In just over 36 hours, the polls — or at least the hands collecting mail-in ballots — will close, and this first, endless round of the municipal election will finally be over. And then it will start all over again, as we move on to round two and the runoff…
In early 2010, the media circus surrounding the trial of Willie Clark for the murder of Darrent Williams completely overlooked a real show in a nearby courtroom — but law-enforcement authorities didn’t miss the irony. The case of Eric Torrez and his crimes against Kristen and Will Stillman was worse…
One last beer bill is still alive at the legislature — which means legislators still have a chance to do the light stuff. Although proposals involving which stores can sell what beers have all died, Senate Bill 60 would allow restaurants and bars to sell any beer…
Food truck season is rolling right in, but Carla Madison is no longer in the driver’s seat. Who’s steering the process now?…
I started the day chatting on a plane from Tucson with a local bar manager, who had no idea who to vote for in the upcoming Denver election, because he just hadn’t been paying attention. I ended it chatting with my poker group, most of whom had no idea who…
Dear Mexican: Why does every Mexican rap/hip-hop song always contain the lyrics “No paramos,” “Nunca paramos,” or some other logically equivalent statement (e.g., “Siempre avanzaremos,” “No acabaremos de seguir,” etc.)? Can’t you people be more original? I mean, come on! It’s not like you all speak a language that makes…
Loved by walkers, loathed by drivers, the Barnes Dance — the diagonal crosswalk system embraced by downtown Denver six decades ago — will come to an end next month. But it’s still being introduced in other cities, including a recent pilot project in Washington, DC…
It was the 41st, or maybe the 42nd, possibly the 43rd, mayoral debate of the endless 2011 campaign season. Last night, I moderated a forum featuring all nine remaining mayoral candidates sponsored by a group of downtown/central Denver organizations at Coors Field, which was remarkable for two things: how very…
One last beer bill is still alive at the legislature — and it could be good news for bars and restaurants, not to mention their customers. Although earlier this week Senator Betty Boyd essentially killed her bill that would have allowed convenience stores to sell any beer, not just 3.2,…
It only seems like every resident of District 8 is running for Carla Madison’s spot on Denver City Council. But even with 39 candidates jumping into the write-in race for the seat, that represents less than .001 percent of the 47,265 eligible voters in the district…
Does any other day carry as heavy a load as April 20? The day’s fate was sealed in 1889, when Adolf Hitler was born in a small village in Austria. In the early ’70s, April 20 also became an underground stoner holiday, now so aboveground that it’s celebrated across the…
Thirty-nine. That’s how many people had registered with the Denver Elections Division by last night’s deadline as write-in candidates for the District 8 seat previously occupied by Carla Madison, who passed away two weeks ago today. She was running unopposed, but 39 people were apparently running in place, ready to…
Dear Mexican: You seem like a smart guy, and your input regarding an ethnic phenomenon I’ve observed would be of interest. I live in a tiny, gated neighborhood that I would describe as solidly middle- to upper middle-class. On each side of me live Vietnamese small-business owners whose kids attend…
Denver ballots arrived in mailboxes across town this past weekend — and those that went to residents of District 8 still include the name of incumbent councilwoman Carla Madison, who was running unopposed when she passed away on April 5, after the ballots for this all mail-in election were printed…
Wes McKinley has always done his civic duty — even if those in power might quibble with how he defines it. Twenty years ago, the rancher/teacher from Walsh was the foreman of the federal grand jury that wanted to indict eight individuals for environmental crimes at Rocky Flats — but…
A new Marco’s Pizza is about to open in Northfield Stapleton. No, not a branch of Osteria Marco, Frank Bonanno’s restaurant in Larimer Square. And not another Marco’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria. Next month, Nick Costanzo will open a Marco’s Pizza at 8286 Northfield Boulevard; it will be the sixth Marco’s Pizza…
No matter who becomes Denver’s next mayor, it looks like the winning candidate will inherit a tidier, if more pissed-off police department — and he or she will have interim mayor Bill Vidal to thank. Vidal might have had second thoughts about his decision not to run for mayor himself,…
People love looking at food. Food they might possibly make for dinner, food they’ll never get close to — like this “Altitude-high food porn from the Taste of Vail.” That’s why pictures of food are often labeled “porn,” as in Laura Shunk’s “Food Porn: Pizzeria Basta” post that accompanied her…
At their meeting last night, Denver City Council members wore orange in honor of their colleague, Carla Madison, who died last week. But Madison was not just in their hearts and thoughts: She was on the agenda, because people are lining up to run for her seat — even as…
Dear Mexican: I grant you a magic wand; now, tell me, how do we right the wrongs of Sam Houston and Manifest Destiny? Is it to correct his legacy and call out the crimes and recognize the victims? Or should the land be given back? What is it, my fellow…
People have already forgotten,” Shirley Garcia says. “They can’t forget what’s there.” Garcia never will. When she and her husband moved from Texas to Jefferson County thirty years ago, they bought a house in the Countryside development – and the realtor handed them some papers to sign acknowledging that they…
The history hunters gathered under the giant statue of Yogi Bear, armed with maps and metal detectors, in what had to be one of the strangest mash-ups ever: Hanna-Barbera meets barbarism. The crew had convened on April 2 at Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, a franchise of the national chain located just…
