The Denver Post editorial: Sean Spicer’s anti-marijuana words create angst
White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s assertion that there would be “greater enforcement” of federal law when it comes to recreational marijuana programs has stirred uncertainty and angst in a state that sold and taxed $1.3 billion worth of pot in 2016.
But before industry leaders start plotting a secession movement, let’s all take a deep breath.
President Donald Trump has never indicated shutting down recreational or medical marijuana programs in states was on his priority list. In fact, the president said while in Colorado in August that he wouldn’t take such action in Colorado: “I think it’s up to the states, yeah. I’m a states person. I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.”
Palmer Lake planning commission rejects Buc-ee’s plan at contentious meeting
Savannah Eller
savannah-eller@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 hours ago
After a debate across two meetings, the Palmer Lake Planning Commission has voted not to recommend the zoning plan and annexation request for Texas travel chain Buc-ee’s to the town’s board of trustees. The vote came after multiple hours of...
Tri-State electric co-op seeks FERC approval for new heavy-load regulations
Colorado Politics
nick@midtc.com
Updated 4 hours ago
In a bid to tame the energy appetites of large power users, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association filed a regulatory tariff proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission intended to manage massive power demands without sparking chaos on the grid...
Denver school board shifts public comment to before agenda is posted
Nico Brambila
nico.brambila@denvergazette.com
Updated 4 hours ago
Marathon meetings with lengthy public testimony prompted the Denver school board to move community input to workshops held weeks before regular meetings — before even an agenda is published. Take the workshop meeting Thursday. The notice said, in part: “Public...
Colorado remains among a shrinking pool of states with glass ceilings at top of the ticket | TRAIL MIX
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning+co@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 10 hours ago
Will 2026 be the year Colorado voters shatter one of the state’s stubborn and seemingly incongruous glass ceilings? The Centennial State approaches next year’s sesquicentennial — preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of statehood — with an increasingly rare distinction...
Gov. Jared Polis says Trump’s tariffs policy is disrupting Colorado’s exports, jobs
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 19 hours ago
A report released Thursday by Colorado’s governor said President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy is disrupting the state’s economy and courting a recessionary scenario. State economists have, in fact, been sounding the risk of a scenario for a year — preceding...
Appeals court clarifies evidence safeguards apply to child welfare caseworkers
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that caseworkers testifying as experts in child neglect cases are subject to the same safeguards for reliability that other “specialized knowledge” testimony must satisfy. Under the rules of evidence, judges can deem a witness...
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet grills RFK Jr. on vaccine policy, calls for his removal from health post
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning+co@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
Following a tense exchange with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Senate hearing on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, reiterated his call for the Health and Human Services secretary’s ouster, charging that the Trump cabinet member’s tenure...
Colorado legislators deny move to delete ‘tax increase’ language in ballot title in statewide publication
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 22 hours ago
Colorado legislators on Thursday rejected an attempt to change the title of a ballot measure in a widely disseminated publication in order to avoid mentioning that it would result in a tax increase for households with incomes above $300,000 a...
‘I can help open doors’: Colorado Supreme Court justice, judges speak about obligation to mentor
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and the trial courts spoke to an audience of lawyers last week about the benefits of seeking a mentor in the legal profession and about their feelings of obligation to help...
Appeals court overturns orders by Arapahoe County magistrate who did not ‘recall this case’
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday overturned a series of orders from a divorce case where an Arapahoe County magistrate admitted he did not recall what was going on but proceeded to rule anyway. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel noted...