City Cast Denver (City Cast)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

Welcome to the new year in Denver! From warming up with a coffee flight to a hot tip on a discount for electric snowblowers, we’ve got some great recommendations for how to make the most out of your January in the Mile High City.  If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. For even more tips on how to make the most of January in Denver, check out our newsletter Hey Denver’s take on what to do this month.  And we’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more membership.citycast.fm about how to become a member of City Cast Denver. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here citycast.fm/advertise.  Got questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at denver@citycast.fm  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

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

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

If it seems like Denver’s skyline has been full of cranes lately, it’s not just you. The city has seen record construction of new apartment buildings over the past two years. But according to data from CoStar and the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, the average rent is either stagnant or falling slightly by $16 per month. So today we’re trying to understand what’s happening in the local rental market by talking to the landlords directly: Drew Hamrick is the general council and senior VP of government affairs for the AAMD, which means he’s the chief advocate for local landlords at the state capitol. We’re talking about why landlords aren’t dropping rents faster, the recent White House report on rent-setting algorithms, and why he thinks rents could skyrocket in the next couple years.  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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think about rent-setting algorithms? Should they be banned? We want to hear from you! 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 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

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

What’s the best way to make a change in your community? You could gather signatures and put a question on the ballot, like some animal welfare activists did last year. Or, you could put on a mask, grab a bullhorn, barge into a local restaurant, and demand they stop serving foie gras, a French delicacy made from fattened duck or goose liver. That’s exactly the tactic a new group of animal lovers have been trying, and the results are… mixed. Producer Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love are talking about these so-called “foie gras terrorists,” as well as an under-the-radar zoning change making waves on the west side of town and listener responses to our episode yesterday about Denver rents with Drew Hamrick of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. Paul quoted this video of Anthony Bourdain on foie gras, this video The Duck Alliance shared with us of their NYE action at Mizuna, and Westword’s coverage of the Duck Alliance’s previous activities in Denver.  What do you think about the foie gras protests? We want to hear from you! Is foie gras delicious? Should Denver ban it? Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm 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

What will 2025 yield for Denver? When it comes to new trends, spicy predictions, and future forecasts, there’s a lot on the horizon for the Mile High City. Will psychedelic-assisted therapy finally go mainstream? Are immersive art experiences played out? Will local politicians stop embarrassing themselves on Twitter? Host Bree Davies and producers Olivia Jewell Love and Paul Karolyi lay out what’s in — and what’s out — for Denver this year. Paul mentioned local journalist Scott Carney’s book about Wim Hof. Bree talked about Jonathan Shikes’ piece about the green-and-white license plates for The Denver Post.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What do you think is IN or OUT in Denver in 2025? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm 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 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

The National Western Stock Show is a Denver tradition — for 119 years, this event highlighting our livestock and agriculture industry has been bringing farmers, ranchers, and cowfolk from all over the country to the Mile High City each January. But once upon a time, this crucial economic and cultural legacy almost pulled up stakes and left for good. Last year, producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies spoke with some of the key players in that drama about what happened when Denver almost let a beloved piece of living history leave town forever.  How much does the stock show matter to you as a Denverite? Is there an event you never miss? Or a favorite rodeo memory? Or do you wish the stock show left town for good? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ Bree mentioned National Western Stock Show CEO Paul Andrews’ recent decision to step down after this year’s show.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm 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

The Broncos are headed to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. But do they deserve a new stadium? And should taxpayers pay for it? It’s Friday and we’re looking back at the biggest news of the week, starting with an investigative series from the Denver Post digging into the economics and politics of big stadium projects. Then, beyond Blucifer and the big blue bear, is there a third big blue creature out there? Host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval dig into these stories, plus the District 31 senate vacancy vote, a loss for the local music scene, and more highs and lows of the week. Bree talked about our interview with historian David Forsyth about Manhattan Beach and Roger the Elephant. She also mentioned Jason Heller’s memorial piece in Westword about the passing of musician Luke Fairchild and you heard from one of his many bands, Kingdom of Magic. She also discussed the Park People’s Denver Digs Trees low-cost tree program. Paul mentioned this 1998 article about Kyle Shanahan and the Broncos’ campaign for a new stadium, the Littleton rezoning situation, and Matt Ball. Justine talked about snow tires and the state budget deficit.  What is your “toxic Colorado trait”? It you’re brave enough to share, we want to hear it! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood — or stay anonymous if you really want to — and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/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

“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

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

The many esteemed lawmakers of Colorado’s 75th General Assembly returned to the Capitol last week for four months of high-stakes legislative action! So we’re looking ahead to the biggest stories to watch, fights to come, and potential triumphs of the session — plus a few predictions and inside scoops. Politics contributor Deep Singh Badhesha joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about some of the new faces, new battles, and familiar ideas we are likely to hear about this time around. From multiple housing bills to perhaps a DOGE of Colorado’s own, we’re breaking down what it all could mean for Denver.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What are you watching for from state lawmakers this year? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Denver Health 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

The mayor is in the final stages of negotiating a future for the Park Hill Golf Course, according to CBS Colorado. But would a major land swap change much for the neighbors living around this 155 acres of dead grass? Then, City Council voted on some big changes to needle exchange sites in Denver last night, but the mayor still has final say. It’s Tuesday, and Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are digging into the biggest stories of the week -- plus, they answer one listener’s question: What is with those quirky buildings around town that look like they’ve been swallowed by another structure?  Bree mentioned our coverage of the ongoing Park Hill Golf Course saga, which we summed up in this episode from January 2023.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What is your “toxic Colorado trait”? We want to hear from you! Anonymously or not, text or leave us a 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 14th episode: Denver Health 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

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

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

Boulder is currently one of three finalists to become the new home of one of the most famous and influential cultural events in the world: Sundance Film Festival. Governor Jared Polis and his allies in the legislature are reportedly hoping to lure the fest with millions in tax incentives, but film lovers up and down the Front Range are divided, and no one is sure what the impact on Boulder would really be. So Host Bree Davies is sitting down with Ali Vallarta, the host of City Cast Salt Lake and former Sundance staffer, to talk about why Sundance might leave Utah, and what it would mean for Colorado. For more on Sundance’s connections with Colorado, check out our episode with reporter Jay Bouchard on the future of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and their Sundance-affiliated film center. And don’t miss Ali’s last appearance on City Cast Denver when we hashed out SLC’s obsession with Denver. Sundance is expected to announce their decision about a possible move later this month ahead of this year’s fest. So we want to hear from you! Should Colorado be pushing this hard to lure Sundance? What do you think? Leave us a voicemail or send us a text with your name and neighborhood to 720-500-5418 Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 16th episode: Denver Health 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

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

Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis is term-limited, and the election to replace him is still 23 months away. But that didn’t stop Attorney General Phil Weiser from jumping in to the race to replace him! Just a couple weeks off his campaign announcement, Weiser returns to the show today to talk to host Bree Davies about his early-bird strategy, how he’d bring a Denverite’s perspective back to the governor’s mansion (where Polis doesn’t even live!), the latest updates on his biggest lawsuits and investigations, and his favorite flavor of La Croix. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think about Phil Weiser’s run for governor? Would you vote for him? 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 January 15th episode: Denver Health 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

Four stabbings along the 16th Street Mall last weekend left two people dead and put downtown back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Was the tragic violence just another sign of an increasingly unsafe city? Or an outlier on the path back to a vibrant, thriving downtown? Former mayoral candidate and criminal justice reform advocate Lisa Calderón joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to discuss the vibe shift downtown and all the other big stories of the week — from the mayor’s needle exchange veto to the massive news about the future of the Park Hill Golf Course.  Paul quoted from former mayor Wellington Webb's comments at the PHGC press conference, Mayor Johnston’s statement on vetoing the needle exchange proposal and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment’s 2024 report on syringe access. He also mentioned the Uber lawsuit and a “true old-school Chinese breakfast.” Bree mentioned our episode about the City of Denver’s bison herd. Lisa talked about trouble at the Denver Fire Department and our mountain parks.  We are hiring! We’re looking to hire a social media manager, so if you love Denver and get what makes a great Instagram post, we want to hear from you. Apply here: https://apply.workable.com/city-cast/j/5854FBA163/ Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What do you think about the mayor after this hard week? We want to hear from you! And especially if you have any questions you want us to ask him. Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsor of this January 17th episode: Denver Health 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 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

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

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

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

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

In the spring of 2022, baristas at the Starbucks on Rock Creek Circle in Superior became the first Colorado location to unionize. Liza Nielsen was on the front lines of that union battle as a barista and shift organizer. Fast forward to today — she’s taking the cause to the Colorado Senate where she will be testifying in favor of the Worker Protection Act. Host Bree Davies sits down with the former barista-turned-labor-activist to talk about the fight labor organizers have been itching to have with Governor Jared Polis and what a change in our unique labor laws could mean for local Starbucks employees. Bree mentioned this poll that the Colorado Chamber of Commerce commissioned earlier this month. For more data and background research on the effect of Colorado’s unique second-election system, we recommend this terrific article from Tamara Chuang and Parker Yamasaki at The Colorado Sun.  What do you think about this new labor fight? Should Colorado abolish the second election? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 21st episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST 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

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

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

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

Now that Donald Trump has been sworn back in as president, Denverites are bracing for change, especially on the issue of immigration. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the president is getting to work on his mass deportation plan, with ICE raids potentially happening in Denver as soon as this week. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about how the mayor, Denver Public Schools, and the conservative suburbs are responding. Plus, we have been getting tons of great questions and comments, so we’re responding to a few of our favorites on crime downtown, the appeal of the suburbs, and “Class Traitor Joe’s.” Bree talked about Casa de Paz. Paul recommends this explainer for the rights you should know when it comes to possible ICE raids and deportations, as well as some of the Denver Post reporting on Mayor Johnston and Douglas County, Superintendent Marrero’s letter to DPS principals, and our friends at City Cast Chicago’s take on the immigration situation. He also mentioned this breakdown of Trader Joe’s legal actions against the NLRB. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? 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 January 22nd episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST 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

As President Trump plots the end of federal subsidies for electric vehicles, Denverites are buying Teslas, Nissan Leafs, Chevy Bolts, and other EVs at record rates. Will Trump’s plans impact our state’s love affair will gas-free cars? Then, voters approved the reintroduction of gray wolves in 2020, but now that 29 wolves are ranging across our state, the program has sparked conflict between ranchers, ecology advocates, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials. Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by CPR’s climate reporter Sam Brasch to dig into these stories — plus, an exciting new play at the DCPA, a state budget fight brewing over controversial weight loss drugs, and more wins and fails of the week.  Sam mentioned his brother Jake Brasch’s new play, “The Reservoir,” the new range rider job to help with wolf reintroduction, and this discussion on wolf restoration Feb. 6. Paul talked about the Utah Hockey Club, a local setback for GLP-1 drugs, and the recent parking ticket texting scam. Bree discussed Detour’s new piece at DIA and the Colorado Rapid Response Network’s work to debunk or confirm ICE raid rumors. Make your voice heard! We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 7 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–and City Cast City swag. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What do you think about wolf reintroduction after four years of drama? The AwooOOOooo Hotline is open! Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this January 24th episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST 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

Denver lost so many restaurants to the pandemic — RIP Racines, To The Wind, Tables, Piatti, etc. — but there are great new spots popping up all the time and plenty of old favorites going strong! So we’re looking back at a killer year in Denver dining with Westword’s food editor Molly Martin, who just published her annual list of 100 restaurants we can’t live without. Is the food hall trend floundering? Do celebrity chefs have any cache left in Mile High? And what’s behind the rise of the bakery/restaurant? Molly’s got her finger on the pulse and her eyes on the menu.  Restaurants Molly specifically mentioned: El Taco de Mexico (Santa Fe.) Sam’s No. 3 (Glendale, Aurora, Downtown) Bakery Four (Tennyson St.) Bánh & Butter Bakery Cafe (East Colfax) Bourbon Grill (Uptown) Oak at Fourteenth (Boulder) Corrida (Boulder) Three Saints Revival (Downtown) The Wolf’s Tailor (Sunnyside) Blazing Chicken Shack (Park Hill) Hits the Spot (Lakewood) Poppie’s (University Hills) Mama Lolita’s (Broomfield) Stone Cellar Bistro (Arvada) Denver Central Market (RiNo) Apple Blossom (Downtown) Bodega (Valverde) Bree and Molly also discussed the ups and downs of food halls, including the recent change-up at Zeppelin Station, and the latest celebrity chef to open a new spot in Denver, Ludo Lefebvre.  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

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

Sometimes it feels like the local restaurant scene runs on hype. Just yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for their prestigious 2025 awards, including a bunch of local favorites. But especially as inflation pushes up the cost of going out to eat, do any of those accolades matter to eaters? Writer and former fine-dining server Jake Browne wrote a biting critique of one local awards favorite and the whole hype machine, and he joined host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to discuss it on the show last summer — just a few days before the Michelin Guide re-upped BRUTØ’s star. Bree mentioned the James Beard Foundation’s announcement yesterday of the semifinalists for their 2025 awards. Paul mentioned this great article from The New York Times about how the Michelin Guide’s business model has changed and why Michelin came to Colorado in the first place.  Make your voice heard! We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it’s only 7 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–and City Cast Denver swag. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What do you think is Denver’s most overhyped restaurant? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 23rd episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST 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

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

As the Mile High deals with high rental and housing costs, an increasing number of Denverites are finding creative and innovative ways to live here affordably. Recently, the Boulder Housing Coalition purchased a historic mansion in Capitol Hill with plans to convert what was once a single-family home into a collaborative living space for up to 22 people. Host Bree Davies recently toured the elegant residence with realtor and co-buying expert Sarah Wells to learn more about how this type of housing creates not only an affordable option for city living, but a new way to think about what it means to share a home. Are you interested in living at The People’s Mansion? The Boulder Housing Coalition is accepting interest forms now. Sarah is also hosting a free online class on February 11 for folks interested in learning more about co-buying. Bree mentioned X Denver. Don’t miss our episode breaking down all the latest drama from their corporate communal living experiment.  Have you ever tried group living? Would you recommend it? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ Make your voice heard! We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 7 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–and City Cast City swag. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 24th episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Denver Art Museum presents Untitled: Artist Takeover Clear Peak Fertility 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 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

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

It’s been three years since more than 8,000 grocery workers went on strike across the Denver metro area, but the contract they ultimately won has already expired! Negotiations on a follow-up are at a standstill, so will we see another King Soopers strike? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are previewing the strike authorization vote King Soopers workers are set for later this week and breaking down all the other big stories of the week, from the big Tren de Aragua raid to the reports of a “historic” drop in the average Denver rent. Plus, we respond to a listener question about the word “community.” Check out our coverage of the previous King Soopers strike in 2022 where we heard from striking workers as well as UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova. Bree mentioned the Rocky Mountain DEA’s X account. Paul talked about his interview with Drew Hamrick of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. We looked up pink cocaine after we recorded, if you’re also curious what it is.  What do you think about a possible King Soopers strike? Would it change your grocery shopping habits? We NEED to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 7 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–and City Cast City swag. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this January 28th episode: Denver Art Museum presents Untitled: Artist Takeover Clear Peak Fertility 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

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

Amid last year’s national hysteria over Tren de Aragua — the Venezuelan gang that had allegedly “taken over” several apartment buildings in the Denver metro — then-presidential candidate Donald Trump came to Colorado to announce his plans for a massive crackdown on immigration, dubbed “Operation Aurora.” Now that Trump is in office, social media is rife with stories of ICE raids, security breaches, and people being detained — so how can you tell what’s fact and what’s fiction? Host Bree Davies sits down with Westword staff writer Bennito Kelty, who has been covering the immigration issue in his hometown of Aurora, to discuss the actual impacts of a second Trump presidency and if any of the rumors are true. Bree mentioned Bennito’s deep dive on GEO Group, the for-profit prison company running the Aurora ICE facility. She also mentioned Congress’s request for Mayor Johnston to come and testify on Denver’s sanctuary city policies in February. For more, the Colorado Sun recently reported that Trump’s Department of Justice recently ordered several local non-profits to stop their work, which will leave many people in the ICE facility in Aurora and at the immigration courts in Denver without access to legal representation.  We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 7 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–and City Cast Denver swag. Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. 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 Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? 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 January 29th episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Denver Art Musseum Clear Peak Fertility 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

“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

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

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it doesn’t have to be any less awesome. Survive the winter doldrums with our monthly guide to Denver! In this episode, we’ve got expert tips and recommendations that you won’t hear anywhere else, from a suburban pretzel shop with unforgettable architecture to a brand new short film on Max created by Denverites and shot right here in Denver. If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. For even more tips on how to make the most of February in Denver, check out our newsletter Hey Denver’s take on what to do this month.  City Cast Denver is made possible by our awesome sponsors, like the Denver Art Museum and Clear Peak Fertility. And we’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more membership.citycast.fm about how to become a member of City Cast Denver. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here citycast.fm/advertise.  Got questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at denver@citycast.fm  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

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: @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

Mayor Johnston released his big, new goals for 2025 this week, but is he going to have any time to work on them when the Trump administration is focusing so much of its new immigration crackdown on the Denver metro? Denver7 reporter Brandon Richard joins producer Paul Karolyi and stand-up comic Joshua Emerson to talk about what he learned at Johnston’s press conference yesterday, and break down all the rumors swirling about impending ICE raids coming to Aurora and surrounding areas. Plus, our wins and fails of the week.  Paul mentioned the contract King Soopers negotiated with the UFCW Local 7 in 2022. Denver7 also shared the company’s most recent offer to the union, as of Jan. 2, 2025. Paul also talked about Manny Rutinel’s congressional campaign and the swastika situation on East Colfax. Joshua talked the federal spending freeze and the reddit saga of ‘sleepytawni.’ Brandon talked about his interview with Debra Johnson and Colorado’s decrease in traffic fatalities.  Get your tickets to HEYDAY now! We’re putting on an indoor fair with urban flair, like a classic county fair but with a very cool Denver twist. Join us on March 8 for classic carnival games, vintage arcade games, Denver-themed balloon art, and a full day of grandstand entertainment, featuring some of your favorite guests from the podcast. It’s family friendly, too, if you wanna bring your kids. Get those tickets now at www.heydaydenver.com. What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with 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 at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this January 31st episode: Denver Art Museum Clear Peak Fertility 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 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_Anniversary Looking for more Denver news you can use? Sign up for our daily newsletter, Hey Denver, by texting “Denver” to 66866 You can also 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 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 another Friday news roundup! This week, podcaster and cannabis expert Ann Marie Awad joins producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to dig through local stories big and small. First, the crew discusses the recent controversy around the Colorado Healing Fund and talk about “solidarity not charity” models of giving, like mutual aid networks. Then, Paul, Ann Marie, and Bree dig into a highly controversial listener question about parking in central Denver. Finally, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia pulls up to the table to bring us her top four picks for the Official City Cast Denver Maybe For Your Weekend!  Bree mentioned the recent RTD customer satisfaction survey results.  Ann Marie and Bree mentioned several mutual aid networks, support programs, and food access organizations in the metro area: Denver Community Fridges Rocky Mountain Mutual Aid Network Denver Food Rescue Snow Angels - snow removal And here’s the piece Bree wrote about how mutual aid works Folks looking for an alternative to the Colorado Healing Fund can support Club Q survivors through this GoFundMe, set up by Good Judy Garage. Here are the events Peyton proposed for our Official Maybe For Your Weekend: Festival de Tamale y Atole - Westwood (who is definitely NOT paying Peyton ;) ) Ugly sweater contest at Park Meadows Mall Xmas movie night - Grounds for Dismissal Coffee + s’mores board - Aurora 37th Annual Children’s Hospital Toy Drive - Aurora Sports Park Find even more cool events every week - subscribe to our newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866. For updates from on the construction at the Central Library, check here: https://www.denverlibrary.org/central-library-bond-updates. 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

The cost of groceries is too damn high! And it could be going even higher, based on the reporting from our guest for this week’s news round-up. Denver Post reporter Megan Ulu-lani Boyanton joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s look into the local impacts of the proposed $25 billion Albertson’s/Kroger merger, the old law driving up the price of eggs, Dairy Queen, and more. Plus, Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins us to pick our Official Maybe For Your Weekend, because as usual, she’s got lots of great ideas for cool stuff happening across the city in today’s Hey Denver newsletter.  Here are Megan’s stories on Kroger/Albertson’s and AG Weiser, and the new regulations on eggs. Here are the stories we thought went overlooked this week: Megan - “From heart disease to IUDs: How doctors dismiss women’s pain” Bree -”Certain Denver Parks Warn Adults Without Children to Stay Away” Paul - “Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Blast of 192 Lasers” 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 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

Programming Note: We’re taking some time off around the new year. We’ll be back with new episodes starting on January 3. All this week, Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi counted down Denver’s top five stories of 2022. Today, we’re revealing #1, what should be done about downtown? 5. Hockeytown, USA 4. Tipping Fatigue 3. The Rise of Worker Power 2. Legal Reefer Madness 1. The Downtown Dilemma This episode originally aired on April 1, 2022, and features Bree, Paul, former producer Xandra McMahon, and Denverite reporter Kyle Harris. 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

Weed. It’s been legal for 10 years, and it feels more fraught than ever. All this week on City Cast Denver, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are counting down 2022’s top five stories in Denver. Today, #2, how had legal weed changed Denver? And how has it remained the same? 5. Hockeytown, USA 4. Tipping Fatigue 3. The Rise of Worker Power 2. Legal Reefer Madness 1. ??? Continue listening to the 1800 S Broadway Saga! Part Two Talkback We also mentioned this episode where we visited Tetra Lounge, Denver’s first-ever, smoke-friendly public weed consumption site. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 If there’s still 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

An astounding 85% of all pizza cheese is supplied by the Denver-based company Leprino Foods, which is controlled by one man, the reclusive billionaire James “Jim” Leprino. But that’s pretty much all we knew about Leprino until recently, when his nieces took him to court and forced the family’s billion-dollar succession drama into the public record. Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with reporter Helen Xu (also known as Helen X), who was in the courtroom for Westword, to share previously unknown details about how Leprino cornered the mozzarella market, his humble origins in his father’s Northside Italian market, and the inner workings of one of Denver’s most fascinating and secretive companies.  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 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 after Lakewood baker Jack Phillips refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding, a similar case went before the Supreme Court this week — yet again involving a Denver-area professional refusing to serve same-sex couples. But the make-up of the court is very different, and the outcome is anyone’s guess. CPR’s justice reporter Allison Sherry was in Washington this week to hear oral arguments, and she’s on today with host Bree Davies to break down the case — what’s at stake for our civil rights laws and why Coloradans keep bringing this type of case.  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

In a highly controversial vote two years ago, Coloradans narrowly approved a proposal to reintroduce wolves to the state. But a breakdown of the vote revealed the more complicated challenge ahead: urban voters, who may not have direct interactions with the wolves, overwhelmingly said yes, while rural voters — like ranchers, who have concerns about livestock safety — tended to skew against the measure. So how is this actually going to work? Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a draft of their plan to reintroduce wolves last week, and today CPR reporter Sam Brasch joins host Bree Davies to talk about the vote, the plan, and why scientists think it’s a good idea to bring these deadly predators back to Colorado. 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 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

Tonight marks the fourth night of Hanukkah, and it’s time to settle the age-old question: who makes the best latke in Denver? Two brave home chefs stepped up to challenge three local Jewish restaurant institutions — Zaidy’s, Rosenberg’s, and Safta — at the Jewish Community Center’s first annual best latke competition earlier this week. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi were on hand to eat too many latkes and vote alongside the community to see who would take home the coveted golden latke and reign supreme as the latke champion of Denver. The JCC is hosting candle-lightings and other free events to celebrate Hanukkah. Learn more at jccdenver.org. Bree mentioned an opportunity to make $25/hour to help migrants arriving in Denver in need of support during the upcoming cold.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 Additional music in the episode was performed at the event by Carly Coons, assistant director of Jewish Explorers, a program of JEWISHcolorado. 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

2022, what a year, am I right? Lots of ups, lots of downs. And we made it. All this week on City Cast Denver, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are counting down 2022’s top five stories in Denver. Today, #3, grocery workers, baristas, gig workers, cannabis growers, public employees, etc. etc. etc. 5. Hockeytown, USA 4. Tipping Fatigue 3. The Rise of Worker Power 2. ??? 1. ??? This episode originally aired on January 14, 2022. Other workers’ rights stories we’ve done: Why Are King Soopers Workers Going on Strike? ‘I Walk In Everyday Expecting To Be Fired’: Inside The Starbucks Union Effort She Says Amazon Fired Her For Speaking Out. Now She’s Fighting Back For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 Follow us while there’s still 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