City Cast Denver

Latest Episodes:

Superintendent Marrero Talks School Safety, Rumored Closures, and the State of DPS Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Denver Public Schools let out for the summer last week, which means DPS superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero now has one full school year under his belt — and it was a rough one. Declining enrollment sparked fears of school closures. A beloved Northside teacher was let go, prompting student walkouts and protests. Mass shootings tested DPS’s security plans and resurfaced the debate over cops in schools. And oh yeah, COVID-19. Host Bree Davies sits down with Dr. Marrero to go through the ups and downs, and his plan for the future.

For more on the issues Bree discussed with Dr. Marrero, here’s a few links:

Denver school board votes to phase police out of schools [Chalkbeat, 6/11/2020]

He’s a Beloved Northside Teacher. Why Did DPS Let Him Go? [City Cast Denver, 5/11/2022]

One Denver Teacher Says They’re Not Just Burned Out, They’re Being Set on Fire [City Cast Denver, 1/11/2022]

With the school year wrapping up last week, there’s been a ton of news related to DPS and other schools across the state. Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia has got all the important stuff rounded up for you in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

What do you think about the possibility of school closures? Tweet at us @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsor of this episode:

Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Yes In My Backyard: Ideas for Tackling Denver’s Housing Crisis Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

It’s no secret that Denver’s housing market is nuts. But when we sit down to talk about the causes and solutions for our ongoing issues with housing, things tend to get heated, complicated, and divisive. So, we’re looking to Denverites for their “big ideas” to help steer this and other conversations about our city’s future. What can the Mile High do to make this place better for everyone? Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with fellow housing wonk Adam Estroff, member of YIMBY Denver and aspiring politician, about what he thinks we can do right now to put Denver on a better course toward more affordable — and attractive — housing.

Check out Adam’s campaign for city council, representing “Lucky” District 7.

This is the Denver Post article about the city's landmarks that Adam mentioned in the episode.

Colorado primary ballots start arriving in mailboxes this week. Editor Peyton Garcia has all the voting resources you need in today’s City Cast Denver Newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

How to Have a Kickass Colorado Summer Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

Summer’s (almost) officially here, and we’re here for it! Today on the show, Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by Newsletter Editor Peyton Garcia and Host Bree Davies to chat about what makes summer the best season in Denver. From short mountain jaunts to cool new art installations, the City Cast Denver crew has lots of ideas for your next weekend outing.

Bree’s Picks:

Go for evening bike rides! (Grab some lights at Yawp Cyclery or another local bike shop)
Pack a picnic for a summer concert at Levitt Pavilion or the Denver Botanic Gardens

Peyton’s Picks:

Eat your way through a food festival! Especially Top Taco and Burger Battle
Find your own dang hiking/camping/backpacking spot with help from Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Paul’s Picks:

James Turrell’s newest Skyspace opens on June 18 at the Green Box Arts Festival.
Go stargazing and spend a single night camping at the Pawnee Buttes

Peyton’s got even more fun stuff for your weekend in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Where’s your favorite place to swim in the metro area? Send us an email at denver@citycast.fm, or call us at (720) 500-5418 and let us know! ‬

Catch us on Twitter @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

How to Buy a Home Podcast
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

If You Can’t Beat the I-70 Traffic, Learn to Love It Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

If I-70 had a mayor, it would be Alejandro Brown. He started the I-70 Things Instagram account a few years ago when he was stuck in ski traffic. It was a fun way to share silly moments and crazy stuff people (and animals) were doing on the side of the highway. But then, something changed — Alejandro realized that the account could also serve as a public service, too. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Alejandro about why I-70 Things seems to resonate with so many Coloradans (200,000 and counting!), how he’s managed to encapsulate our complex relationship with the well-traveled highway, and why he chose to use his powers for good.

Wanna know the latest local restaurant hot goss? Peyton Garcia’s got all you need to know in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

We’re on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Wonderful Waste
Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Meet Ophelia Peaches, Local Teen Queen and Future Drag Superstar Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Drag has come a long way in the past century — and more recently, thanks to shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, the culture and art form have fully entered the mainstream. Now, a whole new generation of performers who grew up watching Ru and her kin have created scenes of their very own. Like here in Denver, 17-year-old Jameson Lee and his mom, Robin Fulton, created Dragutante, an annual event spotlighting kid drag performers. Host Bree Davies talks with Jameson and Robin about the new Discovery+ docu-series spotlighting their story and why it is crucial now more than ever to support young people in their quest to express themselves on stage and in life.

Watch Generation Drag starting TODAY on Discovery+ (which has a seven-day free trial option!)

With Parks & Rec delaying outdoor public pool season to June 13, we want to know: Where are the best places to swim in the Denver metro area? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood at (720) 500-5418, and we might share it on an upcoming episode!

Suncor has been polluting neighborhoods around its Commerce City refinery for 90 years, so it might be a bit of a shock to learn about their “climate champion” reputation in Canada. Producer Paul Karolyi has the story in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

A Sneak Peek At Our Climate Apocalypse May 31, 2022

Show notes

Way back in 2018, the theater wizards behind Control Group Productions started dreaming about what it might feel like to live in a not-so-distant future Denver wrecked by climate change. Then the pandemic came along and, as they say, “helped with that.” This weekend, they are premiering The End, an immersive bus tour of our local culture and ecology — just, you know, a heck of a lot drier, meaner, and set in that imagined future. City Cast producer and resident theater buff Lizzie Goldsmith got a sneak peek behind the scenes of The End, talking with cast members Caroline Sharkey and Krista Zozulia. Today on the show, she brings us along for an early preview of the apocalypse.

Producer Paul Karolyi mentioned Denver’s public pools and the application to become a lifeguard. Please share it far and wide so our public pools can stay open longer!

Looking for a good way to help stave off climate catastrophe? Peyton Garcia takes a look at lawn replacement and native plant alternatives in today’s CCD newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
CU Boulder’s Master of Arts in Journalism Entrepreneurship

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Can We Change Denver’s Transit Culture For the Better? May 27, 2022

Show notes

It’s no secret — Denver’s a car-centric place. But it doesn’t have to be! Today on the show, we’re bringing you a conversation with transit advocates and experts about what we could do differently when it comes to embracing multiple modes of getting around, while keeping equity and the climate in mind. Host Bree Davies is joined by Marcus Robinson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Ride for Racial Justice; Grace Rink, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Denver; and Skyler McKinley, Regional Director for Public Affairs at AAA.

The conversation recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Transportation Solutions Foundation’s annual Road Ahead conference, which took place yesterday at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Fill your long weekend with all sorts of cool stuff to do using our handy dandy events round-up in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Just a note: We’re out for Memorial Day, so you won’t see a new podcast or newsletter until next Tuesday!

On Twitter: @citycastdenver

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

A New Story of Resilience Blooms at Camp Amache May 26, 2022

Show notes

During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated more than 10,000 Americans of Japanese descent at a concentration camp smack in the middle of desolate, hardscrabble southeast Colorado. It’s an ugly chapter in American history that has, in the last few years, been subject to renewed interest and attention from archaeologists, historians and, most recently, horticulturalists. Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner has been following a surprisingly heartwarming story to come out of this dark time. Today, he sits down with Host Bree Davies to talk through the legacy of Camp Amache, the story of the Amache rose, and what it has meant to at least one survivor.

For more on the story, check out Warner’s original story and his update from earlier this week.

Also, stay tuned to the end of this episode for a note from Bree on our recent episode about Denver’s new concealed carry ban.

We are heartbroken by the mass killing at an elementary school in Texas earlier this week. In our newsletter today, Peyton Garcia has got a bunch of links to help if you want to help out or get involved: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/.

Join us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Colfax is Changing. And Maybe That’s Good? May 25, 2022

Show notes

If there’s anything constant about Denver, it’s change. Recently, Host Bree Davies was driving down Colfax and noticed that a lot of things about her favorite street in the city were in flux. Block after block, recognizable buildings were now holes in the ground; other familiar parts of the built environment had been fenced off; and many beloved businesses were closed. Bree took her woes online and Frank Locantore, Executive Director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, reached out with an offer — a tour of the strip by foot, to offer a different perspective on the block-by-block transformation in progress. Today on the show, Frank, Bree, and producer Paul Karolyi wander together and talk about what the street has been up to and why we should be embracing the Colfax of the future.

For more on the long-awaited Colfax bus rapid transit system — or BRT — discussed in this episode, check out all the details on the City of Denver’s website.

Bree mentioned the sexual assault allegations against jam band promoter and notorious dingdong Jay Bianchi. Here’s our episode about those allegations from last summer.

Remember a couple years back when Denver nearly tore itself apart over the effort to cull our flocks of geese and use the fowl to help feed families in need? Peyton’s got an update on how that’s been going: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

We are on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks
Optimum Joy

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

303, 720, and Now, 983. What Does Your Area Code Say About You? May 24, 2022

Show notes

Starting on June 17, Denverites registering a phone number might get a new area code: 983. Yes, it can spell W-T-F, but that’s not what’s got people talking. Old Denver heads are proud of their 303 and, to a lesser extent, 720 area codes! So host Bree Davies (720), producer Paul Karolyi (614), and newsletter writer Peyton Garcia (720) are wading into the messy native/transplant conversation and uncovering some neighborhood history along the way.

In the newscast, we mentioned the latest developments in the creation of the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Check out our episode with Raven Payment from last month for more of that backstory.

The Avs’ playoff run is getting ugly, but the worst of it is playing out off-ice. Paul has the latest on the racist threats made against Avs center Nazem Kadri in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

We're also on Twitter @citycastdenver!

Learn more about the sponsor of this episode: Denver Film presents Film on the Rocks

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected