See Aaron Thackeray's photos from a downtown pool party -- which was apparently pretty fun, at least according to these florescent tank tops -- at westword.com/slideshow.
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It may be overcast and rainy in Denver today, but there's at least one sure sign of summer on view: Gas prices are climbing like Clint Eastwood in The Eiger Sanction. According to the American Automobile Association, the price of unleaded has risen 38 cents per gallon in a month, to an average of $2.39. It's still possible to find lower prices: At this writing, the bargain roster at DenverGasPrices.com is topped by a Costco in Aurora, where a gallon goes for $2.25, followed by a Gas 4 Less in Wheat Ridge, at $2.26. The best bargain in Denver proper as of Sunday: a Diamond Shamrock at 4498 Sheridan Boulevard, with $2.29. But these differentials only pay off for folks relatively near the stations in question.
Why is this happening? Experts typically trot out excuses about supply and demand, switching from winter to summer blends, etc. But there's another reason why oil industry representatives boosts prices at this time every year: because they can.
Shannon Brown, in an image from his MySpace page.
Maybe Los Angeles Lakers players should keep it zipped when they visit Denver. Earlier this decade, Kobe Bryant spent month after month in legal hell after a woman said he'd sexually assaulted her, precipitating a media free-for-all in Eagle County that only ended after his accuser stopped participating in the case against him (Bryant settled her civil suit against him in 2005). Now, ESPN is reporting that another Laker, Shannon Brown, "is being sued in civil court for an alleged sex-related incident with a woman in Denver." Brown was a member of the Charlotte Bobcats when his encounter with the woman took place, and his agent says that while a police report was filed, the Denver Police Department didn't pursue the matter. Nonetheless, Brown was served on Friday, when the Lakers bumped the Denver Nuggets from the NBA playoffs.
We're clearly not in for another Kobe-style circus. After all, Brown is primarily a bench sitter who's averaged less than six points per game during the postseason. Still, his experiences serve as a reminder to his fellow ballers, and to the women of Colorado, that sex can be a battlefield.
Glenn Beck.
Did you feel a chill in the air this morning? Maybe that's because nationally syndicated radio personality/unctuous Fox News oozer Glenn Beck is in town for a live show at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House tonight. Even though the gig has been sold out for quite some time, Beck spent much of the morning promoting it, and himself, on Peter Boyles' KHOW/630 AM morning-drive staple. And he'll be returning the favor shortly by asking Boyles to join him during the broadcast of his own program from KHOW's studios, beginning at 9 a.m.
Could it be the birth of America's next great comedy team? Probably not. But it should give those who love both Boyles and Beck a few minutes of nirvana, just as it'll provide folks who despise both of them even more to hate. As for those in the middle -- well, actually, there isn't anyone in the middle...
Boulder's Karl Hanzel, as seen in a photo by NPR correspondent Jeff Brady.
National Public Radio has told a couple of prominent national stories through a Colorado prism in recent days. Last week, the service offered "News For Sale?," a report about the growing movement to charge for online information products that had previously been available for free -- and among those interviewed were Denver-based MediaNews executive Jody Lodovic, commenting on a plan sketched in detail by MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton in an extensive Q&A, as well as two other recent Westword interview subjects: INDenver Times entrepreneur Kevin Preblud and David Milstead, a former INDenver Times contributor who's joined another Times expat, Steve Foster, in a new project dubbed the Rocky Mountain Independent. And today, NPR's Morning Edition is featuring "Water Wars Out West," which pivots on Colorado's new willingness to let residents such as Boulder's Karl Hanzel collect rain and snow runoff at their residences, as opposed to fining them for doing so. Colorado is clearly ready for its closeup -- or at least the radio equivalent.
The latest contract extension between King Soopers and workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local #7 expired at midnight on May 30. But as of this writing, at least, nothing much has happened. It's been clear for weeks that neither management nor labor really want a strike -- and the main sticking point in regard to another contract extension involves its length; the union would like ten more weeks to talk, while King Soopers prefers a June 15 date. Hence, the two sides haven't responded to the latest deadline's passage to posture or make dramatic announcements. Instead, each continues its subtle campaign to win shoppers' hearts and minds. Example: At UFCW's AlwaysHereForColorado site, there's an online petition of support for grocery workers hosted by ProgressNow Colorado. Also included: the commercial seen above, in which assorted grocery employees make their pitch. They'd clearly like to stay on the job -- and given today's economy, who can blame them?
Photo by Aaron Thackeray What cute Offspring you have!
Hello, we must be going.
Today in Backbeat Online:
• Last night: Punk Rocks at Red Rocks.
• Catch the Buzz 3 Mixtape features Spoke-In-Wordz, Playalitical, DJ Chonz.
• MP3 Freeloader: Saturday, the Rouge CD release party at Larimer Lounge.
• Flier of the Week: Inactivists at the D-Note.
• MP3 Freeloader: tonight, Tim Pourbaix CD release at Larimer Lounge.
• Freaky Friday: Jan Terri -- "Losing You."
• Dualistics unveiling new tune tomorrow at hi-dive.
Today in Cafe Society:
• Vesta Dipping Grill puts the happy back in happy hour.
• LoHi SteakBar still under wraps.
• Free burgers for traitors.
• MiniBAR's patio party and Denver Nuggets stimulus package go hand-in-hand.
• The hangover Saturday brunch following a fuzzy Friday night.
• There's Beer Yoga brewing in Colorado Springs.
Today in The Latest Word:
• The Nuggets aim to break up the Kobe-LeBron love match.
• Colorado Crimes: Authorities on the lookout for a penis.
• Q&A with Aisha Tyler.
• Shmuck of the Week: Anyone wearing stripes.
• Rockies finally get over Clint Hurdle. Only took seven years or so...
www.sprawlaction.org Highlands Ranch: Not so bad?
I'm slowly making my way through a detailed report just released by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy that evaluates smart-growth policies in the United States. It analyzes states that have smart-growth programs, such as Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Oregon. Then it looks at states without legislation aimed at controlling growth, like Colorado, Indiana, Texas and Virginia.
From what I've read so far, it's an interesting breakdown of how successful various policies actually are at controlling suburban sprawl. Some work, others don't. And additional factors that we don't normally associate directly with smart growth, like affordable housing, turn out to have a significant impact on sprawl.
Colorado, interestingly enough, gets a good amount of attention in the report. Here's what they found:
Gargi Chakrabarty, left, at a DU awards ceremony last year.
When the Rocky Mountain News went down for the count in February, the Denver Post brought aboard a slew of the tabloid's brand names: Mike Littwin, Dave Krieger, Lynn Bartels, Kevin Vaughan, etc. In addition, the paper also reached out to a onetime Rocky reporter who had not yet become a household name: Gargi Chakrabarty. But local journalists weren't surprised that she was singled out. In her nearly six years as a reporter at the Rocky, often concentrating on the energy industry, Chakrabarty had established a reputation for fairness and doggedness, as well as an ability to make complex stories readable and understandable.
All of which makes her departure from the Post after a few short months that much more regrettable -- and the fact that her position won't be filled (in the immediate future, the energy beat will be divided among remaining business-department staffers) hardly lessens the sting. Still, Chakrabarty isn't leaving because of any dissatisfaction with the remaining Denver daily. "I can't talk for others, but for me, it's been beyond my expectations," she says. "They've been so nice and so welcoming."
"Rodeo Bucks Video," an article in today's Denver Post, notes that Cheyenne Frontier Days, which takes place in July, has nixed the use of all video devices, even cellphones, allegedly because "the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association owns all video rights." However, Steve Hindi, a spokesman for Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, an Illinois-based organization, claims the real motivation is to prevent clips showing grotesque animal injuries from popping up on YouTube.
Check out exhibit A above -- a SHARKonline production built around footage from a 2007 Frontier Days event in which a calf's back appears to be snapped during what the video's narrator refers to as a "jerkdown." To put it mildly, the video, which can be viewed by clicking above, isn't an advertisement for family fun.
