Denver, CO
Bill Husted covered Denver’s highs and lows with generosity, withering humor
Bill Husted, who charmed and inflamed Denver’s elite as a columnist for both The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, died at his Denver home in hospice care on Saturday at age 76.
He died from complications related to cancer, according to his wife, Polly Kruse.
The thousands of articles Husted wrote from the early 1980s through 2010s leave an archive of Denver culture that’s nearly unmatched in its detail and nuance, friends and colleagues said, from the foibles of the ultra-rich (some of whom he enraged with his writing) to tender moments at society galas.
“People always got that feeling reading his work that he was our guy, one of us,” said Joe Rassenfoss, who hired Husted away from a server job at Boccalino to write his first column for the Rocky Mountain News in 1983 — for $50 per week. “He wasn’t above us. He was our eyes and ears.”
That included literary quips on society culture and gossip, withering humor and, perhaps most importantly, fierce competitiveness in a town where more people knew each other than they do now.
Time was, Denver was smaller, newspapers were bigger, and Husted was revered and feared as the primary chronicler of the city’s cultural scene, said Sen. John Hickenlooper.
“He was a real Herb Caen figure — a man about town,” Hickenlooper said, referencing the influential San Francisco gossip writer and journalist. “He wrote one of the first articles about the Wynkoop Brewery. He also named one of our events, where we walked pigs down the alley to the Oxford Hotel on 17th and back. He called it The Running of the Pigs, or Pamplona on the Platte, which I’ll always think is an amazing turn of phrase.”
Husted and Hickenlooper stayed friends through Hickenlooper’s political ascension to mayor, governor, and Senator — in part, Hickenlooper thinks, because of Husted’s incredible love of listening to and telling stories, and the bonding that promoted.
“There was no one who did it like he did,” said Kim Christiansen, a 9News anchor who worked with Husted when he appeared on TV to share his work. “Every time he saw you he asked about someone in your world, which is a gift. He remembered people’s lives, which is not always the case in superficial relationships. I think he got a lot of scoops that way.”
The news media ecosystem then supported more than one of those jobs in town at the time.
“We always had a friendly little competition going,” said Joanne Davidson, The Post’s former society writer. “Our goal every day was to make the other choke on their Cheerios, because inevitably one of us would have something really juicy that the other didn’t have.”
Husted debuted as the society writer for the Rocky in October of 1986 with a story on the Carousel Ball, which Rassenfoss described as “the biggest, baddest bash in Denver in those days, put on by Marvin Davis and his wife, Barbara. Because Marvin owned 20th Century Fox, he got lots of stars, that year ranging from Gary Coleman to Henry Kissinger, to come and mingle.” (One of Husted’s best story ledes, Rassenfoss added, was the 1992 phrase “Geraldo Rivera wants to punch me in the nose.”)
Husted was a familiar presence at those events, but also restaurants and bars, holding his beloved cigar and martini, friends said. His car usually stood out in the parking lot, given his license plate TELL ME. All of that ran parallel to a silliness he was also unafraid to showcase.
“He always made me laugh with these stupid things,” said Nancy Sagar, who was married to Husted for two years in the early 1990s and stayed good friends with him after their divorce. “He would go into the bathroom and come out intentionally with toilet paper hanging off the back of his pants and his shoes. And he would walk through the restaurant like that.”
Husted was born on Aug. 13, 1948, on the Upper East Side of New York City. At 10 years old, he “was riding subways and cabs, sneaking into clubs, (and) soaking up New York’s last golden age,” according to a biography in his novel “Let Me Tell You About the #VeryRich.”
Husted bounced between Denver, the East Coast and overseas before returning to Denver, where he became a morning fixture for newspaper readers. The Denver Post lured him away from the Rocky in 1996, Husted wrote, where he was the paper’s featured city columnist through 2011.
“He had no journalistic training, but was urbane, well-educated and had such a natural, conversational way of writing that you were immediately engaged,” wrote former Post editor and columnist Suzanne Brown, one of Husted’s first editors, via email.
“Amused, intrigued, you were right there with him as he made his rounds to clubs, parties and hot restaurants,” she wrote. “As an editor, I just had to correct his many misspellings of names and places, as he didn’t let such minor things get in the way of meeting a deadline. He would rarely admit this was the case and thank me for saving his bacon!”
Services are still being planned, according to Kruse.
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Originally Published:
Metro Denver commuters can look forward to faster trips on the Regional Transportation District’s light rail after the agency lifted the last of 31 speed restrictions that have slowed trains for almost a year.
RTD lifted the final slow zone on a 400-foot southbound segment near the Southmoor Station on Tuesday morning, officials said in a news release.
Transportation officials found minor issues and “track imperfections” in May 2024 and added 10 mph speed restrictions to sections of the D, E, H and R lines in June and July until workers could finish repairs.
Over the next 11 months, nearly 100 employees removed and replaced more than two miles of track and finished grinding 50 miles of rail to remove surface defects that could cause cracks, according to RTD.
The delays caused frustration among customers and drops in ridership, with some people reporting more than double the amount of time to take their regular route to work.
Temporary speed restrictions will return as needed after rail inspections because of RTD’s “aging rail infrastructure,” the agency said.
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Originally Published:
DENVER- Denver International Airport (DEN) employees are questioning CEO Phil Washington over expensive business-class flights for executives. The trip to a conference in Madrid cost the airport over $165,000, with one United Airlines (UA) ticket priced at $19,194.21.
Workers expressed concerns about the ethical implications of such high spending while frontline staff face budget constraints. Washington defended the decision, calling it an investment in leadership development.
Denver Airport CEO’s $19,000 Flight
At a quarterly town hall meeting for Denver International Airport (DEN) employees, an anonymous worker challenged CEO Phil Washington on the decision to approve expensive business class tickets for a three-day conference in Madrid.
The employee highlighted a $19,194.21 ticket, noting it “creates a rift in sentiment between frontline and senior leadership.”
The trip, attended by Washington and eight executive staff members, cost approximately $165,000, averaging $18,000 per person for flights, conference fees, hotels, and meals on United Airlines (UA).
Washington defended the expenditure, emphasizing the conference’s value for professional development.
He attributed high ticket costs to late bookings, stating, “Some travel requests came in a little later,” causing prices to spike.
However, records from a CBS News investigation revealed most tickets were purchased months in advance, contradicting claims of last-minute bookings.
Travel consultant Robert Laney expressed disbelief at the costs, suggesting that waiting could have reduced fares to $8,000–$9,000 per ticket.
Policy Under Review
Amid the growing backlash, CEO Washington announced that Denver International Airport (DEN) is reassessing its travel policy.
“We are reviewing our policy. There are some revisions we could make to that policy,” he said, although no immediate changes have been finalized or disclosed.
An airport spokesperson confirmed that the current review will cover the entire travel procedure, from initial requests and booking to reimbursement processes.
The aim, according to Washington, is to ensure future decisions reflect fiscal responsibility without compromising professional development goals.
Despite the controversy, Washington maintained his position, stating, “I stand by the professional development opportunity as an investment in our people that will pay off in the long run.”
Bottom Line
The controversy has sparked broader discussions about transparency and equity at Denver International Airport (DEN).
Frontline workers, who often face tighter budgets, expressed frustration over the perceived extravagance of executive travel.
The issue underscores the need for clear, equitable travel policies to maintain trust between staff and leadership.
As the airport reviews its policies, stakeholders await changes to ensure responsible use of revenues derived from public-facing operations like concessions and rentals.
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DENVER — The City of Denver has been trying to bring more people downtown. On Monday, it turned to live music.
Thousands packed a revamped 16th Street for a “block party” EDM concert at 16th and Welton, headlined by house DJ and producer FISHER.
Denver7
Justin Wercinski told Denver7 he got to the front of the line 10 hours early for his favorite DJ. He grew up in North Denver and recently moved to Florida.
“I’ve lived here for 27 years, you know, Red Rocks in our back door,” he said. “Being able to go to Red Rocks all the time, but now bringing [an outdoor concert] to the actual city… I think it’s super special and pretty cool. I hope Denver keeps doing it.”
Eddie Burns, from Boulder, and Daniel Long, from Longmont, were also near the front of the line and shared the same feeling.
“A concert like here with big buildings, it’s super cool,” said Long. “We’re gonna just walk to a bar after. It’s like, super easy.”
Denver7
That’s good news for bars steps away from the stage, like 3 Margaritas on 16th Street.
“It’s very good for us, for our business, because we hope to have a lot of guests,” said manager Martinez Huitron. “We wait a long, a long, long time to having this here now.”
Consumed by construction for two years, Denverites got used to 16th Street being lifeless. The stretch formerly known as the 16th Street Mall is going through a rebrand.
“It’s kind of a mess, but you know, I mean, it desperately needed it,” Christoval Vega, who lives downtown, said of the rebrand.
Denver
Outdoor drinking zones coming to 16th Street in downtown Denver
Vega told Denver7 he’s happy to see the center of the city pulsing with activity again, and supports more block party-style concerts.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said.
Denver7
The Downtown Denver Partnership said Monday’s event was sold out, with about 5,000 people expected to attend. Tickets cost roughly $110, including fees.
The same stretch is hosting a 16th Street Summer Kickoff Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, including the Speed Climbing World Cup, music, art, food vendors, and a beer garden.
The city hopes these events at the start of the season will bring more people and dollars back during key summer months.
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