City Cast Denver

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

Five Points is rooted in Denver’s Black history and culture, with monuments to the swinging jazz age and soul food eateries still dotting the historic Welton St. corridor. But the iconic Rossonian Hotel remains vacant and many Black-owned businesses have closed or been forced to move in the last few years. So what is it going to take to revitalize Welton St.? Host Bree Davies recently sat down with Five Points Business Improvement District president Ryan Cobbins to connect the dots between gentrification, the pandemic, and a once-promising business deal that now has him fending off lawsuits.Cobbins is also the owner of Coffee at the Point.Bree mentioned the displacement of the Welton St. Cafe from its longtime home, but there’s good news! They recently announced on Instagram that they’ve found a new permanent location on Welton and in the meantime they’re serving takeout out of 2258 California St.For more details on Matthew Burkett’s work in Five Points with the FlyFisher Group, here’s a link to Westword reporter Conor McCormick-Cavanagh’s article breaking down the various deals and what went wrong. We are still thinking about the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, so newsletter editor Peyton Garcia rounded up some local abortion resources and information in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/. And if you haven’t heard it, check out our episode about the local implications that we published back when the draft opinion leaked. What’s your favorite local business in Five Points? 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

It’s Friday, and we’re still deep in this Colorado primary conversation. But today, we’re talking about the craziness on the GOP side — and what role independent voters could have in next week’s primary election. Today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by Ian Silverii, a longtime Democratic Party insider, to dissect the Republican candidates and chat about what, exactly, you should be doing with your Republican or Democratic primary ballot. (Hint: he wants you to fill it out!)For more of Ian's political analysis, check out the awesome podcast he co-hosts, The Get More Smarter Podcast.Ian mentioned past CCD guest Ryan Warner’s longform interviews with GOP gubernatorial candidates Greg Lopez and Heidi Ganahl. Still not sure how to vote in this primary? Check out this helpful guide from Colorado Public Radio.Looking for fun stuff to fill your weekend? https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Are you an unaffiliated voter planning to return the GOP primary ballot? Let us know how you’re thinking about the candidates on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsor of this episode:CU Boulder’s Masters of Journalism Entrepreneurship programLooking 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 Democratic primary for House District 6 in central Denver is a hot one, with unprecedented amounts of money flowing in and plenty of media coverage. But the question at the heart of this race: How progressive is Denver? This democratic showdown could reveal the answer, and there are two candidates who hold the key: Elisabeth Epps and Katie March. Today, host Bree Davies talks with March about how she approaches her ongoing work on gun control, and how she laid the groundwork for her campaign after spending years as a Dem State House staffer.Be sure to check out our episode from yesterday with March’s opponent, Elisabeth Epps. In today’s newsletter, editor Peyton Garcia digs into the legacy of LGBTQ+ rights pioneer and former Boulder County Clerk, the late Clela Rorex. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Have you dropped your primary ballot in the ballot box yet? Brag about it to 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

Is the race for the House District 6 seat the most interesting primary in Colorado? It’s certainly among the most expensive and the most divisive, with all eyes on the Democratic candidates for the office: Elisabeth Epps and Katie March. In this last week before the polls close, we’ve invited both candidates to come on the show. Today, Bree talks with Epps about why she’s running for office, what HD6 needs the most right now, and why she isn’t “too progressive” to get elected. Stay tuned tomorrow, when her opponent, Katie March, is scheduled to join us. Hear our episode from last summer with Elisabeth Epps, where she talked with producer Paul Karolyi about ending cash bail. You still have a week to say your goodbyes to Bonnie Brae Tavern! Bree took a trip to the 88-year-old establishment last weekend — see pics in our newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What Colorado primary race are you watching? Tell us on Twitter @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

Denver has always been home to revolutionary movements — Chicano civil rights, disability justice, and the fight for LGBTQ+ equality have all played out here across decades. For each of those movements, geography plays an important role, like Capitol Hill, where queer people found refuge, support, and community. Ahead of PrideFest this weekend, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi join comics artist and historian B. Erin Cole on a walking tour of Cap Hill, as seen through a queer historical lens. B. Erin has researched and illustrated a map with markers from the State Capitol to Cheesman Park — but it’s the flipped homes, demolished buildings, and long-gone bars in-between that tell the deeper story of the neighborhood's vibrant LGBTQ+ history. B. Erin Cole’s illustrated map of queer Capitol Hill can be found as part of History Colorado’s Rainbows and Revolutions exhibit, on view now. Find more of B. Erin’s work here. In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, producer Lizzie Goldsmith has a roundup of summer theater events. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Have your own memory or shoutout for a queer space in Denver? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: Queer America Clothing Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute 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

As of this year, Juneteenth is officially a state holiday in Colorado — but Denver’s Black community has been recognizing and celebrating June 19th for decades. A staple celebration in Five Points since the 1960s, an official Juneteenth music festival launched in the community in 2012 and is going strong today. (For more on the history of the Mile High’s Juneteenth history, check out our newsletter from earlier this week.) Today on the show, we share a story we aired last year with producer Xandra McMahon walking down Welton St. with Norman Harris, an organizer of the annual Juneteenth music festival. Norman digs into the past, present, and future of this celebration of Black life, culture, and community in Denver.Looking for even more great things to do this weekend? Check out Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia’s top picks: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Does your family have a Juneteenth tradition? Tell 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:Don’t Tell ComedyLooking 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 years of low test scores, concerns of gang activity, and accusations of discrimination against Spanish-speaking students, a new state-mandated “reorganization” order could seal the fate of the Adams 14 school district — schools may close and thousands of students could be forced to attend classes outside their community. Today on the show, host Bree Davies talks to Chalkbeat reporter Yesenia Robles about where the school district sits now, how it got to such a dire state, and where the people of Commerce City stand when it comes their much-maligned schools.Read Yesenia Robles’ in-depth reporting on the Adams 14 situation in English and Spanish for Chalkbeat.Bree mentioned the latest on the impending Rainbow Gathering. Hear our interview from earlier this year with a veteran RG attendee addressing the controversy.Celebrate Juneteenth this weekend with a great list of events from City Cast Denver Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Are you an Adams 14 alum or have kids in the district? Tell us how you feel about the situation 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: How to Buy a Home Podcast Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute 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

It’s prime outdoor-dining season in Denver. But what, exactly, makes a good patio? Today on the show, host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor and foodie extraordinaire Peyton Garcia to discuss the role of ambiance and a killer view when it comes to judging the perfect patio scenario. From our favorite rooftop party spots to those calm, garden-like hideaways, Peyton and Bree share a robust list of restaurants and bars doing outdoor dining in Denver right. Bree also mentioned James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, who stopped by our show last summer to talk about his book, “Black Smoke: African-Americans and the United States of BBQ.”In today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, Peyton digs into the history of the Denver Zoo (and stay tuned for a companion podcast episode about the zoo, coming soon!) Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Share your fave Denver patio spots with us on Twitter: @citycastdenverGot something to say about Denver? 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: Don’t Tell Comedy Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute 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

Ten years ago, Tom Sullivan lost his son Alex in the Aurora theater shooting. It was a tragedy that sparked a political career, with Sullivan stepping up to run for office and lead a decade’s worth of gun reform campaigns. But those campaigns have had limited success, and mass shootings continue to plague our community. So now that the City of Denver is trying to get more guns off the street and Sullivan is campaigning for a seat in the state senate, host Bree Davies sat down with him to discuss the challenge of local gun policy, explain his theory on the political gridlock, and respond to critics who say that Denver’s ban on concealed carry in public buildings and parks will lead to more racial profiling. Bree interviewed one of those critics, Anubis Heru, co-owner of the 1770 Armory and Gun Club, a few weeks ago on the show. You can listen to that episode here. Bree’s also got updates on a couple more past stories, about FashioNation and Denver’s teen drag scene, in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: The How to Buy a Home Podcast Wonderful Waste  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