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Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword‘s news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

michaelrobertscolo@gmail.com

Colorado Drug Overdose Deaths Top 900 Annually: Where the Crisis Is Worst

By Michael Roberts

In 2016, drugs of various types killed 912 people in Colorado, nearly 300 more than the 627 who died in auto accidents here. Moreover, preliminary numbers from 2017 suggest that the total will rise for that year to 959, fueled largely by heroin and opioid overdoses in Denver and the Colorado Springs area, each of which suffered well over 100 fatalities each the previous year, and a startling number of casualties in some of the state’s least populous areas.

Here’s the Unofficial List of People Leaving the Denver Post

By Michael Roberts

On March 14, the Denver Post announced the impending layoffs of thirty newsroom employees, or approximately one-third of the staff. Later this afternoon, the paper will issue a final list of those who’ll be leaving. But a preliminary roster assembled by the Denver Newspaper Guild and provided to Westword by Kieran Nicholson, the newsroom unit’s guild chair, suggests that the total number of people losing their jobs won’t be quite as high as previously expected.

Claim: Jacqueline Bickford’s Jailers Knew She Was Suicidal but Let Her Die

By Michael Roberts

A new lawsuit maintains that employees at the Summit County jail knew 31-year-old inmate Jacqueline Bickford was suicidal but ignored her medical needs for days prior to her death by hanging inside her cell. It’s at least the third suit this decade against Summit County over alleged institutional misconduct at the facility, with the previous two, including the in-custody death of Zackary Moffitt, resulting in big payouts.

Why Home-Price Growth in Denver May Finally Fall

By Michael Roberts

According to a new report from California-based CoreLogic, homes in the Denver area are generally overvalued, meaning the price buyers are being asked to pay is simply too high. But while that’s bad news for house hunters right now, it could result in improvements down the line in the Mile High City and beyond.

Six Examples of Fake News About Marijuana

By Michael Roberts

Last August, when veteran reporter Peter Marcus announced that he was leaving the ambitious ColoradoPolitics.com project he helped launch the previous year in favor of a communications-director position with the rapidly growing marijuana dispensary chain Terrapin Care Station, he stressed that he wasn’t leaving journalism behind and planned to start a website that would mix original stories with posts intended to counter misinformation being spewed by pot enemies. That site, TheNewsStation.com, is now live, and included among offerings that he says “promote the positive business and economic impact of the cannabis industry” is a section in which Marcus tears apart what he sees as marijuana “Fake News.” Check out six examples below.

The Fight Against Circumcision in Colorado and Beyond

By Michael Roberts

American Circumcision, a feature-length documentary about the debate over circumcision in this country that will make its Denver debut on April 9, features an appearance by Gillian Longley, state coordinator for Colorado Advocates for Body Integrity and Children’s Rights, shorthanded as Colorado ABC. Although little known by the general public, the group is the one of the main reasons why Colorado Medicaid didn’t pay for circumcisions in the state during most of this decade to date, and Longley, a nurse by training, remains dedicated to getting the message out about a procedure she sees as cruel, unneeded and sometimes dangerous.

Barry Farah on Running for Colorado Governor as a Heartfelt Conservative

By Michael Roberts

Barry Farah, a successful entrepreneur, author and speaker, is a late entrant into the 2018 Republican race for governor of Colorado. In the following in-depth interview, Farah says the exit from the contest of former Congressman Tom Tancredo and 18th Judicial District DA George Brauchler (who’s now focusing on a bid for Colorado Attorney General) left voters without a heartfelt conservative to support, and he’s eager to fill that role.

Mayor’s Office No Longer Partner in “Start by Believing” Anti-Sex Assault Drive

By Michael Roberts

A press release announcing Denver’s fourth annual Start By Believing campaign, which supports sexual assault victims, does not include any mention of Mayor Michael Hancock or his office. In contrast, Hancock’s name was front and center during the previous three years, with the mayor offering strong comments about the importance of believing victims on each of those occasions.

Attorney Targets Settlement That Stops Detective From Suing Michael Hancock

By Michael Roberts

An attorney representing Wayne McDonald, a former Hancock friend and city employee fired in 2012 for his own alleged behavior toward Branch-Wise, is now demanding a review of all lawyers who played a role in a $75,000 payment to the detective by the City of Denver over the matter. The 2013 settlement precludes Branch-Wise from suing Hancock, even though his texts to her (including one that asked her if she’d ever taken a pole-dancing class) were not known to McDonald’s legal team in 2016, when they accepted $200,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed after his firing four years earlier.

Willie B on 25 Years at KBPI

By Michael Roberts

On April 3, 1993, Willie B made his first appearance on KBPI. Exactly 25 years later to the day, he’s still there, and in the following in-depth interview, he provides a guided tour to the whole crazy ride.

Parkland School Shooter’s Fans Echo Those of Aurora Theater Shooter

By Michael Roberts

Recent reports that Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed seventeen people at Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, has been inundated with fan mail and inspired the forming of alternately sympathetic and worshipful social media groups echo some of the disturbing responses that followed the July 20, 2012 Aurora theater shooting, when James Holmes took twelve lives and injured seventy other patrons at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Average Person Can’t Afford Average House in 10 of 11 CO Counties Analyzed

By Michael Roberts

In recent years, high costs have made home ownership seem like an impossible dream for plenty of people in Denver and other parts of Colorado despite the strong economy. And in the first quarter of 2018, the situation seems to be getting worse instead of better. According to a new study, the average wage earner in ten of eleven Colorado counties analyzed, including six in Denver metro, can’t afford a median-priced home in the area.

Michael Bailey: I Lost My House and Job Because of Sheriff’s Office Laziness

By Michael Roberts

“What does a person do when you realize you’ve lost everything?” asks Michael Bailey. “And I did. I lost my vehicle, my house and my job,” all because he was held in custody for nearly two months on a warrant from another county he didn’t know existed. Moreover, the charges against him were dismissed shortly after he was finally transferred to the proper court.

Denver City Council’s Hancock Probe Delay FAQs More Like CYAs

By Michael Roberts

The theory that the Denver City Council isn’t that into investigating Mayor Michael Hancock for possible sexual harassment against Detective Leslie Branch-Wise during the 2011-2012 period when she was on his security detail got a boost yesterday evening, March 29, when council president Albus Brooks released a statement revealing that he and his colleagues are still mulling over whether or not to launch an inquiry and suggesting strongly that whatever happens will take place beyond public view. Accompanying these remarks was a collection of frequently asked questions about the case — some surprising, others indicating that plenty of ass-covering is underway.

Meet Kristi Kelly, the Face of Colorado’s Marijuana Industry

By Michael Roberts

In July 2016, the Marijuana Industry Group, among the most powerful cannabis business organizations in Colorado and the country as a whole, seemed on the verge of collapse after the mysterious departure of Michael Elliott, its executive director. Less than two years later, MIG is back to being a powerhouse advocate for marijuana enterprises in the state, and much of the credit goes to current executive director Kristi Kelly, who’s helped change the tone of an outfit that was once vilified by boutique shops in the state.

Inside Denver’s Big Bucks Settlement Mania With Man Who Got $660K

By Michael Roberts

The controversy over Denver Mayor Michael Hancock sending inappropriate texts to police detective Leslie-Branch Wise has led to increased scrutiny on settlements made by the city; Branch-Wise was given $75,000 in 2013 after she made complaints about the behavior of Wayne McDonald, who received $200,000 in 2016 following a lawsuit over his firing by Hancock, his ex-friend. Among those asking questions about such payouts is Stuart Shapiro, a former assistant city attorney and recipient of his own $660,000 settlement from Denver in 2016 over alleged retaliation against him in the wake of a jail-abuse case that cost taxpayers $3.25 million.

Lies, Punishment and the Case of the Pencil “Attack” at Denver’s Main Jail

By Michael Roberts

The tension between the Office of the Independent Monitor and the Denver Department of Public Safety at the center of a recent special report about the in-custody death of Michael Marshall is vividly illustrated by an incident captured on jailhouse video seen here. The former considers the clip evidence that a deputy blatantly lied on a report in which he accused an inmate who wanted to issue a complaint against him of taking part in an attack with a pencil. The latter thinks it’s possible the deputy innocently misperceived what happened and therefore didn’t deserve punishment as harsh as the monitor believes justified.

Why Phil Anschutz Might Rather Watch the Denver Post Die Than Try to Save It

By Michael Roberts

After the Denver Post announced that it would be laying off thirty people, or around 30 percent of the newsroom staff, the Denver Newspaper Guild, which represents 25 of those getting pink slips, put out an open call for a wealthy benefactor to buy the publication from Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund that’s been stripping it down like a stolen car for years. Billionaire Phil Anschutz seems to fit this bill, and he has a notable interest in newspapers, having purchased the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2012. But a story shared by Denver City Councilman Kevin Flynn suggests that Anschutz may prefer to let the Post die in order to replace it with a resurrected version of the Rocky Mountain News, which was shuttered in February 2009.

Denver City Council Doesn’t Seem That Into Michael Hancock Investigation

By Michael Roberts

Last night, March 27, the Denver City Council met in executive session to discuss the possibility of launching an investigation into inappropriate texts sent by Mayor Michael Hancock to Detective Leslie Branch-Wise during the 2011-2012 period when she was on his security detail. But the members emerged without making any commitment to such an inquiry despite another letter from Branch-Wise’s attorney (it’s shared below) urging them to take action.