Governor Bill Ritter may be trying to establish his fiscal conservatism amid the necessity to make even deeper budget cuts — a strategy that closely echoes the one being used right now by Josh Penry, who seems to be emerging as Ritter’s likely Republican opponent in the 2010 election. The…
At yesterday’s press conference discussing the need to make up for an additional $240 million shortfall in 2009-2010 state revenue, Governor Bill Ritter immediately emphasized fiscal caution. “As is our practice,” he said, “we will be balancing our budget with the more conservative of the forecasts.” That’s a shot across…
“John Hickenlooper’s Budget-Cut Pitch,” a blog published last Wednesday, pointed out that Denver’s mayor had cannily put the onus on unions representing police officers when it came to trimming costs. The key line in a letter to Denver residents read: “There will be no wage increase for police, fire and…
Days before terror-suspect Najibullah Zazi was arrested, he hired lawyer Arthur Folsom and actually engaged with members of the press rather than shunning them — an unusual tack in this type of investigation. Now, however, there are increasing indications that the attempts at media spin may have backfired on him,…
The case of DIA shuttle driver Najibullah Zazi, who joined his father in U.S. District Court yesterday to be advised of charges against them, has turned into the biggest news story in Denver — and given the scope of the investigation, it’s no surprise that the national media, which hasn’t…
The Aurora Police Department is seeking the driver of a white Toyota Camry as part of the investigation into a fatal stabbing on the 1200 block of North Chambers Road near Hinkley High School early Sunday morning — but the person behind the wheel isn’t considered a suspect. Rather, he…
Working off the weekend. Today in Backbeat Online: • Over the Weekend: Spoke Shaver, Big Timber and Dualistics at the Larimer Lounge. • Hearts of Palm to reunite for a pair of proper farewell shows. • Pretty Lights new album to be available for free download. • Dialed In: This…
Our daily swing through the local blogosphere. Is that a fat lady I hear singing? And is that fat lady wearing a Rockies jersey? (Purple Row) The Family Research Council wants to oust Betsy Markey, which means the Family Research Council is much more evil than its name infers. (Colorado…
Forget those so-called social-media games like Farmville and Mafia Wars, which are really just a way to junk up your friends’ feeds and irritate them. Someone’s figured out a way to make social media into something like a nightlife MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game). Think Twitter meets World of Warcraft,…
Buxom wenches and drunken beer songs do share a long, healthy history, especially this time of year, when Oktoberfest celebrations circle the globe. But here in Denver, the beer-savoring level is off the charts, baby — exploding like fireworks all over town as the multitudinous events of the new Denver…
So, it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I was unloading two coolers and some chairs for my son’s birthday party at Crestmoor Park. Yes, I saw the “No Parking Anytime” sign, but I hit the hazard button, opened my trunk and pulled out the cooler. But I never had…
Interesting essay on HuffPo Denver about the arrest of Aurora-based Najibullah Zazi and his father from the pen of Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. Levin acknowledges that the statute making it a felony to lie to an investigator…
The study of neighbors through their lawn ornaments… Figure 34. Belcaro: Middle-aged lesbian children read book while Shelley Winters does a snail lift The Belcaro neighborhood takes its name from the Italian word that means beautiful and dear, and residents want to keep it that way. The entire neighborhood is…
Andrew Romanoff’s got more than an uphill battle when it comes to winning the 2010 Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. His angle of ascent’s as vertical as it can be, what with the White House throwing its support behind Bill Ritter nominee Michael Bennet. With that in mind, he’s…
Right now, Democrat Jared Polis is the Colorado congressional leader when it comes to using new media, sometimes to excess; note that last week, Polis’ staff uploaded more than twenty healthcare stories about his constituents to YouTube. But Republican Mike Coffman seems ready to give JP a run for his…
I concluded the inaugural edition of Basebrawl, our stretch-run trash-talking faceoff with the Giants lovers at SF Weekly, one of Westword’s sister papers, with these lines: “The Giants begin a three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles tonight, and this time Monday, the boys by the Bay will be…
It was a solid weekend for the local costume industry, with lingerie football, a saucy drag-queen show and Oktoberfest. See photos of them all at westword.com/slideshow…
At 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Colorado Court of Appeals, oral arguments will be presented in the matter of Stacy Clendenin, a medical-marijuana patient and provider who’s appealing her 2006 conviction for felony possession and distribution of ganja — and the folks at the Colorado 420 Coaltion, an organization devoted…
The Federal Communications Commission has left it up to local districts to monitor the content on BusRadio, a service providing music for school buses that’s used by several local districts. The most controversial aspect of BusRadio involves its airing of commercials — and its website certainly pimps products, too, including…
The Denver Post’s front-page blurbs about the Broncos’ 27-6 victory over the Browns yesterday appear beneath the line “With a Capital D” — the point being that Denver’s defense stifled Cleveland throughout the afternoon. But that’s not particularly difficult. As commentators Bill Macatee and Steve Beuerlein noted during the broadcast,…
Our own Joe Tone thinks the Newsweek cover headline “The Case for Killing Granny” is evidence that the folks at the mag have lost it, and maybe they have. After all, author Evan Thomas makes a Colorado reference in illustrating the healthcare disparities (according to him, the average cost of…
Listened to Colorado Public Radio on the drive to the office this morning, and at around 6:20 a.m., immediately after a lengthy report about President Barack Obama’s five talk-show appearances yesterday, accompanied by analysis from Cokie “No Relation” Roberts, CPR’s Mike Lamp popped up to tease… a story about Obama’s…
