Governor John Hickenlooper’s Top Five Pre-Seth Meyers TV Moments

Not many elected officials would swig a beer on national TV, but that’s exactly what Governor John Hickenlooper did Monday night on Late Night with Seth Meyers. On ostensibly to tout his book, The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics, Hickenlooper and Meyers talked everything from marijuana legalization…

Homeless Diamond Calls Off Sixth Season

Sonny Lawson Park, in the 2300 block between California and Welton streets, is home to Denver’s most famous ballpark: Sonny Lawson Field. Jack Kerouac watched baseball games here, and the Negro League played in the park before the game was integrated and the field was named after Sonny Lawson, the first…

DPD Crackdown on Homeless: Camping-Ban Enforcement Up 500 Percent

For months, Denver has been engaged in a sustained crackdown on homeless encampments. Since the sweeps began along Park Avenue West on March 8, homeless individuals have described being chased around the city by police officers, who cite Denver’s urban-camping-ban ordinance when prohibiting them from sleeping under cover anywhere in…

Resentencing for Juvie Lifers Isn’t Stopped by Fear-Mongering

After years of watching similar efforts crash and burn, advocates for 48 Colorado prisoners serving life without parole for crimes committed when they were juveniles finally saw some major reforms pass in this year’s legislative session. Two bills that could lead to a significant reduction in sentences of juvie lifers…

CDOT Hearing on I-70 Plan Draws Opponents, Pleas to “Ditch the Ditch”

The Colorado Department of Transportation held a public hearing on April 21 focusing on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, CDOT’s  four-year plan that directs funds toward various projects. But testimony from speakers focused almost entirely on a proposed plan to lower the I-70 viaduct in north Denver, and the hearing was…

A Westword Reporter Learns How Lobbying Works in Washington, D.C.

We’ve all seen shows like House of Cards, where D.C. politicians are lobbied by smooth operators in backroom meetings involving shady deals, offshore bank accounts and questionable campaign promises. But let’s say we move away from the realm of blackmail and briefcases of cash for a moment. How does a…

Boulder Group Calls for Excise Tax on Sugary Soda and More

Boulder has been named the least obese city in America multiple times in recent years — and a local group would like to keep it that way. Healthy Boulder Kids is backing an initiative that calls for an excise tax placed on sugary beverages such as soda and other sweetened drinks…

4/20 at Civic Center Park: Uneducated but Effective

After thousands were disappointed Saturday to hear about the rescheduling of the Annual 4/20 Rally and concert, the turnout at Civic Center Park on the actual holiday was still something to sniff at – only I’m not sure if I liked the smell. There was no free concert with Lil…

Denver Foot Soldiers for Bernie Sanders Create Bernie Sandals

Matt Batrowny and his brother, Brian, were early supporters of Bernie Sanders. One day last summer, shortly after the senator from Vermont announced that he was running for president, recalls Matt, “We were walking down the street with a couple of buddies, and we had Bernie T-shirts on. A lot…

Homeless Sweeps: Documents Show Denver Questioning Its Own Protocol

On March 23, Westword made a number of Colorado Open Records Act requests to the Denver Department of Human Services and the Mayor’s Office for internal documents related to the planning of the homeless sweeps that the city has been conducting over the past month. Westword did not receive responses…

Photos: A Portrait of Denver’s Homeless

When the Denver Police Department sent officers to raid an encampment of tiny homes at Sustainability Park last October, “something in me snapped,” says photographer Paula Bard. “I began walking those streets were the homeless are trying to survive, photographing the faces of those my city has abandoned.” The result is…

The Daily Show Destroys Colorado’s Biggest Homophobe in “Trans Panic”

Over the years, we’ve documented the misadventures of Gordon Klingenschmitt, who we described in a 2014 headline as an “Exorcism-Doing, Gay-Slamming, Just-Elected State Rep” from the Colorado Springs area. Our posts about Klingenschmitt, who’s also a priest, have featured his claim that “gays have lost their soul” and his prayers…

Is Denver Going for a Clean Sweep of the City’s Homeless?

The cops arrived at ten in the morning, setting up a perimeter around the two dozen homeless individuals who were camping in the area known as “Resurrection Village,” near the former Big Wonderful site at the intersection of 26th and Arapahoe streets. The officers didn’t come alone. Their arrival was…