🏳️‍⚧️ Trans rights fight at CO House

🏳️‍⚧️ Colorado Trans Rights Bills Advance

Two transgender rights bills have won preliminary approval from the State House. Pending an upcoming vote, the legislation will move on to the Senate for consideration. One bill would make it easier for transgender people with felony records to legally change their names. The other would require K-12 schools to use a student’s chosen name and pronouns. [CPR]

🚫 Aurora Declares ‘Non-Sanctuary’ Stance

Monday evening, Aurora City Council passed a formal resolution to affirm its position as a “non-sanctuary” city, stating it does not have the financial capacity to receive new arrivals or unhoused folks from Denver or any other cities. [Denver Post]

• Aurora’s not the only one: Other cities, like Lakewood, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction, have made similar declarations about being unable and unwilling to welcome newcomers. [CPR]
• Get smarter: What is a “sanctuary city” anyways? [Hey Denver]

😢 Another Day, Another Restaurant Closure

Local sushi chain Sushi-Rama announced that all but one of its five current metro Denver locations will close on March 8 (the flagship spot in RiNo will remain open for now). Owner Jeff Osaka says their story isn’t really different from all the other recent restaurant closures: higher food and labor costs and lingering COVID repercussions. [BusinessDen 🔒]

• Just the latest: Sushi-Rama is just one more in a recent series of popular restaurant closings, including Avelina, Three Saints Revival, Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri, Il Posto, and New Saigon. [Westword]

👀 What’s With Those Billboards?

Have you noticed those bright yellow billboards advertising Epoch Times the "#1 Trusted News”? Wondering what that’s all about? We were too, and the backstory is … weird. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

Hey loyal readers and listeners. We love to hear from you! Got a question about something going on in the city? A spicy take on a trending topic? A dynamite food, drink, or show recommendation? We want to know 💌

The Best and Worst Smells in Denver

At the end of our recent episode about North Denver’s infamous dog food smell, we asked you to share some of Denver’s other notable scents — good or bad!

🥖 Lauren from Cap Hill thinks fondly of his time living in the Goldsmith / Virginia Village area and the smell of fresh baked bread early in the morning wafting from Entenmann’s Bakery.

• “A significantly better smell than the Purina plant, but at the same time, it always enticed me to go to the outlet and spend way too much money on bread.”

⛳ Elizabeth W. nominates the City Park Golf Course in the springtime as one of the worst smells in the city:

• “After the snow pack has melted along with the layers of goose turds, with the sun baking it all day it's painful if you get downwind.”

🚦 For better or worse, Zoe says there’s just something ~ distinctive ~ about Colfax Avenue:

• “One time I was walking towards Colfax from my apartment and my brain thought ‘Huh, what's that familiar stench?’ It's literally just Colfax. The whole street.”

Sharing the Love

If you’ve been on the fence about joining the City Cast Denver membership program, a few of our newest members share why they decided to sign up:

📺 For Dawn L., the math just made sense: 

• “I start my day listening to the podcast and am so grateful to know more about what is happening in Denver in an upbeat yet authentic-feeling format. … Since I pay for streaming TV content I under-utilize, it seems only right to support a program I value and listen to every day!”

🎧 For Bruce M., the content is worth the money!

• “I just became a member after listening to ‘You're Not a Real Denverite Until…’ and then also the episode about the Outside Festival and Suncor — that guest was on fire. I just love the reporting … I've been wanting to join for a long time, but listening to these episodes I was like, ‘You gotta do it right now!’”

Bad Landlords, Controversial Billboards, and Your Stinky Denver Stories

Who is behind those bright yellow billboards popping up around Denver that proclaim to be from the “#1 Trusted News”? A new investigation connects them back to a Chinese cult that’s been banned from Facebook. Then, another landlord-tenant dispute heads to court as the metro area continues to grapple with housing issues.