Texas investor Brian Ferguson plans bid for Rocky Mountain News assets

At the February 26 press conference announcing the imminent closing of the Rocky Mountain News, E.W. Scripps CEO Rich Boehne announced that the Rocky website and archives were for sale. Now, a credible bidder is stepping forward to announce his interest in the journalistic treasure trove: Texas-based investor Brian Ferguson…

Shall we take up a collection for Colorado’s shrinking billionaires?

Forbes magazine’s annual billionaires list is out, and as the Denver Business Journal documents, Colorado’s most-moneyed residents are walking around with lighter wallets since September 2008, the last time the mag measured their wealth. Poor Phil Anschutz is down to his last $5 billion, from $8 billion; James Leprino’s dipped…

Kudos to DenverPost.com home page’s local emphasis

Today, for the third consecutive morning, my Denver Post didn’t arrive in time for me to read it before heading off to work; more about that in a future blog. And to compound the problem, the copies usually awaiting me upon my arrival at Westword’s offices were absent, too. So…

From the week of March 12, 2009

“Trial Beat,” Kenny Be, March 5 Ward Without End Kenny Be is a genius who gets better all the time. But he outdid himself with “Trial Beat,” his epic work devoted to that ultimate cartoon character, Ward Churchill. Kenny captured this circus perfectly. Denver is lucky to have him on…

Even more evil: DIA’s “Mustang” is worth $2 million

See the photos appraisers used to value the “Blue Mustang” at westword.com/slideshow. In 1993, the still-unopened Denver International Airport gave a $300,000 commission to New Mexican artist Luis Jimenez to create “Mustang,” a 32-foot-high fiberglass horse. And in the ensuing sixteen years, “Mustang” has brought nothing but trouble. When the…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, March 11 edition

Oh, what a beautiful day. Today in Backbeat Online: • Q&A with Jesse F. Keeler and Alex “Al-P” Puodziukas of MSTRKRFT. • Q&A with Rasmus Stolberg of Efterklang. • Q&A with Dan Whitford of Cut Copy. • Free SXSW Denver Music download. • Flier of the week: Ideal Fathers at…

A Q&A with Dark Horizon, Denver’s very own supervillain

This ominous video appeared in YouTube in late December. It was a response to one posted a few months earlier by New Jersey-based superhero Phantom Zero (yes, there are flesh-and-blood crime fighters out there; for proof, check out “The Astounding Adventures of the Wall Creeper, Colorado’s Own Superhero,” this week’s…

Kenny Be’s Worst Case Scenario: Spring Break in Summit County

Colorado State University students are being asked to be very cautious when considering a trip to Mexico for spring break. The U.S. State Department has even issued a warning that reads like a proverbial grocery list of national problems. Why risk it? It’s really hard to keep looking over your…

Union Station Advocates weigh in — mildly — on proposed station architecture

As noted in the blog “New Architectural Images Released of Denver International Airport. Oh, Wait, That’s Denver Union Station,” the developers behind the ongoing Union Station project recently unveiled new architectural concepts for the transit hub — including some ideas, espeically the train shed canopy, that seemed less than wonderful…

Denver Post employees agree to salary, benefit cuts

Yesterday, union-represented employees of the Denver Post voted to accept a package that includes “wage cuts ranging from 6 percent to 9 percent, depending on salary; higher health-insurance costs; seven days per year of unpaid furloughs; and a suspension of employer contributions to 401(k) retirement accounts,” according to an article…

America’s confidence still high, according to Next Top Model casting call

See more photos at westword.com/slideshow. They say we’re beaten down, beleaguered, ready to collectively empty our 401(k)s and slit our wrists with our sliced-in-half Visa cards. But if the several hundred high-heeled, high-smiled women standing in a line that stretched halfway around downtown Denver on Tuesday for an America’s Next…

The Westword.com blog shortcut, March 10 edition

Bring it on! Today in Backbeat Online: • Brooks Center Arts Tea House closing? • Last Night: The Bad Plus at Soiled Dove. • So What! back at Sengers on the Fax tonight! • The economy sucks, so here are 570 free songs. Today in Cafe Society: • For ladies…