Government
The questions Sen. Cory Gardner has yet to address
By Katie Farnan With little over 100 days until the presidential election, and with COVID-19 keeping people distant, elected officials understandably are not hosting many public forums. Sen. Cory Gardner is no exception. But, prior to COVID-19, Gardner had been maintaining such distance from his constituents that political groups organized a statewide bus tour to […]
‘Green stimulus’ could mean thousands of jobs plugging oil and gas wells, says report
As environmental activists in Colorado continue to worry about a potential spike in the number of abandoned oil and gas wells due to the industry’s financial struggles, a new report suggests that a “green stimulus” program by the federal government could solve both problems at once — employing laid-off oil and gas workers to plug […]
ICE transfers, immigrant detention protested at Aurora facility
Following Saturday activities that included an art market, live music and sign-making, several dozen protesters made their way to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, immigration detention center in Aurora. “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!” they chanted as they marched. Outside an exterior gate blocking entrance to the facility, which is run […]
Civil Rights hero John Lewis changed America making ‘good trouble’
ATLANTA — Civil Rights icon and longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who advocated for change through nonviolence, died late Friday night at the age of 80. The Atlanta Democrat was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in late December. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed his death, saying the country had lost “one of the greatest […]
Court orders Trump administration to accept new DACA applications
Almost one month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration didn’t properly end a program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children, the Department of Homeland Security still had not reopened the program to new applicants. The Trump administration has long tried to end the Barack […]
Colorado’s greenhouse gas rules are still a year or more away
Clean-energy experts, environmentalists, community advocates and state officials have a long list of ideas about how Colorado can ramp up its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change — but it will likely be a while before regulators implement any of them. Members of Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission held a special […]
Gross Reservoir expansion receives final federal approval
Denver Water — which provides water to around a quarter of Colorado’s population — received final approval Friday from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to move forward with the expansion of Gross Reservoir in Boulder County. The expansion of the reservoir will raise the facility’s dam 131 feet and will increase the capacity of the […]
Gov. Polis announces statewide mask order in Colorado
All Coloradans older than 10 will be required to wear masks while in public starting at midnight July 16, Gov. Jared Polis announced today at a news briefing. Exceptions include when eating at a restaurant, exercising alone, receiving a beard trim or facial, speaking to a TV audience, and showing your face for identification purposes. […]
Groundbreaking law opened police internal affairs investigations records. But more transparency is needed.
By Jeffrey A. Roberts Fourteen months before Colorado lawmakers passed the sweeping law enforcement accountability and transparency bill recently signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, they approved a measure to shine a light on how police departments police themselves. House Bill 19-1119 was groundbreaking, introducing a statewide standard for the disclosure of records on completed internal affairs investigations. Before […]
Trump’s easing of key environmental law slammed by top Colorado Democrats
Top Democrats and environmental advocates in Colorado had harsh words for President Donald Trump’s decision to weaken a longstanding environmental law that requires extensive federal review processes for large industrial and infrastructure projects. The White House Council on Environmental Quality announced on July 15 that it had finalized work to “modernize” certain provisions of the […]
Net-zero emissions by 2040? Council committee advances bill to achieve ‘aggressive plan’
A proposal to increase Denver’s sales tax to better fund the city’s efforts to address climate change is one step closer to appearing on the November ballot. In a unanimous vote, Denver City Council’s Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee gave preliminary approval on July 15 to a bill that, if passed by the full […]
Colorado ranked 9th in U.S. for gap between renters’ income and housing cost
Workers earning minimum wage in Colorado — many of whom have served as essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic — need to work a total of 71 hours per week to afford a fair market, one-bedroom rental home, according to a national study published on Tuesday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a research […]