The Peter Principle

The anti-bullying industry has attracted everyone from serious scholars to scam artists to pop stars, including the old hippie who was a smash hit at Jefferson County’s Patterson Elementary in August 2003. Peter Yarrow, the Peter part of ’60s folksters Peter, Paul and Mary, headlined an anti-bullying program at Patterson,…

Beating the Bully

This luncheon is a celebration, a brief respite in the war against evil. The troops gathered around the white tablecloths are all here to pick up their share of more than $8 million being dished out to keep schools and playgrounds peaceful. A 57-year-old former nun delivers the keynote speech…

Breast Friend

A Diamond Cabaret stripper with a new set of breasts found herself addicted to Percocet, a painkiller her doctor would no longer prescribe. That’s when a fellow dancer told her about Dr. Phillip Mallory and his prescriptions-for-porno deal. The two strippers called Mallory, who cruised over to the Diamond and…

Looks That Kill

FRI, 4/8 Japanese painter Yumiko Kayukawa has earned a global reputation for fusing balance, harmony and…’ 80s butt rock. Inspired by a deep childhood connection with nature and her passion for bands like Cheap Trick and Motley Crüe, Kayukawa mixes lotus blossoms, kanji (Japanese calligraphy), quirky animals and a post-punk…

Sis Boom Bah

A cheerleader in her black, gray and white uniform was talking with a gangster in blue behind Montbello High School one afternoon last September. The girl, Janeisha Lewis, had a solid GPA and a goal of joining the Navy; she carried her pom-poms in a duffel bag over her shoulder…

Trial by Wire

Terry Graham arrived at the immigration-reform forum late, when things were already heating up. She slid into the back row of seats in the North High School auditorium and listened as a man in the audience charged that the panel was skewed with open-border activists. The man was invited up…

Payday

Bosses pick up Juan Lopez Gutierrez for quick jobs. He landscapes or builds houses. He paints walls and lays floors. Different men pick him up in different trucks for different gigs every week. He tries to avoid getting stiffed his pay. He looks for the company’s name, the business address…

Give our regards to Broadway

5:55 a.m.: 7600 Broadway They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway…but right before dawn, on the hillside where Broadway begins, the only lights are a hint of orange and pink on the horizon to the east, the beacons of a convenience store a few blocks down the two-lane…

Def Poetry Jam

After lighting the fuse for the hip-hop explosion more than two decades ago, Russell Simmons has extended his Defness to the Def Poetry Jam tour, coming straight from Broadway. With rhymes as diverse as the poets, Russell’s Jam has gone global, championing poetry competitions everywhere. This most slamming of poetry…

The Ride of Their Lives

Death came many times for Christian LaFore in his twin sister’s dreams. Over and over, she saw his life end on the ski slopes, even though Christian wasn’t a skier. He did ride a motorcycle, however, and while she slept one night, Sarah LaFore watched Christian pull out of a…

Slide With Santa

SAT, 12/25 After his all-night gift-bearing bender, Santa will cool his heels today at the Cherry Creek North ice rink — still in the spirit of giving. Proceeds from the day will be donated to Project Angel Heart, a metro-area community-supported charity that delivers fresh meals to people with HIV/AIDS,…

Snowbound

SAT, 12/18 All aboard for the season’s first trip on the Ski Train, “a Denver tradition for generations,” as general manager Jim Bain points out. And since that first generation of Eskimos rode up to Winter Park — this city’s own ski resort — the train has grown some, too…

Hanging Out

She told police that four black men overpowered her. She said hands came from all directions, pulling her clothes off, touching her breasts, putting fingers inside her. Then each man took a turn raping her. Doctors noted signs of trauma to her twelve-year-old body and found traces of semen. Police…

Return to Sender

Hyung Soo Pak’s rage earned him a one-way ticket to the other side of the world. The 22-year-old sleeps away most of his days at a detention center in Aurora. Incarceration bores the hell out of Pak, who’s classified as a criminal alien. An expedited deportation is his only hope…

Downhill Racers

Endless winter it’s not, but plenty of snow lovers will be happy to hit the slopes before Halloween. Those seeking a fix can head to Loveland Ski Area, which kicked off the season this year on October 15, or Arapahoe Basin, which was close behind on October 22. It was…