Today in Denver...
It's Tuesday and also the start of Ramadan ☪️ In honor of the month-long Muslim tradition, meet Colorado's first-ever Muslim lawmaker Iman Jodeh.
As for the forecast, today will be wet, cold, and cloudy 🌧️ with a chance of snow in the evening.
In news as gloomy as the weather, Casa Bonita has filed for bankruptcy 😭 But the situation might not be as bad as it sounds. The iconic Lakewood restaurant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which signals more of a pause than an ending. This type of bankruptcy allows for some leniencies, such as letting the restaurant's owner propose a plan of reorganization that will keep the business afloat while paying creditors over time.
Self-proclaimed superfan Andrew Novick launched a local effort last month to raise funds for Casa Bonita, which has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Novick's "Save Casa Bonita" GoFundMe has raised more than $16,000 of a $100,000 goal. The focus now is to get the restaurant into local hands. (It's currently owned by Summit Family Restaurants out of Phoenix, Arizona.)
Novick believes the bankruptcy filing is actually a good thing — it buys Casa Bonita time to make a plan, he assures us all, since the filing should halt any landlord actions including eviction. Casa Bonita creditors are scheduled for a meeting May 11, and the bankruptcy court hearing is slated for June 5. Until then, I'll be praying for a miracle. And on an unrelated note, does anyone know of any generous, local millionaires I can contact?
👉 What can you do? Get involved with Novick's initiative at savecasabonita.org. Or, join the Save Casa Bonita rally planned for April 17 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. outside the restaurant.
[9News; Westword]
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In Other News...
⛑️⛰️ Did you know there was an earthquake in Aspen on Saturday? Yeah, neither did most of Aspen. The quake ranked at a 2.8 magnitude, and apparently it's a pretty common occurrence on the Western Slope. [Denver Post]
⛽🍝 An old Colfax gas station will find new life as an Italian restaurant. Brad Anderson, the man behind a number of Denver eateries, is bringing us wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas through Benzina Italian. [Westword]
🚘🚶 To keep streets closed or to open? That is a question Denver residents are not seeing eye to eye on. With vaccine numbers swelling, roadways that were closed to cars last summer to make room for pedestrians social distancing are reopening to automobiles. Many residents think at least some of the closures should become permanent. [Denver7]
🪦🌱 Your body could be turned into garden soil after you die. If Colorado moves forward with the legalization of human composting, that is. The bill only needs a few more votes of approval to make Colorado the second state (behind Washington) to offer such a service. Great news for those of us who've always wanted to be a tree in our next life. [Denver Post]
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🎙️ On the Podcast:
Choo choo, all aboard! Could Colorado actually, finally be getting a passenger train that takes you up and down the Front Range? It's looking more likely than it ever has before, according to today's City Cast Denver podcast guest, CPR News transportation reporter Nate Minor. Listen now 🚞
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To Do in Denver: Women+Film Festival 🎥
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Image: Follow @sadgirlprods on Instagram
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📅 Today is the first day of Denver Film's annual Women+Film Festival (April 13-18). Though the fest can't include the in-person festivities it usually would this year, the Sie FilmCenter is renting out its own theaters to small parties for private screenings. Find a full list of this year's featured films by and about women, plus tickets and festival info here.
[Westword]
✨ Plus, support this local biz: Sad Girl Productions, a Denver-based film production company that spotlights women-driven content.
[303 Magazine]
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Moment of Joy: Sweet, Sweet Chocolate 🍫
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Food & Wine named the 50 best chocolate-makers in the country, and Denver's Cultura Craft Chocolate showed up to represent. This is only one of many national accolades this Latina-owned chocolate company has received. Taste what all the buzz is about for yourself here.
[Patch]
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Well, I mean, now I have to buy my weight in Cultura Craft Chocolate, right?
— Peyton Garcia (@peytonmgarcia)
Image: Giphy
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