Top Chef Wouldn’t Be Coming to State Without Incentives That Could Get Cut

Reports that incentive money to attract film and television productions to Colorado could be a victim of budget cuts arrived in close proximity to news that this very fund had convinced producers of Bravo’s Top Chef to film the show’s upcoming fifteenth season in Colorado, specifically Denver, Boulder and Telluride. Colorado Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman, who shared his arguments for why the incentives should be increased from their current level of $3 million (far less than in states such as New Mexico, Utah and Georgia) for a Westword post published last October, says the Top Chef deal would never have happened without this monetary lure and fears significant harm to the burgeoning local film-and-TV industry if the budget blade chops off the resource.

Ten Ways to Avoid Being Killed in an Avalanche

In Colorado, we tend to hear about avalanches when they have fatal consequences, as was the case with a Garfield County slide caused by snow bikers in February that overtook two people, killing one of them. But at this time of year, when winter is transitioning into spring, avalanches that don’t get media attention are happening all the time, and many, if not most, of them could have deadly consequences if folks are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Does Ken Salazar’s Rejection of Governor Run Open the Door to Mike Johnston?

Ken Salazar, a former Colorado Senator and Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Obama, has revealed that he will not run for governor in 2018. This announcement would seem to be good news for Mike Johnston, a former state senator who is currently the best known Democrat to have announced his gubernatorial candidacy. But Johnston’s response to the development is more about saluting Salazar than celebrating this turn of events.

Have #SanctuaryCampus Demonstrations Had Any Effect at Colorado Universities?

Since the election of President Donald Trump, there have been multiple demonstrations at universities in Colorado around the #SanctuaryCampus movement, which calls upon schools of higher education to make formal declarations or enact policies that ensure that undocumented students are protected from deportation. In Colorado, they included demonstrations on November…

Where Colorado Republicans Stand on GOP’s American Health Care Act

The American Health Care Act, the measure intended to replace Obamacare, has been the target of criticism aplenty since its introduction in part because of predictions that it would disproportionately hurt the poor and elderly in Denver and beyond. This reception, not to mention President Donald Trump’s threat to unseat any Republican who votes against the bill, has put GOP members of Congress in a difficult position, and those from Colorado have reacted with varying degrees of support and obfuscation.

Eight Reasons Why Investors Are Backing Cannabis Startups

Baker, a Colorado-based marketing-automated platform, isn’t the only cannabis startup gaining traction. The green rush is going strong, and investors who have never before backed a cannabis company are looking to help blaze the trail. We talked to a few experts in the industry about why investors are interested.

Colorado Cannabis Industry Veterans Create 420 on the Block

Veterans in Colorado’s cannabis industry are the new kids on the block for 4/20. Since there’s no High Times event set for April 20 in Colorado this year, local companies are coming together to create their own 4/20 commemoration that will be representative of the state’s marijuana industry. The Green Solution, The Hemp Connoisseur (THC) magazine, incredibles and New Earth Muziq are partnering to host 420 on the Block in the 1000 to 1200 blocks of Broadway on Thursday, April 20.

Activist Queen Phoenix Pleads Not Guilty to Marijuana-Related Felony Charges

Dezy Saint-Nolde, better known by her activism name, Queen Phoenix, has emerged as a prominent organizer of protests and demonstrations in recent months. These included the thousands-strong November 10 protest against Donald Trump’s election, the February 18 Defend our Constitution march, a health-care rally on February 25, and a Demand Russia-Trump…

Denver Listed as Uncooperative by ICE in Weekly Report Ordered by Trump

When President Trump issued an executive order on January 25 threatening to pull federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, the order mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security would start publishing a weekly report calling out jurisdictions with jails that refuse to honor Immigration and Custom Enforcement “detainer requests,” wherein ICE…

The Argument for Decriminalizing Prostitution

For evidence that the 2017 Libertarian Party of Colorado State Convention, which takes place March 24-26 in Westminster, is very different from the annual gatherings sponsored by Democrats and Republicans, look no further than the prominent speaking role reserved for Sarah “Daggers” Stewart, a prominent advocate for the decriminalization of prostitution.

Why Colorado Tokers Love Lavender Jones

Lavender Jones is quickly becoming the most popular “Lavender” strain in Colorado, lining shelves at chain dispensaries and independent shops alike. But how could it miss with a name like that? Lavender Jones sounds like a smooth-talkin’ player swaggering down Colfax with a bulge in his pants and a smile that makes the ladies swoon — and that’s exactly how I feel after blazing it.