City Cast Denver

In the summer of 2020, the mayor’s office joined forces with Colorado Village Collaborative to launch the Safe Outdoor Space program as an emergency measure to help address Denver’s crisis of homelessness. Safe Outdoor Spaces, or SOS sites, have since provided warmth, shelter, food, restrooms, trash service, and more to more than 240 unhoused Denverites. Still, many people were against the sanctioned campsites and fought hard to keep them out of their neighborhoods. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Cuica Montoya, SOS Program Director for the Colorado Village Collaborative, and Ian Stitt, an SOS Site Manager liaison for the St. Francis Center. They discuss how these spaces create community for our unhoused neighbors, how the SOS program convinced the haters, and how they attracted another $3.9 million in city funding this year. Learn more and support the Colorado Village Collaborative’s Safe Outdoor Space program here. Check out previous City Cast Denver episodes from 2021 about the Safe Outdoor Space program from the perspective of an SOS resident, and learn about the battle one local church that fought to bring the program to its neighborhood. Did you know Quiznos is from Denver? The first location ever opened on 13th Avenue in 1981, and it looks…. like every other Quiznos. But the chain has gone through A LOT since then, and Peyton’s got the whole story for you in our newsletter today. Read and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hey, we’re on Twitter! @citycastdenver

It’s the transportation quagmire of a generation: the RTD train to Boulder that never arrived. CPR transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor would even go so far as calling it a “Ghost Train.” For this week’s Friday chat, he joins City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to discuss his podcast series Ghost Train and what he learned about Denver’s relationship to transit. Oh, and what really happened with that Denver to Boulder train. Listen to all four parts of Ghost Train right here: https://www.cpr.org/podcast/ghost-train/ Nathaniel also wrote up a piece about some of his reporting for Denverite: https://denverite.com/2022/02/22/why-dont-rtds-trains-go-into-denvers-neighborhoods/ And here’s the Streetsblog piece by David Sachs that Paul mentions: https://denver.streetsblog.org/2022/01/31/commentary-in-streetsblog-denvers-absence-local-news-has-a-responsibility-to-get-out-from-behind-the-windshield/ Looking for things to do this weekend? The CCD newsletter does a weekly events roundup every Friday. Find that and subscribe to the newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Give us all of your transit hot takes on Twitter. Follow us @citycastdenver Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Last May, we brought you the story of Shawn and Ben Johnson, a Sunnyside couple who wanted to build an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, in their backyard so Shawn’s disabled mom could live close. The Johnsons were stymied by an obscure body called the Board of Adjustment for Zoning Appeals (BOA), which is in charge of approving any exceptions to the zoning code and which the Johnsons came to see as discriminatory. Now, after a year throwing themselves against the bureaucracy, the Johnsons have helped to make a change: Denver City Council recently voted to reform the BOA. So we called up Kathryn White, the Denver North Star reporter who alerted us to the Johnsons’ situation in the first place, to unpack the reform and its possible citywide impacts. Plus, we checked in with the Johnsons to hear if this means they can finally build their ADU. For the full backstory, here’s a link to our first episode with the Johnsons (May 19, 2021): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-cant-this-denver-couple-build-adu-for-their-disabled/id1557798162?i=1000522342311 Here’s a link to Kathryn White’s first story laying out their case (May 14, 2021): https://www.denvernorthstar.com/north-denver-couple-denied-zoning-variance-to-house-disabled-mom-subjectivity-and-bias-on-denvers-board-of-adjustment-for-zoning-enters-public-spotlight/ And here’s her latest, a report on the recent reform of the BOA (February 15, 2022), which has since passed: https://www.denvernorthstar.com/city-council-moves-to-bring-zoning-departments-board-of-adjustment-into-modern-era/ Looking for somewhere good to eat this weekend? Peyton’s got a roundup of all the latest food news and other delicious tidbits in our newsletter today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ What do you think about the BOA reform? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver

You know that spot on I-70 on the way into the mountains? That spot where it goes from three lanes to two, and there’s always traffic? Well, it’s called Floyd Hill, and last week the Colorado Department of Transportation kicked off a new $700 million effort to fix it. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was even in town to celebrate the occasion! But is their plan really going to address the root of the problem? Host Bree Davies talks to Colorado Sun environment reporter Michael Booth about why our elected leaders are so eager to cheer on the project and how CDOT is planning to mitigate the climate impact. For more on the Floyd Hill project, check out Michael Booth’s full report for the Colorado Sun, including the impact this project will have on the people who live in the area. Imaging getting on I-70 and sitting in an hour of traffic just to pick up groceries! They’re finally demolishing the old Ramada Inn on East Colfax, so Bree is sharing stories and reminiscing in the newsletter today. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ What do you think about adding an extra lane to I-70 at Floyd Hill? Let us know @citycastdenver

Search for the “best” schools in the Denver metro area, and you’re going to find your way to the Cherry Creek School District. They’ve got 67 schools in and around Greenwood Village, Glendale, and Cherry Hills Village that consistently rank among the best in the state, academically. But one former administrator and several current and former employees say that A+ reputation is obscuring a toxic culture of discrimination, racism, and sexual misconduct. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Denver Gazette reporter David Migoya about his investigation into the school district’s alleged issues, including a look into a Title IX investigation launched last summer by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Read David Migoya’s full investigative reporting on the school district for the Denver Gazette here. Newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a round-up of all five film festivals happening across Colorado this week. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Lots of people move to Colorado to enjoy our mountains and sunshine, and that means that Denverites tend to be outdoorsy and relatively fit. But for Andrea Parés — a self-proclaimed fat-positive yoga teacher — growing up here meant she never felt welcome in aerobics classes, Zumba sessions, or a simple yoga flow with friends. That all changed a few years ago when Parés found a yoga workshop for people with bigger bodies like hers. Today, Parés joins Host Bree Davies to talk about why it’s important for bigger bodies to have dedicated spaces for fitness, what it means to identify as “fat” in Colorado, and how she unlocked the pent-up demand for her new, monthly Yoga for Bigger Bodies class. Follow Parés’ yoga pursuits and get updates on her latest yoga classes via @AndreaParesYoga on Instagram. You can also check out her class and other offerings at Courageous Yoga. Today, City Cast Denver newsletter writer Peyton Garcia shares a “moment of joy” for your Monday. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Have a favorite teacher or place you do yoga? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Earlier this month, Texan transplants in Colorado were hit with some life-changing news: We’re getting a Buc-ees. So what's the deal with this legendary convenience store? Why does it hold such a special place in Texans’ hearts? And should the rest of us be excited, too? When newsletter writer Peyton Garcia heard the news about a Buc-ees opening near Johnstown, she had questions about this cult-favorite convenience store with the allegedly award-winning bathrooms, so she checked in with our colleagues at City Cast Houston, where host Lisa Gray and producers Ferrill Gibbs and Dina Kesbeh were happy to oblige. Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Houston (Original airdate: 2/11/22) and tell your Texan friends to subscribe! They’ve got a podcast and Lisa writes their daily newsletter, too. For more on what and where to expect the new Colorado-based Buc-ees, here’s a write-up from 303 Magazine: https://303magazine.com/2022/02/buc-ees-announces-first-colorado-location-to-open-by-2024/

No, it’s not deja vu. The Supreme Court is going to hear yet another LGBTQ+ discrimination case out of Colorado. But aren’t we supposed to be on the vanguard of LGBTQ rights? Producer Xandra McMahon and host Bree Davies are joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun to chat through this new case involving a wedding website maker’s Christian views, the legacy of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, and the evolution of the LGBTQ community in Denver. Plus, nine Democrats are running to replace Lauren Boebert in Congress, and we’re talking about the “shitstorm” brewing on the Western Slope. The Democrats running for Boebert’s district, CD-3, will be in conversation with each other for the first time on Saturday. You can watch the virtual forum starting at 4 p.m. Local musician Sedrick Avenue is featured in today’s show. Check out his latest release, 39, on Bandcamp. In the CCD newsletter today, producer Lizzie Goldsmith has got her monthly rundown of all the best live theater happening in Denver. Get it here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hang out with us on Twitter? @citycastdenver

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been dominating the news over the last 48 hours, impacting Ukrainians at home and all over the world. Denver is no exception. The city’s Ukrainian community and allies gathered on the steps of the state capitol this afternoon and City Cast Denver producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon were there to document the scene. UPDATE: Since this episode was originally published, we decided to remove a short excerpt from the very end. It featured clips from a brief exchange Paul had with a protester holding a sign featuring Russian president Putin with a mustache that looked like Hitler’s mustache. We removed the excerpt for a couple of reasons. One, the protester did not agree to our offer to explain the sign. Two, we neglected to add sufficient context to the exchange. So it was confusing and, we feel, not representative of the event we were intending to document.

A frothy mix of supply chain issues has set two longtime collaborators on a collision course: Westminster’s aluminum can giant, Ball Corporation, and the local brewers who like to sell their beer in cans. Ball’s always been good to small craft breweries, but the past two years have put the company in an impossible predicament. So what does this mean for your favorite neighborhood brewery? Will you still be able to buy their beer in a store? Will a 6-pack cost you an arm and a leg if you do? City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Denver Business Journal beer reporter Ed Sealover to talk through the whole story. For more of Sealover’s reporting on the Ball Corp./craft brewing situation, click here. After the interview, we asked Sealover for a local beer rec, and he did not disappoint. You can read all about it in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ What do you think about those plastic wraps and stickers on craft beer cans? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver

When Parker McMullen Bushman and her business partner, Crystal Egli, founded Inclusive Journeys, they were on a mission to bring the idea of the Green Book into the 21st century. While they found enthusiastic support for their idea of an internet-based inclusive spaces travel guide, the financial backing other tech companies seemed to attract wasn’t as easy to come by. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with McMullen Bushman about the struggles and triumphs Inclusive Journeys has experienced as a tech company founded and operated by Black women in Colorado. Learn more about Inclusive Journeys and how to support the project on their GoFundMe page. Sign up for our newsletter, where today producer Paul Karolyi unpacks Police Chief Paul Pazen’s response to our previous reporting on the recent spike in vehicle thefts across Colorado https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

The overdose deaths of five people in Commerce City over the weekend were a harsh reminder that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is wreaking havoc in our communities, and has been for some time. Fentanyl’s growing presence in Denver’s drug supply the last few years directly correlates to alarming spikes in overdoses. According to the Denver Post, “An average of two Coloradans died of fentanyl overdoses every day in the first nine months of 2021, state data shows.” Back in December, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said enough is enough and announced steps to tackle the crisis alongside state lawmakers. Today, he joins City Cast Denver host Bree Davies to talk through those plans and consider the question: Is this just an extension of the war on drugs? Or could it be a turning point for harm reduction and destigmatization? In the interview, the attorney general mentioned a New York Times story about the opioid crisis. Here’s a link to that: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/briefing/opioids-drug-overdose-death-toll.html If you or someone you know needs access to fentanyl testing strips, just fill out this form and Denver will ship them to you for free: https://us.openforms.com/Form/0b3ab074-c139-481b-9912-331b3c9b147b Did you know you can earn free City Cast Denver swag? All you have to do is refer a friend to subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. Learn more and refer now, right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/?email=%2A%7CHTML%3AEMAIL%7C%2A&autoDetect=1 Stay in touch on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Denver has a unique relationship with the Olympics, that's for sure. But our friends on the other side of the Rockies have been grappling with the Games lately, too. Utahns are currently discussing a bid for the 2030 Olympics, so City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta invited CCD host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to hash it out. We had a ton of fun recording this and there are a bunch of interesting parallels between Denver and Salt Lake when it comes to the Olympics, so we wanted to share the episode with you! Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Salt Lake (Original airdate: 2/17/22) and tell your friends in Utah to subscribe! They’ve got a daily newsletter, too.

It’s time for another City Cast Denver food fight! This time, the crew chows down on fried chicken, and tries to determine who does it best. Today on the show, producer Xandra McMahon is joined by host Bree Davies, newsletter writer Peyton Garcia, and special guest Keith Garcia, artistic director of the Sie FilmCenter, for an epic poultry battle. After narrowing it down to four top fried chicken spots in the city, the team mulls over flavor profiles, grease level, crispy-ness, seasoning ratio, and more — all in full ASMR-detail. Tune in to find out if your favorite bone-in, crispy fried chicken joints made the cut! If this episode left you hungry to learn more about the Welton St. Cafe, here’s the episode we recorded with Chereka Dickerson there a few weeks ago: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rdkWgdzdsL3FwtwM289Dc Looking for cool stuff to do this weekend? Check out Peyton’s Friday event round-up in our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Serve up your own fried chicken hot takes directly to us via Twitter: @citycastdenver

“As we are all keenly aware, our community is experiencing a disturbing rise in crime,” said Mayor Michael Hancock on February 3, as he stood alongside Police Chief Paul Pazen to unveil their new plan for public safety. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Pazen to break down the plan. They discuss the role Pazen sees for harm reduction at Union Station, the logic behind DPD’s “hot spot” approach to stemming gun violence, and the human impact of the surprising recent spike in vehicle theft. We did not walk into this interview with Pazen expecting to talk about vehicle thefts, but it’s clearly top of his mind. So in our newsletter today, Producer Paul Karolyi dug into the recent spike, including the one piece of legislation Pazen said is to blame: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ If you’re a Twitter person, follow us! We love to tweet @citycastdenver

The pandemic has created a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to tackle Colorado’s housing crisis. At least, that’s according to our guest today, State Senator Julie Gonzales. She’s been leading a task force of state lawmakers to figure out how best to spend $550 million in federal pandemic relief to help get our housing market back under control. But this is a big, multi-faceted problem with tons of moving pieces and strong feelings. And isn’t housing normally a local issue? City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sat down with Gonzales to hear what her task force is recommending, why now is the time for a statewide approach to what has traditionally been a local issue, and how this unique moment has led to some surprising bipartisanship. Find the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force’s whole report of recommendations here: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/affordable_housing_report_final.pdf Subscribe to the CCD newsletter for more Denver news fresh every weekday in your inbox: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Show us some love on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Before comedian Josh Blue was headlining world tours and making Simon Cowell bust a gut on America’s Got Talent, he was living in Cap Hill spending every night at Denver’s legendary club — Comedy Works. It was there that he got to rub elbows with some of his heroes, and work on routines that would launch him into comedy stardom. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chatted with Josh about his recent America’s Got Talent run, how his cerebral palsy has shaped his comedy, and why he thinks Denver is one of the best cities for this industry. More Denver happenings are just a few clicks away. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Follow us on Twitter! @citycastdenver

Whether you’re spending the day in love with love or grumpy with the greeting card companies, this Valentine’s Day special episode is for you. Because we asked you for your best Denver love stories — tales about that special someone, place, or pet — and we were bowled over by all the good Denver-y vibes you shared. So join Host Bree Davies as she listens and reacts to a few of your Denver love stories. And don’t miss today’s CCD newsletter! We’ve got EVEN MORE of your Denver love stories there to share: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Which Denver love story was your favorite? We’ll tell you ours if you tell us yours on Twitter. We’re @citycastdenver.

Even with Omicron slowly waning, Denverites are still not going downtown at a rate anywhere close to pre-pandemic levels. The lack of hustle and bustle has led the City of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership to propose yet another plan to “reactivate” the 16th St. Mall: rent-free pop-up shops to fill all the empty storefronts. Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi speculate on the future of downtown with Westword editor Patty Calhoun. Then, Colorado’s own skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin shocked the world this week at the Beijing Olympics, prompting another round of the age-old debate: Should Denver make a bid to host the Winter Games? For more on Denver’s unique relationship with the Olympics, check out our two-parter from last summer: The Case For A Denver Olympics (with Downtown Denver Partnership board chair Robert Cohen) The Case Against A Denver Olympics (with former Colorado governor Dick Lamm) Paul mentioned that even elephants are getting into yoga in Denver now. Here’s a gallery of photos courtesy of The Denver Gazette: https://denvergazette.com/multimedia/elephant-yoga-at-the-denver-zoo/collection_52340c18-888e-11ec-9d91-874d09fbd4e4.html It’s your last chance to submit a Denver love story before Valentine’s Day on Monday! Email yours to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail: (720) 500-5418. If you don’t have plans yet, we’ve got a round-up of Valentine’s Day events in our newsletter today. You can read that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ What do you think about Denver hosting the Olympics? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver.

The King Soopers strike last month showed Coloradans what organized labor can accomplish to improve working conditions… but what about public workers, who don’t currently have the right to collective bargaining under state law? That’s where the Communication Workers of America (CWA) 7799 comes in. They’re a coalition of workers at Denver Public Library, the University of Colorado, Denver Health and UC Health who are working with state lawmakers to beef up Colorado’s labor laws and, they say, strengthen our public institutions in the process. Adjunct professor Alex Wolf-Root and library worker Liana Kiddy-Gan join host Bree Davies to talk about why collective bargaining is so important for public workers like themselves. To find out more about CWA 7799 and ways to get involved in the fight for collective bargaining rights, visit their website: www.cwa7799.org Wolf-Root mentioned that collective bargaining tends to help close race and gender gaps in the workplace. A true academic, he passed along a few links to relevant research after the interview: “How today’s unions help working people” and “The Union Advantage for Women.” Colorado House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar explains her support for their campaign in this editorial for The Gazette: https://gazette.com/denver-gazette/we-owe-public-employees-collective-bargaining And here’s your reminder to send us your Denver love stories by this weekend, for inclusion in our special Valentine’s Day episode! Leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, or email us at [email protected] Get your Denver food news fix in today’s newsletter! You can read it and sign up at https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And join the conversation on Twitter! @citycastdenver

There are so many people experiencing homelessness in Denver. And in some ways, Colorado’s problem is bigger than any other state’s — according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study, Colorado’s “chronically sheltered” population has grown more than 250% in the last 14 years. Recently, two 9News reporters discovered that this uptick in folks looking for shelter has led them to places they’ve not typically gone before — like the airport. Jeremy Jojola and Zack Newman are back on the show to discuss their latest investigation into why arrests have tripled at the airport in the last few years, and how it’s all connected to Denver’s greater housing crisis. Definitely check out Jeremy and Zack’s original report: https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/homeless-crisis-denver-airport/73-096826a3-658f-4036-a3d3-83bba7fda134 And keep sending us your Denver love stories! Call us at 720-500-5418, or send us an email at [email protected], and tell us about that special person, place, or pet. For more Denver news fresh in your inbox every weekday morning, subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver

One day in 1925, Kate Slaughterback and her adopted son Ernie were riding horses near Hudson, Colorado, when they were beset by rattlesnakes. Being no ordinary frontierswoman, Kate shot and clubbed 140 of them to death, earning her the nickname Rattlesnake Kate. Nearly 100 years later, another extraordinary Colorado woman stumbled across a dress made entirely out of rattlesnake skins and found herself beset by inspiration. A former member of The Lumineers, Neyla Pekarek wrote and recorded her first solo album based on Kate’s story a few years ago, and now, with help from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, she’s adapted it into a full-blown musical. Host Bree Davies sits down with Pekarek to talk about what she saw in the little-known story of Rattlesnake Kate and why she deserves her place in the history of the Old West. “Rattlesnake Kate” is in previews this week ahead of the big opening this Friday. You can learn more about it and find tickets here: https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/rattlesnake-kate/ Plus, after hearing about the upheaval in the Douglas County School District yesterday, we checked in with parents Nara Altmann and Ishmeet Kalra. They helped create DougCo Schools’ equity policy in 2020, which the new conservative board majority has been dismantling alongside their efforts to oust former superintendent Corey Wise and cancel mask mandates. Catch our episode with Altmann and Kalra from last August about the equity policy here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ksJbnJksbUQdvIyVBjcK1 At the end of last week, Mayor Michael Hancock announced a series of new public safety programs and policies. Peyton’s got a full rundown in today’s newsletter, which you can read and subscribe to right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Are you excited to see Rattlesnake Kate: The Musical? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver

In a private (and allegedly illegal) meeting last week, two conservative members of the Douglas County School Board issued Superintendent Cory Wise an ultimatum: resign or be fired. It was the latest in months of drama between students, teachers, parents, administration, and the newly elected, now-majority conservative board. Colorado Newsline reporter Chase Woodruff was on the ground in Castle Rock when thousands of protesters were gathering outside district offices last week, and he joins host Bree Davies to explain what’s been happening in DougCo’s contentious school district and why it all went off the rails at Friday night’s impromptu board meeting. You can read Woodruff’s latest piece on the situation in DougCo, which was published before Wise’s firing, here: https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/02/04/protest-douglas-county-school-board-oust-superintendent/ Check out our daily newsletter for an even deeper dive on the DougCo drama: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

The Denver Broncos — what a week. From news of the team officially being put up for sale to a lawsuit alleging John Elway was a hungover slob in a past head coach interview, we’re here to talk about this mess of a football team. Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by City Cast Denver contributor Jake Shapiro and Westword editor Patty Calhoun to talk about what this means for the future of the Broncos, and if Denver could ever accept Aaron Rodgers as the city’s next football darling. In the second half of this Friday Chat, producer Xandra McMahon, host Bree Davies, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia share their Denver love stories… and we want to hear YOUR Denver love stories, too! Whether it’s about a special person, a pet, or a place — what’s happened in Denver that makes you feel those warm fuzzies? You can leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, send us a text, or email us at [email protected]. And stay tuned for something sweet in time for Valentine’s Day! Head on over to our newsletter for your Friday event roundup! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And while you're at it, follow us on Twitter! @CityCastDenver

Billions of people all over the world celebrated the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, including here in Denver, where Mimi Luong’s family has made it their mission to share the holiday with everyone. Her grandparents, her dad, and her uncles all fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975. When they arrived in Denver, they had nothing. But Mimi’s family worked hard to build a piece of home here and that dream eventually led to the Far East Center — a shopping plaza in Southwest Denver that celebrates Asian culture and heritage. This weekend, the Far East Center will host Lunar New Year festivities after taking a year off because of the pandemic. For more details on the events visit: https://littlesaigondenver.com/ Newsletter writer Peyton Garcia has a robust roundup of other Lunar New Year events happening in Denver. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ We would absolutely love it if you shared photos from any Lunar New Year fun happening in your area this weekend. Tweet us @citycastdenver And be sure to share your Denver love stories with us! Whether it’s about a person, a pet, or a place — what’s happened in Denver that makes you feel those warm fuzzy butterflies? Leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418, and stay tuned for a something sweet, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Earlier this week, Mayor Hancock announced that he was letting Denver’s indoor mask mandate expire on Thursday. This means the days of mask requirements and proofs of vaccination will soon be a thing of the past. Though he cited waning numbers of Omicron cases and hospitalizations, the mayor also stated that we’re still dealing with an ongoing “public health emergency.” Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with Dr. Jonathan Samet — a pulmonary physician, epidemiologist, and dean of the Colorado School of Public Health — about where we are with the Omicron variant and if this latest lifting of the mask mandate means we’re in the clear. Producer Paul Karolyi caught mushroom fever and went down a rabbit hole of local wildfire science, ecology, and mycology. You can learn all about it in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, which you can read and sign up for here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ We love Twitter! Find us there: @CityCastDenver

There is a special place in Denver with all the best old junk: shelves of antique tools, a ratty old flightsuit, bright yellow bombs hanging from the ceiling (decommissioned, we hope), and all sorts of hidden nooks and crannies filled with dusty treasures of yesteryear. Surplus Tools & Commodities now bills itself as a “unique shopping experience,” but long before all the artists and scavengers discovered its secrets, Roger Cox’s grandfather opened the shop in 1947 selling government surplus. Host Bree Davies lives a few blocks away, so when she saw Roger’s note that the shop is closing later this year, she invited her friend, artist Lauri Lynnx Murphy — who has been making art out of Surplus’s goods for decades — for one last spin through the aisles. Wanna see photos of the treasure we found on our visit to Surplus Tools & Commodities? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Share the weirdest thing you’ve purchased at Surplus Tools with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

If you’ve visited Denver’s Downtown Aquarium recently, you probably noticed something fishy. According to numerous current and former employees, the current owners have allowed the place to deteriorate, with issues ranging from paint chips in the stingray pool to piles of expired food for sale to not-so-subtle anti-mask messaging. So Host Bree Davies sat down with Westword reporter Catie Cheshire to talk about her recent investigation, including her undercover trip to the aquarium’s restaurant. They discuss the aquarium’s unique regulatory situation, the current owners (they run a chain of seafood restaurants!), and what, if anything, can be done to clean up this mess. To read Cheshire’s whole cover story for Westword, find it on newsstands or online here: https://www.westword.com/news/aquarium-downtown-denver-landrys-stingray-fish-starbucks-employee-complaints-13300068 The Irish Snug is gone!!!!!!!! Bree lamented the loss of a Colfax favorite in our newsletter today. Read that and subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ We’re keeping it real on Twitter every day. Join us: @CityCastDenver

Too many neighborhoods in Denver lack access to fresh food. It’s an ongoing problem as the city continues to grow and become more expensive, and the mom and pop markets get put out of business by the grocery conglomerates. But this week, one Republican lawmaker decided he had a plan to solve Colorado’s food desert problem: just put groceries into existing liquor stores. Hmmm…easier said than done. For this week’s Friday chat, City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi chats with host Bree Davies, and Westword editor Patty Calhoun about why food in liquor stores is actually a bad idea. Plus, the three discuss the exciting proposal to turn the historic Black farming settlement of Colorado’s Wild West days — Dearfield — into a National Park. Like the music you heard on today’s show? It comes from the local group, Bluebook, who have a new album out soon. You can check out two of the tracks from the upcoming record on their website: https://www.thisisbluebook.com/listen Folks can also listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/thisisbluebook or Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/thisisbluebook Get all the news and recommendations in your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Connect with us on Twitter: @CityCastDenver

Denver’s Phamaly Theatre Company doesn’t just accommodate theatre artists with disabilities, they welcome them and celebrate them — they are them. Actor, director, and advocate Regan Linton is one of the filmmakers behind the 2021 documentary imperfect that takes audiences into this “sacred space,” as she calls it, as the actors and crew members put on a production of Chicago. The documentary won the audience award for best documentary at last year’s Denver Film Festival, and today, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies talks with Linton about disability representation and affirmation, the importance of vulnerability, and why this film is for everyone. You’ll hear clips from imperfect in this episode, but you can stream it online (for $10, which includes access to all the other films in the Slamdance Film Festival) starting today at slamdance.com. And find out more about Phamaly and their upcoming production, The Spitfire Grill, on their website. Sign up for our daily newsletter, which, today, includes a local theatre round-up! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Have a favorite Phamaly Theatre Company production? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Vail Resorts isn’t just the biggest ski resort operator in Colorado, it’s the biggest operator in all of North America. But now, more than 40,000 skiers and snowboarders across the country are fed up with how Vail Resorts does business. A petition circulating in the ski and snowboard world aims to hold the company accountable for things like “mismanagement of the ski area, the failure to treat employees well, or pay them a livable wage, and the failure to deliver the product we all paid for and bought with hard-earned money during a pandemic.” So we called up Jason Blevins in Eagle, CO. When he’s not hitting the slopes at Beaver Creek, he’s reporting on all things outdoors for The Colorado Sun. He’s also a former ski bum, and walked City Cast Denver host Bree Davies through this skier vs. multi-million dollar corporate ski resort conflict. Sign up for our daily newsletter to get an even bigger head start on the news of the day: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ And we love tweets! Follow us: @citycastdenver

The mass shooting across Denver and Lakewood last month led to the deaths of five people, many of whom were leaders in the local tattooing community, including Alicia Cardenas. But as Westword's Culture Editor Emily Ferguson discovered when she was reporting on an art opening at a local parlor, the Denver tattoo community has a dark history of violence that long predates the events of December 27, 2021. Host Bree Davies sat down with Ferguson to talk about how Cardenas and a new wave of artists revolutionized the city’s tattoo scene and discuss Ferguson’s own experience of reporting on this community before and after the tragedy. Content warning: Ferguson recorded an interview with Cardenas 12 days before the shooting. This episode includes clips from that interview. For more on the Denver tattoo story, we highly recommend Ferguson’s story, including some pretty epic photos of 1970’s tattoo artists: https://www.westword.com/arts/denver-tattoo-murders-history-alicia-cardenas-peter-poulos-13222137 Remember last week’s episode when City Cast CEO David Plotz came on to ask his embarrassing Denver questions? Our producer Paul Karolyi dove deep into the question of baking at altitude in our newsletter today, and your next focaccia will thank you for reading. Subscribe and read that issue here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Join us on Twitter for more Denver chit-chat: @citycastdenver

Ten days after more than 8,000 grocery store workers across Denver walked out on strike, Kroger-owned King Soopers and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 announced a tentative agreement on Friday morning. Union president Kim Cordova said that the new three-year contract would address "the company's unfair labor practices and ensures that our members will receive the respect, pay, and protection they warrant.” But really, that’s for the workers to decide, and a vote is scheduled for today. So producer Paul Karolyi called up someone who’s been through this before. Miguel Jimenez worked for King Soopers from 1984 through 2006, including during several contract negotiations and strikes, and he shares his perspective on today's pivotal vote. At one point in this conversation with Jimenez, Paul mentioned Ernie Duran Jr. He was Kim Cordova’s predecessor as president of the UFCW Local 7, and his tenure ended with quite a flameout of controversy. For the whole story, we recommend this deep dive into the tense 2009 union presidential election by past City Cast Denver guest Melanie Asmar: https://www.westword.com/news/can-a-mild-mannered-bakery-clerk-solve-the-grocery-workers-labor-strife-5106281 Just how bad is crime in Colorado? Here’s the Denver Post article Paul referenced with a deep dive into the data: https://www.denverpost.com/2022/01/23/colorado-crime-rate-homicides-shootings-assaults/ Is the King Soopers strike of ’22 ready for the history books? Or will workers reject the contract and return to the picket lines? No matter what, we’ll have the story in our weekday morning newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/. Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

For this week’s Friday news roundup, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Westword editor and founder, Patty Calhoun, to discuss a couple legacy businesses in the city that are undergoing some big changes. First, in a lengthy investigative piece, Denverite found that some employees of Denver’s largest independent bookstore, Tattered Cover, are less than satisfied with the new owners who took over in 2020 and started aggressively expanding the business. Then, Denver Business Journal revealed this week that Tom’s Diner on Colfax might be coming back from the grave as…a 1970s-era Las Vegas-style cocktail lounge? By the way, we want to find the best fried chicken in Denver, and we want your help! Email your pick to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail explaining why at 720-500-5418. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter for great food recommendations around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ You can also talk to us about fried chicken on Twitter: @citycastdenver

People have been moving to Denver since, well, Denver became Denver. And it’s no secret, this tension between longtime residents and new folks is kinda the crux of our struggle as a city. So we thought, what better way to help get new Denverites acclimated than to bring in our boss David Plotz. He’s a lifelong Washingtonian, but as CEO of City Cast it’s part of his job to get to know all the cities that are part of our network: Chicago, Houston, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, and of course, Denver. So today on the show, David asks City Cast Denver host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon some of his most embarrassing Denver questions, like: “What the heck is Red Rocks and do you actually get to sit on the rocks?” and “Does the altitude really affect your life that much?” City Cast is growing and we’re hiring in a lot of cities! Check out the list here: https://citycast.fm/jobs/ Get all the Denver news and recs you need in your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to the CCD newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ How would you answer David’s questions about Denver? Let us know on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Denverites are slowly returning to public buses, trains, and light rail, but ridership is still far below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, bus drivers have been leaving the fleet in droves, and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is still paying off huge loans from major projects of yesteryear. So why is now the right time for RTD to propose the biggest overhaul of bus routes since the 1970s? Colorado Public Radio’s transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor is back on the show to connect the dots. All of them. No matter how dispersed they are across the metro area. For more on this new RTD proposal, check out Minor’s article laying out the details: https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/12/rtd-bus-network-overhaul/ At the end of the episode, Minor suggested that listeners who want a say in this route overhaul should get in touch with their RTD director. You can find yours and their contact info here: https://www.rtd-denver.com/board-of-directors We’ve got even more Denver news in our newsletter. Subscribe now and get your first edition tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Talk transit to us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Welton St. Cafe has seen Five Points change — a lot. But unlike many other Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood, the restaurant has been able to stay alive — and thrive — amid the displacement and gentrification of its own community. Still, real estate pressures have crept up on the decades-old, family-run business and the restaurant is ready for a new home. Host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon sat down with Chereka Dickerson, whose family has been running the restaurant for most of her life, to find out more about their campaign to raise money for the next chapter of Welton St. Cafe and how they manage to keep the spirit of old Five Points alive. If you’d like to support Welton St. Cafe’s effort to open a new restaurant space, here’s a link to the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/c6p4h-last-man-standing Get more news in your inbox every weekday morning by signing up for our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Have nice things to say about Welton St. Cafe? Tell us via Twitter: @citycastdenver

This past Wednesday morning, after negotiations with their parent company fell apart, thousands of King Soopers workers across metro Denver went on strike. We heard stories about tension along the picket lines, so host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi went out to see for themselves. We heard from workers, shoppers, a protester, and one assistant manager, who really, really did not seem happy to be dealing with us or any of this. If you haven’t heard Bree’s interview with UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova from earlier this week, she explains why they called for a strike in the first place. You can listen to that here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6h7WKDjze5BpNYvqNFzEG0 Here’s a link to the survey Bree references in the episode: https://inthesetimes.com/article/kroger-grocery-survey-disturbing-new-report-shows-dire-conditions-for-workers We’ll be following the King Soopers strike as it develops, and you can keep up with every twist and turn in our weekday morning newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hang out with us on Twitter too! We’re @citycastdenver, @cocodavies, @paulkarolyi, @xandramcmahon and @peytongarcia

The Marshall Fire burned hundreds of homes and businesses in Colorado to the ground, leaving many of us to wonder: Are wildfires in urban areas becoming a common occurrence? To get a better understanding of what happened with this latest megafire, host Bree Davies talks with Dr. Natasha Stavros, a fire ecologist and the Director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub at CU Boulder. Dr. Stavros discusses the role of climate change and the conditions that led to the Marshall Fire. She also explores how — if we were to embrace hundreds of years of indigenous knowledge on how to use fire as a tool — we could potentially change the outcomes of these disasters. Sign up for the City Cast Denver newsletter and stay up-to-date with news from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Chit-chat with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

State Sen. Brittany Pettersen has served the community of Lakewood for 10 years, leading legislative efforts to fix our broken mental health safety net and impose new gun safety measures. And as of yesterday, she’s running for Congress. Pettersen hopes to replace fellow Democrat Ed Perlmutter, who has represented Colorado’s District 7 for the past 15 years. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies chats with Pettersen about her new campaign, what she has her sights on this legislative session, and how the “Red Flag Law” she co-sponsored back in 2019 could have done more in the Denver/Lakewood mass shooting on Dec. 27. It would mean so much to us if you’d subscribe to our newsletter and then tell a friend to sign up too! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ You can also connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

With a snowstorm bearing down on Denver last Wednesday evening, Denver Public Schools sent an email to families cancelling the next day’s classes “due to severe weather" but also citing “continued severe staffing shortages.” We’ve been hearing about teacher shortages throughout the district for months, but something about this new mix of winter weather and the Omicron variant felt different. So we asked a teacher. Host Bree Davies sits down with North High School teacher Tim Hernández to hear why teachers are feeling so burned out, what are the stakes of the remote vs. in-person learning debate, and how the DPS staffing shortage is affecting his students. For more on the poetry and photography project Bree mentioned at the end of this episode, check out this piece from the Denver Post. You can also find a digital copy of the project here. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver weekday morning newsletter for even more news and cool events from around the city: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

Early on in the pandemic, employees of grocery stores were deemed “essential” and “frontline workers.” But for many of them, going to work never stopped feeling like going to war. And now, the parent company behind Colorado’s largest grocery chain, King Soopers, is playing hardball on their new contract. So starting Wednesday, approximately 8,400 King Soopers employees are planning to go on strike. Host Bree Davies sits down with Kim Cordova, the president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents King Soopers workers in Colorado and southern Wyoming, to hear how we got to this point, why the UFCW Local 7 filed a lawsuit over “scabs,” and how this strike would fit into the recent surge of labor organizing across the country. For more on the parent company’s side of this labor dispute, we recommend this Westword article with a detailed breakdown of their latest contract offer and the union's counterproposal: https://www.westword.com/news/king-soopers-rips-union-over-strike-plan-13179992 The UFCW Local 7 is planning for the strike to last three weeks, and we’ll be following all the twists and turns in our newsletter. So subscribe now to stay informed: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Chat with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

It’s Friday, which means the City Cast Denver crew is back for a roundtable discussion on all things Denver. Producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon, newsletter writer Peyton Garcia, and host Bree Davies discuss the upcoming Stock Show, its lax stance on vaccination requirements, and what the whole agricultural enterprise historically means for Denver. Plus, SPOILER ALERT: the team discusses “Don’t Look Up,” the most-watched movie on Netflix ever that just so happens to be created by some Colorado-connected folks. In the show, Paul mentions the Colorado Encyclopedia entry for “The First National Western Stock Show” : https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/first-national-western-stock-show The song featured at the end of today’s episode was “Seeds We Sow” by David Lawrence and the Spoonful: https://davidlawspoonful.com/

Two years ago, thousands of Denverites took to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd. Many politicians joined the protesters, lending weight to their calls to defund the police and reform our criminal justice system. But at the Denver City Council meeting this past Monday night, when a five-year, $4.7-million contract with a controversial gunshot detection technology went up for a vote, only one councilperson stood against it. Councilperson Candi CdeBaca joins host Bree Davies to explain why she opposes Denver police’s use of ShotSpotter and why we’ve seen so little movement on criminal justice reform since the protests. For more on ShotSpotter, check out our episode from last September when Bree interviewed Axios Denver reporter Alayna Alvarez about the technology and the controversy surrounding it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xiPsLlR1vg2lhNhTFUXBn Every Friday, Peyton puts together a carefully curated list of things to do, read, watch, see, and eat in Denver over the weekend. Subscribe to our newsletter right now and get this week’s in your inbox tomorrow: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ What do you think about the ShotSpotter contract extension? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver

What do Jay-Z, John Elway, Jeff Bezos, and Peyton Manning have in common? They’re all rumored to be interested in buying the Denver Broncos. And that might be exactly what the team needs after five straight losing seasons — to say nothing of all the behind-the-scenes drama around former owner Pat Bowlen’s last will and testament, which pitted brother against sister in a years-long legal battle over ownership of the team. Broncos president Joe Ellis said that an “ownership transfer” would be happening after this season. Now that the Broncos have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with a loss last weekend, host Bree Davies sits down with Ryan Koenigsberg and Zac Stevens of the DNVR Broncos Podcast to talk about Mr. Bowlen’s legacy in Denver, what a new owner could mean for the team and the city, and what we should make of those wild rumors. Jay-Z? Really??? When important Denver news breaks, you can trust that we’ll break it down for you in our newsletter. Subscribe now to make sure it hits your inbox every weekday morning: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ When someone posts a dank Denver meme, you can trust that we’ll retweet it. Follow us @citycastdenver

It seems ironic that in a state that touts healthy lifestyles like hiking and biking and being outdoors, we have some of the worst mental health stats in the country. For a long time, Colorado has landed at the bottom of lists ranking state suicide rates and access to mental health care. Why? Susan Greene, a reporter for Colorado News Collaborative, recently published a six-month investigation into why Colorado’s mental health care “safety net” — the publicly funded community health care centers that are supposed to serve the uninsured — is failing so many Coloradans. She chats with City Cast Denver host Bree Davies about how our system got so broken and what it means for the people who need care most. To read Greene’s whole story, here’s the version that was published in The Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/12/05/colorado-mental-health-centers-investigation/ This story is part of a broader project from the Colorado News Collaborative, called On Edge. You can learn more about the project and read all their stories exploring Colorado’s mental health system here: https://colabnews.co/projects/on-edge-colorado-mental-health/ Want news and great Denver recs right in your inbox every weekday morning? Subscribe to the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Connect with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Denver entered the new year under a dark cloud of tragedy. First, a man shot and killed 5 people last Monday in downtown Denver and Lakewood. Though the perpetrator’s motive is still unclear, he reportedly knew most of the victims through the tattoo and body modification community. Three days later, grass fires fueled by high winds forced tens of thousands of Coloradans to evacuate their homes in Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County. According to the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management, 991 homes were destroyed, making the Marshall Fire the most destructive in Colorado history. Host Bree Davies, Producer Paul Karolyi, and Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia come together to discuss what happened and share a few stories. Do you have a connection to the shooting or the fires? We would love to offer up City Cast Denver as a platform for stories about victims, personal experiences of the fires, or anything else you’d like other Denverites to hear about these two tragedies. Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood at 720-500-5418. We’ll be collecting stories and sharing ways you can help the victims of the shooting and the fire in our daily newsletter. All you have to do is subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Chat with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is best steward of Old Denver…Who could it be?! City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes. Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more.

The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the guest with the most alluring voice…Who could it be?! City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes. Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more.

The City Cast Denver team is taking some time off until the new year but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. To look back on some of our favorite episodes of 2021, we’re handing out some well-deserved superlatives. Today’s superlative is the biggest bagel fan…Who could it be?! City Cast Denver will return January 3, 2022 with fresh episodes. Peyton has some special newsletters in store to get you through the holidays. Don’t miss out: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Our Twitter is taking a holiday too but we promise to post some really good tweets in the new year: @citycastdenver Don’t peek! But here’s a link to this guest’s original episode, including a description and all the links you need to learn more.