Happy April, Denver! As we inch closer to real spring and out of the grasp of false spring, we can expect to see our fair Mile High City blooming this month. But which of the proverbial flowers will be worth stopping to smell? Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by newsletter editor Adrian Gonzalez and producer Olivia Jewell Love to share our top picks to eat, drink, do, and experience around Denver this month. Paul recommended this podcast episode with Adam McKay on Hattie McDaniel. Links to all...

It’s Friday and we’re looking back on the biggest stories of the week. 9News anchor Kyle Clark joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to break down the escalating controversy around the recent killings at the former DoubleTree shelter off I-70 and Quebec. One council member is blaming the contractor, but is this all Mayor Johnston’s problem to solve? Plus, the metro area’s biggest dog park is being overwhelmed with dog poop and, as always, our wins and fails of the week.  We...

Socializing is a hot commodity in the Mile High, and there are plenty of bars, parks, and adult-oriented entertainment spaces catering to folks looking for community. But in the last few years, a new type of organization has risen to meet growing demand from a higher-end clientele: The private members club. So our producer Paul Karolyi decided to see for himself. Host Bree Davies sits down with Paul to talk about his experience applying to be a potential insider at one of these spaces, how...

A few years back, The New York Times spent some time in Denver and came back with a visitor’s guide that we found… lacking. They missed out on some of the most quintessential Denver experiences, so we set out to plan the perfect Mile High long weekend for ourselves. Politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joined host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi last summer to put together the ultimate 36 hours in Denver, full of the best restaurants, attractions, and outdoorsy stuff...

Alma Fonda Fina is one of the buzziest new restaurants in town — but a lawsuit over the potential theft of “trade secrets” and a non-compete clause could shut the operation down. Turns out My Neighbor Felix isn’t feeling so neighborly towards its former employees, and now the two LoHi eateries will duke it out in court. Meanwhile, Casa Bonita celebrates 50 years (but you still can’t make a reservation!), and a new push to ban assault weapons has East High School students taking the fight to...

There are two very distinctive, very green buildings being built in Denver right now — maybe you’ve seen them? One purports to be the country’s first “carbon positive” hotel with a facade reminiscent of an aspen tree, and the other has got a giant crack down the middle that’s going to be filled with native plants and tenants doing yoga. So what does this architectural mini-movement say about Denver today? Denverite senior reporter Kyle Harris recently toured both The Populus and One River...

It’s Friday and we’re talking about all the biggest stories in Denver this week. First up, the hotly contested debate over widening Peña Blvd divided City Council on Monday night, with arguments touching on equity, climate concerns, and the future of DIA. Westword reporter Catie Cheshire is on with host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi with the inside scoop. Plus, we’ve been hearing for years that the long-awaited Buc-ee's in Johnstown would be “more than a gas station,” so we went to...

Denver’s fashion sense is, well, questionable. So it’s no wonder GQ once named Governor Jared Polis as the “worst-dressed congressman ever.” And boy oh boy, is he far from the only local elected who’s made some bold choices! But do our politician’s sartorial choices matter? And what do they say about us? Host Bree Davies sits down with fashion expert and her lifelong friend David Casados to break down some of our local reps’ most iconic looks and dish on what they’re all about.  We posted all...

Over the past few years, ramen shops have proliferated across Colorado, as more and more Denverites hop on the broth-y, noodle-y hype train. So it made sense to the editors of the Denver Post to move past burgers, tacos and pizza for their annual March Madness local food bracket this year — it’s ramen time! And now that we’re down to just the Final Four contenders, host Bree Davies sits down with bracket architect and Denver Post editor Jonathan Shikes and Gil Asakawa, author of “Tabemasho!...

It’s Tuesday and we’re talking about the biggest stories of the week. First up, downtown is going through a rough patch, and while that can be challenging for many businesses, others see opportunity! Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about the brewing fight over plans to demolish Denver’s most storied jazz bar, El Chapultepec, and the shocking news that The Brown Palace just laid off all its doormen and bell staff. Plus, we hear about...

Driving around downtown Denver, you’d be forgiven for getting frustrated about parking. But is the solution to our parking woes more spaces? Or fewer? State lawmakers are working on a bill to ban parking minimums, and Governor Jared Polis sounds excited about it. But CU urban planning professor Ken Schroeppel thinks we could take it a step further, by enacting parking maximums. He joins host Bree Davies to explain why less parking might be the best way to fix downtown.  Ken founded the...

It’s Friday and we’re talking about the biggest stories of the week. First, Rep. Ken Buck announced this week that he’s leaving Congress even earlier than expected, throwing another wrench in an already chaotic race to represent Colorado’s Congressional District 4. So host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval are talking through the implications of what CD4 candidate (and Buck’s fellow representative) Lauren Boebert called a “swampy...

If Sen. Michael Bennet had his way, TikTok would already be banned. But after more than a year of intense lobbying, he’s finally going to have his chance to cast that vote. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday compelling the Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok, and if they won’t, to ban the app for good. So we’re revisiting a conversation host Bree Davies had with Bennet last spring about why he feels so strongly TikTok has to go, despite how many Denverites love...

When Denver’s most historic jazz club was sold in 2021, developer Kenneth Monfort said he didn’t want to “erase El Chapultepec out of the history books.” But now, the real estate mogul says the building will have to be demolished. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about the future of The ‘Pec, then our latest edition of Landlord Watch highlights a new bill that could stop the use of algorithms to determine rent prices, plus tenants at the Welton Park apartments have been...

It’s Tuesday and we’re looking at the biggest stories of the week. First, it’s been five years and the Avalanche and Nuggets still aren’t available on most Denver TVs! Kroenke Sports & Entertainment just hired a new guy who is promising to end the Altitude Sports vs. Comcast dispute for good, so can he pull it off? Then, Denver City Council is considering a proposal to ban sugary drinks in kid’s meals at fast food restaurants, which one man says is just politicians attempting to...

What’s the best bar in Denver? Is it the bar with the highest average rating on Yelp? Is it the diviest dive that ever dove? Or somewhere new and fresh? With St. Paddy’s Day coming up this weekend, producer Paul Karolyi is sitting down with two people who know Denver’s bar scene as well as anyone — AAA spokesman, Oak Creek Tavern owner, and part-time bartender at Pete’s Satire Skyler McKinley, and our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval — to pick Denver’s best bars. We are...

Even with record low voter turnout, President Biden and former President Trump easily cruised to victory in Colorado’s presidential primaries on Tuesday. But will “noncommitted” voters, RFK Jr., and Nikki Haley’s popularity in Denver signal trouble for the parties this November? Then, stoner comedian Nick Swardson bombed his set in Beaver Creek, blaming edibles, alcohol, and altitude — but he’s still headlining three nights at Comedy Works in Denver this weekend! Host Bree Davies and producer...

Chef Michael Diaz de Leon had a great 2023. For his work at the buzzy Mexican-inspired fine-downtown dining spot BRUTØ, he was nominated for a James Beard Award. Then one of his dishes appeared on the New York Times’ list of Best American Dishes of 2023. Then, in October, a Michelin star. So why did he quit? Producer Paul Karolyi sits down with Diaz de Leon to talk about why he left a Michelin star behind and what he’s cooking up next. Plus, Michelin wasn’t the only one-star review Diaz de...

Last month, boxes of cremated remains were found in the home of a funeral director, along with a decomposing body discovered in a hearse in his backyard. But this was far from the only disturbing case — over the last few years, local funeral homes have been caught illegally selling body parts, giving families “ashes” of loved ones that turned out to be concrete mix, and abandoning corpses in 70 degree rooms for years. This week lawmakers introduced legislation to fix a long deregulated...

Colorado’s presidential primaries are today, and we already know who’s going to win. But local Palestinian solidarity groups have launched a last-minute campaign for Denverites to vote for “noncommitted delegate” on the Democratic primary ballot, so there’s still plenty of intrigue for host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to parse. Plus, Denver’s most powerful union isn’t more powerful than local labor laws. And finally, we respond to your ideas for fixing downtown and share comments...

It’s March, Denver’s snowiest month of the year — but that won’t stop any true Denverite from getting out and enjoying the city. From skijoring with your pup and seeing sandhill cranes’ mating dances to slurping the best oysters and green milkshakes around, there’s plenty to do, see, experience, and imbibe across the Mile High City. Producer Paul Karolyi, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia, and producer Olivia Jewell Love sit down to map out the perfect March, complete with a St. Patrick’s...

It’s Friday, and we’re looking back at the biggest stories of the week. First up, Mayor Mike Johnston has a new plan to address the growing cost of supporting the South and Central American newcomers still arriving in Denver. He announced that four shelters will be closing just days after Aurora City Council declared Aurora a “non-sanctuary city.” So is this a turning point? And where is Governor Jared Polis in all of this? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are sorting it out with...

The bad news just keeps rolling in for downtown Denver — more restaurants have closed, office buildings are hitting their highest vacancy rates since the ’90s, and yet another clean and safe initiative aims to combat the “toilet bowl” reputation. But what else could be done? Politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to brainstorm a list of innovative, interesting, out-there, and completely free ideas that could be the magic...

Bright yellow billboards have popped up around Denver proclaiming that something called the Epoch Times is the “#1 Trusted News.” But a recent investigation of the media company reveals its connections to a Chinese group that may or may not be a cult. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into the bizarre billboard backstory, plus the latest landlord-tenant drama in a new segment we’re calling Landlord Watch. Then, listeners respond to our Purina plant episode with their own stinky...

Two weeks after announcing budget cuts for Parks & Rec and the DMV, Mayor Mike Johnston on Monday laid out some ambitious — and probably pricey — new goals for the city in 2024. So how will his renewed focus on the unhoused crisis, public safety, and affordable housing affect Denver’s support for the newcomers still arriving by the busload? Producer Paul Karolyi and Westword editor Patty Calhoun are dissecting Johnston’s new goals. Plus, Denverites are looking at their most confusing...