City Cast Denver

Expansions, mismanagement, and a major arrest — we’re rounding up the biggest news stories of the Denver art scene this week. After years of rumors, former jam band promoter and venue owner Jay Bianchi was finally arrested on charges of sexual assault. Then, Meow Wolf is sending mixed signals with a major expansion announcement in the midst of company-wide layoffs, while the leadership at Vinyl Me, Please’s new record pressing plant in RiNo have just been fired and sued by their own board. Host Bree Davies sits down with Denver Post entertainment reporter John Wenzel to dig into the details of everything going down in the arts world.

John joined us back in 2022 to talk about Denver Meow Wolf workers unionizing and in 2023 to talk about Vinyl Me, Please and a new “music district” in RiNo. Also, check out our past episode with one of the women who accused Bianchi of sexual assault way back in 2021. 

Listen to John’s band Undersale on Bandcamp and find more information about their show with Guided By Voices this Friday, May 10, at the Marquis Theater.

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Stories about alcohol abuse at the state capitol are nothing new, but a series of high-profile incidents have cast the boozy culture of politics into the spotlight. So as lawmakers are sprinting to the end of the legislative session this week, host Bree Davies sits down with producer Paul Karolyi to talk about alcohol’s role in politics, plus we’ve got the latest updates on the Palestinian solidarity protest ongoing at Auraria and the bill that would’ve banned algorithms from determining your rent. 

City Cast Denver members listening on the ad-free feed also get an exclusive preview of a special project we’re gearing up to release later this month. If you’re not a member yet and you want to hear that sneak peek for yourself, sign up today at membership.citycast.fm.

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

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Cannabis has been a "Schedule I" drug for decades, meaning the federal government regulates it the same way as heroin. But that could be changing soon, with the recent surprise news of a potential rescheduling. Host Bree Davies sits down with former cannabis reporter, founder of Grasslands PR Agency, and industry insider Ricardo Baca to learn more about why local cannabis leaders are so excited about this and how it could change the world of legal weed as we know it.

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What do you think about the future of weed? 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 Friday, and we’re breaking down the biggest stories of the week. First, more and more students and community members are gathering on the Tivoli Quad at Auraria to protest Israel’s war on Hamas, and negotiations with the administrators are at a standstill. So we’ve got the editor in chief of Metro State’s student-run newspaper, Sara Martin, joining host Bree Davies and our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to talk about rising tensions on campus ahead of graduation next week. Plus, decorum was supposed to be a priority at the legislature, but state lawmakers keep slugging it out on social media. And finally, DPD’s conspicuous arrest of a hot dog vendor and more of our wins and fails of the week.

We talked about Jesse Paul of the Colorado Sun’s post on X about legislators’ social media squabbles as well as Marianne Goodland’s story on this issue from Colorado Politics.

Sara mentioned her staff’s recent Society of Professional Journalists awards; follow Sara’s work on Twitter and in The Metropolitan. Justine mentioned the JeffCo GOP’s controversial fundraiser guest and the Cobalt Abortion fund. Bree talked about the old Denver matchbooks story from Denverite and Westword’s piece on hot dog vendor Alejandro Ramirez’s arrest.

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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Between the Gaza protests at the Auraria campus and the increasingly acrimonious debate over homelessness, Mayor Mike Johnston has a lot on his hands. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sat down with Johnston to discuss the biggest issues facing his administration, including his confrontation with student protesters last Friday, the anti-homeless Instagram account @DoBetterDNVR, and the proposal to give collective bargaining rights to the thousands of City of Denver employees. Plus, the mayor has an update on the massive development planned around Ball Arena, why he’s still ordering sweeps of encampments, and what he thinks about the 30-plus tracks on Taylor Swift’s new album.

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

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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. 

It’s May in the Mile High City — the days are getting longer, meaning more time in the sunshine. From getting outside for a weekday lunch date to making a quick drive to the foothills for drinks by the South Platte River, we’ve rounded up our best recs, tips, and must-sees for this almost-summer month. 

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

Peyton mentioned Denver Water’s Backstreet Boys parody about Denver’s summer water rules and Hey Denver’s list of Denver’s best sports bars. Bree talked about our recent episode with gardening expert Ann Marie Award, who shared tips on low-water plant options.

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It’s Tuesday, and we’re breaking down the biggest stories of the week. First, student protesters have been living in tents on Tivoli Quad at Auraria campus for six days, calling for the colleges to divest from Israel and winning support from some local elected officials and a civil rights legend. But the cops also made an appearance, so we’re talking about what’s next for the students’ so-called occupation. Producer Olivia Jewell Love visited Auraria yesterday morning and tells host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi what she saw and heard. Then, we follow up on a listener’s plea for answers in the curious case of a strange bookstore. 

Bree mentioned a letter signed by local legislators in support of the protests. We also discussed the Yelp reviews for 32nd Ave. Toys and Books. 

What do you think about local bookstores? Have you ever browsed and then bought the book online? 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 that time of year to start digging around in the dirt and laying the foundation for a bountiful summer garden. But our arid, urban environment presents some unique challenges, so how do you actually decide what to grow where? What if you don’t have much space? Or any outdoor space at all? Host Bree Davies is joined by our favorite gardening expert Ann Marie Awad to answer listener questions about shade, ground cover, tomatoes, and everything in between. 

Ann Marie sung the praises of CSU extension, a great resource for all your questions about Colorado’s unique natural environment. Also, here’s the hookup for the “Instagram tomato lady” we raved about and a great list from the Denver Post for some upcoming plant sales! 

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• Fetch! Pet Care 

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Construction is set to begin this summer on one of the biggest transportation infrastructure projects Denver has ever seen: BRT, also known as Bus Rapid Transit. It’s a nifty name for a simple concept — buses that go faster and arrive more frequently — but the implications for how Denverites could move around our city are mind-boggling. At the annual Transportation Solutions conference yesterday, host Bree Davies sat down CDOT BRT program manager Ryan Noles, Minneapolis-St. Paul’s arterial BRT director Katie Roth, and executive director of National Organizations for Youth Safety Jacob Smith to talk about what’s gonna happen when the rubber hits the road.

Do you have questions about BRT? Are you excited? Are you dreading the traffic during construction? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and we’ll do our best to get you answers: 720-500-5418‬

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Conservatives have been ramping up their attacks on trans people across the country, including right here in Colorado. But local Democrats just passed two big bills advancing trans rights, despite hours of testimony that included dehumanization and deadnaming (i.e. calling someone by their birth name after they’ve gone through a gender transition). Colorado Times Recorder reporter Heidi Beedle has been on the anti-trans hate beat for years, attending far-right rallies and talking to conservatives across the Front Range — she’s on with host Bree Davies to discuss these latest attacks, how Democrats are pushing back, and how she expects this issue will play into the big elections later this year.

For more, check out Heidi's latest reporting on the far-right’s anti-trans efforts. 

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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