City Cast Denver

Incumbent governor Jared Polis is polling way up on his Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl, so she’s looking to gain traction ahead of next month’s election. But was stoking panic about furries in Colorado schools the way to go? Today, host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and Westword editor Patty Calhoun dig into the governor’s race and the shocking firing of renowned historian Patty Limerick from CU Boulder’s Center of the American West, which she co-founded 36 years ago. Plus, stick around for the Official City Cast Denver Maybe for your weekend. We mentioned past City Cast Denver guest Jason Blevins’ reporting on the Limerick firing.There are sooooo many cool events happening in Denver this weekend. Find the one for you in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What do you think about #FurryPanic? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsor of this episode:How to Buy a Home PodcastLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

The streets of Denver are already awash in crisp American lagers, hazy New England IPAs, ultra-tart fruited sours, and the darkest porters, because thousands of brewers and beer lovers are descending on Mile High for the Great American Beer Festival this weekend! After a two-year absence, the country’s biggest celebration of all things beer returns to downtown Denver, but this year it brings an uncomfortable question: Do craft brewers still want a massive fest like this? Host Bree Davies sits down with the Colorado Beer Man himself, Jonathan Shikes, to get some answers. Jonathan is also Entertainment Editor at the Denver Post, where this week he and his colleagues published a few great stories on the return of GABF: GABF turns 40: How Colorado’s biggest beer festival shaped the American craft industry Big beer competitions like GABF could see a major shakeup this year What will fill Falling Rock Tap House’s void during the Great American Beer Festival? For even more from Jonathan on beer, check out his book: “Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing.”We’ve got plenty of non-beer news you can use in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What’s your current favorite local brewery? Give em a shout out on Twitter and remember to tag 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:How to Buy a Home PodcastLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Fall is here and the chiles are roasting — but at The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive Inn, it’s always green chile season. For more than half a century, the Cordova family has been serving up some of the city’s spiciest and most beloved green chile, smothering everything from burritos and rellenos to burgers and fries. But it turns out, the secret to Chubby’s magic isn’t just heat and spice — it’s a whole culture spawned from the family’s matriarch Stella Cordova. Today on the show, City Cast Denver politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins host Bree Davies to give a neighborhood insider’s take on the sprawling Chubby’s family empire and her tips on how to have the best Chubby’s experience. We gleaned a lot of great info on the Cordova family from “Smothered: The Saga of the Chubby's Empire,” Adam Cayton-Holland’s 2007 Westword piece (which includes a conversation with the late, great Stella Cordova herself!)Bree mentioned our episode about the global meat giant JBS’s new plant-based subsidiary Planterra.Get even more news, events and useful Denver in our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Hang out with 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:How to Buy a Home PodcastLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Fall is in the air… and by that, we mean the air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of roasting chiles, ready to be bought by the bushel from farmers markets and roadside stands all over the state. But how did this become such a time-honored tradition in Colorado? Today on the show, we’re revisiting our conversation with Ron Morales, whose family has been roasting green chiles in a parking lot at 52nd and Sheridan for almost 30 years. Ron shared his story last October with producer Paul Karolyi and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Morales Family Chile Store. Plus, our producer Lizzie Goldsmith caught up with Ron this week to see how the 2022 chile season is going, and hint: It. is. hot!Get a glimpse of the Morales Family Chile Store in this CBS report from last week.If this episode gets you in the mood to buy some fresh roasted chiles of your own, there’s a helpful list of where to do that at denvergreenchili.com. (But really, all you need to do is stop at the next stand you see on the side of the road!)Bree mentioned a survey from the Denver Public Library, which is taking responses until Oct. 6. Find it here: denverlibrary.org/survey Our newsletter is chock-full of useful news - subscribe here! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Tweet us your green chile recipe: @citycastdenverLeave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:How to Buy a Home PodcastLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

A Proud Boy spotted at a Northside supermarket. Local elected officials and law enforcement found on a leaked Oath Keepers email list. Members of the Far Right are still here and more visible than ever. So what is to be done about the white supremacists among us? Our pal Theo Wilson went undercover in the Alt Right a few years ago. (Maybe you were among the millions to see his TED talk?) But his thinking has evolved since then. So with another contested election a month away, Theo is on the show today with host Bree Davies to talk it out. Bree mentioned the infamous Denver cop Buster Snyder, who she discussed with historian and comics artist B. Erin Cole on our walking tour of Queer Cap Hill.In the newscast, we mentioned the closing of Japanese restaurant Domo. Former City Cast Denver guest Gil Asakawa wrote a lovely piece on it for Westword.Campaign season is definitely ramping up, and we’ve got lots more politics news in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/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 sponsor of this episode:How to Buy a Home PodcastLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

The epic conclusion of Pizza Week is here! With our host Bree Davies out with COVID, it’s up to producer and Denver Pizza Podcast co-host Paul Karolyi, newsletter writer and resident foodie Peyton Garcia, and a special guest pizza expert to pick the best pizza in Denver. Will it be the Old Denver champion that’s been slinging New York-style pies for 28 years from the south suburbs? Or the heavily favored Blue Pan Pizza, the best in class of New Denver’s pizza renaissance?There is such thing as life after Pizza Week! Fill your weekend with cool events and happenings with today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What do you think of Megan’s hub-and-spokes pizza theory of Denver pizza? Let us know 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:Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/29 - 10/2)Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Welcome to Pizza Week: Day 3!What is the deal with all these local pizza parlors offering honey for your crust? That simple question launched producer Paul Karolyi on a five-year quest to the original Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs and deep into the darkest corners of Denver’s pizza ovens. Today, host Bree Davies teases apart Paul’s complicated relationship with Beau Jo’s and “Colorado-style pizza.” Plus! Paul’s been doing some more reporting since we initially published this episode in April, and he’s got a major update to the story.More police blunders and more pizza in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Do you like to eat your crust with honey? Let us know 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

Pizza Week continues! Our producer Paul Karolyi is a certified pizza obsessive, searching low and Mile High for the most tantalizing combinations of cheese, crust, and sauce. But that search has yielded more questions than answers, especially around authenticity and Beau Jo’s, the infamous Front Range pizza chain that trademarked the phrase “Colorado-style pizza.” Today, Paul poses his most vexing pizza questions to local pizza expert Carol Helstosky. She’s a professor of history at the University of Denver, author of “Pizza: A Global History,” and fellow traveler on the never-ending quest for perfect pizza. All the pizza places we mentioned today: Marco’s Coal-Fired (LoDo) Domino’s (Various) Pizza Hut (Various) Beau Jo’s (Idaho Springs, etc.) Anthony’s (Various) And today’s listener recs: Pizzeria Leopold (Lakewood) Pizzeria Lui (Lakewood) Cosmo’s Pizza (Various) Carol also has a hot tip for the home pizza chefs out there: “Before you put the pizzas in, when your oven’s as hot as it will go, throw in 3-4 ice cubes. It really makes a difference in the crust.”We’ve got sooooo much more pizza goodness in today’s CCD newsletter, plus some real news and useful info: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Tell us all your deepest, darkest pizza secrets 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 sponsor of this episode:Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/30 - 10/2)Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Welcome to City Cast Denver’s Pizza Week! We’re kicking off our week-long celebration of (and descent into madness through) Denver’s best crust, sauce, toppings, and cheese with a wide-ranging chat on the precarious position of Denver pizza today. Even before the pandemic, the Mile High City’s pies were wildly underrated, and we think it’s time to stand up and be proud of all the awesome pizza that we have! Westword’s food editor Molly Martin joins host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and newsletter editor Peyton Garcia to chew on some local pizza history and lay down a roadmap for Denver’s shining pizza future.Paul mentioned the Denver Pizza Podcast that he co-hosts with his wife Megan Arellano. All the pizza places we mentioned in this episode: Cart Driver (RiNo) Redeemer (RiNo) The Greenwich (RiNo) Joy Hill (South Broadway) Blue Pan Pizza (West Highland, Congress Park) Big Bill’s New York Pizza (Centennial) ShowBiz Pizza (RIP) Little Caesar’s at (Kmart [RIP]; Various other locations are still open. The mascot had his chest hair removed, too.)  Domino’s (Various) Anthony’s (Various) Pizza Hut (Various) Carl’s Italian (West Highland) Lechuga’s (Highland, Lakewood) Organ Grinder (RIP) Beau Jo’s (Idaho Springs, etc.) Pizza Pals Playzone (Inside Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station; Designed by Everything is Terrible) Crush Pizza + Tap (RIP) Rosalee’s (Longmont) All the other pizza places listeners and readers recommended: Everyday Pizza (RiNo) Mod Pizza (Lowry, etc.) Papa Murphy’s (Various) Osteria Marco (Larimer Square) Funky Flame (Sunnyside) Pietra’s (Wheat Ridge) Patxi’s (Uptown, Cherry Hills, etc.) Kaos Pizzeria (South Pearl) Pie Hole (South Broadway) Walter’s 303 (Lowry, Uptown, Littleton) Ester’s (Virginia Village, Park Hill) Pizzeria Lui (Lakewood) Brooklyn’s Finest (Downtown, Regis) Denver Pizza Co. (Various) Hops & Pie (Berkeley) Pizzeria Locale (Various) Oblio’s (Recently redesigned their menu away from pizza, but still open in Park Hill) Grabowski’s (RiNo) Even. More. Pizza. Plus, some real news and useful info in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Talk pizza to us: @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

On June 10, 2020, Isabella Thallas was out for a walk in the Ballpark neighborhood with her boyfriend Darian Simon and his dog, Rocco. Out of nowhere, Bella — as friends and family called her — was killed and Darian was seriously injured. The couple was shot in broad daylight by a man they had never met. Peter Sagal is the longtime host of NPR’s “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me” and a Chicago resident, but he was so compelled by the lack of coverage of this particular Denver shooting that he decided to write about it himself. Host Bree Davies sits down with Sagal to discuss his recent report for The Atlantic, “Killed For Walking a Dog: The mundanity and insanity of gun death in America.” Bree mentioned the response we got to our recent e-bikes episode from Denver’s Climate Action Office, which operates the city’s wildly popular e-bike rebate program. Here are a couple of key comments from the spokesperson’s response: "I wanted to take a moment and share that our [Office of Social Equity and Innovation] team has actually pointed to our agency as an example of how to fold equity into this work, not as an afterthought. We’re pretty proud of that, and of the fact that most of the funding for e-bikes has gone towards the income-qualified program.""Ben Chavez brings up a good point about access, and I think we collectively – in the city and beyond – are thinking about the many ways people need to get around. The Office of Climate Action weighs in on some of the how. E-bikes are a cleaner option and can often replace car trips; we don’t intend for everyone to adopt e-bikes. They are one part of the broader mobility puzzle. We will probably need cars for a good number of decades ahead us (hopefully mostly EVs soon enough), and the driving experience for people who need cars, such as larger families or multigenerational households, should improve as other options emerge."Catch more news from across Colorado in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/We are 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:Colorado Tattoo Convention (9/30 - 10/2)Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise