Editors Picks
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Tapped: Colorado River overallocation collides with record drought conditions
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Editor’s Note: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that…
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Colorado’s proposed battery regulations target fire risks, raise enforcement, cost questions
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Some worry consumers would face civil or administrative fines under the legislation Lawmakers have passed new regulations mandating sellers of lithium-powered batteries to register with the state and produce outreach plans before they can engage in business in Colorado. Under the proposal, providers must also collect “unwanted” propulsion batteries, ensure their “responsible managements,” and produce…
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PERA to Pinnacol: $302 million, please
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The Public Employees’ Retirement Association has come up with a number for Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer of last resort, to buy out its employees and retirees’ share of PERA’s pension. Pinnacol, with the support of Gov. Jared Polis, is hoping to privatize, a deal that would bring $400 million into state…
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Residents brace for change as Salvation Army transitions from operating Denver’s hotel shelters
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It was a scorching day in Denver on Sept. 1, 2023, when Bernadette McMurrin’s aunt, Christina Martinez, passed away in a small apartment. McMurrin, 41, who considered Martinez more of a godmother than an aunt, had moved back to Denver from Las Vegas to serve as her caretaker. But because McMurrin was not explicitly named…
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Democrats cheer as Colorado voters hand wins to ballot measures, candidates backed by party | ANALYSIS
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It was a good night for Democrats in Colorado Tuesday, as voters passed statewide and local ballot questions endorsed by the party, while rejecting Republican candidates in key municipal and school district elections. While none of the choices in the state’s off-year election carried partisan labels, both major parties poured resources and attention into contests…
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Searching for the ‘missing middle’: Denver metro area cities scramble to meet housing needs
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As Denver and other cities in the metro area race to comply with state mandates to change zoning and plan for more affordable housing, it remains to be seen if their varied approaches will succeed. Laws enacted in 2024 require cities with populations over 5,000 to draft a housing action plan and limit how much…
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Colorado hospitals are operating on ‘unsustainable’ margins, report finds
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Nearly 70% of Colorado hospitals ended 2024 with “unsustainable” margins, according to a new financial report from the Colorado Hospital Association. Tom Rennell, the group’s senior vice president of financial policy and data analytics, said hospitals’ expenses are outpacing their revenue, as an increasing number of Colorado patients are losing their insurance coverage, partially due…