A Good Samaritan bill aimed at ending busts after 911 overdose calls cleared the Colorado Senate in February. But while the measure passed the House prior to the civil unions logjam that prompted a controversial special session and awaits John Hickenlooper’s signature, it was diluted in ways that leave a…
Initiative 52 would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, as long as they provide an individual tax identification number, last year’s tax return and a form of government-issued ID from their country of origin. Today, backers of the initiative held a press conference at the Capitol to call for…
The mass protest against the weekend’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit might be 1,000 miles from Denver, but its ties to the city are represented by at least 25 Occupy Denver protesters who traveled to attend. And when Occupy Wall Street placed a call for national action this weekend, the…
On Monday, Denver City Council voted 9-4 to pass an urban camping ordinance, and the meeting wasn’t pretty: Opponents shouted “Shame!” at the councilmembers, turned their backs on the proceedings and launched a sit-in outside council chambers. From there, roughly fifty protesters followed the pro-ban council members to their cars,…
With a scribble of his ceremonial pen this morning, Governor John Hickenlooper set Colorado on a path not unlike that of the Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr. No, our fair state isn’t going to rehab. Instead, lawmakers, film-industry insiders and Colorado boosters hope that the beefed-up film incentives package…
John Hickenlooper and Mike Coffman aren’t exactly ideological twins. But at the end of this big political week in the State of Colorado, they both face political fallout, albeit for very different reasons: a special session that failed to pass civil unions and comments questioning Barack Obama’s birth records, respectively…
Update: As we reported in our original coverage below, 6th Congressional District rep Mike Coffman made the wrong kind of news via audio of him questioning whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States; hear it below. That’s the kind of ammo prized by election opponents. And Joe…
Representative Jared Polis wants to introduce legislation that promises to reverse Congress’s controversial decision to keep pizza lsbeled a “vegetable” in school lunches. “What Congress has done, believe it or not, is defied logic,” Polis said in front of a crowd of lunchtime students at Louisville Middle School on Monday…
Earlier, we reported about Representative Mike Coffman’s excuse for a comment he made suggesting that Barack Obama may not have been born in the U.S.: “I misspoke.” By making this claim, Coffman is in good company: It’s become a favorite of politicians who say something dumb or inaccurate but want…
At noon, a day after Republican lawmakers defeated a bill to legalize civil unions in a special legislative session, conservatives rallied on the steps of the Capitol building. The event had been planned days in advance, but due to the demise of civil unions, the tone was celebratory. House Speaker…
The mood was charged from the beginning. Even before City Council voted nine to four to approve Denver’s new urban camping ordinance, one audience member made a point during the Pledge of Allegiance. During its conclusion of “peace and justice for all,” he shouted “ALL!” in protest against the measure…
The so-called House “kill committee” has put to death a bill to legalize civil unions. The measure, sponsored by House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino, who is gay, failed despite having bipartisan support in the full House when the committee’s five Republicans voted against it. But first, supporters and and opponents…
When Snooze co-owner Brianna Borin spoke out in support of the urban camping ban at a city council hearing two weeks ago, Occupy Denver members took offense and launched a morning-long rally against the restaurant spot — which employed four homeless individuals inside at that very moment. Days later, co-owner…
It’s crunch time. As the Denver City Council prepares for a final vote tonight on the proposed urban camping ban, opponents and proponents spent the weekend discussing the issue in meetings and on the streets. At the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, regional representatives hosted a panel to debate the ordinance, which could…
Colorado’s special session, which begins today, is earning nationwide attention for Governor John Hickenlooper due in large part to the civil unions legislation whose death largely inspired it. But in conversation with the net’s Candy Crowley (see it below), Hickenlooper avoided espousing same-sex marriage and stressed that this issue and…
If a house falls into foreclosure and nobody is around to hear about it, does it make a difference? What about if an entire coalition is around? This week, volunteers at the Colorado Progressive Coalition tried the second option when they accompanied local homeowner Jim Erlsten to the downtown Broadway…
As we’ve reported, Governor John Hickenlooper called for a special legislative session following the blockage of a civil unions bill. The governor’s office has identified seven bills that Hickenlooper hopes will be addressed beginning on Monday, including the controversial THC driving bill. Does that mean Hickenlooper will sign the latter…
When AM 760 dropped popular progressive host Mario Solis-Marich late last year, fans freaked. The loss, propelled by budget cuts, incited protests against the station and its host company, Clear Channel, fueled by fear that Denver’s Hispanic community had lost one of its voices in the media. And while Solis-Marich’s…
For those keeping track at home, the investigation of the April 2009 on-camera beating of Michael DeHerrera has lasted more than three years — and it’s not done yet: The Colorado Progressive Coalition announced today that the case had been delayed for five more months. Over the past three years,…
Welcome to Colorado, Hollywood! The word from the Senate Majority Office is that House Bill 1286 — better known as the film incentives bill — has passed the Senate, its last hurdle before reaching the governor’s desk. The bill increases the cash rebate offered to filmmakers from 10 percent to…
Last night, House GOP leadership killed a civil unions bill sponsored by Senator Pat Steadman by preventing a procedural vote that would have brought it to the chamber’s floor today. Steadman was severely disappointed by this manner of murder, which also prevented the passage of many other bills. But he’s…
Update: In our coverage yesterday about a pro-civil unions rally on the west steps of the State Capitol (it’s on view below), we asked: “Can Colorado House leaders be shamed into giving a chance to the civil unions bill?” Turns out the answer is “no.” The civil unions bill died…
