by Editorial Board | Jun 20, 2025 | Valley Gadfly
Editorial —
With little fanfare the Godfather of the Colorado GOP Establishment, Phil Anschutz, has given up on the Colorado GOP which he has indirectly controlled for over three decades until the rise of the grassroots and President Trump. The signs of his abandonment have been popping up for months.
The Anschutz RINO conservative media empire has been in full retreat. The Colorado Springs Gazette and the Denver Gazette are hidden behind pay walls now therefore the opinion pieces by RINO columnists like Dick Wadhams and Jimmy Sengenberger have little readership or reach. His RINO blog site Colorado Politics is not updated for long periods of time.
His flagship enterprise, the Independence Institute, was once a beehive of activity with almost a score of employees, now just limps along. Anschutz’s Complete Colorado website acted as and looked like a Colorado Drudge Report. Its Page 2 section provided original RINO reporting. The Drudge-like format and most of the original reporting are now a thing of the past.
The face of the Anschutz media empire for over two decades has been Jon Caldara. Originally a quick witted, irreverent firebrand, is now an old, tired, sad, and bald lion in winter.
Anschutz disillusionment with the Colorado GOP dates to the Fall of 2022 and heartbreaking election losses suffered in that year’s midterm races by the Colorado GOP Establishment. Anschutz and his Establishment allies had finally got a GOP election lineup it had long dreamed of with Joe O’Dea for U.S. Senator; Heidi Ganahl for Governor; Pam Anderson for Secretary of State; John Kellner for Attorney General; and Lang Silas for Treasurer.
For the Establishment, there were absolutely no God, guns, anti-gay, climate deniers. Anschutz adamantly believed that this was exactly what Coloradans hungered for. GOP Chair Kristy Burton Brown put together a vague and bland pro-business platform that all Colorado Republicans could run under that would offend absolutely no one. Best of all 2022 was going to be a big Red Wave year nationally and Colorado would be part of the tsunami with business friendly RINOs taking back Colorado from the extreme, socialist Democrats.
The big day came but there was no Red Wave nationally and the beautiful Colorado RINO slate was crushed with individuals losing by overwhelming margins. How could this have possibly happened?
Uncle Phil and his brain trust at the Independence Institute did a long deep intellectual dive and came up with the answer. It was, of course, the fault of Donald Trump. Yes, suburban women in Colorado hated Trump and took it out on the beautiful Republican slate even though none of the Colorado Republicans running for statewide office liked or supported Trump.
This conclusion is outlined and explained in an extraordinary column in Colorado Politics penned by Jon Caldera on May 8th (“Will Open Primaries Rescue Republicans”). According to Caldara suburban women and in particularly the dastardly single moms, hate Trump with such a passion that it “turns to hatred of his political party [the Republicans].” Caldera went so far to state: “Any candidate running with an ‘R’ behind his name in swing districts might as well have a swastika behind his name.”
The concept explains everything. The wonderful 2022 RINO slate did not overwhelming lose because the voters did not like them, but their hatred of Trump blinded them.
Suburban women in Colorado according to Caldara are “pro-gay, pro-abortion, pro-weed and, until the blackouts hit, believe climate change is Colorado, not China, caused.”
Men apparently don’t vote in suburban districts according to Caldara or if they do their votes don’t really count. How Trump won countrywide the popular vote by over a million votes in the 2024 election including all seven swing states is not explained. Colorado women in the suburbs are just a different breed than anywhere else in the country.
So how can Republicans win in a state where suburban women view Republicans as “Nazis” even the wonderful meek pro-business RINOs that Anschutz adores.
Independence Institute and Jon Caldara have figured it out. In order to save the State and the Colorado GOP we must destroy the political parties and go to jungle primaries just like California.
But didn’t the Colorado voters just reject jungle primaries in the 2024 election along with three other western states? In Colorado, this rejection happened notwithstanding Kent Thiery and the proponents of jungle primaries outspending its opponents by a 10 to 1 margin. Well according to Caldara, Thiery needs to spend millions to bring it back to the people but this time no ranked choice voting.
In Caldara’s view jungle primaries will result in the swing suburban districts persons unaffiliated with either party running and winning. These winners are really RINOs but without any party affiliation. They would then caucus with the rural Republicans and save us from socialist Democrats who are destroying the state.
The mere fact that that is not what happens in any jurisdiction that has jungle primaries is of no importance to Caldara. What, in fact, will happen only candidates with rich backers like Phil Anschutz can win in such a system. The Republican Party apparatus will be destroyed and along with Grassroot Republicans.
For many Republicans in Colorado whatever value the Independence Institute and John Caldara once had is past its due date. Time to put both out to pasture.
— Editorial Board
by Jessica Hughes | Jun 20, 2025 | Main Articles
Will It Be Worth It?
by Jessica Hughes
Unique Business Corridor: Colfax Avenue is known for its various small businesses such as the Bluebird Theater. Some wonder how many such businesses will be able to survive the disruption of the many months of renovation of much less a street with the number of automotive lanes cut in half.
Bird’s Eye View: Looking west down Colfax Avenue from Adams Street.
One of Denver’s most historic streets gets a modern facelift that threatens the very businesses that make it so special. The construction for the East Colfax Rapid Bus Transit project has recently claimed the lives of several local businesses in the last few months including Middleman, a neighborhood gem that also operates the James Beard Award-nominated Misfit Snack Bar — closed last month.
This is just one of many stories people have shared in response to the BRT project. The nearly 10-mile project, which only began in October 2024, is already causing local businesses to struggle, some even closing. As disruptions continue, many business owners are left questioning how they’ll survive through the project’s projected completion in 2027. And if they do survive, will the reconfigured Colfax help the street boom or destroy it as a business district?
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems — a train-like system that offers fast and reliable transportation without the high cost of building a rail system — have become popular solutions to public transportation in larger cities. But at what cost? There might be an easier flow of traffic, but for some local business owners, they don’t see the long-term benefit. Like Libby Anglin, owner of Base6Fitness at 3805 E Colfax Ave., who says since COVID, she’s seen a constant stream of construction along Colfax and thinks the BRT project won’t be worth it in the end for local businesses. “The constant construction over the last four years on Colfax has been an unmitigated drag on our business. In the end I hope I am wrong, but I do not see how it will be good for the city or worth it for businesses or residents.”
Over the past several decades, Denver has steadily worked to change Colfax from a former federal highway into a lively neighborhood main street. As part of this transformation, the city has introduced bike and bus lanes to modernize transportation along the corridor, and now most recently the BRT system. But while these upgrades signal progress, they’re also creating new challenges — particularly for the local businesses that are the heartbeat of Colfax and Denver. “Keeping these businesses alive, keeps the soul of the city alive,” says Don Novak of the Bluebird Business Improvement District.
The biggest issue for business o
Closed For Business: The once popular Pete’s Greektown Café at Filmore and Colfax has been closed down and no new tenant is likely until the Colfax Avenue renovations are fully completed.
wners, Novak says, is people avoiding Colfax because of the construction. “Traffic has been pushed to nearby streets, so there aren’t as many people driving in front of the businesses.” He says the most difficult points are the bus stations in the middle of the street, which construction on these started in 2025. “Some of these businesses are completely covered with no access to their entrance. It looks like a barracked war zone,” says Novak referencing the long-time local businesses such as Tommy’s Thai, PS Lounge, Enzo’s, and Lulu Rose, who currently sit behind a fence.
While the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity department has $15,000 grants available to businesses to keep them open, you have to apply and prove a 20% loss in revenue. But for these businesses, they say it’s often too late at that point. In addition, some businesses claim that $15,000 does not keep them open mo
re than a few more days or one week in total. “In the meetings I have attended, most businesses feel that if they are down 20%, they are already in the red and closing their doors,” says Spero from Hooked on Colfax.
Anglin of Base6Fitness, also points out the city should fully acknowledge the majority of brick-and-mortar businesses depend on ease of access and people being on site. “All brick-and-mortar businesses thrive best with ease of access,” says Anglin. “So perhaps rather than making businesses prove loss of business, perhaps it should just be a given.”
The Colfax construction isn’t the only hardship contributing to hard times for local businesses since COVID. Unfortunately, the planned construction didn’t, and coul
Goosetown Tavern: Successful operations such as Goosetown Tavern at Adams and Colfax have been hurt by the East Colfax renovation. The impact is not as severe since their frontage is not blocked.
dn’t, account for the global issues businesses face today having to adapt to not only local concerns but global concerns as well. “Things are getting increasingly difficult for Mile High businesses in the last few years with minimum wage going up in Denver, but nowhere else in the state, plus with the addition of tariff-talk, when you add in a massive construction project, it doesn’t help,” says Novak. “While we have been talking about this project for over a decade, we unfortunately didn’t plan for things going to shit.”
For Spero, owner of Hooked on Colfax coffee for the past 20 years, the last five years have been the most challenging by far. “All costs have spiked, from property taxes to delivery fees to the cost of coffee beans. We only have front door street access, so the BRT project has made it incredibly difficult to receive product deliveries. And customers who used to park out front and grab a coffee on their way to work can no longer do so because the parking spaces have been removed.”
So, local neighborhood associations and committees are stepping up to help local businesses weather the storm. The Bluebird Business Improvement District — a community organization funded by taxes from those in the district — works to support the businesses and aesthetic of the nine-block area between St. Paul Street and Colorado Blvd., especially during times like these. “We represent and offer overarching support for business owners and neighbors in the Bluebird District,” says Novak. “We are to work with the city of Denver and the BRT project to help businesses thrive, especially during times like these.”
Colfax BRT: East Colfax Avenue from Union Station to 1-225, is undergoing ten miles of major renovation featuring a Bus Rapid Transit Corridor which replaces two automotive lanes with bus lanes. There will no longer be on street parking along Colfax. While it will assuredly increase bus ridership, some believe it will destroy the businesses along Colfax Avenue, it is purportedly designed to help.
One of which was an effort to provide a temporary parking solution by working with the owners of the parking lot at the corner of Colfax and Adams Street — previously occupied by Paradise Cleaners, where they have “paved Paradise to put up a parking lot.”
“We see non-monetary support options from both the city and the local Bluebird Business Improvement District,” says Patrick Brown of Twist and Shout Records. “Internal solutions are being implemented with local businesses, like Paradise Cleaners at the corner of Adams and Colfax, that the BID is providing, opening up its parking lot for all customers along Colfax.”
Regardless of these temporary band-aids, are they enough to weather the storm? “The issue really comes down to businesses renewing their leases, or not,” says Novak. “The result of this project could be amazing, but the survival right now is way more challenging.”
Other business owners who have recently spent a lot of time and money updating and renovating, like Gwen Campbell, owner of the Lost Lake Lounge and Goosetown Tavern, which she just bought in March 2024, are now faced with unexpectedly slow business because of the construction. “We invested a lot into updating the business, putting in a new kitchen, bringing on a new chef, and developing a new menu with BBQ, bar bites, and burgers.”
Famous for its dive bars and historic restaurants, Colfax is home to legacy businesses and a bustling community that prides itself on the number of independent businesses in the area. And so their main concern is keeping the legacy businesses, like the Goosetown Tavern, in place. “These businesses are our culture here in Denver. We are dedicated to keeping these legacy businesses in place,” says Novak.
“The Bluebird District on East Colfax is special, it’s known for live music, local art, quirky shops, diverse restaurants, unique bars, and a counterculture vibe,” says Campbell. “This has evolved to where it is today over time. If businesses don’t make it, it will take at least a generation to revive.” Despite what feels like an agonizingly slow death, Novak reiterates that the goal is to have construction complete within 18 months from now. So, the trade-off: two years of construction that threatens to wipe out the culture of a neighborhood that would take a generation to revive.
“I am hopeful that once the project is completed, it will improve the aesthetics on Colfax and business will get back to normal,” said Campbell. “I truly hope when this is completed, there will be solutions for parking because p
No Parking: Various retail businesses along Colfax have been cordoned off from their customers.arking is critical for retail shops, hair salons, and food & beverage.” Unfortunately, the Johnson Administration is not inclined to promote parking. In fact, it is inclined to do the opposite.
If small businesses close, who comes in their place? Of course, it’s always the fear of big box chains and restaurants — the ultimate death and destruction of any local community. “What has always made Colfax is the unique nature of the businesses along the street,” says Brown. “Chain stores and restaurants erase the local character of their cities into a homogeneous sameness, and Colfax has a long-standing tradition of having locally owned small businesses as the dominant flavor.” “It’s been proven time and again that small businesses have a greater positive net impact on their communities and Colfax is evidence of that — from hiring locally, to keeping tax dollars in the community, to diversifying the neighborhoods, to reacting to community needs.”
One thing all these business owners agree on is that Colfax is the heartbeat of Denver. Colfax is as central to our city’s transportation as it is to our memories as Denverites, whether it’s catching a show at the Bluebird Theatre, getting a free rose at the PS Lounge, or grabbing a bite at Goosetown Tavern, everyone in the city has a story about Colfax.
“Colfax deserves a glow up,” says Spero. “I am excited for the curbs to be repaired and the potholes to be filled. Added trees will be lovely. I suppose only time will tell if the new bus stops will be beneficial and encourage more people to ride the 15.”
Campbell, like many other business owners, wants to remind people Colfax is still open. “Once a month, try a new restaurant or tavern on East Colfax, go see a concert, grab a drink at one of the quirky, cozy bars.” Plus, a chance to show your support in September with the Bluebird Bodega, a big music and food showcase to support the area businesses along Colfax.
by Peter Boyles | Jun 20, 2025 | Blasting with Boyles
Blasting With Boyles
OPINION
It’s like the old gag on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, what do these things have to do with each other? Galileo, cargo cultists, and My Pillow’s Mike Lindell.
Galileo was placed under house arrest by the Catholic Church for his belief that the earth revolved around the sun. A belief the Church denounced no matter what the evidence was. Cargo cultists arose in New Guinea following World War Two when the remnants of crashed Japanese and American and English airplanes appeared. The cargo cultists believed the wreckage was sent by the gods to help and support them. Mike Lindell and others challenged the results of the November 2020 election even before the race was officially called for Joe Biden. They were throwing around words like “stolen,” “rigged,” and “hoax” despite the fact there was no evidence to support those beliefs.
Mike Lindell
Let’s outline some of those involved. Sydney Powell, aka the kraken, who became Sammy the Bull Gravano, turning herself in to get the best deal. She pled guilty in an election interference case after spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud. Lin Wood, who was Patsy Ramsey’s attorney, say no more. Rudy Giuliani, America’s Mayor who has now been disgraced. And Mike Lindell, whose election conspiracy claims led to him being sued for defamation in a Denver trial in June. Lindell offers the George Costanza defense. In Seinfeld, George Costanza always said to Jerry, “If I believe it, it’s true.” Well, jurors found Lindell did defame Eric Coomer.
Like the cargo cultists, these people cling to their beliefs and look to the skies for the gods to save them. Bloggers, social media influencers, podcasters, talk show hosts, they repeat the false beliefs.
The company I work for, Salem Media is being sued, as well as a talk show host who used to work in the building where I still work. Fox paid off, Newsmax paid off, OAN paid off. Will the company I work for pay off?
These people have caused so much damage to this country, damage that will not be undone in my lifetime.
A hundred years later the Catholic Church apologized to Galileo. When will these people apologize to the country for the harm they have done.
A sad day.
— Peter Boyles
by Mark Smiley | Jun 20, 2025 | Main Articles
by Mark Smiley
Ricky King
Ricky King, a DJ at Glendale’s Shotgun Willie’s for 30 years, and a Glendale City Councilman from 2005-2014, passed away peacefully on June 17, 2025, at the age of 62. After battling health issues that landed King in the hospital on a couple of occasions, he died of cardiac disease at AdventHealth Parker Hospital.
King will be remembered as a kind and generous person, and everyone who came in contact with him, took a liking to him. Growing up in Kansas, King had a Midwestern charm to him which is a large part of why there is an outpouring of support on social media.
A longtime friend and colleague, Rob Reese posted: “35 years of sharing DJ booths and microphones… from our days at PT’s San Antonio in 1990, to Shotgun Willie’s. You were a damn good soul with a big heart and a legendary voice. You were loved by all and will live on in legend and legacy among all of us who knew and loved you. Rest easy my friend… we’ll keep the show going in your memory.”
Many chimed in calling King “the voice of Shotgun’s.” If you stopped in on what the club calls Country Mondays, you would hear King bellowing out the next performer’s name and what stage she should report to.
“He was a decent human being who was full of honor and honesty,” said Deborah Dunafon, owner of Shotgun Willie’s. “He was a great team member who supported everyone around him and was always there when you needed him. I was proud to have considered him a friend and I have never met a more sincere person.”
King was considered a leader in his community, especially the eight years he served on city council in Glendale. He was also a devout Glendale Chamber of Commerce member. “I had enormous respect for Ricky,” said Jeff Allen, Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce COO. “He was always willing to lend a hand and help where needed. He was truly an authentic guy. He will be missed in our business community.”
King is survived by his wife Beth and son Wahaj. Ricky King’s celebration of life was held on June 25 where many of his friends and family gathered to tell stories of a man they all loved and admired.
