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?"

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

  "Teacher's Fret"

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2012 Stories by Melanie Asmar

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  FEATURED STORY

  Mysterious Jell-O mound turns out to be The Office-style invite from Aurora eco devo group

  published Oct 09, 2012

  When we arrived at work this morning, we were greeted by a mound of yellow gelatin that was cold to the touch and sitting upon a black plastic food tray ringed with leafy green garnish like a church-... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Photos: Union Station is transforming from sleepy train stop to multi-modal hub

  published Oct 08, 2012

  It's been thirty years since Denver's 16th Street Mall opened for business, and this week's cover story "It's a Mall World After All!," takes a look at the attraction's past, present and future. That ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting: Mike White, Sr. on why he wants to revisit scene of attack

  published Oct 05, 2012

  Mike White is searching for answers. To find them, he hopes to return to the Aurora theater where a gunman opened fire on White, his family and others who'd come to see the July 20 midnight premiere o... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Should law enforcement be punished for releasing strange new mug shotr

  published Oct 04, 2012

  Releasing a second mug shot of accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes violated the case's gag order, Holmes's attorneys argue in a new motion. A judge has granted their request for a hearing to ... More >>

• Westword cover girl Claudia Folska's cooking show is a play on words -- and local food

  published Oct 03, 2012

  Claudia Folska, Westword cover girl and a candidate for the RTD Board of Directors, has a variety of interests. In college, she started a nonprofit called Eyecycle that pairs sighted people and blind... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting: Fund for victim Farrah Soudani gets busty boost from theCHIVE

  published Oct 02, 2012

  On Friday, July 20, the day authorities say James Holmes opened fire during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, John Resig posted a note theCHIVE.com, the wildly popular photo website he fou... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes: Did he send burnt currency to psychiatrist along with notebookr

  published Sep 28, 2012

  A motion made public today in the James Holmes case references "the notebook and the burnt currency" when discussing whether a package sent to a psychiatrist who was seeing Holmes should be subject to... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting victim impersonator suspect identified by cops, won't be charged

  published Sep 28, 2012

  Update below: Law enforcement investigated motions filed by someone impersonating a victim in the James Holmes case, prosecutors say in one of 57 documents made public. As Westword previously reported... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: See first of fifty newly released, often heavily redacted documents

  published Sep 28, 2012

  This morning, the court released more than fifty documents in the James Holmes case that had previously been kept from public view -- dating all the way back to Holmes's application for a public defe... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  RTD: Meet the three men running against Westword cover girl Claudia Folska

  published Sep 27, 2012

  Claudia Folska's resume is impressive. In college, she started a nonprofit. After graduate school, she biked from Pakistan to China. This past spring, she earned a dual doctorate from the University ... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  Claudia Folska doesn't need to see to have vision

  published September 27, 2012

  Claudia Folska offers her elbow to her companion and leads him through a pedestrian tunnel that connects a noisy light-rail platform to a... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes: Strange new mug shot, ten new counts -- and five more victimsr

  published Sep 21, 2012

  On the same day that a new, wild-eyed mug shot was released of James Holmes -- one that shows his hair close-cropped and returning to its natural dark color -- the accused Aurora theater shooter has b... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Prosecutors drop demand for notebook sent to psychiatrist

  published Sep 20, 2012

  Update below: Prosecutors in the case of James Holmes decided to drop their request for immediate access to the notebook the accused Aurora theater shooter sent to Dr. Lynne Fenton, who'd acted as his... More >>

• Kim Cordova wins second term as president of UFCW Local 7 union

  published Sep 19, 2012

  Kim Cordova, the former Safeway bakery clerk who defeated longtime union boss Ernie Duran in 2009, has won another term as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7. Cordova's bat... More >>

• Robert Ramirez, Westminster rep, first target of pro-civil union group Fight Back Colorado

  published Sep 18, 2012

  Fight Back Colorado, a group devoted to defeating anti-civil union lawmakers, has announced its first target: Representative Robert Ramirez, a Westminster Republican who narrowly won his race two yea... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Birdnapped! Can you help find Alex, stolen parrot with serious medical conditionr

  published Sep 18, 2012

  There has been a birdnapping on Bannock Street. Carlos Botran was in a meeting on September 6 at PivotPoint, a web and graphic design business at 1150 Bannock Street, when he believes someone came ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Menage, new swingers' night, scheduled at Jet Hotel in October

  published Sep 17, 2012

  Now that the Sugar House is closed and the Scarlet Ranch has moved to Littleton, there's a void in the Denver swingers' club scene, says promoter Sante Suffoletta. Starting October 5, he hopes to fil... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Rollin Oliver: Read probable cause statement of Officer Celena Hollis's accused killer

  published Sep 17, 2012

  Update: We've obtained the probable cause statement in Denver Police Officer Celena Hollis's death. See it below earlier coverage. Original post, 6:59 p.m. September 13: Rollin Oliver, accused of mur... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting: Recovery committee responds to criticism from victim families

  published Sep 14, 2012

  Update: Rich Audsley, speaking for the 7/20 Recovery Committee, has released a statement responding to criticism from families of Aurora theater shooting victims. It's included after our original cove... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Denver Zoo: Mimi the elephant, her health failing, enters hospice care

  published Sep 13, 2012

  Mimi the elephant is in the twilight of her elephant life. Zookeepers' best guess is that she's 53 years old, which easily makes her the oldest Asian elephant at the Denver Zoo and means she's surpas... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Rickey Servine, private probation worker, accused of violent sex assault on client

  published Sep 10, 2012

  Rickey Servine, Jr. has been charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment for "violently and aggressively" assaulting a female client of Rocky Mountain Offender Management Systems in Aurora, ac... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Top ten things non-sports fans need to know about Peyton Manning

  published Sep 07, 2012

  Editor's note: With Peyton Manning's regular-season debut for the Broncos set for Sunday, we offer this (hilarious) (and helpful!) Peyton primer by Melanie Asmar that first appeared last March. Hello... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Holly Square Shopping Center: From arson to basketball courts, playgrounds

  published Aug 31, 2012

  In May 2008, Crips gang members burned down the Holly Square Shopping Center in northeast Park Hill. More than four years later, the scorched earth is experiencing a rebirth. On Saturday, The Prodigal... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Scarlet Ranch: City council refuses to pay off lawsuit alleging police misconduct

  published Aug 28, 2012

  The Scarlet Ranch swingers club, which moved last year from Denver to Littleton, won't be getting an infusion of city money anytime soon. Last night, the city council narrowly rejected a $42,500 settl... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Drunk driving: How much does it cost to get a first DUI in Colorador

  published Aug 24, 2012

  Getting a DUI is expensive. Dan Beeck, who owns one of Colorado's biggest private probation companies, had that in mind when he started providing often-required alcohol education classes and therapy ... More >>