Author

Zoe Schacht

Zoe Schacht

Zoe Schacht is a freelance journalist and former reporter for Colorado Newsline. When she was a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, Zoe was Editor-in-Chief for the CU Independent, where she gained a passion for journalism and storytelling.

Energy secretary announces $150M for renewable energy lab during Colorado visit

By: - May 22, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm during a Monday visit to Colorado announced a $150 million investment in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis and NREL director Martin Keller also participated in the announcement, which took place at the NREL campus in Golden. Granholm said that the […]

Public money supports conservative Colorado lobbying group through membership dues

By: - August 15, 2022

A group of Colorado business elites has made its name known in state politics. But membership in the conservative group that lobbies for property tax cuts and maintaining the Denver camping ban is not exclusive to presidents and CEOs of private companies. Higher-ups in publicly-funded institutions such as universities have a seat at the table, […]

Crisis pregnancy centers in Colorado steer patients away from abortion providers

By: - August 12, 2022

Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned in June, Colorado has become an oasis for abortion and other reproductive health care. The Reproductive Health Equity Act passed during the state’s recent legislative session and guarantees a person’s right to make reproductive health care decisions without government interference.  Crisis pregnancy centers — also known […]

Governor hires special advisor on homelessness as number of unhoused Colorado residents grows

By: - August 10, 2022

In June, Gov. Jared Polis hired Andrew Phelps as his special advisor on homelessness and housing. A job like it has not existed since John Hickenlooper was governor several years ago. And, with little knowledge of Phelps’ previous work, some homelessness and housing advocates worry about what he will do.  Phelps worked for Colorado Springs […]

The Boulder County Courthouse

Action urged on racial inequities identified in Boulder County criminal courts study

By: - August 1, 2022

A study of the Boulder County district attorney’s office revealed disproportionate charges, convictions and sentencing for Black, Hispanic and unhoused people. The study, done by the Vera Institute, examined criminal cases prosecuted by the district attorney’s office between 2013 and 2019.  Activists in Boulder County welcomed the study but want action to follow. Some have […]

Tina Peters secures recount of Colorado secretary of state primary election

By: - July 28, 2022

Two Republican candidates who lost their Colorado primary races submitted payment to the secretary of state for a recount of their election results Thursday, making a recount official. Other candidates who requested a recount failed to pay and will not get a recount. In their recount requests, Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who lost the […]

Colorado Republican primary losers file last-minute recount requests

By: - July 26, 2022

After hosting fundraisers and asking for donations to fund a recount of the Colorado primary election, five Republican candidates who lost their races, including Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and state Rep. Ron Hanks, filed recount requests with the secretary of state’s office Tuesday, the last day they could. Four of the candidates are part […]

Judge grants temporary restraining order against Superior for assault weapon ban

By: - July 25, 2022

A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Friday against Superior for its assault weapon ban after the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a far-right gun rights group, sued the town. The order will remain in effect for 14 days. The temporary order bars the town from enforcing its prohibition of the possession, sale or other […]

Group of Colorado Republican primary losers solicits funds to demand a recount

By: - July 25, 2022

With time running out to request a recount of the Colorado primary election, Republican candidates who lost held a fundraising event in Colorado Springs Sunday evening. The event, “Colorado Recount Fundraiser,” included multiple losing candidates. During the event, speakers directed attendees and livestream viewers to visit the website of the Colorado Recount Coalition to donate […]

Tina Peters posts bond after arrest following alleged protection order violation

By: - July 22, 2022

Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on Thursday was booked into the Pitkin County Jail at 9:22 p.m. on an arrest warrant. She was released after posting a $1,000 bond at 10:24 p.m.  A warrant for her arrest was issued earlier Thursday from the Fruita Police Department after she allegedly violated a protection order and her […]

Clela Rorex Day honors Colorado’s pioneering LGBTQ ally

By: - July 22, 2022

In the spring of 1975, 40 years before Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage in the United States, a strong LGBTQ ally in Boulder County made history. Clela Rorex, then the Boulder County clerk, knowingly issued to two men the first same-sex marriage license in the country.  Rorex died June 19, 2022, after making a […]

Senate bill protecting out-of-state travel for abortion backed by Hickenlooper, Bennet

By: - July 13, 2022

Thirty-five Senate Democrats, including Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, unveiled a bill Tuesday that will protect people’s freedoms to travel for reproductive health care, including abortion. The bill introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was written in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned […]