City Cast Denver

The City Cast Denver crew is back at the table with a new local food challenge and this time, we’re taking on sandwiches. While the Mile High is overflowing with great grinders, subs, hoagies, and tortas, today’s showdown is all about two out-of-town chains that Denverites have embraced as our own: Cheba Hut vs. Snarf’s Sandwiches. Which tasty sub will reign supreme? Host Bree Davies is joined by newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, plus producers Paul Karolyi and Erin O’Toole for a great debate over who puts the best meat and cheese (or guacamole and cream cheese???) between two perfectly toasted pieces of bread.Looking for more City Cast Denver food battles? We’ve also taken on the best burger, enjoyed the local delicacy of breakfast burritos, taste-tested fried chicken, indulged in Denver’s most decadent donuts, and compared Illegal Pete’s and Chipotle!Peyton mentioned a story she wrote on Quizno’s earlier this year: https://denver.citycast.fm/2022/03/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-denver-sandwich-empire/Paul quoted from this Celebstoner.com interview with Cheba Hut founder Scott Jennings: https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2021/03/04/cheba-hut-founder-scott-jennings-interview/ And finally: some Casa Bonita news!!!! Read and subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Tell us about your dream sandwich 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

More than 3 million Coloradans are receiving $750 checks in the mail this week, but who’s to thank? Is it Governor Jared Polis and the Democrats, who re-branded and re-worked our tax policy to create this ‘Colorado Cashback’? Or is it the conservatives who convinced Colorado voters to approve the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (aka TABOR) in 1992 and have defended it ever since? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dive into the politics of TABOR to figure out the real story behind these $750 checks. For an even deeper dive, Bree recommends The Taxman, CPR’s podcast series about the origins and lasting impact of TABOR. Want to get more plugged in to all the cool stuff happening in Denver? Subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What are you doing with your $750? Tell 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

On July 15, Ma Kaing was shot and killed outside her home in the East Colfax neighborhood. The mother, restaurateur, and beloved community member was the latest victim of gun violence in Denver. But soon after Kaing’s death, her community came forward with serious concerns over the effectiveness of 911 calls made from the Denver neighborhood that sits on the border of Aurora. Today, host Bree Davies sits down with Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips to talk 911 call centers, emergency response, gun violence, and East Colfax’s unsteady relationship with their councilwoman. Read more of Noelle Phillips’s reporting on the East Colfax community tragedy in the Denver Post.A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ma Kaing’s family. For more on the removal of the racist Chinatown plaque Bree mentioned, here’s the report from Rocky Mountain PBS. Listen to our episode with Dr. Wei from last August to learn more about Denver’s lost Chinatown.Casa Bonita is back in the news this week, and you know we’re all over it. Get the latest 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) 500-5418‬Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

South Park, AKA the show that introduced the world to Casa Bonita, is celebrating 25 years on TV this week. That’s hundreds of episodes packed with thousands of jokes made at the expense of politicians, pop stars, and us, the faithful residents of Colorado. Host Bree Davies sits down with her friend and South Park superfan Kalyn Heffernan to talk all things Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman. A musician, artist, former mayoral candidate, and disability rights activist, Heffernan has a deep love for South Park’s irreverent humor and the version of Colorado portrayed on the show, and Bree wanted to get to the bottom of that love. If you want to join the 25-year anniversary celebrations, there’s a two-night live music extravaganza happening at Red Rocks with creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, along with their band-friends Ween and Primus. Of course, South Park is also cashing in on the immersive experience trend with a shipping container wrapped in Cartman’s image, peddling photo-ops and memorabilia for fans to see and pose with. That’ll be outside the concert and at McGregor Square this weekend. More on that here. Bree offered an update on BALLOT TRIP, our four-part investigation into the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To hear the whole series, here’s where you can find part one, part two, part three, and part four.Catch up on all the Denver news with the CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Got a favorite South Park joke about Colorado? 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

***This is the final episode in our four-part series on the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To get the rest of the story, here’s where you can find part one, part two, and part three.***UPDATE (9/21/22): This episode has been updated to correct our characterization of SPORE's position. SPORE is not neutral. In fact, after this episode was originally published on 8/8/22, Matthew Duffy published an op-ed in the Denver Post urging voters to reject the Natural Health Medicine Act in November. Who will decide the future of psychedelics in Colorado? Is it the big-money, out-of-state campaign with nationwide ambitions? Or the grassroots-driven Decriminalize Nature measure that wants to take things a little slower? In this final episode of our four-part series Ballot Trip, award-winning investigative reporter Chris Walker highlights the grassroots approach and why their organizers are wary of moving too fast. Get all the Denver news you need, plus cool events happening this week and more in today’s CCD 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) 500-5418‬Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s only been six weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ripple effects are still being felt across the country — including here in Colorado, where surprising new fronts have opened in the battle to keep reproductive healthcare safe, legal, and accessible. Today, host Bree Davies sits down with two Colorado experts on abortion issues: Denver Post reporter Elizabeth Hernandez shares insight from her reporting on healthcare providers and Coloradans looking for reproductive healthcare, and Justine Sandoval, a political insider who’s been working on abortion rights legislation for close to a decade. Find all of Elizabeth’s fantastic reporting on the local ripple effects of the Roe decision via The Denver Post.Justine mentioned supporting abortion access advocates already doing the work, like: Cobalt, COLOR Latina, and National Abortion Funds. Looking for fun stuff to do this weekend? Check out the City Cast Denver newsletter for editor Peyton Garcia’s handpicked list: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Find us on Twitter: @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: Trade Coffee How to Buy a Home podcast Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Denver is home to many neighborhoods, cultures, and people. But lately, our host Bree Davies has been stuck on a certain kind of Denverite: the Denver Foo. Thanks to the @DenverFoos303 Instagram account, you can stay up-to-date on where local Edgars get their Polo shirts, what’s really going down in LoDo after let-out, and who serves the best tacos on a paper plate in the city. Bree sat down with Benny, one of the guys behind the IG account, to talk about what makes a true Denver Foo, what this particular subculture says about Denver, and why this account is an appreciation — not an appropriation — of a certain style of Mile High human. More news you can use in our daily City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Give a shout out to the Denver Foo in your life on Twitter, bud: @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: Trade Coffee How to Buy a Home podcast Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

The journalist and community organizer Theo Wilson is fresh off a high-profile new gig, hosting his own show for the History Channel. On “I Was There,” Theo explores the history you know from an angle you don’t know. So we invited Theo to give the “I Was There” treatment to an issue many Denverites are dealing with in different ways: our housing crisis. It turns out Theo is in the market to buy a home himself, and he’s got tons of insight from history, his research into other housing models around the world, and his own personal experience to help point us in the right direction. Theo mentioned that he is taking advantage of a new housing equity program called the Dearfield Fund. Check out our episode from March 9 with another beneficiary of the program and one of the folks who designed it to learn more.  Craving more Denver news? Subscribe to our daily 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 sponsors of this episode: Trade Coffee How to Buy a Home podcast Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

For the first time in the history of legal weed, sales are falling. It’s an unthinkable turnaround for an industry that was once seen with limitless potential, and it’s going to mean a loss of tax revenue for all the public services funded by cannabis sales. So why are weed sales dropping? Ricardo Baca is the founder and ceo of Grasslands, a cannabis-focused PR agency. He’s been digging into the numbers, and he sees more than what’s on the surface. Host Bree Davies sits down with the veteran cannabis journalist-turned-weed biz insider to parse out what, exactly, is going on with cannabis in Colorado. Oh, and- We’re doing another food battle! This time, it’s a showdown between Denver’s favorite sandwich chains: Snarf’s vs. Cheba Hut. So which colorful sub-maker will reign supreme? Or is there another local sandwich maker that deserves a spot in this battle? Leave us a voicemail with your take, name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Bree mentioned Mutiny Information Cafe’s GoFundMe, which you can support here.Get all the Denver news you need, plus event listings and more fun tidbits and bobs in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: Trade Coffee How to Buy a Home podcast Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

***This is the third episode of a four-part series on the future of psychedelics in Colorado. To hear the whole story, you can find part one here and part two here.Recently, news broke that at least one of the dueling campaigns to get a psychedelics measure on the November ballot has been successful. This means Colorado voters will decide on Initiative 58, also known as the Natural Medicine Health Act, which is the one that aims to to legalize psychedelics, but also regulate their distribution at licensed “healing centers.” It’s a controversial proposal with big money behind it. This time on BALLOT TRIP, investigative journalist Chris Walker explores the origins of this scheme, including its surprising financial backer, and looks at how a similar initiative is already playing out in Oregon. We’ve got all the news you need to start your week right here: 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 sponsors of this episode: Trade Coffee How to Buy a Home podcast Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise