City Cast Denver

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What’s the Can’t-Miss Spot to See a Lion, Tiger or Bear in Colorado? May 10, 2022

Show notes

It’s our producer Xandra’s last hurrah in Denver before she heads off to Philadelphia. So we had to ask: What‘s on your bucket list before you leave Colorado? Her number one choice was a trip to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg, home to 38 tigers that once belonged to the man they call the Tiger King. So we sent her off to visit this past weekend. Bree sits down with Xandra to get the inside scoop on what the sanctuary is like, what kinds of animals you can find there, and why this space made just for lions, tigers, and (very big) bears feels so different from visiting a traditional zoo.

Plus: you, our dear listeners and readers, had some fantastic recommendations for Xandra’s bucket list and Peyton rounds them up in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Chit-chat it up with us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

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Should Denverites Be Paying For Trash Pickup? May 09, 2022

Show notes

Denver is sooooo bad at recycling and composting. In fact, our diversion rate — the amount of waste we divert from landfills to recycling and composting — is a paltry 26%. So how did Denver get so far behind when it comes to trash? And what are we doing to catch up? Councilman Jolon Clark has been pushing for one surprising, seemingly counter-intuitive measure since he was elected to City Council in 2015, and it looks like he might finally have the support to make it happen this year. So Bree sat down with Councilman Clark to hear why he wants Denverites to start paying for our trash.

Councilman Clark mentioned an initiative that’s going to be on Denver’s ballot this fall to require all businesses, including apartment buildings, offer recycling and composting bins. Here’s a link to learn more about the Waste No More initiative.

The City of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency recently adopted Clark’s new pay-for-trash proposal and incorporated it into their broader plan to increase our diversion rate to 50% by 2027.

After complaints from the neighbors, Number 38 is no longer allowed to host super loud concerts in RiNo. Peyton’s got the whole story and all the news you need to know to start your week right here in our daily newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Hang out with us on Twitter @citycastdenver]

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Denver’s Best Donut: Who Takes the Cake? May 06, 2022

Show notes

We’ve brought you a burger crawl, a breakfast burrito battle, and a fried chicken chowdown. Now, we’re tackling something sickly sweet and asking the big, round, frosted question: Who makes the best donuts in Denver? Peyton, Paul, Xandra, and Bree took on the task of taste-testing four of the top contenders in the Mile High City (and may have suffered a collective sugar overload in the process, so you don’t have to). Settle in as we debate who bakes, fries, (and in one case, blowtorches) the best dang donuts in Denver.

It’s Friday! Peyton’s rounded up all the cool stuff happening in and around the Mile High in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tweet at us: @citycastdenver

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Can Denver Throw a Booze-Free Party That's Actually Fun? May 05, 2022

Show notes

Jen Korte likes to throw big parties. She also doesn’t really drink that much. But as a musician, Korte has seen first-hand how much art and music are often intertwined with drinking culture — so, she set out to change that. The result is Clearheads: A Booze-Free Hang, Korte’s monthly party happening this Sunday, May 8, from 12pm to 4pm at Fort Greene bar in Globeville. The all-ages party de-centers alcohol, while refocusing on community, entertainment, and fun. Bree talks with her old friend Jen Korte about what makes Clearheads feel so fresh and what’s driving the increasing interest in sober bars and booze-free gatherings all across Denver.

For more information or tickets to Clearheads: A Booze-Free Hang, check out Eventbrite.

It’s Cinco de Mayo! Peyton has a hearty list of ways and places to celebrate today and throughout the weekend in the City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Gotta a go-to bar or restaurant that serves your fave mocktail? Tell us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

This episode is sponsored by the How to Buy a Home Podcast.

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Abortion is Still Legal in Colorado. But the Fight is on to Preserve it. May 04, 2022

Show notes

The U.S. Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old decision guaranteeing federal protection of Americans’ right to an abortion. That’s according to a leaked, draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito published by Politico earlier this week. What would that decision mean for Colorado, where our state just put a new law on the books defending abortion rights? Bree and Xandra are talking out the local implications of a decision that could affect every person in this country.

Our brilliant, thoughtful listeners sent us a couple of suggestions for how to contribute to the effort to protect abortion rights: Abortion Care Network and Colorado Doula Project.

Tell us what you think about the status of abortion rights in Colorado! Leave us a message or text us with your name and neighborhood and we might share your message on the show: 720-500-5418

For a deeper dive into the local policy implications of this threat to abortion access, Peyton has got you covered in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Were you at any of the pro-choice rallies yesterday? We’d love to see some pics! Tweet them at us @citycastdenver

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Renovated for Reading AND Play: Inside DPL’s New Children’s Library May 03, 2022

Show notes

Denver Public Library’s Central Branch is one of the city’s most beautiful, iconic structures, with a design by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. Graves’ addition to the original 1955 Burnham Hoyt designed structure came in 1995 — while still gorgeous, in the past few years, the library has really started showing its age. But thanks to Denver voters — who approved a bond package in 2017 — the library received the funds for a massive renovation. Last week the newly renovated children’s area opened to the public for the first time. Today, join Bree on a trip through DPL’s present and future with the central branch’s administrator Rachel Fewell.

Want more Denver news fresh in your inbox everyday? Subscribe to our newsletter! https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

If you visit the new children’s library, share photos with us on Twitter! @citycastdenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

How to Buy a Home podcast

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Inside the Fentanyl Fight at the Capitol May 02, 2022

Show notes

Everyone agrees that the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a serious threat to the health and well-being of Coloradans — but the question of what to do about fentanyl has sparked one of the hottest debates of this year’s legislative session. Lawmakers are reaching across the aisle in both directions. Harm reduction advocates are rallying on the steps of the Capitol. Law enforcement officers are calling for stiffer penalties. Rep. Leslie Herod has been at the center of it all, and today on the show, she takes Bree inside the “political hell” around the fentanyl issue at the Capitol.

For more on the new e-bike and other green rebates offered by Denver’s new Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency Office, check out their website and see what you’d be eligible to save.

A shooting at La Alma Lincoln Park upset plans to celebrate Denver’s Chicano murals this week. Peyton’s got the story in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter, alongside all the other news you need to know today: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

With less than two weeks left in the Colorado legislature’s session, what do you hope they get done? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver

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This Week in Colorado Politics: DUIs, Tax Money, and, Ugh, Let’s Go Brandon Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

It’s Friday and we’re talking politics. Specifically, we’re talking politicians — this week, some Colorado legislators were up to no good. Paul is joined by Bree and Westword editor and founder Patty Calhoun to talk about Gov. Polis’s promise to “gift” taxpayers money (that’s already ours), Rep. Matt Gray’s DUI arrest, and Rep. Dave Williams’s court battle to get his bogus nickname on the ballot. Plus, Xandra is leaving us for Philly — but before she goes, Paul and Bree help narrow down her very Colorado bucket list.

Got suggestions for the best Colorado things Xandra should do before she jets off to the East Coast this summer? Call the “Xandra’s Big 303 Bucket List” hotline and leave her a message: 720-500-5418.

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out Peyton Garcia’s picks in the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

If you heard yesterday’s episode about Beau Jo’s, we know you’ve probably got piping hot takes on “Colorado Style Pizza,” sooooo tweet them at us! @citycastdenver

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The Inconvenient Truth About 'Colorado-Style' Pizza Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

Two years ago, producer Paul Karolyi and his wife, Megan, reviewed local iconic pizza joint Beau Jo’s for their show, the Denver Pizza Podcast. (Spoiler alert: they weren’t impressed.) But the experience turned into an obsession for Paul who had to get to the bottom of why Beau Jo’s was considered the only “Colorado-style pizza” around. Now that Beau Jo’s is opening a new location in Lone Tree, Bree thought it would be a good time to ask Paul about his strong feelings about the institution, and discuss his in-depth pizza investigation into the phenomenon of putting honey on the crust and how Beau Jo’s trademarked the term “Colorado-style pizza.”

Paul and Megan’s full pizza investigation: Range & Slope: The Honey Trap

For more Denver food news, Peyton’s got you covered with today’s roundup! Check it out here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

What do you think of Beau Jo’s? Let us on know on Twitter @citycastdenver

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

Does the ‘Denver Accent’ Exist? CU Researchers are on the Case Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

As Denver continues to grow and change, there’s a constant conversation happening about our identity. Who are we as a city? What makes Denver, well, Denver? One characteristic often in question is the way we speak. Do we have an accent? Is there a way — or more than one way — Denverites talk? Turns out, there isn’t a lot of information out there on our particular speech patterns, but researchers at CU Boulder are on the case. Today on the show, Host Bree Davies talks with Jeremy Calder, an assistant professor in the linguistics department, and graduate student Andrew Ting about their “Voices of Colorado” project and what they’ve learned about how Denverites speak.

Think you have a Denver accent? Jeremy and Andy need your help! Check out their Voices of Colorado project on Facebook.

Have you ever eaten a hot dog from a stand outside Home Depot? Well, strap in, because those hot dog vendors have been in a years-long battle with the company, and all processed meat fans are gonna wanna read Peyton’s breakdown of the situation in today’s newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

What do you think about the Denver accent? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver, or text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418‬. Just remember to include your name and neighborhood, and we might play it on the show!

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