- The U.S. Department of Interior decided on Tuesday that the greater sage grouse does not need protection under the Endangered Species Act. The bird spans eleven western states including Colorado, where it lives in pockets along the western slope. The population is mostly concentrated in the northwest part of the state.
- Originally published on September 17, 2015 9:41 am Colorado’s ban on collecting rain from residential rooftops has been a contentious topic at the statehouse, and a proposed bill for 2016 means it will likely be debated once again.
- Originally published on September 3, 2015 7:23 am Oil drilling on Colorado’s populous Front Range has forced more interactions between communities and the energy industry – and that’s caused tension. At the recent annual Rocky Mountain Energy Summit, one of the discussions centered on how to improve relations between the industry and the public.
- Colorado has largely been spared from this summer’s political wrangling ahead of the 2016 presidential race. But as Republicans nationally are working to narrow the presidential field, the GOP in Colorado wants to widen its field of candidates to run against incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet next year.
- The number of Coloradans who don’t have health insurance has dropped by about half since President Barack Obama’s signature health care law went into effect. The state’s uninsured rate fell from 14.3 percent in 2013 to 6.7 percent in 2015.
- Judge Richard Gabriel will soon be sworn in as Colorado’s next State Supreme Court Justice. He currently serves on the Colorado Court of Appeals. He received his undergrad degree at Yale University and went to the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
- Students are heading back to school, but the road to graduation for this year’s incoming crop of seniors varies by high school. The reason? Unlike other states, Colorado does not have a set requirement for what it takes to receive a diploma.
- Originally published on August 26, 2015 12:01 pm A program to provide long acting reversible contraceptives to low-income women has been funded for another year.
- UPDATE: Without a consensus from the jury between life in prison and the death penalty, James Holmes receives the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Original Post: Jurors in the trial of Aurora Theater shooter James Holmes have reached a verdict in the death penalty phase of the case.
- A six million dollar project to spiff up the state capitol is almost done. A two-year renovation of the building’s signature gold dome is complete and now workers are restoring the inside of both the House and Senate chambers. Colorado’s capitol opened in 1894 and has gone through a few renovations since then.
- Dan Haley is the new executive director of the state’s largest oil and gas industry trade group, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. He began the position on June 1st. His background is in media and journalism.
- Originally published on June 26, 2015 5:25 pm Current and former Colorado state Democratic lawmakers are praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same sex marriage nationwide. In the 5-4 decision, the court ruled that same-sex couples have a right to marry under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
- Originally published on June 29, 2015 2:37 pm Despite state lawmakers failing to pass a bill to fund the effort, a program to provide long acting reversible birth control to young, low-income women in Colorado is being extended for another year.
- It’s been more than a month since Colorado lawmakers wrapped up their annual legislative session at the state capitol, but the work is far from over. Many of the bills that failed this year will likely be back next year, and some long-standing issues may already be poised to go before voters in 2016.
- The Colorado Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that companies can legally fire employees for using medical marijuana, even off duty. The decision is based on the case of Brandon Coats. He is a quadriplegic who takes medical marijuana to control muscle spasms in his legs.
- After a mild and wet spring, temperatures along the Front Range are expected to soar this week and that has fire managers on edge. The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture are using this lull in the fire season to call for changes in how the federal government funds wildfire suppression.
