It’s Tuesday, and host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are rounding up the biggest stories in Denver this week. We’re talking about why even the FAA is now trying to figure out what’s wrong with the Colorado Rockies, Colorado’s new law protecting renters from “discriminatory evictions,” and what a Denver startup’s big IPO means for the city. Plus, we answer a listener question about the WNBA coming to Denver. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey ...
Apr 23, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Denver’s never really been a big bagel town… until now! In the past year, several hot new bagel shops have opened their doors, offering carb-tastic delights the Mile High has never tasted before. So how do some of these buzzy new bagel-makers stack up to the OGs? Host Bree Davies and our resident foodie slash newsletter editor Peyton Garcia are joined by two bona fide bagel fanatics — Denverite transportation reporter Rebecca Tauber and listener Shira Weiner — to taste test Moe’s, Rosenberg’s, C...
Apr 22, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re looking back at the biggest stories of the week. First, Meow Wolf announced 165 layoffs this week, including 50 at Denver’s Convergence Station, which turns three years old in September. So host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and one of our favorite regular guests — stand-up comic and Casa Bonita entertainer Joshua Emerson — are talking about where Meow Wolf goes from here. Plus, we’re celebrating 420 early with our dream (and nightmare) blunt rotations, Denver style....
Apr 19, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Clouds of pot smoke will undoubtedly be billowing above the annual 420 festival in Civic Center Park this Saturday, but the big downtown concert is far from the only way to celebrate the high holiday. Host Bree Davies sits down with producer Olivia Jewell Love and our politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to share their best bets for the most over-the-top local drinks, meals, and desserts to satisfy your munchies (or if you’re just craving a fun food adventure!) Plus, Olivia sh...
Apr 18, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time to pump up those tires, grease up those chains, and hop on a bike! Whether you’ve got a nice new e-bike or you’re dusting off old reliable, we’re coming up on the best time of year to enjoy a bike ride in Denver. So instead of getting caught up in the usual debates over bicycles — not enough dedicated lanes! Too many angry drivers! — we’re sitting down with someone who knows our city’s bike infrastructure as well as anyone. Matt Sanchez has been a full-time bike courier for 11 years, a...
Apr 17, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re rounding up the stories that matter in Denver this week. First, the Colorado House of Representatives passed a bill on Sunday that would ban the sale of assault weapons. So host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking about the changing debate around guns and the battle to come in the Senate. Plus, Mayor Mike Johnston offered some harsh words to Salvation Army over escalating security concerns at the former DoubleTree shelter, and a major celebrity sighting in W...
Apr 16, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is the stereotype that Coloradans love Subarus actually true? Based on the commercials alone, it seems like subies are the brand built for our outdoor lifestyle — just imagine throwing your muddy hiking boots in the back, driving up steep inclines, and parking in front of those awesome mountain views. But is the Subaru really the most popular car in Colorado? Back in May of last year, Host Bree Davies was joined by Subaru driver Ann Marie Awad and reporter Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, who looked at ...
Apr 15, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday and we’re looking back at a big week in Denver. First, the wind! Xcel Energy preemptively shut off power to thousands of residents of the metro area ahead of last week’s windstorm, and that… didn’t go over well. So we’ve got CSU climate geographer Lauren Gifford joining producer Paul Karolyi and politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to talk about Xcel, some controversial proposals to change public comment at Denver City Council, as well as this week’s wins and fails...
Apr 12, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Colorado recorded a record-high number of gun deaths in 2021, according to the Colorado Sun. While gun violence has waned since then, it’s not decreasing fast enough for many Denverites, including Mayor Mike Johnston. He announced last week his new plan to reduce gun crime in Denver by 20% in 2024 by expanding the city’s focus on high-crime areas known as “hot spots.” So host Bree Davies is sitting down with former mayoral candidate and criminal justice professor Lisa Calderón to talk about how ...
Apr 11, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is Denver still a growing city? According to the data, no — but it’s a little more complicated than that. For a city defined by its booms and busts, the Mile High’s attractiveness, affordability, job market, and birth rates are all constantly changing. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Colorado state demographer Elizabeth Garner to find out what, exactly, our population trends say about a city that has been shaped by oil and gas, tech, and John Denver. For even more news f...
Apr 10, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over the weekend, Colorado Sun politics reporter Sandra Fish was asked to leave the Colorado GOP’s big assembly in Pueblo after party chair Dave “Let’s Go Brandon” Williams deemed her reporting “unfair.” But is it fair to boot a journalist from an event just because you don’t like their reporting? Then, the downtown doldrums saga continues as Cherry Creek’s real estate attracts national attention. How can two areas of the same city less than five miles from each other have be experiencing such d...
Apr 09, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 1965, a massive flood devastated the Mile High City. Auraria was hit particularly hard and plans were put in motion to demolish the mostly Hispanic neighborhood and replace it with a college campus. By 1972, the whole blocks were scraped away and hundreds of Aurarians had been moved out Then, it seemed that most people forgot it existed at all. But more than 50 years later, the displaced Aurarians haven’t forgotten. Host Bree Davies sits down with Denver Post reporter Elizabeth Hernandez to d...
Apr 08, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday and we’re looking back at the biggest stories of the week. First, while Denver’s auditor’s office has been busy recovering more than $2 million in stolen wages, a state lawmaker was removed as a sponsor of a wage theft bill after allegedly committing wage theft in her own office! Then, South Broadway staple Grandma’s House announced its closure at the end of April, joining 17th Ave.’s Alpine Dog and a list of more than 30 craft breweries to close across the state in the past year — i...
Apr 05, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast After 9News anchor Kyle Clark discussed the increasingly popular (and controversial) instagram @DoBetterDNVR with us last Friday, the anonymous posters behind the account sent a brigade of their followers to share their thoughts with us. So we’re opening up the mailbag and talking about all the comments, questions, and feedback. And we’re not just addressing the instagrammers posting photos of unhoused people in crisis without their consent, but also listeners’ thoughts on private members clubs,...
Apr 04, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast What lengths will Governor Jared Polis go to to get his Front Range Passenger Rail? He and some senior Democrats are just starting to roll out their plan right now, and it is far-reaching — they’re talking about taxing rental cars to fund the project and cutting two thirds of the RTD board seats. CPR’s Andy Kenney joins producer Paul Karolyi to explain how the governor’s big plan could affect Denver’s public transportation system, and then former State Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll joins...
Apr 03, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re talking about the biggest stories shaping Denver today. First up, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert got a big boost from Republican Party leaders last week, so we’re surveying the state of the races to represent Denver, Colorado Springs, the Eastern Plains and the Western Slope ahead of the congressional primaries in June. Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to talk through the latest developments. Plus, Patty’s got the scoop on possible changes coming to...
Apr 02, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy April, Denver! As we inch closer to real spring and out of the grasp of false spring, we can expect to see our fair Mile High City blooming this month. But which of the proverbial flowers will be worth stopping to smell? Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by newsletter editor Adrian Gonzalez and producer Olivia Jewell Love to share our top picks to eat, drink, do, and experience around Denver this month. Paul recommended this podcast episode with Adam McKay on Hattie McDaniel. Links to all ou...
Apr 01, 2024•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday and we’re looking back on the biggest stories of the week. 9News anchor Kyle Clark joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to break down the escalating controversy around the recent killings at the former DoubleTree shelter off I-70 and Quebec. One council member is blaming the contractor, but is this all Mayor Johnston’s problem to solve? Plus, the metro area’s biggest dog park is being overwhelmed with dog poop and, as always, our wins and fails of the week. We discussed M...
Mar 29, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Socializing is a hot commodity in the Mile High, and there are plenty of bars, parks, and adult-oriented entertainment spaces catering to folks looking for community. But in the last few years, a new type of organization has risen to meet growing demand from a higher-end clientele: The private members club. So our producer Paul Karolyi decided to see for himself. Host Bree Davies sits down with Paul to talk about his experience applying to be a potential insider at one of these spaces, how their...
Mar 28, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast A few years back, The New York Times spent some time in Denver and came back with a visitor’s guide that we found… lacking. They missed out on some of the most quintessential Denver experiences, so we set out to plan the perfect Mile High long weekend for ourselves. Politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval joined host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi last summer to put together the ultimate 36 hours in Denver, full of the best restaurants, attractions, and outdoorsy stuff to ...
Mar 27, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast With Halloween coming up tomorrow, we’re thinking about everything that goes bump in the night. But the importance of Denver’s nighttime economy far exceeds the one-night-only, trick-treat trading that’ll be going down tomorrow evening. For years our nightlife has been both a big business and the scene of high-profile violence — particularly around let-out time late at night in LoDo. Youth on Record co-founder Stephen Brackett saw the nightlife conundrum first-hand coming up in Denver’s music sc...
Oct 30, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our friends at Metropolitan State University of Denver (aka MSU or just plain “Metro”) recently hosted our very own Bree Davies on their podcast spotlighting notable alumni. Bree discusses her time as a roadrunner and the impact MSU had on her career in the media. We thought it was a great conversation, so we’re delighted to share it with you. You can subscribe to MSU Denver Alumni Bird Talk wherever you get your podcasts. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newslet...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Four years after the killing of Elijah McClain, Aurora police are finally on trial. But what about the systemic injustices embedded within our law enforcement system? Reporter Andrew Fraieli spent months investigating a law that was supposed to help track police conduct across the the state, but he found loopholes, glaring omissions, and missing records of dangerous on-duty behavior. Andrew joins host Bree Davies to talk about this explosive piece of collaborative reporting along with state repr...
Oct 27, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re talking noodles, dumplings, and cocktails unapologetically seasoned with MSG as host Bree Davies chats with newsletter editor Peyton Garcia and producer Olivia Jewell Love about their preview of the new MAKfam restaurant in Baker (Opening Nov. 1). Then, it’s all about that Spam musubi — Denver has seen a welcome proliferation of Hawaiian restaurants serving up their own version of Pacific Island cuisine lately. So, what’s bringing so many Hawaiians to Colorado in the first place? Plus, the...
Oct 26, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you believe it’s already been 100 days since our new mayor Mike Johnston was inaugurated? He hasn’t even had time to put art up on the walls of his office! But he has been hard at work trying to deliver on his pledge to get 1,000 unhoused people off the streets by the end of the year. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi sit down with Johnston to talk about some of the controversies he’s stirred up so far, his decision to cancel a planned micro-community in the Golden Triangle, and wha...
Oct 25, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re talking about all the stories that matter this week. First up, Governor Jared Polis made a tone-deaf statement about transit, so host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talking transit and digging into a pile of fresh data from RTD’s Zero Fare for Better Air months this past summer. Then, Denverites aren’t the only ones gearing up for an election this month, so we’re surveying the wildest election-related shenanigans playing out across the suburbs, from the NIMBY recal...
Oct 24, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The City of Denver’s official budget for 2024 determines how the powers that be will spend a whopping $1.74 billion over the next year. But it’s also a test of how a new mayor and a majority new city council stand by their campaign promises, what city issues take priority this year, and how well these governing bodies work together (or don’t.) Axios Denver’s Alayna Alvarez joins host Bree Davies to breakdown what the budget is for, what we might see big money for next year, and why it matters to...
Oct 23, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tattered Cover filed for bankruptcy this week after a rough few years for the beloved Denver institution. Three of the bookseller’s seven locations will close and 27 employees will lose their jobs as the company fights for survival. So, what does it all mean for the devoted customers, local authors, and remaining workers? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by author Erika T. Wurth to discuss Tattered Cover’s murky future. Plus, Colorado Parks and Wildlife fends off a zebra mus...
Oct 20, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast The weekend is so close you can almost taste it. So we’re digging into the biggest food story of the week: A blockbuster trial involving DIA, two homegrown burger empires, allegations of bribery, and a car chase on I70. Newsletter editor and resident foodie Peyton Garcia joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to break down the DIA concessions scandal that went to court this week. Plus, Peyton shares her top picks for the super spooky weekend to come. Would you prefer Cherry Cricket ove...
Oct 19, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this month, History Colorado released a major report documenting the history of Indigenous “boarding schools” across our state, including one in Denver, between 1880 and 1920. The media covered the report as a landmark step forward from a tragic chapter in our state’s history, and some have called on Governor Jared Polis to make a formal apology on behalf of the state. But while our elected officials are celebrating the report as a positive step toward healing and reconciliation, many In...
Oct 18, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
