Department of Motor Vehicles

Scott Gessler's office running checks on thousands of more potential non-citizens

In August, Secretary of State Scott Gessler ran the names of 1,416 individuals through a federal database in hopes of weeding out illegal immigrant voters. Months later, a total of fourteens voters have been removed from voting rolls in Colorado. But the story doesn't end there. As it turns out, Ges ... More >>

Thousands of possible non-citizens Scott Gessler targeted are legal voters

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Scott Gessler asked nearly 4,000 registered voters to prove that they are citizens as part of an effort, he said, to prevent fraud. The results are now in and one in eight voters who showed a non-citizen document to the Division of Motor Vehicles remain ineligi ... More >>

MMJ advertising ban: How will it be enforced?

How will Denver's ban of all outdoor advertising for medical marijuana businesses -- approved last night in a quick, unanimous vote by Denver City council members -- be enforced? A note sent to councilmembers last week by Tom Downey, head of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, gives some c ... More >>

Scott Gessler asks thousands of registered voters to prove they are citizens

Nearly 4,000 registered voters in Colorado received a letter this week from Secretary of State Scott Gessler asking that they prove their citizenship or otherwise remove themselves from voter rolls. Gessler, who says he is preventing fraud, identified these residents through the Division of Motor Ve ... More >>

Reader: Enough with us-versus-them arguments when it comes to bicycles and cars

As our Sam Levin has documented, Denver is on its way to setting an all-time bike accident record -- and his posts on the subject have fired up readers with a preference for two wheels over four, and vice versa. Of course, many of us are both riders and drivers, as this reader notes.

Initiative 52 would let undocumented immigrants get driver's licenses

Initiative 52 would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, as long as they provide an individual tax identification number, last year's tax return and a form of government-issued ID from their country of origin. Today, backers of the initiative held a press conference at the Capi ... More >>

Draw Something takes another smart friend away with every lewd sketch

I've never played Draw Something for the same reason I've never tried cocaine: I know that if I did, I would become immediately addicted, drop out of society and ruin what's left of my life. If you're not familiar with Draw Something, it's an app that, according to the App Store, is "the most popul ... More >>

Merhawi Ocbamichael charged as adult for aggravated robberies as direct file bill advances

This week, the Denver District Attorney's Office announced that it had charged Merhawi Ocbamichael as an adult for a series of aggravated robberies that took place when he was seventeen. It's the sort of decision that won't be made in quite the same way should legislation to reform the system known ... More >>

DMV wait times could be more bearable under John Hickenlooper-announced program

Yesterday, as robotic voices called for the next in line and more than one man ogled a Michael Crichton paperback, Governor John Hickenlooper visited the Pierce Street DMV to announce a statewide plan to shorten the times many of those present will face on their next visit. Called the "Wait Less" pr ... More >>

Video: Copper Mountain runs racist?, asks Kevin Nealon on Conan O'Brien

Comic Kevin Nealon shared a funny bit on Conan O'Brien's show (H/T Denver Egotist) about Copper Mountain. Nealon says he'd forgotten about ski run ratings like Black Diamond when a local talked about how "the blacks" at Copper can be fun, but they'll beat you up -- and they're all over the mountain ... More >>

Video: See the scariest DMV bathroom ever

DMV branches are often unpleasant, but the men's room at the central Denver branch, at 1865 West Mississippi Avenue, is off-the-charts. Aside from the questionable cleanliness of the facilities seen in the video below, virtually every surface has been tagged by graffiti, transforming the space into ... More >>

Denverites do it at 8,000 feet, according to Westword sex survey

View the results of the 2011 Denver Sex Survey!

Reader: May all of these Christian leaders fall into Avichi (look it up)

​This is it. Today is the end of the world, according to Harold Camping, the biblical prognosticator who was born in Boulder more than ninety years ago. But with age does not necessarily come wisdom: He did miss with his prediction of the Rapture -- which he'd said would hit on May 21. So perh ... More >>

Parking tickets and gripes: Outtakes from a day spent with Denver's parking magistrates

​ This week's cover story, "Feed Me," tells the saga of the city's new overnight parking program -- which some users, such as 27-year-old Tyler Wyckoff, say is confusing. Wyckoff is one of several people who have visited the Denver County Court Parking Magistrate's Office to dispute a ticket. ... More >>

Manuel Amaro-Rojas, killed by gunshot, ID'd as man found in car near 8th & Decatur (18)

Graphic below.​Update: The deceased man found in a car at 8th and Decatur in what was initially called a "suspicious death" -- a term that was later replaced by "homicide" -- has been identified as Manuel Amaro-Rojas, 24. And while he was involved in a crash, the impact didn't kill him. Instea ... More >>

Ten best songs about quitting your job

"Oh, I can absolutely work Saturday. I didn't have any plans anyway."​The job market's still very tough, your 401 (k) has probably lost its value over the last week, and your rent, car payment and baby mama aren't going to get paid on their own. You hate your job, your boss treats you like gar ... More >>

Reader: Westword makes stupid jokes while economy's collapsing, war rages on

​Yesterday's post about the top 10 things you shouldn't call the cops to help you find -- prompted by a Greeley woman who told police her misplaced TV remote had been stolen -- didn't strike some readers as a laugh riot. Indeed, one saw it and other recent attempts at humor as indefensible giv ... More >>

Five surefire ways to kill time at the DMV

Trip to DMV? Noooo!​Save your tips for the best DMV in Denver, because I've already been. For most of us with day jobs, going there -- especially if you're from out of state and need a driver's license and to register your car -- involves going to two locations, taking a day off work and spend ... More >>

Luke Irvin Chrisco, porta-potty creep: More charges for spying at DMV, Target (VIDEO)

Video below.​Update: Luke Irvin Chrisco, the man who became internationally famous for hiding in the tank of a porta-potty at a yoga festival in order to scope women's nether regions, cheerfully admits that peeping at females using toilets is practically a religion for him. And the details he' ... More >>

Parking ticket at 4 a.m. for a tire on the curb? Denver enforcement never sleeps...

​Denver parking enforcement never sleeps -- as those who take advantage of the new overnight parking option downtown will soon know all too well. I have the evidence: a ticket issued at 4:24 a.m. last Monday. The violation? Parking on the curb. On about six inches of the curb, judging from thi ... More >>

Parking ticket Scrooge has no holiday spirit: Bah humbug!

​Bah humbug. On Wednesday, while I was inside the Denver Motor Vehicle office renewing my plates, my car parked outside on Welton Street was ticketed -- for expired plates. Yesterday, I visited the parking referee -- and here's some free advice that will cost me $75: Do not expect mercy this ... More >>

Parking ticket Scrooge: Has the holiday spirit expired?

Scrooged!​When I pulled up in front of the Denver Motor Vehicle office on Welton yesterday, the parking lot was full and the line was spilling out the front door. With what looked like a long wait ahead of me, I loaded the parking meter to the max. Good news: an hour and 53 minutes later, I di ... More >>

DMV rage: Year after fee hikes, Jeffco budgeting $200,000 per annum for private security

​It's been more than a year since the initial bedlam over increased vehicle registration fees prompted some counties to pay off-duty police to keep angry citizens from lashing out at Motor Vehicle personnel. But Jefferson County is still spending a good chunk of the extra revenue to post priva ... More >>

Seven killer iPhone wine apps to help you get your drink on

​About the only thing in life that I love more than wine is my iPhone. For those of you who are similarly gadget-obsessed, there are now 100-plus iPhone apps serving up everything from wine education to straight-up silliness (why is there an app that does nothing besides display a glass of win ... More >>

Rob Corry accuses Health Dept. of getting between medical-marijuana patients and doctors

Rob Corry has the CDPHE in his sights again.​Back in January, when attorney and medical marijuana advocate Rob Corry called on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to reveal how much money it had collected from MMJ patient fees, he complained about a waiting period for perm ... More >>

Bill Ritter among U.S. governors to get threatening letter: Leave office in three days or be removed?

"I'm leaving soon enough. Just relax."​Meagan Castle, spokeswoman for Governor Bill Ritter, confirms that her boss has received a threatening letter that's been turned over to the FBI. But that's all she's saying -- and FBI spokesman Dave Joly isn't offering any additional information until an ... More >>

Denver takes the day off today. Lucky.

A Flickr photo.Freaky no-mouth people can't get a marriage license today. Neither can anyone else.​ Don't even think about getting a marriage license in Denver today. Or having your cat's balls cut off. Or getting a permit to zone something. (Does that even make sense?) Or paying your late fee ... More >>

No waiting at the DMV... during a snowstorm, that is

​Standing in lines at Division of Motor Vehicles offices is typically like participating in the Bataan Death March -- long and agonizing, with no guarantee of survival. But there's one notable exception to that rule, which my wife discovered yesterday. As a principal of a school that's been cl ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Steer clear of this DMV office!

​I've always had good luck at the Division of Motor Vehicles office at 2736 Welton Street. Sure, the tiny parking lot is a nightmare, but the DMV employees are friendly, if not always fast -- and you can always take a quick stroll around Five Points if there's a wait. Which I did on Friday aft ... More >>

The 10 Manliest Candies Ever

When a candy specifies bodily harm in its name, it's pretty much manly.​ In the most recent Esquire, Chris Jones extols the virtues of Jujubes, calling them "the only candy a man should eat." This, of course, is utter bullshit, as are his claims that they should be pronounced "joo-joobs," whi ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, July 1 edition

Photo by Kiernan MaletskyYou'll love these Meeses to pieces. Hotter than July? Or exactly as hot as July? Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night's Show: Meese at Twist & Shout. • DJ Vajra announces new project, offers free mix for download. • Flier of the Week: Get Down at Beta Friday, July ... More >>

How to get screwed by new vehicle registration fees at the DMV

At the DMV this morning, Colorado drivers assume the position for new registration fees. So being the financial masochist that I am, I decided to renew my car's delinquent registration at 8 a.m. this morning, on the exact day that new fees and fines went into effect. The cost in March when my regi ... More >>

Letters from the week of April 16

After vegan requests LVTOFU license plate, the DMV reveals its dirty mind

Scratch and Dent Sale: The Box Where I Lived

Most of us live our lives in closed boxes... home, work, the DMV, our car, the bar, a hospital room, a dressing room at the mall. And then, when we die, we get to spend eternity (depending on your belief system) in another closed box.I realize this.So pardon me, in advance, for writing a mundane lit ... More >>

Positive signs at the Colorado DMV and courthouse

Day 2: Wherein I Press a Series of Nines and Ones on My Phone and Get Paid

Last Night: The Last Town Chorus and The Weakerthans @ Marquis Theater

ID Victory

To ID or Not to ID

Identity Crisis

Utah is not to be trusted.

License to Kill

Oh, the humanity!

Letters to the Editor

From the week of February 2, 2006

Cirque du Something

The Secret Circus brings in the (offbeat) clowns.

The Rippin' Word

Writer Jason Flores-Williams seeks a literary orgy.

Your Quarter Life Crisis!

Lots of drugs, not much sex, and a general fear and loathing mark these tales of twenty-something angst.

Swing Shift

Unhappiness over a newsroom shuffle is only the latest sign of malaise at the Post.

Take It for a Ride!

Who keeps an eye on Colorado's car dealers? The dealers themselves.

Rush to Judgment

Commerce City lets a private company issue speeding tickets--and causes a pileup.

KEEPING HIS OWN COUNSEL