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Best Outcome of a Preservation Battle

Colorado History Museum

For years, the Civic Center has been under threat — most recently with a proposal to move the Colorado History Museum into the park itself, opening up space in the 1300 block of Broadway for a revamped Colorado courts structure. But after months of debate, the board of the Colorado Historical Society instead wisely decided to build the new museum on a surface parking lot a block south on Broadway, right across the street from the Daniel Libeskind-designed complex that includes the Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building. David Owen Tryba's firm will design the museum as part of a project that will also include office towers. So instead of shoehorning a shoebox and basement into Civic Center, as he'd proposed, he'll now get to mastermind an enormous, prominently placed work of architecture. That makes this decision a win not just for preservationists, but ultimately for Tryba, as well.

Best Place for Barack Obama to Visit During the Democratic Convention

Continental Divide

Since he began campaigning for president (back in 1961, the year he was born), Barack Obama has been promising to bridge the partisan divide that has split the country into red and blue states. So what better place to visit during the Democratic National Convention than the physical divide that separates the country: the Continental Divide, which runs right through this state? Besides, since Barack had Denver all sewn up at the February caucus, he doesn't need to waste any time campaigning around this town.

Best Place for Hillary Clinton to Visit During the Democratic Convention

Tolland

By August, we're betting that Hillary Clinton could use a good laugh. And so during a break in the action at the Democratic National Convention, she should make tracks to the scene of one of Colorado's most surreal moments, which occurred the last time this state hosted a high-profile international event. Back in 1997, Denver was the site for the Summit of the Eight, and while Hillary's hubby, President Bill Clinton, met with other world leaders, she and a contingent of First Wives hopped aboard the Ski Train for a trip up to Winter Park. The train was passing through Tolland, just short of the Moffat Tunnel, when a couple of fans greeted the women — by mooning them. "Ooh, there are people like that in every country," Bernadette Chirac assured Hillary.

Best Political Blog

FaceTheState.com

It seems like just yesterday that Brad Jones was pissing off young liberals at the University of Colorado at Boulder as the snot-nosed president of the College Republicans. But just look at him now: all grown up into the snot-nosed twenty-something managing editor/owner/spokesman/shadowy frontman behind FaceTheState.com. What was launched exactly one year ago as a Colorado-centric news aggregation site has expanded into a clearinghouse for right-of-the-aisle editorials, news items and, increasingly, actual investigative reports. Jones's overtures into an area long the sacred province of journalists has rankled longtime reporters, liberals and legislators, who point out his work as a Republican consultant and question the backgrounds of his unnamed staff of writers. But like it or not, no one can deny the website's headline-grabbing successes, from revealing Democratic representative Mike Merrifield's "e-mail from hell," to breaking news of Governor Bill Ritter's discussions with union reps about a statewide collective-bargaining order, to scooping other media outlets with the revelation that Democrat Michael Garcia had exposed his junk to a female lobbyist. The representative resigned soon after — but Jones isn't about to go away as easily.

Best Political Spinner — Left

ProgressNow.org

An outgrowth of the Rocky Mountain Progressive Network, ProgressNow.org and its sister site, ProgressNowAction.org, have been burrs under the conservative saddle for several years, and if Michael Huttner and his cohorts have their way, the ride will become increasingly uncomfortable as Election Day nears. The group's approach, which combines grassroots organizing with action plans targeting right-wing candidates and causes, has proven so effective that it's being employed by numerous emulators around the country, and ProgressCon, a gathering of left-leaning bloggers and other activists planned in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention, should spread the word even further afield. Progress, indeed.

Best Political Spinner — Right

Dick Wadhams

The fact that Dick Wadhams still has a viable political career shows just how good he is at engineering comebacks. In 2006, Wadhams oversaw one of the Republicans' most disastrous campaigns, the re-election crusade of Virginia's George Allen, whose unexpected loss — fueled in part by Allen's use of an obscure racial slur, "macaca" — handed the Democrats the majority in the U.S. Senate for the first time in years. But Wadhams soon rose again, first as head of the Colorado Republican Party — a spot from which he can battle his ideological enemies on a national as well as a local level, thanks to the Dems' decision to locate their nominating convention in Denver in August — and now doing double duty as head of Bob Schaffer's campaign for the Senate. As lefties know, this Dick can take a beating without retreating.

Best Radio DJ

Nerf
KTCL

Nerf isn't just the knowledgeable jock manning the boards during KTCL's weekday afternoon-drive shift; as the station's program director, he's also the music lover behind the decision to add local acts to the regular playlist rather than limit them to a Sunday-evening slot. On the surface, this decision doesn't seem like such a noble act of bravery. But in the commercial-radio world, where taking risks is virtually verboten, it's a bold step that's paid dividends — not just to KTCL, but to the entire scene, as more and more Colorado bands get signed, from the Fray to Single File, Meese and Tickle Me Pink, with the Flobots coming up fast. These groups, along with local music fans, owe Nerf a debt of gratitude.

Best Radio Station

Radio 1190

Back in 1998, before it was subsumed by Clear Channel, Jacor wound up with one more station than it could keep under FCC rules. Instead of holding a fire sale, execs donated it to the University of Colorado at Boulder, which up until then had made do with a school radio station that broadcast to the dorms using carrier current. A decade later, Radio 1190 is a station worthy of celebrating, with a reach that goes far outside of CU and even Boulder. It's an oasis of exciting music, creative programming and community support in a desert of corporate mediocrity. Happy tenth, and may there be many more anniversaries to follow.

Best Radio Talk-Show Host

Sandy Clough
The Fan

Yeah, this award usually goes to yakkers who specialize in news, not sports. But Sandy Clough, who's ridden Denver airwaves for a generation, is every bit as entertaining and incisive as any of the talk-show hosts who focus on allegedly more "serious" subjects. And even his most outrageous opinions are carefully considered rather than tossed out as mere spurs to conversation. Bottom line, Clough not only talks a good game, but he can back up what he says — and that's extremely rare in any form of talk radio.

Best Reason to Toast the Legislature

SB 08-082

Join us in raising a glass to state senator Jennifer Veiga of Denver, for proposing the repeal of Colorado's longtime ban on Sunday liquor sales. The measure not only made it through both houses (it's currently awaiting Governor Bill Ritter's signature), but lawmakers even moved up its effective date to July 1. And so, on July 6, 2008, thirsty consumers could finally be able to rest easy on the purported day of rest — and purchase full-strength alcohol at liquor stores across the state. The continued existence of Colorado's teetotaling blue laws had long mystified residents and visitors alike, who had to remember to secure their wine, whiskey and wheat brews by midnight Saturday or else settle for a case of crappy 3.2 beer from the supermarket on Sunday. While a second bill that would have let grocers enter the alcohol market died, now that drinkers have gotten a taste of libation liberty, they could soon be demanding the whole bottle. Drink up!

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