City Cast Denver

Xcel Takes on Data Centers, RTD's Big Shakeup, and Former Mayor Hancock: Real Estate Mogul?

There was a huge shakeup at Denver’s transit provider RTD yesterday as CEO and GM Debra Johnson ⁠declined to renew her contract⁠, effectively ending her leadership of the agency after leading it through the pandemic, some costly light rail maintenance projects, and a recent decline in ridership. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi discuss the breaking news before Chandra Thomas Whitfield, a host of Colorado Matters on CPR, joins to talk about ⁠Xcel’s latest proposal⁠ for data centers and what former mayor Michael Hancock ⁠has been up to⁠ since he left office in 2023. Today is Local News Day! That means it’s a perfect time to sign up for membership to support City Cast Denver. Help make sure we can keep covering the local stories that matter to you – and get great perks! Sign up now at ⁠membership.citycast.fm⁠.  Bree also discussed our recent coverage of the turmoil at RTD:  Paul’s interview with ⁠Debra Johnson⁠ Paul’s conversation about the ⁠RTD board reform proposal⁠ Our Friday show with RTD director ⁠Chris Nicholson⁠ Paul mentioned a statement RTD shared in response to an interview request for Debra Johnston  from RTD Board Chair Patrick O’Keefe:  "On behalf of RTD’s Board of Directors, I want to express our appreciation to Debra for her continued dedication and service to the agency, its employees, and our customers. For more than five years, she has diligently led RTD, and the Board looks forward to her continued leadership in the coming year. Debra has agreed to work closely with the Board to ensure there’s a smooth transition after the conclusion of her contract in May 2027. Under her leadership as the General Manager and CEO, RTD has significantly improved personal safety and security, addressed a backlog of maintenance, mitigated workforce vacancy concerns, and implemented several across-the-board customer experience initiatives. The agency is in a much better place because of her dedication, and RTD’s solid foundation she created, including a strong and capable Leadership Team, will support the agency’s ongoing successes." For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter at⁠ denver.citycast.fm⁠. Follow us on Instagram:⁠ @citycastdenver⁠ Chat with other listeners on reddit:⁠ r/CityCastDenver⁠ Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member:⁠ membership.citycast.fm⁠ What do you think about Debra Johnson leaving RTD? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at⁠ citycast.fm/advertise⁠

Why are Denver Lakes Disappearing? Plus, Blucifer on Hulu and Disneyland on Colorado Boulevard

What is happening to Huston Lake? The southwest Denver body of water has almost completely dried up, taking with it some of the park’s flora and fauna and leaving neighbors concerned. Regular contributor and host of the Square State podcast Michelle Jackson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to dig into the sorry recent state of Denver’s park lakes. Plus, they discuss the sci-fi series “Paradise,” why the Mile High City seems to be a perfect setting for so many fictional alternate realities, and answer listener questions about RTD and Denver Summit FC.  What do you think about Huston Lake drying up? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Paul quoted from Carl Abbott’s article about sci-fi “Rocky Mountain Refuge” and recommended Patricia Limerick’s history of Denver Water, “Ditch in Time.”  Michelle talked about Epic Sky Trek in Castle Rock and remembered the lake she was talking about – Lower Church Lake.  For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Polis and Boebert at the Rockies Game, Denver's Next Top Mascot, and More from the Mailbag!

Could prediction markets in politics mean more participation from voters? What if the Denver Summit FC’s mascot was a giant sun? Where’s the best place in the city to watch Denver’s own Nini Coco compete in the ⁠finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race⁠ next week? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are digging into the City Cast Denver mailbag today to respond to listeners’ questions, comments, and thoughts. Plus, Governor Jared Polis and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert ⁠snapped a photo together⁠ at the Rockies’ home opener on Friday and of course we have thoughts about it! Paul mentioned Blaze, ⁠Water World’s new mascot⁠. Thanks to listener Benton who pointed us toward the new ⁠support line for folks struggling⁠ with gambling issues: 1-800-MY-RESET For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter at⁠ denver.citycast.fm⁠. Follow us on Instagram:⁠ @citycastdenver⁠ Chat with other listeners on reddit:⁠ r/CityCastDenver⁠ Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member:⁠ membership.citycast.fm⁠ What do you think about Polis snapping a selfie with Boebert? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Learn more about the sponsors of this April 7th episode: ⁠Cozy Earth⁠ - Use code COZYDENVER for up to 20% off Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at⁠ citycast.fm/advertise⁠

Are Denver Restaurants Really in Crisis? It’s Complicated.

It feels like every week, another Denver restaurant is closing – Enzo’s End Pizzeria served its last slice on Friday, Imperial Chinese shuttered out of the blue after 41 years, and local chain Little India announced it will close its 32nd Ave. and Lowell Blvd. location in the coming months. Is it due to rising food costs? The ongoing concern of high rents? Or, is it the price of labor? Last month’s 2025 State of Denver Restaurants Report points to the city’s rising tipped minimum wage as a major issue for restaurants, bars, and cafes; Councilman Darrell Watson has even hinted at a plan to address labor costs. But Lindsay Dalton, co-owner of The Weathervane Cafe, disagrees and she’s part of a growing chorus of business owners who are pushing back. She joins host Bree Davies to make her case. Lindsay mentioned the city’s 2023 minimum wage report and Matthew Fritz-Maur, who runs the Denver Labor division of the Denver Auditor’s office and who was on the podcast in 2023 talking about his investigation into wage theft at strip clubs. Weathervane Cafe was previously featured in a New Yorker article last year about President Trump’s ‘No Tax on Tips’ policy. We reached out to Denver Labor to ask more about Fritz-Maur’s critiques of the restaurant report. He was unable for comment, but a spokesperson shared this fact sheet their office has prepared and the following statement about that document: “We compiled it as restaurants have reached out to us with questions about [Colorado Restaurant Association’s] information and generally about the tip credit. We have multiple times asked CRA for their source material to support their findings and they have not yet provided it to us. The Auditor’s Office and Denver Labor is neutral on the issue of adjusting the tip credit, but we feel it is our responsibility to provide business owners and the public with independent research to make informed decisions.” For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter at denver.citycast.fm. Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm What do you think about tipping in Denver? Is it out of control? Would Denverites get "sticker shock” from all-inclusive pricing? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418 Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

'Your City Could Be Better': Denver’s Bet on a Women’s Soccer Stadium

If you were one of the over 60,000 fans cheering for the Denver Summit last weekend, you may already know this, but Denver is only the second city in the U.S. to build a stadium specifically for women’s soccer. Will betting on women’s sports drive Denver’s economy or will Denverites be left paying the price for another stadium? City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies about why Denver has invested so much into having sports downtown, how Denver has capitalized on repurposing old industrial spaces, and how bad traffic gets when all your sports are downtown. Plus, is it better to have a Mayor with or without aims for a greater political office? Mentioned on the show: The $tadium Game: Inside the lucrative world of Colorado’s pro sports stadiums [⁠⁠⁠The Denver Post⁠⁠⁠] Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? ⁠⁠⁠Email David now! ⁠⁠⁠ We’re also on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@yourcitycouldbebetter⁠⁠⁠ Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? ⁠⁠⁠Check out our options⁠⁠⁠.