Student Protester Sued by Oil Company Asks Judge to Drop Suit

What do a CSU journalism student, a documentary filmmaker and a lawyer all have in common? They’ve been sued by Denver-based Extraction Oil and Gas over an anti-fracking protest in Greeley next door to Bella Romero Academy, a school that serves a predominantly low-income and minority community.

Albus Brooks’s Cancer Is Back

Denver City Council president Albus Brooks, who had surgery for cancer in 2016, has revealed the recurrence of the disease. Surgery to remove a newly discovered tumor has been scheduled for the first week of May.

Denver Cop Sued for Slaying Unarmed Dion Damon Had Killed Twice Before

Two leading civil-rights law firms have joined forces to sue the City and County of Denver and Denver police officer Jeffrey Motz in regard to the fatal shooting of Dion Damon, who was gunned down in broad daylight near the Denver Art Museum two years ago this month. The lawsuit alleges that Motz’s “grossly excessive” killing of Damon, a bank robbery suspect who was unarmed at the the time of the incident, was followed by an elaborate Denver Police Department cover-up, and adds that the officer had previously slain two people while on the job yet was only disciplined on a separate occasion when he didn’t squeeze his trigger.

Here’s Where Your Colorado Marijuana Tax Dollars Go

One of the most frequent questions we at Westword hear is: “Where do my marijuana tax dollars go?” Now, a new animated video created by Marijuana Industry Group, whose executive director, Kristi Kelly, has become the face of the cannabis business in Colorado, gets closer to the truth of the matter than anything has in a long, long time. See it here.

Colorado Legislature May Once Again Lead Country in the Fight for Gender Equity

In the wake of #MeToo and Time’s Up, statehouses around the country are grappling with how to hold legislators accountable for sexual harassment in an environment where there isn’t a traditional boss. The most severe form of punishment is expulsion, the equivalent of being fired, but that is rarely ever wielded. This year, Colorado expelled a House Democrat, the first time a state legislator was expelled in more than 100 years. Other statehouses have also been aggressive in the fight to eradicate sexual harassment. But in true Colorado fashion, the Centennial State is leading the country in creating a safe, harassment-free environment at the Capitol. That’s if legislators can agree on the fix.

Meet William Slocum, Colorado’s Most Famous Sexual Assaulter and Harasser

In recent weeks, stories about sexual harassment allegations aimed at Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, as well as state legislators Randy Baumgardner (who dodged expulsion from the general assembly) and Steve Lebsock (who didn’t), show that even powerful figures aren’t immune from criticism over improper behavior. And that’s proving to be the case with offenders who are no longer among the living, too. Witness the decision by Colorado College to rescind an honorary degree bestowed more than a century ago on former school president William Slocum, and the stripping of his name from a campus building. These moves were made because of what CC’s board of trustees describe as “overwhelming and uncontroverted evidence that Slocum engaged in instances of sexual misconduct and egregious sexual assault while he was president of the college.”

New Model for Eliminating Pit Bull Ban in Denver and Beyond

Seven Colorado cities currently prohibit pit bulls, with such regulations resulting in thousands of dogs being euthanized in Denver alone. But the number of bans could be reduced by one within weeks. Tonight, Castle Rock’s town council will hear the first reading of a new animal ordinance that repeals breed-specific legislation, and if it moves to the next stage, as expected, it could become law as soon as next month. Advocate Jen Dudley hopes the new rules serve as a template for repealing and replacing the bans in Denver and beyond.

How One Speech Turned the Colorado Governor’s Race Upside Down

No one was surprised when former state treasurer Cary Kennedy and Representative Jared Polis landed spots on the ballot as gubernatorial candidates via April 14’s Colorado Democratic Party state assembly, the complete results of which are on view below. But the Colorado Republican Party state assembly, held on the same day, contained a stunner. Former Parker mayor Greg Lopez, who few political observers took seriously, knocked state attorney general Cynthia Coffman out of the guv sweepstakes based largely on the power of a single speech.