Email Author Melanie Asmar

Awards

• 2012 - GLAAD Media Awards, published May 5, 2011

  "Coming Out in America"

• 2012 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published March 17, 2011

  "Say What?"

• 2011 - Education Reporting Awards/National Education Writers Association, published June 10, 2010

  "Teacher's Fret"

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2012 Stories by Melanie Asmar

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Judge lifts gag order related to University of Colorado

  published Nov 16, 2012

  The University of Colorado is no longer subject to a gag order related to the case of accused Aurora theater shooter and former student James Holmes. Judge William Sylvester has ruled that it's now u... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Denver cops allowed to drink on the job as part of "official duties"r Yep -- and it makes sense

  published Nov 16, 2012

  Earlier this week, we got a tip about a strange city policy from a citizen who'd worked as an election judge. As a temporary employee, the city gave the tipster its official drug and alcohol policy. ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes hearing postponed after alleged killer's repeated head banging, report says

  published Nov 15, 2012

  Update by Michael Roberts: At a hearing yesterday, Judge William Sylvester, who's overseeing the prosecution of Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes agreed to postpone a hearing slated for thi... More >>

• Claudia Folska, Westword cover girl, wins seat on RTD board of directors

  published Nov 08, 2012

  Claudia Folska, the subject of our recent feature story "Fare Treatment," won her race Tuesday for a seat on the Regional Transportation District board of directors, besting three opponents. Folska, ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Colorado Dems celebrate Obama victory Gangnam style at downtown watch party

  published Nov 07, 2012

  It was after 10 p.m. that a woman wearing a blue dress and a donkey mask came up to us and put her snout, through which her eyes were visible, up against our face -- so we were peering at each other ... More >>

• Alternative therapies: Florida program similar to Colorado pilot saved money, improved health

  published Nov 05, 2012

  Colorado has a new Medicaid pilot program that will cover the cost of acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic services for 67 people with spinal cord injuries. As explained in our feature story,... More >>

• Aurora eco devo official: Smaller projects on the rise even if former Gaylord hotel in limbo

  published Nov 02, 2012

  The economic development news out of Aurora this year hasn't been great. The high-profile deal to build a 1,500-room hotel hit a big snag when developer Gaylord Entertainment restructured its company... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora Victim Relief Fund: Victims turn in 52 claims for part of $5 million fund

  published Nov 02, 2012

  Governor John Hickenlooper's office has received 52 claim forms from victims of the Aurora theater shooting, three of which are duplicates, says spokesman Eric Brown. Yesterday was the deadline for ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Argo's fake movie started out real, and was supposed to include a theme park in...Aurorar

  published Nov 01, 2012

  Science Fiction Land could have been huge. Proposed in 1979, the idea was to build a huge theme park in Aurora with a holographic zoo and a 1,000-lane bowling alley attended by robots. The park was to... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting: Katie Medley among twelve new victims identified

  published Oct 29, 2012

  Twelve more people have been identified as victims of the July 20 Aurora theater shooting. Recently released court documents show that prosecutors are charging alleged shooter James Holmes with 24 mor... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Photos: Chanda Hinton Leichtle is out to change how Medicaid treats spinal cord injuries

  published Oct 24, 2012

  The fourteen-year-old boy who accidentally shot nine-year-old Chanda Hinton Leichtle in 1991 thought the rifle was unloaded. It wasn't, and the bullet severed her spinal cord and left her paralyzed be... More >>

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  Alternative therapy could be the next step for those with spinal cord injuries

  published October 25, 2012

  At the moment, Chanda Hinton Leichtle's back resembles that of a stegosaurus. Thin stainless-steel needles stand sentry on either side... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes prosecution: Defense might "misuse" witness info, harass her friends

  published Oct 23, 2012

  In September, prosecutors in the James Holmes case filed a notice in court about a complicated situation they believed they'd fixed. A witness in the case who knew Holmes from the University of Colora... More >>

• Do Colorado's high school civics requirements affect the number of young people who voter

  published Oct 19, 2012

  A new study disparages Colorado for requiring little civics education -- something it ties to a poll showing that young people don't understand voting laws, such as whether a photo ID is required to ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Key preliminary hearing likely to be postponed until 2013

  published Oct 19, 2012

  Lawyers on both sides of the James Holmes case will meet on October 25 as scheduled, but the bulk of their agenda will be postponed, Arapahoe County District Court Judge William Sylvester ruled today... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Prosecutors given access to his school application, police records

  published Oct 18, 2012

  Prosecutors in the James Holmes case can access Holmes's application to the University of Colorado, documents relating to his withdrawal from the neuroscience program just weeks before the Aurora thea... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes's lawyers ask to delay hearing, say media requests are "beginning to interfere"

  published Oct 17, 2012

  James Holmes's lawyers are asking to postpone a hearing set for October 25 because they need more time to prepare. One of the main reasons given for this request involves the amount of time it takes ... More >>

• Obama or Romney: Guardian asks which one Colorado's working poor prefer

  published Oct 16, 2012

  How do Colorado's working poor feel about Obama and Romneyr Today's London Guardian seeks an answer. Reporter Gary Younge spoke to people at a Fort Collins food bank like Mark Weaver, an ex-human reso... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting fund plan: No money to mentally injured, non-hospitalized victims

  published Oct 15, 2012

  Update below: The families of the twelve people who died in the Aurora theater shooting and the victims who were brain injured or paralyzed will split 70 percent of the $5 million left in the Aurora V... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Robert Walters, behind bars for murdering girlfriend Brittney Brashers, talks to 48 Hours

  published Oct 12, 2012

  Tomorrow night's episode of the CBS true-crime show 48 Hours will tell the story of Brittney Brashers, a 21-year-old Air Force member who was beaten and choked to death by her boyfriend, Robert Walte... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case update: Judge wants more info about request to release victim names

  published Oct 12, 2012

  Update below: Prosecutors say victims of the Aurora theater shooting are "severely concerned" about their own safety and for that reason, the names of all victims and witnesses in the case should be k... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Theater shooting funds: Money suggested for death and physical injury, not psychological kind

  published Oct 12, 2012

  Ken Feinberg, the "special master" of the Aurora Victim Relief Fund, stood Thursday night in a suit and tie before a couple dozen theater shooting victims at the Aurora library and explained his idea... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Denver Zoo: Mimi the 53-year-old elephant dies after "natural decline in health"

  published Oct 11, 2012

  Mimi the Denver Zoo elephant is now eating bagels in heaven. Mimi was euthanized Tuesday after what the zoo describes as "a natural decline in health." At 53, she was the oldest elephant at the Denv... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Holmes case: Defense drops sanction request over strange second mug shot

  published Oct 10, 2012

  Attorneys for accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes have answered the question we posed last week in this headline: "Should law enforcement be punished for releasing strange new mug shotr" The ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aurora theater shooting victims' families ask state officials to investigate donation fund

  published Oct 09, 2012

  Update below: Families representing eleven of the twelve people who died in the Aurora theater shooting have asked Colorado's attorney general and secretary of state to investigate Community First Fou... More >>