City Cast Denver

Primary ballots hit mailboxes this week! A record number of incumbents are having to defend their seats, and fundraising numbers are through the roof. Some interesting patterns are emerging too, as both the Democrats and Republicans are seeing more division within their own parties. Colorado Politics statehouse reporter Marianne Goodland joins host Bree Davies to talk about the hottest primary battles to watch, where the money is coming and going, and why so many politicians are eager to oust colleagues from their own parties. 

Bree mentioned our previous interview with House District 4 Representative Tim Hernández.

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We are excited to share a bonus episode with you this weekend. It’s the latest from friend of the show David Sirota and Lever Time, the flagship weekly podcast from The Lever. Sirota founded The Lever a few years ago as a fully subscriber-supported, independent news organization, and they’ve already made a splash in DC. The Lever’s reporting has helped lead to new protections for airline refunds and increased scrutiny and oversight over the tragic rail disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. 

This episode of Lever Time highlights a story playing out much closer to home. It’s about JBS, the company that runs the giant meatpacking plant in Greeley. Here’s how the Lever Time team describes it:

Behind nearly every hamburger or chicken nugget handed out in a school cafeteria is JBS Foods, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate run by a billionaire butcher family who bribed their way to become the world’s largest meat processor. Today on Lever Time, we look at how JBS captured the meat market, harmed workers, pulverized the environment, and generally tainted all your lunch meats with a hefty dose of corporate corruption.

Every year, the U.S. government gives JBS Foods millions of dollars in subsidies, on top of the millions more it pays the company to supply meat for school lunches and the military. Despite JBS’ long history of illegal behavior, its market dominance has made it impossible for the government to avoid working with them, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. JBS isn’t an outlier; today, a handful of companies control most of the country’s agricultural supply. 

We covered JBS a couple years ago on City Cast Denver when the company was launching a new plant-based “start-up” called Planterra. That episode, dated July 27, 2022, is called “Why a Global Meat Company is Going Plant-Based in Denver.” JBS has since shut down Planterra. 

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

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What do you think about JBS? 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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This is the second episode of a special, limited-run podcast series, Lauren Boebert Can’t Lose, from City Cast Denver. Don’t miss the first episode, “The Escort Rumors.” 

In the fall of 2019, Beto O’Rourke was the politician to watch. An energetic young Dem who gave Ted Cruz a run for his money in the 2018 Texas Senate race, Beto ran for president on a strong gun control message! Then one day at a rally, a woman shows up to confront the candidate with a gun on her hip. On the second episode of this limited podcast series, we learn how Lauren Boebert built the Boebert brand. 

Bree Davies is our host. Paul Karolyi reported and produced this episode with tons of support from the rest of the team at City Cast, including but not exclusively Wil Fulton, Olivia Jewell Love, Andi McDaniel, Xandra McMahon, David Plotz, Andrea Silenzi, and Noah Sniderman. Our music is by Don Chicharrón and Los Mocochetes. Thanks also to Joshua Emerson for production support.

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

What do you think about Congresswoman Lauren Boebert? 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 a press conference earlier this week, head of the Civil Service Commission Niecy Murray blamed Mayor Mike Johnston for pressuring the Denver Police Department to lower standards for law enforcement applicants. But just hours after her public statements, Murray was fired. On the other side of town, Morrison’s new cameras have ticketed more than 9,000 drivers for speeding along the town’s main strip in less than two weeks. Are more cameras the answer slowing traffic down? Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by Denverite transportation and city politics reporter Rebecca Tauber to dig into these stories plus Shaun White in Denver, Antiques Roadshow filming in the Mile High, and more wins and fails of the week. 

Paul mentioned local law enforcement’s recent embrace of drones, summer gas price hikes, and this weekend’s Outside Festival. Bree talked about Denver Police Salary numbers and the mayor’s less than tasteful social media post. Rebecca mentioned Denverite’s taxidermy-ed newsroom raccoon and and a local trivia outfit, Geeks Who Drink. 

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

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

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

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Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver

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If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community. 

We are finally in the days of late sunsets and warm weather, and the City Cast Denver team has lots of ideas for how to spend your long summer days and nights. From hitting up the hottest Pride parties to crushing a cold glass of sangria, get ready to make this June the best one yet! 

For even more tips on how to make the most of June in Denver, check out our newsletter Hey Denver’s take on what to do this month. 

City Cast Denver is made possible by our awesome sponsors, like Denver Health AND PineMelon.

And we’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more membership.citycast.fm about how to become a member of City Cast Denver.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here citycast.fm/advertise. 

Got questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at [email protected] 

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With the weather warming up, it’s a great time for Denverites to escape the heat of the city and hit the trails. Whether you’re looking for a stunning view or a physical challenge, we’ve got tons of great hiking options for the outdoor novice to the expert adventurer. Last summer, newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joined producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to help narrow down our favorite hikes near the Mile High.

Here are links to all the hikes we mentioned:

Bree also talked about the Hanging Lake Trail reconstruction and the reservation system hikers can use to access the trail. 

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

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

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

A new survey shows that both the mayor and city council’s approval ratings are well below 50%. But Denver’s at-large council members, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Sarah Parady, say there’s some context missing in the media’s presentation of the data. The council members join host Bree Davies to dig into the survey, plus talk about how the Denver Police Department handled the protester arrests at Auraria Campus, why city council approved a contentious shelter funding contract with the Salvation Army, and what the Governor’s recent veto of a wage theft bill says about our state leader’s priorities. 

Bree mentioned the Colorado Fiscal Institute’s wage theft report.

We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it’s only 7 minutes long. You’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card–and City Cast Denver swag. Thanks!

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

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

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

This week Mayor Johnston rolled out a new program that would pay teens extra money for working a summer job. Will the infusion of cash be an effective way to curb youth violence? Meanwhile, the Colorado GOP sent a letter to families encouraging them to pull children out of public schools before they “turn more kids trans” — but the political benefit of this maneuver remains to be seen. Then, the Mile High’s new compost program was supposed to do wonders for our waste, but it seems more like hot garbage. Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by comedian and Casa Bonita immersive actor Joshua Emerson to dig into these stories, plus the mayor’s low approval ratings, Denver sports fans’ low morale, and the low blows of a new hysteria-laced documentary on fentanyl. 

This is the first episode of a special, limited-run podcast series, Lauren Boebert Can’t Lose, from City Cast Denver.

Between heckling President Biden’s State of the Union address in 2022 and her big night out at a production of “Beetlejuice” last year, Lauren Boebert is perhaps the most infamous member of Congress. But alongside the headlines, there are a million salacious stories swirling around about her personal life. On the first episode of this limited podcast series, we track one of the most sensational allegations into the dark underbelly of American politics. 

Bree Davies is our host. Paul Karolyi reported and produced this episode with tons of support from the rest of the team at City Cast, including but not exclusively Wil Fulton, Olivia Jewell Love, Andi McDaniel, Xandra McMahon, David Plotz, Andrea Silenzi, and Noah Sniderman, Our music is by Don Chicharrón and Los Mocochetes. Thanks also to Joshua Emerson for production support.

Paul mentioned this New York Times article on recent defamation lawsuits. 

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

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

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• Meow Wolf’s Danceportation

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

At first glance, Riverside Cemetery’s parched plots might appear to be abandoned — but a closer look reveals the graveyard is actually ahead of the curve when it comes to water conservation. The dusty burial ground is also the city’s oldest-operating cemetery, home to headstones for some of the Mile High’s earliest and most important figures — including Clara Brown and Silas Soule, and the most Civil War veterans of any graveyard in the state. As Memorial Day approaches, Skyler McKinley went digging around to find out more about the long lost history of important Denverites and what the future could look like if more cemeteries embraced an environmentally-conscious approach.

Read Skyler’s cover story on Riverside Cemetery for Westword this week. Bree and Skyler also talked about the Tabor Grand Opera House, which once stood at 16th and Curtis Streets.

We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it’s only 7 minutes long. You’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card–and City Cast Denver swag. Thanks!

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

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

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• Meow Wolf’s Danceportation

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