COPO’S BEST OF THE WEEK | Hick shows Senate signs; another exit from DA’s office; remembering a journalism legend
Here’s our recap of our best stories of the last seven days from the Colorado Politics staff.
> Hickenlooper cracks door open to challenging Cory Gardner
> Another prosecutor to exit Denver DA McCann’s office following probe
> Denver DA ‘created an atmosphere of fear’ in office, whistleblower says
> Colorado journalism legend John C. Ensslin dies
> JOHN C. ENSSLIN | Looking back at some of his best stories for CoPo
> INSIGHTS | Denver diner is at a property-rights crossroads
> TRAIL MIX | Losing isn’t always a losing proposition
> VINCE BZDEK | Michael Bennet touts the Rocky Mountain Way in Iowa (VIDEO)
> LYNN BARTELS | Feeling nostalgia over the news game
> Q&A with Brad Evans | Exposing Denver at its ‘FUGLY’-est
> Judge sides with Walker Stapleton in petition-signature suit
> Colorado Democrats are losing interest in special statehouse session on TABOR
> Kamala Harris vows to ‘prosecute the case’ against Trump at raucous Denver rally (VIDEO, GALLERY)
> Hickenlooper, Bennet denounce Republicans’ inaction on gun control in wake of mass killings
> No post-debate pop so far for Bennet, Hickenlooper
> COPO PODCAST | Denver’s Republican and Democratic party chairs talk about their roles
> Colorado legal pot industry continues to blossom, says report
> Denver proposes business energy tax, city office targeting climate change
> Denver to strengthen mental health, drug abuse treatment
> Denver curtailing speed limits on some city streets to help curb auto, bike accidents
> Trump backs Colorado-style red-flag gun law for the nation
> Immigration advocate joins crowded Democratic race for Gardner’s US Senate seat
> Suzanne Staiert to run for state Senate in south metro Denver
> Gazette obtains video showing Colorado Springs police shooting black teenager in back
> Immigrant advocate killed in crash with Salvadoran who sought sanctuary in Colorado church
> Officials detail plans for Colorado Springs-area transportation projects
> Retirement wave could sink GOP effort to win back U.S. House in 2020
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Legal war over Trump’s immigration detention policy far from over despite key win
Jack Birle, Washington Examiner
jack.birle.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 15 hours ago
The Trump administration won a key victory at a federal appeals court late last week, when its mandatory detention policy for illegal immigrants was upheld, but it still faces skepticism in various other federal courts. The administration’s mandatory detention policy...
Laura Clellan named sole finalist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife director
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
The Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that Laura Clellan, who is currently serving as acting director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, is the only finalist for the job. Clellan has been acting director of CPW since Nov. 25, when...
Colorado budget writers put Medicaid caregiver pay cuts on hold
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
The Colorado General Assembly’s budget decision-makers have put proposed pay cuts on hold for people who care for a family member with a disability who receives Medicaid. The Joint Budget Committee made the decision after hours of testimony from family...
Colorado lawmakers seek faster warrant response from social media firms
Sage Kelley
sage.kelley@denvergazette.com
Updated 13 hours ago
Proponents argue legislation would prevent school shootings Colorado officials on Monday claimed that the Evergreen High School shooting could have been prevented if social media companies had been required to respond faster to warrants — and they are pushing legislation...
10th Circuit orders lawyer to pay $1,000 for faulty AI citations
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
The Denver-based federal appeals court ordered a lawyer on Monday to pay $1,000 to the opposing side for submitting a legal filing with fake case citations generated by artificial intelligence. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for...
A fight over seeds and bees: Colorado Democrats target neonicotinoid pesticides
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
Colorado lawmakers are weighing new restrictions on a class of pesticides after Gov. Jared Polis signaled support for a Democratic-backed bill aimed at protecting pollinators — a proposal that has raised sharp worries from farmers who rely on treated seeds...
Supreme Court finalists selected, federal judges slash backlogs | COURT CRAWL
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 20 hours ago
Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Coloradans learned who the three finalists are for a state Supreme Court vacancy, and new data show that Colorado’s federal trial judges reduced their backlog...
Colorado Democrats propose changes to juvenile corrections, jail searches, municipal courts | Bills in brief
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 18 hours ago
Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. Colorado lawmakers are advancing a slate...
Colorado’s legislative activity has increased 56% since 2012, report finds
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
The Colorado General Assembly has adopted increasingly more bills in the last several years, even as the proposals have also become more complex. The legislature passed 487 bills during the 2025 legislative session, representing a 56% growth in legislative output...
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions from a House committee, citing 5th Amendment rights
Stephen Groves
stephen.groves@associatedpress.com
Updated 22 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers tried Monday to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, but the former girlfriend and confidante of Jeffrey Epstein invoked her 5th Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would be incriminating. Maxwell was to be questioned during a video...
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Firm with immigration-enforcement ties won't get extra police in Boulder
BOULDER – Another Colorado city is refusing to do business with a company partly due to its ties to immigration enforcement. Boulder police told ankle monitor maker BI Incorporated Thursday that it will no longer allow off-duty police officers to be hired for extra security at the company’s headquarters in the city. BI Incorporated works […]
Colorado Secretary of State Griswold decides against US Senate run
Jena Griswold, the novice candidate who was elected last November as Colorado secretary of state, said Friday she had decided against running for Cory Gardner’s U.S. Senate seat next year. The announcement came about 3-1/2 weeks after the Democrat formed an exploratory committee to consider joining the crowded field of candidates hoping to unseat Republican […]