The Colorado education system’s Pluto coverup

Unless you live in Illinois — and more specifically, unless you live in Illinois on March 13 every year — Pluto is no longer a planet. And now, thousands of future Colorado schoolchildren will never know that it once was…

Prop 8 protest today at 3 p.m. on Colfax

In case you haven’t heard, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling hours ago upholding Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage, which that state’s voters approved in November. (Read all about the ruling in this Los Angeles Times story.) Gay-rights groups everywhere — including those in Colorado — are calling…

Other slogans for the Colorado Meth Project

Noticed any disturbing anti-meth billboards on your drive home lately? The ads, brought to you by the Colorado Meth Project, began sprouting up alongside Denver roadways — as well as on TV, radio, MySpace and in a few newspapers — earlier this month. They’re aimed at teenagers and feature gritty…

Sorry, Jared Polis: You’re fired (from your CNN series)

The last time we blogged about Freshman Year, CNN’s You Tube-y reality show about two totally different congressmen picked to serve in the House, we had these predictions for forthcoming episodes: Conservative Utah father-of-three Jason Chaffetz gets drunk in a hot tub; liberal and openly gay Jared Polis of Boulder…

Got the swine flu? Prepare to be eliminated!

Concern over swine flu may be waning, but that didn’t stop one trenchcoat-ed, nunchuck-ed man from taking H1N1-related matters into his own hands, Mortal Kombat-style. As the Summit Daily News reports, a man claiming to be a “karate master” was reportedly kicked off a bus en route from Denver to…

Drink beer out of a bowling pin. No, really!

A recent trip to Elitch Lanes, at 3825 Tennyson, for a friend’s surprise birthday party turned up another (totally awesome) surprise: bowling pin-shaped Budweiser bottles. They’re appropriate, curvaceous and refreshing, three things you may or may not expect to find at a bowling alley. Manager Frank Rangel says Elitch Lanes…

Got dirty needles? Dispose of them anonymously this week

This week, the Denver-based Hep C Connection will do all it can — legally — to get dirty needles off the streets. Beginning today, the organization is hosting its first-ever Drop To Stop week, where anyone can anonymously drop off used syringes at eight separate locations around Denver and in…

In Zapata case, sixty years added to murderer’s life sentence

Allen Andrade will likely spend the rest of his life in jail. A judge today added 60 years to the life sentence he received for killing transgender Greeley teen Angie Zapata last summer, piling on time for lesser crimes the 32-year-old committed in connection with the murder. Andrade was convicted…

What makes Denver happy? Pot…

This afternoon, dozens of 16th Street Mall walkers had this experience: You’re walking along, sipping on a Frappucino and poking at your iPhone, trying to look busy and important enough so the panhandlers won’t bother you but unable to suppress a smile because of the gorgeous sun and the fact…

At march, cries of “Greeley! ¡Escucha! ¡Estamos en la lucha!”

Translated, the main rallying cry at a Latino unity march in Greeley on Saturday was this: “A people united will never be defeated.” More than 200 people shouted it enthusiastically — “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” — as they walked through the rural town under an overcast sky, past…

Latino community set to march in Greeley tomorrow

Over the past few years, Greeley has become a hotbed for immigration issues in Colorado. In 2006, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents raided the Swift meatpacking plant there, arresting more than 250 people, many of whom were detained and separated from their children. And last year, local law enforcement, led…

Denver’s underground needle exchange raises some dough

USED, Denver’s underground syringe exchange program and the subject of the recent Westword feature “”Why Doesn’t Colorado Get the Point of Needle Exchange Programs?,” will be able to stay afloat a little bit longer thanks to a fundraiser that netted the small group $1,006 — or as one USED member…

Live blog: The Angie Zapata trial, April 21

Editor’s note: Melanie Asmar is live blogging the Greeley trial of Allen Andrade, the man charged with murdering Angie Zapata, a transgender teen. Look for updates here — and click these links to catch up on Asmar’s coverage of the proceedings on April 16, April 17 and April 20, as…

Live blog: The Angie Zapata trial, April 20

Editor’s note: Melanie Asmar is live blogging the Greeley trial of Allen Andrade, the man charged with murdering Angie Zapata, a transgender teen. Look for updates here — and click these links to catch up on Asmar’s coverage of the proceedings on day one, April 16, and day two, April…

The Angie Zapata trial: A summary of the evidence so far

The trial of Allen Andrade, who’s accused of killing transgender Greeley teen Angie Zapata last summer, continues today at 8:30 a.m. So far, as noted in live blogs filed during the April 16 and April 17 proceedings, the fourteen jurors have heard opening statements from both sides, as well as…

Live blog: The Angie Zapata trial, April 17

Editor’s note: Melanie Asmar is live blogging the Greeley trial of Allen Andrade, the man charged with murdering Angie Zapata, a transgender teen. Look for updates here — and click this link to catch up on Asmar’s coverage of the proceedings on day one, April 16. To catch up with…

Live blog: The Angie Zapata trial, April 16

Editor’s note: Melanie Asmar is live blogging the Greeley trial of Allen Andrade, the man charged with murdering Angie Zapata, a transgender teen. Look for updates here. 4:50 p.m.: Court is recessed for the day. Judge Kopcow is telling the jury not to discuss the case with their family or…