With 23 days to go to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, it’s no surprise that local news coverage is expanding daily. Elevated Voices is no exception. In fact, we’re jumping in big-time. We now have a special blog just for the DNC, DNC Daily. (The RSS feed is here.) In addition to the usual crew, more writers will be joining us. The August issue of 5280 is now out, I just picked mine up at Whole Foods. It’s terrific — especially the pullout guide to everything Denver, from where to eat, shop, party, relax, get a quick beauty fix and more. I’m going to keep it in my 4th Amendment tote bag at all times to have ready answers for the out-of-towners. Much of the issue is available free online. Here are some highlights:

  • Operation DNC: The anti-abortion protesters plans for the convention:

    Twenty years after anti-abortion protests made history at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Colorado has become a battleground for reproductive rights, and the next generation of activists is targeting Denver to commemorate the occasion.

  • No Mas Mustache: a profile of Colorado’s Democratic Senator Ken Salazar and “his unlikely ascent.”
  • Pinched: about the immigration wars in Greeley, CO (home to one of the raided meatpacking plants, but the article isn’t about that.)

    Greeley is at the center of the fight over immigration reform in the United States. Two men on the same street are trying to survive the battle.

    It begins,

    The air-conditioning is on full blast inside Steve Mize’s neighborhood market on 14th Avenue–a rare American-owned shop on this dusty stretch of road in northeast Greeley’s barrio.

  • Latinos Rising: Colorado’s most politically influential Latinos, including four under 40.

5280 is non-partisan. Editor and Publisher Dan Brogan explains why Sen. Barack Obama is on the cover:

Anytime you put a politician on the cover of a magazine, you’re bound to make people mad. And in a swing state like Colorado, a political cover means you’re probably going to offend a whole bunch of people. So when we sat down to choose an image that would kick off this month’s issue of 5280, we spent weeks looking for a way to avoid anything that might be construed as partisan. But as we put the finishing touches on the rest of the issue’s stories, one thing became clear. The 2008 Democratic National Convention, which opens here later this month, has become something far different and far greater than simply a showcase for the Mile-High City.

How so?

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and dreamt of a better America. Forty-five years later to the day, when Barack Obama accepts his party’s nomination for President of the United States, this country will take an important step toward making that dream a reality. You don’t have to support Obama to realize what a remarkable moment that will be–a moment far bigger than any candidate, convention, or election. It will be a historic milestone on the journey this nation began 232 years ago when Thomas Jefferson declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” And those of us in Denver will have a front-row seat when it happens.

The cover art is by Shepard Fairey. Dan writes:

Shepard Fairey is the influential Los Angeles-based street artist whose “Hope” poster (pictured here) became an underground sensation in cities across the country earlier this year. To his credit, Shepard understood instinctively what it had taken us weeks to figure out. Though he’s accustomed to working on a national stage, Shepard loved the idea of creating an image that captured the occasion’s significance, and saw the cover of Denver’s leading magazine as the ideal venue for a new installment of his Obama art.

Another site to bookmark is the Democratic Convention website as they will be providing lots more live coverage online:

…including HD video, the text of speeches, speaker bios and Spanish translation — all available within minutes. The Web site will include the evening programs at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High, as well as events during the day at the Colorado Convention Center, such as delegation meetings. “We’ll be the place to go to really catch the convention gavel to gavel,” said Aaron Myers, director of online communications for the DNCC.

The Convention is not just about the nightly speeches and generating support for the candidate and party. While that was my focus in covering the Boston convention in 2004, my interests are a lot broader this year. Mostly that’s because the convention is happening in my home town. Also, with new technologies like Twitter, Twinkle, my iPhone and a smaller videocamera, it’s faster to learn where stuff is happening and easier to get there and post it sooner. 23 days and counting down. I’m getting excited.