Colorado Week in Review

awesome + uniting

• With US House Approval, Colorado Public Lands Bills Move On To The Senate — Again
• Xcel Energy ups ante on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, pledges 85% reduction by 2030
• Mystery man pays everyone’s tab, leaves $5,000 tip at Broomfield tavern

awesome + controversy

• Colorado elections expert nominated by Joe Biden to serve on U.S. Postal Service governing board
• Meet the Man Trying to Prevent Pride Flag Bans in Colorado
• Interior nominee Deb Haaland commits to Colorado visit as she considers whether to keep Bureau of Land Management in Grand Junction

awful + uniting

• Colorado governor pressures PUC to protect utility customers from storm price surges
• Independent investigation into Elijah McClain’s death highlights widespread police accountability gaps
• Colorado man sentenced to almost 20 years in prison for plotting to bomb a historic synagogue

awful + controversy

• New poll finds 29% of Colorado Republicans plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine
• Senate panel rejects GOP voting bill
• Moms Square-Off Over High Potency Pot Bill

awesome + uniting

• Colorado lawmakers get right to work on the grand reopening of the 2021 legislative session
• ‘Super Exciting’: Colorado Scientists That Helped Perseverance Rover Mission Celebrate Mars Landing
• More than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in Colorado, state health officials say

awesome + controversy

• Regulators OK landmark deal to cut oil, gas emissions
• Cloned Black-Footed Ferret ‘Elizabeth Ann’ Could Help Determine Fate Of Endangered Animal
• Man fights off mountain lion that was attacking his dog

awful + uniting

• Debris from United Airlines 777 rains down on Broomfield as plane makes emergency landing at Denver airport
• Pollution exposure associated with increased COVID-19 infections and deaths in Colorado, study finds
• CO Republican Lawmakers Are Trying to Make Abortion a Felony Again

awful + controversy

• Boebert objects to ban on guns in U.S. House committee room
• Colorado Education Association survey: nearly 40% of members considering leaving teaching
• More than 1 million Colorado unemployment claims flagged as potential fraud

awesome + uniting

• An Emirati Space Probe Made In Boulder Has Reached Mars
• Sending out love from Colorado’s ‘Sweetheart City’ for 75 years
• More unrelated people allowed to live under the same roof with Denver City Council zoning change

awesome + controversy

• Texas man wins $6.2 million in Super Bowl bet placed in Colorado
• DIA’s 9,000 pound Mustang ‘Blucifer’ turns 13
• There’s A New Push For A Ban On Plastic Bags And Foam Containers Brewing At The State Capitol

awful + uniting

• Extremely cold weather in Denver area will endanger the homeless this weekend
• History Of Mistreatment Is Fueling Vaccine Hesitation For People Of Color In Colorado
• Aurora police chief fires cop for punching, Tasing man lying prone in grocery store aisle

awful + controversy

• Despite acquittal in impeachment trial, DeGette says: “We made our case to the American people”
• Conservative grassroots organizer challenges Colorado Republicans
• Colorado Supreme Court releases memo citing examples of sex-discrimination, judicial misconduct that led to alleged contract for silence

awesome + uniting

• Colorado Democrats reintroduce CORE Act into a friendlier Congress
• Colorado changes COVID-19 dial, allowing Denver and other large counties 50% capacity
• Denver assisted living center provides ‘hug tent’ for residents to safely embrace loved ones during pandemic

awesome + controversy

• ‘Large boulder the size of large boulder’ crashes onto highway in Colorado
• In the first six months of health care professionals replacing police officers, no one they encountered was arrested
• 50 Siberian huskies surrendered to shelters in Colorado

awful + uniting

• After hundreds of meatpacking workers died from COVID-19, Congress wants answers
• Slain FBI agent remembered far and wide
• Three Skiers Found Dead After Avalanche in Colorado, Officials Say

awful + controversy

• Rep. Boebert paid off nearly $20K in state tax liens in 2020
• Gov. Jared Polis Tells Wyoming Governor ‘Hands Off Weld County’
• Reeling Rockies face long list of questions in post-Nolan Arenado era

awesome + uniting

• State declares Colorado waters free of quagga and zebra mussels
• Colorado Could Become First State To Import Drugs From Canada
• $2 million gift allows Colorado Symphony to keep paying employees amid pandemic

awesome + controversy

• Colorado and the city of Denver take a closer look at approval voting for the future of elections
• Colorado sports betting is popular enough to quickly benefit state water projects after all
• In latest coronavirus data, Colorado researchers can glimpse the end of the pandemic

awful + uniting

• Nearly 4,600 Colorado Republicans changed their party affiliation after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
• Congresswoman Lauren Boebert mocks Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg as ‘tough’ and ‘child’
• 14 Front Range cities coordinate to warn of water shortages in alarmingly dry year

awful + controversy

• Candidates to Lead CO Republican Party Embrace Election Conspiracy Theories
• Denver officials didn’t give notice before large-scale homeless sweeps in part to avoid protests, federal judge writes
• Robinhood blocks purchase of Game Stop stock, Colorado lawmaker calling for investigation

awesome + uniting

• Climate Took A Front Seat On Biden’s First Day. Colorado Experts Are Optimistic About What Comes Next
• “We can see ourselves in her”: Colorado women of different backgrounds reflect on Kamala Harris’ ascension
• Elite ice climbers descended on Colorado for competition

awesome + controversy

• No reservation system at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, officials say
• Polis: 1 out of 5 Coloradans who is 70 and older will receive COVID vaccine this week
• Federal panel deals another blow to Jordan Cove pipeline project

awful + uniting

• Robert Gieswein Of Woodland Park And Patrick Montgomery Of Littleton Charged In US Capitol Breach
• ACLU files appeal to Colorado Supreme Court, wants Gov. Polis to decrease prison population
• DMV officials warn of ‘significant delays’ in titling or registration activities due to COVID-19

awful + controversy

• Boebert’s communications director, ‘downright angry’ over Capitol destruction, resigns
• CU Boulder strips John Eastman of public duties following professor’s speech at Trump rally that preceded Capitol riot
• Trump pardons Steve Bannon for border wall scam, but the Colorado man also charged is not on list

awesome + uniting

• In rural Colorado, a growing push to preserve dark skies as artificial light spills out of cities
• Colorado finalizes ‘roadmap’ for tackling greenhouse gas pollution
• Hopes high for return of skiing at abandoned Colorado resort

awesome + controversy

• A Month In, Safe Outdoor Space Residents Happy to Live in Peace
• Colorado begins wolf reintroduction plans OK’d by voters
• Colorado lawmakers are heading home after a short week. Here’s what you need to know.

awful + uniting

• Colorado’s House delegation splits along party lines as Donald Trump is impeached for a second time
• Polis Blasts Trump For Lying After The Administration Fails To Send A Promised 200,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Colorado
• Denver-based Dominion sues pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for $1.3B in damages

awful + controversy

• Colorado National Guard will send 200 troops to Biden inauguration
• Colorado loses out to Alabama for Space Command HQ; Polis says ‘politically motivated’
• Parler goes dark after move by Amazon

awesome + uniting

• New year, new laws for Coloradans in 2021
• Denver’s cataloguing its Latino and Chicano history through places and buildings
• Report: Colorado top state for female entrepreneurs

awesome + controversy

• Gov. Polis looks to reduce Colorado government facilities by 1 million square feet
• Xcel Energy moves up closure dates for coal-fired power plant near Steamboat Springs
• Major Broncos shakeup: Elway moves upstairs, Russell retires, team seeks new GM

awful + uniting

• Colorado Rep. Jason Crow recounts being trapped in House chamber as pro-Trump mob attacks Capitol
• Colorado’s coronavirus vaccine rollout is confusing and frustrating — but also working, state leaders say
• El Paso County Jail Agrees To Do More To Slow COVID Spread

awful + controversy

• Elected officials and others demand Reps. Boebert, Lamborn resign over Wednesday’s Washington, D.C. riot
• “Homeless Mike” Mission Backfiring for Mayor Mike Coffman
• Denver man’s guns seized after threat to kill state attorney general, records show

awesome + uniting

• Colorado natives part of NASA’s Artemis Team set for 2024 moon trip
• A former Colorado woman stars in a new BBC show about baby chimp rescue, and it is deeply, painfully cute
• ‘Queer Santa’ Is On A Mission (This Year With a Face Shield) To Make The Holidays Special For Any Kid Rejected By Their Parents

awesome + controversy

• It will take $130M to get more EVs on Colorado roads. Xcel wants its customers to cover the cost.
• Marijuana Sales In Colorado In 2020 Are Higher Than Ever
• Front Range Rail Project Gets A Rough $2B Price Tag As RTD Looks To Jump On Board

awful + uniting

• Colorado’s coronavirus surge appears to have leveled off into ‘high plateau,’ officials say
• Colorado unemployment surge continues as holidays approach, new claims up 15.9%
• Excessive-force lawsuit against Aurora PD results in $285,000 settlement

awful + controversy

• Report highlights Denver PD’s poor communication and recordkeeping, use of force during protests
• Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner shutters email contact page, state offices as term winds down
• Colorado Attorney General Joins In Antitrust Lawsuit Against Facebook

awesome + uniting

• U.S. Senate Passes Bill To Install Loveland Suffrage Sculpture In Washington, D.C.
• Ken Buck defends Colorado’s election system against “conspiracy theory,” angering fellow Trump supporters
• City of Black Hawk approves unlimited maximum bets under Amendment 77

awesome + controversy

• Smartphone and registration?: Colorado state troopers will now ask for your digital driver’s license
• Denver’s second sanctioned homeless encampment receives permit
• The Coronavirus Vaccine Is Coming. That Means Planning For The Largest Vaccination Effort In Modern Times

awful + uniting

• Many Colorado Republicans go maskless during special session on COVID-19 relief
• Victim of abuse by Denver’s Father Woody speaks out: “They’re no longer going to have this shining light”
• Manitou Springs police officer arrested for violation of ‘revenge porn’ statute

awful + controversy

• Southwest Airlines plans to furlough 556 in Denver
• Colorado 6th in the country for highest rate of police-involved deaths
• Security company that assigned guard in deadly Denver shooting agrees to surrender guard employer license