Colorado Politics

 Colorado records 17th wolf death, a yearling tied to livestock losses

A yearling male wolf in Grand County has become the 17th wolf to die in Colorado in the past two years. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that its staff killed the wolf on Aug. 4 because it was believed to...

 Denver’s pay-for-performance shelter plan falls short on key metric

Denver’s recent shift to a pay-for-performance contract model has improved day-to-day operations across the city’s seven noncongregate homeless shelters, but has struggled to deliver promising numbers on its most important metric: getting people out of shelters and into housing. However,...

 ‘Explosive’ diarrhea-causing parasite cyclosporiasis cases nearly triple in Colorado

Cases of the “explosive” diarrhea-causing parasite cyclosporiasis nearly tripled in Colorado over the past month, prompting renewed attention after related deaths were reported in Michigan. Twenty-nine counties in Colorado have reported cases, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health...

 Denver aerospace company Voyager sees rapid growth in latest earnings

A fast-growing aerospace and defense company based in Denver saw record revenues and record bookings in the latest quarter. Voyager Technologies announced it generated $52.7 million in the second quarter, according to its latest earnings report released Monday. Revenues are...

 Parole, appeals deadlines and restitution: Colorado justices accept cases

The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will determine how a defendant’s parole-eligibility date should be calculated in instances where a new trial results in a sentence being imposed retroactively to the date of the original, since-overturned sentence....

 Douglas County approves $7.5 million for Gold Crown Field House in Castle Rock

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved a $7.5 million funding agreement Tuesday to help build a new indoor sports facility in Castle Rock. The facility is the result of a partnership between the county, the Town of Castle Rock...

 Federal judge rejects DOJ bid to force Colorado to hand over voter information

A U.S. district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold for refusing to provide the agency with personal voter information. Last December, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division asked...

 Democratic states warn Supreme Court that Trump mail ballot order would cause chaos ahead of midterm elections

A coalition of Democrat-led states warned the Supreme Court this week that lifting a block on President Donald Trump’s mail-voting executive order would cause “extreme” changes as states prepare to send out ballots for the midterm elections. The group of...

 Trump’s lopsided losing record on ICE mandatory detention masks a closer legal fight

The Trump administration’s 6-2 losing record in appeals courts over its mandatory immigration detention policy looks like an overwhelming streak of losses. However, a closer examination of the judges behind those decisions suggests the policy may be less legally doomed...

 3 Colorado judges receive unfavorable retention recommendation as one performance commission violates rules

Of the 123 Colorado judges standing for retention on the November ballot, citizen-led performance commissions found that three did not meet the required performance standards. However, in an unprecedented move, the commission charged with evaluating Supreme Court and Court of...

 U.S. News names Saint Joseph best hospital in Colorado, ending University of Colorado Hospital’s 13-year streak

University of Colorado Hospital is no longer Colorado’s top-ranked hospital for the first time in more than a decade, with Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital taking the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings. Located on...

 Appeals filed to send Project Taurus decision to the Colorado Springs City Council

At least one appeal has been filed over the proposed large-scale data center in Colorado Springs, sending the final decision to the Colorado Springs City Council. The filing seeks to overturn the Planning Commission’s decision on July 23 to deny...

 Denver City Council keeps 2 a.m. nightlife cutoff, approves $18 million for George Floyd protest claims

Nightlife establishments will not get a two-hour operating extension after the Denver City Council passed an amended version of a bill that keeps the current 2 a.m. closing time. As originally proposed, venues would have been able to keep music,...

 Group submits signatures for proposed Colorado graduated income tax

The measure, which eliminates Colorado’s flat tax, is expected to raise $2 billion in new revenue The proposal to amend the Colorado constitution to change the state’s flat rate into a graduated income tax came in under the wire Monday,...

 10th Circuit weighs Gross Reservoir expansion, judge’s ‘punishment’ of Denver Water

Members of the Denver-based federal appeals court considered on Friday whether they could intervene in an ongoing infrastructure project to enlarge a Boulder County dam after a trial judge deemed the underlying permit unlawful nearly two years ago. Denver Water...

 Democratic group maps out path to Colorado House and Senate supermajorities

A national organization that works to elect Democrats to state legislatures has its sights on Colorado, unveiling a road map to establish a supermajority in both the House and Senate. Democrats have held a majority in the House since 2013...

 Castle Rock launches Link On Demand rideshare service

Residents in Castle Rock now have access to Douglas County’s app-based rideshare service Link On Demand.  Link On Demand officially began serving Castle Rock Friday, expanding the transportation program which already operates in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and select areas...

 10th Circuit upholds federal prohibition on juvenile handgun possession

The Denver-based federal appeals court concluded on Monday that Congress acted within its constitutional powers to make it a crime for juveniles to possess handguns in most instances. The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit...

 Board of Peace demands Netanyahu cease Gaza airstrikes

The Board of Peace is struggling to get Israel on board with its peace plan for Gaza as Israeli militia airstrikes continue to bombard the war-torn strip despite expectations for a ceasefire and de-escalation. Gaza City was hit repeatedly by...

 Trump wants to give Iran ‘last chance’ to strike a deal before ‘decapitation’

President Donald Trump said this week’s talks with Iran will be the “last chance” for the Middle Eastern country to avoid a severe escalation in the war. Trump called off plans to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure over the weekend after...

 Fauci told Congress higher COVID-19 fatality rate than he calculated in diary: ‘More like 0.2-0.3%’

Dr. Anthony Fauci privately calculated that COVID-19 had a significantly lower fatality rate than what he told Congress a month later at the outset of the pandemic. On March 11, 2020, the day that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19...

 Aurora police officer charged in Belt-Stubblefield shooting

The Aurora police officer who shot and killed Rajon Belt-Stubblefield was charged with murder, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Monday morning. A grand jury returned an indictment charging APD Officer Matthew Neely with one count of second-degree murder,...

 Senate advances judicial nominee, Montezuma County judge agrees to discipline | COURT CRAWL

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A U.S. Senate committee advanced a judicial nominee from Colorado, plus a Montezuma County judge agreed to receive discipline for his misconduct that stops short...

 Tunnel to Towers brings 9/11 steel to Denver

A nationwide tour commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 brought a piece of the World Trade Center to Denver on Saturday as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation hosted a ceremony at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum....

 Top officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County agree on how to oversee elections | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

ARIZONA Officials agree on election oversight PHOENIX — Election officials in Arizona’s most populous county reached an agreement a week before the state’s July 21 primary on how to jointly oversee the vote, ending a prolonged legal battle. Republican Maricopa...

 First Air Force Academy class of just 306 cadets started out in WWII barracks, faced high standards

When the first class of the Air Force Academy arrived at Lowry Air Force in Denver, they were welcomed with an air show featuring bombers and fighter jets.  “Most of us were overwhelmed,” recalled retired Col. Max Miller, the president...

 Colorado Politics Calendar Aug. 3-9

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,...

 The primary political reform and precondition for all others | SONDERMANN

In its current state, the American political system has no end of ailments. Far too many factors accelerate polarization and work against moderation and narrowing the differences. Media, and the way so many citizens limit themselves to agreeable, reinforcing sources,...

 Susemihl wins surprise victory to replace Steve Durham as Colorado Springs state senator | A LOOK BACK

Forty-five years ago this week: In a closed session, the vacancy committee for Colorado’s Senate District 12 selected attorney Peter Susemihl to complete Sen. Steve Durham’s, R-Colorado Springs, term. Durham resigned his seat to become Region 8 Director of the...

 GEO tells judge state law requiring health inspections is ‘unconstitutional’

GEO Group, the company that operates the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora, argued in a court hearing Friday that a state law requiring health inspections is unconstitutional.  Judge Daniel Domenico said a decision on whether the...