The Pueblo Chieftain: A project we dig
Back in the mid-1970s, pet rocks became a trendy gift selection. Although keeping a rock as a pet may seem a little baffling by today’s standards, the logic at the time was hard to counter: After all, pet rocks required no feeding, watering or other care of any kind. Polished, painted and shipped in “pet-friendly” boxes, they made a millionaire out of their inventor before fading into obscurity almost as quickly as they rose to popularity.
Fast-forward more than 40 years and it seems like rocks are making a comeback.
Only this time, there are a few wrinkles. People aren’t buying the rocks in stores, but they’re finding them placed in prominent and not-so-prominent locations around Pueblo County. And while these rocks also are covered with decorative artwork, the finders are welcome to relocate them somewhere else or just keep them.
Highway 115 fire blows up, road closed south of Colorado Springs
Nick Smith
nick-smith@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
A fast-moving fire burning along Colorado 115 south of Colorado Springs blew the containment line Thursday, spreading farther east onto Fort Carson and scorching nearly 700 acres, officials said. The blaze was fully uncontained as of late Thursday afternoon, officials...
Public figures have limited path to sue over accusations of criminality, says appeals court
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week that a public figure cannot sue for defamation solely because a person publicly accuses them of committing a crime, as the statement may be constitutionally protected opinion. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel narrowed...
Proposed data center regulation in Colorado draws critics, backers
Scott Weiser
scott.weiser@gazette.com
Updated 12 hours ago
A packed marathon hearing at the state Capitol in Colorado highlighted the sharp divide between two competing approaches to the effects of data centers, one of America’s fastest-growing technology sectors. Data centers are the physical facilities that host the servers,...
Conservation Colorado proposes measures aimed at oil and gas companies
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
The environmental group Conservation Colorado has introduced four ballot measures it says are in response to an initiative that aims to enshrine Colorado businesses’ and consumers’ right to purchase and sell natural gas in the state’s Constitution. Filed with the...
Colorado revenue forecast worsens, pushing budget shortfall to nearly $1.5B
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
The latest revenue forecasts from economists in both the governor’s office and the Colorado legislature show that the state’s budget predicament has worsened — by hundreds of millions of dollars more. That, in turn, means cuts programs and services in...
Federal judge to consider sanctioning ex-Colorado judicial discipline director
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
A federal judge ordered Colorado’s former head of judicial discipline on Wednesday to explain why she should not sanction him for making inaccurate statements about the defendants in his lawsuit against the Colorado Supreme Court and related entities. U.S. District...
With jails overcrowding, Gov. Jared Polis asks for new prisons as lawmakers face budget shortfall
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
The Polis administration is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the state’s prison system, just as Colorado’s legislators are bracing for a worsening fiscal outlook. The request sets up a clash over priorities at a time when...
Costs explode for Colorado program covering pregnant women and children living in the U.S. illegally
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
A state program providing health care to pregnant women and children living in the country illegally is costing far more than lawmakers expected, with expenses nearly tripling in just a year and threatening to squeeze Colorado’s budget amid a nearly...
Costs explode for Colorado program covering pregnant women and children living in the U.S. illegally
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A state program providing health care to pregnant women and children living in the country illegally is costing far more than lawmakers expected, with expenses nearly tripling in just a year and threatening to squeeze Colorado’s budget amid a $1...
Universities sue to block dismantling of Boulder’s NCAR
Scott Weiser
scott.weiser@gazette.com
Updated 17 hours ago
A consortium of universities filed a federal lawsuit Monday, alleging the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research is unlawful retaliation against Colorado. The group also argued that the move violates federal law. The University Corporation...
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