Government and Politics

Air Force sex assaults: Prevention chief arrested ten years after scandal at Air Force Academy

The arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski on charges of sexual assault in Virginia has drawn condemnation from officials as high-ranking as President Barack Obama, and no wonder. After all, he was the Air Force's chief of sexual-assault prevention. Krusinski is also a graduate of the Air F ... More >>

Colorado Muslim Society denies report it will bury Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Last month's shocking bombing at the Boston Marathon was followed by a manhunt that ended with the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's older brother and the presumed mastermind of an attack that killed three and injured hundreds. Since then, controversy has ari ... 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 >>

Immigration: Supporters rally to stop the deportation of Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez

As Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez headed into the Denver Immigration Court just before 8:30 this morning for a hearing on her deportation case, a crowd of supporters that had gathered on the sidewalk in front of the court building chanted in unison, "Si se puede!" When the 43-year-old mother of three e ... More >>

NRA takes aim at Colorado's 2014 election

It should be all hearts and flowers when Governor John Hickenlooper signs the civil unions bill at History Colorado this afternoon. But we're betting that this historic moment will also have a history-making amount of security, given the vehement response to Hickenlooper's signing of three gun measu ... More >>

Joe Garcia will continue as Colorado's coolest lieutenant governor

Joe Garcia, Colorado's coolest lieutenant governor, won't be going to Washington, D.C. -- not now, at least, and not as the head of the Department of Labor. Yesterday, the White House announced that Tom Perez, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, will take that post. Like Garcia, ... More >>

Gun laws unenforceable, but El Paso sheriff says he'll still try to enforce them

During recent months, numerous sheriffs, including Larimer County's Justin Smith and Weld County's John Cooke, have ripped proposed gun-control measures before the Colorado legislature. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa has been critical of such efforts, too. But his office is upset at local medi ... More >>

Video: Rachel Maddow show reports about newspaper's threat against gun-control backer

As we've reported, the debate over Colorado gun-control legislation has gotten ugly, with the most prominent example being executive Franklin Sain's arrest for racist and sexist e-mails sent to Representative Rhonda Fields, whose son was a murder victim. The negative PR garnered by Sain hasn't stop ... More >>

Marijuana: Eric Holder says fed response to Colorado law coming soon

Yesterday, eight former DEA administrators sent a letter to ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee (see it below), encouraging them to quiz U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about why the Justice Department hasn't cracked down on Colorado and Washington state over their recently passed ma ... More >>

Gun control: Senator Morgan Carroll on disruption at Aurora town hall

The debate over gun control continues to get ugly. The same week Franklin Sain was arrested for sending Representative Rhonda Fields allegedly harassing, racist e-mails vocal, pro-gun audience members at an Aurora Town Hall meeting antagonized Senator Morgan Carroll, who felt the need for a securit ... More >>

Marijuana: John Hickenlooper-Eric Holder A64 call still a mystery despite activist's efforts

Editor's note: Medical marijuana critic William Breathes's latest review, which is usually published at 4:20 p.m. on Thursdays, has not quite finished curing; look for it in this space soon. In the meantime, we share the story of a marijuana activist and his efforts to discover what was said during ... More >>

Marijuana: Maryland pot decriminalization bill latest example of Amendment 64's impact

Yesterday, we highlighted a Pennsylvania proposal that mirrors Amendment 64, the Colorado measure whose proponents see as a template for nationwide marijuana reform. Today, a Maryland bill to decriminalize pot is the latest example of other states following in Colorado's footsteps -- but perhaps mov ... More >>

Marijuana: Obama administration has done poor job of talking about drug policy, czar says

Just over two months since the signing of Amendment 64, a direct challenge to federal marijuana policy, the Obama administration still has provided no guidance to Colorado about whether a challenge to the law is forthcoming. As a result, observers searching for clues about the feds' thinking are lef ... More >>

Marijuana legalization proposal like Colorado's coming to Pennsylvania: More states to follow?

Following Amendment 64's passage, marijuana reformers have pushed for similar measures beyond Colorado's borders -- the idea being that if cannabis is legalized in more states, the federal government will have to change policies making pot illegal under all circumstances. That's precisely what's hap ... More >>

Weld County commissioners really, really like the Second Amendment

Last week, we noted that Weld County Sheriff John Cooke was among several Colorado sheriffs raising constitutional concerns about potential gun-control measures. Now, the Weld Count Commissioners have pulled a similar trigger, passing a resolution -- read it below -- expressing their support for the ... More >>

Marijuana: Comic looking for politico to smoke with after Tom Tancredo welches on pot bet

Update: Yesterday, we shared Florida-based comedian-filmmaker Adam Hartle's frustrated reaction after ex-Congressman Tom Tancredo welched on a bet to smoke legal pot together after the passage of Amendment 64; see our original coverage below. Now Hartle tells us that he's had to edit Tancredo out o ... More >>

Gun legislation: Claire Levy's bill would enact real-time data transfer of mental-health records

As the debate around gun policy and mental health heats up in Colorado and across the country, Representative Claire Levy, a Boulder Democrat, is pushing forward with a bill that she says would help keep weapons out of the hands of the wrong people. The legislation would establish real-time data tra ... More >>

Governor Hickenlooper grills lamb and eats crow

The final tally from last weekend's NFL playoff game goes beyond the scoreboard for Colorado: Colorado also lost twelve prime lamb chops that Governor John Hickenlooper shipped across the country to Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to pay off a bet debt. But first, he ate a little crow on the steps ... More >>

Guns in Colorado public schools? GOP politicians want concealed handguns in class

Since the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, lawmakers across the country have been debating what policy solutions could help reduce the risk of a devastating massacre in the future. In Colorado, some Democratic legislators have proposed tighter restrictions on access to guns. But a few h ... More >>

Scott Gessler is always right...right?

Marijuana: Obama drug czar cites "serious national conversation" about legalization

Since the passage and signing of Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, Coloradans and folks for and against policy reform nationwide have waited for word as to whether the federal government will block implementation of the law. The latest clue to the feds' approach comes in a lett ... More >>

Rifle giveway: Rocky Mountain Gun Owners' Dudley Brown wants to arm you for a legal fight

As lawmakers head to the State Capitol for opening day of the Colorado Legislature, critics are already taking aim at new gun-control proposals. Some will be rallying outside the building for a 1 p.m. Guns for Everyone event. Others are arming themselves -- literally -- for the legislative battles a ... More >>

Gun policy: Rep. Ed Perlmutter appointed vice chair on national violence prevention task force

In the contentious debates on gun policy that are likely to remain at the forefront of national politics in the coming months, Colorado is an important player given its history of tragic mass shootings. And on one national task force dedicated to reducing gun violence, U.S. Representative Ed Perlmut ... More >>

Gun policy: On day one, Diana DeGette introduces high-capacity magazine ban

In the final weeks of 2012, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, who represents Denver, pushed for an immediate vote on a measure to ban high-capacity assault magazines. The bill, she said, would be a sign of concrete action after twenty children were slaughtered in Connecticut. But the chance for a vote ne ... More >>

Straightforward Shooting sees huge surge of interest in gun classes after Connecticut tragedy

Since the horrific mass shooting in Connecticut that claimed the lives of twenty children, there has been a renewed gun-control debate in Colorado -- along with a record-breaking number of residents looking to buy guns. Now a Littleton business that offers gun classes says it's seeing unprecedented ... More >>

Stephen Barton, Aurora victim and gun control advocate, grew up ten minutes from Newtown

Last Friday, Stephen Barton, a survivor of the Aurora theater shooting and now a vocal advocate for stronger gun policies, was back in Colorado, doing outreach work. While in Denver, he heard the news about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It was hard to compreh ... More >>

Tom Tancredo offers his own Colorado Compact on Immigration Fairness

"Does the GOP have a death wish?" That's what former congressman, former gubernatorial candidate and longtime rabble-rouser Tom Tancredo asks, in the wake of a number of Republicans signing off last week on the Colorado Compact on Immigration. Tancredo, who left the Rrepublican Party to run for gov ... More >>

Reader: If you need a military assault weapon, you really need a penile implant

Representative Ed Perlmutter wants to introduce gun-control legislation on the first day of the new Congress, and is calling for a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. Representative Diana DeGette wants to pull the trigger on gun control even earlier -- this week, if possible. She's joined with ... More >>

Gun control: Ed Perlmutter will introduce assault weapons ban on day one of Congress

In the days following the movie theater massacre in July, Representative Ed Perlmutter, whose district then included Aurora, was one of the few local politicians who called for a gun policy change: the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. He's been working on that legislation for months, but gi ... More >>

Marijuana petition asks Joe Biden not to push for crackdown on Colorado, Washington

The longer the federal government waits to tell Colorado and Washington whether it will allow the states to determine their own marijuana policy after each passed pot-reform measures, the more theories surface about who in the administration might prove to be an impediment. The latest involves Vice ... More >>

Scott Gessler's mom calls for voter-ID law at election-integrity hearing

Secretary of State Scott Gessler was not at his "election integrity" hearing in Denver yesterday -- but his mother was. Barbara Gessler, mom of Colorado's chief election officer, sat in the front row and waited for her turn to offer public comment which, included a plea for voter ID laws and conce ... More >>

Gun ban in college buildings?: Boulder rep plans legislation despite court ruling

It just doesn't make sense for lawmakers to allow guns on college campuses, where the risks of suicide or shootings tied to mental health illness can be high. At least that's an argument of Boulder Representative Claire Levy, who is crafting legislation that would add campus buildings to the list of ... More >>

Amendment 64's Christian Sederberg upbeat about being named to marijuana act's task force

Word that Governor John Hickenlooper had signed Amendment 64 into law necessarily overshadowed the announcement of members assigned to a task force that will guide implementation of the act. But Christian Sederberg, who'll represent the A64 campaign in the group, thinks the process is off to a posit ... More >>

Phil Anschutz-owned company buys Colorado Springs Gazette

For years, media observers have speculated that Dean Singleton would someday purchase the Colorado Springs Gazette with the idea of synergizing with his other Front Range newspapers, most prominently the Denver Post. But that day isn't today. With Singleton taking a backseat to John Paton in Digital ... More >>

Aurora's Steve Hogan: Why didn't he join anti-illegal gun mayors group after theater shooting?

Steve Hogan, mayor of Aurora, the city where Century 16 shooting suspect James Holmes allegedly killed twelve people and injured dozens more, is not joining a nationwide coalition of mayors that supports stricter gun laws. In response, the group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, argues that Hogan should ... More >>

Boulder election results not certified by canvass board -- only county rejection in Colorado

Election day may seem like a fading memory in Colorado. But the divisiveness of the race is alive in Boulder County, where members of the canvass board has refused to certify the results, arguing that there were many problems -- including dozens of precincts where they say more votes were counted th ... More >>

CU staffer with gun permit accidentally injures two: First shooting of its kind on state campus?

After winning a long battle to allow those with concealed-carry permits to bring guns onto campuses in Colorado, a gun-rights organization is now responding to what appears to be the first-ever accidental discharge on a local campus from someone with the proper permit. The staffer who fired a shot a ... More >>

Amendment 64: Attorney General/marijuana critic John Suthers would defend it in court

In announcing the passage of Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, during a newscast this morning, National Public Radio floated the possibility that the measure could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court owing to pot's illegality at the federal level. And if the proposal wound up ... More >>

Romney votes in Colorado might count for Obama? RNC, officials on computer glitch

The Republican National Committee has sent a letter to six states, including Colorado, warning of "voting machine errors" that could cause a vote intended for Mitt Romney to go to Barack Obama. But according to several Colorado election officials, there's no reason to be concerned -- and they don't ... More >>

Videos: Obama cites Aurora theater shooting in second debate with Romney

Earlier this month, families of Aurora theater shooting victims urged Jim Lehrer, moderator of the presidential debate in Denver, to raise the issue of gun policy in quizzing President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Lehrer didn't do so -- but last night, in the season' ... More >>

Marijuana: Why ex-drug warriors hate Amendment 64, other drug initiatives

Former drug czars, DEA administrators and national "addiction experts" have come out in opposition to Colorado's Amendment 64, as well as similar measures before voters in Washington and Oregon. In other wildly-unexpected news: The sky is, indeed, blue.

Marijuana: Amendment 64's opponents want new ad pulled, backers respond

This week, the folks behind Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, have been ballyhooing a new ad featuring the endorsement of singer Melissa Etheridge. But act opponents are focused more on another commercial -- a spot highlighting revenues for school construction. They say the spot ... More >>

If Mitt Romney won't tell you about these tax loopholes, we will

Photos: John Elway's love for Mitt Romney (and every Republican presidential candidate)

Last night, the Mitt Romney campaign got a lot of bounce from announcing the endorsement of John Elway -- and having Elway introduce Romney at a Wings Over the Rockies rally. In truth, though, Elway's declaration of support is about as surprising as Tim Tebow taking a knee after scoring a touchdown. ... More >>

Video: Stephen Barton, Aurora theater shooting victim, stars in gun-control ad

Stephen Barton, 22, never thought his future would include gun-policy work. A recent graduate of Syracuse University, Barton was planning on moving to Russia to teach English on a Fulbright Scholarship this September. That all changed when he was shot in the face on July 20 in the Aurora theater mas ... More >>

Amendment 64 camp on law-enforcement support, teachers union opposition

At noon, proponents of Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, will hold a press event at which two law-enforcement organizations will join previous backers in expressing their support for the measure; get details below. A spokeswoman stresses that the get-together isn't a response to ... More >>

Gun-free CU-Boulder dorms are target areas for criminals, student group says

While some professors are not happy with a policy change that allows students with concealed-carry permits at CU-Boulder to bring guns into their classes, one gun-rights organization has an opposite concern. The most unsafe place on campus, according to Students for Concealed Carry, is the one place ... More >>

Campaign ad spending: How much are Romney and Obama spending per electoral vote?

As part of this week's feature "Purple Haze," we take a dive into the millions of dollars used for advertising in Colorado by the presidential campaigns and a handful of very wealthy super PACs. Based on the latest numbers, more than $25 million has been spent in this battleground state as of August ... More >>

Red or blue, all eyes are on Colorado this election

Ryan Call, GOP chairman, on women's issues and Todd Akin: Democrats are desperate

In this week's feature, "Purple Haze," we outline how the close fight for Colorado's nine electoral votes could determine the next president of the United States. And a key part of that battle, nationally and in Colorado, involves the women's vote. Here's more from our interview with state GOP Cha ... More >>