Politics

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 >>

Boulder judge rejects restraining order against city's most annoying critic

Update: Today, Judge David Archuleta rejected Boulder's request for a permanent restraining order against Seth Brigham, a vocal critic whom a workplace-violence expert deemed dangerous without having met him and sans any actual attacks or explicit threats; see our previous coverage below. Brigham is ... More >>

CU profs can't cancel classes if student is legally carrying a gun, administrator says

Earlier this week, we told you about CU-Boulder's new regs concerning concealed-carry permits -- changes necessitated by a Colorado Supreme Court ruling allowing them on campus two years after the university added Nerf guns to its banned weapons list. Shortly thereafter, one professor said he'd canc ... More >>

Mitt Romney will win Colorado and the election, says CU forecast

Mitt Romney will win key swing states like Colorado and become the next president of the United States. So says a new study released this morning by the University of Colorado -- and the researchers behind the forecast say they have a solid methodology that ensures their predictions will probably ... More >>

Michael Hancock takes cabinet to community for a preview of tonight's de-Brucing briefing

Mayor Michael Hancock held his second "Cabinet in the Community" town-hall meeting Saturday morning at the transformed Rude Recreation Center in west Denver -- a physical manifestation of his campaign promise to "reconnect people to their government." Even if there were more government representativ ... More >>

Gun control activists: 1000s of mental health records going unreported to FBI

Since James Holmes killed twelve people in Aurora, catalyzing heated gun control debates across the country, many have focused their attention on the suspect's past psychiatric care. As officials debate what can be done to keep guns out of the hands of those with a history of mental illness, a new r ... More >>

Michael Hancock: Aurora shootings shouldn't be used to push gun control

Since James Holmes purchased an AR-15 assault rifle and shot twelve people dead in an Aurora movie theater, we've asked different local officials if they think stricter gun control laws could help prevent this kind of tragedy in the future. Recently, Denver mayor Michael Hancock told us that he woul ... More >>

Paul Weissmann will continue to serve the public as Boulder trustee

In the latest installment of a long-running saga, yesterday Governor John Hickenlooper reappointed five of the ten public trustees who resigned last month -- at his request. And he appointed three new trustees in three counties, including one who really puts the "public" in public trustee: sometime ... More >>

Denver police chief Robert White pushes for progress on gun control

Speaking one week after a former Denver resident shot six people dead in Wisconsin, and less than a month after James Holmes killed twelve and injured dozens more in Aurora, Denver police chief Robert White told Westword it's time to make progress on gun control. We spoke with White over the weekend ... More >>

Gun control ad in Denver pressures Obama and Romney to take a stand

The same day Barack Obama made several campaign stops in Colorado, a national gun control group launched an advertisement in Denver calling on both the president and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to put forth a plan to curb gun violence across the country. The spot, which references t ... More >>

Aurora theater shooting: Dick Lamm not optimistic about reforms to gun policy

Since James Holmes fired shots into an Aurora movie theater -- after purchasing four guns in two months and 6,000 rounds of ammunition off the Internet -- heated gun control debates have emerged nationally and locally, with elected officials questioning whether stricter laws could have stopped thi ... More >>

Aurora theater shooting: Colorado members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns respond to tragedy

The heated gun control debates that have emerged in response to the Aurora theater shooting that left twelve dead have reached elected officials at all different levels of government -- whether they want to talk about it or not. Since Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, arguably the most prominent Colorad ... More >>

Aurora theater shooting: Latino officials backing Obama respond to gun control debate

The thorny political territory of gun control can be especially challenging for President Barack Obama's cheerleaders in Colorado, where debates about access to guns have great local significance after James Holmes shot seventy people in an Aurora movie theater. Since the attack, Obama has called fo ... More >>

John Hickenlooper and wife Helen Thorpe announce their separation

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and his wife, journalist and author Helen Thorpe, have just issued a joint statement revealing that they are separating. The announcement notes that their parting isn't acrimonious and stresses their devotion to their young son, Teddy. Here's the statement:

Aurora theater shooting: Ed Perlmutter and the challenge of talking about gun control

When asked about gun laws on Sunday -- two days after James Holmes fired shots into an Aurora movie theater in one of the largest mass shootings in American history -- Representative Ed Perlmutter backed reinstatement of the assaults weapon ban. The comments, on live national TV, made him one of the ... More >>

Marijuana: George Soros link to Amendment 64 claimed, disputed

Billionaire George Soros is a frequent conservative target for donating big bucks to liberal causes (of course, conservatives have munificent billionaires of their own -- but that's another story). Now, Smart Colorado, a group opposing Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, sees Sor ... More >>

Aurora theater shooting: Michael Hancock declines to speak out on gun control

Days after accused gunman James Holmes fired shots at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, there have been heated discussions about gun control, along with debates on whether it is an appropriate time to tackle the subject. We gave Denver Mayor Michael Hancock an opportunity to wei ... More >>

Aurora shooting: Tom Mauser, Columbine father, on gun control, political silence

It's not about politics, it's about the tens of thousands of people who die every year in America due to gun violence -- including the twelve victims of the Aurora theater shootings. This is how Tom Mauser, father of a Columbine victim and now activist for gun control, responds to politicians and ... More >>

James Holmes's tactical gear provider accused of having "blood on its hands"

After some of the equipment belonging to Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes was traced back to a Chesterfield, Missouri company called Tactical Gear, reps spoke out about the ties online. Since then, as noted by our eagle-eyed sister blog at St. Louis' Riverfront Times, Tactical Gear emplo ... More >>

Could Mexico ask for stolen gold back from Spain?

Michael Hancock's State of the City speech: Police reform and e-Denver

A year after taking office, Mayor Michael Hancock delivered his first State of the City address this morning, promoting a range of priorities, including restructuring the police department, increasing programs for children and a new online initiative he is calling "e-Denver." That's right, Denver is ... More >>

Denver City Council one of the worst for allowing public comments? Not anymore

After months of research, Denver City Councilwoman Robin Kniech concluded that Denver's city council was among the worst in the country when it came to allowing public comment. Heated debates followed. But this week, Kniech successfully lobbied her colleagues to agree to a change in standards that ... More >>

Pro-Romney group launches major Colorado ad blitz attacking Obama

Correction: A previous version of this post referred to Crossroads GPS as a super PAC, when Crossroads GPS is in fact a nonprofit group that is a sister organization to American Crossroads, a Republican super PAC. They didn't waste any time. Just hours after the latest unemployment statistics came o ... More >>

Eva Longoria and Obama campaign team up to promote women's issues in Colorado

The Obama campaign is hoping to make news in Colorado for something other than today's presidential visit to the Waldo Canyon fire zone in the Springs. The fight for swing state votes will hit Wheat Ridge Sunday, when Obama staffers will join former Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria for the lau ... More >>

Doug Linkhart, ex-councilman, hit while cycling to Bike To Work Day event

This was not how Bike To Work Day was supposed to go. Sitting in on part of a Denver City Council retreat yesterday, Westword learned that ex-councilman Doug Linkhart, who ran for mayor last year, was hit by a pickup truck while cycling to a Bike To Work Day event with the mayor and current counci ... More >>

Celena Hollis murder: Michael Hancock says gang speculation a distraction

Since Denver cop Celena Hollis was shot and killed over the weekend, there has been a lot of speculation concerning the possible gang-affiliation of the suspect -- but according to Mayor Michael Hancock, reporters are asking the wrong questions. In this case, the gang question, Hancock told Westword ... More >>

Plastic bags ban in Denver? Officials considering fees and more

They clog up waterways. They end up in landfills, where they take thousands of years to break down. And they kill turtles and dolphins. Plastic bags of the sort used in grocery stores are a top enemy for environmentalists, and Westword has learned that some Denver officials are considering policies ... More >>

Immigration: Local activists praise, criticize Supreme Court's Arizona ruling

Today, the United States Supreme Court rejected three of four core provisions in Arizona's controversial immigration law -- but allowed the most hotly contested to remain. It is still legal for state police to stop, interview and detain people they have "reasonable suspicion" to believe entered the ... More >>

Obama campaign outspending Mitt Romney's for Denver TV ads

Editor's note: This election cycle, Westword is exploring the public records of television stations for information on how candidates are spending money on ads in Denver. So far, Barack Obama's campaign is spending more money than Mitt Romney's on Denver TV ads. A lot more.

Photos: Mitt Romney backers bash Obama at campaign HQ opening

Mitt Romney's in town! Well, actually, he's not. But his campaign is -- and the Colorado team is officially in full swing with the official opening of the presidential candidate and presumptive Republican nominee's offices in Lakewood on Saturday.

Gary Johnson, Libertarian presidential hopeful, on pot, pride and Jon Stewart

Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, who is now running for president as a Libertarian, stopped in Denver yesterday for Pridefest. He took a break from schmoozing with potential voters to chat with Westword about his campaign, the Libertarian Party, marijuana, gay marriage and his ongoing bat ... More >>

A tradition of keeping African-Americans voters from the polls

New laws in dozens of states could take out Barack Obama this fall.

Marijuana prohibition's end would unite police, community, advocate says

Tonight, Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore narcotics cop who's now the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, aka LEAP, will be speaking in Denver (details below) about ending marijuana prohibition in Colorado. If that happened, he believes, "it would be very significant in reu ... More >>

Boulder files restraining order against its most annoying critic

Update below: Boulder has filed a temporary restraining order against Seth Brigham, a local known for irritating officials in public places -- once by stripping to his boxers at a city council meeting (more on that below). A city spokeswoman cites an expert on workplace violence who sees Brigham as ... More >>

Photos: Denver City Council preliminarily passes urban camping ban

Before last night's epic Denver City Council meeting started, and well before its members voted nine to four to preliminarily approve the proposed urban camping ordinance, the line for public attendance stretched far outside the City and County Building. Many of these people left during the followin ... More >>

Reader: Josephine Echols' tragic murder reflects poorly on gun laws

The man who allegedly killed Josephine Echols outside her pastor-son's church this past Sunday was himself gunned down by an off-duty Denver Police officer, likely preventing further bloodshed. As such, the story that offers something to gun-rights activists and those who see these weapons as causin ... More >>

Urban camping: A timeline of how the ban began -- and where it's headed

Although there have been rumblings about it for months, Denver's proposed urban camping ordinance has only been circulated in draft form for the past few weeks. In this week's feature, "For the homeless, 'urban camping' is no picnic," Jef Otte took a look at its direct implications by spending a nig ... More >>

Urban camping ban: Denver City Council delays vote -- for a week

Today, after the Commission on Homelessness called for an additional four weeks to consider an urban camping ordinance, Denver City Council moved its final consideration date to May 14, one week later than previously scheduled. The decision came with a final vote of four to three. If approved, the b ... More >>

Urban camping ban: Denver Police Department promises restraint in enforcement

At a city council meeting yesterday afternoon, Police Chief Robert White outlined what he called a "passive" plan for the Denver Police Department to enforce the urban camping ban if it is passed. As drafted, the strategy calls for law enforcement to partner with outreach workers, and White promises ... More >>

Lower North Fork Fire started by prescribed burn, Forest Service apologizes

The U.S. Forest Service is now admitting that the Lower North Fork Fire near Conifer, which appears to have led to at least two casualties (one woman is still missing), was started by a prescribed burn that got out of control. Meanwhile, Governor John Hickenlooper has suspended such burns until aft ... More >>

Voter suppression bill dies in front of House Judiciary Committee

Yesterday, state Republicans killed a bill that sought to make it a felony-level crime to intentionally mislead citizens about voting information during an election. Known as the Fairness in Voting bill, it came under political fire during its tenure in the legislation over accusations that it was a ... More >>

Cory Gardner talks energy prices, takes lobbyist cash

This past Saturday, Colorado Representative Cory Gardner, a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, was tapped to offer the Weekly Republican Address on skyrocketing energy costs. But at the same time, a CBS report showed that he's been expending lots of gas on another topic.

American Constitution Party faces major headaches as a major Colorado party

The Colorado Republicans held their caucuses last month. The Colorado Democrats have launched a caucus locator to help members find their caucus sites tonight. And the American Constitution Party, the state's third major party? "We're going to do the best job we can," says Doug Campbell. "Let the ch ... More >>

John Hickenlooper: If he can become governor, there's no limit to Colorado's future

Governor John Hickenlooper met with newspaper reps in town for the Colorado Press Association's annual convention at the Governor's Mansion yesterday. There, he talked about Iowa, Christo, the coolness of Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia...and how Westword was a very good neighbor during the Wynkoop B ... More >>

Videos: Top five glitter bombings -- and how Peter Smith's attack on Mitt Romney stacks up

Mitt Romney​Cops and Secret Service agents who protect Republican presidential hopefuls are dealing with a new kind of threat -- one that sparkles. Last Tuesday, Denver got into the act when Peter Smith, a college student and politics intern, was arrested after he tried to throw blue glitter o ... More >>

American Constitution Party has a major problem preparing for own caucus

Doug Campbell​The American Constitution Party has a major problem in Colorado. Because Republican renegade Tom Tancredo, who ran for governor on the ACP ticket in 2010, got more than 36 percent of the vote in 2010 in the race against Republican Dan Maes and Democrat John Hickenlooper, the ACP ... More >>

Marijuana initiative can't force John Suthers to sue feds over enforcement, his office says

In our post yesterday about the progress of Legalize 2012's Cannabis Re-legalization Act, proponent Laura Kriho noted that a section had been added to the proposal directing Colorado Attorney General John Suthers to sue the federal government if it attempts to enforce its marijuana laws here. But AG ... More >>