Colfax and Broadway’s Future, Trump’s Pro-Fracking Denver Pick, and a Pizza Comeback
It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the biggest stories of the week. First, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy Chris Wright — also known as the guy who drank fracking fluid on camera to “prove” it was safe — is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Energy. Who is Wright, and what would his appointment mean for the climate crisis? Then, the city has proposed building pickleball courts to fill the vacant lot at Colfax and Broadway. Will pickleball players go for it? Host Bree Davies is joined by stand-up comedian Joshua Emerson and Denver Post environmental reporter Noelle Phillips to talk climate change, local recreation, Westernaires’ problematic Native American reenactments, a new pizza spot coming to Cap Hill, and more wins and fails of the week.
Bree mentioned the proposed pedestrian bridges to the Capitol and the Evans School going from an artist studio space to a beer garden. Joshua discussed the Douglas County School District and their decision to postpone an AP African American studies course.
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