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"

More

2011 Stories by Melanie Asmar

• Denver Police Department headquarters to cut hours in 2012 to "streamline workforce"

  published Dec 30, 2011

  Denver Police Department headquarters, the behemoth building at 1331 Cherokee Street, will cut its hours in 2012 in order to "streamline the department's workforce," the department announced this week... More >>

• Charter School Institute adds ninth board member: Liz Aybar, former principal at P.S. 1

  published Dec 29, 2011

  The Charter School Institute board is once again complete. Last week, Governor John Hickenlooper appointed a ninth member: Liz Aybar, who once served as principal of the now-shuttered P.S. 1 Charter ... More >>

• Colorado Gives Day: Which nonprofits raised the most moneyr

  published Dec 28, 2011

  Colorado Gives Day, the 24-hour online charity blitz that won Best Philanthropic Endeavor in our 2011 Best of Denver contest, raised a total of $12.7 million for 928 local nonprofits on December 6 an... More >>

• Santa on Twitter: Top ten jerky tweets

  published Dec 22, 2011

  In real life, Santa is jolly. But on Twitter, he can be an a#$hole. There are dozens of fake Santa Twitter accounts. While some of them are earnest -- like this tweet from @NorthPolePost: "Ho ho ho!... More >>

• State spending on children decreasing while child poverty increasing, report shows

  published Dec 21, 2011

  The amount of money Colorado spends on children is shrinking at a time when the number of children -- and the number of children in poverty -- is rising, according to a report released today by the C... More >>

• Kenneth Scott, abortion protester, adds national lawyers to defense team in clinic-blocking case

  published Dec 20, 2011

  Kenneth Scott, abortion protester extraordinaire, recently added more firepower to his legal defense: He is now being represented by the Thomas More Society, a national pro-life law firm. In June, Sc... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Colorado GSA Network aims to stop LGBT bullying

  published Dec 19, 2011

  Back in May, the governor signed a bill to increase efforts to stop bullying, adding that students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender should be protected -- especially after a number of ga... More >>

• ColoradoSchoolGrades.com: New website ranks schools on scale of A to F

  published Dec 16, 2011

  ColoradoSchoolGrades.com, a new website developed by a coalition education advocacy groups, attempts to simplify the process of figuring out whether a school is a gem or a lemon. Using the same data ... More >>

• Is Denver the plastic-surgery capital of Americar

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Is Denver the nation's plastic-surgery capitalr Yes, according to a new poll by LivingSocial, a daily-deals website that is apparently also in the habit of surveying the public about boob jobs and me... More >>

• Ricardo Flores Magon Academy: Read school's charter renewal application

  published Dec 14, 2011

  Applications were due yesterday for schools wishing to continue under the banner of the Charter School Institute, a quasi-state agency created in 2004 to approve charter schools rejected by districts... More >>

• B-cycle clocks 202,731 rides in 2011, nearly doubling last year's numbers

  published Dec 13, 2011

  B-cycle wrapped up its second season last Friday, and the official numbers are in: 202,731 total rides from when B-cycle rolled out in March until 11 p.m. on December 9. That's nearly double last yea... More >>

• DPS: 66 percent of nearly 7,000 survey respondents in favor of delayed school start

  published Dec 12, 2011

  Earlier this fall, we told you about a parent-led crusade to delay the start of public school in Denver until September to avoid the heat that plagued August. This agitating led to the creation of a ... More >>

• Vlirty, new online dating site by local software geek Adam Norrell, focuses on video chatting

  published Dec 09, 2011

  Adam Norrell likes the words "snazzy" and "sparky." He says them more than you'd expect from a 34-year-old software nerd from Castle Rock, especially when he's describing his new online dating site, t... More >>

• Should Denver Zoo elephants be renamed after Toyota vehicles in light of $5.4 mil donationr

  published Dec 09, 2011

  The Denver Zoo's two lady elephants, Mimi and Dolly, moved yesterday to their new home: the recently rechristened Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit. Formerly called Asian Tropics, the ten-acre, $50 mill... More >>

• Colorado Gives Day: Extended online charity bonanza raises $12 million

  published Dec 07, 2011

  Update: Colorado Gives Day, the one-day online charity marathon that began at midnight on Tuesday but extended until noon today due to technical difficulties, raised $12 million for 932 local nonprofi... More >>

• Charter school enrollment grows nationwide and in Colorado, which now has 82,200 students

  published Dec 07, 2011

  Enrollment in charter schools is growing nationwide, as well as here in Colorado. More than two million students now attend charter schools in the U.S., a 13 percent increase from last year, according... More >>

• Harm Reduction Action Center could soon become Denver's second legal needle exchange

  published Dec 06, 2011

  The Harm Reduction Action Center -- whose very own Ruth Kanatser was honored recently with the inaugural Josephine Roche Award for direct service and advocacy -- could soon be Denver's second legal s... More >>

• Denver Zoo's new elephant exhibit renamed Toyota Elephant Passage after $5.4 mil donation

  published Dec 05, 2011

  Update, 4:15 p.m.:. The Denver Zoo's revealed how much money seven local Toyota dealerships donated to the newly christened Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit, slated to open in June 2012. The figurer $... More >>

• Ruth Kanatser of Harm Reduction Action Center receives first Josephine Roche advocacy award

  published Dec 05, 2011

  In a small ceremony at a cozy coffee shop Friday night, Ruth Kanatser, the "mama bear" of the little red house on Lipan Street that's home to the Harm Reduction Action Center, won the inaugural Joseph... More >>

• Ricardo Flores Magon Academy: Read the lawsuit filed by former teacher Claudia Mitchell

  published Dec 02, 2011

  This week's cover story, "A Hard Line," looks deeper into complaints against a Westminster charter school called the Ricardo Flores Magon Academy. One former teacher is now suing the school, claiming... More >>

• Ricardo Flores Magon Academy: Why was embattled school named for anarchist writerr

  published Dec 01, 2011

  This week's cover story, "A Hard Line," takes a look at the Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, a charter school in Westminster with both high test scores and a high number of former teachers, one of whom r... More >>

• Ricardo Flores Magon Academy: Will lawsuits facing charter school matter come renewal timer

  published Nov 30, 2011

  The Ricardo Flores Magon Academy charter school in Westminster gets spectacular academic results and has won accolades for its tennis and chess programs. But former teachers and parents say not every... More >>

• Parkour for grandmasr APEX Movement starts Parkour Lite classes for the un-Spider-Man-like

  published Nov 29, 2011

  In 2009, Westword writer Joel Warner told the story of Colorado parkour pioneer Ryan Ford, who had recently opened the world's largest parkour gym, APEX Movement. Since then, the sport -- described o... More >>

• Religious schools, hospitals should pay for employees' birth control, says advocacy group

  published Nov 29, 2011

  A local Latina advocacy group is asking women to call President Obama and give him an earful about birth control. The details are complicated: As explained in this Washington Post story, Catholic bis... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  Charter school chief rules with iron fist, say teachers

  published December 1, 2011

  Claudia Mitchell couldn't breathe. The usually bubbly schoolteacher had just visited her doctor, who tested her for swine flu. It was fall... More >>