statesman
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Aguilar and Herod: What Colorado can do to support our immigrant communities
Measures brought before the Colorado General Assembly in this legislative session have shown that the contentious national debate on immigration has been jolting our state’s politics as well. As the federal government has shifted its policies to penalize so-called sanctuary cities and aggressively deport immigrants, we’ve seen conflicting bills introduced here on whether our state…
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Kagan: Gov. Hickenlooper should call special session
As I write, Gov. John Hickenlooper is contemplating whether to call the Legislature into special session in order to pass a comprehensive transportation bill. He should do it, and give the Legislature a chance to resuscitate the transportation proposal that so narrowly failed during the regular session. Almost everyone agrees that we need to repair…
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Colorado House wrestles with an evangelical moment
State House Minority Whip Lori Saine said she had been working on the memorial resolution offered for Bill Armstrong during a joint session of the Legislature on and off for a year. Same with the eulogy she delivered – and she was clearly charged with deep feeling as she read it out to a chamber…
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Denver wants to help local business ventures with start-up cash
Denver is looking to ease growing pains for three local business ventures with a potential six-figure cash infusion. Designed to invigorate Denver‘s small business climate and promote local job growth, city officials announced a venture capital competition, pitting local startups against each for a cash award. The “Race to the Raise” competition opened May 15 to early-stage…
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Beall: It’s time for regime change at the University of Colorado
President Bruce Benson’s stewardship of the state’s flagship university system has stalled, and neither he nor his massive administration is articulating a clear vision or mission for CU. The university system has strayed from its role as the state’s preeminent university and increasingly resembles a profit-seeking enterprise. From the beginning, Benson was an unlikely president…
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Letter: Cory Gardner should support BRIDGE Act
Editor: The BRIDGE Act, introduced by a group of bipartisan senators, was written to maintain the legal status of 750,000 DACA recipients. These Dreamers are an integral part of our society – they are veterans, doctors, teachers and small business owners deserving of the status previously granted to them. Here in Colorado we have a rich…
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Denver social consumption events could start this summer
The first of Denver’s marijuana social consumption permit applications are expected this summer, after proposed rules and regulations called for under Denver’s Initiative 300 are adopted. Ashley Kilroy, executive director of the city’s Department of Excise & Licenses, discussed the main provisions of the ordinance establishing the four-year pilot program and the proposed timeline for…
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YESTERYEAR: Ritter, Caldara face off over School Finance Act
Twenty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman … A new welfare law was finally agreed upon and the Legislature narrowly averted a special session. “That’s the art of compromise,” Gov. Roy Romer said. He added that he would sign the latest version of the state’s welfare reform law that had successfully met the…
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May: Faithless
Religious freedom, the most basic liberty, is under attack in more and more lands “I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom.” So said President George W. Bush in 2004. Leave for another day the debate over whether such a belief is more hopeful than realistic. What we…
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Denver sets new requirement in fray over small lot parking exemption
The lengthy, contentious debate over a parking exemption for small lot developments in Denver reached a climax Monday, with the City Council voting to require on-site parking, despite objections from city planning and development staff and some residents. The impetus of a city review of an otherwise rarely used parking exemption was the introduction of…