Click here for our 2009 list, with 283 Denver doctors in 83 medical specialties. It's our biggest, most comprehensive Top Docs feature yet.
NEWSLETTERS
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Vanessa Martinez joined 5280 in the summer of 2008 after eight years of editing award-winning alternative newsweeklies in Colorado, two of which she helped to found. Read more about her here.
Sarah Palin’s appearance on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” may or may not have put the former Republican vice-presidential candidate on the comeback path, but it doesn’t really matter. Palin’s promotional blitz is just getting started, as her book tour makes its way around the country.
Approximately 1,000 people will receive wristbands to line up with their copies of Palin’s memoir, “Going Rogue,” on December 8 at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, according to the Gazette. If you’re feeling left out, the National Review Online is keeping tabs on the tour’s stops with its Rogue: The Sarah Palin Book Blog.
Although Palin avoided Oprah’s inquiries about a run in 2012, Mother Jones points out that as the tour began, Palin’s political action committee encouraged supporters to pony up $100 for a signed copy.
Of course, the jacket price is just $14.50, but for the curious non-readers, Jezebel has compiled a free hit list of quotes (or “insults”), including some predictable jabs at Katie Couric and Levi Johnston, as well as some unexpected blows (such as the one thrown at animal-loving Ashley Judd). (more…)
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has decided the state will collect sales tax on medical marijuana. Late yesterday, Suthers released a legal opinion that mandates the proliferating dispensaries must seek a retail sales license from the state in order to operate, reports The Denver Post.
Advocates at the Colorado Wellness Association believe most dispensary owners will appreciate the move “if it will help prove the legitimacy of their efforts.”
Indeed, credibility is enough of a concern in Pueblo County that a commissioner recently bailed on a dispensary tour when he learned a reporter was on the way, according to the Chieftain. Commissioner Anthony Nuñez was ostensibly visiting the dispensary to better understand the case of its owner, who’s been lobbying the commissioners there to refrain from enacting a temporary ban on dispensary licensing.
The county will vote this morning on whether to follow the city’s lead on a moratorium, an issue taken up in various municipalities across Colorado of late.
The community of Lyons is also looking at a temporary ban, notes the Longmont Times-Call, and Grand Junction voted yesterday to place a one-year moratorium on dispensaries there, writes the Daily Sentinel. Aurora has also voted in favor of a short-term ban, reports the Post, which runs down a list of towns that have considered bans of differing lengths and points out that elected officials in Fort Collins and Loveland also plan to vote on the issue tonight.
Tapped, American Mountaineering Center
Thursday, November 5, and Saturday, November 7 | Details | Read more
As Nestlé prepares to tap local Arkansas River water for its Arrowhead bottles, the annual Colorado Environmental Film Festival brings water issues front and center with “Tapped.” The award-winning documentarians explore various concerns surrounding the precious resource, including some tough questions on bottling.
The stories of two Colorado children who were denied health insurance—one for being too fat, the other too skinny—have made their way around the Internet and into the U.S. Senate.
Colorado’s junior Democratic Senator, Michael Bennet, parlayed their tales into the “Goldilocks Rule,” arguing that health-care reform should prevent such discrimination by insurance companies. Watch his speech via YouTube (hat tip to Westword).
Race Across the Sky, Multiple Theaters
Thursday, October 22 | Details | Read more
The world’s most daring mountain bicyclists have just 12 hours to conquer 100 miles and more than 14,000 vertical feet every year in the Leadville Trail 100. Now, audiences have just one night to catch the documentary that’s captured their feats. Those who do will be rewarded with a special, filmed panel discussion with Trail 100 winners Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens, among others.
Blogger Jennie Dorris had yet to miss a day of posting since we first began publishing Cheap Thrills every weekday back in April. But then swine flu swooped in, bringing with it some strange symptoms.
Jennie relays: “I’ve been having feverish dreams that I’m working for the Home Shopping Network, which is a little horrifying.” Indeed.
We’re not sure there’s a way to make H1N1 more affordable, but if there is, Jennie would be the person to find out. We’re looking forward to her return.
Return to the Twilight Zone (Volume 7), Mary Miller Theater
Friday, October 16, through Saturday, November 7 | Details | Read more
If contemporary slasher flicks have left you nostalgic for a good old-fashioned mystery thriller, head for the ‘burbs this hallowed season. Now in its seventh year, the Theater Company of Lafayette’s period portrayal of three original TZ episodes also features staged parodies of classic commercials.
For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism, Starz FilmCenter
Thursday, October 15, through Sunday, October 18 | Details | Read more | Trailer below
What if every film buff also was a movie critic? In this era of instant access, that can be as easy as feeding Facebook or Twitter. Just like Roger Ebert or Harry Knowles, right? Consider the differences—and similarities—as this documentary follows the evolution of the craft, from its origins to the Internet and beyond.
Denver Indigenous Film & Arts Festival, Multiple Locations
Tuesday, October 13 through Sunday, October 18 | Details | Read more
This multicultural series brings indigenous communities—too often generalized and stereotyped—to the fore with six days of films and discussions. Nahua, Inuit, Hawaiian, Creek, Apache, Seminole—the distinctions of the tribes are revealed through their stories. And at this festival, the issues are as original as the storytellers themselves.
Festival of Scarecrows, Arvada Olde Town Square
Saturday, October 10 | Details | Read more
Not all scarecrows look alike at this annual festival, where the traditional pumpkin is swapped for a scarecrow as the basis for a decorative contest. But the orange gourd gets its due, as well. Purchase one from the patch and give it a one-of-a-kind look at the pumpkin-painting booth. While costumed tykes march in the parade, the entire family will enjoy perusing the vendors.
You don’t have to be a backcountry buff to appreciate this artfully shot movie, which was awarded best cinematography at this year’s International Freeski Film Festival in Montreal. The Japanese landscapes and athleticism of the skiers and riders are enough fodder for an adventure film, but locally based Sweetgrass Productions raises the bar with thoughtful storytelling.
Mountain Chile Cha Cha, Pagosa Springs
Saturday, September 26 | Details | Read more
Does green chile taste different on the Western Slope? It will today,
when all attendees of the Mountain Chile Cha Cha are welcomed and
encouraged to judge contestants’ entries in the Patty Aragon Green
Chile Classic. Don’t leave the kids or your vegetarian friends behind.
Children’s activities, the Classic’s meatless chile contest, free
music, and a beer garden will keep everyone entertained.
More:Chile & Frijoles Fest | Colorado Mountain Plein Art Festival
Last Friday, 13-year-old Bryan Pineda Rosas was diagnosed with Type A flu, and by Wednesday the Breckenridge boy died as a result of the illness.
Summit County officials say “currently 99 percent of positive Type A flu tests are thought to be 2009 H1N1 (swine) influenza,” but a combination of an early start to the flu season and the prohibitive cost of swine flu tests has kept officials there from diagnosing H1N1 in patients who are not hospitalized, according to the Summit Daily News. Yet, Summit, like counties across the state, is being hit hard by flu.
Summit High School canceled a gymnastics meet this weekend due to six of the seven team members being out with flu. In Pueblo’s School District 70, a fourth-grade class has been canceled because student attendance dropped to 10 from 27, writes the Chieftain. At the same time, the city’s other school district has been “praised” by health department officials for the procedures it has planned for dealing with the flu, notes another Chieftain story.
In Larimer County, where at least six people have been hospitalized, the Medical Center of the Rockies is preparing a “swine flu drive through” for its emergency room, reports the Fort Collins Coloradoan, which points out that a vaccine will not be available until next month.
Down in El Paso County, 380 inmates have been quarantined, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette. Officials are preparing by cutting other services, such as a travel clinic, in order to free up workers to deal with the flu.
As Colorado Republicans gear up for their fall retreat this weekend, a new poll is throwing more heat on the gubernatorial primary battle.
Colorado Policy Institute, a new group headed by GOP operative Sean Tonner, gives former Congressman Scott McInnis an early lead over his former aide, state Senator Josh Penry, writes The Denver Post, which points out that McInnis (pictured) proclaimed Tonner “on board” his campaign earlier this year, saying Tonner would be “doing” McInnis’ 527 group.
It’s illegal for campaigns to coordinate with 527s, and Tonner tells the Post the CPI is not connected to either of the GOP’s gubernatorial campaigns: “This group is not for elections.”
A blog on the Colorado Springs Gazette’s Web site, At the Capitol, notes that, despite McInnis’ “colossal” lead, 47 percent of those polled remain undecided.
With a long way to go in persuading those voters, state Republicans are gathering in Keystone this weekend, where the “mood…has been buoyed on two fronts,” writes the Post’s Lynn Bartels: The Dems’ “perceived spending spree” and the divisive U.S. Senate Democratic primary contest between Senator Michael Bennet and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff are energizing an otherwise battered GOP for 2010.
Film
No Impact Man, Chez Artiste
Opens Friday, September 25 | Details | Read more
How much are you really willing to sacrifice to be environmentally sustainable? Electricity? Toilet paper? Even if you could give up those daily essentials, chances are your family members would not. And that’s what Colin Beavan and his young family set out to explore in No Impact Man, which may leave you reconsidering your own footprints in unexpected ways.
More: The Meeting | Aspen Filmfest | Moondance International Film Festival | The Shoot Out 24-Hour Filmmaking Festival
Last night marked the last bike-in movie of the season at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. Attendees of the popular event, which takes place weekly every summer, were treated to a parody of the hilarious Saturday Night Live video short “I’m on a Boat” (second video below). The spoof, produced by and starring New Belgium staffers, is titled “I’m on a Bike,” an aptly named riff for the Fat Tire brewers.
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, the first African-American to rise to that position in the city, was appointed by President Barack Obama yesterday as a representative to the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations.
A White House release reveals eight new posts within the Obama administration, and although Webb has yet to be confirmed, he is currently at the United Nations’ New York outpost, where he is expected to remain through December, according to The Denver Post.
“People are excited about the engagement of the United States with the U.N.,” Webb says. “It’s much more than it has been in the past.”
Webb, who underwent extensive background checks before he’ll be officially nominated to the position, was on the floor of the U.N. summit yesterday when Obama addressed the issue of climate change. (more…)
Beetle Fest, Frisco
Saturday, September 12 | Details | Read more
The brown patches of dead pine trees dotting our high-country landscape can evoke a sense of helplessness. But the Town of Frisco is taking a proactive approach to the nuisance today by raising money for reforestation efforts with a costumed 4K, VW Bug Bash, lumberjack contests, bug petting zoo, and all the usual trappings of a frolic-filled Colorado mountain festival.
It Might Get Loud, Mayan Theatre
Opens Friday, September 4 | Details | Read more
This is what happens when three iconoclastic rock guitarists—Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page—come together to share and explore their genius. Except at this legendary jam session, the hooks refer to the storytelling as much as the music. (Trailer follows.)
The Yellow Fever Quiz, Moe’s Original Barbecue Tuesday, August 25 | Details | Read more
Not hip to what a spider pig does? Then you probably don’t have a shot at winning this all-Simpsons pub quiz. Not to worry. The trivia is only part of the draw.
Costumed participants, Flaming Moe’s, and plenty of laughs round out the occasion.
Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? 
Sarah Palin’s appearance on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” may or may not have put the former Republican vice-presidential candidate on the comeback path, but it doesn’t really matter. Palin’s promotional blitz is just getting started, as her book tour makes its way around the country. 
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado 
As Colorado Republicans gear up for their 
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, the first African-American to rise to that position in the city, was appointed by President Barack Obama yesterday as a representative to the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations. 