CoPo's weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements,… Continue Reading
A small-business owner. An employer. A parent. A renter. A rural health care provider. A mayor. An educator. A child-care provider. In talking to them, Colorado Politics found concerns and worries, optimism and hope, challenges and solutions. Continue Reading
Eric Sondermann: "As we seek more politicos with the character and capability to rise above, it can be instructive to look at the other end of the spectrum and study those who came on the scene with the capacity to do good, but succumbed to deep-seeded internal flaws and their own worst instincts." Continue Reading
Jury trials in the El Paso County Combined Courts resumed last week after a more than three-month pause — only to hit an early hiccup in which a prosecutor tested positive for COVID-19 one day after completing a trial. Continue Reading
Colorado’s Oil & Gas Commission this week started the process for changing the rules regarding the financial obligations drilling companies must comply with to clean up “orphan wells.” Continue Reading
Forty Years Ago This Week: The American Civil Liberties Union was making a large advertising buy, taking out full page ads in newspapers across Colorado. The theme: “If the Moral Majority has its way you’d better start praying.” Continue Reading
As bills begin to move from committees to debates in the House and Senate, some first-year lawmakers are learning about a time-honored tradition: hazing. Continue Reading
Coloradans ages 60 and older will begin receiving vaccinations next week, Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday, amid another shift in vaccine priorities that include the potential for inoculation efforts to reach the general public as soon as late April. Continue Reading
The legislative package passed by a mostly party-line vote of 227-200, with eight Republicans voting for it and one Democrat voting against it. Continue Reading
Gov. Jared Polis has issued a proclamation naming March 20 "MeatOut Day," and it's a decision that is causing outrage among some in livestock organizations and rural Colorado counties. Continue Reading
Coloradans ages 60 and older will begin receiving vaccinations next week, Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday, amid another shift in vaccine priorities that include the potential for inoculation efforts to reach the general public as soon as late April. Continue Reading
New projections from public health researchers suggest that a COVID-19 variant could become the dominant strain here in the coming weeks, which would drive a spring surge and lead to hundreds of thousands of new cases. Continue Reading
Millions of fans know Denver author and entrepreneur Ben Higgins as the titular bachelor who told two women he loved them on the 20th season of ABC-TV's popular match-making reality show — but to Denver Republicans, he'll always be the one that got away. Continue Reading
Colorado voters are sharply divided along partisan lines on nearly every aspect of the year-old coronavirus pandemic — including how concern over COVID-19 has affected their mental state, whether they plan to get vaccinated and how state government should respond to the public health and economic crisis, according to results of a statewide survey of registered voters released Friday. Continue Reading
The explanation for his dismissal pointed to the man's prior negative experience with the criminal justice system, which both sets of judges agreed may affect Black Americans disproportionately. Nevertheless, the other, non-racial reasons for excusing the man were persuasive. Continue Reading
The governor emphasized lessons learned that Coloradans can capitalize on moving forward to strengthen the economy locally and statewide. Continue Reading
Denver will deploy a three-pronged vaccine distribution approach with city leaders stressing the importance of equity. Continue Reading
Jefferson County will move into the second-mildest level of COVID restrictions Friday, as Denver County narrowly missed out on its chance to follow suit. Continue Reading
"Today, I offer this division of labor: Keep states focused on intercity and interstate corridors — with resources from the National Highway Performance Program," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock testified remotely. "Two, use the Surface Transportation Block Grants to local areas to lift the economy — from the local level up — and accelerate progress on the key priorities before us."
Members of the joint Capital Development Committee heard often-emotional testimony Thursday from the descendants of those massacred at Sand Creek in 1864, and why they want to see a memorial to the Cheyenne and Arapahoe who died there on the west side of the state Capitol. Continue Reading
The latest COVID vaccine is likely days away from approval, which means it could be in Colorado as soon as early next week, the state's chief medical officer said Thursday. Continue Reading
The White House is backing a change of leadership at the United States Postal Service, where a Trump-appointed postmaster general faces growing calls to resign over service delays. Continue Reading
One section of the bill prompted most of the owners of pet stores to testify in opposition: a stipulation that prevented new pet stores, or existing pet stores that hadn't previously sold dogs or cats, from offering them. Continue Reading
In its continual moderately up-and-down trajectory for 2021, Colorado’s new jobless claims rose 19% to 14,123 for the week ending Feb. 20, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Thursday. Continue Reading
Denver Public Schools board members discussed Wednesday night picking up the pace on hiring its next superintendent, citing faster timelines at other metro-area districts. Continue Reading
Xcel Energy is putting renewable energy at the forefront of its Clean Energy Plan for Colorado, announcing details about its goals during a conference Wednesday. Continue Reading
Colorado received more than 193,000 vaccines this week — and the state is expecting those numbers to jump upward amid the approval of a new vaccine and promises of increased supply from two manufacturers. Continue Reading
"It's a mixed bag, measuring anything against Alabama," Joey Bunch writes, tracing the history of space in Huntsville, Ala. Continue Reading
Denver could be just a week away from its lowest level of restrictions in months, but to do that the county must hold its COVID numbers at their current, tenuous level. Continue Reading
Senate Bill 73 would redefine child sexual abuse and other offenses against adults and children as sexual misconduct, and then remove the time limit on civil legal action. Under Senate Bill 88, survivors can bring claims against individuals as well as organizations that operate youth programs, including public entities. They may do so if the organization knew or should have known about a risk of abuse to minors and did not address the risk or warn participants. Continue Reading
A Senate panel on Wednesday took the first step to expand students' access to medical marijuana while at school. Continue Reading
RTD will no longer accept or process new certifications for the time being. Businesses already certified as SBEs through RTD will continue to have access to updates, renewals, projects and contracts. Continue Reading
No harm in asking, but it was never likely to happen. Both senators support the congresswoman from New Mexico, who is a supporter of public lands positions favorable with fellow Democrats, particularly President Joe Biden. Continue Reading
In an effort to find money to help energy industry workers transition to new careers, State Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, has resurrected an idea that has been attempted four times: privatize the quasi-public workers’ compensation insurance division, Pinnacol Assurance. Continue Reading
The Judicial Conference has labeled Colorado as a "judicial emergency" due to high numbers of case filings in the seven-judge district court. One of the seats has been vacant since 2019, and the Biden administration has not yet sent a nomination to the U.S. Senate. Continue Reading
House leaders are reportedly stuck in negotiations on the breakdown of the number of people on the commission appointed by Democrats and Republicans. Republicans want an even split, with each party appointing five members, and are blasting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the partisan advantage. Continue Reading
The University of Colorado's flagship campus is planning to hold a majority of its courses in person this fall and to return student life activities to some semblance of normalcy, school officials wrote in a message to campus Wednesday. Continue Reading
The office building, erected in 1969, is the only home KMGH “The Denver Channel” has ever had. It started at the same site as KLZ radio — which was housed in a former auto dealership. Continue Reading
The companies manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines told a House panel led by Rep. Diana DeGette on Tuesday that they expect to deliver an additional 140 million doses in the next five weeks, vastly increasing the supply to date and making it possible for most Americans to be inoculated by the end of summer. Continue Reading
The number of civil cases filed in federal court in Colorado rose by 39% between 2000 and 2019, and the administrative body for the judiciary has called for two additional judges to handle the workload in the state. However, the rate of cases that make it to trial has slowly dropped over the past two decades, now comprising less than 1% of civil cases annually. Continue Reading
The bill from Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, would require voters to cast ballots in person either on election day or in the six-day period leading up to election day. It would still allow voters to cast ballots by mail, but would require voters to opt in to receive a mail-in ballot. Continue Reading
The Aurora nonprofit Project Worthmore is purchasing a property to host its new facility “The Roots,” providing essential services to immigrants and refugees. Continue Reading
An occasional series of conversations with experts on the science and policies regarding fires. Continue Reading
Aurora’s city manager and police chief said Tuesday morning they plan to pursue the appointment of an independent monitor for the city’s police department with the help of City Council and the mayor, a move they said is intended to increase accountability and rebuild public trust. Continue Reading
Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca is asking Denver residents to suggest potential landmarks that represent the city’s diverse community and history. Continue Reading
All four security officials responsible for the response to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 testified that they believed the attack was premeditated, but two blamed not receiving intelligence for delayed and unorganized responses. Continue Reading
Tuesday's announcement comes after the state Democratic Party issued a press release Saturday criticizing Rep. Lauren Boebert, the firebrand conservative freshman and Rifle diner owner, for attending a GOP fundraiser in Florida for Utah Sen. Mike Lee last week. Continue Reading
The state's Democratic legislative leaders remained vague on Monday afternoon in a video conference with local elected officials about how to raise billions of dollars for transportation. They were nonetheless steadfast that the fix must happen this year. Continue Reading
Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, hoped to get a friendlier reception on Monday from the House Agriculture, Livestock and Water Committee for her bill to ban pet stores from selling puppies and kittens than for the bill she sponsored a year earlier. Continue Reading
The Aurora City Council pushed back Monday’s scheduled vote on an ordinance to make non-sugary drinks the default on kids’ menus, postponing the second and final vote to June 14. Continue Reading
