2 1/2-year sentence for threat to kill Congress member
LAFAYETTE, La. – A man who authorities say threatened to kill a member of Congress from Louisiana has been sentenced to 2 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney David Joseph’s office said in a Wednesday news release that 50-year-old Sohail Rana was sentenced for a July 2017 threat called in to the Lafayette office of Rep. Clay Higgins.
Prosecutors said the call was made while Rana was in Colorado. The call was traced to his cellphone. The release said Rana, who is from Lafayette, threatened to “end Higgins’ career and kill Higgins.”
Higgins is a first-term Republican who represents southwest Louisiana.
Trump administration announces $12 billion soybean aid package
RACHAEL WRIGHT Special to The Gazette
rachael-wright-special-to-the-gazette@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 minutes ago
President Donald Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Monday that the administration was planning to disburse a $12 billion dollar aid package as part of the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, to make targeted, one-time payments to crop...
Federal judge rejects Tina Peters’ request for release pending appeal
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 hour ago
A federal judge rejected the petition of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters on Monday to be released from incarceration pending the resolution of her criminal appeal. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak wrote in a Dec. 8 order...
Colorado justices lay down framework for analyzing defamation lawsuits involving ‘public interest’ issues
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
The Colorado Supreme Court clarified on Monday how judges should evaluate whether lawsuits arising from a person’s speech — in particular, online consumer reviews — are connected to an “issue of public interest” and merit protection from legal liability. As...
Federal judge rejects DPS’ attempt to obtain 9News sourcing documents in First Amendment case
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
A federal judge rejected Denver Public Schools’ attempt on Monday to obtain documents from 9News related to its interview with a former principal who alleges his termination amounted to a constitutional violation. At the same time, the attorney for plaintiff...
Audit finds major gaps in Colorado’s oil and gas reporting, enforcement
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 hours ago
The agencies responsible for regulating Colorado’s oil and gas industry are underperforming when it comes to reporting and enforcement and they also failed to collect payments amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, according to a state...
Colorado Gives Foundation turns 50 during giving season
Kyla Pearce
kyla.pearce@gazette.com
Updated 9 hours ago
Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday. The Colorado Gives Foundation, which started as a small hospital fundraising group and has grown into a statewide nonprofit, is celebrating its 50th anniversary shortly after Giving Tuesday. Colorado Gives Day, which was created by...
Colorado Democrat Julie Gonzales launches U.S. Senate primary challenge to incumbent John Hickenlooper
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 34 minutes ago
Declaring that Colorado “needs a fighter, not a bystander,” state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, on Monday launched her long-anticipated primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. Pitching her campaign as a departure from “old-playbook politics,” Gonzales said she’s...
Democrat Shannon Bird to step down from Colorado legislature to campaign full-time for Congress
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
State Rep. Shannon Bird, a Westminster Democrat, said Sunday that she plans to resign from the Colorado legislature next month in order to focus on running for the 8th Congressional District seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans. Bird...
Trump administration seeks to roll back protections for imperiled species | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
The Associated Press
the-associated-press@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
MONTANA Endangered species rollback sought BILLINGS — President Donald Trump’s administration moved on Nov. 19 to roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live, reviving a suite of changes to Endangered Species Act regulations from the Republican’s...
Clash of the titans: Democratic race for governor pits two candidates similar in focus, but very different in style | Vince Bzdek
Vince Bzdek
vince.bzdek@gazette.com
Updated 1 day ago
By Vince Bzdek The race for governor is shaping up to be a clash of Democratic titans, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser. They are two of Colorado’s highest profile politicians with deep track records who...
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Election Preview 2018 | A baker's dozen measures on Colo. ballot
Millions of dollars are being spent to sway your vote for the Nov. 6 election, and it isn’t only candidates who are seeking your support. The General Assembly has forwarded six measures for the consideration of voters statewide, and another seven initiatives made their way via petition onto the general election ballot. While three of […]
Judicial misconduct complaints against Kavanaugh referred to federal appeals court in Colorado
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Wednesday referred more than a dozen judicial misconduct complaints filed recently against Brett M. Kavanaugh to a federal appeals court in Colorado. The 15 complaints, related to statements Kavanaugh made during his Senate confirmation hearings, were initially filed with the federal appeals court in Washington, where Kavanaugh served […]