A miniature “National Velvet” gets a rise out of its owners

Yes, there’s a miniature version of one of Denver’s most controversial sculptures, but it’s not Denver International Airport’s fearsome blue “Mustang” — the subject of a Life on Capitol Hill April Fool’s sendup that claimed Luis Jiménez’s final work would be moved to the new Colorado History Museum when it’s…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, April 15 edition

I’ll try not to make this too taxing. Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night: Fall Out Boy at the Fillmore. • Last Night: Mastodon at the Fox Theatre. • DJ Vajra impresses NAMM crowd with his turntable magic. • Update: Hot IQs calling it a day. • The Denver…

Jury selection underway in Angie Zapata transgender murder case

Jury selection is underway in the trial of the man accused of killing Angie Zapata, a transgender teenager. Allen Andrade, 32, is accused of beating Zapata to death in her Greeley apartment after finding out that she was biologically male. According to Weld County court spokeswoman Karen Salaz, about 150…

Denver Blogs: Giants and Pats and Steelers, oh my!

Our daily blog patrol. Send tips. It’s (more) official (than before): This Broncos season is not going to be pretty. (Mile High Report) State agencies are coming around on the whole following-the-law thing. (Face the State) “(T)he future of gay marriage hinges on what happens in states like Colorado.” Gulp…

Kenny Be’s Hip Tip: Camp Swampy at Pinon Canyon

It’s time to stop the Army’s costly expansion plans and start turning the Pinon Canyon military training site into a money-making family vacation destination… Renaming the site “Camp Swampy at Pinon Canyon” and hiring costumed characters from the Beetle Bailey comic strip will help to soften the Army’s image from…

Ryan Frazier throws his hat into the Senate race

Two-term Aurora city councilman Ryan Frazier has announced that he’s formed an exploratory committee for the Colorado 2010 U.S. Senate Race. The development, which Frazier will announce today at a Grand Junction tea party rally, makes the 31-year-old Frazier the first Republican to take official steps towards what’s likely to…

Obnoxious North Carolina students leave Tom Tancredo speechless

Tom Tancredo cut short a planned speech on immigration at the University of North Carolina on Tuesday after a group of protesters sparked what the former congressman has described as a “small riot.” Tancredo’s appearance, at the invitation of a student organization called Youth for Western Civilization, was greeted with…

Could Denver Nuggets be number two in a good way?

Admit it: When you heard the Nuggets were getting rid of defensive stalwart Marcus Camby prior to the start of the season in exchange for virtually nothing, and when the team swapped Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups a few games into the 2008-2009 campaign, you figured Denver’s ballers were in…

Following the money in Colorado politics

FollowTheMoney.org, a website associated with the Montana-based National Institute on Money in State Politics, tracks spending on campaigns across the country, and the data on Colorado confirms that agenda-driven greenbacks flooded the state last year at an unprecedented rate. Here are some bullets assembled by NIMSP’s Mike Wessler: • Colorado’s…

KOA’s Colorado Morning News letting its bias show in Tea Party coverage

Today’s tax-day Tea Party protests are predictably hypocritical: I don’t seem to remember any conservative talk-show hosts leading State Capitol rallies when the George Bush administration pushed through the free-spending Troubled Asset Relief Program just a few short months ago. Still, the presence of folks like KHOW’s Peter Boyles, who’s…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, April 14 edition

Thirsty? Today in Cafe Society: • Sketch introduces Wino Wednesdays. • Common Grounds left its liquor license behind in move. • The suit is slingin’ Spud Bros. spuds! • Snarf’s finally arrives in Denver. • Fear not, sleeved-blanketed drunks: The Denver Snuggie Pub Crawl is very much on. Today in…

Denver Post, KUNC lead the prize patrol

Two local news organizations have added baubles to their trophy cases in recent days. The Society of Professional Journalists bestowed its top investigative plaudit upon the Denver Post series “The Battle Within,” in which Erin Emergy and David Olinger revealed that many soldiers suffering from significant medical issues are frequently…

Denver Blogs: All eyes on Greeley

What’s happening around the local blogosphere: Court is in session: Jury selection starts in the Zapata slaying case. (Colorado Independent) The Colorado Legislature went black, but is it now going back? (5280) Eat this, recession! Buildings keep flying up in Denver (w/pics). (Denver Infill)…

Snowboard Bandit sentenced to prison

Michael Jason Martinez lived for kicking up out-of-bounds powder at A-Basin, Vail and Aspen — that and robbing banks. Martinez won’t be doing much of either for a while, though, since two weeks ago he was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his role in four Colorado bank…

Kenny Be’s Hip Tip: U.S. Army resorts to new Pinon Canyon plan

The U.S. Army wanted to purchase the entire southeastern corner of Colorado to expand the Pinon Canyon military maneuvers site. However, now that America is broke, the Army needs a new business model. Instead of costing money, it is time to start making money. The Army could start by rebranding…