City Cast Denver

After months of speculation, the open secret is now official: Denver’s 43-year experiment in calling our downtown pedestrian retail artery a “mall” is officially over. It’s just 16th Street now, according to Mayor Mike Johnston and the Downtown Denver Partnership. But will Denverites call it that? And will it help bring downtown back to life? Stand-up comedian and regular contributor Joshua Emerson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to get into Denver’s feelings about the name change. Plus, we’ve got some ideas for how to spend you long Memorial Day weekend and, of course, our wins and fails of the week.

What do you think about 16th St. dropping the word “mall”? We want to hear what you think! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Don’t forget! We’re off on Monday for Memorial Day. Don’t expect a new episode in your feed until Tuesday morning. 

After we recorded this episode, the Department of Excise and License finalized the city’s new rules governing open-consumption areas, including on 16th St. Paul talked about the “satirical” deadnaming website, a Rockies lawsuit, and this fantastic piece about how the 16th St. Mall came to be in the first place from Alan Prendergast in Westword. Bree mentioned about the end of El Noa Noa, her love for Chef Zorba’s and Alameda’s “road diet.” Joshua discussed tornados and Aurora’s new public art. 

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Does Denver have too many parking spaces? Or too few? It’s a controversial topic guaranteed to start an argument, but in recent years the idea of reducing parking has become increasingly popular among transit activists and policy circles. Then earlier this week, a Denver City Council committee passed a bill that would eliminate something called “parking minimums.” So what the heck does that mean? And would it go far enough? Host Bree Davies posed those questions and more to CU Denver professor Ken Schroeppel last March when this whole parking debate was first starting to heat up. 

This episode first aired on March 18, 2024, before the state bill Bree and Ken discuss passed into law. 

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Last month marked the 113th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While the tragedy struck more than 2,000 miles from Denver, the story of the “unsinkable” ship has always struck a special chord here in Mile High, where historic preservationists saved the home of famed survivor Margaret “Molly” Brown. Right now, there are two very different Titanic exhibitions happening — one, a technologically enhanced immersive experience immersive and the other, an intimate look at Brown herself. Politics and green chile correspondent (and Molly Brown fan) Justine Sandoval joined host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi on a tour of both Titanic shows and to discuss which one they think is the best bang for your buck.

Have you been to either of the Titanic exhibitions? We want to hear from you! 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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Thousands of local grocery workers could be back on the picket lines by the end of the month, and a new investigation from Consumer Reports into alleged “price tag errors” at King Soopers is changing the narrative around another possible strike. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about the shifting politics of your grocery bill and other big stories of the week — from Mayor Johnston changing his mind on raises for his top deputies to some really shady deals going down inside the McDonald’s at Colfax and Pennsylvania. And of course, we hear from you! This time, a listener has a new theory for why YIMBYs tend to be nerdy white guys. 

We talked about our coverage of the King Soopers strike back in February, featuring interviews with UFCW Local 7’s Kim Cordova and King Soopers president Joe Kelley. Paul talked about the New York Times’ coverage of digital price tags. 

What’s your favorite grocery store and why? We want to hear about Denver’s best grocery stories, from the specialty markets to the places with the best deals. 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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Ryan Ross is a Denverite with a big idea. As a private investigator with an office right on the 16th St. Mall, he’s watched downtown go through it all over the past few years — from the pandemic to seemingly endless construction to whatever 16th St. is becoming now. But instead of just grumbling about it all, Ryan has put together an ambitious plan of his own, chock full of big ideas to address concerns about public safety, slow business, and inconvenient transit options. Host Bree Davies sits down with Ryan to hear about how a gondola is just the beginning.  

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It has been a very eventful couple of weeks for City Council, so we are skipping past the monotonous procedural blah blah blah to the decisions that matter — money, politics, power, and womens professional soccer. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by environmental advocate Ean Thomas Tafoya to talk about Council’s moves to approve the plan for a new NWSL stadium in Baker, delay a vote on expanding the National Western Center, and all the recent drama around proposed exceptions to the voter-approved expansion of composting and recycling in Denver. Plus, our wins and fails of the week!

What do you think about the new exceptions to Waste No More? Is the mayor right to be loosening the requirements? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

We talked about license plate cameras. Bree discussed the city’s climate rebates and our episode with Councilmember Jamie Torres about the Ball Arena development’s CBA. Ean talked about the proposed raises for Denver’s cabinet members and the DIA execs’ work trip to Spain, which we discussed on the podcast a few days ago. Paul discussed AG candidate David Seligman and Morris the Alligator passing away.

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Is the tide turning against oil and gas in Colorado? Last week, Denver City Council turned down a $25 million contract with Suncor, the Commerce City oil refinery that has been the subject of scrutiny by neighborhood groups and climate activists for decades over pollution issues. But one industry leader dismissed the move as “political grandstanding.”  So host Bree Davies is talking to Denver Post environmental reporter Noelle Phillips, who has been covering the Suncor debate for years to talk about why the pushback is coming now and what it’s really going to mean for Denverites. 

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What do you think should be done about Suncor? Shut it down and risk higher gas prices? Or let the market do its work? 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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In 2023 and 2024, the Denver metro area saw an influx of nearly 43,000 newcomers from Central and South America. But the encampments full of families that were a common sight 18 months ago have mostly disappeared, and the window washers are all but gone from Denver’s intersections. So, now that the newcomers are no longer making headlines, where did they all go? ⁠Westword staff reporter Bennito Kelty⁠ sits down with Host Bree Davies to discuss ⁠his latest reporting⁠ on the status of the newcomers, and what the City of Denver does — or doesn’t know — about where all of these folks ended up. 

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

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What do you think? 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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Introducing Ocean Vuong: "The Emperor Of Gladness" | Oprah's Book Club from The Oprah Podcast.

Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast

BUY THE BOOK!

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-emperor-of-gladness/id6736382187

https://open.spotify.com/episode/50VqT29k6PQqGQzUnenogD

In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah sits down with acclaimed author Ocean Vuong to discuss his much-anticipated new novel, The Emperor of Gladness.

Chosen as the 114th Oprah’s Book Club selection, The Emperor of Gladness reveals the many ways love, labor and loneliness show up in American life. The novel begins on a summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, where nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge ready to jump. An elderly widow suffering from dementia intervenes and the unlikely pair form a life-altering bond. In this episode, Ocean discusses this deeply personal narrative and his gift of illuminating the fullness of humanity in the most ordinary of places.

Oprah and Ocean are joined by a live audience in a Starbucks Café in Chicago, enjoying the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, layered with flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon and Starbucks® Blonde Espresso Roast.

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DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

DIA executives flew first-class to Spain earlier this year and, according to a new investigation from CBS Colorado, the work trip cost about $165,000. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are looking a little closer at the airport’s spending and the big raises Mayor Mike Johnston wants to give his top lieutenants, including DIA CEO Phil Washington. Plus, will Governor Jared Polis veto the big rent algorithm bill that the state legislature passed? We’re tackling all the biggest stories of the week and answering listener questions about speeding enforcement, the Rockies’ historically bad record, and movie soundtracks. 

Paul mentioned our interview with Drew Hamrick of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver. 

Are you a member of City Cast Denver? We’re giving away two tickets to bRUNch Running's "Brunch at Night" event, a pre-Colfax Marathon Shakeout Run and party at Snooze Union Station this Thursday May 15. If you’re a City Cast Denver member, send us your “Snooze hack” — the thing you do to get the most out of a trip to Denver’s most popular brunch destination. Text or leave us a voicemail at 720-500-5418 or email us via [email protected], let us know you’re a member, and tell us your “Snooze hack” and you might win!

What do you think about the DIA execs’ trip to Madrid? We want to hear from you! 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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