Colorado Politics

 As bike deaths spike, shop owners opposed to infrastructure changes decry bullying

Increasing numbers of fatal accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists in Colorado — up 78% over the past decade according to the State Patrol — are raising the temperature on a public debate over how bike riders can be better protected...

 USAFA Association of Graduates to vote on honorary membership for Charlie Kirk

Board members of the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates will vote on two honors for the late Charlie Kirk during their meeting on Friday. The independent 501(c)(3) organization for academy graduates will decide whether to award Kirk with...

 Ballot initiative seeks to help Colorado gambling towns survive, Gov. Romer pushes back | A LOOK BACK

Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: All the Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City sponsors of state ballot Initiative 4 were hoping for was to pay for the upkeep of their historic buildings, or so the initiative’s proponents claimed. “They...

 CO PO Calendar | Oct. 20 – 26

CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...

 Democrats Phil Weiser, Michael Bennet bank millions ahead of Colorado’s gubernatorial race

Next year’s race to take over after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis faces term limits is shaping up to be a head-to-head contest between his fellow Democrats U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, who each raised more than...

 A war on drugs or a war on terror? Trump’s military pressure on Venezuela blurs the lines

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under President Donald Trump, the drug war is looking a lot like the war on terror. To support strikes against Latin American gangs and drug cartels, the Trump administration is relying on a legal argument that gained...

 Major donors back Colorado ballot measures to fund school meals and SNAP

With just 17 days to go to Election Day 2026, the cash is rolling in for the only statewide ballot measures voters will face. Propositions LL and MM, both originating from the General Assembly, address the Healthy School Meals for...

 ‘Literally dangerous’: Colorado’s chief justice speaks about dangers to judiciary from threats, rhetoric

Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez told an audience of lawyers and judges on Wednesday that “any action” that inappropriately fosters distrust in the judiciary is a threat to judges and to democracy itself. “I want to be very clear that...

 Q&A with Courageous Colorado’s Landon Mascareñaz | Nonprofit aims to bring bravery back to politics

After co-authoring The Open System, a 2023 book about redesigning public education to encourage civic engagement and strengthen participation in self-governing, Dr. Landon Mascareñaz set his sights on invigorating democracy at the local and state level via a nonprofit he...

 El Paso County transfers 26 people to ICE custody over 3 months, sets new monthly high

Twenty six people with criminal charges were transferred from the custody of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement from July to September, according to a news release by the office Monday. Deputies also detained...

 Denver deputy arrested on suspicion of menacing, child abuse in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs police arrested Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Darrel Killebrew, who is facing several charges, including child abuse, according to a news release by the sheriff’s department Thursday. CSPD officers responded to a domestic disturbance call for service on Monday after...

 Colorado Department of Education challenges funding eligibility for ‘first public Christian school’

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story reported that Riverstone Academy was a charter school. Because it is authorized by the Education ReEnvisioned BOCES, it is considered a contract school rather than a charter school. A new school, touted...

 Colorado title board rejects graduated income tax ballot measures

Colorado’s title board on Wednesday unanimously rejected two ballot measure proposals submitted by a policy think tank that would change the state’s flat income tax rate — in which everyone currently pays the same rate of 4.41% — to a...

 Dissatisfied subsidized renters picket Colorado Springs Housing Authority

Now that Colorado Springs has formal tenants’ associations set up at two publicly subsidized low-income housing complexes, residents — who are largely disabled or elderly — say they’re trying to figure out how to get their needs addressed. Dissatisfied with...

 Medicaid spending surge for therapy sessions prompts Colorado to reinstate limits

Colorado’s health agency will reinstate prior authorization requirements for Medicaid patients’ therapy sessions next year as part of its efforts to control costs, which soared following a state law passed in 2022. That year, the state legislature adopted a bill...

 Colorado responds to Nebraska’s ‘unserious’ Supreme Court lawsuit over water diversion

Colorado has filed its response to what it called an “unserious” lawsuit filed by the state of Nebraska over its efforts to build a canal that would acquire land from Colorado property owners in northeastern Colorado. The lawsuit is tied...

 Plaintiffs ask for over $13 million in damages from former DPD officer for 2022 shooting into LoDo crowd

After an eight-day civil trial, a jury will place a dollar amount on the physical and emotional pain caused by two bullets. Attorneys representing six plaintiffs injured after former Denver Police Department officer Brandon Ramos shot in the direction of...

 Senate Democrats, holding out for health care, ready to reject government funding bill for 10th time

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are poised for the 10th time Thursday to reject a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. The repetition of...

 Food assistance is safe through October, but it may be at risk if the shutdown continues

A federal program that provides food assistance to 40 million low-income people could be at risk in November if the government shutdown isn’t resolved by then. And in at least some places, new applications for the program are not being...

 Gov. Polis convenes new working group to address Colorado’s lingering AI law challenges

For the second time in as many years, Gov. Jared Polis has appointed a working group to address the issues around the state’s 2024 law on artificial intelligence. The law, which Polis signed despite major misgivings last year, is still...

 Douglas County commissioners approve Wildcat land transfer to Highlands Ranch

Douglas County commissioners Tuesday approved to transfer 202 acres of land to Highlands Ranch, a move paired with the county spending $3.5 million for a 10-mile public trail network there and beyond. In the northeast Back Country Wilderness area south...

 Colorado stops delivering unemployment reports due to shutdown

Since state economists rely on federal data for the monthly state unemployment report, no September report will be coming due to the federal government shutdown, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. “Colorado’s September 2025 Employment Situation Report...

 Judge temporarily blocks the Trump administration from firing workers during the government shutdown

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from firing workers during the government shutdown, saying the cuts appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought. U.S. District...

 Denver joins in support of Planned Parenthood funding lawsuit

The City and County of Denver has joined dozens of other cities, counties and local governments in filing an amicus brief in support of Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit challenging funding cuts in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, according to a statement...

 Second Evergreen High School shooting victim released from hospital

Both of the victims of the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School have been released from the hospital — a little over five weeks since the tragedy struck the community. Matthew Silverstone, 18, was released from St. Anthony Hospital...

 Federal judge slams government’s ‘bad faith conduct’ in immigration case

A federal judge criticized the government’s actions in an immigration-related case on Tuesday, after learning a hearing was scheduled for a man’s possible deportation just one day after he challenged his detention in court. “This type of bad faith conduct...

 Democrats retreat in Vail raises intraparty eyebrows

A group of Democratic state legislators headed to Vail during the Oct. 4 weekend for an “opportunity caucus” retreat that also included lobbyists, raising a host of questions, including who paid for the getaway and whether the policymakers discussed the...

 Colorado judicial conference features legal, security updates and appearance by ex-Cabinet secretary

The annual conference for Colorado’s judicial branch featured legal updates, trainings and an appearance by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, revolving around the theme of “Justice for All: Judging with Integrity in a Divided Climate.” “We make a...

 Colorado extends tax deadlines for entities affected by floods

Colorado’s revenue department is extending state income and sales tax filing deadlines for people and businesses affected by the recent flooding in the southwestern part of the state. Over the weekend, Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the...

 DIA won’t play Noem video on shutdown impact. Here’s why.

Colorado’s largest airport is not running a Homeland Security Administration video at security checkpoints — but not out of defiance or for political reasons. By contrast, several airports around the country are refusing to play a video with a message...