City Cast Denver

Latest Episodes:

Obviously We’re Going To Talk About Weed Today Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Happy 420, Denver. Sorry you can’t celebrate with Snoop Dogg in Civic Center Park this year, but we’ve got a weed day treat for you. Ann Marie Awad, who hosts Colorado Public Radio’s "On Something," joins the show to talk about the current state of weed culture and the fight for social equity in the cannabis industry — a topic that just so happens to be the theme of On Something’s upcoming third season. The trailer just dropped today, hear that here.

Let us know how you’re celebrating the second pandemic 420! Tweet us at @CityCastDenver. And subscribe to our newsletter for more Denver news here.

Conservatives and the Vaccine Hesitancy Conundrum Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

The numbers don’t add up. According to recent polling, 38% of Coloradans are not currently planning to sign up for the vaccine. That hesitation breaks down along political lines, with Republicans far more likely to skip the vaccine or, at the very least, take a “wait and see” approach. Herd immunity will require at least 70% of a population to be vaccinated or carry antibodies, according to the CDC. So, what are we to do?

Denver Post columnist Krista Kafer, who identifies as center-right on the political spectrum, is on the show today to talk about her decision to get vaccinated and how she’s talking about it with her Republican friends.

You know what goes great with a daily podcast? A daily newsletter. Subscribe to ours and learn more about us at citycast.fm/denver.

A Cautiously Optimistic Return To Live Music Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Colorado’s music scene does big business for our economy. But since the pandemic began, live music has been silenced, with many venues shutting down temporarily or closing altogether. Venue operators large and small across the state have been working together to find ways to keep them alive and now, with COVID restrictions lifting, live concerts are coming back. But what is live music going to feel like?

Chris Zacher, CEO of Levitt Pavilion Denver, has been working around the clock to make sure live music venues are equipped to return and thrive. Zacher joins the show today to explain just how much has gone into making sure Coloradans get to experience live concerts again.

Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

Inside the Fight to Save Casa Bonita Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Get Eric Cartman on the phone, Casa Bonita needs help. More than a year into the pandemic, the iconic Mexican restaurant slash immersive entertainment experience filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. There have been reports of community efforts to raise money to save the place, but until now it’s been unclear exactly how that might work. Andrew Novick, who’s visited Casa Bonita 300 times, and entrepreneur Danny Newman, who helped save My Brother’s Bar, have been working behind the scenes, and they’re on the show today to explain their strategy and how you can help.

Novick, Newman, and company are holding a “Save Casa Bonita” rally on Saturday morning in front of the restaurant. Find details here. (Yes, Bananas the monkey may make an appearance.) And support the cause here.

Did you like the segment at the end of the show today? Then you should read Sam Brasch’s story that inspired it!

Additional music in this episode comes courtesy of Kevin MacLeod. We’re using it under a CC BY 3.0 license. Subscribe to our podcast and newsletter right here.

Rep. Leslie Herod Wants More Police Accountability Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

As the world watches the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis and protests continue over this week’s police killing of Daunte Wright in another Minnesota town, Colorado lawmakers are building on the major police accountability reform they passed last year. Democratic State Rep. Leslie Herod chats with Bree today about the new bill she’s sponsoring that would further limit the police’s ability to use lethal force in Colorado.

Have strong feelings about the bill? Make your voice heard! You can find your representative and how to get in contact with them here.

Hey, let’s take this relationship to the next level! Subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter at citycast.fm/denver.

All Aboard! From Pueblo to Cheyenne Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

Governor Polis has wanted it for ages. Lawmakers at the Colorado State Assembly are crossing party lines to back it. President Biden asked Congress for enough money to fund it. And now, after years — no, decades! — of dreaming, hoping and planning for a passenger rail line running all up and down the Front Range, it finally feels like it might happen. Colorado Public Radio transportation and growth reporter Nate Minor joins the show today to get Bree up to speed on the long-awaited train line.

The Polis Express, Blucifer’s Dream, The Columbine Cruiser (that’s Nate’s pick): What would you name the new Front Range passenger rail? Tweet your best answers at @citycastdenver and we’ll retweet our faves!

If you like City Cast Denver: The Podcast, you’ll love City Cast Denver: The Newsletter. Subscribe and learn more at citycast.fm/denver.

Living Denver Through Poetry Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

It’s National Poetry Month! And what better way to understand Denver’s many diverse neighborhoods than through poetry — or at least that’s the idea behind History Colorado’s new podcast Living Denver. Bree speaks with the podcast’s director, Becca Mendoza Nunziato, and the poet featured in the first episode, Kenya “Mahogany” Fashaw, about Kenya’s Five Points, gentrification, and the lived experience of neighborhood change.

You can subscribe to Living Denver wherever you get City Cast Denver. Just click right here and find your app. Living Denver is also just one part of a broader initiative from History Colorado, called Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City, which includes a new exhibit on Denver’s growth, urban development, and architecture that’s set to open on May 29.

Have you seen the City Cast Denver newsletter? You’re going to love it. Subscribe and learn more at citycast.fm/denver. Follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

No, Den-Mex Does Not Mean Chipotle. Listen Up. Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

So what exactly is Denver-style Mexican food? How do we differentiate our particular brand of Mexican food? (Hint: We’re talking green chile. On everything.) Food writer Gustavo Arellano and Westword editor and Den-Mex super fan Patty Calhoun break down where it came from, what we need to do to protect it, and what makes Den-Mex so special.

Warning: Side effects of this episode may include a growling stomach and watering mouth.

Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

The Weed Biz Isn’t Green, It’s White. How Do We Change That? Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Earlier this year, Colorado’s cannabis industry passed a major milestone: $10 billion in revenues since legalization. But the vast majority of that money is ending up in the same old white hands. Bree speaks with Hashim Coates, executive director of Black, Brown and Red Badged, an organization founded in 2019 to speak on behalf of cannabis business owners of color. He explains why he thinks the local lawmakers working to address this issue aren’t going far enough.

Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

A Home Run for Denver Elections Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

When Major League Baseball decided to move their All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in protest of Georgia’s restrictive new elections law, Georgia governor Brian Kemp went on Fox News to complain. He claimed there isn’t much of a difference between elections law in Colorado and Georgia, “so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.”

Well, Gov. Kemp, it makes sense to us. On the show today, Bree speaks with Denver’s Clerk and Recorder Paul López, who administers elections here in Denver, about the differences between elections in the two states and how he plans to enjoy the All-Star Game in July.

Plus, our sports guy Jake Shapiro is back to give us a little historical context on the MLB’s decision to take such a strong political stance.

Subscribe to our morning newsletter for more Denver news, and follow us on Twitter @citycastdenver.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected