peter roper
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Pueblo County might lawyer up over opioid abuse
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Remember those lawsuits filed by the states against Big Tobacco back in the ’90s? Well, state and local governments have trained their sights – and their lawyers – on a new, common scourge: opioid abuse. And as with the tobacco industry, there once again are some deep pockets to go after – the pharmaceutical industry…
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How should Pueblo pick its new mayor? City has yet to figure that out
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Now that the Steel City’s voters have resolved to restore the position of mayor to their long-mayorless city hall – and to elect one who’s not just a figurehead but a true chief executive who actually runs the joint – the real work begins. The city government has to decide exactly how the mayor will…
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Chieftain’s Roper offers a macro view of harassment in Colorado
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As sexual harassment scandals continue to unfold – cascade – nationwide, sweeping up Colorado in their wake, the press, the public and policy makers (most notably those who aren’t ensnared in one or more of the scandals) are grappling with some basic questions. Such as, how widespread is harassment? And, what exactly does the law…
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The Steel City at long last gets a mayor — and a higher profile?
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It’s the original metropolis of southern Colorado, the gateway to the lower Arkansas Valley, and it can boast a number of things other cities in the state don’t have. A steel mill. A bona fide riverwalk, as well. And, arguably, the best homegrown chiles anywhere. (Take that, Hatch, N.M.!) Yet, for a city that has…
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Colorado Springs’ Suthers: Pueblo’s template for ‘strong mayor’?
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Puebloans are being asked on the Nov. 7 local ballot whether they want to elect a “strong mayor” to serve as their city’s chief exec. A city manager runs City Hall right now with the oversight of only the city council. As voters ponder the proposal, some observers are saying the city need look no…
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Wally Stealey, lobbyist and legendary Democratic operative, dies at 83
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Wallace “Wally” Stealey, who helped launch the political careers of many Democrats and was a legend as a Colorado lobbyist, died at his Pueblo home Friday morning of congestive heart failure. He was 83. Stealey was remembered as jovial, shrewd, well-connected and warm by colleagues and friends. Former Gov. Richard Lamm said Stealey was a…
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Drumbeat continues for Pueblo to oust Black Hills as city’s utility
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What unifies Pueblo politicos of every stripe? Black Hills Energy. It seems elected officials in the Steel City can’t go wrong by lashing out at the Rapid City, S.D.-based public utility, which supplies the city most of its power – and has been widely excoriated for years of spiraling utility bills. Talk on the Pueblo…
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A changing of the guard at Pueblo’s much-unloved public utility
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The local face of Rapid City, S.D.-based Black Hills Energy in Pueblo, company Vice President Christopher Burke, is out of the picture and has left the company. The reason? Not clear, but the Pueblo Chieftain’s Peter Roper, who brings us the news of Burke’s departure, suggests a likely basis for the reshuffling with this dry…
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Beware of those savings — they’ll cost you, Pueblo learns
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It’s not like there’s any love lost between Rapid City, S.D.-based Black Hills Energy and the city of Pueblo, to which the investor-owned public utility provides power. The city’s elected leadership, including its City Council and legislative delegation, long have been at odds with Black Hills over its repeated rate hikes in recent years. The…
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Pueblo passes on a ‘weak’ mayor for now. Strong mayor? Maybe
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Remember the strong-mayor-vs.-weak-mayor debate we reported on in Pueblo? It turns out weak mayor has lost. As for a strong mayor, however, that’ll be left to the city’s voters. As The Pueblo Chieftain’s Peter Roper reported recently: There will be a ballot question asking city voters if they want to adopt a strong-mayor system – a…
