City Cast Denver City Cast

It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up this week's news. In the wake of the news about President Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, will Colorado democrats change their campaign strategies? Then, with a new Trader Joe’s slated to open in Westminster in 2025, producer Olivia Jewell Love is back with another hot City Cast Denver Top 5 list, this time, Trader Joe’s snacks. She’s joined by host Bree Davies and politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to also talk about Governor Polis’ spirited CNN comments, VP Harris’s embracing of Brat Summer, the joys of Everything But the Bagel cashews, and, of course, our wins and fails of the week.

We shared clips of non-Gen Zers talking about VP Harris and “Brat Summer” on CNN and Fox News. Bree talked about the burglary at Columbine Steak House and Urban Peak’s new “Mothership” housing. Olivia discussed Crush, the rescued lobster, and the end of the non-compete era for workers. Justine mentioned the horrifying treatment of Terrell Davis by United Airlines and the Mestizo-Curtis Park Pool getting a much-needed remodel. 

We’re doing a Bike Scavenger Hunt with Bike Streets! Check out our Hey Denver newsletter for more information, then get on your bicycle and play along!
 
What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

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Meow Wolf

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Introducing Ashton Kutcher on AI and investing from Possible.
Follow the show: Possible

This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Ashton Kutcher. While you might know him as the actor and producer who rose to fame on That ‘70s Show, Dude, Where’s My Car, and MTV’s Punk’d, Ashton is also an accomplished venture capitalist. He is co-founder of the VC firm Sound Ventures, and he has been investing in AI for more than a decade. Ashton, Reid, and Aria discuss the future of AI software and hardware, startups, and the AI revolution’s impact on society. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:
3:00 - Hellos and intros
3:56 - Ashton and Reid’s trip to the South Pole
8:20 - What’s exciting about AI for investors 
13:31 - How Ashton brings AI into his daily life
19:02 - Changes to the job market in an age of AI
22:01 - How people can maintain their agency and find more time in the age of AI
26:37 - AI and talent-sourcing
30:40 - How to be a “tryer” 
35:14 - Rapid-fire questions 

Select mentions

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Dædalus
 
Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

Young people have long flocked to Denver for our proximity to the mountains, Red Rocks’ stellar concert calendar, tons of local breweries, and even access to local weed. But do they ever come here for… love? If so, how do single Denverites even meet? Westword’s Hannah Metzger and Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton from the Denver Post have both been reporting on dating in the Mile High and have some interesting insights into how people are — or aren’t — having luck finding partners. They join host Bree Davies to dig into why the apps aren’t always the place to be and how much this city’s stereotypes can help or hinder singles looking to make meaningful love connections.

Hannah reported on our city’s dating scene being a “dumpster fire” and also recapped the Denver edition (and all-time least-successful season) of “Married at First Sight”. Megan interviewed the guys who took out a billboard looking for love for their single brother and wrote about how “Menver” has fizzled out; she also joined us a few months a go to talk about the dating stereotype.

Do you have a Denver dating horror story — or a metro area meet-cute anecdote to share? Leave us a voicemail or shoot us a text at 720-500-5418 and you might hear it on the show!

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

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What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Meow Wolf

Denver Health


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With a little less than two weeks left to gather the signatures needed, canvassers are working hard to get Initiative 310 on the ballot. This piece of legislation could fundamentally change the way we vote in Colorado, introducing the concept of ranked choice voting. Supporters of RCV say it would level the playing field for third party candidates and offer voters more options at the ballot box. However detractors — like today’s guest, Representative Emily Sirota — are concerned that RCV could interfere with our perfectly good system for casting votes and lead to issues like ballot spoilage. Emily joins producer Paul Karolyi to talk about her last-minute amendment that could challenge the future implementation of something like RCV, and why she’s so concerned about the intentions of the big money donor behind Initiative 310.
Earlier this month, Paul interviewed the folks behind Initiative 310 about why they think Colorado is ready for ranked choice voting. Still confused about what, exactly, RCV is and how it works? We published an explainer, which you can read here, and you can learn more about open primaries from our friends at Colorado Public Radio.
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver
Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Meow Wolf

Denver Health


Babbel: Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST


SCP Colorado Springs Hotel: Book with code CITYCAST for 20% off weekday stays!

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
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After a year in office, what does Mayor Mike Johnston think he’s accomplished? Yesterday he gave the annual State of the City speech at the Paramount Theater, pointing out his housing wins and what he sees as a successful approach to welcoming newcomers. He also unveiled some projects in the works, like plans for creating a more vibrant downtown, the development of a “trust patrol” with Denver police, and a new citywide volunteer effort called “Give 5 Mile High”. But when it comes to sweeping political speeches, the devil is in the details — host Bree Davies and producer Olivia Jewell Love dive deeper into the mayor’s words, actions, and the numbers to figure out what it all means for Denver and the mayor’s few years.

Olivia mentioned Kyle Harris’ Denverite piece on the businesses on Broadway and the website for the Give 5 Mile High program where you can submit to be a community partner. You can watch the State of the City on the City of Denver’s Youtube; the Denver Gazette also has a full transcript of the speech. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver
Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Meow Wolf

Denver Health


Babbel: Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST


PineMelon: Use promo code CITYCASTDENVER for $75 off your first delivery


SCP Colorado Springs Hotel: Book with code CITYCAST for 20% off weekday stays!


Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
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Thanks to our sponsors at the Colfax Ave BID for helping us end our Colfax Week with a bang! 

All week long we’ve been talking about the colorful, complex, and celebrated street known as Colfax Avenue. For the week’s grand finale, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talked to Mayor Mike Johnston in front of a live audience, on perfect summer Colfax evening. Johnston rates his performance as mayor so far, discusses his approval ratings, and even weighs in on President Biden’s future. Then, Paul and Bree challenged the Mayor to a lightning round, revealing his taste in craft beer and his bike-to-work habits. You don’t wanna miss it.

Thank you to all our loyal City Cast listeners who came to hang Friday night! It was great seeing you there. We’d love it if you would tag us @citycastdenver in your Instagram posts or chat about your experience on r/CityCastDenver. If you couldn’t make it this time, we hope to see you at the next one!

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver
Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this July 22nd episode:

Meow Wolf

Denver Health


Babbel: Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST


SCP Colorado Springs Hotel: Book with code CITYCAST for 20% off weekday stays!


Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices