Government
Congress warned of a ‘real and urgent’ drought crisis throughout the West
WASHINGTON — A drought crisis unfolding across the West will require short-term relief and massive, long-term federal funding to help states weather the effects of climate change, state water managers and lawmakers said at a U.S. House hearing on Tuesday. Nearly 90% of the West is now experiencing drought conditions, according to the federal U.S. […]
Want to win $1M? You could if you’re vaccinated in Colorado.
Colorado officials are betting that a chance to win big money will persuade residents to get vaccinated. Gov. Jared Polis during a news briefing Tuesday announced a series of drawings in which Colorado adults could win $1 million. The main criteria? Be vaccinated for COVID-19. “May the odds be ever in your favor,” Polis said, […]
A Colorado pilot program allowing family court cases to be filed online expands to 7 more counties
The Colorado Judicial Branch announced on Tuesday that a two-year pilot program allowing documents to be filed online in family court cases is expanding into seven more counties. The program allows for online filing of cases without legal representation related to the dissolution of marriage or civil unions as well as child custody cases. Approximately […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene comparison of mask-wearing and the Holocaust condemned by House GOP leader
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday condemned remarks by Georgia’s Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene comparing the wearing of masks and vaccination logos to the persecution and murder of Jews by Nazis during the Holocaust. Greene, a Republican, in an interview last week with the Christian Broadcasting Network made the comparison, according […]
Congressional Democrats scrutinize state elections laws for effect on minority voters
WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. House panel on Monday debated whether some state elections laws disenfranchise certain voters, including people of color, and split along party lines in their conclusions. The chair of the elections subcommittee of the House Administration Committee, Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), voiced his concerns about recent voting requirement laws […]
Here’s how CO’s Dem leaders want to spend the state’s $3.8 billion federal stimulus
Colorado Democratic leaders and lawmakers gathered on the steps of the state Capitol on Monday morning to unveil their preliminary plan for how to distribute $3.8 billion in federal stimulus funds from the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress. “After more than a year of hardship and struggle, we are entering a new chapter of […]
Biden allocates $1B to prepare for hurricane, wildfire season
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is doubling the amount of federal funding to help states prepare for natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, he announced Monday. His administration is directing $1 billion to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which sends resources to communities, states, and tribal governments to prepare for extreme weather events. […]
Replace the Republican Party with a common-sense movement
Disgusted Republicans, you are not alone. You know our democratic institutions are under assault by the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan. Today’s Republican Party has made a mockery of its founding principles, and Republican leaders in Congress refuse to speak the truth. This is why I joined over 150 other leading Republicans from around […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
WASHINGTON — From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by […]
Colorado Democrats rebranded their jail depopulation bill. Here’s what’s changed.
Jonathan Cespedes believes that his mother, Susan, would still be alive today if she’d been allowed to be released on bond instead of awaiting trial in the El Paso County jail for an alleged financial crime committed in another state. The 55-year-old woman died in 2019 after trying to seek medical attention from jail staff […]
Only a governor’s veto now can save transparency on finalists
The “sole finalist” bill on its face was always a gift to powerful officials at the expense of Colorado residents. State law currently calls for public bodies to name multiple finalists for top government staff jobs, but the bill would allow officials to name just one finalist, in violation of the principles of government transparency. […]
Congressional Republicans urge State Department to declassify documents related to the origins of the coronavirus
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee are pushing for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to declassify documents from a research facility in China relating to the origins of the coronavirus. Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia, the top Republican on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, along with other GOP lawmakers wrote […]