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Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword‘s news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

michaelrobertscolo@gmail.com

Denver Cop Who Killed Suicidal Paul Castaway Headed Toward Trial

By Michael Roberts

Last year, as we’ve reported, the mother of Paul Castaway, a suicidal man who was holding a knife to his own throat when he was killed by Denver police officer Michael Traudt in July 2015, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case, with attorney Matthew Buck arguing that Castaway was “effectively murdered” during an incident captured on video, as seen below. Now, a U.S. District Court judge has denied a motion to dismiss the excessive-force aspect of the case against Traudt, keeping the case alive and on track for what could be a blockbuster trial.

Reaction to Councilman Sharing Racist Post: “I’m Shocked People Are Shocked”

By Michael Roberts

This week, Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks shared on his Facebook page a racist email he received as a way of underscoring and decrying the hateful speech, messaging and behavior he feels has been unleashed by President Donald Trump and the forces behind his rise to power. According to Brooks, Caucasians and people of color have reacted to the post very differently.

See Channel 2’s Natalie Tysdal Vomit on Live TV

By Michael Roberts

On yesterday’s edition of Channel 2’s Daybreak, co-host Natalie Tysdal vomited on live television. And while some stations try to downplay their on-air gaffes, the folks at Channel 2 did just the opposite, sharing the footage on social media with pride. See it below and access links to many of Denver TV’s all-time best bloopers, including an inadvertent penis shot, a reporter who made a horrified child cry and a weatherman who told a female colleague, “Congratulations on your big hooters.”

Busted Denver Cop Ryan Burke’s Priors Include Bone-Breaking Brutality Case

By Michael Roberts

Denver police officer Ryan Burke was arrested last month after allegedly harassing his former girlfriend so persistently at an area hotel that representatives from the business called his fellow cops on him. But this is hardly the first time he’s been in trouble with either his employer or local officials. He’s been suspended twice during the past four years by the Denver Police Department, and the Denver City Council paid thousands to settle an excessive-force lawsuit that named him. The latter was used to help establish a pattern and practice of law-enforcement brutality by attorneys for the family of Marvin Booker, whose death in Denver jail resulted in a $6 million settlement — and the Booker case was recently sent to a grand jury because of new information about a potential coverup.

Ten Most Expensive Neighborhoods for Rent in Denver This Fall

By Michael Roberts

Once again, there’s good news and bad news in Zumper’s latest report about rent prices in Denver, this one focusing on the fall of 2017. The good news is that the average cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in the ten most expensive Denver neighborhoods right now is typically down from the levels we documented in our spring and summer roundups. The bad news is median rent for a one-bedroom in the most sought-after location is up by more than $100, bringing the cost to a jaw-slackening $2,000 per month.

Inside Dismissal of Ex-KOA Star Steffan Tubbs’s Domestic-Violence Charge

By Michael Roberts

Last week, as we’ve reported, a charge of domestic violence via telephone was dismissed against Steffan Tubbs, the longtime host of KOA’s Colorado Morning News, who subsequently wrote on social media that he was “always innocent” and identified himself as a domestic-violence victim. Now, Tubbs’s attorney and his accuser are speaking out and sharing startling and sometimes contradictory details about the incident and the relationship from which it sprang even as the Denver City Attorney’s Office confirms that the case is currently under appeal.

Five Richest Coloradans Today — and the One Tied With Donald Trump

By Michael Roberts

Each year around this time, Forbes magazine reveals the identities of the wealthiest Americans — and since 2014, we’ve highlighed the five richest Coloradans according to their position on what’s popularly known as the Forbes 400. But while the same quintet appears on this year’s roster as was the case three years ago, there’s been a notable shift in position that’s lifted Fort Collins’s Pat Stryker into a tie with President Donald Trump. As of today, October 24, though, Stryker is worth more.

Why a Longtime Rocky Mountain National Park Trail May Be Removed

By Michael Roberts

Crater Trail is an unofficial feature of Rocky Mountain National Park, but it’s also a well-established one, having been in place for generations. Now, however, an environmental assessment conducted by the National Park Service argues in favor of permanently eliminating a trail that’s been a local favorite for generations.

Bill O’Reilly Turns Eric Bolling Jr. Boulder Overdose Death Into Sex Claim Attack

By Michael Roberts

In September, CU Boulder student Eric Bolling Jr., namesake of former Fox News personality Eric Bolling, became the second celebrity son to die of an overdose in Colorado during a 41-day period. The tragedy underscored the rising number of opioid fatalities in the state. But this week, Bill O’Reilly, a onetime Fox News superstar who some observers believe was the biggest jerk in Denver TV history, put a new spin on the younger Bolling’s death, suggesting that it may have been caused by his father’s departure from Fox News following claims of sexual impropriety.

Underwear Bomber’s Supermax Suit: Force-Feeding, Abuse by Nudie Mags

By Michael Roberts

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, dubbed the Underwear Bomber after a failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airplane on Christmas 2009, was imprisoned at ADX Florence, aka Supermax, in 2012, immediately making him one of the most notorious terrorists housed in Colorado. Now, Abdulmutallab has filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the federal Bureau of Prisons in which he claims that he’s been prevented from properly practicing his Muslim faith, force-fed during hunger strikes staged to protest his treatment and belittled by guards who showed him photos of nude women during prayer time.

Top 20 Tweets Begging Sorry Broncos to Sign Colin Kaepernick or Tim Tebow

By Michael Roberts

Your Denver Broncos knew their October 22 rematch with the Los Angeles Chargers was a must-win game after an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants and the angry tweet-storm that followed. But instead of reasserting their dominance over Philip Rivers and company, they laid their biggest goose egg of a generation. The Broncos’ 21-0 defeat in a nearly empty L.A.-area soccer stadium marked their first shutout since 1992, a span of a quarter-century, and prompted desperate fans on social media to call for current Denver signal-caller Trevor Siemian to be replaced by either the controversial Colin Kaepernick or the sainted but ineffective Tim Tebow, as seen in the Twitter roundup below.

Denver Neighborhoods With the Most Violent Crimes Right Now

By Michael Roberts

Through the first three quarters of 2017, violent crime as a whole in Denver is up, with the most worrisome leap coming in the homicide category. And while a significant number of neighborhoods in the city have registered few violent offenses, five sport totals in excess of 100 combined episodes of murder, robbery and aggravated assault.

Ex-KOA Host Steffan Tubbs: Charges Dropped, Calls Himself a Victim

By Michael Roberts

Steffan Tubbs, former host of KOA’s Colorado Morning News, who was let go by the station following his late July arrest on suspicion of domestic violence, disturbance by phone, has revealed that charges against him were dropped yesterday, October 19. He did so in a tweet in which he called himself a domestic violence victim.

Meet Erik Underwood, Ex-Republican Running for Governor as a Democrat

By Michael Roberts

Erik Underwood, a tech industry pro who switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat after his 2016 run for the U.S. Senate fell short, is a candidate for Colorado governor in 2018. In the following in-depth conversation, Underwood talks about overcoming an impoverished childhood en route to a successful business career and the details of his ambitious agenda for the state.

Study: New Amazon HQ in Denver Could Send Rents Sky High and More

By Michael Roberts

Today, October 19, marks the deadline for cities to submit proposals to Amazon focusing on why they should be home to the company’s second headquarters, shorthanded as HQ2, and the presentation from Denver, which is considered one of the favorites, is in. Plenty of locals have been worried about the impact on traffic, infrastructure and more should the Mile High City win the race, which is predicted to result in more than 100,000 new jobs between Amazon employees and ancillary workers, and a new study that predicts significantly higher rent and housing costs here in the wake of HQ2 adds more reasons for concern.

Denver Radio Boss of KS-107.5, Alice and More Is Out

By Michael Roberts

One of the most powerful figures in Denver radio has fallen. Amy Griesheimer is out as vice president and general manager for KS-107.5, Alice and three other stations owned by the national media conglomerate Entercom, with observers speculating that the move was made because of ratings and revenue shortfalls in an industry that continues to struggle with the fallout from technological changes and shifting listener habits.

Kendall B on JAMMIN 101.5 Return, Split From Larry, Kathie J and KS-107.5

By Michael Roberts

This week marks the return to Denver radio of Kendall B, who’s now helming the morning show for old-school R&B station JAMMIN 101.5. And while he’s very excited about the new opportunity and upbeat about being back on the airwaves in the Mile High City, he wants to make sure his history at KS-107.5, where he teamed with Larry and Kathie J on a mega-successful morning show for fifteen years, isn’t overlooked, as he makes clear in the following in-depth Q&A.

Why You Should Order Satan Cakes From Discriminatory Christian Bakers

By Michael Roberts

Jack Phillips of Denver’s Masterpiece Cakeshop is reportedly shocked and appalled that someone asked him to bake a birthday cake for Satan. But was his rejection of this entreaty against the law? A representative of The Satanic Temple, a Salem, Massachusetts-based organization that’s been encouraging folks to make just such a request of Phillips and other bakers who feel they should be allowed to refuse service to gay customers because of their Christian faith, says yes.

Kyle Clark on How He and 9News Are Mastering Social Media

By Michael Roberts

Once upon a time, ratings were pretty much the only way of judging commercial success for local television news. But that’s no longer the case. Witness a new report by TV Spy, a broadcasting-industry website, which grades Denver TV outlets and personalities by social-media engagement. Using that measure, 9News is the clear number one, while Kyle Clark, anchor of Newt With Kyle Clark, tops the talent chart in part because of the ways he uses Facebook, Twitter and Instagram beyond simply establishing and extending his brand, as he explains to us in the following Q&A.