What everyone has been hoping for — at least when sports are not actually being contested on ice and snow — is an Olympics about as exciting as happy hour at the Mormon Tabernacle. So far, so goody-goody. Osama bin Laden didn’t show up with a bomb in his turban…
The Tapes of Wrath Mountains of praise: I’ve been a Westword and Patricia Calhoun fan for years. As a “minor” publisher myself (Westword actually receives my weekly paper, the Mountain Jackpot), I have to say that Calhoun’s February 7 column, “Tape Worms,” was one fine piece of editorial journalism. You…
Gertrudes “Raul” Cabral leans against the cold counter of his Chevy lonchera, shaking off the sleep. He was here until eleven o’clock last night, sweeping bits of cheese from the floor, wiping the grill, washing pans, hosing rubber mats, counting cash, locking the doors. Now, as the first school buses…
For the past couple of years, Lawrence Brown has rarely gotten into his car without carrying along a box cutter, a pair of sturdy gloves, some liquid spray adhesive and a pair of eagle eyes. At 6′ 3″ and 270 pounds, he isn’t worried about protecting himself against road-ragers or…
When former P.S.1 charter school principal Steve Myers was accused in January of making inappropriate comments to a male student at Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts, where he has been principal since August, some of his old Denver colleagues felt vindicated, but hardly surprised. The colleagues — Annie Huggins,…
First there were the 1999 rumors that John Elway — who’d just retired from the Denver Broncos after two consecutive Super Bowl victories — would move into Denver to challenge Democrat Diana DeGette in the First Congressional District. Political operatives and analysts figured that Elway would be the only Republican…
“I honestly thought back in October that I’d probably get fired,” says KHOW’s Reggie Rivers. “We had quite a few advertisers who pulled off my show, and my bosses and the sales department were upset. I went to work most days thinking this could be my last day.” His fears…
Mack Newton tells a story about Jay Novacek, the great NFL tight end. It was late 1989, and Novacek was teetering on the edge of a good, but not extraordinary, career. He had just been cut from the Arizona Cardinals after a series of injuries, and suddenly he found himself…
The Kids Are All Right Life after death: “A Hard Hit,” the January 24 story about the short but meaningful life of Eric Scott, rivals any piece of investigative journalism I’ve read. Eric Scott was proof that a young street person can turn his life around. That he helped so…
The Cartoon Network is blaring in the Sawyer home as Heather and her husband, Ron, clean up the last of the water that leaked from their washing machine the night before. Ten-month-old Ronnie starts crying as he tries to hoist himself onto the couch to get to his mom; he…
For the third time in as many years, the Regional Transportation District will have to replace its major private contractor, as Oak Brook, Illinois-based ATC/Vancom has begged out of a five-year, $80.1 million deal. The company, which is a division of British conglomerate National Express Corporation, didn’t give a reason…
The Tattered Cover LoDo takes most of its rushes during the lunch hour, the early evening and the weekends, owing to its perch on the edge of Denver’s financial and entertainment districts. Weekday evenings are usually sedate, peopled with bibliophiles and loft-dwellers looking for an escape. But that slow routine…
What a difference a year makes. Last summer, as Mayor Wellington Webb pondered joining the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate in 2002, he seemed to take issue with a Denver appearance by the Republican who currently holds the job, Wayne Allard. Webb apparently didn’t appreciate the Loveland veterinarian invading…
Admittedly, Gordon Hamilton isn’t the most objective person when it comes to the debate about the would-be hazards of radio- frequency emissions, known as RF. Hamilton, a home-remodeling pro with a sideline in auto restoration, has lived on Jefferson County’s Lookout Mountain, the location of the metro area’s largest and…
They grin like famished wolves. Their eyes grow big. Obviously, they love the one-on-one drill. Who wouldn’t? Who could resist a thing so nakedly elemental? Stealthily, a lone shooter glides in on the crouching goaltender. The shooter swerves, he feints, he flicks his wrist and flashes the puck into a…
Qwest for Ire A family affair: I enjoyed reading Patricia Calhoun’s column on Qwest’s ever-so-helpful insert about how they protect our privacy by offering to give our privacy away (“Out of the Blue,” January 24). She did a lot of research about how heavy they are into marketing. Thanks for…
Inside Denver’s Office of the Medical Examiner, two coroner’s assistants unsealed a body bag containing the empty mortal shell of Eric Daniel Scott. A silver ball necklace lay around the body’s neck. They removed it, along with the matching nipple rings. Circling the steel autopsy table, Doctor Amy Martin began…
A $300 million investment by Xcel Energy in a subsidiary that buys and sells power plants all over the world has led to Xcel’s being placed on a negative credit watch by a national credit agency. The subsidiary, NRG Energy Inc., was spun off from one of Xcel’s predecessor companies…
Jerome Biffle wants to be remembered. For the thousands and thousands of students he counseled at East High School between 1962 and 1992, that won’t be a problem. “Oh, Lord, there’s been quite a few,” Biffle says. “I can’t count them.” When they run into him around town, they’ll say,…
Eat, drink and be wary: Don’t be surprised to read about a lot of activity in the State Capitol on January 24. It’s probably the coffee. Because after consuming their usual cups-a-joe at home that day, all 35 senators and 65 representatives will find coffee from Café Cartago on their…
For the most part, the digital TV revolution is not being televised in Denver — and with a series of disputes over broadcasting towers in varying states of gridlock, this situation is unlikely to change anytime soon. Nevertheless, the clock continues to tick. Several years ago, the Federal Communications Commission…
Sunday afternoon, the phone rings. Troy Slinkard picks up the cordless. It’s David, calling from Lakewood. “I was wondering,” he says, already knowing the answer, “if me and Charles could come up for a while.” Troy, of course, says sure. “About a half-hour?” David asks. “Sure,” says Troy. A half-hour…
