City Cast Denver

City Cast Denver

Join Host Bree Davies and the City Cast Denver crew every weekday morning as we celebrate, explore, and challenge an ever-changing Denver. It’s the daily news podcast for all Denverites — whether you’ve been here for six months or six generations. We’ll break down the news you need (and want) to know with journalists and culture makers; activists and artists; neighbors and ne’er-do-wells — and John Elway, if he ever returns our calls. Learn more and subscribe to our newsletter at denver.citycast.fm.. Named Westword's Best Podcast of 2021, 2023

Episodes

March 22, 2026 25 mins
The unionization efforts of sex workers in Nevada might have implications for gig workers in Denver. At Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel 45 minutes outside Las Vegas, some of the workers are seeking both recognition as employees and union representation. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with former City Cast Las Vegas podcast host, current contributor, and longtime Nevada attorney Dayvid Figler about why sex workers are considered ind...
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Coloradans will vote on two measures impacting transgender kids this fall – Ballot Initiative 109, which aims to prevent trans kids from participating in school sports, and Ballot Initiative 110, which would prohibit access to gender-affirming surgeries. Is Colorado inching backward toward its “hate state” past? Lee Robinson and Kate McLachlan of the live comedy show Dyketopia join host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love t...
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Another No Kings protest is planned in Denver next week, and Colorado is grappling with President Trump’s looming imperial tendencies – what happens if Governor Polis chooses not to grant Tina Peters clemency? What could the state lose in retaliation? In the second season of Master Plan: The Kingmakers, host David Sirota and his team at The Lever dig into a decades-long scheme to make the American presidency more like a monarchy. S...
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What exactly is ICE up to in Denver? And how have ICE operations changed since Trump returned to the White House? Contributor Joshua Emerson joins producers Paul Karolyi and Olivia Jewell Love to discuss some recent reporting from Colorado Times Recorder on ICE “hold rooms” across the state and a recent CU Boulder analysis of 10 years of ICE data on Denver. Plus, Joshua’s list of the best places to be broken up with. Joshua ment...
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What is going on inside Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure? After a string of traffic and safety-related controversies, The Denver Post reports that the department has been experiencing “brain drain,” with turnover in several senior roles in the past six months. So, what does that say about DOTI’s executive director, Amy Ford, and the future of our streets? Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies ...
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From expensive groceries to costly housing to pricey healthcare, affordability has been top of mind for Colorado legislators – even when it comes down to the price of a hot dog at Ball Arena. Last week, a bill aimed at capping how much businesses can charge in “captive” situations – think places like airports, stadiums, and hospitals where food options are limited – died in a legislative committee. The bill’s sponsor, Representativ...
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Denverites are concerned about police accountability, especially with the increased presence of federal troops in many cities. DC Council in Washington recently passed emergency legislation requiring local police to release body-worn camera footage of incidents involving federal forces they patrol with, and to collect the names of federal officers who make arrests. It’s a big shift in local policy, partially motivated by the fact t...
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The Tina Peters saga drags on – Governor Polis says he will not make a decision on clemency for the disgraced elections official until a ruling on her case comes down from Colorado Court of Appeals; not to mention every Democrat in the legislature signed a letter this week urging Polis not to free her. So, will he or won’t he? Politics contributor Adrian Felix joins producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to discuss Polis’s mixe...
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A new music festival, Blucifer’s First Rodeo is coming to South Broadway this July! But the fest’s dates overlap with the Underground Music Showcase, the area’s former big summer fest, which is now set to take place in RiNo. Are these two concert events competition for each other or just a sign of an evolving music scene? Denver Post arts reporter John Wenzel and comedian Miriam Moreno join host Bree Davies to dig into the dueling ...
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The new-ish Professional Women’s Hockey League is taking over Ball Arena for the second year in a row this weekend, hoping to break another attendance record and set the groundwork for a possible expansion franchise here in Denver. Contributor Michelle Jackson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to talk about how the “Heated Rivalry” craze might affect the PWHL’s prospects and play a guessing game about hockey’s weird ...
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Big changes might be coming to Denver’s scooter and bike share scene – the city chose a new operator, Veo, and if city council signs off on the deal, Lime and Bird are out of the picture. Joining host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi is Andy Cushen, co-host of the Denver Urbanism podcast, to discuss what this impending shift means for everyday scooter and bike share users, plus the future of Lime’s very popular equity access p...
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Is a speed camera coming to your street? Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure shared preliminary plans to install cameras along parts of Federal Blvd. and Alameda Ave. with more coming soon. So, host Bree Davies and producers Olivia Jewell Love and Paul Karolyi are talking about how these new cameras are supposed to work, the surveillance question, and why these streets are getting them first. Plus, we respond t...
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Homelessness is one of the major issues that cities like Denver are trying to solve. The state of Utah is planning to build a 16-acre homeless campus on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, where unhoused people with mental illnesses or addiction issues could be sheltered and in some cases involuntarily committed. This controversial idea is the brainchild of conservative think tanks, and it’s one that’s very much being embraced by the ...
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Despite this season’s lack of snow, Waymo, the autonomous ride share company, says their robotaxis-in-training are still learning how to drive in Denver winters. Then, Stella's Coffee Haus recently announced they are cutting off Wi-Fi at their shop, which has us wondering — should coffee shops even have Wi-Fi? And what’s the etiquette for working-from-coffeehouse? Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love and contributor Mic...
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Earlier this week, Governor Jared Polis made a post on X comparing the sentences of former Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis and former county clerk Tina Peters, both of whom have been convicted of attempting to influence a public official, among other charges. Host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love are joined by comedian Kate McLachlan to dig into what Polis is – or isn’t saying – about President Trump’s calls to pardon Peters....
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Kwame Spearman wants you to buy books from him again. The 2023 mayoral hopeful and former CEO of The Tattered Cover opened Denver Book Society last month and he’s hoping for a redemption arc. But  social media chatter shows some Denverites feeling skeptical of his second try at book selling, accusing him of being a catalyst for Tattered’s failure at retaining local ownership and calling into question comments he made about ICE and ...
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Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order last week that, among other things, bans immigration officials from any city property and requires Denver police to intervene if federal agents are compromising the safety of citizens. Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to dig into how this order could play out. Then, a new report on the “structural contraction” of the restaurant industry is s...
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March 2, 2026 32 mins
March is historically the snowiest month here in the Mile High City, but after the last few weeks of historically high winter temps, who knows what to expect! What we do know is how to make the most of this month — snow or not. Comedian and returning guest JD Lopez joins City Cast’s Adrian González and Paul Karolyi to share insider recommendations for the best things to do, experience, eat, and drink this month. We’re talking about...
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A lot of cities, including Denver, are trying to figure out how best to revitalize downtown. It's an issue that's especially top of mind for Pittsburgh, who is hosting the NFL Draft in April. To solve the problem of vacant properties and empty storefronts, the city is trying out a new rent abatement program. So, City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris about why their downtown emptied out,...
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After bubbling up over the last few months, the debate over data centers in Denver boiled over this week. Mayor Mike Johnston imposed a moratorium on new ones being built, then a community meeting erupted in chants to halt construction on one going up in Elyria-Swansea. Our green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval was at the town hall, and she joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to get into it — plus, Douglas County ...
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