Over the next four decades, millions of new residents along the Front Range are expected to boost water demands more than 50 percent above the currently available supply. But that doesn’t mean the state needs a slew of costly water diversion projects that will damage the ecology and economy of…
Roughly four out of every ten prisoners in solitary confinement in Colorado is either developmentally disabled or mentally ill, a figure that’s been rising steadily over the past decade. Senate Bill 176, headed for a statehouse committee review later this week, seeks to drastically reduce that number — and slash…
Colorado Representative Jared Polis is a politician unafraid to do the unconventional — like, for instance, beer bonging with Stephen Colbert. So it’s no surprise he eagerly signed up to compete against IBM supercomputer and Ken Jennings-vanquisher Watson in a special Congressional Jeopardy exhibition. No, it wasn’t televised, doubtless to…
Days after Congress slashed $2 million from the Bureau of Land Management’s budget in response to public outcry over its wild horse roundups, BLM director Robert Abbey announced that the agency was “accelerating” reforms to the program, including reducing the number of mustangs removed from the range and redoubling efforts…
Locals fighting the Army’s plans for increased training on the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site — the subject of this week’s cover story, “The War Next Door” — have a basic public relations problem. Unless you grew up in southeastern Colorado, you probably have never seen its stunning views, hidden canyonlands,…
Matt Arnold, the man behind Clear the Bench Colorado, has announced his intention to succeed Dick Wadhams as Colorado Republican Party boss — and it promises to be a take-no-prisoners bid. The profile photo on his campaign Facebook page showcases a chainsaw-wielding Bruce Campbell from the cult fave Army of…
Artillery ranges and tank maneuvers on fragile grasslands. Depopulated farm towns, suitable for urban warfare exercises for thousands of troops. A military installation the size of Massachusetts, sprawling across southern Colorado from Trinidad to the Kansas border. If you’re going to plan, plan big. And the U.S. Army’s plans for…
This Tea Party patriot makes an adorable pet and companion. Almost human with its howling screams and non-stop temper tantrums. Your family will love it. These palm pets will grow about twelve inches wide. Eats the same food as you, even likes government cheese…..
With John Hickenlooper having taken office as Colorado’s governor, we know Denver will have a new mayor this year, and the race is wide open. To introduce you to the players, we’re offering profiles of official candidates. Next up: Theresa Spahn. “I’m not an elected official,” says Theresa Spahn, “but…
Come and knock on our door! Laughter ensues when Governor Hickenlooper’s Cabinet members live as roommates in the Colorado Governor’s Mansion… In the shower shenanigans shown above, Depart of Local Affairs Executive Director Reeves Brown charges Lt. Governor Joe Garcia and Executive Director of the Department of Health Care Policy…
It’s been less than two months since Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was in Denver unveiling his “Wild Lands” program, a sharp poke in the eye to Bush-era wilderness policy, and the reception since has been passionate — and divided. Among environmentalists, the reviews amount to an enthusiastic thumbs…
A bill to broaden the scope of what Colorado’s home-birth midwives can do passed another hurdle yesterday: The Senate Health & Human Services Committee approved it in an 8-1 vote. Testimony stretched for three hours and included impassioned pleas from both sides, including from Indra Lusero, the home-birth mom and…
The antiquated mayoral forum is a terrible framework to learn about the unique talents of Denver’s current 16 candidates. Michael Forrester, Doug Linkhart, James Mejia and Theresa Spahn prove that the ballroom dance competition would be a far more captivating way to interest entertainment-savvy voters. While the couples above demonstrate…
Denver city officials are engaging in some interesting wordplay in an effort to keep a special budgetary task force’s meetings behind closed doors. The Structural Financial Task Force — comprised of 21 community, business and civic leaders — was recently convened by Mayor Bill Vidal to “address the structural deficit…
With John Hickenlooper having taken office as Colorado’s governor, we know Denver will have a new mayor this year, and the race is wide open. To introduce you to the players, we’re offering profiles of official candidates. Next up: Dwight Henson. “A lot of people say, ‘Don’t judge me unless…
Our recent cover story, “Special Delivery,” tells the tale of 36-year-old Indra Lusero, a Denver home-birth-mom-turned-lawyer who’s advocating for what she sees as common-sense changes to Colorado’s midwifery law. Today at 1:30 p.m., the bill to make those changes will be heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee…
There aren’t a lot of wild horses left in Colorado, but a small herd of mustangs fifty miles north of Grand Junction just got a reprieve. Besieged by legal challenges of its plan to relocate “excess” horses from public lands to private holding facilities and pastures, the Bureau of Land…
This week, the Colorado Senate unanimously confirmed the appointment of Tom Clements as Department of Corrections executive director. It’s not one of the most glamorous posts in Governor John Hickenlooper’s cabinet, certainly, but it’s one of the most crucial if the state is going to climb out of its fiscal…
There was a time when the United States government produced workplace posters warning citizens about the dangers of gossip, laziness and gonorrhea. The recent news story about Reprentative Cris Lee, R-NY, reminds that it may be time to start the printing presses in an effort to warn congress people about…
It pains my heart to see strained relationships. Why can’t everyone just get along? Since it’s the season of love, I’ve created Kenny Be Valentine’s cards, intended to calm the cantankerous and help bring impassioned parties together. Below, LaLa’s heartfelt offer of love to the citizens of Denver…..
Given how many people are running for Denver mayor, it’s a relief someone has said no. But interim mayor Bill Vidal’s latest statement that he won’t join the race was preceded by an e-mail to supporters sent when he was considering a bid — and its blunt language, including an…
Dick Wadhams, who’s served two term as chair of the Colorado Republican Party, has decided not to run for a third term next month. His departure from the race leaves state senator Ted Harvey; John Wagner, who ran the Senate campaign of Clive Tidwell, in 2010; and Bart Barton, who…
