Government
Biden administration launches civil rights investigations of 5 GOP-led states banning school mask requirements
WASHINGTON — Federal education officials have launched civil rights investigations in five Republican-led states that have prohibited school districts from mandating mask-wearing, saying those policies could amount to illegal discrimination against students with disabilities. The Biden administration notified the education chiefs in Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, Utah and Oklahoma of the investigations through formal letters Monday. […]
Colorado secretary of state files lawsuit to strip Tina Peters of election authority
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has filed a lawsuit as part of an effort to prevent the Mesa County clerk and recorder from maintaining her authority over elections. The lawsuit was filed Monday in state district court in Mesa County. The lawsuit seeks to remove Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters as the […]
Republicans in Colorado can win statewide elections with turnout drive, Ganahl tells GOP gathering
A ranch in Woodland Park on Saturday was the site of a gathering of Republicans, who shared barbecue and beverages, participated in an AR-15 raffle, and listened to stump speeches from candidates for elective office. The marquee name on the lineup of the Teller Republicans’ “Big Tent Event” was not-quite-candidate Heidi Ganahl. Ganahl, who is […]
Supreme Court rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to dole out rental aid money
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing — and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster. In an eight-page majority opinion […]
Boebert’s sole Republican challenger wants a return to ‘ethical representation’
Rep. Lauren Boebert, the incumbent in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, is facing an unlikely opponent for the 2022 election: a fellow conservative Republican. Marina Zimmerman, of Arboles, is running in 2022 to represent the 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and will face Boebert in the Republican primary. Zimmerman is Boebert’s only Republican […]
Plans for opioid settlement money announced by state and local leaders
Colorado could soon receive $400 million from settlements with drug companies, and the state has a plan — or at least a proposed framework — for using those funds to fight the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Thursday. Under the framework, 60% of Colorado’s settlement proceeds will be distributed to 19 regions of […]
Colorado attorney general involved in Tina Peters investigation
The office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is involved with the investigation into a reported election-system security breach in Mesa County, a spokesperson for Weiser confirmed to Newsline. Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters is accused by Secretary of State Jena Griswold of participating in activity that led to the release of election-system […]
Sen. Bennet’s reelection campaign drawing big money, few challengers
Just two years after a pivotal contest between a Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger made Colorado’s U.S. Senate race one of the most closely watched in the country, its 2022 sequel isn’t shaping up to be much of a contest at all. Sen. Michael Bennet’s bid for a third full term in the Senate […]
House Democrats advance budget resolution, overcoming standoff on timing of infrastructure vote
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday muscled through a $3.5 trillion budget framework, overcoming a standoff with a handful of centrists who had demanded the House first approve the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed by the Senate. That position by 10 House Democrats prompted a late-night negotiating session Monday […]
Mesa County commissioners vote to replace Dominion voting equipment
The Mesa County Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to replace Dominion Voting Systems equipment, which the Colorado secretary of state recently decertified after a leak of system passwords and hard drive images. Commissioners voted to extend through 2029 the county’s previous agreement with Dominion for voting equipment, software and technical support, at a new […]
Colorado’s new seat in Congress gets first well-known candidate: state Rep. Caraveo
Colorado state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat, is the first well-known candidate to put their name in the hat for the state’s newest seat in Congress. Caraveo, a pediatrician, announced her formal bid for the 2022 election on Tuesday. The Latina lawmaker, who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has championed progressive legislation around […]
Sen. Bennet, local officials pitch $60 billion proposal to restore Western forests, watersheds
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet visited Denver’s Confluence Park on Tuesday to launch a multi-stop tour in support of legislation that would funnel billions toward federal, state and local efforts to mitigate wildfire risk and protect vulnerable watersheds throughout the West. Bennet’s Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act would allocate $40 billion to be used by the U.S. […]