Can an elected coroner be held liable for the destruction of key evidence — a piece of a dead man’s aorta — needed in a medical malpractice lawsuit? That’s the six-figure question at the heart of a federal claim against Adams County and James Hibbard, its former coroner. Hibbard hasn’t…
There was an uproar immediately after Governor John Hickenlooper granted a temporary reprieve to Nathan Dunlap, the condemned killer who murdered four people and badly injured a fifth in 1993 — and not just from critics like Colorado Attorney General John Suthers or Tom Tancredo, who said he’s running for…
How unhappy is Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway about the political direction in which Colorado is heading? So unhappy that he and several of his colleagues are gathering support among officials in other nearby counties to form what he calls the “51st Star Committee.” Its mission: to secede from Colorado…
Governor John Hickenlooper’s decision to grant a temporary reprieve to Nathan Dunlap, who killed four people and seriously wounded a fifth in an attack on a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant circa 1993, has been cheered in some quarters, but jeered in others. Tom Tancredo decided to run for governor due…
Moments ago, during an appearance on Peter Boyles’s KHOW talk show (and while surrounded by TV cameras), former Congressman Tom Tancredo announced that he’s running for governor…again. “I announced 5 minutes ago my intention to seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Colorado and look forward to fighting for jobs,…
A new government report on the rate of sexual victimization in America’s jails and prisons lists the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility as having the highest rate of sexual assault and misconduct by staff of any lockup in the nation — four times the national average, in fact. That figure is…
Yesterday in this space, we noted that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder may not have time to weigh in on Colorado marijuana laws because of two mushrooming scandals — one of them involving reports that the Internal Revenue Service placed extra scrutiny on Tea Party groups seeking nonprofit status. Now,…
Troy Anderson, a mentally ill inmate at Colorado’s supermax prison, won a landmark decision last summer when a federal judge ruled he’s entitled to at least three hours a week of fresh air and outdoor exercise. Now, Anderson’s attorneys claim Department of Corrections officials have failed to comply with several…
A bill that would bar Colorado private probation companies from also providing chemical dependency treatment to an individual client has failed for the second year in a row. The question at the center of our cover story, “Blow Back,” was whether providing both services was a conflict of interest. Lawmakers…
At 4 p.m. today, the Senate’s State Affairs committee is scheduled to consider House Bill 13-1303, a measure intended to make it easier to vote in Colorado. The NAACP Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference has endorsed the proposal even as it decries one particular attempt to rally opposition via…
Immigration has become more than a “hot-button” issue in the United States. It is a critical component to how the country functions in the foreseeable future. Undocumented immigrants are not going to stop coming into the country simply because there might be rules or laws against it. Instead, it’s up…
DUI treatment providers are once again pushing a bill that would bar Colorado private probation companies from also providing chemical dependency treatment to an individual client. The question of whether doing both, or having a financial interest in companies that do both, is a conflict of interest was the subject…
State lawmakers have passed a bill that repeals a much-criticized 2006 law requiring local law enforcement to report anyone they suspect of being undocumented to federal immigration authorities. The bill, HB1258, now heads to the governor’s desk. Immigrant advocate Justin Valas credits the bill’s passage partly to “having people come…
As Imelda Valenzuela Gonzalez headed into the Denver Immigration Court just before 8:30 this morning for a hearing on her deportation case, a crowd of supporters that had gathered on the sidewalk in front of the court building chanted in unison, “Si se puede!” When the 43-year-old mother of three…
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…
