As recently as Monday, Representative Rhonda Fields didn’t know if she’d be invited to President Barack Obama’s Wednesday gun-control talk at the Denver Police Academy. But Fields was on hand along with many other local political heavyweights, including Governor John Hickenlooper, Senate President John Morse, Senator Rollie Heath and many…
Yesterday, we spoke with Representative Rhonda Fields about the THC driving bill she’s co-sponsoring; the measure received a favorable report from the House Appropriations Committee and should reach the floor this week. But during our conversation, we also touched on several other topics, including moves to boycott Colorado over gun…
Roaring engines announced their arrival and wailing sirens accompanied their departure. Approximately forty motorcyclists from the Colorado Coalition of Independent Riders and the Confederation of Clubs lined their bikes along Lincoln Street in front of the Capitol building before crossing the street en masse and kicking off their third-annual rally…
It’s only fitting that the acme of Governor John Hickenlooper’s recent political responsibilities came in a building called History Colorado. On Thursday, before a crowd of hundreds lining railings three stories up and jostling for a view, Hickenlooper signed the Colorado Civil Unions Act into law. Below, see photos and…
Yesterday, Governor John Hickenlooper signed civil unions into law; for our coverage, click here. In honor of this historic step, we’ve assembled photos and information about famous same-sex couples who’ve legally committed to each other, either through marriage ceremonies in areas where doing so is permitted or through civil partnerships…
To some Coloradans, the name Andrew Romanoff is synonymous with disappointment. After losing to incumbent Senator Micheal Bennet in a primary that attracted an almost unheard-of amount of attention, the ex-speaker of the Colorado House took a lower-profile job with the International Development Enterprises, a non-profit that promotes economic development…
In more than eight hours of emotional testimony that stretched well into the evening, activists and faith groups seeking to abolish the death penalty in Colorado squared off against prosecutors and other backers of the ultimate punishment yesterday — with family members of homicide victims speaking out on both sides,…
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 media outlets that have interpreted his…
Today, the Colorado State Senate gave its approval to a bill that would do away with Colorado sex laws that date back to the ’50s. To be more specific: the 1850s. Yep, legislation now headed to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper (who’s expected to sign it) is designed to…
It’s been a long time coming. After a bill to legalize civil unions in Colorado fell short in both 2011 and last year, the measure finally passed the Colorado House today. Next, the legislation heads to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper, who’s promised to sign it. This breakthrough delights…
Update below: 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 Rhonda Fields, a rep whose son was shot to death. The negative PR garnered by Sain hasn’t stopped the…
Franklin Sain, the government contractor arrested last week after sending racist and sexist e-mails to Representative Rhonda Fields, a prominent backer of gun-control legislation (see our previous coverage below), has now been formally charged with two counts, including harassment-ethnic intimidation, by the Denver District Attorney’s Office. But Sain’s attorneys argue…
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 security escort afterward…
As we reported yesterday, CEO Franklin Sain was arrested over threatening e-mails to state rep and gun-control advocate Rhonda Fields; see examples below. (Warning: They’re explicit.) The firm for which Sain works has now suspended him, but that’s not enough for the region’s NAACP affiliate. The organization is calling for…
The subject of guns can inflame emotions. But Colorado Springs-based Franklin Sain is accused of letting those passions get out of control. He’s been formally accused of harassment and more via e-mails sent to Representative Rhonda Fields, a gun-control advocate whose son was murdered, including one that practically invites her…
During the last presidential campaign, Republicans were put in an awkward position by Missouri senatorial candidate Todd Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape;” remember how Mitt Romney dodged a CBS4 question about it? Now, however, a Colorado Democrat, state rep Joe Salazar, is the person backpedaling from a rape comment (about…
Last summer Denver District Judge Ann B. Frick ruled that city zoning officials blundered in issuing a rooming-house permit to Open Door Ministries, which was seeking to launch a group home for recovering alcoholics and addicts in a historic block of Capitol Hill. But Frick has now reversed her order…
Last May, a civil-unions bill died an ugly death in the Colorado House of Representatives, alternately frustrating and pissing off backers. But this year appears to be a very different story. A short time ago, the state senate approved the Pat Steadman-sponsored measure — and while that happened in 2012,…
Colorado Democrat leaders proposed an array of gun control measures today that would lead to comprehensive state policy changes. The proposed legislation addresses assault-rifle ownership, modernizing the current background check system, a high-capacity magazine ban and strengthening mental health resources…
A bill that would grant undocumented immigrant students in-state tuition in Colorado is set to go before a Senate Appropriations Committee next week. Senate Bill 33, aka Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET), breezed through a hearing by a Senate Education Committee with a bipartisan vote of 6-3…
Welcome to another round of the back-and-forth between Secretary of State Scott Gessler and the Independent Ethics Commission. In response to an IEC investigation launched in November, Gessler, as represented by attorney David Lane, is seeking a temporary restraining order; see it below. Gessler spokesman Andrew Cole says the suit…
The uproar over photos and messages associated with the Twitter account of Overland High’s Carly McKinney, aka CarlyCrunkBear, offers a cautionary tale about the ways in which social media has changed the professional landscape. But a new bill headed to the Colorado legislature could make losing one’s job for imprudent…
