Today is March 6, 2023 and here is what you need to know:
Six Colorado Republicans are vying for the chance to lead the party back from the sidelines in a state where GOP candidates have suffered drubbings at the hands of voters in three straight general elections, leaving the party with less power than it's held at any time since at least the 1930s.
With minor variations, all six of the state chair candidates say the answer to the party's predicament is to tack harder to the right, doubling down on issues that differentiate Republicans from Democrats in order to present voters with the clearest possible choices.
They agree the party needs to do a better job of clarifying and communicating its values to voters, with some proposing renewed outreach to various populations and others vowing to go toe-to-toe with the Democrats.
All six say they want to stop the state's unaffiliated voters from being able to vote in the state's semi-open primaries, arguing that only registered Republicans ought to be able to choose the party's nominees.
None will say that President Joe Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, with three of the candidates stating flatly that former President Trump won reelection and a fourth saying he believes Trump won but can't be sure.
Former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters was convicted Friday in Grand Junction on a misdemeanor obstruction charge for refusing to turn over a tablet computer authorities allege she used to record a court hearing in defiance of a judge's instructions.
The county jury split its verdict after a two-day trial, acquitting Peters on a related misdemeanor charge of obstruction of a peace officer. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10.
The obstruction charges are separate from criminal charges Peters faces related to allegations she helped breach the county's secure election equipment in 2021 in an attempt to find evidence that Colorado's voting system is rigged.
She has pleaded not guilty to seven felony and four misdemeanor charges in that case, which is scheduled to go to trial in August.
For the hundreds of Denver youths who took to the streets Friday in protest against gun violence in the wake of the shooting death of 16-year-old Luis Garcia, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy had this message:
“My heart goes out to you,” Murthy said. “But also, I am so sorry that as a society we have failed our young people in addressing the crisis of gun violence.”
Grief counselors have been on hand all week to help East High School students and staff cope with the death of Garcia, who was shot in his car on Feb. 13 by the school.
Garcia died Wednesday.
Murthy’s apology to the city’s youth followed an hourlong discussion on the youth mental health crisis at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff will visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on Monday ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Colorado. The trip will highlight the Biden/Harris administration’s ongoing commitment to clean energy, according to a release.
During his visit, Emhoff will tour the lab, speak with employees and university students and observe a student robotics demonstration. Emhoff will also highlight the administration’s ongoing commitment to women in science, technology, engineering and math.
Unanswered questions about accountability linger a year after a man died in Denver’s downtown detention center, after several days of begging for medical care as he experienced chest pains, trouble breathing, nausea and losing his ability to swallow medication.
Medical staff repeatedly sent him back to his cell even as fellow inmates and sheriff’s department officials noticed his deteriorating condition and tried to get him care in the days leading up to his death.
Since Leroy Taylor died in February 2022, those concerned with his death say they have gotten little clarity about steps Denver Health took to investigate. That, they say, highlights a troubling lack of a clear chain of accountability in the relationship between Denver Health and the Denver County Sheriff’s Department in circumstances such as a potentially preventable death.
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