Dave Burdick
As seen in:
American Journalism Project,
Medium,
HuffPost,
The Denver Post,
Grist,
Nieman Lab,
Colorado Public Radio,
KRCC-FM (Colorado Springs, CO),
KUSA-TV (Denver, CO),
KMGH-TV (Denver, CO),
GOOD
and
Covers:
Colorado-based culture, government, inequality, money, health, arts, environment and other things that directly affect people's lives.
Newsroom strategy at @JournalismProj. Started @denverite. Also former @cprnews, @denverpost, @good, @huffpost. Excited about that thing you've been working on.
Articles by Dave Burdick
Opinion: Denver Broncos owners can build perfect new stadium but still lose what makes home games matter
Personal seat licenses, which could be part of the Broncos’ new stadium plan, risk replacing lifelong fans with seats held for resale rather than participation and tradition. This doesn’t feel like progress. It feels like the quiet ending of something we built together. The NFL is a business, stadiums age, and progress is part of the game. Broncos fans are not opposed to change. We struggled with the move from the original Mile High but learned to love the current stadium .
It snowed in Denver in the winter
Central Denver woke up to several inches of snow this morning, and the National Weather Service suggests we shouldn't think it's over, with a high chance of precipitation and even calling for an additional 4 to 6 inches of snow this evening.
This is Denverite's new website
Hi! Denverite has a new website, and you're looking right at it. I'll be honest, the old one was starting to fall apart. Specifically, for the nerds, we had what my developer friend has characterized as "cruft" and "spaghetti code." I'm Dave Burdick, the founding editor of Denverite, and I'm just writing this today so the Denverite team can stay focused on what they do every day: Telling you what you need to know about living, working and playing in Denver.
A proposed Jewish district in West Colfax isn't happening. But a new film hopes to keep the history alive
The proposed creation of a Jewish historic district in the West Colfax neighborhood is no longer in the works, but a film documenting the area’s past and present aims to satiate the need to keep the memories alive. Last week at MCA’s Holiday Theater, the city’s Office of Storytelling hosted a screening of “Kesher: The West Side Jewish Connection,” a documentary about the historical and present-day stories of West Colfax’s Jewish population.
Six shot in Denver overnight
Six people were shot early Sunday in Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. Denver Police reported on Twitter that the shooting occurred before 3 a.m. Sunday in the neighborhood of single family homes in the 5000 block of North Orleans Court. The department did not release the conditions of those who were injured. Before dawn, Orleans Court was closed at East 50th Place and crime scene tape circled DPD vehicles as officers and detectives worked the scene.
New immigrant families in Denver must exit shelters as the city scales back aid. Many have nowhere to go
Francis Marrevals is the kind of mother willing to face the worst so her children can have a chance. Several years back, her son was diagnosed with autism, but he could not get the professional care he needed in Venezuela. The country’s near economic collapse left medical services out of reach for her and so many others. But she had to get help for her kid.
In DC, Mayor Mike Johnston has one big ask: Let migrants get to work
“Wonderfully chaotic.” That’s how Denver Mayor Mike Johnston described the scene of 300 mayors who gathered in a large Washington, D.C., hotel this week to talk about the issues important to their communities and meet with federal lawmakers and officials. For Johnston, there was one concern foremost on his mind: the migrant crisis, and its specific impact on Denver. “We have about 5,000 people in shelter on any given night, and we get 200 or 300 a day, every day, that arrive by bus,” he said.
City Council needs to better track its technology and credit cards, according to new audit report
City Council’s current operations could increase risks of cyberattacks, according to a new audit report from the Denver Auditor’s Office released Thursday. The audit found issues with how City Council tracks technology equipment, how the city makes sure staff take cybersecurity training and how offices track credit card usage. “The council is within the city’s firewall,” Auditor Tim O’Brien said in a statement Thursday.
'The language of teenagers': New grant brings Crisis Text Line to Denver and its schools
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat In the midst of what experts say is a youth mental health emergency, Denver has a new response: a text line that lets teenagers seek help in a way that’s comfortable for them.
Bugs, snow plowing and a critical mayoral election: How curiosity shaped our reporting this year
The cool thing about working in news is that we get to learn a lot of interesting and weird things. Sometimes, you guys point us in a direction and other times it’s our own curiosity that leads to stories. And there was plenty to be curious about in 2023, including the miller moth invasion and subsequent green dangling worm attack. There were a ton of transportation questions, sidewalk questions and garbage questions.
Denver will consider banning sweeps during freezing days. Mayor Mike Johnston and other city leaders aren't fully on board.
Come the new year, City Council will vote on stopping homeless encampment sweeps during freezing temperatures and opening warming centers when the temperature dips below 32 degrees. A split Safety and Housing committee voted four to three on Wednesday to pass the legislation on to Council for a full vote, though they face opposition from Mayor Mike Johnston and some city officials who say the bills are too broad and could create confusion.
More than 300 people experiencing homelessness have died on Denver's streets this year. They'll be honored at a vigil Thursday
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will honor 312 people who have died on the streets of Denver so far in 2023. The Homeless Person’s Memorial Vigil will begin Thursday at 5 p.m. outside of the Denver City & County Building. The annual memorial is meant to highlight the ongoing crisis of people living on the streets and facing the elements.
You can keep a Denver shelter animal company by reading to it for a little while
As holiday music echoed in the background, pajama-clad kids and adults read books about Santa, little blue trucks and hero pets saving the day. Their audience: Furry friends. The Denver Animal Shelter held its Bedtime Stories event over the weekend where human friends and families read stories to the dogs and cats living at the shelter. Lindsay Wells, DAS’ philanthropy administrator, said DAS will typically host the story times around Christmas, New Years and Valentine’s Day.
Live Elijah McClain trial updates
What to know right now: Today is the fourth day of jury selection and the court has suggested that opening statements could start as soon as mid-morning today. There will be three trials for five defendants. The first concerns Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema — both officers arrived moments after their colleague Aurora Police Department officer Nathan Woodyard made initial contact with McClain on a street in August 2019. Jury selection began Friday, Sept.
East High School shooter's interest in ghost guns derailed a once-promising academic outlook
The 17-year-old student was bright with an interest in engineering, but his attitude toward guns led to repeated tense encounters with law enforcement and school officials. The daily searches of an East High School student who shot two administrators inside the school this week were prompted by a report, just last week, that he had been spotted with a gun.
Thousands rallied for gun legislation for the third time this month
Denver Public Schools canceled classes throughout the district on Friday, freeing up thousands of students, teachers and faculty to march on the Capitol. They rallied on the statehouse steps, chanting and cheering in the morning’s cold. “Do something. Protect us. Say something. Help us,” North High School sophomore Angeli Cazares shouted to the crowd. “People I know didn’t make it past middle school due to guns. People I love didn’t get to go to prom, and people I see every day never made it home.
Pozole Fest returns to Westwood this weekend
“Food is an expression of culture.” Looking to satiate your soul with hot food, drinks and culture? Look no further than the third annual Festival de Pozole in Westwood. On Friday and Saturday, feast on 25 different pozole flavors from local chefs and community members around Denver at the RISE Westwood Campus, 3738 Morrison Rd. Each day vendors will be showcasing different bowls of the liquid gold, so best to attend both days.
Curious about cumbia? Join Ciudad Reina for a cumbia history and dance lesson
“It’s so much more than just music.” Where did cumbia music originate? But perhaps more importantly, how do you dance to it? If you were curious, the folks with Ciudad Reina can teach you Friday night at the RedLine Contemporary Art Center. The lessons are part of special event Una Historia de la Cumbia!, an event featuring cumbia history lessons, music and, of course, dancing. RedLine is located at 2350 Arapahoe St. and the festivities will go from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight.
Pinkerton, the security firm involved in the 2020 killing of a protestor, can resume operating in Denver
Pinkerton, the security firm whose subcontractor shot and killed a protester in 2020, can operate in Denver again after the city renewed the company’s license Wednesday. In 2020, 9News hired Pinkerton to protect journalists covering a protest, during which right-wing protestors and anti-fascist counter demonstrators had a standoff. At the protests, subcontracted and unlicensed guard Matthew Dolloff fatally shot right-wing protester Lee Keltner.
Leslie Herod's running for office in 2022 and in 2023. State law doesn't really know what to do with that.
Leslie Herod is currently a candidate for more than one office, and that may be in conflict with state law. Or not, according to her campaign. Herod is on the ballot this November for the House District 8 seat representing a section of north Denver, and she has filed paperwork to run for mayor of Denver next Spring.
Despite controversy, Mayor Hancock isn't worried about DIA CEO Phillip Washington's federal nomination
Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver International Airport (DIA) CEO Phillip Washington said Wednesday that they’re not worried about the recent search warrant involving Washington’s previous job leading the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, which could derail his nomination to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). President Joe Biden tapped Washington to head the FAA in June.
Manuel Aragon is looking to share Northside stories through a sci-fi lens
Aragon was recently awarded a writing residency with Tin House, a book publisher based in Portland, Oregon, and New York. Manuel Aragon is no stranger to discussing the gentrification, and subsequent displacement of Latinos on the Northside. Most Northsiders aren’t because if they don’t continue to tell their stories, there’s a chance no one will. In Aragon’s case, he’s ready to share some Northside narratives through a science-fiction lens with his collection of short-stories titled Norteñas.
DIA budget projects 2023 traffic will exceed pre-pandemic levels
It would be a faster recovery than most other airports in the U.S. The Denver International Airport (DEN) has proposed a $1.33 billion budget for next year, projecting that traffic will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2023. That’s the fifth fastest airport recovery pace in the country, according to the research group Fitch Ratings. Only airports in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Miami, Fla., Boise, Idaho and Fort Meyers, Fla. had matched or exceeded 2019 rates by the end of the first fiscal quarter in 2022.
What Denver voters want in a mayor: A woman, a community leader and somebody other than Hancock
More than half of people surveyed in a recent poll say they are motivated by voting for a woman as the next mayor, and a quarter are very motivated by it. Republicans were the only group that did not consider it an important factor. Denver has never had a woman as mayor.
Mayor Michael Hancock wants to destigmatize mental health issues, especially among Black men
It’s estimated that forty percent of adults are dealing with anxiety and depression. That same figure holds true for teenagers, who say they tend to feel sad or hopeless. Black and Brown communities are disproportionately undertreated, even as their well-documented challenges with mental illness have continued to rise.
Rev. Amanda Henderson is working to affirm faith's place in progressive movements
The Iliff School of Theology, which sits off University Boulevard, just south of the University of Denver, has been around for about 130 years. Recently, school leadership has been working to make sure the communities around it – and potential students – see their work rooted in current-day issues and movements. It’s a crucial moment to reaffirm their relevance, as more and more Americans identify as secular. Professors have dug into the ethics of artificial intelligence and climate justice.
Montbello's Building Wealth from Within program promotes residents' dreams of owning a business
“We have entrepreneurs left and right in our community, especially Montbello, but they don’t have the tools to be able to complete their dreams. Now they do.” There’s a new wave of entrepreneurs ready to take the Denver metro-area by storm. Nine Northeast Denver residents recently graduated from the Montbello Organizing Committee’s first Building Wealth from Within program, bringing the participants a big step closer to creating and establishing their small businesses.
Does election cash equal a win? Not necessarily, but it helps!
Fundraising is already well underway for Denver’s municipal election this spring. It’s early, but we can already see that City Council’s At-Large and District 9 races will be hot contests. Money isn’t everything – in life or in political races – but we wanted to know if fundraising is any kind of predictor for who might gain (or keep) power in 2023. Generally speaking: in Denver, money talks. In 15 of 20 City Council races held in 2015 and 2019, candidates who raised the most money also won seats.
We asked for some cold treats to beat the heat and y'all delivered
I scream. You scream. Denverites scream for ice cream! The fall equinox is on September 22. So, give or take, we have about two months left of summer. And it’s been a hot one. Luckily, we’ll see a slight drop below 90 for the next few days – a momentary respite. But after that … it’s back to the sweltering. So, besides staying hydrated, staying out of the midday sun and staying propped up next to the AC, what else can we do?
An intimate, traditional African performance will be Brenton Zola's last hurrah in Denver, for now
Brenton Zola’s passion to make the world more human began while growing up in Denver. He remembers catching flack from kids at school for being different as a first-generation immigrant to this country and instinctively burying his Congo heritage. Now, he works to share his heritage others. In the last few years, the playwright and artist dug into his heritage to produce a play with DCPA and a radio program with WBUR about the struggle to end colonialism in Congo, where his family has deep roots.
We went behind the scenes at Denver-area lucha libre -- come see what we saw
“I cry for literally anything. I’m so sensitive. But when I go out there, I change.” In a tiny dressing room about the size of a decent walk-in closet, Puma looked into a silver handheld Beauty and the Beast replica mirror. She balanced a colorful palette on her knees as she put on her makeup. “I’ve been nervous for three weeks,” she said, laughing. “And with this weather, I don’t know.
A ton of money is already being poured into some of Denver's 2023 municipal elections
Denverites, in less than nine months, you’ll be voting for your next mayor and possibly deciding your next city council representative. With federal and state midterms on the way, it’s still pretty early. Still, citywide candidates who’ve officially kicked off campaigns had their first deadline to file fundraising numbers last week. We’ve got your first look at what’s coming – and we’ll be at it until the dust settles next year.
Denver high temps will hover near 100 degrees through Saturday
Hot summer weather will bake the metro area over the next few days, with Denver’s high expected to hover close to 100 degrees every day from Thursday to Saturday. Expect highs around 96 on Thursday. Friday will be the hottest day of the three, with a high around 98-and a potential to jump into triple digits in some parts of the city, according to the National Weather Service. It comes as most parts of Colorado and the country as a whole are roasting in a summer heat wave.
Denver plans to reserve all cannabis delivery licenses for social equity businesses
If the plan moves forward, a three-year exclusivity period for social equity businesses set in 2021 would be lifted. Denver’s social equity businesses could soon see an uptick in delivery orders. That’s the hope, according to a proposal from the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses. Social equity businesses are those disproportionately impacted by previous marijuana laws and enforcement.
The Historic Elitch Theatre has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. It just got its sign
It’s also going to get a new coat of paint. The Historic Elitch Theatre on Denver’s northside was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. But you might not have known that until recently. This has been a good month for The Historic Elitch Theatre. The preservation foundation received two meaningful grants. One grant from the William G.
Denverite is hiring an editor for Denverite
We are hiring someone to direct news coverage and steward long-term vision and mission in our modern, fast-paced and entrepreneurial newsroom. Jul.
Heading to the Avalanche celebration parade? Here's how to avoid spending the whole day in traffic
Parking will be extremely limited, so you might want to consider public transit options. Thousands of Colorado Avalanche fans are expected to descend on downtown Denver Thursday morning for a rally and parade celebrating the team’s Stanley Cup win. That means street closures. Lots of them.
Denver expands its housing-first service model to 125 unhoused people
Colorado Coalition of the Homeless head John Parvensky has seen the city study the housing-first model for twenty years and says it’s obvious it works. He says it’s time to quit studying and invest more. A decade after and with homelessness on the rise, Denver is expanding its housing-first approach to solving homelessness by expanding the Housing to Health program, which will help 125 chronically homeless residents receive services and shelter.
When it comes to big issues for Denverites, candidates have many questions to answer before the November election
Most voters didn’t vote in the primary, and many races only had one person running, giving candidates a chance to avoid criticism and stay silent on the issues. After interviewing 100 Denver residents from neighborhoods and communities across the city about what they want to see from candidates, we have a lot on our mind: affordability, crime, education, the environment, health and wellness, transportation and a mistrust in government.
The Epps-March race is too close to call as of Tuesday night
The battle between two progressive democrats in the House District 6 Democratic primary is… ongoing. After an 11:30 p.m. voting update Tuesday and with 12,464 ballots counted, the race between Elisabeth Epps and Katie March was still too close to call. March is currently leading by 34 votes. According to election rules, a recount is triggered if the difference between the two votes is less than or equal to 0.5%. Currently, the difference is .05%.
It's only Tuesday, a photobook
It’s been a week! There’ve been two days of late night activity and riot police on the streets in downtown … and it’s only Tuesday. Some demonstrations were of celebration. Others came from pure frustration. Denver has been a tale of two cities in the past two days. Here’s a photo book of the past 48 hours and the whiplash of emotions involved. A city in celebration The Avs logo was projected on the side of the Republic Plaza throughout the Stanley Cup Final.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette wins the Democratic primary for District 1
In a landslide victory, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette has won the Democratic primary vote for Congressional District 1, according to the Associated Press. With the win, DeGette goes on to face Republican candidate Jennifer Qualteri. She hasn’t made any campaign finance filings, compared to DeGette’s $808,000, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission data. In a blog post on her website, Qualteri defended the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center designates as a hate group.
Introducing: The Denverite Peoples' Agenda, or how we're going to cover this year's election
We talked to our favorite people: you! Earlier this year, the Denverite team fanned out across the city with a question for anyone and everyone we came across: What’s important to you in this upcoming election? We went to places like Little Saigon off Federal, the Hiawatha Davis rec center, Wah Gwaan Brewery off Santa Fe, libraries — basically anywhere Denverites frequent — and spoke to 100 of you about your priorities for the election.
Denver's e-bike rebates are already gaining traction with residents
Denver residents are lining up for city-funded discounts on electric bicycles. On Earth Day, Denver announced the e-bike rebate program to encourage residents to ditch their cars in favor of two-wheeled alternatives. An ongoing analysis at Portland State University shows its one of the most generous programs in the country. Any Denver resident can get a $400 discount for an e-bike, plus an additional $500 for a cargo e-bike.
Photos: Denver abortion rights supporters rally, outraged by a leaked Supreme Court draft ruling to overturn Roe vs. Wade
Throngs of abortion rights supporters gathered on the west side of the Capitol and marched through Denver on Tuesday, a day after a leaked draft opinion suggested the Supreme Court would overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that declared access to an abortion a constitutional right across the United States half a century ago. Even if the court were to overturn the 50-year-old legal precedent, Colorado’s Reproductive Health Equity Act was signed by Gov.
Can Denver arrest its way out of the problems at Union Station?
We asked experts if the strategy will effectively help stop drug use and dealing in Denver. The answer? “Everybody knows it’s not effective.” Denver police have made 932 arrests in and around Union Station between January 1 and April 30, according to department records Denverite obtained. If those arrest rates continue, the city will have made over 1,000 by the end of May.
It's electric! Denver funds Montbello's community-based transportation project
Community-run electric transportation, including bikes and shuttles, will be arriving in Montbello — a response to a lack of functional public transportation for many in the neighborhood On Monday night, the Montbello Organizing Committee, a community-based group in Northeast Denver that works on food justice, health, housing, and transportation issues, received funding from City Council for the purchase of an electric van, an electric charging station and an electric bicycle library.
City Council to the FDA: Quit discriminating against men who have sex with men and want to give blood
“We want to draw attention to the fact that there’s a nationwide blood shortage, encourage as many people as possible to give blood, but also recognize it’s time for these rules to be updated,” said Councilmember Chris Herndon. On Monday, Denver City Council backed Sen. Michael Bennet in his push to convince the Food and Drug Administration to reform its policy that keeps men who have sex with men from donating blood within three months after their last sexual encounter.
Grandpa's Burger Haven seeks a new owner. The cost? $1,575,000, with a side of nostalgia.
For nearly sixty years, the Federal Blvd. burger joint has been dishing out some of Denver’s tastiest fast food. If retiring owner Randy Goddard has his way, that’s not going to change after he’s gone. In 1964, six-year-old Douglas Martinez tasted his first greasy cheeseburger at a new roadside dive at 23 South Federal Blvd. Now called Grandpa’s Burger Haven, the Barnum staple is part of a long, mostly gone tradition of mom-and-pop order-to-go fast-food restaurants on major strips.
Elyria Swansea is getting a grocery store for the first time in at least a half-century
Plump heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and peppers went from farm baskets into customers’ bags on Saturday beneath a tent on the side of the road in Elyria Swansea. The lot behind this pop-up market was once a fenced-off industrial yard. Today, it’s a massive housing building that will be occupied, in part, by a community healthcare clinic run by the Tepeyac Community Health Center.
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