The Committee to Protect Journalists is mixing it up with Brown Palace public relations manager Shannon Dexheimer over the arrest of an ABC News producer during the DNC.

Columbia Journalism Review analyzes the 15,000 reporters in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, and comes to some very believable conclusions. (Hat tip: Brad Bawmann)

Bill Clinton’s three-night stand at Shotgun Willie’s is apparently over. 

Welcome to conventionland, where this becomes news at ABC. Of course, an elevator mishap is better than a wardrobe malfunction.

It’s all fun and games when the cable news show hosts turn on their guests, but tensions at MSNBC are so high that Joe Scarborough is turning on his colleagues. It gets fun at the 2:15 mark.

It’s starting to look more like a convention finally — body-armored police riding on the sideboards of SUVs and pepper-spraying protesters, and protesters finally showing enough nerve to get arrested. Things were so pathetic on Monday that we saw a guy in a convertible Miata making fun of the so-called protesters who were trying to block traffic. If you can’t scare a guy in a Miata, well, there’s probably little hope for your protesting skills. Here’s what others are reporting:

• Denver police arrested 100 protesters this morning and have taken them to “Gitmo on the Platte”
• Police also arrested three losers who may or may not have intended to assassinate Barack Obama
• The “Freedom Cage” isn’t getting quite the workout organizers had hoped
• Delegates from Guam rode the light rail (seriously, the RMN covered this)
• Penny Parker is getting annoyed that A-list stars keep bypassing her to talk to the national media (Hey Penny, is George Clooney coming to the DNC?)
• And, finally, Bill and Hillary are still mad

U.S. News & World Report is giving the Denver Police Department high marks for how officers are handling DNC protests.

We are downtown today, and we’d be pretty happy if the DNC was here every day. Sure, the helicopter noise gets a little old, but traffic is light, people are smiling and the protesters don’t smell bad yet. All in all, a better-than-average day. Here’s a run down of what others are reporting:

• Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi will perform at Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday
• The Republicans are bringing Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in for their war room response
• Dusty Saunders is still alive
• Despite the Fort Worth Star-Telegram calling Denver a cow town (and those Billy Bob’s-loving rednecks probably meant it as a compliment), the DNC host committee is loving the national press the city is getting
• The biggest story of the day seems to be that Joe Biden eats barbecue (here, here, here, here, here and here)
• And, finally, there’s waterboarding going on at the federal courthouse

The first arrests have been made, so the Democratic National Convention has unofficially started. How will the circus that surrounds the DNC affect Denver’s image? Jason Chupick of PRNewser has an interesting interview with Henry Miller, the head of New York’s 1992 DNC convention, that addresses how Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul can use the rapidly shortening news cycle to cultivate and reinforce positive perceptions of their cities.

A wood hotel key card that replaces the traditional plastic version will make its U.S. debut in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. Sustainable Cards LLC has donated 70,000 of the sustainably harvested birch cards that will carry the logo of the Denver 2008 Host Committee. Denver’s Stefanie Jones PR is handling communications for Sustainable Cards.

The Denver Police Department has issued a flyer with suggested guidelines for Democratic National Convention protesters, and Paula Woodward can stand down. It is clear that none of the DPD money budgeted for new weapons has been illegally diverted to a graphic designer. 

Hat Tip: 5280’s Elevated Voices.

The Seattle Times offers a nice antidote to this weekend’s New York Times DNC preview titled “36 Hours in Denver.” The Times‘ advice: 

“Ditch the cowboy boots. Pack the party clothes. More new West than old, Denver has morphed from sleepy former Gold Rush town in the foothills of the Rockies to urban outpost with an artsy, outdoors vibe.”

The New York Times’ Sunday Travel section features “36 Hours in Denver.” And it isn’t exactly pretty. Among the highlights: the Mile High Flea Market, The Fort (“a 1960s rendition of the Alamo”), the new Ritz-Carlton (“sort of looks like the Embassy Suites it replaced, and it’s across from a Greyhound station”) and, of course, Molly Brown’s house.

Now this is the kind of insider information we were expecting from Metzger’s ‘DNC After Dark’ blog.

The Los Angeles Times offers a national perspective on Denver’s efforts to host a world-class Democratic National Convention.

In the spirit of equal time, Denver’s Road Home has responded to our recent post on allegations that Denver is attempting to hide its homeless during the DNC:

We would like to clarify some information related to your recent post about Denver’s homeless and the Democratic National Convention. A statement from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless that clarifies the situation here in Denver is available at http://www.coloradocoalition.org/Road_Home_Q_and_A

But our concern for and commitment to the homeless is not limited to the time that the DNC is in Denver. Denver’s Road Home is a comprehensive, long-term plan designed to put people into housing while addressing the underlying causes of homelessness.  It has been in place for almost three years – long before Denver was chosen to host the DNC – and will be in place for many years to come.

Denver’s Road Home was here before DNC and will be here long after the convention is gone.  

We are, and have always been, committed to ensuring everyone has a safe place to be.  During the DNC, DRH will expand outreach services to get the homeless connected with services/shelter. DRH is also working with providers to expand facility hours, both day and evening, and to provide special programs for homeless youth.  DRH is also working closely with the Denver Police to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people on the streets.

Denver’s Road Home is working to ensure that people are safe and treated well during the DNC.

If you would like further information, please let us know. 

Respectfully,

Denver’s Road Home
http://www.denversroadhome.org

The DNC abruptly cancelled a media tour of the Pepsi Center scheduled for next week, citing undisclosed “outstanding issues.” The cancellation is fueling suspicions that the DNC’s inability to meet its fundraising goals is complicating logistics.