City Cast Denver

Almost 20 years ago, Erika Krouse took a job as a private investigator. Her first big case? A massive sexual assault scandal that revealed a toxic culture of abuse within CU Boulder’s prized football program. Krouse’s new book, “Tell Me Everything: The Story of A Private Investigation,” is part true crime thriller and part memoir, as she weaves together her recollections of the case with the story of her own experience with sexual assault. City Cast Denver’s Peyton Garcia spoke with Krouse about what it was like going up against an institution as powerful as the University of Colorado, the legacy of the case today, and how she saw her own story in the stories of the survivors. NOTE: This interview originally aired in March 2022, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more reading recommendations!Warning: While there are no graphic descriptions, this episode contains discussions about sexual assault.Learn more about Erika Krouse and her work at erikakrousewriter.com. And for more about the scandal at the heart of Krouse’s book, ESPN has a full timeline right here.Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

Colorado isn’t usually the first state people think of when it comes to barbecue. But it turns out, we have our own barbecue story to tell — and our Black community is at the center of it all. James Beard award-winning author Adrian E. Miller has that story and more in his most recent book, “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.” He joined host Bree Davies on the show last May to talk about everything Colorado barbecue, from the 1898 barbecue riot at the Stock Show to the legacy of “Daddy” Bruce Randolph and his son, Bruce Jr.NOTE: This interview originally aired in May of 2021, and is back as part of our special summer book series. Tune in all week for more! Learn more about Adrian and his work at adrianemiller.comWhat’s your favorite barbecue spot in Denver? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

***UPDATE (7/8/22): Since we published this episode this morning, we received a clarification from a Meow Wolf representative. She wrote in response to our guest John Wenzel's description of his reporting process: "The Denver Post article came out Wednesday morning, but the Meow Wolf Workers Collective Convergence Station Organizing Committee didn't formally reach out to CEO Jose Tolosa about the union until after 5 p.m. that day, after the article was published. Meow Wolf's brief statement and lack of answers to John's questions did not come from an unwillingness to be transparent, but rather a lack of information as the situation was still evolving." Since Meow Wolf opened the doors to Convergence Station in Denver last year, the Santa Fe-based arts collective-turned-corporation has been the talk of the town. They brought jobs, global clout, and millions of dollars to the often overlooked Sun Valley neighborhood. But the company has also struggled with lawsuits related to gender discrimination in Denver and fair pay issues in its home state. Now, the Meow Wolf Workers Collective says employees here have taken steps to unionize. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Denver Post arts reporter and critic John Wenzel, whose recent piece digs into the unionization efforts at the Denver Meow Wolf outpost. Bree also mentioned this story past guest Jason Blevins wrote for the Colorado Sun this week about the Rainbow Family gathering, which went down last week in Routt National ForestStill don’t have plans for the weekend? We’ve got a rundown of curated picks in today’s newsletter https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Have you been to Convergence Station yet? Let us know what you think on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

All it takes is one rush-hour morning to see that Denverites love their cars. Some city officials think having more environmentally friendly options — like e-scooters — are key to breaking that dependence. But are scooters really the best option for Denver’s busy, crowded streets and sidewalks? Not everyone is a fan of the compact devices that zip around with abandon, and can be parked seemingly anywhere. Host Bree Davies checked in with District 10 councilman Chris Hinds, a scooter skeptic, to hear about his dive into this hot-button issue. If you’re a scooter lover hoping to be a good citizen of our shared streets and sidewalks, our friends at Denverite put together a very helpful guide for how to ride a scooter and not be a jerk. Hungry? Editor Peyton Garcia chows down on the latest Denver food news in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Scooters: Menace, public good, or both? Let us know what you think and follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

It’s been said that Colorado has everything… except a beach. But ever since 1979, Water World has filled that ocean-sized hole in our hearts, serving up family fun in the form of wild rides, crazy slides, and zillions of funnel cakes along the way. Host Bree Davies has loved visiting Water World since she was a kid, so one recent morning we asked for a behind-the-scenes tour to see what you don’t see from the bird’s eye view of Alpine Springs gondola — everything from a backstage look at the animatronics powering Voyage to the Center of the Earth to the engineering marvel literally making waves at Thunder Bay. Share your favorite Water World memory with us on Twitter! We’re @citycastdenverWorried about monkeypox in Colorado? Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia has a breakdown of all things monkeypox in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

Like many American cities, Denver and its adjoining suburbs have had moments defined by malls. From Cinderella City to Villa Italia, Buckingham Square to Westminster, malls have come and gone, but created indelible memories for many Denverites. These intergenerational spaces played host to first jobs, first dates, and for many teens, first parent-free experiences in the public realm. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks with author and architecture critic Alexandra Lange about her new book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall. Together, they trace the architectural and social history of Denver through the lens of a built environment meant for shopping — but remembered for so much more.Bree and Alexandra talked about beautiful images of dying malls — like these photos from Seph Lawless.(Pssst… today’s blooper comes courtesy of these amazing in-store tapes from KMart that someone kindly posted to the Interwebz. Also, Bree recommends the album Vacant Places by Hantasi if you really want to immerse yourself in the mall’s aural aesthetic.)Want more Denver metro mall history? Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Shout out your fave Denver metro mall of yore on Twitter: @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What an up and down week it was in Denver. Elections officials were counting primary votes (some had to be counted twice!) and the final results for one key race arrived less than an hour before host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi started recording with Westword editor Patty Calhoun on Thursday morning at the Westword office. At the same time just down the street, the Stanley Cup was slowly approaching, with hundreds of thousands of hockey fans swarming downtown to watch as our victorious (and increasingly drunk) Colorado Avalanche paraded from Union Station to Civic Center Park. In short, it ruled! A programming note: We’re taking a long Fourth of July weekend, so there’ll be no new episode in your feed or newsletter in your inbox until Tuesday morning. Paul mentioned a 9News report on Democrat-linked spending in the Republican primaries. Here’s a link to see that for yourself. Still don’t have plans for the Fourth of July weekend? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia has you covered: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Did you attend the Stanley Cup parade on Thursday? We want to see your pics! Tag us @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE ENDLooking 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

***Due to a technical error, some subscribers downloaded a mostly silent, 1.75 hour long version of this episode. This is a re-uploaded, correct version.After a recent visit to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, our former producer Xandra McMahon proclaimed, “Ugh, why do we have zoos?” That episode didn’t go over so well with the folks from the Denver Zoo, and they invited us to come see for ourselves why zoos are still cool. So newsletter editor Peyton Garcia (zoo lover), producer Paul Karolyi (zoo skeptic), and host Bree Davies (zoo ambivalent) stopped by recently for some fresh perspective.We finally have results from Tuesday’s Democrat and Republican primaries. Peyton’s got a round-up of all the key races in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Would you rather visit the Denver Zoo or the Wild Animal Sanctuary? Tweet at us @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Control Group Productions presents THE END 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

The long Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and producer Paul Karolyi hasn’t planned anything — let alone an epic camping trip. Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, on the other hand, is a camping pro. So Paul and Peyton hopped on the mics to talk through the whole process: when to start planning, getting out of REI without going broke, what gear is worth the trunk space, stepping up your campfire cookery, and the great bluetooth speaker debate! Oh, and if you’re interested in an outdoor adventure minus the fossil fuels, past guest Nate Minor recently wrote a helpful guide for car-free hiking and camping for Colorado Public Radio. And if you, like Paul, neglected to book a campsite, 5280 Magazine has a great guide for booking a last-minute campsite right here. Paul mentioned our episode from earlier this year with Councilman Jolon Clark explaining why he was so excited to get Denverites to pay for trash pickup service. That plan passed City Council Monday night, so it’s a perfect time to revisit that episode.Wanna see Peyton’s camping checklist? She’s got that and more camping tips in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Do you know of a local reproductive healthcare provider in need of support? Or maybe some kind of related service provider that Denverites should know about? We want to help get the word out, so tweet at us @citycastdenver, or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Looking 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

Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, Cale Makar, Devon Toews: These difficult-to-spell names will be etched onto the Stanley Cup this summer, alongside those of their teammates, coaches, staff, and so many other champs to come before them. The Avalanche won it all on Sunday night, sending thousands of hockey-loving Denverites into the streets to celebrate — mostly responsibly — and City Cast Denver’s sports guy Jake Shapiro was there. Now also a sports analyst for DenverFan.com, Jake is back on the show today with producer Paul Karolyi to talk about the Cup riot that wasn’t and break down the Avs’ big win. Plus, this episode includes a re-run of one of our favorite Avs’ stories from last year. Click this link after you listen to see their Reverse Retro for yourself. We have a new producer! Get to know Erin O’Toole in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Were you downtown Sunday night? Get any good pics of the drunken debauchery? Tag us on Twitter @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Looking 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