City Cast Denver

‘Tis the season for sweet and icy treats! From a classic mangonada to innovative ice cream nachos, we’ve rounded up a list of great local spots to cool down with delicious desserts. Former food contributor Helen Xu joined host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love last summer to share their picks for the best places to indulge in cold, sugary goodness and make the most of this sweltering summer.

This episode first ran on June 5, 2025. 

See a list of the treats we mentioned: Where to Find Denver's Coolest Cool Treats

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

Where’s your fave place to grab an icy cold dessert? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

If you enjoyed this interview with Tom Seaver, the director of Colorado Lottery, learn more here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this August 3rd episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Do you know how zoning laws affect Denver’s housing costs? New Haven, CT, has been governed for years by restrictive zoning that made it physically impossible to build tall buildings downtown, even for housing — that is, until the local government finally aligned to overturn it. City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with Eli Sabin, a New Haven native and one of the alders (aka city council members) responsible for passing this change in recent months. Eli spent years working toward this goal, and he talks with David about what now needs to happen to fully realize its potential and increase affordability for locals.

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

We’re in the thick of the summer season! There’s no end to the high temps in sight, so how do you stay cool and keep your sanity? Green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval and man about town Adrian Felix join host Bree Davies to share their picks for everything to do, see, eat, drink and explore this August – like paddleboarding at the Soda Lakes to catching a chill event at your fave air-conditioned Denver Public Library branch. 

Got plans tonight? Be sure to RSVP for Good Trouble Conversations: Changing Lanes Documentary Screening & Panel tonight featuring host Bree Davies, it’s free! And get tickets and more information on MCA’s Mixed Taste: Blucifer & Rocky Flats on August 19 featuring City Cast Denver contributor Patty Calhoun and executive producer Paul Karolyi!

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

What are you doing to keep cool this August? 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 July 31st episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

You know that busted old, abandoned home down the block? City officials revamped the regulations around these neglected properties last year with the hope of cleaning them up and stopping the drain on public resources. But according to a new report from the Denver Post, there are still some issues around enforcement, including a loophole one local investor, John Crays, has been exploiting to acquire derelict properties and sell them for a profit. In light of this ongoing quagmire, we’re revisiting a conversation host Bree Davies had with then-Westword reporter Catie Cheshire last June about why these abandoned properties are so difficult to deal with and why some people might see John Crays as a hero. 

On background: The City of Denver added 160 properties to its list of neglected and derelict buildings in 2024 for a total of more than 250 across the city. In 2026, with City Council’s new regulations in effect, the total number of unique addresses listed has gone down to 241, according to an update published earlier this month.

This episode first aired on June 18, 2025.

Check out Keep it Local! It’s our weekly shopping guide to all of Denver’s best local businesses. Every Thursday afternoon, we send a curated batch of recommendations to help you live your best Mile High life and support local at the same time. Subscribe now!

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

Do you have a derelict building in your neighborhood? Tell us all about it! 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 July 30th episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

The CoreSite data center in Elyria-Swansea is nearly complete, and some skeptical neighbors are already starting to see their concerns manifest at the 170,000-square foot facility. Early worries about environmental and noise pollution are starting to come to fruition, with nearby residents reporting low-frequency generator noises. One local science teacher is even using a grant to study the noise around the site, according to CPR News’ climate reporter Sam Brasch. So, we’re revisiting a conversation from last fall when host Bree Davies sat down with Brasch to talk through everything he had learned about AI data centers.

This episode originally aired on October 23, 2025.

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

Have you heard any data center noises? Call in to tell us about it or give us your best impression of what you heard, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 29th episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Denverites will vote in both a special election in November and municipal election in April as at-large councilmember Sarah Parady steps down from her seat for health reasons. Will candidates want to run twice for the same job? And will voters have the appetite to pick twice from an already crowded field? Westword editor emeritus Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies to explain the many complications of this important seat, plus they speculate on why the city and the state are both throwing money at ski industry behemoth Alterra and what it means for RiNo and downtown. Then, Bree chats with Rebecca Green, the state executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving about why the organization strongly opposes a proposal going before city council that would mean some Mile High bars and clubs could potentially stay open until 4 A.M. 

Rebecca mentioned a study on extended business hours for alcohol sales related to first time drunk driving offenses.

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

What do you think about the city and state giving millions to ski industry giant Alterra? 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 July 28th episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Colfax Avenue is undoubtedly one of Denver’s most infamous and storied streets. It’s got so much gritty charm that it’s practically a rite of passage for local journalists to cover  the strip’s unique weirdness in some way or another. So for our annual live show at the Colfax Ave BID’s Indie Bash last week, we challenged our friends at Denverite to a trivia contest to see once and for all, who knows Colfax best? Westword editor emeritus Patty Calhoun came up with a batch of tough questions, and we recorded the whole thing in its hilarious, chaotic goodness. 

Patty mentioned Denverite’s reporting on the oft-quoted claim that Playboy Magazine called Colfax the “longest, wickedest street in America.” 

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

Do you have a favorite piece of Colfax trivia? 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

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 27th episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s not a given that every Denverite will chip in to help their community. In this episode, City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with writer Taylor Lahey about how functional incentives could be the missing link in traditional systems of donations and volunteering. Inspired by a waste exchange program in Curitiba, Brazil, Lahey is working to create circular systems that effectively incentivize donations and just as effectively get them into the hands of those who need them. When investment and morale are low, sometimes an unconventional approach is the right way to go.

Want to hear your question on an upcoming episode of Your City Could Be Better? Submit your city dilemmas for our upcoming call-in show by using our Google Form: https://forms.gle/45X33jhGHf8BYDM5A 

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

For a long time, Mexican food in Denver was seen as an unchangeable, untouchable cuisine. While Den-Mex is still king, local chefs are breaking with tradition and plating up fresh twists on everything from tacos to pozole to birria. In this conversation from last summer, cook and influencer Mario Martinez shares with host Bree Davies how the city’s changing tastes are being reflected everywhere from award-winning fine dining establishments to parking lot food trucks.

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

Where’s your fave place in Denver to get pozole? 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 July 24th episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

On Tuesday night, Mayor Mike Johnston delivered his annual State of the City address, which included a pilot program for universal childcare, plans for supporting developers in building 20,000 housing units across Denver, and more. Will listening sessions and task forces lead to a more affordable city? Denver Post city government reporter Elliott Wenzler was at the speech and is on today with host Bree Davies to parse the details – or lack thereof – in the mayor’s major plans. Then they discuss Council member Shontel Lewis’s entrance into the 2027 mayor’s race, what the democratic socialism wave could mean for Denver politics, and why a new poll shows Coloradans are “somewhat” proud to live here.

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member!

What did you think of Mayor Johnston’s big plans? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Did you enjoy this interview with Elizabeth Martinez from Compass Real Estate? Learn more here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 23rd episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise