Denver, CO
Congressional hearing for Denver mayor, 4 days after ICE says city released Tren de Aragua gang member, filled with tense exchanges
Republican representatives grilled Denver Mayor Mike Johnston during a six hour House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing about immigration policy on Wednesday in Washington, and the timing couldn’t have been worse for the Democratic leader of Colorado’s capital city.
Four days ago, immigration agents say the Denver Jail released Abraham Gonzalez, a suspected Venezuelan gang member charged with violent felonies. The jail was supposed to give federal agents 48 hours notice, but Rep. Jeff Crank, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, says they got one hour, and he says an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was injured during the capture of the 23-year-old.
The congressional committee wanted answers from Johnston and mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York, saying the cities’ policies of not handing over undocumented immigrants picked up for crimes are putting the public and police at risk.
The people who did most the talking during those six hours were committee members, not the mayors.
While the hearing was billed as an inquisition, it was more of a prosecution. Republicans accused the mayors of everything from failed leadership to treason.
Johnston often didn’t get to finish his statements in his testimony, and in some cases it was Colorado representatives doing the questioning.
“Mayor Johnston, is Denver a sanctuary city?” Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee’s chairman, asked.
“A lot of folks use that term … differently. I can tell you what Denver does. We do not…” Johnston replied.
“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes,” Comer interruped.
From the outset, Johnston was on the defense as the members peppered him with questions and in many cases didn’t even wait for his reply. That included the following exchange with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
“Thank you congresswoman. Let me…” Johnston said.
“Yes or no,” Boebert interruped.
“Pardon,” Johnston said.
“Yes or no. Will you join me?”
“I do not believe the detainer law needs to be changed,” Johnston said. “I can tell you what Denver does right now.”
“Okay, so you don’t want them to coordinate with ICE,” Boebert interruped.
Crank was critical of how Johnson’s city dealt with the Gonzalez case.
“Have you apologized to the federal law enforcement agent who was assaulted by a Tren de Aragua gang member because of your failed leadership? Yes or no?” Crank asked Johnston.
“I reached out to the ICE officers yesterday and I’ve asked to sit down with them to talk about this procedure and how we can align system to make sure no other officers get injured,” he said.
Johnston says the city of Denver has made more than 1,200 similar releases with no problems.
The mayor defended his leadership in his opening remarks, saying as the city’s leader he has a duty to protect the health and safety of all people in the city, and that as a many of faith he says he has a moral obligation to care for those in need.
“The question Denver faced was, what will you do with a mom and two kids dropped on the streets of our city with no warm clothes, no food, and no place to stay?” he said.
He told the committee Denver follows all state and federal laws and despite the massive influx of migrants over the last two years, crime is down.
Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, says the city still ranks as the tenth most dangerous and because it doesn’t ask inmates their immigration status — which Evans says is required on FBI fingerprint cards — there’s no way of knowing if migrants are driving crime.
“So not filling out the FBI fingerprint card, which would directly contradict your statement that you want people who are illegally present in the country and committing crimes to be held to account for those crimes.”
Boebert says Denver’s policies are also impacting the neighboring city of Aurora.
“You were shipping illegal aliens to Aurora. Their crime was increasing while you were hiding under laws that you will not demand be repealed,” she said.
Johnston says state and local laws aren’t the problem, Congress is.
“If Denver can find a way to put aside our ideological differences long enough to manage a crisis we didn’t choose or create, it seems only fair to ask that the body that is actually charged with solving this national problem, this congress, can finally commit to do the same,” he said.
Johnston said after the hearing that his goal was to explain why Denver isn’t a sanctuary city and shouldn’t lose federal funding. The city paid a DC law firm up to $2 million to ensure his success, but he says committee members seemed to have their minds made up.
In addition to withholding funding, some Republicans are asking the justice department to investigate the mayors for harboring criminals. Johnston says he’s not worried. Under the law, he would have had to shield the migrants from federal agents — which he didn’t — and he says if Republicans try to withhold funding, the city will sue.
Denver, CO
Even without extension talks, Nikola Jokic has reiterated his desire to stay long-term in Denver
Despite the possibility of Nikola Jokic holding off on extension talks for now, per The Stein Line, Jokic has reiterated a desire to stay long-term in Denver in recent talks, league sources told HoopsHype. If Jokic waits until next summer, he’s eligible for an additional year on an extension, which should be noted.
HoopsHype
Broncos QB Bo Nix is one of an projected four quarterbacks the Cardinals have never faced previously.
The Arizona Cardinals will take on the Denver Broncos in Week 7, facing them at State Farm Stadium. The Broncos’ starting quarterback is Bo Nix.
It will be the first time that the Cardinals face Nix in a regular-season game.
Bo Nix through 2 NFL seasons
Nix enters this third NFL season. He has led the Broncos to the playoffs twice.
He is 24-10 as a starter and 1-1 in the playoffs.
Through two seasons, he has completed 64.8% of his passes for 7,706 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He has rushed for nine touchdowns in two seasons.
Nix is one of four projected starting quarterbacks the Cardinals will face for the first time ever this season. The others are:
- Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
- Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
- Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
If you were a single Slavic pagan in ancient times, the path to finding true love was fairly straightforward and considerably more exciting than going on a blind date. All you had to do was weave a garland of wildflowers, grab your intended by the hand, hurl yourselves over the roaring flames of a bonfire, and plunge nude into the nearest body of water.
In other words, ancient midsummer festivals of romance were fairly high stakes.
While you likely won’t find anyone risking third-degree burns or stripping nude in Boulder this weekend, chef Bo Porytko is reviving similar energy for a sprawling 10-course fine-dining experience where feast-goers can party like it’s 900 A.D.
The Midsummer Farm Dinner takes place on Sunday at Esoterra Culinary Garden, 8985 Valmont Road, Boulder. The event will bring together a collective of 10 chefs from some of Denver’s buzziest restaurants — including Molotov, Somebody People, Hearth, Odell’s Bagel, Petit Chelou, Margot, Bear Leek, La Diabla and Rougarou — for a collaborative, long-table meal built around Esoterra’s summer produce. The outdoor feast will begin with arrivals at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $260.
Porytko, the chef behind Denver’s Molotov restaurant, said the dinner series was inspired by his heritage.
“In Ukrainian culture, we have something called Ivana Kupala, which dates back to ancient times,” Porytko said. “Basically, it’s their midsummer festivities that also act as a mating holiday.”
Don’t worry, coupling up is not required for this event.
“Midsummer is just kind of a fun time,” Porytko said. “It was a good way to harness these weird, culty vibes that kind of suit the farm setting.”
The ancient East Slavic festival of Kupala was celebrated on the evening of June 23-24.
For guests wondering how that ancient atmosphere translates to a modern dinner on a 100-acre Boulder property, the evening starts on a hospitable note. Guests arrive for James Beard-recognized cocktails mixed by the team from Denver’s Yacht Club. From there, diners have time to explore the farm.
“The way the actual event begins is people come to the farm and get about an hour with welcome cocktails,” Porytko said. “Then you’re supposed to wander, check out the space, take in the farm, and there’s a little bit of education too.”
Attendees are asked to arrive dressed entirely in white. An LED flower wreath will be placed at each setting around a massive table built for 100 people. A maypole will be erected nearby, and a live DJ will guide the evening’s soundtrack. The music will begin to vibe with standard dinner fare before veering into unexpected territory.
“The DJ will play normal music, but then take, for example, a Kelly Clarkson song and turn down the beats per minute so she sounds like she’s speaking in Viking tones,” Porytko said, adding that the DJ will also mix in random Gregorian chants to fit the scene.
As the wine flows, the initial formality of the long table quickly disappears. Porytko said guests naturally start getting up, making friends and moving around the property after a few courses.
“After 10 courses and eight glasses of wine, people just kind of take it in whatever direction they want,” Porytko said.
To translate those festive vibes into an actual 10-course meal, the participating chefs rely on a highly democratic planning process. Justin Freeman, the executive chef of Somebody People in Denver, will help coordinate the logistics, beginning with a digital inventory of whatever Esoterra is currently pulling from the soil.
“There’s a Google Doc that we all use,” Freeman said. “We just ask the owner of Esoterra — Mark DeRespinis — what he’s growing, and then everyone signs up for what ingredients they want to cook with. We really just try to showcase what Mark has.”
Chefs look over the active list, claim the specific vegetables they want to work with and design a dish around them. Freeman then steps in to help arrange the final layout of the courses. He said the event has become an ongoing annual collaboration to give a little praise to the people who are doing all the hard work — the farmers.
The resulting menu leans heavily into hyper-seasonal creativity, starting with Porytko’s own intricate contribution.
“The idea is to highlight items from the farm,” Porytko said. “For me, I’m highlighting their beets, their Badger Flame beets.”
Porytko is preparing a guinea hen roulade cured in the juice of the Badger Flame beets and stuffed with a chocolate mint mousseline. The dish will be served with a beet mole, a gummied Badger Flame beet and traditional roasted beets.
The rest of the collective will showcase the farm’s harvest through a variety of distinct culinary styles. Freeman is serving grilled fennel with a creamy pistachio sauce, pickled celtuce and seasoned breadcrumbs. Andrew Van Stee of Hearth is contributing Moroccan pistachio carrot rolls, while Miles Odell of Odell’s Bagel is pairing dry-aged ocean trout with a coconut pea puree. Justin Fulton of Margot is preparing charred cucumbers with agretti, coconut broth and yuzu kosho, and Rema Maaliki and Harrison Porter of Bear Leek are bringing braised leeks with leek soubise, albufera and crispy leeks. The lineup also features plates from James Beard chef finalist José Avila of La Diabla, JohnDavid Wright of Rougarou and pastry work by Ali Spahr of Hearth .
The actual preparation happens entirely outdoors. The chefs arrive early in the morning to set up tables, tents and their own Japanese konro grills packed with binchotan charcoal.
“It all happens out in the field, in the middle of Mark’s gardens,” Freeman said. “We set up that morning. We’ll set up the tables, the tents, everything. Then we do all the cooking in front of everyone.”
Diners can stand right by the workspace and watch the dishes come together. For the chefs, the open-air format offers a rare chance to step away from their respective restaurant kitchens and collaborate directly with their fellows.
“For us, as chefs, we just don’t get to see each other very often, so it’s really fun and special when we do,” Porytko said. “We definitely have our own little hangout in the kitchen area with all the chefs, you know — all the weirdos in the corner.”
Freeman echoed the sentiment, noting the benefit of the format for the guests as well.
“With this one, you’re getting 10 different chefs with 10 different views all coming together under one roof,” Freeman said.
Cooking in an open field does, however, mean operating at the whim of Colorado’s summer elements. Freeman recalled a previous year when a sudden onset of mountain weather forced the culinary crew to quickly shift from grilling to structural defense.
“The first year we had a little bit of rain at the start of it,” Freeman said. “Then the wind was crazy, where we all had to come and grab the tent so it didn’t blow away.”
Hopefully, on Sunday, the weather will remain tame, but guests should prepare for whatever Mother Nature has to throw at them, just in case.
The event takes place on Sunday, with arrival at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. The location is Esoterra Culinary Garden, 8985 Valmont Road, Boulder. Tickets start at $260 and are available through Tock.
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