george brauchler
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Advocates for stricter penalties for fentanyl press their case
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A coalition of business leaders and law enforcement officials made the case Monday for making simple possession of fentanyl a felony, one day ahead of a House panel hearing a sweeping bill that seeks to confront Colorado’s opioid crisis. JJ Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, thanked Speaker of the…
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Attorney General Phil Weiser draws challenge from Republican DA John Kellner
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Republican District Attorney John Kellner, the top prosecutor in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, declared on Thursday that he’s challenging Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is seeking a second term. Kellner announced his long-anticipated run in a Colorado Politics opinion article that attempts to link Weiser to the state’s rising crime rate. “Make no mistake,…
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Polis won’t say if he met with Kardashian, others over controversial commutation
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Coloradans may never find out who tried to influence Gov. Jared Polis and what kinds of discussions the governor held in his decision to commute the 110-year sentence of a truck driver whose actions in 2019 led to a fiery 28-car pileup that killed four and injured several others. Or at least not from the…
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With no challenger in sight, Colorado AG Phil Weiser finishes quarter with $2.2 million on hand
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While he has yet to draw a Republican opponent, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser continued to raise money for his re-election bid at a record-setting pace, finishing the year’s final quarter with more than $2.2 million in the bank, the Democrat’s campaign said Thursday. Weiser, a former dean of the University of Colorado law school and…
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TRAIL MIX | Candidate switcheroos are nothing new in Colorado
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Wouldn’t you know it, less than a week after last week’s Trail Mix column went to press, it was obsolete. In the holiday news lull, it had seemed like a good opportunity to take stock of the candidate line-ups in major Colorado races. While savvy political watchers have been expecting at least a few additional contenders…
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Ethics complaint filed against DNR chief over contract awarded to wife’s employer
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A dark money group on Tuesday filed a complaint alleging Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, falsified documents and his agency gave a sweetheart deal to his wife’s employer. The complaint from Defend Colorado, which has targeted Democrats, alleges Gibbs awarded the Keystone Policy Center, a think tank where the complaint says Johanna…
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As crime rates rise in Colorado, restorative justice model a flash of hope
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A recent report which details the skyrocketing societal and financial costs of rising crime rates in Colorado, coupled with a dismal 50% recidivism rate, which is one of the worst in the country, have prompted a warning from leading prosecutors: Well-intended policies which coddle criminals has made life in the state more dangerous. But one…
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INSIGHTS | A GOP family feud over a red-flag bill
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Editor’s note: Joey Bunch is away, so this week we revisit his Insights column of May 11, 2018. Close to midnight on one of the final days of the 2018 legislative session last May, Colorado House of Representatives Republicans met in a caucus to discuss removing one of their rising stars, Cole Wist, from his…
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INSIGHTS | It’s hard to find common ground on guns
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Joey Bunch is away, so this week we revisit his Insights column of Feb. 23, 2018. Maybe if partisans didn’t go too far. I don’t know. It confounds me why we can’t talk constructively about guns in this state, or this nation, without both sides shutting down. Indecision lives in gridlock. If one…
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ELECTION 2018 | Democrats win all statewide offices
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Democrats made a clean sweep of Colorado’s statewide executive offices Tuesday, winning the races for attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer as well as governor. Perhaps the biggest upset of the bunch was Democratic political newcomer Jena Griswold, who defeated Republican incumbent Secretary of State Wayne Williams. The other statewide seats were open. Griswold…