Brandon Marshall takes being a distraction to next level

When the Broncos didn’t immediately offer Brandon Marshall a mammoth new contract the second he was acquitted of battery at a trial in Atlanta, his agent reiterated his demand for a trade, increasing the odds that he would suddenly wind up injured again — something that might keep him out…

Dan Caplis wants Jared Polis to apologize for beer-bonging

Representative Jared Polis’ decision to beer bong a Coors Light during a Monday appearance on The Colbert Report was hilarious, but it also carried the risk of political consequences. As of yesterday morning, commentators in politically correct Boulder were mostly taking Polis’ stunt in stride — but not KHOW conservative…

First on returning CU students’ agenda: Getting smashed?

Today, students start returning to the University of Colorado at Boulder for the fall semester, and school officials and local cops plan to greet them somewhat differently. CU’s got a range of activities on the schedule, including an “Ice and Dice” party — think indoor ice skating and a poker…

A Taste of Colorado plays head games with a vendor

Colleen Don Dero got a taste of Colorado recently, but she didn’t like it much. Don Dero, who was born and raised in Colorado before moving to Phoenix several decades ago, runs a hat and T-shirt company called It’s All About the Head. The apparel features the company’s name as…

From the week of August 20, 2009

“Boxed In,” Patricia Calhoun, August 13 You Be the Judge Nicely done. Unfortunately, instead of the $926 million representing a death knell for Dow and Rockwell (something that might finally get the SEC and relevant shareholders to pay attention to corporate behavior, and my personal fantasy wish would be for…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, August 19 edition

Improve your Batting average. Today in Backbeat Online: • Q&A with Natasha Kahn of Bat For Lashes. • Q&A with Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers. • Q&A with Dalton Rasmussen, co-curator of the Rocky Mountain Low comp. • Flier of the Week: Church of the Snake at Rhinoceropolis. •…

Denver Blogs: Whole Foods, half a heart?

Our daily search for decent local bloggage. Fill our in-box. Just because your shit’s organic doesn’t make it okay to be an asshole. As Whole Foods is quickly learning. (Colorado Pols) The humor of Jared Polis’s beer bong seems lost on the Denver Post. (Colorado Independent) Seriously, Brandon Marshall: I…

Coathangr goes mobile with release of iPhone app

Denver-based Coathangr, a social media service aimed at the fashion conscious (read about it here), has just made it easier than ever to collect your friends’ opinions about that pair of pumps on sale — or to let them giggle at a distance when you spot a fashion disaster out…

The Karmic Guide to Fantasy Football 2009

It’s Fantasy Football season, and if you don’t know what we’re talking about, then you simply aren’t a geeky, no-life sad sack who never gets out of the house — like several Westword staff members. Still, 22 million North Americans waste countless hours on it, and August, when fantasy lovers…

Tasteless head games at A Taste of Colorado

Colleen Don Dero got a taste of Colorado recently, but she didn’t like it much. Several decades ago, the Colorado native moved to Phoenix, where she runs a hat and T-shirt company called It’s All About the Head. The apparel features the company’s name as a slogan alongside a mug…

Kenny Be’s Worst-Case Scenario: State Fair repair

Certain changes must be made to the annual gathering to appeal to contemporary audiences and sell more tickets…. Get out of Pueblo: Relocating to the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur would situate the State Fair closer to the state’s population base. Here, the boredom of rural drudgery would be replaced with…

No place for wild horses on Ken Salazar’s New Frontier?

The Obama administration talks tall about its fresh ideas and new directions. Especially at the Department of the Interior, where Secretary Ken Salazar has vowed to change course from the Bush years and develop sound public-land policy based on science, not political influence — as detailed in my April feature,…

The radio-ratings turmoil caused by the portable people meter

Fascinating article by Joanne Ostrow in today’s Denver Post about the portable people meter, a pager-like radio-ratings device that picks up signals from stations that sound in the vicinity of a person wearing or carrying it. The results are supposed to provide more precise audience estimates than the sort of…

Jay Marvin’s kindest cut

This morning, Mary Marvin sent out an update about her husband, AM 760 morning host Jay Marvin, who underwent an epic surgical procedure two weeks ago to address serious health issues that have kept him off the air since March. Instead of e-mailing a description of how he’s doing, though,…

Medical marijuana isn’t just for big cities anymore

The lack of state regulation and oversight of medical marijuana dispensaries, which spurred a raucous Colorado Department of Health hearing last month, has Durango Police Chief David Felice worried. He tells the Durango Herald News that he and his colleagues across Colorado are e-mailing each other frequently with ideas about…

Bill Ritter’s campaign-style defense of new budget

Yesterday, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter presented a new budget that includes nearly 300 state job cuts and the early release of some prisoners, among other politically toxic proposals. In an effort to sell it, Ritter penned (or at least authorized) an op-ed for the Denver Post entitled “This Budget Minimizes…

Josh Penry would like to grill barbecue thieves

Josh Penry may be quickly becoming the leading Republican candidate for governor, thanks to the rapid implosion of Scott McInnis’ campaign and the difficulties Ryan Frazier is having in regard to gaining traction — but not everything’s going his way. Yesterday morning on his Twitter feed, he wrote, “What kind…