Representative Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat, generally sides with liberal lawmakers in Colorado. But when it comes to a possible repeal of the death penalty, she is unwavering in her opposition. Getting rid of the death penalty would be an insult to crime victims and ill-timed given recent horrific tragedies,…
In 2012, requests for emergency food assistance increased in cities across the country — and a new report shows that in Denver, the need was especially high. Over the past year, requests jumped by 56 percent in Denver, the U.S. Conference of Mayors says, and the city was unable to…
How much access should the government have to Americans’ phone calls and e-mails — and should Congress and the public know how people are being monitored? Senator Mark Udall addressed these questions of surveillance in a lengthy floor speech yesterday, calling for better privacy protections and more information on how…
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 interest in lessons…
With the new year comes a new legislative session, and there’s already talk about a potential effort to repeal the death penalty in Colorado. And John Morse, a Democrat and the new president of the Senate, says he is likely to support a repeal. This would be a major shift…
Hey, remember Occupy Wall Street? The almost-revolution that rallied Americans to address our ever-widening income gap, yet ultimately splintered into obscurity due to idealistic infighting? Yes, that one. While the movement is mostly behind us, it played a major role in the last election. And that’s why poli-sci lecturer Stephen…
On Wednesday, we reported on a disturbing phone call made to Secretary of State Scott Gessler, in which a man said he knew where the Republican lived and wanted to kill him. We now have information about a second violent threat — specific details of which are outlined in Gessler’s…
Colorado Springs is trying to clean up its downtown by banning panhandling and soliciting, but there’s one problem with that plan: The ordinance would violate the First Amendment — at least according to the American Civil Liberties Union. And in the first major ruling on that issue, a federal district…
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 given the…
Secretary of State Scott Gessler is facing criminal and ethics investigations into his alleged misuse of public dollars. Now, he could face an additional review from the state auditor’s office, with legislators yesterday approving the first step of the process…
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…
This is one way to get politicians’ attention. Yesterday, around 150 activists descended on the offices of Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall to urge them to avoid “fiscal cliff” negotiations that protect the wealthy and burden the middle class. Protesters did so in 24 different shifts every twenty minutes,…
Right around the time we reported yesterday about a recount request in Boulder, Ellyn Hilliard, the Republican House candidate who’d asked for one, decided she would not be going forward after all — in part, because it would just be too expensive. The costs, she argues, are an explicit tactic…
In our latest feature, “Bed Check,” we take a close look at the day-to-day challenges homeless women in Denver face when navigating the emergency shelter system. This is just one piece of the available-services puzzle, and the city says it is dedicated to long-term solutions. So what is Denver doing…
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office may have certified election results last week, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over. At least not from the perspective of Republican candidates in Boulder and Pueblo, who are considering pursuing recounts. While the races there weren’t close, supporters argue a recount would…
Secretary of State Scott Gessler is touring the state this week, soliciting feedback from voters on the election. But in the meantime, attorneys for Gessler, who is facing both criminal and ethics investigations into the alleged misuse of public funds, are asking for more time to respond to the complaint…
Colorado spends about $13 million a year to enforce a 2006 state law that requires local cops to report to federal immigration authorities arrestees who they suspect are undocumented immigrants, according to a report by the Colorado Fiscal Institute. Those reported to the feds spend an average of 22 days…
Pre-election news coverage about Secretary of State Scott Gessler often focused on his efforts to weed out non-citizen voters and prevent fraud through an initiative some activists called a wild goose chase. But at an event in Arapahoe County, where Gessler invited public feedback, most took the opposite stance: Election…
In September, Erica Guzman, twenty, and Stefanie Cardwell, 23, spent nights sleeping in their car. The two women, who have been dating for four years, say they had nowhere else to go. The search for shelter is especially difficult for Guzman, an undocumented Canadian immigrant. We spoke to the couple…
On Tuesday, Boulder county commissioners temporarily walked away from a fracking hearing due to a boisterous protest by attending activists. The next day, the officials issued a statement included here that decried the disruption using terms like “mob harassment.” But the director of a youth-oriented environmental organization who attended with…
Yesterday, the Boulder County Clerk’s office announced that its election results are finally certified. However, a spokesman for Secretary of State Scott Gessler says just the opposite — a final decision has not been made yet, although one could come soon. The conflicting statements have further irked those Boulder canvass…
We reported last week that the canvass board in Boulder County, responsible for certifying the results of the election, decided against it, arguing that there were serious flaws in the process. Hillary Hall, Boulder’s clerk and recorder, was not pleased. But when we asked Secretary of State Scott Gessler about…
