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State Rep. Karen McCormick brings science to lawmaking
Some new lawmakers seek fame. Some, apparently, seek to overthrow the government. The good ones simply do the job we elected them to do. Newly elected state Rep. Karen McCormick is here to do the job. A Democrat representing House District 11, McCormick is a woman of science who holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture […]
America 2.0
President Joe Biden and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris. That sure feels good to say. So good, in fact, that I pushed back my weekly column by a day just so I could say it. And here we are. After years of error screens and powering down, America is finally rebooting. Version 2.0 begins with […]
Congress now knows the fear of American school kids
They all knew it could happen. They hoped it wouldn’t. Then one day it did. “We all got onto the floor and under the desk,” one survivor told The New York Times. They feared for their lives. Some ran. Some took cover. Others heard gunshots and the breaking of doors and glass. Confusion and panic […]
Boebert blocks journalist amid calls of sedition
If there’s a face of the Colorado Republican Party, it’s Rep. Lauren Boebert. So you can imagine my surprise when roughly 48 hours after I authored a column referencing her seditious behavior, the congresswoman blocked me on Twitter. Now, I wouldn’t normally take notice of “Mean Girls” antics, but I work as a political columnist […]
Why is anyone surprised Trump incited a coup?
Mere days after the deadly terrorist uprising at the U.S. Capitol, details are still flooding out like a firehose: A Capitol police officer was murdered by terrorists. Other police officers appeared to assist the terrorists. The Pentagon limited the National Guard response, and Capitol police refused assistance. Former national security advisers acknowledge President Trump’s attempt […]
It’s a coup, call it one
In the aftermath of a violent uprising by pro-Trump terrorists in the U.S. Capitol, Americans are attempting to process what happened in the hallowed halls of Congress. So far, we know at least four people died, pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails were planted, firearms and weapons were carried, nooses were erected, Congress was evacuated and […]
What is B.1.1.7 and why is it in Colorado?
On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Jared Polis announced the first documented case of a novel strain of coronavirus in Colorado. Word spread quickly, prompting many questions: How did it get here? What is B.1.1.7? Will it impact vaccines? Is it more infectious? Here’s what we know from the science so far. The new strain — dubbed […]
A scientist’s reflections on 2020
As 2020 comes to a close, I can’t help but feel a small sense of relief and optimism. It’s not because vaccines are arriving, or because President Trump is almost out of the White House, although both certainly help. It’s because for the first time in what feels like forever there is a sliver of […]
Two modRNA vaccines are authorized. Is one better?
In America, the holidays have arrived with two authorized COVID-19 vaccines. Both come in small, shiny vials, and offer much hope in a grisly year. Now comes the hard part: One is from Aunt Pfizer, the other from Uncle Moderna. Which one should you take? Gratefully, overall the two vaccines are functionally siblings — they […]
What is a modRNA vaccine and is it safe?
The first COVID-19 vaccine is now authorized for emergency distribution, yet only 58% of Americans are willing to take it. It’s like racing to build Apollo 11, but Neil Armstrong refused to get on board. Who doesn’t want to go to space? This is where the scientist in me gets giddy, because with a little […]
Colorado lacks effective COVID-19 public health campaign
For over a year, scientists have worked around the clock to discover a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. With success well underway, the breakthrough can only be as robust as the public’s understanding of it. No doubt the federal response to the pandemic has left much to be desired. Under President Trump, consistent and factual […]
Will Colorado’s leaders please stand up?
Two-year-olds have nothing on some of Colorado’s current leadership. It’s hard to pick a favorite temper tantrum as of late. Is it Rep. Larry Liston wearing a mask on his bald spot to prove he doesn’t have to comply with rules? Is it Denver Mayor Michael Hancock who hypocritically boarded an airplane while advising residents […]