City Cast Denver

Earlier this week, the city of Denver shut down Civic Center Park, closing off the public space for at least two months. Though Denver Department of Public Health and Environment cited health and safety issues as the primary reason for the closure, the City Cast Denver crew actually saw this story as part of a larger conversation about housing issues. We discuss our thoughts on the park closure, a...

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s eviction moratorium two weeks ago, approximately 12,000 Denverites woke up to the increasingly imminent threat of losing their home. But a new organization called NEWR Denver wants to give tenants a fighting chance. NEWR, or No Eviction Without Representation, is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that, if passed, would g...

In the late ‘60s, Denver Public Schools began busing children across the city in an effort to desegregate our schools. Then came the pushback in the form of lawsuits, harassment of school board members, and in 1970, a bombing at the DPS bus depot off Federal Boulevard. But many Denverites’ memories of the busing era offer a more complicated story. Host Bree Davies sits down with Alicia “Lisa” Smit...

Police departments across the country have fallen in love with an obscure technology company called ShotSpotter, which purports to use microphones, algorithms, and artificial intelligence to detect and help combat gun violence, including right here in Denver. It’s “one of the most important cogs in our wheel of addressing gun violence,” said one Ohio police chief, according to the Associated Press...

This week, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that the Aurora police officers and paramedics involved in Elijah McClain’s 2019 death will face 32 criminal charges, including manslaughter and assault. Producer Xandra McMahon, host Bree Davies, and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia recap the grand jury indictment and the years of investigation that led up to this moment.  Plus, some weird...

What’s going on with the Broncos? That’s one of the many questions producer Xandra McMahon asked our Sports Guy Jake Shapiro. From quarterback problems to who of the Bowlen family estate runs the team now, our pressing Broncos questions get answered just in time for the start of a new season. Speaking of seasons, how will COVID affect the Broncos in 2021? Yeah, we asked that too.  [Insert shameles...

You’ve heard it before and probably uttered the words yourself: “Colorado has 300 days of sunshine.” It’s no secret that our weather here is great most of the time, but is it really that good? Meteorologist Andy Stein wanted to find out, so he did some research, revealing his findings in a recent story for The Denver Post. Host Bree Davies talks with the weather expert to find out if the thing we...

The Harm Reduction Action Center isn’t rehab, it’s a community. Not only does the center help people living with substance use issues find resources, but people who visit can also get clean needles, coffee, and even someone to talk to. So when it was reported that Colorado overdose deaths were at an all-time high, executive director Lisa Raville knew that the community she helped build needed to l...

Denver author Peter Heller joins City Cast Denver Newsletter Writer Peyton Garcia for a conversation about his latest thriller, “The Guide.” The novel, set outside Crested Butte, weaves a suspenseful tale centered on young protagonist Jack and his job as a wilderness and fishing guide at an elite resort. But things aren’t quite as they seem, and Jack finds himself questioning what he sees and hear...

Host Bree Davies and the City Cast Denver team did a live podcast taping at this year's Underground Music Showcase. And now you can hear it! This candid conversation explores the idea of "diversity in music" and what that really means for performers of color. How does "diversity, equity and inclusion" truly extend to show booking, venue operations, and other positions of power within a music scene...

City Cast Denver is hosting a LIVE show tonight at the Underground Music Showcase! Catch us at 6pm at Mutiny Information Cafe with a panel of awesome musicians and leaders in the local music scene: Wes Watkins, Miguel Aviña, and past guest Alicia “Bruce” Trujillo!  It’s free and all ages are welcome. See you tonight! RSVP → https://www.facebook.com/events/527335278501154 But until then, please enj...

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...

Way back in 2005, then Mayor John Hickenlooper put forth an ambitious, 10-year plan to address Denver’s crisis of houselessness. Ten years and one recession later, our housing issues were worse than ever. That failure, in part, led our current mayor, Michael Hancock, to create a brand new Department of Housing Stability (HOST) in 2019. And guess what? HOST just published their first long-term plan...

For 31 years, Florida “Flo” Archuletta has taken care of a plot of land on the Southwest corner of 14th and Lipan. After the 1993 killing of her son, Archuletta turned the once-abandoned Westside lot into a tribute to him, dubbing it the “Jerry Martinez Family Memorial Park.” But there’s a problem: Archuletta never formally owned the land, and now that real estate in the neighborhood is a hot comm...

For more than three decades, the Mercury Cafe has been a destination for artists, activists, and outsiders. It’s more than just a restaurant and venue space; it’s a hub for out-there ideas, unexpected collaboration, and lasting community. And the heart of the Merc has always been its owner and operator, Marilyn Megenity. That is, until June 22, when Danny Newman and his business partners purchased...

With the delta variant spreading like wildfire, it feels like we’re headed for another long, lonely winter. So we’re looking past the doom and gloom for a game of Guess That COVID Restriction! City Cast Denver’s Bree Davies, Paul Karolyi, and Peyton Garcia are hanging out and chatting all things COVID and Colorado, along with another round of New Denver/Old Denver. Looking for more Denver news and...

After 20 years and $83 billion, the U.S. war in Afghanistan is finally ending. On Sunday, Taliban forces swept Kabul, taking back control of Afghan capital from the U.S.-backed government and putting the thousands of Afghan civilians who worked with the U.S. and allied forces in an extremely vulnerable position. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Aurangzaib Sharifi, a...

It’s no secret — Denver has been in an affordable housing crisis for a long time. But what if there was a solution all along that would allow Denverites themselves to build some of that needed housing stock? Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval (District 1) has been leading the charge, pushing for the adoption of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, as part of Denver’s zoning code. So what exactly is an ADU...

When Meow Wolf opens its newest and biggest immersive art museum, Convergence Station, in Denver next month, it will feature the work of more than 100 local artists, each one putting their own Denver-y spin on Meow Wolf’s particular brand of interdimensional weirdness. One of those artists, Colin Ward, was a leading figure in Denver’s DIY community before he died by suicide in 2018, shortly after...

Since 2002, a unique team of highly trained, motivated people have been fighting wildfires across Colorado. But of the 2,500 people who have participated in the State Wildland Inmate Fire Team, or SWIFT, fewer than 10 have gone on to get firefighting jobs after their release from prison. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies speaks with Garry Briese, executive chair of Colorado State Fire Chiefs, abou...

Welcome to Friday, that time of the week where we look back on what’s been happening in Denver. This week, host Bree Davies and producer Xandra McMahon are joined by rapper, activist, and most recently, Meow Wolf artist Kalyn Heffernan. They chat about the immersive art installation’s long road to Denver and what Meow Wolf means to the hundred plus local artists it employs. Plus, Kalyn gives a bac...

From Colorado’s worsening air quality to the recent UN report declaring a “code red for humanity,” climate change is at the forefront of our lives. This serious global issue may have once felt like a distant threat, but Coloradans are increasingly finding their everyday experiences impacted by the constant threat of wildfires, an increase in ozone days, and unbearable summer temperatures. But the...

When playwright Jessica Kahkoska set out to write something about the real-life impacts of wildfires on residents in Colorado, she looked to survivors of Grand County’s East Troublesome Fire, which burned more than 190,000 acres last year. In conjunction with History Colorado’s Museum of Memory and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Kahkoska produced “Wild Fire,” a composite of her intervi...

When the Douglas County School District announced a new equity policy earlier this year, many parents in the predominantly white, affluent district cried foul, accusing the district of inserting “critical race theory” into the curriculum and fueling the major conservative media narrative of the summer. So with classes in DougCo schools starting up again this week, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies...

Eight is an auspicious number in Chinese and other Asian cultures. That’s why some leaders of the local AAPI communities chose yesterday, 8/8, to unveil their new plans to commemorate Denver’s old Chinatown. It was at one point one of the largest Chinatowns in the American West, but now all that’s left is a racist old plaque a few blocks from where the neighborhood once was. City Cast Denver host...