Wake-Up Call: Putting a lid on the pot party

Welcome to cannabis Colorado. This weekend, at a gathering of publishers from across the country, all the talk was about Colorado and pot — and they weren’t just asking if I was carrying. No, they wanted to know about the booming business in medical-marijuana dispensaries in this state — and…

Hickenlooper to help grill Anthony Bourdain

The last time Anthony Bourdain came to Denver, on a book tour in 2002, he wasn’t impressed with the town — and said so. So he’ll have a lot to answer for during his Q&A at the Buell Theatre next Wednesday night. Helping to grill Bourdain:: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper,…

Wake-Up Call: Ted Haggard and Norman Rockwell

“It’s a Norman Rockwell scene,” Ted Haggard told the reporters gathered outside his Colorado Spring home last night, where the New Life Church founder and disgraced minister was about to start his first, off-the-record prayer meeting. “It’s a ‘Kumbaya’ moment.” A Norman Rockwell scene? Only if when he was done…

Make Anthony Bourdain eat his words!

Anthony Bourdain wasn’t impressed with Denver when he came through town in 2002, touting A Cook’s Tour. He’ll be back for a talk at the Buell Theatre on November 18, and we’ve got a pair of tickets that we’re giving to the reader who comes up with the best three-stop…

Wake-Up Call: Arrested development in sheriff deputy vote

Forget John Hancock: Next time you’re asked to sign a petition, you can just put down your Michael Hancock. Someone — and it definitely wasn’t Denver city councilman Michael Hancock — did just that when presented with a petition pushing a ballot measure that would change the Denver City Charter…

Cafe Society gathering at the Fainting Goat tonight

Ten years ago this month Westword left LoDo — where the paper had been housed, in an assortment of offices, for more than twenty years, since long before lower downtown even had a hip nickname. Moving to the edge of the Golden Triangle, we found the space and parking we…

Wake-Up Call: Army maneuvers appeal of Pinon Canyon ruling

The Army wants to take over more of the ranchland around Pinon Canyon — but it’s not accounting adequately for the 238,000 acres it already has, taken 25 years ago in the largest land grab in the country’s history. On September 8, Judge Richard Matsch ruled that the Army’s 2007…

Get twisted at the Twisted Olive Friday

The nights get quiet in Northfield Stapleton. Driving along 29th Avenue Sunday night, I spotted a hardy crew in the Berkshire, one of the only homegrown spots in the neighborhood, but the chains surrounding that restaurant, and to the north in Northfield, were just about empty. But the area should…

Wake-Up Call: Tom Tancredo for governor of Colorado?

When I last talked with former Congressman Tom Tancredo — about marijuana, of all things, which he’d like to see legalized, even though he’s never so much as attempted to inhale — he was just back from an October Constitution Party event in Phoenix, where he’d been urged to run…

Congress Park meeting tonight on Tavern project

The Tavern Hospitality Group is ready to take over the space in the Lowenstein project at 2510 East Colfax Avenue that was previously occupied by Neighborhood Flix, where it plans to open an event center (think the Soiled Dove in Lowry) and a Tavern (think Wash Park, Uptown, etc). But…

Wake-Up Call: Michael Bennet and the enemy within

Timing is everything. On Thursday, Senator Michael Bennet voted against Lindsey Graham’s amendment that would have barred the Obama administration from trying anyone accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks in federal district courts, instead using military commissions at Guantanamo. And Bennet wasn’t alone: Graham’s proposal was tabled by a vote…

Have the munchies? Head to your nearest Hapa Sushi

First, Hapa Sushi owner Mark Van Grack offered free orange undies to participants in last week’s Naked Pumpkin Run, urging them to “Run Responsibly.” Now he’s fired up an ad that includes a map of metro Denver with the four Hapa Sushi locations marked in red — and 59 local…

Twelve turns one today

Happy birthday to Twelve, which brought fine dining to a less-than-fine location at 2233 Larimer Street last fall, but has survived that first tough year. And tonight, chef/owner Jeff Osaka will celebrate his restaurant’s first birthday by gifting diners with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine and an amuse-bouche to…

Wake-Up Call: And the medical-marijuana hits keep coming

There’s nothing mellow about medical marijuana in Colorado. In a wacky emergency session yesterday, the Colorado Board of Health tossed out its definition of “caregiver” to comply with a recent Court of Appeals decision, postponing the adoption of any new herbiage verbiage until December 16. In the meantime, Denver City…

The Tavern’s Frank Schultz encounters some flak on Colfax

It’s been a year since Neighborhood Flix, the ambitious movie theater/café in the Lowenstein project, pulled the plug — but with any luck, the lights will soon be back on at 2510 East Colfax Avenue. That’s because Frank Schultz, who runs Tavern Hospitality Group (owner of the Cowboy Lounge, the…

Wake-Up Call: Medical marijuana about to take another hit

The state isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet — and may be looking at prohibiting grass growing in your basement. The Colorado Board of Health has scheduled an Emergency Rulemaking Hearing for 10:30 a.m. today, to discuss — and possibly eliminate — its definition of “significant responsibility for…

Wake-Up Call: Marilyn Musgrave fights Bill Owens (no, not that Bill Owens)

Marilyn Musgrave’s political career rose from the dead last week, as the former Colorado congresswoman and current director of the Susan B. Anthony List’s Votes Have Consequences project campaigned for the election of Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate running for the 23rd Congressional seat left vacant when Republican John…

Hapa Sushi has a happy idea for Halloween: orange thongs

Hapa Sushi takes public — and pubic — service seriously. Stop by the popular sushi bar at 1117 Pearl Street in Boulder to pick up your free pair of orange underpants — briefs or thongs, featuring the Hapa logo and the words “Run Responsibly” — and you’ll be covered against…