Whenever an athlete is as successful, and as charming, as Centennial’s Missy Franklin has been, politicians will attempt to latch on. Witness Mitt Romney name-checking her at a Jefferson County Fairgrounds appearance yesterday. Another example? A call by Senator Marco Rubio (often mentioned as a possible Romney running mate) to…
Underscoring the importance of Colorado in the presidential election — and the significance of Jefferson County in the race to win this key swing state — Mitt Romney held a rally today in Golden, marking his first campaign stop since returning from his trip in Europe…
At long last, Denver has a new head watchdog. After more than six months of searching, Mayor Michael Hancock offered Nicholas Mitchell the independent monitor spot vacated by Richard Rosenthal in December. Provided the city council confirms the mayor’s choice, Mitchell will be the second in city history to hold…
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:…
Marking one hundred days before Election Day, Barack Obama’s campaign held thousands of events across the country on Saturday, asking supporters to take at least one action for the President through an initiative called “It Takes One.” As part of that effort, his Colorado team brought not one, but two…
As tension between police and protesters in Anaheim continue to make national news, Occupy Denver activists staged solidarity protest last night — and faced four reported arrests of their own. Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson confirms two of these, though the group’s legal team has since bailed four people out…
Turns out that one half of Harold & Kumar just wasn’t enough to get Colorado voters excited about reelecting Barack Obama. In May, Kal Penn, i.e. Kumar, came to a Denver youth summit to promote Obama, and this weekend, John Cho, i.e. Harold, is getting in on the fun and…
Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the national Stolen Valor Act of 2006. That decision led to the dismissal of charges against local college student Rick Strandlof (“Will the real Rick Strandlof please stand up?”), whose friends became suspicious when he pretended to be a Marine…
In this week’s cover feature, “Will the Real Rick Strandlof please stand up?,” Westword delves into the fascinating story of 35-year-old college student Rick Strandlof, whose past false identities ended with a second chance last month. On June 28, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Stolen Valor…
Colorado’s minor political parties have banded together to express major gripes with new rules from Secretary of State Scott Gessler — rules that the groups say create conflicts of interest and threaten to undermine the integrity of upcoming elections…
Jose Luis Vazquez Campos has lost his battle to stay in the United States — for now, at least. Despite a rally and petition stop Campos’s deportation, the father of two young boys was unable to process the paperwork to request that his case be closed. Last week, Campos said…
The backers of Initiative 52, which would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, have been collecting signatures for months. “It’s going slow,” says Homero, a volunteer. Thus far, they’ve gotten 15,000 signatures notarized and have hundreds of volunteers trying to collect 75,000 more by the August 6 deadline. To…
In addition to campaigns and super PACs pouring money into local television ads, one of the many (dubious?) perks of Colorado being a key swing state in the presidential election is lots and lots of polls. And there’s good reason for all the attention: It’s shaping up to be a…
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 getting modern, y’all!…
For six weeks, Eldren violinist Josh Lee waited in custody at the Immigration Customs and Enforcement detention center in Aurora after a recent criminal charge complicated his immigration status. As he collected money for his $20,000 bond, the Denver music community rallied around him, staging fundraisers and benefit concerts for…
Put up or shut up. After a group of Democratic leaders staged a press conference last week to demand that Mitt Romney release more of his tax returns, ABC News asked the group if they would make public their 1040s, too. Several refused to do so — but not Aspen…
Last night, former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff visited the grand reopening of the CELL, the downtown terrorism prevention center, to discuss cyber security and impending concerns in the Middle East. In front of a packed house at the Denver Art Museum, Chertoff talked both Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah –…
Jose Luis Vazquez Campos doesn’t have much time. An undocumented immigrant, Campos must prove to federal immigration authorities that he’s in Mexico on July 18, which means he’ll have to board a bus in Denver on Sunday to get there. Yesterday, the American Friends Service Committee held a rally to…
Ana Vasquez says she tried to explain to the police officers that it was her boyfriend who’d abused her, and not the other way around. She had a broken finger to prove it: In the midst of an argument that turned physical, her boyfriend trapped her fingers between his and…
A poll released yesterday by a pro-Obama organization shows that voters, well, generally like the President more than Republican challenger Mitt Romney across five key swing states. And breaking down the data further shows that folks in Colorado appear to support Obama and dislike Romney at percentages higher than the…
Wildfire season — which has included several massive Colorado blazes already this year — puts thousands of seasonal firefighters to work. But because many have temporary status, they aren’t eligible for federal health insurance — a concern Representative Diana DeGette hoped to address in a new bill…
Mitt Romney spent yesterday in Colorado: raising cash in Aspen, visiting the fire zone in Colorado Springs and speaking in Grand Junction, where he attempted to flip the script on some of the many Barack Obama campaign commercials currently running in the state by labeling the President the “outsourcer in…
