City Cast Denver

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Colorado Snagged $34 Million For Transit and RTD Gets... None? Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

It’s no secret that RTD has been struggling for years. Even before the pandemic, the regional public transportation provider was experiencing a drop in ridership, despite the state seeing a population boom. Then there was the bus driver and light rail operator shortage, the organization’s ever-consuming debt, constant bus schedule changes, and whole routes being cut. Recently though, $34.2 million in federal transit aid made its way to Colorado… but RTD didn’t get any of it. Instead, the millions of dollars landed in Boulder. Host Bree Davies talks with RTD Board Director Shontel Lewis about what happened with this money and why the transit organization continues to struggle.

Read Shontel’s Op-Ed for the Denver Post about CDOT withholding federal transit funding: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/10/25/rtd-cdot-federal-funding/

Looking for more local news? Subscribe to the City Cast Denver weekday newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tell us about your commute on twitter: @citycastdenver

Halloween Spooktacular! With Denver’s Clerk & Recorder Paul López Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

It’s Halloween weekend and the City Cast Denver crew created a special episode to celebrate the spooky season. Today on the show, Denver’s Clerk and Recorder Paul López joins Host Bree Davies to share a ghostly tale involving one of the Mile High City’s oldest (and possibly haunted?) hotels in downtown. Will you be able to guess which one it is? Then, professional fright expert and haunted house actor Danielle Look shares her tips and tricks for scaring the pants off people. She’s also got some recommendations for the scariest spots in town.

Looking for good trick-or-treat destination recommendations and other spooky things to do this holiday? Check out today’s newsletter, which is packed with Denver Halloween weekend fun: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tag us in your Denver Halloween fun this weekend on Twitter: @citycastdenver

You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Build a Skate Park Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

It’s election season here in Denver, but elections are far from the only way to make changes you want to see in your community. Take, for example, the group of kids who recently pitched Councilwoman Kendra Black on building a skate park in her southeast Denver district. Is that really how it works? Host Bree Davies sits down with Black to talk through why their pitch clicked with her and how she plans to make it a reality.

If you want to show your support for Councilwoman Black’s skate park project, there are two good ways to do that right now. First, as she mentions in this episode, you can get in touch with her office and potentially join a steering committee to work on it directly. You can find contact info for her office her: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Denver-City-Council/Council-Members/Kendra-Black-Council-District-4

Second, you can let the Parks and Recreation Department know how strongly you feel about skate parks or any other outdoor adventure and alternative sports infrastructure. They’re running a survey right now, and as you heard from Councilwoman Black, they take the results from this kind of thing really seriously. Find that survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DPROutdoors

Bree briefly mentioned how her husband Gregg helped Joyce Foster get Denver’s first skate park built downtown. For the whole crazy story, we recommend this longread from Westword that was published when the park opened in 2001: https://www.westword.com/news/a-tough-grind-5067465?storyPage=2

Halloween is this weekend. Do you have plans yet? Peyton is rounding up all sorts of spooky events and activities in our newsletter this week, so subscribe now: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Our tweets are here: @citycastdenver

Denver City Council vs. Bubble Gum Vape Juice Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

There’s been a battle brewing over kids and vaping for the past few years — and now Denver is mired in the haze. It all started when Councilmember Amanda Sawyer thought her daughter was buying bubblegum-flavored vape juice on the internet. But now her proposal to ban the sale of all flavored smoking products has evolved into a passionate, multi-sided debate, and the only thing that’s clear is that not everyone can get what they want. Host Bree Davies talks to Denver Post reporter Noelle Phillips about why this proposal was so provocative for so many different kinds of Denverites.

For more, Noelle’s piece on the push to ban sales of flavored smoking products is here: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/10/25/denver-flavored-tobacco-vape-ban/

Keep up with all the breaking Denver vaping news in our newsletter. Subscribe here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tweet us @citycastdenver

Why Denver Should NOT Pay For A New National Western Arena Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

The National Western Stock Show has been a big deal in Denver for decades, drawing farmers, ranchers, equestrians and rodeo enthusiasts to the city. This two-week long event at the beginning of every year is also big business — and Mayor Hancock thinks its worth investing in, to the tune of $190 million. This election, Denver will vote on a bond package that includes measure 2E, which asks voters to approve the construction of a 10,000-seat arena along with renovations to an existing Stock Show Complex building. Host Bree Davies talks to #NoOn2E campaign manager Sarah Lake and Alfonso Espino, a representative of community activist group, GES Coalition. Lake and Espino make their case for why voters should think twice before signing off on a multi-million dollar project in the middle of a community that has seen neglect by the city for decades.

Don’t miss yesterday’s show with Bree and at-large councilwoman Deborah “Debbie” Ortega — who represented the National Western Center’s surrounding neighborhoods on council from 1987 to 2003 — about why Denverites should vote #YesOn2E.

Get more news in your inbox every weekday by signing up for the City Cast Denver newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tell us your thoughts on the bond measure on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Why Denver Should Pay For a New National Western Arena Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Every January for more than 100 years, Denver has hosted the National Western Stock Show. The event draws farmers and ranchers from across the West to show off their livestock, compete in the rodeo, and remind Denver that despite its big city ambitions, it’s still surrounded by those amber waves of grain. But how much are Denver taxpayers willing to invest into this relationship? Mayor Michael Hancock has asked voters to approve $190 million for renovations and upgrades at the National Western Center, including a brand new, 10,000 seat arena. So it’s time for voters to decide: should the National Western Center get a $190-million facelift or should we be spending that money elsewhere? To understand the case for a new arena, Host Bree Davies speaks with at-large councilwoman Deborah “Debbie” Ortega — who represented the National Western Center’s surrounding neighborhoods on council from 1987 to 2003 — about why #YesOn2E is best for the community.

Make sure to come back tomorrow when we’ll explore the other side of this issue!

Election day is a little over a week away, so it’s the perfect time to make sure you’re getting all the important news you need to be an informed voter. Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Tell us what you think about #YesOn2E and Councilwoman Ortega’s argument on Twitter @citycastdenver

BONUS: The DAM’s “Marie Antoinette Moment”? Oct 24, 2021

Show notes

The Denver Art Museum opened up its new $175-million front door this morning, and Bree has some thoughts.

#ListenLocal: How Art is Born Oct 23, 2021

Show notes

Berry is back! That's right, our favorite local podcast critic is back with another #listenlocal recommendation for your weekend. Berry’s pick this month is How Art is Born, the first-ever podcast from Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art. Also of note, it's hosted by R. Alan Brooks, who local podcast fans will recognize from his show about comics and culture, Motherf**ker in a Cape. How Art is Born features interviews with all kinds of Colorado creatives, from comedians like Janae Burris to photographers like Armando Geneyro, who is featured in the episode Berry recommends you start with.

For more podcast news and gossip, we recommend following Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor. While you’re there, say hi to us @citycastdenver!

Election-Palooza 2021 Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

It’s an off-year election, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an important one. Denver voters will be deciding things like which big projects to spend money on and how we deal with aspects of our housing crisis. While ballot language is often hard to understand, the 2021 election’s seemed super daunting — so the City Cast Denver crew got together to try to talk through some of what we learned in researching the measures.

We didn’t talk about the school board races today, but we still want to help you out as you make your choices in those races. So consider this an endorsement of past City Cast Denver guest Melanie Asmar’s thorough interviews for Chalkbeat, which you can find here, along with a very helpful contextual introduction: https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/10/13/22723116/denver-public-schools-board-of-education-candidates-2021-election-voter-guide

For more on the election, sign up for our newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

And follow @citycastdenver for some of the best tweets you’ll ever see

What’s So Scary About A Bunch of Adults Living Together? Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

There’s a measure on Denver ballots this year that was many, many years in the making. After countless community debates, angry posts to Nextdoor, and level-headed conversations between neighbors, City Council passed an amendment to our zoning code in February allowing up to five unrelated adults to live together in a single home (previously, it was capped at 2). But even after the vote, the debate waged on. Critics collected more than 13,000 signatures to put a repeal motion on the ballot, so now it’s up to Denver voters to decide the fate of group living. City Cast Denver host Bree Davies used to live communally, so today on the show she sits down with her old roommate Piper Rose to talk about why group living was so important to them.

Also, and we’re asking for a friend: what’s the statute of limitations on zoning code violations?

We requested an interview with a representative of the group that collected the signatures to put a repeal measure on the ballot, Safe and Sound Denver, and they declined. So if you’re looking for a different perspective on this issue, including the other changes it would make to our zoning code (e.g. expanding possible locations for halfway houses), we recommend perusing their website: https://www.safeandsounddenver.com/

For more on all the measures in front of Denver voters this election, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

Get those good tweets @citycastdenver

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