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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

Not-Guilty Pleas in Second Cory Gardner ADAPT Protest on Eve of Trials Over First

By Michael Roberts

This week, Wheelchair Sports Camp MC Kalyn Heffernan and nine other members of the advocacy organization ADAPT pleaded not guilty to trespassing and other charges related to a three-day sit-in at the office of Senator Cory Gardner on June 29. And next week, several of the activists, many of whom have disabilities, are scheduled to be back in court regarding another matter. On Monday, July 24, the first of those cited for a previous protest targeting Gardner will go on trial, and there’s definitely crossover between the two groups.

9News’s Kyle Clark on His War of Words With Frontier Airlines

By Michael Roberts

9News’ Kyle Clark has been engaging in a war of words with Denver-based Frontier ever since needling the carrier for turning flight attendants into “awkward props during executives’ speeches about the virtues of the ultra-low cost airline,” which has recently scored poorly in airline quality rankings. And when he learned that Frontier staffers had accessed his personal travel records in an apparent effort to learn if he was an Ann Coulter-esque whiner about air travel, he became even more exercised, as he makes clear in an interview below.

Online Fundraiser Defends Alleged Capitol Hill White Supremacist Will Planer

By Michael Roberts

As we’ve reported, alleged Capitol Hill white supremacist William Scott Planer was recently arrested in Colorado Springs on a charge that he put an anti-Semitic sticker on a synagogue, after which authorities discovered that he’s wanted in California on an assault charge. Now, the Traditionalist Worker Party, which has been described as an extremist group, is conducting an online fundraiser for Planer’s defense in which it claims he was merely defending himself and is being victimized because of political pressure from leftists.

Pot Security Guard Travis Mason’s Murder Unsolved After Year-Plus, Reward Upped

By Michael Roberts

The reward being offered for information about the person or persons who killed Travis Mason, a former Marine who was fatally shot while working as a security guard at a marijuana dispensary in June 2016, has been increased to $55,000, more than triple the original amount. Authorities hope the increase will help break the case that’s remained unsolved for more than a year.

Poverty Comes to Denver’s Suburbs

By Michael Roberts

According to a new study, the number of high-poverty neighborhoods in the Denver metro area nearly tripled over a fifteen-year period, due in part to high housing costs. In addition, poverty is increasing more quickly in the suburbs than in the city itself.

William Anderson’s Jail Death Leads to ICE/Denver Sheriff Pissing Match

By Michael Roberts

The July 10 death of William Anderson, a forty-year-old inmate at Denver’s main jail, has led to a war of words between the Denver Sheriff Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Anderson died during a fight with fellow detainee Ricardo Lopez-Vera, nineteen. But while the Denver District Attorney’s Office declined to charge Lopez-Vera in the incident, his undocumented status led to detention by ICE, which claims the DSD released him without properly informing the federal agency even though there was an immigration hold on him.

Inside the Arrest of Alleged Capitol Hill White Supremacist William Scott Planer

By Michael Roberts

William Scott Planer, who was accused online of violent activity and affiliation with white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in the Capitol Hill neighborhood late last year, has been arrested in Colorado Springs. He was initially charged with a misdemeanor for placing an anti-Semitic sticker on the door of a synagogue, but he is currently being held on a $500,000 bond related to a felony charge in California, where he allegedly attacked a protester during a white supremacist rally in California last year.

Peter Boyles on Being the Most Dangerous Man on Denver Radio

By Michael Roberts

KNUS morning host Peter Boyles is among the last people still standing from the golden age of Denver radio, and he’s not planning to lay down anytime soon, as he makes clear throughout a wide-ranging interview in which he defends many of his most controversial views while offering a very personal history of a medium whose future prospects remain very much in flux.

Terry Maketa Retrial Date Links Him to Former Lover in Sexy Scandal

By Michael Roberts

Former El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa will be retried in relation to four corruption charges on which a previous jury was unable to reach a verdict. Selection of a new jury is scheduled to get underway on October 3, the same day that Undersheriff Paula Presley, a former romantic partner of Maketa’s, will be put on trial for accusations that emerged from the sexy scandal.

Denver Rant: Why Is Construction F*cking Up Every City Road at the Same Time?

By Michael Roberts

So many streets are experiencing lane shutdowns or complete closures because of construction in the Denver area right now that getting from one point to another without sprouting an epic migraine is practically impossible. If a team of experts spent months trying to create the perfect formula for inspiring road rage, they couldn’t do better than this.

Noel Ginsburg on His Run for Governor and Why Colorado Needs a Moderate

By Michael Roberts

Noel Ginsburg, a successful Denver manufacturer whose decades of public service work have mostly taken place behind the scenes, is running as a Democrat for governor of Colorado in 2018. In the following in-depth interview, he argues that he’s the best person for the job because of his business experience, outsider’s perspective and a moderate philosophy that he thinks will appeal to voters across the political spectrum.

See Broncos’ Cody Latimer Get Pepper-Sprayed at a Strip Club

By Michael Roberts

Less than a year after Denver Broncos receiver Cody Latimer was busted following an incident during which he said his girlfriend assaulted him, footage has surfaced of him getting into an altercation with employees at a strip club; Latimer was pepper sprayed and his uncle wound up up flat on his back after getting punched by an employee at the nightspot. Because Latimer wasn’t taken into custody this time around, he won’t add to the list of Broncos arrests since the year 2000, which currently stands at forty; get the details below. But the latest embarrassment definitely calls his future with the squad into doubt.

What You Need to Know If You’re Applying for a Job in Colorado

By Michael Roberts

Denver is one of the best cities in the country for job seekers, and the employment market in the state as a whole remains red hot in 2017. But that doesn’t mean finding the perfect gig is as easy as announcing you’re available and waiting for a line to form outside your door. Indeed, a local employment expert stresses that understanding Colorado’s unique culture is key to landing a job that’s right for you.

Steve Kelley Leaves KNUS: Is This It for the Denver Radio Legend?

By Michael Roberts

Steve Kelley, a Denver broadcasting legend who’s spent decades in the local market at radio stations such as KIMN and KOA, not to mention a high-profile gig at Fox31 that ended with a lawsuit, has left the afternoon-drive show on KNUS he co-hosted with Krista Kafer. According to a station executive, he made the move for personal reasons, raising questions about whether he’s stepping away from the microphone once and for all.

Fox31/CW2 News Director Jumps Ship Prior to Controversial Sinclair Takeover

By Michael Roberts

Fox31/CW2 news director Holly Gauntt is leaving her position at the sister stations shortly after they were sold to the controversial Sinclair Broadcast Group as part of a package deal valued at nearly $4 billion. In an emotional announcement to her now-former staffers yesterday, July 12, she revealed that she will soon take on the same role at Denver7.

Peyton Manning: Broncos D Carried Me in Super Bowl Like Serena Williams’s Baby

By Michael Roberts

Last night, July 12, former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning hosted the 25th anniversary of the ESPYs, the signature awards program of sports-network powerhouse ESPN. Over the course of the broadcast, he made multiple comic references to his stint in Denver, even comparing himself to tennis great Serena Williams’s unborn child when talking about his 2015 Super Bowl victory.