2 westword.com WESTWORD MARCH 19-25, 2026 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 12 WWJD? Jesus Christ Taxi Driver steers into religion and politics on Taxi the Rich. BY EMILY FERGUSON 4 TO WHICH DEGREE? Colorado may change extreme indifference murder law. BY KRISTEN FIORE 8 POWWOW PREVAILS ”The fact that the Denver March Powwow is still here shows the resiliency of the Native American.” BY TONI TRESCA 11 WHET YOUR APPETITE The nine most anticipated restaurant openings this spring. BY MOLLY MARTIN 14 PLAYTIME Playground Ensemble is ready for a MARATHON. BY TEAGUE BOHLEN 8 Culture 11 Cafe 12 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 17 19 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 19 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 29 MARCH 19-25, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Bennito L. 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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSK “BIG IDEAS FOR LITTLE ITALY,” HANNAH METZGER, MARCH 12 T H A T ’ S A M O R E Thank you for acknowledging this land- mark area of Denver. Italian immigrants played a major role in building not only Denver, but Colorado. Hard-working people who did some of the most dangerous jobs – mining, building the railroads, industrial work – and were happy to do it, just to be in America. When they came here, they brought work ethic, fabulous food, rich traditions and a family-forward lifestyle. A close-knit community that loved and supported each other. Little Italy is legendary and deserves to be a historic landmark. Still drive by my grandparents’ homes there. Great memories. Pauletta Longo Tonilas Littleton Can’t believe that has never been done. Wheat Ridge neighborhood on West 32nd Avenue was always the place to go for Ital- ian food when I lived there in the ‘80s. Too bad it wasn’t done before all the original restaurants closed. Dreda Smith Colorado Springs Judging from what became of Columbus Park (now La Raza), you would think Italians could get the same respect before everything changes. I don’t think Italians have the same pull with Denver City Council to preserve what is left of the Italian “La Popolo.” My mother grew up on 37th and Jason, fi rst generation. Mount Carmel was our church where we were hatched, matched and even- tually dispatched. Dan Weikle Broomfi eld Fun fact: Italians dominated Colorado’s celery industry, which popularized the Pascal variety that we eat today (and made Arvada the former celery capital of the world). The Spano family is still farming today. Zachary Daiquiri Arvada When I moved here, I was often told of Denver’s connection to John Fante, the author. And I was told that besides Sicilians, many families came from a specifi c region in north Italy. Italians are a big part of the city’s history. Kwistofa Bewluk Denver A new historic district to honor the Italian heritage? Absolutely!! Bring it on! I would support this area and the undoubtedly awe- some restaurants and businesses to come in a heartbeat. What a cool place to go. As a lover of events, festivals and music, I bet this would be a perfect place for all of this. Let’s get this together. Chris Pedone Golden “ONE FOR THE BOOKS,” TEAGUE BOHLEN, MARCH 12 M I S S I N G R A C I N E S I miss Racines every single day. It was my go-to, but I understand that the owners were ready to retire. I never liked the Nutty Cheese Salad. But those nachos! Lauren Roberts Denver For a restaurant owned by gringos, the green chile was amazing. Jess Vigil Denver It’s funny to see one’s favorite meal saved for posterity. I’d rather they didn’t go out of business to make gazillions on selling the land so Racines could be torn down and replaced with soulless development. Lewis Rivers Denver I miss Racines’ grilled tuna melt with fries and a side of wasabi mayonnaise. I was in a traumatic accident awhile back when a tree fell on me in the Bonnie Brae area. When a dear friend came to pick me up after having surgery, I requested the tuna melt from Racines as my comfort meal, I’ll forever remember. Oliver Joey Lynn Denver
