City Cast Denver

Last month marked the 113th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While the tragedy struck more than 2,000 miles from Denver, the story of the “unsinkable” ship has always struck a special chord here in Mile High, where historic preservationists saved the home of famed survivor Margaret “Molly” Brown. Right now, there are two very different Titanic e...

Thousands of local grocery workers could be back on the picket lines by the end of the month, and a new investigation from Consumer Reports into alleged “price tag errors” at King Soopers is changing the narrative around another possible strike. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about the shifting politics of your grocery bill and other big stories of the week — from Mayor...

Ryan Ross is a Denverite with a big idea. As a private investigator with an office right on the 16th St. Mall, he’s watched downtown go through it all over the past few years — from the pandemic to seemingly endless construction to whatever 16th St. is becoming now. But instead of just grumbling about it all, Ryan has put together an ambitious plan of his own, chock full of big ideas to address co...

It has been a very eventful couple of weeks for City Council, so we are skipping past the monotonous procedural blah blah blah to the decisions that matter — money, politics, power, and womens professional soccer. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by environmental advocate Ean Thomas Tafoya to talk about Council’s moves to approve the plan for a new NWSL stadium in Baker, delay...

Is the tide turning against oil and gas in Colorado? Last week, Denver City Council turned down a $25 million contract with Suncor, the Commerce City oil refinery that has been the subject of scrutiny by neighborhood groups and climate activists for decades over pollution issues. But one industry leader dismissed the move as “political grandstanding.”  So host Bree Davies is talking to Denver Post...

In 2023 and 2024, the Denver metro area saw an influx of nearly 43,000 newcomers from Central and South America. But the encampments full of families that were a common sight 18 months ago have mostly disappeared, and the window washers are all but gone from Denver’s intersections. So, now that the newcomers are no longer making headlines, where did they all go? ⁠Westword staff reporter Bennito Ke...

DIA executives flew first-class to Spain earlier this year and, according to a new investigation from CBS Colorado, the work trip cost about $165,000. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are looking a little closer at the airport’s spending and the big raises Mayor Mike Johnston wants to give his top lieutenants, including DIA CEO Phil Washington. Plus, will Governor Jared Polis veto the...

It’s no secret — Denverites love a good drink! From neighborhood watering holes to craft cocktail lounges, there’s a place for every kind of imbiber. So, how do you choose? We’re revisiting a conversation from last year with host Bree Davies and two City Cast Denver regulars, Westword food and drink editor Molly Martin and our own politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval, to parse t...

After five months of debate and debauchery, Colorado’s state lawmakers wrapped up the 2025 legislative session in Denver on Wednesday. So what passed? What failed? And what is Governor Polis going to veto next? Our capitol insider Deep Singh Badhesha was there for all the madness, and he’s on today’s Friday news roundup with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to give us the scoop. Then, th...

It feels like every week Denverites are grappling with some shocking new way that President Trump is using the power of the federal government to reshape life here in the Mile High. This week, it’s art. Trump’s National Endowment for the Arts cut almost a half-million dollars in previously awarded grants last Friday to 22 local arts organizations, including the Denver Art Museum and Su Teatro, bec...

President Trump rolled back his most expansive tariffs a couple weeks ago, but who knows. He might change his mind! And that’s got many Denverites worried about the possibility of a recession. So is that gonna happen? And what would a recession mean for us here the Mile High? Greg Sobetski is the chief economist for Colorado’s state legislature, which means it’s his job to answer this exact questi...

There is less than one week until City Council votes on a $70 million plan to support the proposed NWSL stadium at the site of the old Gates Rubber Factory, and the debate is finally heating up! After we shared CU Denver professor Geoff Propheter’s critical take on the podcast last week, we heard from the owners, the mayor’s office, city council members, and both supporters and detractors of the p...

After she lost her seat in Congress last November, Yadira Caraveo stepped back from politics and opened up about her struggles with mental health. But a few weeks ago, she announced a campaign to retake the District 8 seat from Republican Gabe Evans. Picking back up on a previous investigation regarding complaints about Carveo’s office culture, Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul talked to four of he...

President Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Denver this week to change its approach to immigration, yanking back $24 million the city already spent sheltering newcomers and signing a new executive order going after “sanctuary jurisdictions.” So producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are talking about the latest twist in Trump’s Operation Aurora with one of our favorite regular guests, comedia...

Should Denver taxpayers pony up $70 million to help build a new soccer stadium? The mayor is behind the proposal, citing a new report touting a $2.2 billion economic impact, but it still has to get through City Council. So is that deal too good to be true? And what does it matter to Denverites? Host Bree Davies sits down with CU Denver Professor Geoff Propheter, one of the country’s leading expert...

May is almost here! There’s so much to do, see, eat, and more around Denver as we look forward to warmer temps. So, how do you choose? From music bingo at a tucked-away brewery to the best ways to connect with your neighbors, we’ve rounded up our best picks and tips for enjoying the Mile High. If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to wel...

It looked like this year’s big trans rights bill was going to sail through the state legislature, despite the usual conservative Christian opposition, but now the local LGBTQ community itself is divided. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about the changing local politics around LGBTQ rights and why the Kelly Loving Act might not pass. Plus, a beloved Mexican restaurant is p...

It’s finally farmers market season! And there’s no shortage to choose from in the Mile High, but the local politics and regulations around homemade foods could put some vendors in a tight place. Plus, changing ideas of what “belongs” at a farmers market could mean different, and maybe even AI generated, goods for sale. Host Bree Davies sits down with our regular food contributor Helen Xu to learn...

9News obtained footage of US marshals boarding a crowded RTD bus on Colfax to capture an escapee from Aurora’s ICE detention facility. So on this week’s Friday news round-up, our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins us to talk about the latest local developments in the federal immigration crackdown — from the ACLU’s legal challenge to deportations to the precarity of trans...

The 16th St. Mall is in the middle of an identity crisis. The City of Denver has now spent more than $175 million to renovate the downtown commercial corridor, but many businesses have closed since construction started in 2022 and perceptions of crime linger. And now apparently we’re supposed to stop calling it a “mall”? With the not-a-mall set to reopen fully this summer, host Bree Davies and pro...

It’s that time of year when Denverites all seem to be asking the same question: When are we going to see the spring’s final frost? But for gardeners, it’s not just small talk. They need to know! So while we refresh our weather forecasts, host Bree Davies is sitting down with City Cast Denver’s resident gardening expert, Ann Marie Awad, to talk about when it’ll be safe to put your plants in the gro...

Mayor Mike Johnston just finished touring Denver’s neighborhoods pitching his next big proposal to voters: An $800 million bond. Nearly 6,000 people have responded to the city’s survey asking for specific ideas and priorities, but not everyone is excited about the city taking on all that new debt. So will voters go for a third huge bond in 8 years? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are di...

Downtown Denver has seen better days. A new Gensler survey shows only 55% of Denverites reported having a “great experience” downtown in 2024, down from more than 70% in surveys conducted in 2021 and 2023. But construction on the 16th St. Mall is supposed to be finished soon! And the mayor has a big, complicated plan to give the recovery an even bigger boost. So host Bree Davies is sitting down wi...

We’ve got something special for you this weekend. It’s a special bonus episode from our friends at Denverse Magazine. They recently launched a podcast called Denverse: Locals Aloud, featuring loose, long form, weekly conversations with Denver locals from all walks of life. The guest on this one is local illustrator Karl Christian Krumpholz, who offers his personal guide to Denver’s storied bar sce...

After a couple of hard pandemic years and a few more of slow recovery, the big story this week was Mayor Mike Johnston’s work to open Denver for business. On this week’s Friday round-up, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by former councilmember Robin Kniech to talk about the substance and politics behind his new Denver Permitting Office, as well as the “plummeting” corporate sp...