with a daily podcast? A daily newsletter. Subscribe to ours and learn more about us at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Colorado’s music scene does big business for our economy. But since the pandemic began, live music has been silenced, with many venues shutting down temporarily or closing altogether. Venue operators large and small across the state have been working together to find ways to keep them alive and now, with COVID restrictions lifting, live concerts are coming back. But what is live music going to feel like? Chris Zacher, CEO of Levitt Pavilion Denver, has been working around the clock to make sure live music venues are equipped to return and thrive. Zacher joins the show today to explain just how much has gone into making sure Coloradans get to experience live concerts again. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Get Eric Cartman on the phone, Casa Bonita needs help. More than a year into the pandemic, the iconic Mexican restaurant slash immersive entertainment experience filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. There have been reports of community efforts to raise money to save the place, but until now it’s been unclear exactly how that might work. Andrew Novick, who’s visited Casa Bonita 300 times, and entrepreneur Danny Newman, who helped save My Brother’s Bar, have been working behind the scenes, and they’re on the show today to explain their strategy and how you can help. Novick, Newman, and company are holding a “Save Casa Bonita” rally on Saturday morning in front of the restaurant. Find details here. (Yes, Bananas the monkey may make an appearance.) And support the cause here. Did you like the segment at the end of the show today? Then you should read Sam Brasch’s story that inspired it! Additional music in this episode comes courtesy of Kevin MacLeod. We’re using it under a CC BY 3.0 license. Subscribe to our podcast and newsletter right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As the world watches the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis and protests continue over this week’s police killing of Daunte Wright in another Minnesota town, Colorado lawmakers are building on the major police accountability reform they passed last year. Democratic State Rep. Leslie Herod chats with Bree today about the new bill she’s sponsoring that would further limit the police’s ability to use lethal force in Colorado. Have strong feelings about the bill? Make your voice heard! You can find your representative and how to get in contact with them here. Hey, let’s take this relationship to the next level! Subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Governor Polis has wanted it for ages. Lawmakers at the Colorado State Assembly are crossing party lines to back it. President Biden asked Congress for enough money to fund it. And now, after years — no, decades! — of dreaming, hoping and planning for a passenger rail line running all up and down the Front Range, it finally feels like it might happen. Colorado Public Radio transportation and growth reporter Nate Minor joins the show today to get Bree up to speed on the long-awaited train line. The Polis Express, Blucifer’s Dream, The Columbine Cruiser (that’s Nate’s pick): What would you name the new Front Range passenger rail? Tweet your best answers at @citycastdenver and we’ll retweet our faves! If you like City Cast Denver: The Podcast, you’ll love City Cast Denver: The Newsletter. Subscribe and learn more at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s National Poetry Month! And what better way to understand Denver’s many diverse neighborhoods than through poetry — or at least that’s the idea behind History Colorado’s new podcast Living Denver. Bree speaks with the podcast’s director, Becca Mendoza Nunziato, and the poet featured in the first episode, Kenya “Mahogany” Fashaw, about Kenya’s Five Points, gentrification, and the lived experience of neighborhood change. You can subscribe to Living Denver wherever you get City Cast Denver. Just click right here and find your app. Living Denver is also just one part of a broader initiative from History Colorado, called Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City, which includes a new exhibit on Denver’s growth, urban development, and architecture that’s set to open on May 29. Have you seen the City Cast Denver newsletter? You’re going to love it. Subscribe and learn more at citycast.fm/denver. Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
So what exactly is Denver-style Mexican food? How do we differentiate our particular brand of Mexican food? (Hint: We’re talking green chile. On everything.) Food writer Gustavo Arellano and Westword editor and Den-Mex super fan Patty Calhoun break down where it came from, what we need to do to protect it, and what makes Den-Mex so special. Warning: Side effects of this episode may include a growling stomach and watering mouth. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earlier this year, Colorado’s cannabis industry passed a major milestone: $10 billion in revenues since legalization. But the vast majority of that money is ending up in the same old white hands. Bree speaks with Hashim Coates, executive director of Black, Brown and Red Badged, an organization founded in 2019 to speak on behalf of cannabis business owners of color. He explains why he thinks the local lawmakers working to address this issue aren’t going far enough. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Major League Baseball decided to move their All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in protest of Georgia’s restrictive new elections law, Georgia governor Brian Kemp went on Fox News to complain. He claimed there isn’t much of a difference between elections law in Colorado and Georgia, “so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.” Well, Gov. Kemp, it makes sense to us. On the show today, Bree speaks with Denver’s Clerk and Recorder Paul López, who administers elections here in Denver, about the differences between elections in the two states and how he plans to enjoy the All-Star Game in July. Plus, our sports guy Jake Shapiro is back to give us a little historical context on the MLB’s decision to take such a strong political stance. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When former 9News reporter Lori Lizarraga came to Denver, she knew it was going to be a challenge to gain the trust of sources in Black and Brown communities. What she wasn’t prepared for were the battles she would have to fight in her own newsroom to get their stories to air. After Lori’s contract was not renewed at the ratings giant, she wrote a piece in Westword last week that detailed years of discrimination and an inequitable newsroom. She joins the show today to share more of those experiences and why it’s so important for communities of color to be covered by journalists of color. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the first time in a year, sports fans were welcomed back to Denver’s stadiums and arenas this weekend. The Rockies played an opening series against the L.A. Dodgers and did…alright? The Nuggets and Avalanche continue to kick ass. But let’s talk what people are wearing. Like what’s up with those “Fire Bridich” and “Sent from my iPad” shirts we saw at Coors Field? Sports guy Jake Shapiro breaks it down and shares some construction and development gossip involving Rockies ownership. Plus, our producer Paul Karolyi tracked down the backstory behind those weird new Avalanche uniforms. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We knew Denver’s air quality was bad, but we didn’t know it was this bad. Whistleblowers within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment say the people in charge have been overriding requirements of the Clean Air Act and endangering the health of Coloradans. Bree speaks with Colorado Sun reporter Michael Booth about his reporting on the whistleblower complaint and what it means for the quality of the air we breathe. Want to monitor the air you breathe yourself? Here’s a list of recommendations for air quality apps. Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Governor Jared Polis announced that starting this Friday, all Coloradans at least 16 years old will be eligible for the vaccine. But where does that leave our disabled community members? Bree speaks with disability advocate Rosemary McDonnell-Horita about her personal struggle getting a shot, her work on Polis’s Health Equity Response Team, and the work that still needs to be done to make sure all Coloradans have access to a vaccine. Follow Rosemary on Twitter @ricearosie. The healthcare provider we found offering at-home vaccination appointments in at least some of Denver’s suburbs is called Bloom Healthcare. Subscribe to our morning newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s been three years since the first Lime scooter zipped down Denver’s streets, and the city is on its second major effort to regulate the aging scooter and bike-share fleets. This new proposal would eliminate the permit process that allowed scooters to spread as far and fast as the market allowed, replacing it with (yet another) public-private partnership and provisions designed to promote access all over the city. Host Bree Davies speaks with Jill Locantore of the Denver Streets Partnership, a coalition of advocates for people-friendly streets, about why they’re backing the new effort — for now. The City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is debating the proposed scooter regulations tomorrow, so find your council member and make your voice heard! Also on the show today, the first installment of a new segment we’re calling VOICE on the Street. It’s a partnership with Denver’s street paper, the Denver VOICE, which provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like this episode’s guest John Alexander, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to John, follow this link and add his name to the note attached to your transfer. Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver. Subscribe to our newsletter for photos of our night at Mizuna and learn more about us at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week marks the 20th anniversary of Mizuna, one of Denver’s favorite fine dining destinations and the flagship of Frank Bonanno’s restaurant empire. But earlier this year, Frank’s landlord told him they’re planning to sell the Capitol Hill building that houses Mizuna and three other Bonanno spots. We joined the 20th anniversary festivities at Mizuna earlier this week, and our host Bree Davies spoke with Frank about how he’s processing the news and thinking about the future. For more Mizuna memories, check out the restaurant’s instagram @mizuna_denver. They’ve been posting photos and reminiscing about old times all week. Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver. Subscribe to our newsletter for photos of our night at Mizuna and learn more about us at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We had a whole plan for how this week was supposed to go. But then a man with a gun shot and killed 10 people at a King Soopers in Boulder. It’s a tragic loss for the whole Front Range community, and we felt compelled to show up ahead of schedule, with a personal reflection from our host Bree Davies and a conversation with KUNC reporter Leigh Paterson. Leigh recently wrapped up a two-year project reporting on guns and gun violence in America, and she helps put the events in Boulder in a broader context.
We’ll be back with what we planned for our first episode on March 25. Don’t forget to subscribe to our daily newsletter, too. All that and more at citycast.fm/denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Go ahead and try to define Denver. Is it an oil-rich cowtown? A tech-friendly ecotopia? Or maybe it’s something entirely its own, changing before our very eyes. Post-Zaidy’s, post-El Chapultepec, post-COVID, what is Denver all about? Starting March 25, join us every weekday morning for 15 minutes to get all the Denver news you need (and want) to know. We promise to ask hard questions and refuse easy answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices