Author: Thelma Grimes
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Healthcare Freefall: Finger‑pointing intensifies as Colorado’s healthcare system strains under rising costs, shrinking coverage
Editor’s Note: Colorado’s healthcare system is entering a period of accelerating instability — a “tsunami,” as multiple leaders describe it — driven by collapsing hospital finances, shrinking Medicaid reimbursements, disappearing services and a political fight over who is responsible for this unraveling. Healthcare Freefall is a multipart series examining how Colorado arrived at this moment,…
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Colorado School of Mines lands major share in Trump’s $100M mining-education plan
President Donald Trump on Friday named the Colorado School of Mines among roughly a dozen institutions that will share in a $100 million commitment “to train the next generation of American miners.” Paul Johnson, the university’s president, said he is “doing the happy dance” after learning the administration planned to invest millions not only in…
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At Colorado’s 150th anniversary, leaders offer birthday wishes
As Colorado’s 150th anniversary approaches, leaders from across the state reflect on the spirit that binds the plains, mountains, Western Slope and Front Range — a shared commitment, they underscored, to opportunity, community, stewardship and personal freedom. Their tributes highlight Colorado’s enduring character: a state where communities thrive, public lands are cherished and generations continue…
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Q&A: From grassroots underdog to national spotlight — Colorado democratic socialist Melat Kiros on her path to Congress
Melat Kiros, the 29-year-old Democratic Socialist who unseated a 15-term incumbent in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District primary on June 30, frames her victory as a mandate for structural political reform rather than a rejection of her predecessor, Diana DeGette. In this extensive Q&A with Colorado Politics, Kiros outlines a campaign rooted in confronting corruption, rejecting…
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Victor Marx holds a steady lead over Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado Republican governor contest
Victor Marx overtook state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer in the Republican primary for governor on Wednesday evening, seizing a narrow lead after trailing her since polls closed. Kirkmeyer, one of three candidates, opened the night with a clear advantage, at one point leading Marx, a ministry leader, by about 8,000 votes. Scott Bottoms remained in third…
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Democrats confront shift as socialist-aligned candidates win races in Colorado
Democratic socialists’ recent electoral gains — punctuated by Melat Kiros’ victory on Tuesday over U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, the dean of Colorado’s congressional delegation — are the result of a movement that has been taking shape in metro Denver for years. Supporters said the ideology offers worker‑focused policies and answers to widening economic inequality, while…
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Tina Peters visits President Donald Trump in the White House
Tina Peters has reemerged on the political circuit following her release from prison — appearing over the weekend at a “Freedom Fest” in Castle Rock and then visiting the White House on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Peters “just came to the White House…
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Michael Allen says a weakened justice system, rising crime drove him to run for attorney general
Michael Allen said he is running for attorney general because he believes Colorado’s criminal justice system has been weakened by recent legislation and that rising crime is directly increasing the cost of living. A Navy veteran and longtime prosecutor, Allen argued that Colorado needs an attorney general who focuses on public safety, rather than on…
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‘Peaking at the right time’: Barbara Kirkmeyer is confident as ballots go out
Calling 2026 an “interesting” year, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer said the race for the Republican nomination has taken her from a “bizarre debate” to a broader effort to maintain the party’s integrity, while making the case that she’s ready to lead Colorado into better days. As the primary election season winds down and voters begin casting…
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Rural frustration, parental rights shape Scott Bottoms’ pitch ahead of Colorado’s gubernatorial primaries
With just weeks before Colorado’s June primary, Republican gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Scott Bottoms is spending nearly all his time on the road — literally crisscrossing the Western Slope and Eastern Plains — in a final push to connect with voters who, he argued, have been ignored for too long. “We spend a lot of…