City Cast Denver

Lots of people move to Colorado to enjoy our mountains and sunshine, and that means that Denverites tend to be outdoorsy and relatively fit. But for Andrea Parés — a self-proclaimed fat-positive yoga teacher — growing up here meant she never felt welcome in aerobics classes, Zumba sessions, or a simple yoga flow with friends. That all changed a few years ago when Parés found a yoga workshop for people with bigger bodies like hers. Today, Parés joins Host Bree Davies to talk about why it’s important for bigger bodies to have dedicated spaces for fitness, what it means to identify as “fat” in Colorado, and how she unlocked the pent-up demand for her new, monthly Yoga for Bigger Bodies class.Follow Parés’ yoga pursuits and get updates on her latest yoga classes via @AndreaParesYoga on Instagram. You can also check out her class and other offerings at Courageous Yoga. Today, City Cast Denver newsletter writer Peyton Garcia shares a “moment of joy” for your Monday. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Have a favorite teacher or place you do yoga? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Texan transplants in Colorado were hit with some life-changing news: We’re getting a Buc-ees. So what's the deal with this legendary convenience store? Why does it hold such a special place in Texans’ hearts? And should the rest of us be excited, too? When newsletter writer Peyton Garcia heard the news about a Buc-ees opening near Johnstown, she had questions about this cult-favorite convenience store with the allegedly award-winning bathrooms, so she checked in with our colleagues at City Cast Houston, where host Lisa Gray and producers Ferrill Gibbs and Dina Kesbeh were happy to oblige. Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Houston (Original airdate: 2/11/22) and tell your Texan friends to subscribe! They’ve got a podcast and Lisa writes their daily newsletter, too. For more on what and where to expect the new Colorado-based Buc-ees, here’s a write-up from 303 Magazine: https://303magazine.com/2022/02/buc-ees-announces-first-colorado-location-to-open-by-2024/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, it’s not deja vu. The Supreme Court is going to hear yet another LGBTQ+ discrimination case out of Colorado. But aren’t we supposed to be on the vanguard of LGBTQ rights? Producer Xandra McMahon and host Bree Davies are joined by Westword editor Patty Calhoun to chat through this new case involving a wedding website maker’s Christian views, the legacy of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, and the evolution of the LGBTQ community in Denver. Plus, nine Democrats are running to replace Lauren Boebert in Congress, and we’re talking about the “shitstorm” brewing on the Western Slope. The Democrats running for Boebert’s district, CD-3, will be in conversation with each other for the first time on Saturday. You can watch the virtual forum starting at 4 p.m. Local musician Sedrick Avenue is featured in today’s show. Check out his latest release, 39, on Bandcamp.In the CCD newsletter today, producer Lizzie Goldsmith has got her monthly rundown of all the best live theater happening in Denver. Get it here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/ Hang out with us on Twitter? @citycastdenver  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been dominating the news over the last 48 hours, impacting Ukrainians at home and all over the world. Denver is no exception. The city’s Ukrainian community and allies gathered on the steps of the state capitol this afternoon and City Cast Denver producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon were there to document the scene.UPDATE: Since this episode was originally published, we decided to remove a short excerpt from the very end. It featured clips from a brief exchange Paul had with a protester holding a sign featuring Russian president Putin with a mustache that looked like Hitler’s mustache. We removed the excerpt for a couple of reasons. One, the protester did not agree to our offer to explain the sign. Two, we neglected to add sufficient context to the exchange. So it was confusing and, we feel, not representative of the event we were intending to document. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A frothy mix of supply chain issues has set two longtime collaborators on a collision course: Westminster’s aluminum can giant, Ball Corporation, and the local brewers who like to sell their beer in cans. Ball’s always been good to small craft breweries, but the past two years have put the company in an impossible predicament. So what does this mean for your favorite neighborhood brewery? Will you still be able to buy their beer in a store? Will a 6-pack cost you an arm and a leg if you do? City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Denver Business Journal beer reporter Ed Sealover to talk through the whole story.For more of Sealover’s reporting on the Ball Corp./craft brewing situation, click here. After the interview, we asked Sealover for a local beer rec, and he did not disappoint. You can read all about it in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/What do you think about those plastic wraps and stickers on craft beer cans? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Parker McMullen Bushman and her business partner, Crystal Egli, founded Inclusive Journeys, they were on a mission to bring the idea of the Green Book into the 21st century. While they found enthusiastic support for their idea of an internet-based inclusive spaces travel guide, the financial backing other tech companies seemed to attract wasn’t as easy to come by. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with McMullen Bushman about the struggles and triumphs Inclusive Journeys has experienced as a tech company founded and operated by Black women in Colorado. Learn more about Inclusive Journeys and how to support the project on their GoFundMe page.Sign up for our newsletter, where today producer Paul Karolyi unpacks Police Chief Paul Pazen’s response to our previous reporting on the recent spike in vehicle thefts across Colorado https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The overdose deaths of five people in Commerce City over the weekend were a harsh reminder that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is wreaking havoc in our communities, and has been for some time. Fentanyl’s growing presence in Denver’s drug supply the last few years directly correlates to alarming spikes in overdoses. According to the Denver Post, “An average of two Coloradans died of fentanyl overdoses every day in the first nine months of 2021, state data shows.” Back in December, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said enough is enough and announced steps to tackle the crisis alongside state lawmakers. Today, he joins City Cast Denver host Bree Davies to talk through those plans and consider the question: Is this just an extension of the war on drugs? Or could it be a turning point for harm reduction and destigmatization?In the interview, the attorney general mentioned a New York Times story about the opioid crisis. Here’s a link to that: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/briefing/opioids-drug-overdose-death-toll.htmlIf you or someone you know needs access to fentanyl testing strips, just fill out this form and Denver will ship them to you for free:https://us.openforms.com/Form/0b3ab074-c139-481b-9912-331b3c9b147b Did you know you can earn free City Cast Denver swag? All you have to do is refer a friend to subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. Learn more and refer now, right here: https://denver.citycast.fm/referrals/?email=%2A%7CHTML%3AEMAIL%7C%2A&autoDetect=1Stay in touch on Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denver has a unique relationship with the Olympics, that's for sure. But our friends on the other side of the Rockies have been grappling with the Games lately, too. Utahns are currently discussing a bid for the 2030 Olympics, so City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta invited CCD host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to hash it out. We had a ton of fun recording this and there are a bunch of interesting parallels between Denver and Salt Lake when it comes to the Olympics, so we wanted to share the episode with you!Please enjoy this bonus episode of City Cast Salt Lake (Original airdate: 2/17/22) and tell your friends in Utah to subscribe! They’ve got a daily newsletter, too.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time for another City Cast Denver food fight! This time, the crew chows down on fried chicken, and tries to determine who does it best. Today on the show, producer Xandra McMahon is joined by host Bree Davies, newsletter writer Peyton Garcia, and special guest Keith Garcia, artistic director of the Sie FilmCenter, for an epic poultry battle. After narrowing it down to four top fried chicken spots in the city, the team mulls over flavor profiles, grease level, crispy-ness, seasoning ratio, and more — all in full ASMR-detail. Tune in to find out if your favorite bone-in, crispy fried chicken joints made the cut! If this episode left you hungry to learn more about the Welton St. Cafe, here’s the episode we recorded with Chereka Dickerson there a few weeks ago: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rdkWgdzdsL3FwtwM289DcLooking for cool stuff to do this weekend? Check out Peyton’s Friday event round-up in our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Serve up your own fried chicken hot takes directly to us via Twitter: @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“As we are all keenly aware, our community is experiencing a disturbing rise in crime,” said Mayor Michael Hancock on February 3, as he stood alongside Police Chief Paul Pazen to unveil their new plan for public safety. Today on the show, City Cast Denver host Bree Davies sits down with Pazen to break down the plan. They discuss the role Pazen sees for harm reduction at Union Station, the logic behind DPD’s “hot spot” approach to stemming gun violence, and the human impact of the surprising recent spike in vehicle theft.We did not walk into this interview with Pazen expecting to talk about vehicle thefts, but it’s clearly top of his mind. So in our newsletter today, Producer Paul Karolyi dug into the recent spike, including the one piece of legislation Pazen said is to blame: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/If you’re a Twitter person, follow us! We love to tweet @citycastdenver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices