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Polling shows some feel better about the economy, not about Biden
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Polling shows some feel better about the economy, not about Biden

By Peyton Sorosinski | Colorado Springs Gazette While many people are gaining back their confidence in the economy, an AP-NORC poll suggests there hasn’t been a corresponding boost in President Joe Biden’s approval rating. As Biden and former President Donald Trump head for what appears to be a 2020-esque showdown, polls reveal that Biden’s campaign has struggled to garner favorability among Democratic voters despite the country’s recent economic improvement.  The recent poll shows that 35% of the 1,152 respondents say they believe the economy is doing well, up from 24% a year ago, Axios reported. However, Biden's approval has moved significantly less, hovering around 40% for the last year. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at...
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‘It’s wrong, and we should not set this precedent,’ Rep. Buck says on Mayorkas impeachment
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National

‘It’s wrong, and we should not set this precedent,’ Rep. Buck says on Mayorkas impeachment

By Asher Notheis | The Gazette Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, announced Thursday that he will not support an impeachment measure against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, putting the measure of impeachment at risk of not having enough votes to pass. The impeachment measure against Mayorkas is being pursued by House Republicans over the secretary's handling of the southern border. Buck, who previously said that he was undecided on whether he would support impeaching Mayorkas, explained that he would not support such a measure because Mayorkas's handling of the border is "a policy difference," not a "high crime." "Let me from the outset say there is a crisis on the border, the law needs to be enforced," Buck said. "But if we start going down th...
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1,000 criminal cases may have relied on faulty DNA Testing at Colorado Crime Lab
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

1,000 criminal cases may have relied on faulty DNA Testing at Colorado Crime Lab

Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee in January approved a $7.5 million to deal with the fallout of an ongoing probe into a former CBI forensic scientist By Brian Eason | THE COLORADO SUN Colorado district attorneys worry that over 1,000 criminal convictions may have relied on dubious evidence due to “anomalies” discovered in DNA testing by a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist. The Joint Budget Committee last month approved a $7.5 million addition to this year’s state budget to deal with the immediate fallout. And the taxpayer costs are likely to grow, budget documents show. “That’s extremely concerning, and clearly quite a liability for the state,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, a JBC member. Department officials told the JBC the money would onl...
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Bill to make to-go alcohol law permanent passes committee
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Bill to make to-go alcohol law permanent passes committee

By Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADOPOLITICS.COM When restaurants were shutdown during the 2020 pandemic, a law allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages for takeout and delivery helped ease financial burdens for many business owners. With the temporary law set to expire in 2025, some lawmakers this year aim to keep it permanent.  SB 020, a bipartisan initiative, would remove the scheduled repeal of existing legislation allowing licensed businesses to continue selling alcoholic beverages for delivery or takeout permanently. The measure on Thursday cleared the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee.  To address concerns about drinking and driving, the bill requires all beverages to be sealed in tamper-proof containers and delivered by an employee over th...
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In bipartisan effort, House passes bill to deport illegal immigrants who receive DUIs
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Approved, gazette.com, National

In bipartisan effort, House passes bill to deport illegal immigrants who receive DUIs

By Peyton Sorosinski | GAZETTE.COM The House approved a Republican-proposed bill Thursday with support from 59 Democrats that would indefinitely deport undocumented immigrants who are charged with driving under the influence in the United States. "In the United States, someone dies in a crash with an impaired driver every 45 minutes. I lost two of my young newlywed constituents to an illegal immigrant driving under the influence of alcohol," Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), who brought forth the legislation, told Fox News. While it was primarily Republicans in favor of the measure, the final tally of votes was 274-150. All Alabama House Republicans voted in support of the bill, and the state's lone Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell opposed it, 1819 News&...
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Kill a police K-9, go to jail: Colorado bill would make harming, killing law enforcement animals a felony
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Kill a police K-9, go to jail: Colorado bill would make harming, killing law enforcement animals a felony

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV DENVER (KDVR) — A bill that would increase penalties for individuals who harm law enforcement animals passed through a Colorado House committee Tuesday, bringing it one step closer to becoming a new law. The proposed legislation is moving forward almost a year after the death of K-9 Graffit of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Graffit was killed chasing a man through a wooded area on Feb. 13, 2023. Police say he had a gun on the School of Mines campus in Golden before the chase. The bill would change the law on aggravated cruelty to animals to become a Class 4 felony. The bill specifies this would apply to anyone who knowingly or recklessly kills or causes physical harm that leads to the animal being decommissioned from acti...
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At CU Boulder, professor becomes a butterfly to cope with climate anxiety
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

At CU Boulder, professor becomes a butterfly to cope with climate anxiety

BY Molly Cruse | COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO Sporting an emerald-green morph suit and carrying a suitcase overflowing with colorful costumes and props, Beth Osnes certainly turned heads as she walked into the Colorado Public Radio newsroom.  Moments after her arrival, Osnes had transformed the newsroom’s largest conference room into a tropical, butterfly oasis. With the tables and chairs pushed to one side, in their place was a human-sized, leaf-shaped rug, laminated placards of a butterfly’s life cycle, and a giant, green hammock in one corner. A speaker in the middle of the room cemented the transformation by playing a soundtrack complete with bird song, music and the sound of trickling water. Osnes, who teaches theatre and environmental studies at the University of Colorado o...
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Colorado Springs officials: ‘We will not be designated as a sanctuary county’
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Approved, denvergazette.com, El Paso County, gazette.com

Colorado Springs officials: ‘We will not be designated as a sanctuary county’

By Savannah Eller | COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE On Wednesday a group of local officials, including the El Paso County board of commissioners and City Council member Dave Donelson, called a press conference to respond to the news of migrants arriving in Colorado Springs. The officials presented a united front against El Paso becoming a sanctuary county, admonishing state and federal government for lack of action in stemming illegal immigration.  "Allow me to state unequivocally that we will not be designated as a sanctuary county. All five El Paso County commissioners are united in our position," said board chair Cami Bremer.  Bremer and vice chair commissioner Carrie Geitner led the conference, coming out strong against the harboring of migrants in El Paso County. Commissio...
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Define the term carpetbagger: Rep. Mike Lynch Challenges Lauren Boebert on ‘Seat Shopping’
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Approved, National, thelobby-co.com

Define the term carpetbagger: Rep. Mike Lynch Challenges Lauren Boebert on ‘Seat Shopping’

By The Lobby Rep. Mike Lynch's direct questioning of Rep. Lauren Boebert during a recent Republican primary debate continues to draw national attention and spark discussions about Boebert's ‘seat shopping’ controversy. Lynch's no-nonsense approach has garnered support from voters, who see it as a testament to his straight talk nature. On the crowded debate stage in Fort Lupton, Lynch posed a pointed question to Boebert, asking her to define the term "carpetbagger." The audience reacted with gasps and murmurs, highlighting the significance of the question in the race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District seat. Rep. Mike Lynch didn't sugarcoat the question to Rep. Lauren Boebert, “Could you give the definition of ‘carpetbagger?'" Boebert claimed that leaving her old di...
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Bill requiring Colorado employers to display suicide prevention education passes through committee
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Bill requiring Colorado employers to display suicide prevention education passes through committee

By Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADO POLITICS A bill that would require Colorado employers to display posters and provide suicide prevention information in the workplace passed through the House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor this week.  HB 1015 would require workplaces to display posters created by the Division of Labor and Statistics that would provide information on suicide prevention training programs and educational materials. The posters will also include a QR code that links to a website to be created by the Office of Suicide Prevention. Employees will also be required to sign a handbook or manual that includes a notice about suicide prevention. All of these resources will be provided to employers for free. Ronald Dietz, a Littleton resident and survivor of...
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