City Cast Denver

Wellington Webb served as Denver’s mayor from 1991 to 2003. In those 12 years, he oversaw the expansion of the Denver Art Museum, the construction of DIA and Empower Field at Mile High, and many more city-defining projects. After a long political career, he started his own PR and economic development consulting firm — and was one of the biggest voices in the successful opposition to proposed housi...

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts announced this week that it was ⁠shutting down Off Center⁠, its immersive theater programming. Meanwhile at Casa Bonita, the restaurant unveiled its “Casa Boonita” theming for the Halloween season, which ⁠sparked a labor complaint⁠ over the associated reduction in roaming characters. So, is Denver over immersive art? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karo...

City Council is meeting today to debate amendments to the mayor’s proposed budget for 2026, and it could get spicy! Because Mayor Mike Johnston been facing a lot of criticism for the way he’s handled the city’s $250 million shortfall lately. He laid off workers. He asked every department to look for cuts. Clerk and Recorder Paul López even said the mayor’s proposed cuts represent ”a threat to demo...

The Netflix dating show “Love Is Blind” has descended on Denver, but just how much of Denver really shines through in the contestants? We binge-watched the first six episodes to suss out these Colorado blind daters and decide: is Sparkle Megan really that sparkling? Is Jordan more than just the chicken-in-a-blender guy? Do any of these people scream Denver when it comes to their personalities and...

The conservative legal activists at Alliance Defending Freedom are taking another Colorado case to the Supreme Court this week. Will conversion therapy for minors — which has been illegal in this state since 2019 — be reconsidered as a free speech issue? Then, “gonzo journalist” and longtime Woody Creek resident Hunter S. Thompson’s widow is asking the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to reopen th...

Is your neighborhood ready for “gentle density”? The city’s community planning and development office is starting work on a project to bring missing middle housing — duplexes, fourplexes, etc. — to more Denver neighborhoods, and that means some neighbors are gearing up for a fight! City Councilman Kevin Flynn represents southwest Denver and was re-elected after he warned against so-called gentle d...

One of Mayor Mike Johnston’s biggest priorities this year is showing Denverites how much better 16th St. looks post-construction. And as of Tuesday, he’s got a big new prize to show off: The Denver Pavilions. He’s arranged to buy the 27-year-old “mall on the mall” for $37 million — Coyote Ugly and all. Former Republican congressional candidate Valdamar Archuleta joins producers Paul Karolyi and Ol...

Something very weird is happening in Denver’s rental market. For the first time in what feels like forever, the average rent is going down. But at the same time, evictions are skyrocketing! They are set to break records again in 2025 after setting a tragic high-water mark in 2024. And amid the escalating eviction crisis, Mayor Mike Johnston informed eviction defense groups last week that he was cu...

The leaves are turning, the temps are dropping, and that 12-foot plastic skeleton is back up in the neighbor’s yard. It’s officially October. So how’re you going to make the most of spooky season in Denver this year? From walking tacos on West Colfax to a chilling history museum exhibit, we’re back with our monthly guide to living the good life in the Mile High City.   Get more from City Cast Denv...

In the context of his proposed budget for 2026, Mayor Mike Johnston has announced plans to shut down two shelters, saving the city $11 million. But that’s still far from enough to cover the $250 million shortfall between 2025 and 2026. The mayor critics are growing in number and intensity, blaming him for mismanagement, so Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to talk about who...

Denver as a city is more than 160 years old. So, with quite a few decades under the city’s belt, how are things looking these days? From a former mayor’s COVID-era tweets to a popular theater with a questionable moniker, we put some of Denver’s most famous and iconic people, places, and things to the test: Did that age well? Host Bree Davies debates the Mile High City’s best and worst looks with p...

For years, the social media account DoBetterDNVR has been a thorn in Mayor Mike Johnston’s side, attracting 150,000 followers with harsh personal attacks, policy critiques, and crowd-sourced photos and videos of people experiencing homelessness in crisis. Then on Monday night, the anonymous admin mysteriously deactivated the accounts on Instagram and X. Our politics and green chile correspondent J...

Fall is officially here, and the vibes are getting cozy. But beyond a quick service pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, where do you go to settle in and really enjoy a warm and welcoming cup of coffee? Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love are joined by entrepreneur, content creator, and coffee shop aficionado ⁠Michelle Jackson⁠ to talk about the best local spots that bring the ambiance...

With some of the best pho, dim sum, and tacos in the city, Federal Boulevard long ago earned its reputation as a top dining destination. But lately, Havana Street in Aurora has been getting attention for its own variety of global cuisine. So, is Havana the new Federal? We posed this question to Westword food writer Antony Bruno, who’s been eating his way up Aurora’s boulevard of strip malls, box s...

A major commercial real estate company is ⁠buying up buildings⁠ in downtown Denver and wants to convert the empty offices into housing, but the mysterious landowner is ⁠standing in the way⁠. And what does the owner of Lakeside Amusement Park have to do with the mayor’s big plan to revitalize the city’s urban core? Then, RTD has committed almost $1 million to pilot a shuttle service to Red Rocks, b...

Clerk and Recorder Paul López has been very vocal lately in his distaste for Mayor Johnston’s proposed city budget cuts. The top elections official feels the integrity of Denver’s ballot system is at stake and has even called the mayor’s decisions on city funding “a threat to democracy.” So, López himself sits down with host Bree Davies to hash out his beef with Johnston’s 2026 budget proposal and...

Mayor Mike Johnston revealed his proposed budget for 2026 this week — the vibes are off and the numbers are down. But what can we read between the lines of his proposals to see where the city is going next? Our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about the mayor’s new priorities on homelessness and other secrets hidden in...

Fighting on the internet is nothing new. But as our social media becomes more algorithmically siloed, the outrage machines are reshaping our policy outcomes in very real ways. Chris Vanderveen is an investigative reporter for 9News and has seen firsthand how online discourse is getting more divisive and subjective — especially when it comes to news coverage of crime. He joins host Bree Davies to t...

Is it possible to capture the feeling of life in Denver in a song? Many, many people have tried, and the results are … mixed. But there’s a new banger out this year that we think shows off the magic of the city! So we invited the rappers behind the track — “Next Stop Denver” by Nelo (Feat. Wayne Watts)  — to join host Bree Davies and Denver Post entertainment reporter John Wenzel to break down the...

The 2025 Michelin Guide has officially dropped and everyone from a seasoned sushi chef to a restaurant that just opened this summer picked up accolades. So, how did our Michelin predictions from last week pan out? Then, as Evergreen reels from the shooting last week, local businesses and a rival school are stepping up to support the community. Host Bree Davies and producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia...

Denver’s dating scene is changing, and it will soon be on display for the whole world to see when Netflix’s “Love is Blind” premieres on October 1. The trailer dropped last week, featuring a brand new cast of Denverites hoping to find love. They’ve been filming in the city for the past year and reality dating show lovers are excited. So we’re revisiting a conversation host Bree Davies had with sno...

As Colorado was rocked by yet another school shooting Wednesday afternoon, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was also shot and killed on a college campus in Utah. Coloradans are shocked, saddened, and enraged as the conversation yet again turns to guns, violence, and our polarized media. Then, the Broncos have officially announced that their future stadium will be built in Denver proper. Are we g...

Colorado’s Michelin Era enters year three on Monday, with another fancy party for the local restaurant industry and some prestigious awards at stake. So who will the French tire company recognize this year? And will the big awards help buoy restaurant industry struggling with rising costs and increasingly discerning diners? Westword food editor Molly Martin is back with host Bree Davies and produc...

La Loma has been serving its beloved green chile in Denver for more than 5 decades. But behind the scenes, a bitter divorce has put ownership of restaurant’s name and its closely guarded green chile recipe in jeopardy. Denver Post food reporter Miguel Otárola sits down with host Bree Davies to lay out the future of the restaurant’s name, a judge’s ruling on the claims of intellectual property of a...

The number of Denverites who don’t like Mayor Mike Johnston has grown by a lot, according to a new poll from the Colorado Polling Institute. But at the same time, Denverites are more optimistic about the city’s future and think it’s safer than it was when he was inaugurated. So what’s going on? Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to dissect the new CPI po...