Overview:
The second episode of Bucket List Community News's radio show delves into Denver's most heated civic debates and cultural events.
The Bucket List Community News radio show returned to KGNU for its second episode, which aired August 7. In it, we continue our mission to amplify hyperlocal stories, cultural coverage and grassroots perspectives that don’t always make headlines. The program is produced by a group of students and early-career journalists, and it’s hosted by me, Toni Tresca, editor of Bucket List. In the episode, we discuss everything from the city’s new women’s soccer stadium to the surprising economics of Pokémon cards.
We start with the Santa Fe Yards stadium project for Denver’s new NWSL team. While many residents are excited, others worry about traffic, gentrification, and whether their voices will actually be heard as the city invests up to $70 million into infrastructure. Then we head to RiNo’s 2900 block of Larimer Street, where residents and business owners are protesting the city’s decision to reopen the street to cars. Activists have begun monthly “reclosures,” hoping to bring back the people-first energy the block had during the pandemic.
The second segment shifts to community resilience in the face of national pressure. In Aurora, one church has opened its doors to immigrant and refugee congregations for decades, but under Trump’s second term, its mission has become more urgent than ever. Back in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District, PJ Guidry explores “Coming To America, A Nation of Immigrants,” a new exhibit at Niza Knoll Gallery that uplifts immigrant stories. He also chats about Convivio Café, the beloved Guatemalan women-owned spot in West Denver, which recently expanded into a vibrant evening gathering space with beer, wine and tapas.
Reporter Sadie Gonzales then takes us into the Globeville-Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, where the Huerta Urbana Farmers Market is growing more than just produce. With “Booth Bucks” for first-time attendees and crops grown on-site, the market is helping to address the systemic issue of food deserts in north Denver. Gonzales also covers the ripple effects of federal NEA funding cuts, spotlighting the impact on Denver’s Phamaly Theatre Company, the nation’s longest-running disability-centered theater group. We follow that with a heartfelt conversation with Regan Linton, the former artistic director of Phamaly, who reflects on the intersection of disability, creativity and community.
The final story takes a surprising turn: the wild world of Pokémon card scalping in Denver. Our Ryland Scholes lifts the curtain on this underground economy, where collectors, kids, and resellers compete for packs in high-stakes environments like the Colorado Collectors Show. From artificial scarcity to price gouging, the story captures how even trading cards reflect deeper issues of access and equity.
The episode was edited by Scholes and features original music from DJ Chris Nathan. Whether it’s stadium dreams or street reclamations, the second installment of Bucket List on KGNU asks the big questions shaping life in Denver and listens closely to those living through the answers. You can hear the full episode now in the KGNU archives, and tune into our next episode live at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 4.
