City Cast Denver

Earlier this month Denver voters approved the Vibrant Denver bond, saying yes to some ambitious city projects -- like the ⁠Denver American Indian Cultural Embassy⁠, which will be built in Montbello. City council also recently approved a study to look at ⁠potentially widening Peña Boulevard⁠ and Mayor Johnston and Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington announced plans to look at ⁠bringing...

Colorado has some of the highest car insurance rates in the country. Governor Polis has promised to address the issue by installing more cameras at intersections and increasing sobriety checkpoints — but the biggest contributing factor to high premiums? The weather. Then, the Colorado Business Committee For the Arts released a study exploring the economic impacts of the state’s cultural sector. Bu...

On November 9, Pete’s University Park Cafe served up its last heaping plates of chicken fried steak and souvlaki and eggs, marking the end for yet another beloved diner. With its closure, Denver not only lost an affordable eatery, but a gathering place and community space that served the Mile High for 30 years. So, what is Denver without its diners? Last year host Bree Davies sat down with her fri...

This off-year election saw big wins for democrats across the country, including in Aurora. Most notably, ⁠GOP rabble rouser Danielle Jurinsky⁠ lost her at-large seat as Aurora city council moved more to the left with the 7-4 conservative majority becoming a 6-4 progressive majority. But Aurora Sentinel editor and publisher Dave Perry says the political picture of Colorado’s third largest city is m...

As the government shutdown rolls on, the Federal Aviation Administration has instructed airports across the country to cut hundreds of flights to help with staffing shortages. Denver International Airport, however, is trying something unique to support the air traffic controllers and TSA agents working without pay. Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love look into this novel approach, plu...

Yes, we Denverites love our green chile, but that fiery green-ish, orange-ish stew is hardly known at all in the rest of the country. Instead, we’re known for things like the Denver omelet and, oddly, the cheeseburger. So it’s time to set the record straight. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi invited the host of the James Beard Award-winning podcast The Sporkful, Dan Pashman, to talk thro...

Democrats celebrated victories across the country on Tuesday, but the story of the election here in Denver is a little more complicated. So now that the dust has settled, what do the results tell us about how Denverites are feeling about the big questions facing our city — affordability, density, safety, crime? Content creator and House District 5 candidate Rayna Kingston (aka, @raynakingdenver) j...

Twenty years ago, the big question facing the industrial area along the South Platte River north of downtown was what to call it. Now, as many lifelong Denverites are still getting used to “RiNo,” the city’s most famous arts district is at another inflection point. The artists who made the area cool are mostly gone, and the business owners have been disagreeing over the future. So as the RiNo Art...

Mayor Mike Johnston celebrated victory on Tuesday night as Denver voters approved his Vibrant Denver bond proposal by wide margins. But not everyone was smiling as the results rolled in. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi break down the numbers from election night — from the flavored tobacco ban to city council at-large election reform — and talk about what it says about where Denver is he...

It’s election day! Last-minute voters are mulling over the mayor’s Vibrant Denver bond proposal, the flavored tobacco ban, and more — but where are they getting their information on these important issues? Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about politics influencers and the changing norms on social media, including an interesting post about our...

We’re deep in the swing of the fall season, and it’s chilly! November is lovely month in the Mile High City — a time to enjoy seasonal holiday markets, deliciously warm and savory meals, and special gatherings that give back. From food recs to mountain getaways, we’ve rounded up a killer list of the best ways to enjoy Denver and beyond this November. Be sure to check out JD’s live show, Comedy Kil...

Earlier this week, host Bree Davies sat down with BoardHawk podcast co-host Alexis Menocal-Harrigan to talk through ⁠the Denver Public Schools’ Board Races⁠. We heard from listeners aligned with the ⁠Denver Teachers Classroom Association⁠ that they felt the episode was unfair to their candidates. So, we invited DCTA president Rob Gould on to share his perspective on the same issues: The four schoo...

More than ever, Denverites are divided on the issue of surveillance. As lawyers hammer out the details of the city’s deal with the surveillance startup Flock, criticism of Mayor Johnston’s position and approach is only growing, especially after his comments on Flock’s role in the cases of Jax Gratton and reports of a Bow Mar woman wrongly accused of theft. Political activist Adrian Felix joins hos...

Education is on the ballot this year. Voters statewide are looking at propositions LL and MM concerning funding for school lunch programs. In Denver, 11 candidates are vying for four open DPS board seats, and some of those races are getting spicy. DPS Parent and BoardHawk podcast co-host Alexis Menocal-Harrigan has been interviewing the contenders for those open board seats and she joins host Bree...

Ballots are arriving ahead of the November 4 election, and Denverites are weighing Mayor Mike Johnston’s big proposal of the year — the “Vibrant Denver” bond. It would represent almost $1 billion in new debt to fund infrastructure projects across the city, but will voters see a future of possibilities? Or will they swayed by the mayor’s growing chorus of critics? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul...

News broke last week that NBA Hall of Famer and “King of Park Hill” Chauncey Billups was allegedly involved in a multi-million dollar mafia-run poker scheme and potentially sharing insider information on NBA games that he was coaching.  Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into the downfall of this hometown hero and if it could change the way Denverites feel about sports betting. Then, t...

Sen. Michael Bennet got fired up when he questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy about vaccines recently. Turns out, he also gets fired up talking about the cost of living with us. Colorado’s senior senator returns to the podcast today as the leading candidate to replace Jared Polis as governor. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talk to Bennet about how his approach to housing density...

In a shocking and ironic revelation, CBS revealed this week that the Denver Post owes the City of Denver around $2 million in unpaid rent on its lease in the Denver Post building at Colfax and Broadway. So, how will that affect the mayor’s budget negotiations and the $200 million shortfall the city is dealing with? Then, unnamed business owners told the Denver Gazette that bicycle activists had be...

The rise of generative AI is reshaping our culture in many ways, but it’s also reshaping our city. Here in Denver, a company called CoreSite has already built two data centers to serve the AI industry, and they are currently constructing a giant, third one in Elyria-Swansea — one of the city’s most polluted neighborhoods. So what kind of a neighbor will this new CoreSite data center be? CPR climat...

While many progressives ⁠have⁠ ⁠been⁠ ⁠upset⁠ with Governor Jared Polis lately, a new national political movement is looking to him for leadership. Inspired by “Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, this new strain of liberal politics is focused on cutting red tape, building housing density and transit, and reducing barriers to new technology. So is Polis the perfect posterchild for the Abu...

Denverites have been protesting Trump all year, but no demonstrations have been bigger than the ‘No Kings’ rallies in June and this past weekend. So what does that say about the local fight against Trump? Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi are talking about some Giants fans who went viral for the wrong reasons, and everything else they saw and heard at ‘No Kings’ — plus, we take some great...

There are only two weeks left until election day! It may not be the most important one of our lifetimes, but Denverites have some really important decisions ahead that will shape the future of our city. At a packed City Cast Denver Neighbors-only live recording last Thursday, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi were joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun and our capitol insider Deep Singh...

Should law enforcement employ drones to respond to 911 calls? DPD has already signed a free-trial contract with Flock, but how these drones will actually be used isn’t clear. Then, even as restaurants say they are struggling to stay open amid rising costs, labor issues, and concerns about crime, one calzone shop owner on South Broadway has chosen to drastically lower his prices. Producers Paul Kar...

A big fight over housing density has been brewing in Littleton for years, and with voters set to decide the fate of Mayor Kyle Schlachter’s “missing middle” housing reforms early next month, the debate is getting nasty! A rival mayoral candidate, Patrick Driscoll, was recently caught on a Ring camera swiping Schlachter’s campaign materials. So, what’s got Littleton so heated? We’re revisiting a co...

What in the heck happened to the Secret Garden Cafe & Bar? We broke the story of the very popular spot’s sudden closure last week — and staff are wondering if it was connected to their recent unionizing efforts. Then, DIA and the Colorado Springs Airport have chosen not to air a new video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blaming the government shutdown on Democrats, but each for diffe...