Happy Memorial Day weekend, Bucket Listers. How about starting the summer with a contribution to community journalism? We’re down to the wire on our Spring Fling Fundraiser. We have just over a week left, and we still need to raise $2500. With your help, we know we can do it. Thank you to Chris, Dominic, Mary Kay, AX, Donna, CLiang, Dan, Lidiana, Emily and Aellis for your contributions. There are 2200 subscribers here—if you want our free hyperlocal neighborhood news to continue, please give today. Thank you so much for your support!
The 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee is next week in Washington, D.C. and Blanche Li of Boulder and Vedanth Raju of Aurora are representing Colorado. It’s the 100th year for the Bee and the second time a Raju boy is on the stage before Dr. Bailly. For our upcoming 5 Questions, we talk to Vedanth Raju about how he prepared, his accomplishments to date and how his brother, Vikram, prepared him to follow in his footsteps. Our newsletter subscribers get to see it first on Sunday, so encourage your friends and families to sign up. As with all our content, it’s free!
Danger on Federal: Fatal Crashes Spark Safety Questions
With four traffic deaths since January, Denver’s Federal Boulevard remains one of the city’s deadliest streets. Cassis Tingley reports on the structural challenges, speeding issues, and systemic inequities that plague this major corridor, as well as what local leaders believe should change. Residents and officials alike are calling for stronger interventions, especially at the dangerous Colfax cloverleaf.
Van Life, National Parks and Healing with Sam Gennawey
This month’s “Bucket List Community News Podcast,” hosted by our Ryland Scholes, features traveler and author Sam Gennawey, who has spent the past six years living in his van and visiting 380 National Park sites. From emotional experiences at Sand Creek to getting stuck in the mud at Bent’s Old Fort, Gennawey shares heartfelt stories from his new book, “Sacred Landscapes.” Tune in for reflections from the road and insider tips for your summer travels in Colorado.
NA Beer Boom Faces Tariff Trouble
Trump’s 25% aluminum tariff is causing a buzzkill for the growing non-alcoholic beer market. Small craft breweries like Ceria in Arvada now face steep costs and packaging challenges, just as demand is rising among health-conscious Gen Z drinkers. With canning costs climbing and kegs posing safety risks for alcohol-free brews, local producers are struggling to stay competitive. In this feature, produced in collaboration with CU News Corps, we introduce you to the brewers adapting to survive and probe if the NA trend can keep its fizz.
Vinyl Still Spins: Analog Revival Brings Generations Together
Vinyl records are making a major comeback, thanks in large part to younger generations seeking deeper, more tactile music experiences. In this written and video story created in partnership with CU News Corps, we explore how Gen Z is finding connection, nostalgia and community through vinyl. From turntable rituals to grandpa’s old Eagles records, vinyl is helping young people slow down and tune in.
Stuff We Noticed
16th Street Mall Drops the ‘Mall.’ Call it a rebrand or a reinvention, but downtown’s famous pedestrian corridor is now simply “16th Street.” The $100,000 campaign strips away confusion (it’s not a shopping mall!) and aims to welcome visitors to what city leaders now call “The Denver Way.” Expect playful new installations, live music and booze-friendly public spaces. It’s a whole vibe, and the city is hoping this glow-up lures more locals and tourists back downtown.
Adieu, Noisette and Jacques. Two of LoHi’s beloved French restaurants are bidding farewell. Noisette will close June 14 after a celebrated run, and Jacques has already shuttered. Despite Michelin accolades and local love, owners cite economic challenges and tough operating conditions. If you’ve been meaning to treat yourself to some crème brûlée, go now before the soufflé falls.
Penny for Your Thoughts (While You Still Can). The penny’s days are officially numbered. The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks. Once supplies run out, production stops, saving taxpayers an estimated $56 million annually. Denver is one of two mints in the country that still produce the one-cent coin. According to the U.S. Mint, over three billion were produced last year but it costs four cents to produce one penny. Congress must act to make the penny’s exit permanent; however, consider this: nickels cost 14 cents to produce. Make it make cents—pun intended!
That’s it for this week, Bucket Listers. Twice a year we ask you to help us keep our publication going by making a contribution to support community journalism. We cannot do this work without your generosity. We realize there is a lot of uncertainty these days, but one thing is certain: people trust locally owned journalism and want solution-oriented news that connects us. For Bucket List Community News to keep going, we need your help, and time is running out. Please support us today so we can keep informing and inspiring our Denver-area neighbors.
Warmest Regards,
Toni Tresca
Editor/Bucket List Community News
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