Rocky Mountains

Stay Tuned prepares to tour Pacific Northwest, putting its WESTAF's IM Tour grant to good use

Stay Tuned, the outfit formerly known as MainLine, is preparing to hit the road in the next few weeks, taking advantage of the $3000 Western States Arts Federation Independent Music on Tour grant Mane Rok was awarded last year. What makes this jaunt particularly noteworthy, beside the fact that loca ... More >>

Photos: Five most expensive homes for sale in Boulder

Last month, we shared with you a photo gallery of the five most expensive homes in Denver -- and a spectacular batch it was. But don't forget about Boulder, whose properties, as featured on BoulderHomeSource.com, are just as astonishing and often more unusual -- including a three-for-one-price deal ... More >>

From Resident Evil to Need for Speed, Colorado offers a prime setting for video games

Do Colorado's high school civics requirements affect the number of young people who vote?

A new study disparages Colorado for requiring little civics education -- something it ties to a poll showing that young people don't understand voting laws, such as whether a photo ID is required to vote. (It isn't in Colorado.) But the study, done by the Massachusetts-based Center for Information a ... More >>

Red or blue, all eyes are on Colorado this election

Komen Denver affiliate rejects ban on Planned Parenthood grants

Race for the Cure.​For many years, the regional Planned Parenthood headquarters was Westword's neighbor, and we had a front-row seat for the picketers who harassed employees of an organization that does so much more than providing abortion services.

California Cafe closes in Park Meadows

Scott Burau​Last year saw nearly 300 restaurant openings on the books -- but 2012 is already kicking off with several closures, including the long-lived Pearl Street Grill, next-door neighbor India's Pearl and nearby Ototo. And now, from the southern suburbs, comes word of another shuttered re ... More >>

New Year's Eve 2011 Denver: ten best mountain celebrations

​What better time to take advantage of this city's proximity to the beautiful Rocky Mountains -- and some of the best skiing in the world -- than New Year's Eve? Keep reading for our list of the ten best ways to celebrate New Year's, mountain-style.

Edge at the Four Seasons is a sure bet for spotting Denver's 1 percenters

Mark Manger​When President Barack Obama came to Denver last week, he snubbed the Brown Palace -- which has hosted every president since Teddy Roosevelt except Calvin Coolidge -- for the Four Seasons.

New DIA artwork hasn't inspired any conspiracy theories yet

Three September Colorado wine events you won't want to miss

​With Labor Day behind us and summer's sun-soaked days and sizzling temperatures vanishing before our eyes, we aren't traditionally all that psyched to welcome the month of September with open arms. This year, though, we're seeing things differently, given the tantalizing array of wine event ... More >>

Summer's Ending: 8 Great Weekend Roadtrips You Need to Take Now

National Park Service​It's the first week of August, so it's likely that many of you are experiencing Endofsummeritis. You may think there's nothing you can do but watch the slow creep to winter, and before you know it, you will be shoveling your car out of six feet of snow while icicle tears form ... More >>

Social studies: U.S. students fail at it, but Colorado has a plan to improve scores

​American schoolchildren don't know Alaska from their elbow. That's the news today from the NAEP, dubbed "The Nation's Report Card:" Fewer than one-third of students tested proficient in geography in 2010. Education gurus blame a shrinking curriculum -- but that could change in Colorado.

Adventure Team Challenge brings able-bodied and disabled together for a race in the Rockies

​Imagine biking up a steep Colorado peak, rafting through the Rapids of the Colorado River and then rappelling down a jagged and imposing cliff. Now imagine doing that blind or without the use of an arm or both of your legs. That's exactly what many of the participants will be doing in this we ... More >>

Goat's milk ice cream, rhubarb compote and Upslope Brown Ale will cool you down

Philip Poston​When I moved to Boulder almost six years ago, I was a virgin to the organic, local and crunchy West Coast vibe that wafts over the Rocky Mountains. Being from the much less breezy South, I grew up eating very well, but was not at all familiar with the pleasure of doing so conscio ... More >>

Bon Appetit editor Andrew Knowlton makes his James Beard winner predictions... which include Frasca Food and Wine

​ Tonight, chefs and restaurateurs from around the country will claim medals -- shiny tokens that dub them the best in the country at their craft -- at the James Beard Awards ceremony in New York City. In anticipation of the event, Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor at Bon Appeti ... More >>

John Denver's Colorado Music Hall of Fame induction is Thursday: A look at his Top 5 Songs

​When John Denver died in a plane crash in 1997, then Governor Roy Romer ordered that all the flags in Colorado be lowered to half-staff in his honor. So it only makes sense that the singer (born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.) has been chosen to be the first person inducted into Colorado's Musi ... More >>

Lance Armstrong: Has he retired from involvement in USA Pro Cycling Challenge?

New logo.​When the former Quiznos Pro Challenge changed its name to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, it didn't sever ties with Lance Armstrong, who joined then-Governor Bill Ritter to announce the race last August. But that doesn't mean Armstrong will very involved, if at all.

First Look: Ale House at Amato's

Jonathan ShikesBreckenridge scores with Ale House at Amato's.​Ale House at Amato's, the latest venture from the Breckenridge Brewing Company, opened at 11 a.m. today with a gorgeous view of the Platte Valley, the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains. The highly anticipated LoHi-area beer ba ... More >>

Today in Stoke: Big City Mountaineers is looking for a few good men and women

​It's a sad fact of living in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains that most urban teens will never experience them. Big City Mountaineers is a Denver-based youth development organization that pairs urban teens (13-18) with adult mentors and sends them packing in groups of five adults and five te ... More >>

Barolo Grill needs to try a little harder to live up to its reputation

Social studies: Colorado state tests will now include questions about geography, history

Germany?​ Colorado's Board of Education recently added social studies to its new testing system -- a move that may prevent more geography horror stories like professor Aimee Pellet's. She described a recent map test on which one student labeled the Rocky Mountains "the Alps," another ID'd Alas ... More >>

Social studies: Education officials debate adding it to state tests, as Americans get dumber

Recognize this fella?​ Do you know from which country the U.S. of A. declared its independence in 1776? If so, consider yourself among the 74 percent of Americans who do. If not, consider yourself dumber than a first grader, which is when everyone learns about George Washington and how he comm ... More >>

Denver Zoo's sheep baby daddys are working overtime: Five new lambs!

Denver Zoo"What's up, Ma?"​You know what's the most effing adorable thing ever? Baby sheep. And maybe baby monkeys and baby giraffes and horny polar bears named Cranbeary. But definitely not naked mole rats. And the best place to oogle baby sheep this summer will be the Denver Zoo, seeing ... More >>

Gravy (and a heart attack) to go from Bob Evans

Gravy is good to go from the Bob Evans dispenser.​America is the home of the free and the land of the brave. And if you appreciate that, then you'll also enjoy the genius behind this heart-attack dispenser from Bob Evans Bob Evans, restaurant chain whose outposts are located primarily on the e ... More >>

Mile Highs and Lows: Medicine Man, LLC

​As Colorado's medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer's college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering ... More >>

Kenny Be's Yard Arteology: Big yard art boner in Ruby Hill

The study of neighbors through their lawn decoration ... click image to enlarge​ Figure 37. Ruby Hill: Mixing themes gives yard art a new slant The Ruby Hill neighborhood is unlike any other in Denver. Ruby Hillers seem to have a different perspective on life than most other Denverites. Per ... More >>

In "10 Best Places to Grow Up" list, Denver kicks the crap out of Plano, Texas

A Flickr photo​Another day, another list ranking American cities -- the latest being a U.S. News & World Report survey pinpointing the ten top communities for raising children. Yes, Denver made the top ten. Its blurb reads: "Whether they prefer snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, biking thro ... More >>

Big Bucks for Builders: A Kenny Be Special Report

(Editor's Note: This week's cover story is "Big Bucks for Builders," a cartoon by Kenny Be. Click on the images for full-sized versions. And check back to the Latest Word for Kenny's Worst-Case Scenario and Hip Tip cartoons. His full archives, along with Westword's other comics, are available at w ... More >>

Planned Parenthood's scheme to bust abortion protesters

Delegating Denver #56 of #56: Wyoming

Delegating Denver #39 of 56: Ohio

Beer Town Abuzz with Coors-Miller Merger

There may be something in Rocky Mountain spring water, but Milwaukee is already buzzing about the future headquarters for Miller and Coors.

Delegating Denver #27 of 56: Minnesota

The Colorado Lottery Offers Up Golden Rules

You may already be a winner!

Delegating Denver #16 of 56: Idaho

Delegating Denver #12 of 56: Florida

Delegating Denver #6 of 56: California

Busker Do!

The 16th Street Mall is overflowing with freaking culture and fake tomahawks.

Another Kind of Comfort

It takes time to make a Pearl.

Walking for Wildlife

A low-key environmentalist walks the continent to talk about keeping national parks alive.

Californication

How Dylan Moore got his groove back at Deluxe.

Collision Course

CU majors in Hostile Environmental Studies.

Off Limits

That's a Wrap

Say What?

A Taste of Language is a mouthful

Alone on the Range

Our purple mountains' majesty can be a headache for traveling bands -- and for fans who crave live music.

Rock and Roll Is the Question

With Pearlcopper, guitarist Mark Spiewak is already a legend in his own mind.

Seasonal Winds

Feedback

Thrills for the week