Email Author Melanie Asmar

Awards

• 2012 - GLAAD Media Awards, published May 5, 2011

  "Coming Out in America"

• 2012 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published March 17, 2011

  "Say What?"

• 2012 - Clarion Awards/Association of Women in Communications, published May 26, 2011

  "Passing on Education"

• 2011 - Education Reporting Awards/National Education Writers Association, published June 10, 2010

  "Teacher's Fret"

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2010 Stories by Melanie Asmar

• Louis Hampers: Feds indict controversial doctor for allegedly writing 100s of fake prescriptions

  published Sep 07, 2010

  Louis Hampers, the Children's Hospital doctor who was the subject of the recent Westword feature "When This Physician Gets the Fever, it's the Women He Dates Who Can't Shake the Bug," was arrested th... More >>

• Prayer One: Behind the scenes with Jeff Puckett and Denver's holiest helicopter

  published Sep 07, 2010

  Our latest Westword feature article, "A Wing and a Prayer: Jeff Puckett's Helicopter Gets Denver Closer to God," tells the story of Prayer One, a helicopter ministry started by local businessman Jeff... More >>

• God on view from Jeff Puckett's helicopter in Denver: The story of Prayer One

  published Sep 01, 2010

  What would you call a helicopter that brings metro-Denverites closer -- well, at least five hundred feet closer -- to Godr Local businessman Jeff Puckett calls his holy helicopter Prayer One, and h... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  Jeff Puckett's helicopter gets Denver closer to God

  published September 2, 2010

  A pastor, a football player, a ministry leader and a seminary student walk into a helicopter. Well, they don't walk, really. They hoist and... More >>

• Teacher tenure bill: Controversial lineup takes on law that didn't help state Race to the Top

  published Aug 25, 2010

  Reeves Whalen didn't mean to touch a nerve when he organized tonight's panel discussion on Senate Bill 191, the controversial "teacher tenure bill" drafted by Senator Michael Johnston and approved by ... More >>

• Louis Hampers: Controversial doc temporarily loses medical license pending two investigations

  published Aug 25, 2010

  Update below: Hampers's employer responds. Look below the original item for the update. Dr. Louis Hampers, a prominent staffer at The Children's Hospital in Aurora and the subject of the recent Westw... More >>

• Who/what is Lebresusr Is he Jesus's long lost cousinr A relation of LeBron Jamesr

  published Aug 25, 2010

  Who is Lebresusr Where did he come fromr What's up with the halo and the badass beardr Is he any relation to the big J.C.r We first noticed Lebresus last week. He was spray painted onto a window of ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Race to the Top, round two: Colorado loses again

  published Aug 24, 2010

  Always a bridesmaid, never a bride: Colorado will not receive any money in round two of Race to the Top, President Obama's federal education-reform grant contest. Though Colorado was one of nineteen f... More >>

• Denver Zoo's baby orangutan wants to meet you!

  published Aug 23, 2010

  Hesty, the Denver Zoo's new effing adorable baby Sumatran orangutan, is ready to see and be seen. Born on June 19 to mother Nias and father Mias, she made her public debut on exhibit this past Saturd... More >>

• Denver Public Schools launches radio program to teach English to Spanish speakers

  published Aug 20, 2010

  Denver Public Schools is launching a radio series aimed at teaching English to Spanish-speaking parents and families. Called Maestro en Casa (Teacher at Home), the series will debut on September 15 on... More >>

• Back to school: The five best YouTube videos

  published Aug 19, 2010

  Denver kids returned to school today. To celebrate, we scoured YouTube for the five best "first day of school" videos. After watching more than a dozen, we came to a stunning conclusion: Teenagers ... More >>

• Mary Pishney, known as Miss P, won't return to teach first grade at Bromwell Elementary

  published Aug 18, 2010

  Mary Pishney, the first-grade teacher whose arguably accurate negative performance evaluation was the subject of a recent Westword feature, will not return to the classroom when school starts again to... More >>

• Inside the lives and minds of today's cable-loving, cursive-hating college freshman

  published Aug 17, 2010

  This fall's incoming college freshman were born in 1992. The year of the L.A. riots. The year Dan Quayle misspelled "potato." The year that brought us Whoopi Goldberg as a mildly-talented-Reno-lounge... More >>

• Denver parks soon to host admission-based events -- but bigger isn't necessarily better

  published Aug 16, 2010

  Admission-based events are more than likely coming soon to a city park near you! Last Thursday night, the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approved in a ten-to-seven vote a controversial p... More >>

• Colorado Education Association wants to help shape new "educator effectiveness" rules

  published Aug 13, 2010

  On Monday morning, the Colorado Department of Education will launch its Educator Effectiveness Project. It's an undertaking made possible by $1 million in grants secured this summer.The project will... More >>

• Crisanta Duran beats Mark Thrun in Democratic HD5 primary, gets her website hacked

  published Aug 11, 2010

  Lawyer and former Colorado Young Democrats president Crisanta Duran defeated Denver Health doctor Mark Thrun yesterday in the Democratic State House primary in Denver's District 5. The race wasn't al... More >>

• Andrea Merida happy her DPS board colleague Jeannie Kaplan "vindicated" by e-mails

  published Aug 10, 2010

  SquareState.net has published a chain of e-mails between former DPS superintendent-turned-Senator Michael Bennet, current Denver Public Schools superintendent Tom Boasberg and board members Jeannie Ka... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Denver Roller Dolls, local cake designer skate onto the Food Network Challenge

  published Aug 09, 2010

  Roller derby can be a bit naughty -- what with the tight uniforms, tongue-in-cheek nicknames and racy logos. Maybe that's why the Food Network decided to forgo using the Denver Roller Dolls' A-team, ... More >>

• Angie Zapata's friends, family to throw a party for the murdered transgender teen's 21st birthday

  published Aug 06, 2010

  Angie Zapata would have turned 21 yesterday. She died in July 2008, a little more than two years shy of that milestone, at the hands of a man who claimed he "snapped" when he realized that Zapata, a ... More >>

• Herby the (Denver County) Love Judge to retire

  published Aug 05, 2010

  Herby the Love Judge is leaving the bench. After spending sixteen years as a Denver County Court judge, Herbert Galchinsky is hanging up his black robe in January due to the county's mandatory-retir... More >>

• Sex, lies and e-mail: The lawsuit against Dr. Louis Hampers continues

  published Aug 04, 2010

  9News investigative reporter Deborah Sherman's relationship with Children's Hospital ER doc Louis Hampers started on a swinger's website and ended in court, where Sherman won a restraining order again... More >>

• Medical marijuana: Does John Suthers really think CU dorms partner with dispenariesr

  published Aug 03, 2010

  Do medical marijuana dispensaries have double-secret, underground agreements with the dorms at the University of Colorado in Boulderr Is there a secret plot to get all the innocent, cherub-faced fresh... More >>

• Human poop in the woods: Weekend conference in Golden aims to wipe out growing problem

  published Jul 29, 2010

  You know what's grossr Poop. You know what's even grosserr Poop in your water. How to prevent that from happening will be the subject of an outdoorsy conference at the American Alpine Club in Golden... More >>

• Bear sexr Horny elephantsr Inside Denver Zoo's Singles Safari

  published Jul 28, 2010

  On the agenda for the Denver Zoo's second-ever Singles Safari event this Friday night: horny elephants, polar bear sex, and why big cats like Calvin Klein's Obsession so much. "We wanted to give a d... More >>

• Race to the Top: Colorado one of 19 finalists in federal education grant contest

  published Jul 27, 2010

  Colorado was chosen today as one of nineteen finalists in round two of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top grant contest. If successful, the state stands to win $175 million. If not, Co... More >>