A Denver city employee will be sent to El Paso for about a month to continue spreading the word on the city’s new migrant response program.  On Wednesday, City Council members in the Safety and Housing committee were given an update on the city’s new Denver Asylum Seeker Program. Councilmembers were given breakdowns of budgets and next steps in the process, which will see a move from emergency sheltering work to a focus on providing new immigrants with housing, rent and food assistance and job training for six months. When the program was announced in early April, Denver Human Services se ..read more

Everyone wanted to lip sync in drag when DeMarcio Slaughter started emceeing the main stage at Denver’s annual PrideFest two decades ago. “It was 15 drag queens out of 17 performers,” he remembered. That history is one reason why this year’s talent pool stood out to him so much. A significant portion of the 21 people who tried out for the event’s Center Stage last week did more than silently move their mouths. They sang. They spun in midair. One did a Celtic dance. Another slayed a violin. “The live talent was something we haven’t seen with such consistency,” he said. “Maybe the medium is chan ..read more

More than 24,000 of apartments in the Denver area are vacant so far in 2024 — a figure that has held steady compared to the end of 2023. Average rent is up $5, to $1,875. That’s according to the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, which released its quarterly report Tuesday. The slight change in average rent continues months of relative stability after rent rose steadily in 2021 and 2022. At the end of 2023, average rent dropped by $18. Now it’s back up by $5. But the median rent — the middle range in the metro area — is up by $13 compared to the end of 2023. The report takes into account ..read more

A new fire station is coming to the Gateway and Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. But first, a city ordinance needs to be amended.  The northwest corner of Telluride Street and 56th Avenue will one day house Fire Station #40, Denver Fire Departments’ newest space. The station is currently in the design phase, which will be completed this summer. And construction is set to begin either this fall or early 2025.  However, before things continue, City Council needs to fix a technicality. The station is being paid for partially by the 2018 Elevate Denver bond. It’s also being paid for by t ..read more

Summer programming at Denver’s beloved outdoor amphitheater is in full swing with acts booked 27 out of the 31 days in May.  The biggest name on this month’s Red Rocks roster: Denver-based DJ and producer Illenium. Credited with the largest EDM headliner event in U.S. history for last summer’s Empower Field show, the dance music artist returns this time at Red Rocks on May 14.  Popular comics will also come through Denver next month. South African comedian and former host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, will be in town for a show on May 2 and American stand-up comic Gabriel Iglesias ..read more

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is adding 24-hour security starting May 5, in response to concerns from employees and customers about safety. Earlier this year, RTD said it planned to double its police force by the summer. Its force has grown from 19 people in 2022 to 61 officers currently, with an expected total of 119 in the next few months. In March the agency introduced a pilot program keeping elevator doors open while at rest at a handful of stations as part of an effort to “limit illegal activities.” In addition to growing its police force, the agency said it plans to add six ..read more

Denver airport leaders are considering building a child care center — maybe more than one — to help recruit and retain employees at the growing airport campus. To further study the concept, the airport hopes to win City Council approval Monday for a 3-year, $800,000 contract with a Denver advocacy group that will assist with research and planning. A council committee already approved the proposal on April 10. The airport’s plan reflects the reality that child care — or the lack thereof — can have big economic consequences for employers that rely on working parents to fill their ranks. More tha ..read more

Snacks on wheels will be a regular summer offering for two Denver metro area parks.  Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) is launching the Feast in Denver’s Nature pilot program this summer to help activate and offer quality social experiences for park visitors.  Licensed food truck vendors chosen for the food truck pilot will commit to providing food and non-alcoholic beverage services at Washington Park and Paco Sanchez Park during certain days and hours of operation. “DPR has received about 15 applications for the pilot program,” said Yolanda Quesada, DPR spokesperson. “[DPR] plans t ..read more

Colorado’s plastic bag ban went into effect in January (though enforcement can be spotty). But grocery stores are allowed to continue handing out bags until June 1 to get rid of inventory. With that deadline approaching, the City of Denver is asking residents to trade in plastic bags for a free reusable one. A recycling company, Trex, will turn those plastic bags into outdoor furniture. Here’s where Denverites can trade in plastic for a tote: Monday, April 22, from 4-7 p.m. at the Safeway at 2660 N. Federal Blvd. Sunday, May 5, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Safeway at 6460 E. Yale Ave. Friday, M ..read more

Corinne Eastman thought she knew what she was getting into when she wandered towards the haze hanging over Denver’s annual 4/20 festival in Civic Center Park in 2018. “You see the billow of smoke everywhere, and you walk in and assume you can smoke,” she remembered. “My friend and I went and sat down on a patch of grass and lit up a joint.” But her sense of ease was misplaced. Police officers approached them moments after they sparked up, told them to put it out and ticketed them for unlawful open consumption as hundreds of others smoked their own stashes across the lawn. “That ended up being ..read more