Penny Parker

Rocky Mountain News: Marking anniversary of its death four years ago today

Four years ago today, the Rocky Mountain News closed on the cusp of its 150th birthday. The changes in the Denver media scene since then have been profound. And while the Denver Post, the city's surviving paper, continues to exist, its present doesn't look much like the future that seemed in the off ... More >>

Penny Parker, other Rocky Mountain News survivors: What did they do after love was gone?

It's been four years since the Rocky Mountain News closed just shy of its 150th birthday. What's happened to folks at the paper since then, and where are they now? That's the subject of "After the Love Is Gone -- Following the Rocky Road," a discussion today featuring the likes of longtime columnist ... More >>

Denver Post ex-columnist Chuck Murphy leaving paper for job with nonprofit

Another high-profile staffer is leaving the Denver Post: On November 10, Chuck Murphy, who served briefly as a metro columnist for the paper before taking on a different position amid a series of cost-cutting moves, is leaving the paper to work for an unnamed nonprofit. But Murphy maintains that hi ... More >>

Denver Post covers Aurora theater shootings without official columnist

Covering the Aurora theater shootings would have been a huge challenge for the Denver Post under any circumstances. But right now, the paper is operating under a strange handicap. For reasons that involve highly technical union rules, the Post doesn't officially have a columnist -- and its attempt t ... More >>

Reader: New reviewer should remember to bring a thesaurus

The news that Laura Shunk is moving to New York and opening up a slot for a new restaurant critic inspired many readers to suggest possible candidates -- including old restaurant critic Jason Sheehan, for example. Penny Parker. And two words: Dave. Barnes. "I think more reviews should be focused o ... More >>

Post: Rehire Mike Littwin or Penny Parker or be columnist-free 'til 2013?

Earlier this week, we interviewed the Denver Post's sole current metro columnist, Tina Griego, who's accepted a severance deal originally designed to reduce the paper's copy-editing staff by two-thirds and will soon be moving with her family to Virginia. Her replacement? Our interpretation of the gu ... More >>

Tina Griego on leaving Denver Post and importance of columnists

And then there were none. The Denver Post recently laid off metro columnist Mike Littwin and reassigned newly minted fellow columnist Chuck Murphy to a social media job. That left Tina Griego as the Post's sole metro columnist -- but as she announced today, she will soon be moving with her family to ... More >>

Denver Post to lay off two-thirds of its copy editors?

Within the past several months, the Denver Post has made buyout deals with nineteen staffers, including Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Keefe, and laid off popular columnists Mike Littwin and Penny Parker, among others. But the cuts aren't over. In an internal memo on view below, editor Greg ... More >>

Craig F. Walker's Pulitzer Prize for Denver Post one more reason to root for newspapers

Yesterday, the Denver Post's Craig F. Walker won the feature photography Pulitzer Prize for the second time in three years -- a remarkable achievement, and quite possibly an unprecedented one. The award is not only an acknowledgment of Walker's moving shots of Scott Ostrow, an Iraq vet who returned ... More >>

Penny Parker's Evening of Decadent Delights is tonight

Penny Parker may have lost her job at the Denver Post, but she hasn't lost her interest in Sense of Security, a charity that helps breast-cancer patients. Her third annual Evening of Decadent Delights -- a benefit for the charity -- will be at Coohills, 1400 Wewatta Street, tonight. Dinner will also ... More >>

Denver Post: More shrinkage to staff, pages

We've recently shared news about Denver Post layoffs of Mike Littwin and Penny Parker and reported pay cuts for Woody Paige and Vincent Carroll, another pair of high-profile staffers. But that's not all, folks. Editor Greg Moore confirms another pair of layoffs amid word that many previously mention ... More >>

Culinary calendar: Penny Parker's Decadent Delights, a giant potato and grappa!

Penny Parker may have lost her job at the Denver Post, but she hasn't lost her interest in a charity that helps breast-cancer patients -- a charity that will benefit from a fundraiser at Coohills this Tuesday. Here's a taste of what else is on the culinary calendar this week:

Woody Paige, Vincent Carroll get pay cuts at the Denver Post?

Today, the Denver Post's Woody Paige lauds Baylor for winning the NCAA women's basketball championship. But did he receive less compensation for his prose than usual? Multiple sources tell us Paige received a pay cut around the time columnists Mike Littwin and Penny Parker were laid off -- and so di ... More >>

Readers disagree about whether Mike Littwin layoff at Denver Post a pro or a con

Our post yesterday about Penny Parker and Mike Littwin being laid off by the Denver Post was met with an explosion of commentary, much of it directed at Littwin, whose work is loved and hated with equal passion. Here are two responses that capture the contrast.

Reader: Spicy Pickle started out strong, but lost its bite

​When the first Spicy Pickle opened at 988 Lincoln Street in 1999, it quickly drew faithful fans with its hearty sandwiches -- always accompanied by a homemade pickle. That early rush fueled lots of dreams, dreams of the kind of success that other homegrown chains, most notably Chipotle, which ... More >>

Here are your 2011 Denver #WebAwards arts winners

​Here are the winners of the 2011 Denver #WebAwards in the category we're loosely dubbing "arts," which means Westword scribes report on the happenings in these beats, right here on Show and Tell. (And no, Westword writers were not eligible for these awards.) These are the winners only; for a ... More >>

2011 Denver #WebAwards winners announced!

Photos: 2011 Denver #WebAwards party

Leaked! 2011 Denver #WebAwards winners

​OK, it's not really a leak if the source publishes the info -- more like a sneak-peek of Denver #WebAwards winners, we're publishing ten award winners this morning, in advance of tonight's party at Casselman's. It's open to anyone age 21 and up at 8 p.m.. (although anyone on our list of final ... More >>

Scuttlebutt on the street: World-renowned chef Charlie Palmer taking over Big Game

​Not that Charlie Palmer needs much of an introduction: The world-renowned, James Beard award-winning master chef, whose progressive American cooking, stylized with classic French techniques, has generated accolades all over the country, presides over an extraordinary number of restaurants, f ... More >>

Tonight: An Evening of Decadent Delights at Lola

A Flickr photo​Some of Denver's top chefs are participating in tonight's aptly named Evening of Decadent Delights at Lola, 1575 Boulder Street. Alex Seidel (Fruition) will create the passed hors d'ouevre; Sean Yontz (El Diablo) is tapped for the appetizer course; Goose Sorensen (Solera) will w ... More >>

Richthofen Castle still for sale: Curse you, Red Baron!

Richthofen Castle.​As noted by Penny Parker, the historic Richthofen Castle -- built in the late 1800s by the uncle of the Red Baron -- has been on sale for four-years plus. That means even before the real estate slump, no one was interested in plunking down $3.9 million (not counting memorabi ... More >>

Foster Graham Millstein & Calisher: The power to make John Hickenlooper and other prominent Denverites look silly

Want proof that Foster Graham Millstein & Calisher is among Denver's most powerful law firms? Check out the notables who eagerly appear in its tenth-anniversary video, seen above. Included is Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, seen at about the 45 second mark reading words of effusive praise for FGMC ... More >>

Rioja team ropes together Martini Ranch deal

Meanwhile, back at Martini Ranch....​Jen Jasinski and Beth Gruitch, the talented duo behind Larimer Square restaurants Rioja and Bistro Vendome, have their eyes on a third spot around the corner, as Penny Parker reports in a good scoop this morning. According to the sign still on the former M ... More >>

Get lit in LoDo this holiday season!

Dixons packaged itself for the holidays.​Twenty-seven businesses entered the first annual LoDo Aglow: Scenes of the Season window-decorating contest, lighting up for the holidays (and through the Stock Show, like the Denver City and County Building). And the winners, announced this week by t ... More >>

Denver's best Caesar salad award goes to...

Lori MidsonCaesar salad from Opus​ Last night I witnessed the Greatest Caesar Salad competition, an annual battle of the romaine hosted by the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food, that pitted seven local restaurants -- Squeaky Bean, Root Down, Campo de Fiori, Marco's Co ... More >>

You, too, can judge Cook Street's battle of the chefs

The kitchen crew at Cook Street Fine School of Cooking, 1937 Market Street, is searching for a kick-ass judge to sound off at the school's upcoming cook-off, an Iron Chef-like duel on Friday, July 31, that's all part of Cook Street's ten-year anniversary celebrations. If you'd like to voice your ... More >>

All hail Mary

Former enemies Penny Parker and Bill Husted finding ways to co-exist at the Denver Post

Penny Parker, who's back at the Denver Post. The February 26 announcement that the Rocky Mountain News would close was accompanied by word that the Denver Post had hired a handful of Rocky notables. This move was a positive development for readers, as well as for the staffers in question -- but com ... More >>

Major behind-the-scenes shuffling at the Denver Post

Photo courtesy of Flickr. The just-published blog "Former Enemies Penny Parker and Bill Husted Finding Ways to Co-Exist at the Denver Post" describes the intriguing repercussions of changes at the broadsheet since the closure of the Rocky Mountain News -- and plenty more are on the way. Earlier tod ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, March 9 edition

Cut Off Your Hands -- which is the name of a band, not a reference to a scene in Watchmen. Here are some things we published not too long ago... Today in Backbeat Online: • Over the Weekend: Cut Off Your Hands at the hi-dive. • Over the Weekend: Tauntaun and Kingdom of Magic at the Bluebird. ... More >>

Denver Post to add Rocky Mountain News voices

Photo by Anthony Camera.Kevin Vaughan, a Rocky reporter who'll soon be writing for the Denver Post. Almost two months ago, Michael Roberts offered an all-star list of five Rocky Mountain News staffers that he suggested the Denver Post hire should the News shut down.Now, with the News's last day tom ... More >>

Denver Blogs: Macrophenomenal!

A daily roundup of stuff maybe worth reading about Denver. Send tips. A basketball book with the word "macrophenomenal" in the title. No, it's not by Charles Barkley. (Denver Stiffs) The good, the bad, and the unknown about Ken Salazar. With hats like that, the ugly goes without saying. (5280) ... More >>

Sorry, Penny Parker, but the DNC is over

The Rocky Mountain News Links LoDo Shooting to Democratic National Convention

Delegating Denver #6 of 56: California

More Messages: Symbiosis

Feeling Kinda Blue (and Orange)

Analyzing the post-game psyche.

Pop-Up Video

Music-video filmmakers flex their muscle.

The Message

Saint John

The Bite

High on Highland

Post Mortem

An unpublished column helps wrap up Chuck Green's story at the Denver Post.

Journey's End

The media outlets that helped Ocean Journey float aren't mentioning their roles now that it's sinking.

Off Limits

Shakers and movers

Off Limits

No good deed goes unpunished.

Leftoverture

Alternative rockers are getting behind Alternative Radio.

Paper Trail

The News VP asks children's help in watching the competition

All in the Family

Dining family-style in style.

Gossipmongers

Dishing dirt on the bigmouths of Denver.

This Is Only a Test

The programming secrets toies er's old-time formats radio.

Big Bang Theory