Overview:
November’s Bucket List radio show explores Tennyson Street, Littleton development, Boulder house shows and R&R Head Labs.
Rising rents, redevelopment fights, backyard concerts and second chances shaped the November episode of the Bucket List Community News radio show on KGNU, which originally aired on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m.
Bucket List reporter Thomas Hinton opened the episode with a look at Tennyson Street in northwest Denver, where rising rents and property taxes have pushed out some longtime businesses as larger companies move into the commercial corridor. The changes, Hinton reported, reflect a broader tension across Denver between investment and displacement as commercial districts become more desirable.
The conversation then moved south to Littleton, where reporter Ella Berry examined the controversy surrounding 1st Street Farms, a proposed development near South Platte Park. Berry broke down the project, competing views among city leaders and residents, and the larger question at the center of the debate: how much public support should go toward private development, and what should taxpayers receive in return?
In Boulder, reporter Emily Doskow explored another neighborhood conflict centered on the city’s longstanding house-show culture. Student musicians argue that backyard concerts give emerging bands a place to build audiences before they can book traditional venues. Some University Hill residents, however, say repeated noise problems have made their neighborhoods difficult to live in. Doskow examined the disagreement and what changes could be on the horizon.
The episode closed with James “Jamie” Repenning, founder of R&R Head Labs, a Denver barbershop that helps formerly incarcerated people turn barbering skills into careers. Repenning discussed how an experience hiring a man who had spent decades in prison changed his approach to employment and eventually helped inspire R&R’s fair-chance hiring model. The business opened its first East Colfax location in 2024 and has since expanded to a second shop.
The November episode was hosted and produced by Bucket List Community News Editor Toni Tresca, with editing by Ryland Scholes and music from DJ Chris Nathan. The next episode will air on KGNU at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3.
