peter marcus
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Water issues compel Sylvester to run for guv
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Roni Bell Sylvester flip-flopped the second she entered the already crowded field of GOP candidates. “I’m on record for having said that there is no amount of money you could pay me to run for public office,” laughs longtime Weld County resident Sylvester. But Sylvester, 68, was motivated to throw her name…
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New effort to connect on telecom reform
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The Colorado telecommunications industry is hopeful that the reception has cleared enough in the state legislature this year to connect on a package of reform proposals that lawmakers hope to introduce in the next couple of weeks. Drafts had not yet been presented to industry stakeholders as of press time on Thursday, but Rep. Angela…
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Rural interests are still waiting for a little love
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As the legislature reaches mid-session, lawmakers are receiving an “incomplete” grade for addressing rural Colorado; being told by rural interests that they still have much more work to do. It appears unlikely that the Democratic-controlled legislature will end the session in May with applause from rural citizens. The frustration is likely to serve as a…
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Rally for same-sex marriage held at Capitol
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Marriage equality advocates rallied at the Capitol on Monday, imploring that “all loving, committed couples should have the freedom to marry in the state that they call home.” The rally came as nine couples have filed a legal challenge to Colorado’s constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples. The lawsuit comes in the midst of…
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Water issues compel Sylvester to run for guv
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Roni Bell Sylvester flip-flopped the second she entered the already crowded field of GOP candidates. “I’m on record for having said that there is no amount of money you could pay me to run for public office,” laughs longtime Weld County resident Sylvester. But Sylvester, 68, was motivated to throw her name…
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More money for education means more fights
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Lawmakers are learning the hard lessons of funding an education budget in a year when there is more money to go around. Fights are already underway between educators, administrators and legislators over how to reduce the so-called “negative factor” before enacting additional mandates on teachers and districts. Lawmakers on Tuesday formally introduced what is being…
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Oil and gas regulation fracturing relationships
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The pressure is building for the state to offer local governments control over regulating oil and gas development, fracturing relations between state leaders and the local governments and activists they represent. At least 50 elected officials have sent a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, encouraging him to take action in order to grant…
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Bennet, immigration panel discusses cross-border reforms at CELL event
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U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet joined a panel of immigration policy experts Tuesday evening to discuss cross-border reform. The discussion was hosted by the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab and moderated by former Gov. Bill Ritter. Bennet, a Democrat, expressed his frustration with a U.S. House that has failed to move forward a proposal he spearheaded for…
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Left, right in agreement on state testing
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Education policy can lead to strange bedfellows. Several school policy debates playing out at the legislature this year have brought an alignment between the left and the right, offering hope that there is a middle road when it comes to education reform. The most recent example occurred Monday in the House Education Committee when Rep.…
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Will hearings lead to clean air… or hot air?
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Hearings kicked off this week for air quality rulemaking that would make Colorado the first state to regulate detection and reduction of methane emissions by the oil and gas industry. The plan – touted by Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat – aims to capture 95 percent of emissions by requiring expedited inspections for leak detection…