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Gavel falls on Colo. legislature’s brawls and breakthroughs
Denver Zoo brought birds and reptiles to show off at the Colorado Capitol Wednesday – fitting for the last day of a four-month legislative session that was at times a wild kingdom of laws, policies and politics, and at others a close encounter with the #MeToo era. Lawmakers finally wrapped up their work in the…
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Colo. lawmakers find common ground on filling state pension’s $32 billion hole
Colorado lawmakers cured – they hope – the state employees’ ailing pension plan in the waning minutes of the 120-day Colorado legislative session Wednesday night, a remedy that could help keep Colorado’s credit rating from taking a hit. House and Senate negotiators reached a deal that was approved by both chambers. That should be a relief…
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11th hour compromise over Colo. civil rights panel in legislature
A bill reauthorizing Colorado’s Division of Civil Rights and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission – the subject of much contention during the 2018 Colorado legislative session – was sent on its way to the governor’s desk just before the final gavel fell Wednesday night. As a midnight deadline approached, a legislative conference committee worked out…
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‘Barack Obama Highway’ proposal sparks anger at the state Capitol
Debate over a resolution offered in the Colorado legislature by House Democrats to rename a portion of Interstate 25 through Denver after President Barack Obama turned ugly late Tuesday. It was another nasty episode in a legislative session marked by increased polarization over issues such as guns and race – tied to immigration, civil rights, sanctuary cities…
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Seeking DACA debate, Rep. Coffman backs ‘queen of the hill’ maneuver
Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman will sign a “discharge petition” to force four immigration bills to the floor of the House for a vote via a parliamentary maneuver known as “queen of the hill,” his office announced Wednesday. “These immigration bills deserve a vote, and Republican leadership has been wrong in holding them up,” Coffman said…
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Anti-squatters bill on its way to Hickenlooper
A Colorado legislative measure born out of frustration with the process of evicting those who illegally take over someone’s home is on its way to Gov. John Hickenlooper for signing. Senate Bill 15 would set up a faster process for getting “squatters” – people who move into a home without homeowner authorization – evicted from…
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Interior chief Ryan Zinke to keynote Steamboat event
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is scheduled to address the Steamboat Institute’s 10th annual Freedom Conference and Festival on Aug. 10 in Steamboat Springs, the conservative think tank tells Colorado Politics. “As secretary of the Interior and defender of America’s great outdoors, I am honored to give the keynote address at the Steamboat Institute’s 10th annual…
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Senate sends transportation funding bill to the governor
None of the Republicans in the state House of Representatives supported it earlier in the day, but Senate Republicans collected a unanimous vote Tuesday night to send a bill to the governor that will eventually put almost $3 billion into the state’s beleaguered transportation system. Senate Bill 1 puts $495 million into roads, bridges and…
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COVER STORY: Pot goes to school: With marijuana legal in Colorado, student encounters are rising
COVER STORY: Pot goes to school: With marijuana legal in Colorado, student encounters are rising Colorado’s cultural acceptance of marijuana by adults is seeping into public school classrooms. The result is more marijuana-related suspensions of students, more police visits to schools for marijuana incidents, and a greater acceptance of the drug by students who live…
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Colo. governor’s race: Who has raised and spent the most so far?
As Colorado’s Republican and Democratic primaries for governor hit the final stretch, campaign finance reports filed Monday detail a big-ticket race that continues to set records, with two self-funding candidates accounting for roughly $9 million of the nearly $15 million spent so far. The latest totals confirm predictions that the race to succeed term-limited Democrat…