City Cast Denver

Can you really beat a simple bomb pop on a hot summer day? These days in Denver, you definitely can! The Mile High is chock full of chocolate, bursting with boba, and overflowing with all kinds of over-the-top ice cream confections. So now that summer temps are here, producer Olivia Jewell Love and our food contributor Helen Xu join host Bree Davies to swap recommendations of their favorite indulgent, nostalgic and just plain delicious cool treats from across the metro area.  By coincidence, Denverite published a profile of one of Olivia’s picks yesterday — Ichigo Matcha.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. What’s your favorite cool treat for summer? We want to hear about your fave! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the other sponsors of this June 5th episode: Denver Botanic Gardens Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business in Denver is not booming the way it used too. Sales and property taxes are way down, and Mayor Johnston recently announced that city staff can expect layoffs and furloughs as a result. So what’s the plan to open the city back up for business? Adeeb Khan is the executive director of Denver Economic Development and Opportunity, which means it’s his job to help Mayor Johnston figure it out. He joins host Bree Davies to discuss what it means for Denver to be more “vibrant” and “scrappy,” and how he’s implementing the mayor’s plan to get the city back on track. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the other sponsors of this June 4th episode: Denver Botanic Gardens Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sunday in Boulder, a man wielding what authorities are calling a “makeshift flamethrower” injured eight people who had gathered on the Pearl St. Mall to call for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies discuss what is known about the situation — as of the afternoon of June 2, when this show was recorded — and talk about the state of the conversation around Israel and Gaza here in Denver. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the other sponsors of this June 3rd episode: Denver Botanic Gardens Cozy Earth - Use code COZYDENVER for 40% off all men's apparel and more.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Palestinian solidarity protesters interrupted two congressional town halls in the metro area last week, calling attention to Rep. Jason Crow and Senator Michael Bennet’s support for Israel, but also the role of one of Denver’s largest and most mysterious companies: Palantir Technologies. So we’re revisiting a conversation producer Paul Karolyi had a few years ago with Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Max Chafkin about his reporting on the defense contractor’s co-founder Peter Thiel, how Palantir makes money, and why it moved to Denver in 2020.  This episode first aired on October 18, 2021.  Chafkin’s biography of Peter Thiel is called “The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power.” Host Bree Davies mentioned two stories about former Palantir workers — one about a group of employees who sent an open letter to NPR and another from More Perfect Union about a former worker who became disillusioned about the company.  What do you think about Palantir? We want to know what you think about our new neighbor! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the other sponsors of this June 2nd episode: Denver Botanic Gardens Xcel Energy Denver Fringe Festival Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After almost a year of slowdowns, RTD announced this week that every light rail line is finally back up to full speed. But will riders return to the trains? State Representative Alex Valdez joins producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to talk about the pandemonium in our streets, from RTD’s plateaued ridership to Gov. Jared Polis’s veto of the big Uber sexual assault bill. Plus, we discuss a fantastic Denverite article about Denver Health’s ambulance crews and share our wins and fails of the week.  Do you have a question for Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas? We’re sitting down with the chief soon, and we want to know what you think we should ask him. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and we might put your question to Chief Thomas: 720-500-5418 Paul talked about Blazing Bird, downtown bike lanes, and the sexual assault statistics that Uber and Lyft have reported. Alex discussed City Council’s vote on the NWSL stadium proposal and new condos for sale downtown. Bree mentioned the recent spate of measles cases in Colorado. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Watch the Friday show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this May 30th episode: Central City Opera - use the code CITYCAST to get 20% off select dates Xcel Energy Denver Fringe Festival Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June is on its way and that means fun in the sun for the Mile High City! From a brand new bubble tea shop serving up whimsical refreshments to a hot springs with cool pools and new water slides, we’ve rounded up some of the best things to do, see, drink, eat, and explore in Denver and beyond. If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community.  For even more tips on how to make the most of June in Denver, we’ll have even more tips and suggestions in our newsletter Hey Denver later this week.  Our monthly guides are brought to you by Multipass! If you enjoyed today’s sponsored interview with Andy Cambron, the CEO of Multipass, learn more here and get details of all the events Andy mentioned below: Shroomski Melt Pride at the Pearl Queer Circus 2025 Goat Yoga Learn more about the other sponsors of this May 29th episode, like Xcel Energy and the Denver Fringe Festival, as well as Central City Opera (just use the code CITYCAST to get 20% off select dates!) And we’re also powered by our neighbors, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about becoming a City Cast Denver Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here citycast.fm/advertise.  Got questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at denver@citycast.fm.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dropping the word “mall” from 16th Street wasn’t Mayor Mike Johnston’s only big announcement last week. He also revealed that flagging sales and property tax revenues alongside increasing costs have led to a $250 million budget deficit, and the city government is preparing for layoffs, furloughs, and other cuts. So Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to connect the dots between the big push to revitalize downtown and the threat of layoffs in city offices. Plus, we discuss Gov. Jared Polis’s personal pet plan for downtown: an elevated pedestrian bridge connecting Civic Center Park to the Capitol.  Patty mentions Alan Prendergast’s remembrance of how 16th Street became a mall in the first place. Paul talks about the draft 20-year plan for downtown, which won’t go into effect before Denverites share their feedback and City Council votes later this year, and the last 20-year plan for downtown, which was adopted in 2007. He also talks about Denverite’s reporting on the auditor’s work on employee morale inside the city government.  What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬ For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Learn more about the sponsors of this May 28th episode: Central City Opera - use the code CITYCAST to get 20% off select dates Xcel Energy Denver Fringe Festival Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 2015, Denver voted to extend tourism taxes to pay for the expansion of the National Western Center in order to keep the Stock Show from leaving town. But earlier this month, City Council twice delayed a vote that would release $800 million of that money. They were listening to pushback from community members who say they want the National Western Center Authority to commit $16 million to help mitigate displacement and gentrification. The Authority says they’ve already offered plenty of community benefits. So ahead of council’s final deliberation on the issue on Monday, host Bree Davies is sitting down with both sides — first, Steve Nalley is chief real estate officer of the National Western Center and second, Alfonso Espino from the GES Community Investment Fund. We discuss the 2015 vote in this episode quite a bit. Check out the ballot language for yourself to see what voters approved back then.  What do you think about the community leaders’ $16 million ask? Should they get the money? And who should pay? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of speculation, the open secret is now official: Denver’s 43-year experiment in calling our downtown pedestrian retail artery a “mall” is officially over. It’s just 16th Street now, according to Mayor Mike Johnston and the Downtown Denver Partnership. But will Denverites call it that? And will it help bring downtown back to life? Stand-up comedian and regular contributor Joshua Emerson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to get into Denver’s feelings about the name change. Plus, we’ve got some ideas for how to spend you long Memorial Day weekend and, of course, our wins and fails of the week. What do you think about 16th St. dropping the word “mall”? We want to hear what you think! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Don’t forget! We’re off on Monday for Memorial Day. Don’t expect a new episode in your feed until Tuesday morning.  After we recorded this episode, the Department of Excise and License finalized the city’s new rules governing open-consumption areas, including on 16th St. Paul talked about the “satirical” deadnaming website, a Rockies lawsuit, and this fantastic piece about how the 16th St. Mall came to be in the first place from Alan Prendergast in Westword. Bree mentioned about the end of El Noa Noa, her love for Chef Zorba’s and Alameda’s “road diet.” Joshua discussed tornados and Aurora’s new public art.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Watch the Friday show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver Learn more about the sponsors of this May 23rd episode: Denver Health City & County Denver Tech Central City Opera - use the code CITYCAST to get 20% off select dates Elizabeth Martinez with PorchLight Real Estate - Do you have a question about Denver real estate? Submit your questions for Elizabeth Martinez HERE, and she might answer in next week’s segment. Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Denver have too many parking spaces? Or too few? It’s a controversial topic guaranteed to start an argument, but in recent years the idea of reducing parking has become increasingly popular among transit activists and policy circles. Then earlier this week, a Denver City Council committee passed a bill that would eliminate something called “parking minimums.” So what the heck does that mean? And would it go far enough? Host Bree Davies posed those questions and more to CU Denver professor Ken Schroeppel last March when this whole parking debate was first starting to heat up.  This episode first aired on March 18, 2024, before the state bill Bree and Ken discuss passed into law.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Would you support Denver eliminating parking minimums? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this May 20th episode: Denver Health “Meet Sunny!” - City & County Denver Tech Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices