Colorado officials say soil tests at Rocky Flats show safe plutonium levels
Soil samples collected in Colorado near a spot with a previously elevated plutonium reading have tested within safe margins.
The Denver Post reports state health officials requested tests on new samples from the periphery of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge to ensure they were within safe levels.
The wildlife refuge is on the buffer zone around a plant that manufactured plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons.
Officials say an August soil test from a different part of the buffer zone yielded a plutonium reading five times higher than the government-defined standard.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month released test results from within the refuge showing samples were well below risk levels.
Officials say the latest samples were each tested twice using different methods to detect the radionuclide.
Federal judge partially allows second World Cup trafficking lawsuit to move forward
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 hours ago
A federal judge allowed some claims to move forward last month against companies operating out of Colorado that allegedly participated in a human trafficking venture involving Filipino laborers who constructed facilities for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There are...
Melania Trump hails first conviction under new law banning AI-generated child sex abuse images
Rena Rowe, Washington Examiner
rena.rowe.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 4 hours ago
First lady Melania Trump highlighted on Tuesday the first arrest tied to a law she championed targeting cyberstalking, threats of violence, and non-consensual explicit content generated using artificial intelligence. James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty Tuesday to...
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to force Colorado secretary of state to screen out scam filings
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 hours ago
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit last week that sought to require Colorado’s secretary of state to verify corporate filings in the state’s database to reduce the risk of future fraud. Bernard Butts of Florida, who was 83 when he...
Colorado Democrats eye new fee on home insurance companies
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 hours ago
Colorado Democrats are reviving a proposal to levy a new fee on home insurance companies, with the aim of distributing grants to fund “resilient” roofing. Introduced by Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, Senate Bill 155 creates a government “enterprise,” which would...
Poll: Colorado voters oppose legalizing prostitution, support suspending wolf reintroduction
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 hours ago
A majority of Colorado residents — 61% — oppose legalizing prostitution in the state, an idea that lawmakers floated earlier in the legislative session before pulling their proposal. Just over half of Democratic respondents said they would support legalization, while...
Federal judge finds no constitutional violation by Huerfano County well inspectors
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 58 minutes ago
A federal judge concluded last month that two Huerfano County employees did not engage in an unconstitutional search when they approached the plaintiffs’ camper within 40 feet to investigate a potential code violation. In July 2021, the county’s building inspector,...
Colorado House opens debate on $46.8B budget already showing strain
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 30 minutes ago
With rising Medicaid costs, no dollars set aside for new legislation and dozens of bills still seeking funding, Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday began debating the proposed $46.8 billion budget that is already proving difficult to keep on track. By the...
Colorado House Democrats focus on prison costs in budget discussions
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 38 minutes 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, they said, crime...
Federal judge warns of increasingly inadequate immigration bond hearings
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 22 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 1 day 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...
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