Author: Marissa Ventrelli
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Colorado candidates for governor share plans to tackle youth mental health crisis
Three candidates for Colorado’s highest elected office laid out their plans to address the state’s youth mental health crisis during a forum on Thursday. Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, and Republican State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer fielded questions about expanding access to mental health care for children, addressing the workforce shortage, and…
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Colorado advocates unveil youth mental-health ‘playbook’ for next governor
Colorado youth‑mental‑health advocates have released a new “playbook,” urging the next governor to streamline the state’s sprawling system of services and appoint a single leader to oversee them. In addition to hosting a gubernatorial candidate forum on Thursday, Mind Our Future Colorado released the playbook, which includes recommendations for how the state’s next leader can…
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Polis signs RTD overhaul bill aimed at rebuilding transit ridership
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday approved an overhaul of the Regional Transportation District, signing legislation that sponsors hope would reverse stagnant ridership by, among other things, reshaping the agency’s leadership. The bill’s sponsors also argued that the changes would help restore public trust in metro Denver’s transit system, which operates bus and light‑rail service across…
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180,000 signatures submitted to put Colorado road funding initiative on November ballot
Organizers of a proposal seeking to dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to road construction and maintenance have submitted signatures to state election officials in their campaign to put the initiative on the ballot this November. If officials certified the signatures as sufficiently meeting the threshold — organizers need 124,000 to be valid — the…
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Gov. Polis signs prison bill targeting Colorado’s overcrowding crisis
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed a corrections bill that seeks to ease chronic overcrowding in state prisons by expanding earned‑time credits and launching a new working group to overhaul population management. Senate Bill 159 establishes a working group to make recommendations for how the Department of Corrections can reduce overcrowding in its facilities.…
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Colorado issues draft guidance on semi-automatic firearms ahead of new law’s implementation
The Colorado Department of Revenue has issued a draft of its “specified semi-automatic firearms guidance,” as required by a 2025 law that goes into effect on Aug. 1 of this year. Last legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 003, which requires individuals to undergo a $52 safety course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife in order…
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Colorado governor signs into law proposal to close gaps in court competency system
Gov. Jared Polis has signed a bill that supporters say would close gaps in Colorado’s criminal justice system for people whose charges are dismissed after they are found incompetent to stand trial. “This is a major step forward to keep Coloradans and our communities safe,” said Polis. “It is not right for someone who is…
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As street camera use surges, Colorado legislators grapple with law enforcement, privacy implications
In Boulder, the Flock camera system helped authorities locate the car of the suspect in the firebombing that killed a woman and injured 29 others in June last year. The car had contained explosives, authorities said. In Columbine Valley, authorities used Flock to track down a porch pirate — only, it turned out, the woman…
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Denver, Boulder prosecutors call congressional immigration probe ‘political theater’
Elected officials in Denver and Boulder are pushing back after the U.S. House Judiciary Committee opened an investigation into their immigration policies, as part of a broader probe targeting “sanctuary” jurisdictions nationwide. On May 20, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, issued letters to the district attorneys, sheriffs and police…
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Colorado Gov. Polis signs order to block spending on soda, alcohol for official state functions
Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at increasing access to healthy food and promoting outdoor recreation as a form of exercise. “Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is an opportunity to build on our success,” Polis said. “A healthy and nutritious diet plays an important…