EDITORIAL: Ranking Trump’s Arpaio pardon
Depending on which Founding Father or long-ago Supreme Court justice you cite, the president of the United States has pardon power to provide mercy in case of an overly harsh criminal code; to provide justice to the wrongfully convicted; and to help the country heal after particularly brutal periods of unrest. Nowhere will you find it is supposed to be used to undermine the law and codify the mistreatment of a group of people based on their ethnicity.
Because it is nearly unquestioned, maybe no other presidential power reveals and relies upon the character of the person in White House as much. That’s why Donald Trump’s pardon of former sheriff Joe Arpaio is so disturbing and damaging.
Trump is far from the first president to issue a questionable pardon. Andrew Johnson pardoned every Confederate soldier.
House returns for vote to end the government shutdown after nearly 2 months away
Kevin Freking
kevin.freking@associatedpress.com
Updated 9 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers made a long-awaited return to the nation’s capital on Wednesday after nearly eight weeks away to potentially put an end to the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. The House is scheduled to take...
With their government contracts in limbo, small businesses await a historic shutdown’s end
Mae Anderson
mae.anderson@associatedpress.com
Updated 2 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — The end of the longest U.S. government shutdown in history would be a relief for small businesses that depend on federal contracts or funding. For seven weeks, they’ve been reducing spending, weighing layoffs and looking for...
Douglas County school board rejects last-minute charter school renewal proposal
Noah Festenstein
noah.festenstein@denvergazette.com
Updated 13 minutes ago
Outgoing conservative Douglas County school board members spent their final meeting Tuesday tussling over a last-minute proposal to amend charter school contract renewal timelines, right before a new progressive-leaning board takes over in two weeks. It lasted more than seven...
Jefferson County declares emergency over stalled SNAP funds
Sage Kelley
sage.kelley@denvergazette.com
Updated 3 hours ago
Calling it a “humanitarian crisis,” Jefferson County has declared an emergency disaster as uncertainty over the federal food stamp program hangs in the air. The county issued the order on Saturday, allowing the county to create an emergency operations center...
Senate votes to ban intoxicating hemp products nationally
Chris Osher
chris-osher@gazette.com
Updated 45 minutes ago
Legislation passed by the U.S. Senate late Monday will ban nearly all hemp-derived THC products, despite Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s attempts to block the hemp-ban language from a part of the GOP-proposed deal designed to end the government shutdown. Eight Democrats...
Colfax revitalization begins after Aurora voters approve downtown development authority
Kyla Pearce
kyla.pearce@gazette.com
Updated 3 hours ago
Aurora city officials will take the next steps in revitalizing the Colfax Avenue corridor after voters approved the creation of a downtown development authority by a wide margin last week. Councilmembers in July unanimously approved taking the question to voters,...
Colorado congressman backs bills to help veterans
Mary Shinn
mary-shinn@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 minutes ago
Colorado Congressman Jason Crow, D-Aurora, is working with Republicans on a slate of bills to help address tough issues facing veterans, such as high rates of ALS and suicide. The bills were expected to be introduced this week as the...
Divided 10th Circuit lets Colorado enforce interest rate cap on out-of-state banks
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
The Denver-based federal appeals court ruled on Monday that Colorado may use a decades-old provision of federal law to require out-of-state banks to abide by Colorado’s maximum interest rates when they lend to in-state residents. A three-judge panel of the...
Gov. Jared Polis seeks $12M to house suspects declared incompetent
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
Colorado is planning to invest up to $12 million to fund additional commitment beds for individuals declared incompetent to proceed to trial, Gov. Jared Polis has announced. In a recent news conference on the state budget, Polis announced plans to...
Colorado Supreme Court suspends rules for ‘Indian child’ welfare cases
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 23 hours ago
The Colorado Supreme Court suspended its rules last week that govern how judges handle custody cases when an “Indian child” is involved. The court’s move came after the legislature enacted extensive changes this year, partially in response to Supreme Court...