The problem with journalism these days is that reporters are poor. I know: I’m a reporter and I’m poor. All my colleagues are poor, too. It’s why, while we talk big game about journalistic integrity, all you have to do is woo us with a continental breakfast (free croissants!) and…
Many bikes come and go at LaFore’s custom motorcycle shop in Lakewood, but one is there to stay. The shop’s owner, Mike LaFore, pictured here, would never sell it. The engine on the bike was built by Christian, Mike’s son; in 1999, Christian was killed when he collided with a…
Today, Senator Ken Salazar blasted Colorado’s other senator in a hand-delivered letter claiming that Wayne Allard and Representative Marilyn Musgrave have been using Rocky Mountain National Park as a “political pawn.” To fully appreciate the indignant and injured tone of this broadside, check out the text here. What’s got Salazar…
If there was any doubt about the continuing resonance of Columbine on this planet of ours, it was quickly quashed by the call made to Westword as the Platte Canyon High School hostage drama was unfolding yesterday. The person on the other end of the line was a representative from…
The emergence of a nephew of James Rapp, formerly one of the world’s snoopiest private eyes, as a witness in the Hewlett-Packard scandal is a gritty reminder of how Colorado became a largely unregulated free zone for data brokers. Catch up with our sordid history of PIs with “The Case…
He sensed trouble the minute he stepped onto the tiled floor of the Town Center at Aurora. Everywhere he looked — by the Star Makers photo studio and the TacoMex restaurant, around the fake trees and carts of cheap sunglasses — guys were giving him the evil eye. Except they…
From his Air Jordan-clad feet to the blue-dyed braids on his head, Dominique Thomas is a perpetual-motion machine. His legs propel him frantically about as his arms gesture wildly, slapping high-fives, and his mouth emits a constant stream of infectious exuberance: “That’s what’s up” or “That’s real talk.” But standing…
The day begins with Corporal John Harris leading Pond Patrol Third Force Recon Team amongst the blood-red cliffs and knife-shaped outcroppings of Mulberry Ridge. Suddenly, Private Carlos Rodriguez spots Dr. Jefferson Johnson down by the ravine side. “What’s he doing out here?” Harris thinks. “Wasn’t he supposed to be at…
Cockroaches love lettuce. That’s the word from Six Flags St. Louis, which just got its first shipment of live cockroaches for the company’s annual Fright Fest, says Brooke Brasher, spokeswoman for Six Flags Elitch Gardens. Even though Denver has yet to receive a single cucaracha, she’s been dreaming of the…
If I were promoting a baseball team, I would make sure that the seats closest to the field were always filled. That way, even if there weren’t that many fans in the stadium — because, say, their team had pretty much ensured its sixth consecutive losing season by that point…
“All I want is for the newspapers to admit that they have a liberal bias,” announces Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, a right-leaning think tank. “But talking to newspaper people about this is like talking to an alcoholic. It’s obvious they have a liberal bias, but there’s no…
Good Vibrations A peace of the action: Regarding Patricia Calhoun’s “Speak Your Peace,” in the September 21 issue: It seems fitting to have PeaceJam here in Denver. Colorado has so many great things that attract people from around the world, but Denver has a long way to go in the…
They may get sand kicked in their faces and have their lunch money stolen, but yes, damn it, artists have muscles, too. Their muscles are their creativity and God-given almighty talent. And just like the meatheads toning their freakish pecs at the Denver Athletic Club and sweating buckets of Gatorade…
There are gypsies on our streets, prowling the avenues in their ghetto-fabulous low riders, blasting “LA Woman” from the stereo and telling passersby that although they may not have a taxi license, they’ll still take them to their hotel or convention or flight out of DIA in a ride that…
The reappearance of the streamlined Super Chef sign on Colfax — uncovered as the Walnut Cafe was making way for the new Emilio’s restaurant — reminds me of how I came of age eating two-egg breakfasts — with bacon, hash browns, wheat toast and jelly — in Super Chef’s hallowed…
There’s plenty to gripe about when it comes to the news coverage offered by local television outlets. But when national TV types turn their attention to Colorado stories, the results are often far more distorted. A package that aired last night during NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams offers a…
Because Denver continues to have a severe shortage of celebrities, the gossip columnists at the dailies regularly create their own — and the results can be awkward. Today, for instance, the Denver Post’s Bill Husted devoted a third of his column to the impending departure of Lisa Herzlich, who’s handled…
It seems that squirrels aren’t the only creatures stocking up for winter by hurriedly filling their cheeks with supplies. A September 21 arrest near Skyline Park reveals that a local drug dealer has been following the lead of our furry friends. According to a Denver Police Department incident report, the…
Memo to Denver radio’s traffic reporters: The local metropolitan area actually extends west of the I-25 corridor. As a resident of the Ken-Caryl Ranch area who’s commuted downtown for sixteen years, I know from bitter personal experience that many traffic updates simply overlook the section of C-470 that runs along…
The Sunday Denver Post continues to include a rather large sports section — and the A section isn’t officially part of it. That may be changing, however. Since former Post sports editor Kevin Dale was named the assistant managing editor for the Sunday edition, the most prominent page of the…
Former University of Colorado-Boulder professor Adrienne Anderson says she wants the case of her 2005 dismissal from the school to be heard in “the court of public opinion.” But thus far, a significant number of local media outlets have shown little interest in her story, despite the legitimate news value…
When Josh Blue was named the last comic standing, he automatically became Denver’s second-most-famous living celebrity — after John Elway, of course, and before…Dealin’ Doug? But Denver has no shortage of dead celebrities, and it’s high time we resurrect one: Neal Cassady, the inspiration for Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac’s…
