vic vela
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Obama officials blast Congress over funding to fight wildfires
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The timing of an Obama administration trip to the Denver area this week to talk about the threat of wildfires might have seemed odd, given the recent, record-breaking precipitation around Colorado. But officials warn that the green that currently coats the state has the potential to feed blazes throughout what is expected to be a…
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Hickenlooper vetoes high-cost lending bill
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A bill that would have altered the interest rate structure on high risk personal loans died on Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk on Thursday.The governor vetoed House Bill 1390 after consumer groups blasted the bill as being unfair to the poor and one that would have resulted in higher-cost loans. Supervised loans provide borrowing options for…
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Pot tax issue heads to the ballot — again
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There’s a line in the Grateful Dead’s “Born Cross-Eyed” that Colorado voters can relate to when it comes to votes on marijuana taxes:“Seems like I’ve been here before.” Voters have already given the state the OK to keep taxes collected from the sale of recreational marijuana. But a glitch in state law requires the issue…
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Hickenlooper vetoes red-light camera bills
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Gov. John Hickenlooper this week vetoed bills that sought to curb the use of red-light cameras and photo radar systems across the state. But bill sponsors vowed to continue efforts to rein in the use of automated vehicle identification systems that they believe Colorado voters would reject if given the opportunity. House Bill 1098 would…
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New law allows lawsuits against schools
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Claire Davis – an Arapahoe High School student who was shot to death by a classmate two years ago – now has a law named after her. The “Claire Davis School Act” will allow lawsuits against school districts when death or serious injury results from preventable acts of campus violence. Schools had previously been immune…
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Families praise felony DUI law, but pain still resides
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For Alma Sanchez of Denver, it’s the everyday things, like when she enjoys a good meal, when memories of her late cousin, Juan Carlos Dominguez-Palomino, are stirred. “Juan was a voracious eater,” she said. “He enjoyed eating Mexican food like no other. He was big and tall, so even when I have a meal, it…
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New rules to save bird ruffles feathers
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New federal land use regulations to protect a threatened bird species were met with mixed reviews on Thursday, as environmentalists praised the new rules while the oil and gas industry expressed concerns about potential economic impacts from drilling restrictions. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced new protections for the greater sage grouse, a spiky-feathered and…
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UPDATED: Colleagues remember ‘Old Man Buckner’
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He made a career out of teaching kids the ABCs, but Rep. John Buckner liked to refer to himself as OMB. “He always talked about being older than us and he would call himself ‘OMB’ for ‘Old Man Buckner,” said Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora. Melton said Buckner was in pure OMB form during a trip…
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Ellen Roberts’ two-front abortion politics war
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The potential U.S. Senate candidacy of a Durango lawmaker could pose a problem for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in 2016 — if she can survive her own party’s primary, according to a veteran political analyst. And if Republican state Sen. Ellen Roberts does jump in the race, it’s already become apparent that she’ll have to…
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Hickenlooper gives strong defense of CDHS chief
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Gov. John Hickenlooper this week lauded Colorado Department of Human Services Director Reggie Bicha and his staff as being “among the best in the United States” after an overwhelming majority of lawmakers recently blasted Bicha’s job performance. And Bicha vowed to meet with all 84 legislators who signed a letter addressed to Hickenlooper that laid…