Matt Sebastian
@mattsebastian.com
Managing Editor, @denverpost.com | Host of "Dark Wave" on SiriusXM's 1st Wave, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Eastern every Sunday night | "There's a bit of magic in everything, and then some loss to even things out" — Lou Reed
“Music publications BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver, and Goldmine have been gutted by parent company Veeps... Nearly all the staff at each publication appear to have been laid off yesterday. Veeps, which is now owned by Live Nation, acquired the publications in 2024 or 2025”
BrooklynVegan, Alt Press Hit With Mass Layoffs
Music publications Revolver and Goldmine have also been gutted by owners Veeps and Live Nation
pitchfork.com
“The group warned the markets could create financial incentives for arson and criticized what they described as profiteering from disasters affecting vulnerable communities.”
Jacob Gellman@jacobgellman.com · yesterdayThere is no way that betting on wildfires should be legal. www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/20...
Great to see the live album finally getting a CD release
Beggars Banquet Records@beggarsbanquetrecs.bsky.social · 5h agoANNOUNCING: THE GO-BETWEENS LP +CD REISSUES Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Tallulah, 16 Lovers Lane, Fountains of Youth (Live at the Town and Country Club) -Set for release on September 25th (excluding AUS/NZ) -Available to pre-order now here: thegobetweens.ffm.to/2026reissues
One DPS director told @jessicaseaman.bsky.social he considered taking legal action to force another school board meeting to discuss Alex Marrero's future with the district
Denver school board members fall short in push to restart talks about Alex Marrero’s future
The Denver school board will not meet to discuss Superintendent Alex Marrero’s employment Wednesday, despite several directors having pushed for the Board of Education to convene.
denverpost.com
Just saw where John Douglas, guitarist and founding member of Trashcan Sinatras, passed away yesterday, just a few days after their new album release. Here’s him performing Weightlifting on his solo acoustic tour back in 2024 that feels appropriate now. m.youtube.com/watch?v=y1aK...
Weightlifting, John Douglas (Trashcan Sinatras), The Lost Church San Francisco, October 2, 2024
YouTube video by Shivauncé Shivaunsay
m.youtube.com
Probably a couple more days of smoke-filled Colorado skies, @laurenpenington.bsky.social reports
Wildfire smoke triggers air quality warning for every Colorado county. When will the air clear?
Out-of-state wildfires were sending waves of smoke across Colorado on Tuesday, triggering air quality warnings for the entire state.
denverpost.com
A 10th Circuit panel seems willing to let Denver Water finish its expansion of Gross Reservoir, even though a trial judge found the underlying permit unlawful. In part, the panel suggested Judge Christy Arguello "punished" Denver Water with her injunction: www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/08/03/1...
10th Circuit weighs Gross Reservoir expansion, judge’s ‘punishment’ of Denver Water
Members of the Denver-based federal appeals court considered on Friday whether they could intervene in an ongoing infrastructure project to enlarge a Boulder County dam after a trial judge deemed the ...
coloradopolitics.com
“It kind of ruined me because I’ve been to a billion club shows since, and none of them were The Cramps with no stage.”
Two Punk Legends Help Revive a Cult Band’s Archive
The Cramps introduced the world to “psychobilly” and turned Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye into fans. Now the duo is part of an effort to bring the music back.
nytimes.com
The rock stars on stage at Red Rocks today? The Artemis II crew // Story by @laurenpenington.bsky.social
Artemis II astronauts reflect on space journey at Red Rocks: ‘It was always our hope that the mission would move people’
The Artemis II crew — mission specialist Christina Koch, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen — launched beyond Earth’s atmosphere on April 1.
denverpost.com
It’s been 14 years since an amendment to the Colorado Open Meetings Law barred public bodies from using secret ballots to make decisions, but the Greeley City Council and the Bayfield Planning Commission recently took votes that way.
Colorado’s open meetings law prohibits secret ballots for decision-making. Some public bodies continue to use them anyway. - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
It’s been 14 years since an amendment to the Colorado Open Meetings Law barred public bodies from using secret ballots to make decisions, but the Greeley City Council and the Bayfield Planning Commiss...
coloradofoic.org
After being in Nashville last week, this is actually pleasant
Chris Bianchi@bianchiweather.bsky.social · 2d agoFirst time since 2012 that Denver's had back-to-back days at 102°+. #COwx
Colorado's gamblers set a record last year for the amount wagered on sports. www.denverpost.com/2026/08/03/c...
Coloradans bet a record $6.4 billion on sports in the last year
That amount showed a 2.3% increase over the total bet during the previous fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
denverpost.com
Coloradans who want to buy rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines or gas-operated pistols — weapons popularly known as assault rifles — must now first get an eligibility card from a sheriff’s office and pass a course by a verified instructor // Story by @coltrain.bsky.social
Colorado’s new training requirements to buy semiautomatic rifles go into effect
The measure passed in 2025 and was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, but included delayed implementation to allow time to set up rules and procedures.
denverpost.com
Please stop saying “lockdowns.” There were never true lockdowns in the US, and it fuels far right narratives to repeat this inaccurate statement. You can say closures, you can say restrictions, or better, you can say public health measures which saved many lives.
Dr. Lucky Tran@luckytran.com · 6d agoPeople still complain about “lockdowns” but we had none in the US. We had stay-at-home orders, where although businesses were closed, you could still go outside whenever you wanted. Other countries had far stricter rules, and yet have been much more accepting of them as they saved many more lives.
The front page of this morning’s Spokesman-Review, Aug. 2, 2026, the day after one of the worst wildfires in Washington state history. More than 600 structures, mostly homes, have been lost in the #OldTrailsFire. Read local news.
New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo
She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
wapo.st
Fauci faced a grilling because he preserved his records. The Trump administration doesn’t. "The Trump administration is actively shredding its own paper trail, preventing future accountability," FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social writes in @ms.now.
Opinion | The Fauci hearing takeaway that the Trump administration doesn’t want you to notice
Lauren Harper: The Trump administration is actively shredding its own paper trail, preventing future accountability.
ms.now
“With the advent of Margaret Thatcher in 1979, everything went into a slump. Young people were looking for an out and for a very brief time, that out was 2 Tone.” The Selecter’s Pauline Black on their breakthrough 1979 single — and 2 Tone’s moment as the sound of British youth culture:
“It’s a strange little song. It’s weird and off its trolley - but people love it and everybody knows it”: We speak to The Selecter’s Pauline Black about their breakthrough 1979 single - and 2 Tone's moment as the sound of British youth culture
Pauline Black speaks to us about the origins of the Selecter, and how the group’s upbeat debut single ironically gained traction amongst the very DJs it was criticising
musicradar.com
NYT: "A freelance reporter has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources
A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.
nytimes.com
"Neither the Bureau of Reclamation's news release nor the 80-page executive summary of the report mentions climate change."
Federal government implements 10-year Colorado River plan after states fail to find deal
The plan opens the door for major cuts to California, Nevada and Arizona, the three states downstream of the reservoirs.
denverpost.com
Fingers crossed for a concept album about Justine's time studying at Naropa University in Boulder
BrooklynVegan@brooklynvegan.bsky.social · 5d agoElastica say "we're back" with "exciting things in the works" www.brooklynvegan.com/elastica-say...
Western Conservative Summit used to be a big deal - went 4 years ago when it was at the Gaylord in Aurora, saw Trump speak there (for extra) in 2016. Gov. Polis spoke there in 2019. Jeff Hunt was the director in 2023, and the event was canceled in 24 because of poor attendance. #copolitics
Sean Beedle@beedle.bsky.social · 5d agoGood morning! I’m in Lakewood for Colorado Christian University’s Western Conservative Summit. It’s like a convention for every group I’ve covered in the last 5 years…
NEW: A Denver school board member, saying she's backed by the majority, is trying to schedule a meeting next week to discuss and possibly take action on Superintendent Alex Marrero's employment, @jessicaseaman.bsky.social reports
Denver school board seeks new meeting to discuss — and possibly take action on — Alex Marrero’s employment
The special meeting, if held, would mark the second time in two weeks that the Board of Education convened to talk about Alex Marrero’s employment.
denverpost.com
The godmother of punk Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV this morning.
Another new effort to find Thayne Smika, the man long suspected of murdering CU Boulder student Sid Wells — who was dating Robert Redford's daughter — in 1983. Police don't seem to have any info on his whereabouts, other than that he may have lived in Yelapa, Mexico, "prior to 2007."
FBI, Boulder police release new age-progression images of suspect in 1983 murder of Sid Wells
FBI spokeswoman Vikki Migoya said law enforcement had little information about Thayne Smika’s current whereabouts or status, which is why they released new images.
denverpost.com
Colorado plans to offer free, curbside recycling statewide by 2035. A national trade association wants to put a stop to it. www.denverpost.com/2026/07/31/n...
National trade association sues Colorado in attempt to block state’s free curbside recycling plan
A national trade association sued Colorado over its plan to expand free curbside recycling to 700,000 homes and businesses by 2035, arguing the fee structure and management is unconstitutional.
denverpost.com
IT'S NOT A PHASE, MOM. It's an emo wedding, and you're invited. This Colorado couple is having an emo wedding, and they're selling seats. A new app lets you invite wedding crashers to your big day. www.denverpost.com/2026/07/31/e... via @denverpost.com
This Colorado couple is throwing an emo wedding. You’re invited.
The Aurora couple is using the company Not a Wedding Crasher to find musical soulmates who want to help celebrate their big day.
denverpost.com
A helicopter unsuccessfully attempted to pick up 5 firefighters just before a wildfire overtook them, killing 3 and fatally injuring another on Colorado’s Western Slope last month, according to a preliminary report by federal investigators // Story by @sethklamann.bsky.social
Helicopter tried to pick up firefighters before deadly burnover in western Colorado, preliminary report says
A helicopter unsuccessfully attempted to pick up five firefighters just before a fire overtook them, killing three of the firefighting crew and fatally injuring another on Colorado’s Western Slope, ac...
denverpost.com
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson flood of July 31, 1976: one of the deadliest disasters in Colorado history. An intense rainstorm led to a rapid flood wave down the canyon where many people were commemorating Colorado's centennial. 144 people lost their lives. #cowx 1/
Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, the Ecuadorian woman whose arrest by ICE agents at Denver International Airport last week went viral, was released from federal custody this afternoon, her lawyer confirms to @lizzy-hernandez.bsky.social
Woman arrested by ICE at DIA released from Aurora immigration detention
Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas will return home to Oakland while her immigration proceedings and federal habeas corpus petition continue through the courts, attorney Laura Lichter said.
denverpost.com