Not your dad’s library
A library card has always been a cheap passport to other worlds. But in the Information Age, when a vast repository of knowledge is just an internet connection away for the majority of Americans, how does a library remain relevant?
That’s a question the Mesa County Libraries system has answered boldly. Pivoting away from a “transaction” model of circulating books and DVDs and consciously focusing on education has earned the library system all sorts of accolades over the past couple years.
The latest recognition came last week when the library was named “District of the Year” by the Special Districts Association of Colorado. The library will celebrate the award today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the main library downtown and at the Clifton, Fruita, Orchard Mesa and Palisade branches.
Federal judge declines to dismiss strike-breaking nurses’ lawsuit over wage violations
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 hours ago
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss 39 nursing employees’ claims for compensation against a Greenwood Village-based company for its alleged violations of state and federal law. U.S. Nursing Corporation employs health care professionals to cross the picket lines...
Appeals judge argues prior decision on defendant’s ‘3-strikes’ sentence was wrong
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
A member of Colorado’s second-highest court argued on Thursday that a defendant stands wrongfully sentenced under the state’s “three-strikes” law, and an earlier appellate decision saying otherwise was incorrect. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed that Kiki Lamount Douglas’...
Xcel gets an earful from public for power shutoffs in Colorado
Scott Weiser
scott.weiser@gazette.com
Updated 50 minutes ago
Residents, business owners and local officials gave Xcel Energy an earful during a hearing convened by Colorado’s utility regulators on Wednesday, accusing the power company of using power shutoffs as a liability dodge that burdens communities. Xcel’s ability to trigger...
Where government funding talks stand as Congress careens toward partial shutdown
Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner
ramsey.touchberry.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 6 hours ago
The federal government is expected to enter a partial shutdown starting Saturday, but it could be short-lived as Senate Democrats and the White House negotiate new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation agenda. A procedural vote to advance a...
Colorado lawmakers roll out bipartisan plan aimed at lowering home insurance risk
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 hours ago
Homeowners’ insurance rates continue to rise, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing damage from hail and wildfire. The measure would encourage homeowners and homeowner associations to take additional mitigation steps and, in...
Appeals court overturns convictions after Douglas County judge let biased juror serve
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s robbery-related convictions and 18-year prison sentence on Thursday because a Douglas County judge allowed a biased juror to serve. During Ahmarion Kaliel Shead’s trial in January 2023, one juror, identified as “J.H.,” indicated on...
From child actors to ‘kidfluencers’: Colorado lawmakers consider digital-age Coogan Act
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
Jackie Coogan had been an actor since birth, or just about. His first acting gig was as a toddler in the 1917 silent film “Skinner’s Baby,” where he played the titular infant. At age 7, he starred alongside Charlie Chaplin...
Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow’s reelection campaign hauls in over $750K in 4th quarter
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow raised more than $750,000 in the final three months of 2025, marking the Aurora Democrat’s largest quarterly haul since his first run for Congress in Colorado’s 6th District, when he unseated a Republican incumbent, according to...
Colorado hit a population milestone in 2025; numbers ‘don’t lie,’ but what do they say?
Stephanie Earls
stephanie-earls@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 10 hours ago
Colorado is: full Standing room only How ‘bout, More crowded than it was but less crowded than we thought? Local takeaways from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent data drop are too complex for bumper sticker treatment, but here’s the...
We tested vapes in Colorado for signs of hemp. This is what we found.
Christopher Osher
chris.osher@gazette.com
Updated 14 hours ago
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Leaders in the Colorado marijuana industry have complained in recent years that...