Author: Marianne Goodland
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Polis declares statewide drought emergency
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday declared a statewide drought emergency, citing the record-low snowpack and prolonged warmer temperatures across Colorado. He also activated the next phase of the state’s drought response plan. Polis had placed Colorado under Phase 2 in March. “Today, I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers…
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Behind Lake Powell’s low water levels, a canyon is coming back to life
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The Colorado River Basin is often described in terms of crisis — drought, warmer climate and failed water-sharing talks. Yet beneath Lake Powell’s retreating shoreline, Glen Canyon is quietly experiencing one of the largest natural restorations in the river’s history. The focus on the Colorado River has centered on the historic drought, overallocation and the…
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Colorado House minority leader reprimands Rep. Brandi Bradley for ‘reprehensible’ behavior
House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell has reprimanded Rep. Brandi Bradley after a confrontation in which she allegedly cursed at and intimidated the House chief clerk. In the official reprimand, Caldwell said Bradley’s reputation during the 2026 session has been one of “disrespect and unhinged behavior towards anyone you feel doesn’t align with you to your…
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Colorado Democratic attorney general candidates clash over experience and Trump lawsuits
Colorado’s four Democratic candidates for attorney general clashed sharply Thursday night in a debate that repeatedly returned to one theme — whether the state’s top lawyer should be a courtroom veteran or a political fighter. The contenders additionally sparred over Trump lawsuits, water battles and the commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence, with fundraising frontrunner Secretary…
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Pinnacol modernization deal revives legislative route, sidelines Colorado ballot fight
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The campaign to take Pinnacol Assurance’s future to voters has been shelved after business and labor groups reached a late-session agreement to pursue a legislative overhaul instead. A joint statement Thursday from Pinnacol, the state’s largest workers’ compensation provider, and Colorado Succeeds said the ballot measure approved for petition circulation is being withdrawn in favor…
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Gov. Jared Polis vetoes bills dealing with state budget, social media measure tied to Evergreen High School shooting
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday issued the first vetoes of the 2026 legislation, striking down a social media bill that he also rejected a year ago. He rejected a total of four, including a bill that was intended to help balance the 2026-27 state budget. The measure — House Bill 1355 — was among the…
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Colorado governor candidates confront business climate, housing affordability woes
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Four of the five major-party candidates for Colorado governor share common ground on two big issues: they see the perception that Colorado has become less business‑friendly as a serious concern, and they view housing affordability as central to the state’s economic future. At a Thursday forum in Glendale, the two Democratic candidates — U.S. Sen.…
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Trump administration releases $40 million for Colorado water project
The Trump administration on Friday released $40 million, clearing the way for a water district and its partners to finish funding the purchase of some of the state’s most senior Colorado River water rights, Gov. Jared Polis announced. Federal funding for the Shoshone water rights owned by Public Service Company, a division of Xcel Energy,…
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Business leaders see ‘cracks’ in Colorado, while governor insists state is ‘competitive’
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How does Colorado get back to the climate in the early 2000s, when there was collaboration between state government, companies and colleges and universities? That was the question posed to Gov. Jared Polis and a panel convened Tuesday by the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce as part of its annual state of the state luncheon…
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Colorado Democrats launch petition to censure Gov. Jared Polis for releasing Tina Peters
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Hundreds of Democrats, including party officials and current and former legislators, have signed a petition urging their party to formally censure Gov. Jared Polis over his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters. The governor’s decision means Peters, the former Mesa County clerk and recorder who was sentenced to nine years’ incarceration for tampering with…