Westword

5 days ago | westword.com | Kristen Fiore

Temperatures climbed to 100 degrees on Saturday, but thousands still made their way to the 51st Cherry Blossom Festival at Denver's Sakura Square for a day of shopping, food and performances celebrating Japanese culture. People found air-conditioned relief (and groceries) at Pacific Mercantile, bought cold bottles of ramune from a kiddie pool filled with the popular carbonated drinks, and stood in line for snow cones that came in a dozen flavors.

1 week ago | westword.com | Gil Asakawa

The popular restaurant, which is attached to a gas station and convenience store and won Westword's "Best Restaurant With a View of a Car Wash" in 2017, suddenly closed the week of its tenth anniversary: The City of Englewood seized the property for nonpayment of taxes in early June. Jesus Cruz, the owner of Garibaldi Mexican Bistro on South Broadway Street in Englewood, is ecstatic. "I have some good news," he says, raising his voice above the kitchen clatter in the background.

1 week ago | westword.com | Bennito L Kelty

Business owners and residents in downtown Denver's Ballpark District want police and city officials to make their area safer after a shooting in the area on Father's Day left a 23-year-old man dead and witnesses traumatized. "Crime in this neighborhood is horrible," said Justin Lloyd, the owner of Star Bar at 2137 Larimer Street, during a community meeting on Wednesday, June 18.

1 week ago | westword.com | Helen Xu

After five years on the road with his food truck, owner Vladimir Demin took a leap of faith and opened the first brick-and-mortar location of Samos Grill this spring. It was the perfect opportunity. The previous tenant, Seasoned Swine BBQ, got tired of the commute from Golden and so Demin was able to inherit a fully-functional restaurant with all its equipment when he signed the lease in March.

1 week ago | westword.com | Zachary Visconti

For most bands, simply creating art and performing it in front of an audience is enough of a goal on its own. But for Flesh Tape frontman Larson Ross, the music serves as an important opportunity to build larger movements around class consciousness, labor struggles and pushing back on the war machine. These are at the forefront of the band's blistering new three-track EP, Gravesite.