Patrick O'Leary

Community

Choose New City Councilors, School Board Reps And Tax Extension Nov. 7

Between now and early November, Wheat Ridge voters will decide on whether to extend their city’s sales tax and which candidates will fill two empty council seats. Wheat Ridge and Edgewater voters will also pick two representatives to sit on the Jefferson County Board of Education. The general election is set for Nov. 7, and

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Community

Everyone’s A Critic, So Pen A Pizza Review

We’re going to try something new this month: you, dear ravenous reader, get to write a restaurant review. And to keep things manageable, we’re going to start with pizza: any dining establishment in Wheat Ridge, Edgewater or Mountain View that has pizza on its menu. We’ll publish the best four or five reviews in the

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Community

Rossi’s Opens In Mama Sannino’s Spot

Inevitably, when a long-lived, traditional mom-and-pop Italian restaurant closes its doors, and new restauranteurs move in, nostalgic patrons may be critical of the new establishment. Rossi’s Italian Eatery recently opened at 5800 W. 38th Ave., the space where Mama Sannino’s served memorable meals for a decade. I never ate at Mama Sannino’s, so I chose

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Community

Affordable Apartments For Adults 62+ Opening Near Crown Hill Park

Archway Communities will soon complete construction on a three-story affordable housing project with 67 apartments for adults 62 and older – as well as veterans – on north Wadsworth, just south of Crown Hill Park. The opening date will be later this month or early July. Robinson Place will include a large community room with

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Community

Mestizo Brew Cantina: Latin American Brew Pub Experience

Where Quality Auto once tuned up autos, Mestizo Brew Cantina (6800 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge) is turning out Latin American tacos, tortas and small plate fare alongside house brews and cocktails. The former garage is newly renovated, clean and well lit. The food is more than Mexican, drawing on Salvadoran, Ecuadorian and Argentinian cuisines,

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Community

Snow Removal – Setting The Story Straight

With two significant snowstorms hitting the metro area since the holidays (and likely more to come), residents may be wondering what the story is on snow and ice on your street and sidewalks. Wheat Ridge property owners are required to shovel snow within 24 hours of snowfall of two inches or more. If they don’t

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Community

Regulating Short Term Rentals, One Year Later

Remember back in February of ‘21, when Wheat Ridge City Council adopted an ordinance allowing and but regulating short-term rentals, aka STRs? That went into effect the following May with licensing, and enforcement and lodging tax collection began that August. One year later, it’s time to ask what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next.  In

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Community

Could This Be…A Wheat Ridge Home Companion?

What if … the Car Talk guys joined up with the Prairie Home Companion team to talk about gardening? Something like that is happening here in Wheat Ridge, by locals, about locals’ gardens.  Listen for yourself: Upside Down Tulips not only sows botanical advice every two weeks, it has its own theme song, corny jokes,

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Community

The Tacos That Got Away

A fun part of being a managing editor or writer with any publication are invitations to catered media events and kitchen interviews. Those pleasures have ranged from a free ice cream cone while reporting the grand opening of a Baskin-Robbins to Jamaican jerked chicken wings with the chef of a new restaurant. (When I sample

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Community

Yes Virginia, There Is A Gluten-Free Beer

Driving past Brewery Rickoli on Wadsworth, a sign caught my eye: Gluten-Free Beer. How can that be? Rickoli’s website says they remove the gluten from all of their brews. That, according to my non-scientific research (i.e., Google) is achieved by using an enzyme that breaks down gluten protein. (If you have celiac disease or other

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Community

Cider – It Isn’t Just For Halloween Anymore

I took a break from beers and visited Clear Fork Cider with my family this month. Clear Fork’s tasting room, tucked inside a small industrial park just north of I-70 near West 50th Avenue and Kipling, provides a chance to sample and enjoy artisan ciders made from heirloom apples from orchards from Oregon to Colorado’s

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Community

If It’s Edgewater This Must Be Belgian

Barquentine Brewing Co., in the Edgewater Market, bills itself as a family-owned brewery with recipes drawn from tradition and “inspired by the beers of Belgium and the sailing ships, called Barquentines, that brought Old World brewers their provisions.” I’m partial to Belgian ales, and am always on the lookout for anything real and purporting to

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Community

What’s (And Who’s) New At WestFax Brewing?

WestFax Brewing Company sits next door to the iconic Casa Bonita restaurant on West Colfax – a boon before the pandemic, when busloads of folks were dropped off at the plaza, according to Jaclyn Martuscello, Sales & Marketing Manager and wife of owner and founder Anthony Martuscello. When the pandemic hit, they were limited to

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Community

Who’s Keeping Our City From Becoming ‘Weed Ridge’?

At an Aug. 9 special study session, Wheat Ridge City Council debated the details of a proposed ordinance to rein in recreational annoyances like super-sized skateparks and noisome ninja obstacle courses in residential neighborhoods. Who will enforce that?, asked one city council member. A SWAT team? Police Chief Chris Murtha? An angry mob of neighbors

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Longtime Wheat Ridge resident Karin Heine
Community

Karin Heine: July 27, 1945 – May 22, 2021

Karin Heine, creator of a unique suburban private wildlife refuge, died peacefully at her home in Wheat Ridge, according to relatives. She was 75. A life-long champion of nature, in 1997 she purchased three vacant lots in northwest Wheat Ridge and created the Heine Wildlife Sanctuary, a private refuge now home to birds, butterflies, foxes,

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