Oil-gas company drops all plans to drill near Rocky Flats
An oil and gas company says it’s canceling all of its plans to drill near a former nuclear weapons plant northwest of Denver.
The Denver Post reported Thursday Highlands Natural Resources dropped its plans to drill near the Rocky Flats site after nearby residents voiced fierce opposition.
Highlands originally applied for state approval to drill on two sites, one near the northeast corner of Rocky Flats and another on the western side. It withdrew the application for the northeastern site Tuesday and the western site Thursday.
Rocky Flats manufactured plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs from 1952 to 1989, a history marred by fires, leaks and spills. After a $7 billion cleanup, most of the site became a national wildlife refuge. The central area where waste is buried is closed to the public.
Colorado House Democrats focus on rising prison costs amid declining crime rates during budget discussion
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
Colorado’s House Democrats pressed budget writers Tuesday over a nearly $70 million increase for the Department of Corrections, questioning why the state plans to add 941 prison beds and explore new prison capacity at a time when crime rates are...
Federal judge warns of increasingly inadequate immigration bond hearings
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
A federal judge ordered the immediate release of a man in immigration custody last week and, seemingly for the first time in Colorado, warned that the government is increasingly conducting inadequate bond hearings for detainees. Colorado’s federal trial court is facing...
Inside the GOP caucus: Colorado legislator explains why a bigger budget still means cuts
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
Tasked with explaining a budget driven by rising caseloads, shifting federal dollars and a $1.5 billion shortfall, Joint Budget Committee member Rep. Rick Taggart spent Tuesday’s Republican caucus meeting detailing why the 2026–27 spending plan appears larger on paper, even...
10th Circuit upholds dismissal of Barry Morphew’s civil lawsuit against prosecutors, investigators
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed on Monday that Barry Morphew, who now stands accused for a second time of murdering his wife, failed to state viable claims against the government officials involved in his first, unsuccessful prosecution. Morphew was...
Johnson won’t reopen DHS until Thune makes good on megabill promise
Lauren Green, Washington Examiner
lauren.green.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 15 hours ago
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is unlikely to move legislation ending a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security until Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) kickstarts the party-line budget reconciliation process to pass another megabill. A source familiar told...
Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order reveals why DOJ is pushing for state voter data
Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner
kaelan.deese.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 15 hours ago
President Donald Trump’s new executive order on mail-in voting is offering the clearest explanation yet for why the Justice Department has spent months aggressively seeking access to state voter rolls, while also triggering a sweeping legal challenge from Democrat-led states....
Trump quietly drops steel and aluminum tariffs for bikes, e-bikes, and frames
Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner
christian.datoc.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 15 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration has quietly backed off from President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 50% steel and aluminum tariffs on imported bicycles, e-bikes, and bicycle frames. In August 2025, the administration added e-bikes to the list of products covered...
Trump warns Iran’s ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ unless deal is struck with US
Hailey Bullis, Washington Examiner
hailey.bullis.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 16 hours ago
President Donald Trump issued a bleak warning ahead of his Tuesday night deadline for Iran to reach a peace deal with the United States, saying “a whole civilization will die” unless Iranian leadership yields. “A whole civilization will die tonight,...
Senate-passed farmworkers overtime bill easily clears Colorado House committee
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
A proposal to ease Colorado’s overtime requirements for agricultural employers cleared a key House committee Monday, setting up a broader fight over whether the state should scale back a labor policy adopted just five years ago. The House Agriculture, Water...
Federal judge blocks evidence from Aurora police’s unconstitutional search
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
A federal judge ruled last month that prosecutors cannot use firearm evidence against a defendant because Aurora police searched him without having any reasonable basis to believe he was armed and dangerous. In evaluating the constitutionality of the search, U.S....
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Network of local immigrant legal defense funds expanding, includes Denver
A network of U.S. cities and counties paying for lawyers to represent immigrants facing deportation in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is planning to expand. During a network conference Thursday in Denver, New York-based Vera Institute of Justice announced it was seeking proposals from cities and counties to join its Safety and […]
Major Colorado River water user floats Arizona drought plan
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A major Colorado River water user has proposed an interim plan for Arizona as the state faces looming a looming deadline to manage expected shortages. The Central Arizona Project board said its proposal could jumpstart talks after previous ones failed to gain consensus among water users. The agency wants to draw up […]