Editorial: There’s joy and work in living free
This Fourth of July, you might not be free to shoot off fireworks within city limits, but you’re free to tell city leaders what you think about that restriction.
And you’re free to run for City Council on a pro-fireworks agenda if you don’t like the answer you get.
Independence Day is a time when we pause to celebrate the United States’ independence and our personal freedoms. The Coloradoan Editorial Board got to thinking about all the privileges that freedom empowers us to have. Here are just a few:
In Fort Collins, we are free to celebrate our independence under a sky of fireworks at City Park.
Colorado Supreme Court accepts cases about reliability of gun-to-bullet matching
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear two cases questioning the reliability of expert testimony that purports to identify whether a specific bullet was fired from a specific gun. At least three of the court’s seven...
State Rep. Peña outlines significant inequalities in Colorado’s school finance law | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: In a guest column published in The Colorado Statesman, House Minority Leader Rep. Federico Peña, D-Denver, wrote that his greatest disappointment with the legislative process was “the inability, or unwillingness, of the General Assembly to...
Colorado Politics Calendar Feb. 16-22
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Michael Bennet and ‘the question’ | SONDERMANN
Eric Sondermann
eric-sondermann@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
The train usually runs only one way. The route goes from the state Capitol to Washington, D.C. State legislators become members of Congress; governors become senators. See Hickenlooper, John. Including our junior senator, no matter his years, a total of...
Colorado District Attorneys unveil 2026 legislative priorities | WHAT’S YOUR AGENDA?
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Welcome to What’s Your Agenda?: The Colorado Politics’ weekly publication of trade association priorities for the state’s 2026 legislative session. The Colorado District Attorneys’ Council provides training, resources, and legislative support to every prosecutor in the state. In order to...
A day in the life of the Capitol: Capitol M | Week of Feb. 14, 2026
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
The lighter side of the Capitol, usually. If you were walking around the Capitol on Feb. 12, there was plenty to see and to be amused (or delighted) by. Let’s start with the high school kids from Greeley’s District 6....
Appeals court clarifies what materials judges may rely on for postconviction decisions
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 15 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that trial judges who are deciding whether to grant relief to convicted defendants may rely on the materials attached to, or referenced in, the parties’ arguments. In contrast to direct appeals of criminal convictions,...
Here’s what to know about the Homeland Security shutdown starting this weekend
Deborah Grigsby
deborah.smith@denvergazette.com
Updated 13 hours ago
Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend, following an impasse over funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security amid a push by Democrats for changes in immigration enforcement. Funding for the federal agency is set to...
Colorado legislators, friends and family pay tribute to late Sen. Faith Winter
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 15 hours ago
Colorado legislators on Friday, joined by current and former lawmakers, memorialized the late Sen. Faith Winter, noting her contributions to public policy in transportation, family and medical leave, and climate legislation. Winter died in an auto accident on Nov. 26...
No deal: Basin states remain deadlocked as Colorado River negotiations collapse again
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
With a Feb. 14 deadline looming, the seven states in the Colorado River Basin have not reached an agreement on how to manage the river after the 2026 operating guidelines expire later this year, and John Entsminger, Nevada’s chief negotiator,...