News
Colorado joins suit over Trump administration’s new policy for international students
In yet another multi-state lawsuit over the Donald Trump administration’s proposed policies, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined forces with 16 other states and the District of Columbia in an effort to stop new requirements for international students from taking effect. A new rule announced July 6 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement requires that international […]
Gov. Polis extends order requiring 30-day eviction warning
Gov. Jared Polis has extended an executive order requiring Colorado landlords to give tenants a 30-day warning before initiating eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent, as advocates continue to call for stronger action to prevent a looming eviction crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “To be Safer at Home, Coloradans impacted financially by COVID-19 must […]
Voter registration lags in Colorado amid lockdowns, distancing
Heading into the 2020 election, Salvador Hernandez, the Colorado state director of Mi Familia Vota, was hoping to register at least 12,000 new voters as part of the group’s mission to activate the Latinx voting base. Then came COVID-19. Plans to reach teenagers in high school classes had to be put on hold as classes […]
Battle with Trump over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates expected
WASHINGTON — Key U.S. senators are preparing for battle with the White House over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates — and they’re expecting to win. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who backs the effort, said he believes the GOP-controlled Senate would override a possible presidential veto of a defense policy bill that, with […]
How a Dungeons & Dragons gadget helps keep Colorado elections secure
Officials with the Colorado secretary of state’s office began a process on Friday aimed at verifying vote counts in last month’s primary elections. And they did it by rolling dice. Staffers rolled a series of 20 10-sided dice during a public webcast to generate a 20-digit random number that will be used to determine which […]
Still no statewide mask order as Gov. Polis announces new COVID-19 website
With cases of COVID-19 climbing in states that weren’t initially as hard-hit as the northeast U.S., governors from across the political spectrum have issued mask-wearing orders. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, hasn’t crossed the line from strong recommendation to mandate, though he said on July 9 he hasn’t ruled it out. The problem is […]
Court made signature gathering harder. Some ballot initiative groups are undeterred.
Despite a recent Colorado Supreme Court order that makes collecting tens of thousands of voter signatures an even more difficult task during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least a few groups remain optimistic they’ll be able to make the state’s August deadline to submit initiative petitions. Others, however, including one that aimed to create new setback […]
More abandoned oil and gas wells likely in Colorado — but how many?
At some point in the next few weeks, PetroShare Corp., an Englewood-based oil and gas producer that has operated in Colorado since its founding in 2012, will legally cease to exist. Under a bankruptcy plan approved in May, its assets, which include 80 producing or shut-in wells scattered across Weld, Adams and Arapahoe counties, will […]
New Colorado oil and gas commissioners seated ahead of critical rulemakings
More than a year after Colorado lawmakers passed Senate Bill 19-181, a landmark package of oil and gas reforms, large swaths of the new law still haven’t yet been implemented by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission — and now a new set of commissioners will finish the work that their predecessors started. The […]
U.S. Supreme Court hands victories to religious employers in health care, employment
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Trump administration effort to exempt employers with religious or moral concerns from complying with a “birth control mandate” in the Affordable Care Act, the Obama-era law that requires employer-provided insurance plans to cover contraceptives. Reproductive rights advocates say the ruling potentially affects hundreds of thousands of […]
Colorado communities can apply for next phase of COVID-19 reopening
At a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing in many areas of Colorado, the state opened an application process for local communities that wish to enter the next phase of reopening. As of July 8, counties and regions can apply for “Protect Our Neighbors” status if they show that COVID-19 cases are declining and submit […]
FDA keeps Colorado’s CBD industry waiting for regulatory clarity
The U.S. House opened debate this week over next year’s federal spending without addressing regulations on cannabidiol products, leaving employers in the CBD industry in the dark over the federal government’s regulatory plans. The Trump administration’s budget request for next fiscal year includes an extra $5 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) […]