The Promise Keepers’ Bill McCartney can’t go home again

Promises, promises. Bill McCartney, the former coach of the University of Colorado football team – back when they were good – and co-founder of the Promise Keepers missionary men’s group, has returned to the controversial nonprofit organization as chairman and CEO. The Denver-based organization was known in the 1990s for…

Lingerie Football: Man’s dream takes shape in a Denver park

If she caught it, we’re impressed. Ah, America. A place where logic and business sense never stand in the way of a shaky idea. In this case, it’s the idea of a few local men, who are hoping to capitalize on the horny violent psyche of the Bored American Male…

This year’s hot presidential ticket: Dukakis-Bentsen?

Dukakis? I loved her in Moonstruck… Seen stuck to a bumper in the parking lot of a Jefferson County King Soopers this past weekend — proof that some folks never give up on a lost cause. To borrow a phrase from another failed presidential candidate from back in the day:…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 12 edition

Step into style. May the blogs be with you. Just in time for a soggy Friday, The Cat’s Pajamas delivers Susan Froyd’s guide to the most fetching boots to wear in the rain. Meanwhile, Cafe Society previews a Saturday event at Seven Cups — and the Candy Girls sample Satellite…

No thinking allowed at the Denver parking office

“What’s wrong with thinking?” Note: In a blog posted earlier today, Jonathan Shikes salutes the positive side of city bureaucracy. The following represents the other side of the coin. Yesterday, I was standing in line at the Denver parking cashier’s office, about to receive a much-coveted permit to park on…

Positive signs at the Colorado DMV and courthouse

Pay attention to the signs. Getting pulled over by the police sucks. Getting pulled over because your registration has been expired for quite some time is even worse. And when you also can’t find proof of insurance in your overstuffed glove box and the cop gives you no choice but…

Taxicab confession: Won’t someone pick up Adam Cayton-Holland?

Anyone know some good pick-up lines? Great is the hullabaloo surrounding Denver’s cab industry and it seems everyone has an opinion. Some feel that the three existing cab companies (Metro Taxi, Yellow Cab and Freedom) are sufficient to cover the demand of the residents of the Mile High City. Others…

Shmuck of the week: JBS Swift

JBS Swift rides the Shmuck truck. In one corner, wearing the corporate suits of a $10 billion meat packing conglomerate, the Greeley-based JBS Swift & Company. In the other corner, wearing head scarves and traditional Somali dress, about 220 low-paid Muslim workers backed by the United Food & Commercial Workers…

Rocky Mountain News editor John Temple responds to criticism about Twittering a child’s funeral

Rocky Mountain News editor/publisher/president John Temple. Rocky Mountain News editor/publisher/president John Temple has offered his first response to the controversy that erupted after his paper assigned a reporter to create real-time posts about the Wednesday funeral of three-year-old Marten Kudlis using the micro-blogging service Twitter. His take can be found…

San Diego QB Philip Rivers: dick

Philip Rivers trash-talking Jay Cutler. This Sunday’s Broncos-Chargers matchup means more than the typical week two NFL game. Since the Chargers conveniently lost their opener to the Carolina Panthers, the Broncos, who mowed down the Oakland Raiders on Monday night, can wind up two games ahead of the San Diegans…

Denver Police’s allegedly faster reporting system hits a snag

The new-fangled way of getting police reports hits a snag. The February 14 Message column concerned a new approach by the Denver Police Department to make incident reports available to the news media. Instead of printing out copies of full reports and placing them in a room at the department’s…

Memorial for the Hot Dog Dude

A vigil is planned for Quincy Henderson. On Tuesday night, Quincy Henderson was shot and killed at 31st and Curtis streets in what police have called “an isolated incident” resulting from an altercation. Other than that, there are few details about the incident — but there’s plenty of talk about…

Marilyn Musgrave: authorization vs. approval

Marilyn Musgrave in her latest commercial. During this political-commercial-heavy campaign season, we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing candidates state their names and say, “I approve this message” either before or after the spot rolls. However, the latest ad touting Colorado Representative Marilyn Musgrave uses a different verb; she declares that…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 11 edition

John Tesh, Red Rocks god. Blogging is fun-damental. Backbeat Online features a slideshow of fourteen memorable (or not) live recordings made at Red Rocks. Which category would you put John Tesh’s album in? Also earning items of their own: a preview of the new Portugal. The Man album, a behind-the-scenes…

Freecycle: the joy of getting free stuff, all year round

Modern-day dumpster diving: Want a free TV? As the DNC taught us, there’s nothing better than getting free stuff. Free bikes, free water bottles, free condoms to protect us from John McCain. Now, there’s a way to keep the free swag flowing all year round. DenverFreecycle is the cheap, environmentally-friendly…

A long, heady trip through Denver’s pop-culture wasteland

Run, children! It’s Blinky the Clown! Along with being the world’s number-one source on all things geeky, the widely read blog Boing Boing clearly has a soft spot for Denver, courtesy of blog co-editor Mark Frauenfelder, who grew up around here and who’s apparently been feeling a bit nostalgic lately…

Journalists react to the Rocky Mountain News Twittering a funeral

For tweet’s sake. Word that the Rocky Mountain News tasked a reporter with using the Twitter micro-blogging service to provide minute-by-minute commentary at the Wednesday funeral of three-year-old Marten Kudlis has triggered plenty of outrage in the larger journalism community. Prime example: a busy thread at SportsJournalists.com, which finds several…

Q&A with Brad Meltzer, author of the Superman-themed The Book of Lies

Brad Meltzer. Best-selling author Brad Meltzer, who appears at the Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch today (click here for the details), is known to the comic-book crowd for penning several noteworthy works in the genre, including the controversial graphic novel Identity Crisis, which updated the Justice League of America characters, including…