Colorado

Reader: John Hickenlooper should have let Nathan Dunlap die

Yesterday, we wrote about a poll showing that the vast majority of Coloradans think Governor John Hickenlooper shouldn't have granted condemned killer Nathan Dunlap an execution reprieve. The issue is one that bring out passions in people, no matter their position. That's certainly clear in the foll ... More >>

Cannabis Time Capsule: Swedish medical marijuana edible from 1897

Despite the growing trend against cannabis use at the start of the last century, certain ethnic groups without any stigma were using cannabis as a medical herb. Among these early medical marijuana fans were the Swedes, of which there was a sizable Colorado population in the 1890s. This find from an ... More >>

The price of fracking in Colorado

See also: How Tisha Schuller went from environmental activist to industry champion

Photos: Top ten work fashion mistakes during a heat wave

The hot weather still hasn't broken, and much as we'd like, most of us can't take off and visit one of our top ten Colorado places to stay cool in a heat wave -- because we have to work. Fortunately, a lot of businesses in Colorado allow employees to dress casually and wear clothes that are appropr ... More >>

Marijuana: Doctors poll shows overwhelming support for medical cannabis

Physicians around the world overwhelmingly support medical marijuana, according to a poll conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine last month. Focusing on the hypothetical case of a breast cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and experiencing pain and heavy nausea, the poll asked doctors i ... More >>

Marijuana vending machines coming to a recreational pot shop near you?

As Colorado moves forward with implementing Amendment 64, ganjapreneurs are busily trying to figure out ways to cash in on what some are predicting will be a million customers in these parts once the recreational retail system gets rolling. Among the brainstorms: marijuana vending machines. But whil ... More >>

Tripp Keber, Dixie Elixirs founder, busted for pot possession in Alabama

Dixie Elixirs owner and founder Tripp Keber didn't get to do much hanging out at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama two weeks ago, after a security guard kicked off a search that resulted in misdemeanor (and initially felony) drug charges against the Denver businessman. Alabama law ... More >>

Marijuana report: Racial disparity of pot arrests not as bad in Colorado as in most of U.S.

The title of a report from the ACLU -- "The War on Marijuana in Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests" -- gives a good indication of its contents. The authors argue that the war on pot is a waste of money and African-Americans are disproportionately victimized by it ... More >>

Ten perfect patios -- and events -- for pounding beers this summer

There's something perfect about the contrast between a cold Colorado beer in your hand and the warm sun on your face -- something that makes the tensions of the day melt away. And although there are plenty of places around Colorado to drink good beer, a few of them stand out when it comes to summert ... More >>

Photos: Ten Colorado counties with the drunkest drunk drivers

Yesterday, we posted about the ten Colorado counties with the most DUIs in 2012, using statistics from the NoDUIColorado.org website. But in addition to bust numbers, the site determines the average blood alcohol content of arrestees in each county. That allows us to figure out which county's drunk ... More >>

George Karl out as Nuggets coach

Even Denver blog posts are surprised sometimes. Denver Stiffs' Nate Timmons on Josh Kroenke's bold decision not to bring back NBA Coach of the Year George Karl to the Nuggets for another season. Colorado Pols smacks members of Colorado's Congressional crew whose vote could make immigrant kids elig ... More >>

Photos: Ten Colorado counties with the most DUIs

There were five impaired-driving crashes and 318 arrests for driving under the influence on Memorial Day weekend -- and such busts are more common in certain parts of the state. NoDUIColorado.org has crunched the numbers for 2012 and come up with the top ten Colorado counties for DUIs -- and surpris ... More >>

Denver Riot Fest and Sideshow map and dates

If you haven't heard yet, Riot Fest, the incredibly popular festival founded in Chicago in 2005, is expanding to Colorado. There's no word yet on the lineup, but if the roster of acts (Motörhead, Public Enemy, Bad Brains, Guided by Voices, the Dismemberment Plan, Dinosaur Jr. and Surfer Blood, amon ... More >>

Photos: Ten movies with Colorado in the title but not onscreen

We've been digging into our state's movie history via posts like the best movies filmed in Colorado, the most awesomely cheesy Colorado movies, the biggest movie misses filmed in Colorado and ten hit movies filmed in Colorado. But after compiling our list of memorable movies set in Colorado but not ... More >>

Photos: Ten hit movies filmed in Colorado

Yesterday, as part of our continuing look at Hollywood-Colorado connections (including posts featuring the ten best movies filmed in Colorado and ten memorable flicks set in Colorado but not filmed here), we compiled ten Hollywood movie misses filmed in our fair state. Today, we've flipped the scrip ... More >>

Photos: Ten biggest Hollywood movie misses filmed in Colorado

We've been surveying Hollywood's relationship with our fair state via picks for the ten best movies filmed in Colorado, plus ten memorable movies set in Colorado but not filmed here and the ten most awesomely cheesy Colorado movies. Today, it's the ten biggest Hollywood movie misses shot in Colorado ... More >>

Photos: Ten most awesomely cheesy movies set in Colorado

We've highlighted a lot of quality flicks in our countdowns of the top ten movies filmed in Colorado and ten memorable movies set in Colorado but not filmed here. Today, however, we're focusing on cheese -- the most awesomely awful- and/or amazing-looking films featured on this list of movies set i ... More >>

Photos: Ten memorable movies set in Colorado but not filmed here

Yesterday, we shared our picks for the ten best movies filmed in Colorado. Today, we have a twist -- a top-ten countdown of movies set at least partly in Colorado, but not filmed here. At all. We're using the word "memorable" instead of "best" for a reason: While some of these flicks are great, oth ... More >>

Photos: Top ten movies filmed in Colorado

Our Melanie Asmar has been reporting about efforts to attract more moviemakers to Colorado -- and one great selling point is to check out the classics that have been partly filmed here over the years. Below, count down our ten favorites, as culled from the flicks listed on the FilmInColorado.com we ... More >>

A Feast of Fests

Colorado film office soliciting entries for database of local crew, filming locations

In order to make a movie, you need a crew. To that end, the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media has launched an online tool called Colorado Reel-Crew, which will "enable the state's film industry workforce and support service companies to showcase their skills and services to producers con ... More >>

Marijuana minister files injunction against THC driving law

Reverend Brandon Baker, leader of Colorado's Greenfaith Ministries -- a cannabis-centric congregation out of Nunn, just east of Fort Collins -- thinks that not only is the new pot-driving law unnecessary, but that it also unfairly targets medical and religious users of cannabis. In fact, he sees i ... More >>

The Damsels Dance Company takes on heavy local news in Denver on Fire

Between last summer's devastating wild fires, the Aurora shootings and other high-profile news stories, Colorado has had a rough year. It is difficult to find a way to express the emotions that these events have evoked, but the Damsel Dance Company is trying to do that by communicating Colorado's f ... More >>

Guess where I'm drinking mouth-numbing Tingala?

I can't imagine what you'd do with this Colorado spirit, which makes your mouth, lips and gums go numb -- a lot like Sichuan peppercorns -- but there's at least one restaurant and bar that's conjuring up ways to use the spirit in cocktails. Still, this has got to be the strangest liquid I've ever pu ... More >>

Graphics: Colorado's score for hate tweets -- and fondness for the N-word

How often do social-media users in Colorado feature hate speech in their tweets? The Geography of Hate, overseen by Humboldt State University's Dr. Monica Stephens, puts the answer in graphic terms via heat maps that show the best and worst areas of the country when it comes to tweets sporting degra ... More >>

Photos: Ten favorite cat names in Colorado and more

Last week, we highlighted the ten favorite dog names in Colorado as collated in the Banfield State of Pet Health 2013 report, which offers a huge amount of info about our best friends on a state-by-state basis. Today, cats take center stage. We've spotlighted and photo-illustrated the ten favorite c ... More >>

Hemp-farming registry bill passes; first plants are bound for the ground

A bill to register hemp farmers with the state has been approved by lawmakers. Now all it needs is the governor's signature before a nine-member committee can begin assisting the Department of Agriculture in developing a process that will allow the good people of Colorado to engage in widespread pla ... More >>

Photos: Ten favorite dog names in Colorado and more

According to Banfield's State of Pet Health report for 2013, Colorado is a great place to live if you're a dog or cat -- because the state is among the top two (along with Montana) for longest life span. But that's hardly the only fascinating factoid in the report, which breaks down tons of info on ... More >>

Marijuana: How an Amendment 64 repeal measure almost passed last night

When Amendment 64 was passed last November and signed into law by Governor John Hickenlooper the following month, most Coloradans figured it was a done deal -- unless the federal government decided to oppose it, that is. But no: Last night, Senator John Morse, seen here, and a slew of colleagues cam ... More >>

Videos: Best bicycling states of 2013 -- and why Colorado finished near the top

The League of American Bicyclists is out with its list of the best states for cycling -- and Colorado finished in impressive fashion. Not that the League thinks any state has achieved perfection when it comes to welcoming and protecting cyclists. In our top ten list below, we've included the organi ... More >>

Wolverine, the sequel: Feds propose to bring tough weasel back to Colorado

Today is the last day for public comment on a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring the wolverine -- not the Marvel character with the sharp claws, adamantium skeleton and tortured backstory, but something even more awesome and much, much more badass than Hugh Jackman -- back to t ... More >>

Photos: Road and lane closures, traffic alerts after yesterday's snowstorm

As longtime Coloradans know, the day after a storm is often as challenging from a driving perspective, if not more so, than when the snow is actually falling, because some people insist on believing that everything is back to normal even when road conditions are still deceptively crappy. With that i ... More >>

Marijuana: Law enforcers' letter to Hick freaks out over pot bills

We've been following the rapidly evolving marijuana bills intended to enact voter-approved Amendment 64, which allows adults 21 and over in Colorado to use and possess small amounts of cannabis. So, too, have assorted law enforcement groups -- and judging by a letter that several organizations sent ... More >>

Photos: Twenty eye-popping Colorado travel posters

Early this month, a Huffington Post writer called Colorado the fifth most overrated travel destination on the planet. That claim struck us as utter nonsense, but we understand why there might be some backlash. After all, the state has inspired some of the most gorgeous and memorable travel posters f ... More >>

Want old-timey food? Black-Eyed Pea delivers that and old-timers, too

Every once in a while you really want a taste of some old-fashioned, old-time favorites (that someone else has to cook, and then clean up after) like pot roast, meatloaf, mashed potatoes made with actual potatoes, fried corn and squash casserole, chicken-fried everything...and even a nice plate of f ... More >>

Marijuana: Doonesbury's Zonker moving to Boulder to become "respected drug lord"

Last month, we wrote about the Colorado-centric storyline in Doonesbury featuring Zonker Harris, who announced that he was moving to Colorado to become a hemp farmer; see our original post below. Since then, we've put out the welcome mat for Zonker by featuring him on the cover of Westword for our ... More >>

Marijuana: Bill that would transfer MMJ patient fees for drug counseling gutted

A bill that would have used $10 million in medical marijuana patient registration fees for drug-treatment programs has been gutted for the second year in a row. The Representative Beth McCann-sponsored House Bill 1238, would have transferred $10 million over the next four years from the medical mari ... More >>

Several small Colorado breweries have recently signed on with distribution companies

Several small Colorado breweries that only sell in-state have recently signed on with distribution companies in order to get their beer inside more mouths. Dry Dock in Aurora, Trinity in Colorado Springs and Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista are all working with Western Distribution, while Telluride ... More >>

Marijuana Q&A with Warren Edson: "Marijuana needs to be declassified on a federal level"

This week's multi-part cover story about the state of the state of marijuana takes a look at Amendment 64 and how legislators will address implementing the legalization of small amounts of cannabis and the shops that will sell it. Our print edition also features a Q&A with Amendment 64 proponent Mas ... More >>

In honor of 4/20, marijuana activist Mason Tvert discusses the future of pot

See also: Pot critic William Breathes answers your cannabis queries in a special 4/20 edition

New Denver shows: Steely Dan, the Geto Boys, Brad Paisley, Selena Gomez, Ride Festival

Steely Dan is making its way back to Colorado for a show at Red Rocks this August, and there's a bunch of other new shows to let you know about, including Brad Paisley at Fiddler's Green, the Geto Boys at Summit Music Hall, Ride Festival and Selena Gomez. Keep reading for the full rundown on these s ... More >>

Photos: Top ten Passive-Aggressive Notes from Colorado, 2013 edition

Last year, we paid tribute to the ultra-funny Passive-Aggressive Notes website with a collection of our ten favorite Passive-Aggressive Notes from Colorado. But a year later, Coloradans have shared plenty more passive aggression, on subjects ranging from extreme Christmas light displays and restaura ... More >>

"Show Me Your Papers" law on the road to repeal as new report condemns it

State lawmakers have passed a bill that repeals a much-criticized 2006 law requiring local law enforcement to report anyone they suspect of being undocumented to federal immigration authorities. The bill, HB1258, now heads to the governor's desk. Immigrant advocate Justin Valas credits the bill's p ... More >>

Photos: Top ten things that make Colorado Colorado

What makes Colorado Colorado? That's what "Making Colorado," the state's new branding mission announced yesterday, wants to determine -- and it's set up a website where you can offer your own suggestions that will help determine the state's new brand. This DIY approach drew the attention of the New ... More >>

Reader: Gun laws make it more difficult for people who need protection to find it

Our interview with Representative Rhonda Fields found the gun-control advocate arguing against a Colorado boycott touted by some hunters groups. The debate over the issue in our comments section was passionate. In the following post, one reader responds to bill supporters with an argument against th ... More >>

What makes Colorado Colorado? New state branding effort wants to know

Endless vistas of the mountains and plains? Endless pours of craft beers? Endless protests about gun-control laws? What makes Colorado Colorado? That's what the state plans to find out with Making Colorado, an ambitious branding effort being announced today by Governor John Hickenlooper and Aaron Ke ... More >>

Boycott Colorado: Hunters take aim at Colorado tourism over gun-control bills

The rumblings of a boycott started even before Governor John Hickenlooper signed three gun-control measures ten days ago, and they're only going to get louder with President Barack Obama coming to Colorado on Wednesday to tout this state's new laws as an example for the rest of the country. "I'm boy ... More >>

Reader: Two trips to Texas, two profiling stops for driving car with Colorado plates

Since a February post about the arrest of Brian Unbehaun in which we raised the subject of Colorado drivers being profiled in other states because of the marijuana laws here, readers have regularly shared stories about similar experiences either on the original post or subsequent Comments of the Day ... More >>

Marijuana: Smart Colorado wants to ban retail pot shops -- or does it?

The group that organized opposition to Amendment 64, which allows adults to use and possess small amounts of marijuana, was called Smart Colorado. Now, a new organization by the same name has been created to lobby legislators tackling legislation required to enact the measure, with a bill expected t ... More >>

Medical marijuana registry numbers climb, but more patients dropping off active list

The active patient numbers for Colorado's medical marijuana community crept slightly higher in January, to 108,656 people, but any significant growth was offset by a pattern of people dropping off the registry each month. Although 2,911 new-patient applications were turned in between December 2012 a ... More >>