Transcripts From Glendale Prostitution Busts

Oh, to be a fly on the wall. While researching recent prostitution busts in the city of Glendale, Westword came across audio recordings of these close encoutners between a Glendale cop and a few working girls. Below are two transcripts from these encounters: Transcript #1: Tatiana: Ok, I’m going to…

Throwing the Book at Parole

Two-thirds of the 10,000 people released from Colorado prisons on parole this year will be back behind bars by 2010. Parole revocations now account for 37% of all prison admissions in the state, costing close to $80 million a year. The reasons behind the staggering failure rate of parole have…

Rhetorical Questions About the Denver Election

How small does an election have to be in order for Denver officials not to screw it up? Seriously — does the turnout have to be in the single digits for ballot hawks to come up with a final tally on the actual day of the vote? Why the hell…

Letters to the Editor

“Taking It to the Streets,” Jared Jacang Maher, October 25 THEY DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH I enjoy good political protests as much as the next lefty. But “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That famous statement was made by a dead white male, so I…

It Takes Balls

Colorado Rockies spokesman Jay Alves wasn’t returning a lot of calls last week, not with all those cranky people questioning his explanation that World Series ticket sales had been sabotaged by an “external malicious attack,” but Off Limits had left a message with these magic words: Steve Horner. Yes, at…

A Bridge Too Far

Loyal readers may recall my dear friend Brett, often referred to in these pages as “the law student.” He’s a full-fledged lawyer now — Mazel tov, Brett! Pay me the money you owe me, you cheap bastard — with a keen eye for injustice. And on a recent night on…

Glendale Prostitution Sting Has Fringe Benefits

The two women that Mike Gross had ordered from Craigslist were running late, and he suspected they might not show, so he found two more in the back of Westword. But the second duo’s phone number led him right back to the first pair he’d called, one of whom proceeded…

The Post Takes Opinions Above the Fold

Rather than mincing words, a November 4 editorial in the Denver Post sliced and diced its subject, Governor Bill Ritter — and Post kingpin Dean Singleton supplied the blade and did much of the carving. Two days earlier, on a Friday afternoon (a day and time when politicians often take…

Affordable Housing a Tough Sell in Stapleton

Stapleton is big enough for everyone, but after five years, it’s having trouble making room for affordable homes. Last June, Nicoleta Nagel and her three-year-old daughter moved out of their rented apartment in Lowry and into a burgundy-colored condominium in Stapleton. For the 27-year-old Romanian immigrant, the second-story home didn’t…

Stapleton Neighborhood Protest Gets Ugly

If Forest City can’t sell its newest affordable townhomes at Stapleton, it will probably start building more low-income rentals, which the company committed to as part of its agreement with Denver. According to that plan, Stapleton should have 4,000 rental units by the time it is built out in 2020;…

Best of Westword Winners From 1988

In 1988, Westword published its fifth Best of Denver issue, a celebration of the city that saluted everything from the Best Band (the Subdudes, just going national) to the Best Hungry Young Band (Big Head Todd and the Monsters, long before they started singing Hillary Clinton’s song) to the Best…

Judge Blackburn to Whistleblower: Shut Up Already

Say you point out that’s something wrong in your workplace, and you get fired for it. Now say you happen to be a cop or a doctor or a rocket scientist, and the problem you’re pointing out could get somebody killed. Think you’ve got a constitutional right to speak your…

The Nuggets’ Fight of Fancy

At the opening tip-off of tonight’s basketball game at Madison Square Garden, don’t be surprised if you hear the ding of a bell instead of the blow of a whistle. The Denver Thuggetz vs. the New York Knickerboxers. This time it’s personal…

Icon Burger Gets Smashed

When I was talking with Tom Ryan for my review of Smashburger, he told me that Icon Burger — the classic burger joint at 2755 Dagny Way in Lafayette that was the first burger property picked up by Cervantes Capital — will soon be shut down and turned into a…

New Piece Up at the CIA Wall

View a larger image of the full wall. As always, it’s back to the CIA wall where RTD honcho ACEE, HOME from BTR crew and Double from GuerillaGarden have sprayed down an homage to the Dave Chappelle character Sir Smoke-A-Lot, from the 1998 cult classic, Half Baked. It’s the little…

Up All Night At Mama’s Café

Across from me, a man is talking movies with his obviously hung-over, obviously completely disinterested girlfriend. He’s talking almost exclusively about the oeuvre of John Cusack — from his early work with Savage Steve Holland (whom this man incorrectly identifies as John Hughes) to his later work in movies like…

Charting Graf: New Piece Up at CIA Wall

View a larger image of the full wall. As always, it’s back to the CIA wall where RTD honcho ACEE, HOME from BTR crew and Double from GuerillaGarden have sprayed down an homage to the Dave Chappelle character Sir Smoke-A-Lot, from the 1998 cult classic, Half Baked. It’s the little…

Delegating Denver #16 of 56: Idaho

View larger image. Idaho Total Number of Delegates: 23 Pledged: 18 Unpledged: 5 How to Recognize an Idaho Delegate: Strangeness happens all over the world, but it seems to concentrate in Idaho. Just google the phrase “strange + Idaho” and prepare to get busy reading stories about straight senators seeking…

Another Shooting Case Closed

Almost two years after the shooting that first paralyzed their son, Richard Velarde, and then eventually claimed his life, Richard’s parents, Jody and Butch, finally have a small sense of closure. On Thursday, November 1, Michael Rollie, the man who’d been accused of shooting Richard (pictured here and profiled in…

Lowdown on the LoDo Shooting

Like so many others, my friends and I wanted to take advantage of the extra hour of drinking Saturday night (and into Sunday morning) after the clocks turned back. A close friend was moving out of the country, and we headed to LoDo so that we could send him off…

Bill Ritter Blasted in Page One Denver Post Editorial

The editorial writers at the Denver Post didn’t soft-peddle their displeasure with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter for issuing a November 2 executive order effectively allowing unions to organize bargaining units for state workers — a move that bypassed the legislature, which is presently dominated by his fellow Democrats. In a…