Author

Showing 4203 - 4224 of 24720

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

Top 20 Tweets to Annoying Dallas Cowboys Fans After Broncos’ Big Win

By Michael Roberts

The Denver Broncos’ 42-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 17, has to be one of the most satisfying victories for the squad since Peyton Manning hung up his spurs. After all, perhaps as much as 30 percent of the sold-out crowd at Mile High Stadium yesterday was decked out in Cowboys regalia, and many of those in attendance lived up to Dallas fans’ rep for being the NFL’s most annoying. They were plenty boastful before the kickoff and mighty humble after the final whistle.

Stephen Hamper’s Alleged War on Cops Continues — Times Three

By Michael Roberts

Earlier this year, Stephen Hamper was found guilty on multiple counts in the beating of a Denver police officer who he said he would have killed if only he’d been able to get hold of her gun. Since that ruling, he’s allegedly attacked two more law enforcers while in custody awaiting a hearing to determine if he’s a habitual criminal.

The Politics of Defending the Sex-Offender Registry

By Michael Roberts

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch recently ruled that Colorado’s sex-offender registry violates the due-process rights of three plaintiffs, thereby amounting to cruel and unusual punishment. Boulder attorney Alison Ruttenberg, who’s kept the case going for the past four years, lauded this decision because it acknowledged that treating every person on the registry like a violent child predator was patently unfair. But she’s not surprised Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has announced her intention to appeal the decision, especially given rumors that she’s weighing a run for Colorado governor in 2018.

Hyperloop Names Denver Route a Winner, Announces CDOT Partnership

By Michael Roberts

Moments ago, after months of anticipation, Hyperloop One, whose high-tech tube transportation concept is central to a firm affiliated with billionaire Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors and SolarCity fame, has named the ten winners of its Hyperloop One Global Challenge, a contest intended to “identify the strongest new Hyperloop routes in the world.” And not only did the Rocky Mountain Hyperloop proposal make the grade, but Hyperloop One has announced that it will enter into a public-private partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation to launch a feasibility study here.

Jurassic Pets Horror Story: The Next Chapter

By Michael Roberts

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Ken and Lynn Kubic are facing 72 charges of cruelty to animals after authorities discovered that the conditions in their Adams County home were every bit as shocking as those that caused Jurassic Pets, their former business in Thornton, to be shuttered. This claim is supported by photos and a video on view here that makes the couple’s residence look like the set of a horror movie.

Alt-Right Impersonating Antifa in Disinformation Campaign, Activist Says

By Michael Roberts

A member of the Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists says alt-right individuals or organizations are impersonating her group and others like it in order to falsely portray the antifa movement in general as ultra-violent and morally bankrupt. She adds that the fields of battle include the Internet, where a bogus Colorado Springs Antifa Facebook page remains online at this writing, and the streets, via methods such as fake fliers, bogus letters and dubious graffiti intended to rile up and confuse both the mainstream media and the citizenry as a whole.

Colorado to Trump: We’re Joining the Lawsuit Against DACA Repeal

By Michael Roberts

Today, September 13, the State of Colorado announced that it will join a lawsuit originally filed by New York challenging President Trump’s plan to pull the plug on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, shorthanded as DACA. In a statement about his reasons for taking this action, Governor John Hickenlooper said, “President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program is outrageous and risks the futures of more than 17,000 Coloradans.”

Why Pamela Fine Is Using Her Name in Assault Suit Against Ex-Coach, CU

By Michael Roberts

As we’ve reported, former University of Colorado Boulder assistant coach Joe Tumpkin was charged with five felony second-degree assault counts and three misdemeanor third-degree assault beefs earlier this year related to allegations from his onetime significant other, who says he abused her more than 100 times. Now, however, the woman in question, Pamela Fine, has filed a lawsuit against Tumpkin and several powerful figures at the university under her own name for reasons her attorney says were both personal and outward-looking.

Priciest Metro Denver Places to Rent a Two-Bedroom Apartment Right Now

By Michael Roberts

As we’ve reported, rent prices in many metro Denver communities are falling on a month-to-month basis even as they continue to show a substantial increase over the same period in 2016. This same phenomenon can be seen in Zumper’s September report for the metro area, with the cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment varying by nearly $500 from community to community.

Operation Black Rhino’s Final Scorecard — and Meth Dealing From a Taco Truck

By Michael Roberts

After more than two years, the prosecution of a massive federal drug investigation dubbed Operation Black Rhino is nearly over thanks to the conviction of Jorge Loya-Ramirez, a Mexican citizen living in Denver who allegedly used a taco truck as cover to deal nearly 200 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine in kilogram quantities. And he wasn’t the only Black Rhino target to earn punishment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reveals that of the 38 others named in one of four federal grand jury indictments related to the inquiry, only one had his case dismissed. Find out what happened to all the defendants below.

My Predominantly Orange Broncos 2017 Home Opener Photo Diary

By Michael Roberts

As I noted in our roundup of the top twenty tweets about the Broncos breaking crybaby Philip Rivers’s heart again, I was fortunate enough to attend the team’s September 11 home opener versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Accompanying me was my daughter Lora, who not only purchased the tickets as the best Father’s Day gift ever but also helped me photo-document the scene.

Joseph Seeds: How I Survived a Nearly Deadly Mistake on Capitol Peak 14er

By Michael Roberts

Last week, as we’ve reported, Denver’s Joseph Seeds Jr. was rescued from Capitol Peak, a fourteener in the Elk Mountains range near Aspen, where five people have died in 2017 to date. In this post, Seeds, an extremely thoughtful and experienced hiker who’s reached the summit of four-dozen fourteeners to date, shares his survival story, detailing his preparations, the trek to the summit and a brief lapse of concentration during his descent that could easily have led to his death. He also offers tips that, quite simply, are capable of saving lives.

Top 20 Tweets About Broncos Breaking Crybaby Philip Rivers’s Heart Again

By Michael Roberts

During the nightcap of Monday Night Football’s debut for the 2017-2018 NFL regular season, your Denver Broncos found a new and exciting way to rip Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’s heart out of his chest. And Broncos fans on Twitter took delight in his misery, hate-tweeting at Rivers before, during and after Denver’s nail-biting 24-21 victory.

Best and Worst Colorado Community Colleges, According to New Study

By Michael Roberts

Over the years, Colorado colleges in general, and public colleges in particular, have performed weakly in national rankings. Unfortunately, the same scenario has played out in a new study of the best community colleges in the state. Nine Colorado institutions were analyzed among 728 nationwide, with only one school from here landing in the top half of the rankings and the lowest-rated facility finishing only fifteen slots away from dead last. And the latter’s location is mighty close to home.

Eric Bolling Jr. 2nd Celebrity Son to Die of Overdose in Colorado in 41 Days

By Michael Roberts

In Colorado, worries have been rising about the number of opioid-related fatalities here. Now, the deaths of two celebrity offspring in the state have put these local concerns on the national agenda. Eric Bolling Jr., the nineteen-year-old son of recently ousted Fox News anchor Eric Bolling, died on September 8 of an apparent overdose at CU Boulder, where he was a student. His death took place just 41 days after the July 29 passing of Max Barry, 22-year-old son of Nashville mayor Megan Barry, in Littleton.

Supermarkets Won’t Build in Montbello: How Residents Are Fighting Back

By Michael Roberts

In September 2016, we told you about attempts to convince a national grocery chain to build in Montbello, a diverse Denver neighborhood that qualifies as a food desert because it doesn’t have a single full-service supermarket. A year later, every major retailer approached by the community has declined to launch such an effort, even though Montbello was named America’s fastest growing “suburb” in a survey released earlier this year.

Trump Team Backs Baker Who Refused to Make Wedding Cake for Gay Couple

By Michael Roberts

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would consider whether Denver’s Masterpiece Cakeshop discriminated against a gay couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, by refusing to make them a wedding cake just over a year after the case was rejected by the Colorado Supreme Court. Now, the administration of President Donald Trump, as represented by the Department of Justice, has weighed in, filing an amicus brief that sides with baker Jack Phillips, who says the denial was based on his religious beliefs.

SMH! Here’s How Much Priciest House and Condo in Denver Cost Last Month

By Michael Roberts

According to the latest Denver Metro Real Estate Trend Market Report, accessible below, the average price of a home in the area came in at $434,478 for the month of August 2017. That represents a 2.75 percent decline from the previous month but was more than 8 percent higher than the same time last year. And speaking of higher, the prices for the most expensive home and condo sold in metro Denver last month were absolutely eye-popping.

Congressional Medical Pot Biz Threat: From “Nothingburger” to “Alarming”

By Michael Roberts

Last night, September 6, the U.S. House of Representatives’ rules committee blocked floor consideration of an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Justice, headed by pot-hating Attorney General Jeff Sessions, from interfering with state-legal medical marijuana. When something similar happened this past June, the Marijuana Majority’s Tom Angell, a major national voice for progressive cannabis policies, branded the development a “gigantic nothingburger” despite claims to the contrary by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an anti-legalization group headed by recent Westword profile subject Kevin Sabet. But to Angell, the latest development is reason for much more concern.

How Joseph Seeds Nearly Became Sixth to Die on Capitol Peak This Year

By Michael Roberts

Yesterday, September 6, Joseph Seeds Jr. was rescued by helicopter from Capitol Peak, a fourteener in the Elk Mountains range, where five climbers died over a 43 day period between July 15 and August 26. He avoided becoming the sixth casualty on what has been described as Colorado’s most dangerous fourteener thanks to terrific work by extremely busy rescue crews located in the area in and around Aspen and his tremendous experience when it comes to scaling the biggest peaks in the state.