Colorado Politics

 Colorado Springs officers’ tasing, threats prompt federal judge to block use of suspect’s statements

A federal judge blocked the government last month from using some of a defendant’s statements as evidence, reasoning that the defendant made them involuntarily as Colorado Springs officers tased him five times and one officer threatened to kill him. Officers...

 Record turnout at Denver Rustlers event as Larry Mizel selected Citizen of the West

The fact that a record crowd of movers, shakers and policymakers who were prepared to part with some big money at the Colorado State Fair wasn’t the only big news to report from the Denver Rustlers’ 42nd annual brunch and road trip to...

 Amazon buys 70 acres in Aurora

Amazon purchased 70 acres of land in Aurora with plans to build a distribution center, according to city and county records. The e-commerce giant bought a parcel at 825 N. Lisbon St. from a company tied to Northpoint Development for...

 House passes stopgap funding bill with help of 176 Democrats to avoid pre-election shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) got help from the other side of the aisle on Tuesday to pass a stopgap funding bill to head off a government shutdown ahead of the November elections. More than 175 House Democrats supported the...

 The 21 seats Mike Johnson says will decide the House majority

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is eyeing 21 seats that will determine the House majority in the November midterm elections, including Colorado’s Congressional District 8. Johnson pointed to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report’s 21 toss-up seats, before rattling off a list...

 Federal judge green-lights immediate appeal in challenge to Colorado’s unclaimed property program

A federal judge took the unusual step last month of authorizing an immediate appeal of her decision to dismiss key components of a constitutional challenge to Colorado’s program for reuniting people with their unclaimed property. In February, U.S. District Court...

 Low water conditions at Green Mountain Reservoir opens door for major repairs

Perhaps one of the most striking signs of the low snowpack and drought that has plagued Colorado this year can be found by driving by Green Mountain Reservoir in Grand County. The reservoir, first filled in the 1940s, is at...

 500 teens gather near, and in, Aurora King Soopers, prompting police response

Hundreds of teenagers gathered at an Aurora King Soopers on Sunday, causing a public safety issue and prompting police response. Aurora Police Department officers responded to the King Soopers, at 655 Peoria St., just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday as about...

 Colorado’s EV charging map nearly complete, state says

Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Transportation released a statement calling the state’s public fast-charging network nearly built out. The Aug. 27 news release reports there are now 486 DC fast-charging locations and 83% of the state highway...

 DA calls out election opponent over confidential voter breach

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said his office was investigating after a software glitch temporarily exposed his own personal information along with the information of more than 130,000 confidential voters in Colorado. “This represents a glaring safety issue,” he...

 10th Circuit orders new unlawful arrest trial against Colorado Springs officers

The Denver-based federal appeals court concluded on Friday that a trial judge inappropriately allowed jurors to see several unflattering video clips of a plaintiff being belligerent toward police officers during a trial to determine whether police violated her constitutional rights....

 Denverites are wary of bus rapid transit and Waymo, voter survey says

As residents and commuters get their first look at how the Regional Transportation District’s Bus Rapid Transit project has narrowed East Colfax Avenue east of downtown, Denverites seem to be flashing a caution light about any further expansion of BRT...

 Aurora seeks public input on gas station spacing, other requirements

Aurora officials are asking for public input on a series of regulations for gas stations, including spacing and charging station requirements. Members of the public have until Oct. 31 to take the city’s survey, which is available on the Engage...

 Colorado redistricting limits measure heads to November ballot

A proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit Colorado’s congressional maps from being redrawn outside of election cycles has qualified for the November ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Under Initiative No. 256, redistricting changes for the 2028 election...

 ‘Governor for a Day’ contest launched for Colorado students

Colorado seventh and eighth graders have the chance to experience a day in the life of the governor. The “Governor for a Day” competition will give one student the chance to see firsthand how state government works, shadowing Gov. Jared...

 Federal judge to await SCOTUS decision before addressing Boulder County firearm ordinances

A federal judge agreed on Friday that she would await the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in an upcoming Second Amendment case before she addresses the constitutionality of similar gun ordinances in multiple Boulder County jurisdictions. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the...

 Colorado state House Democratic candidate arrested in Texas for public intoxication

A Democrat from Lone Tree who is running for a House seat was arrested in Texas in May on charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest. Christian Schilder, the Democrat, is challenging Rep. Brandi Bradley, the Republican incumbent, in the...

 Trump says communities that don’t build data centers will be ‘backwards and poor’

President Donald Trump criticized the rising wave of anti-data center sentiment, clashing with his administration’s aggressive efforts to build out the domestic artificial intelligence sector. Trump has placed a concerted focus on making the U.S. the global leader in AI,...

 What happens when robotaxis meet motorcades in DC? The mother of all traffic jams, says AI expert

Waymo has Washington, D.C. on its list of targets for self-driving taxis. Just two problems: Can they cope with motorcades? And how would lawmakers feel if every time the vehicles grind to a halt in front of the flashing lights...

 Trump promises retaliation for Iran attacks: ‘We’re going to hit them hard’

President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to retaliate against Iran following the latest attack on a U.S. base in Jordan, marking a return to military action after weeks of relative calm. “We’re going to hit them hard. There will be...

 State Supreme Court names next chief justice, 10th Circuit releases full-court decision | COURT CRAWL

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. The Colorado Supreme Court has named its next chief justice, and the Denver-based federal appeals court released a decision that overwhelmingly rejected one of its...

 Initiative asks Colorado voters to approve 8th-grade reading standard for ballot measures

A ballot initiative that would require all ballot measures to be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level has qualified for the November ballot, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The measure, backed by the group...

 Denver man charged with tampering with water gates, diverting millions of dollars worth of drinking water

A Denver man has been charged for alleged interference with a public water system that supplies drinking water to several communities along the Front Range, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Fabrizio Lorenzin, 65, is suspected of repeatedly tampering...

 Gazette family of papers rakes in 64 awards at 2025 Better News Contest, Colorado Politics wins Best in Editorial Excellence

The Gazette family of newspapers won 64 awards in the Colorado Press Association’s annual Better News Contest — a whopping 36 more than the three papers collectively won last year.  Colorado Politics raked in 27, The Colorado Springs Gazette took...

 Colorado schools are losing students as births, migration slow

Colorado public schools went from adding roughly 3,500 students a year before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to losing nearly 4,000 students a year afterward. As more than 870,000 Colorado students return to the classroom for another school year, they...

 Englewood mayor pro tem dies while hiking

Joe Anderson, Englewood’s mayor pro tem, died Friday while on a hike in Summit County, according to city officials.  The Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to the lower slopes of Quandary Peak around 6:40 a.m. Friday to reports of an...

 What courageous citizenship really looks like | Vince Bzdek

By Vince Bzdek What exactly is courage? Ernest Hemingway famously called it grace under pressure. Mark Twain wrote that “courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” C.S. Lewis refined that even more: “Courage is...

 The coming election and mischief in the making | SONDERMANN

America’s tribalism is such these days that we struggle to even agree on the basic rules. Elections have always been hotly contested. As the saying goes, “Politics ain’t beanbag.” The process has long involved elements of nastiness and underhanded conduct....

 Colorado Politics Calendar Aug. 31-Sept. 6

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, traveling dignitary appearances,...

 Tancredo in Running for Dept. of Ed. Position | A LOOK BACK

Forty-five years ago this week: “I know that my name has been placed before the Secretary of Education, and I know that I’m one of three or four being considered for the Department of Education’s Region 8,” said state Rep....