City Cast Denver

More than ten thousand people with big dreams arrived in the Mile High City for this year’s Denver Startup Week, and AI was the talk of the town. So will Denver become a hub for this massive tide-changing trend in technology that has congress confused and tech folks energized? Adeel Khan founded his first startup earlier this year, and he was in the thick of networking-palooza all week long. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Adeel to talk about the debates dividing Denver’s business community, Mayor Mike Johnston’s approach to the economy, and all things AI. Plus, our Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows of the week touch on a new hotel project that just got new support from City Council, the definition of Colorado green chile, and more. 

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Paul discussed this Jam Band Hero, our 2021 episode on the allegations against Jay Bianchi, and forgot to mention this update to the situation with his Grateful Dead-themed bar So Many Roads. Bree talked about her uncle Ed Kutz and his bff Reed Weimer’s role in saving the Sid King’s Crazy Horse sign from going to the dump 40 years ago. She also mentioned a past City Cast Denver episode about the story of Colorado Mexican Food with Patty Calhoun and Gustavo Arellano. 

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This weekend marks the tenth anniversary of what our guest calls “Comedy Christmas” — aka, the High Plains Comedy Festival. Returning fave Joshua Emerson, who also co-chairs the Denver American Indian Commission, is telling jokes on stage at High Plains for the second year running. He joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to share his High Plains hacks, recommend a few shows (with tickets still available), and dish on how Denver comedy stacks up to other cities. Plus, Paul takes the reins to share his top event picks, and we make our official City Cast Denver ‘Maybe’ for your weekend.

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Here are some links to the events Paul mentioned:

Paul also mentioned 5280 Magazine’s list of the best college football bars in Denver. 

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At the height of the racial justice protests of 2020, Denverites — like the rest of the country — reckoned with our past. Statues depicting bigots and racists were torn down, and quietly the City of Denver assembled a commission to examine, research, and reassess the names of our parks — green spaces like Jefferson Park, La Alma-Lincoln Park, but also some lesser known park names with potentially troubled pasts. Today host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talk through the six park names the commission put up for debate and discuss why they think we should — or shouldn’t — be giving some of these park names the boot.

What do you think about renaming these six parks? We would love to hear from you, too. Got a strong defense of Lincoln? Or maybe there’s a park name you’d really like to see go? Leave us a voicemail or a text at 720-500-5418, and you might hear it on the show soon!

Paul mentioned past guest Chase Woodruff’s newsletter exploring the literature of the West — “Lit Out West.”

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It’s Tuesday, so host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are breaking down all the local stories that matter. First, a report of a so-called “homeless bar” with “prostitution tents” at 23rd and Champa Street had the national tabloids looking Denver’s way. But what was really going on there anyway? Then, overdose deaths are making headlines again in Colorado, this time because more and more of these incidents are happening in public, forcing passersby into the role of makeshift first-responders. Plus, listeners share their comments on a recent guest on our show and debate how CO’s vaping congresswoman’s anti-trans rhetoric can have real-life consequences. 

Bree mentioned CBS Colorado’s coverage of Aurora mayor Mike Coffman’s foray into cosplaying the experience of being homelessness. 

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With the opening of Yuan Wonton’s new shared brick-and-mortar restaurant in Park Hill, the food trend of the fall is officially the humble dumpling. But what can we consider to be a dumpling? Is it just a pocket of dough filled with … something? Or is it much more nuanced? 5280 Magazine’s assistant food editor Ethan Pan is a bonafide dumpling lover, digging into the hype and searching for Denver’s best in his new column for 5280 Magazine — “In the Fold.” So we sent newsletter editor and resident foodie Peyton Garcia out with Ethan to the trendiest new dumpling spot, then they sat down with producer Paul Karolyi to talk all things dumplings. 

Here are some links to all the dumpling places we discussed:

Paul also mentioned the latest news about plant-based protein company Meati and its Thornton “mega factory.” 

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U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert had a big night out at the theater in Denver this past weekend, complete with vaping, loud singing, and being escorted out. But is this just a case of Big Divorced Energy from the MAGA darling? Or a sign of something bigger? The story (and the surveillance tapes) exploded this week, just as Boebert was attempting to roll out a new image, so we’re breaking it all down. Newly elected state representative Tim Hernández joins our state politics and green chile correspondent, Justine Sandoval, to discuss the congresswoman’s night out in Denver with producer Paul Karolyi. Plus, all the other local stories that mattered this week and this week’s Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows. 

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Paul mentioned a Politico article on Boebert, Meati’s growth, Thornton’s water woes, the Marijuana Mansion’s sale price, the new design rendering for Cherry Creek West, and our episode with Colorado Springs representative Stephanie Vigil. Justine talked about a bear and state parks passes. Tim discussed the officer who shot Jor’Dell Richardson and this Colorado Politics article about legislator pay. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

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After months of anticipation and rumors, the Michelin Guide bestowed five local restaurants a Michelin star at an exclusive ceremony in RiNo on Tuesday evening. There were big winners and big snubs. But was this moment the validation for Colorado’s dining scene that we thought? Newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to talk about who won, who lost, and talk through a revealing new report from the New York Times about how Michelin really works. Plus, our picks for the coolest events going down this weekend. 

Would you hike four miles for Arby’s? We want to know if you’ve ever participated in a stunt like that and what you’d hike four miles to try first. Leave us a voicemail or a text at 720-500-5418, and you might hear it on the show soon!

Here are links to the events Peyton mentioned:

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The humble user review — taken alone, is just one person’s opinion. But put a bunch together, and that aggregated star rating can make or break a local business. So today, we’re going inside the minds of the people leaving one-star reviews for some of our favorite Denver places. Producer slash quizmaster Paul Karolyi puts producer Olivia Jewell Love and returning fave JD Lopez to the test. Can they guess famous Denver landmarks based only on one-star reviews? Who knows Denver’s haters best?

For more from JD, you can hear him share his ice cream obsession on our ice cream battle episode from July or interview local creatives on his podcast Left Hand Right Brain. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

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Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

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It’s easy to walk down the streets of Denver and see the major issues facing our city — housing, homelessness, public safety, etc. It’s much less clear how Denverites really feel about those issues. A brand new nonprofit polling group, Colorado Polling Institute, has stepped forward to fill the gap, promising regular surveys of how Denverites feel about their mayor, city council, encampment sweeps, DIA, RTD, and more. Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to break down the CPI’s first batch of cold, hard polling facts. 

Patty mentioned Westword’s coverage and a piece about the first CPI poll in the Denver Gazette 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

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Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

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It’s easy to forget, but Denver is still a young city, constantly searching for an identity. So it’s confounding why there’s so little research on a characteristic as important as the way we speak. Do Denverites even have an accent? Or maybe there’s more than one? Fortunately, we found some researchers at CU Boulder who are working to cross the t’s and dot the i’s on the particulars of Mile High speech patterns. Host Bree Davies sat down with Jeremy Calder, an assistant professor in the linguistics department, and graduate student Andrew Ting last spring to discuss their “Voices of Colorado” project to hear what they’ve learned about how Denverites speak. 

What do you think about the Denver accent? 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!

Paul mentioned the recent sale of the Milk Market food hall, the new effort to block the expansion of Gross Reservoir, and his interview last year with KUNC water reporter Luke Runyon: “Is Denver Hoarding Water?” For more of our water coverage, check out these episodes:

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

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