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Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a case set to determine if Colorado's ban on so-called "conversion therapy" for minors violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment. The Lee family in Wellington filed an amicus brief in support of overturning Colorado's ban on the therapy. A Colorado law passed in 2019 restricts therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of kids under the age of 18. They opposed the law after they say it limited access for their daughter to receive therapy that met their family's needs. "They are forbidden by law from going down that path of helping a child through their gender confusion versus further into that confusion and so there's been lots of paren...
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Denver School Board Debates to Stream Live Oct. 7 Ahead of Crucial Election
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver School Board Debates to Stream Live Oct. 7 Ahead of Crucial Election

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Denver voters will decide the direction of Denver Public Schools as four of seven school board seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election. A series of four school board debates will be livestreamed on the CBS Colorado YouTube channel on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. CBS Colorado is working with Chalkbeat Colorado, Educate Denver, and Regis University to present the debates before in-person and online audiences. CBS News Colorado anchor Michelle Griego and Chalkbeat Colorado Bureau Chief Melanie Asmar will serve as co-moderators. They will develop the candidate questions and receive additional questions from the public, including from DPS students. The first debate will feature candidates in the At-Large race, to be decided by all of Den...
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Ethics board clears DIA execs’ $100K Madrid trip—but blasts ‘appalling’ public spending
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Ethics board clears DIA execs’ $100K Madrid trip—but blasts ‘appalling’ public spending

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado Denver's Board of Ethics on Friday cleared Denver International Airport and its Chief Executive Officer, Phil Washington, of an ethics violation related to a trip to a conference in Madrid earlier this year. That trip was the subject of a CBS Colorado Investigation, but the board said it was "appalled by both the amount of funds that were expended for this conference and by Mr. Washington's seemingly cavalier attitude in responding to this complaint." Washington and eight of his top executives flew in April to the three-day airport conference in Madrid, with all of the executives flying either first class or business class for every leg of the trip, both to and from Madrid. CBS Colorado found that one of the tickets was over $19,000, and another cost nea...
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$640M Xcel settlement brings closure—and uncertainty for Marshall Fire survivors
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

$640M Xcel settlement brings closure—and uncertainty for Marshall Fire survivors

By Sarah Horbacewicz | CBS Colorado Survivors of the Marshall Fire are waiting to see their offer of the $640 million settlement from Xcel Energy announced on Wednesday. Jenn Hart in Louisville is one of the more than 4,000 plaintiffs in the suit. She says her home was torn down to the studs after smoke damaged her home. Now, family photos are some of the few remaining pieces of Hart's former home. Reflecting on those that were saved when they evacuated, and those that were left behind, she described an engagement photo, "It was sitting in this corner on a cabinet, and it wasn't blue before the fire," she said. Now, more than three years after the fire, she's settling back into her home and seeing a payout from Xcel.  "It's bittersweet, right? So it's not what we were h...
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State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

State budget director warns Colorado could face 50–50 chance of recession in 2026

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Mark Ferrandino, the executive director of the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting, says the state has a 50-50 chance of going into a recession in 2026. Ferrandino says changes in tariffs, immigration policy and federal spending have created uncertainty for businesses and consumers. Colorado's effective tariff rate, he says, has increased from 3% in 2024 to 21%. Greg Sobetski, Colorado's chief economist, told lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) the full impact of higher tariffs has yet to hit.  "A lot of these impacts are being born at this point by firms because they can't pass that kind of price shock onto consumers," Sobetski said during the JBC meeting.  Sobetski says the state's economy is growing, but there are ...
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Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Shooting at Evergreen High School leaves 3 critically wounded

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado At least two students were wounded Wednesday in a shooting at a high school in the Denver metro area. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the shooting took place just after noon at Evergreen High School. The school is located at 29300 Buffalo Park Rd. in Evergreen, which is 28 miles southwest of Denver. JeffCo emergency communications said there are reports of "an active assailant in the area of Evergreen High School." The sheriff's office said at least two students have been shot. St. Anthony's Hospital said there are three patients there in critical condition. It's still an active scene, and authorities asked those with students at the school not to go directly to the school at this time. A teacher told CBS Colorado that th...
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Democrats Push Business Tax Increases To Fill State Budget Gap
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Democrats Push Business Tax Increases To Fill State Budget Gap

By Shaun Boyd | CBS News Colorado State lawmakers passed four bills raising taxes on Colorado businesses as a special legislative session stretched into a fifth day. Gov. Jared Polis called lawmakers back to work after President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" cut taxes, leaving the state without enough revenue to cover expenses. This year's budget is short $750 million. The four bills raise about $330 million a year. Democrats say businesses are taking the biggest hit because they got the biggest breaks in the "Big Beautiful Bill" and Coloradans on food stamps and Medicaid need help more. "Small businesses are the backbone of our society, and so are teachers and nurses," said Democratic state Sen. Faith Winter. Republican state Sen. Lisa Frizell says the tax increases wi...
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Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Colorado Residents Say Government is Dysfunctional and Cost of Living is Crushing

By Libby Smith | CBS Colorado Colorado Health Foundation launched the Pulse Poll in 2020 as a way to hear from adults all across Colorado on the issues that are impacting them the most. The latest poll was taken between April 19 and May 18, 2025. A bipartisan team of researchers talked with 2,333 Coloradans from across the entire state. One of the key findings in this year's poll is that concern over government jumped to the top of the list. Respondents feel like government is not going to address or ease their other problems. which includes rising prices. "This year cost definitely dominates the conversation. The top four issues that Coloradans identified as most serious are all related to cost. 90-percent nearly of Coloradans said that the cost of living is an extremely serious ...
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Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado Ten of Denver's 13 city council members are planning to attend a $26,000, two night, one day retreat in Colorado's foothills next week for team building and professional development, at the same time the city is laying off workers and trying to find ways to cut costs and save money. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any budget shortfall," said Council President Amanda Sandoval, who pushed for the trip at the Lone Rock retreat in Park County. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any furlough days, we signed this contract prior to knowing of any layoffs," said Sandoval. She said the council retreat had been in the works since December 2024, and the contract was signed May 8. Two weeks later, Mayor Mike Johnston revealed the depths ...
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Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law
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State, Approved, CBS Colorado

Polis Rejects DOJ Label as Sanctuary State and Defends Local Law

By Jennifer McRae | CBS News Colorado The Justice Department put 11 other states on its list besides Colorado — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. It also included Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego County, California; and San Francisco County, California, along with 18 cities from Seattle to Philadelphia. The letter states that a response to the letter must be submitted by Aug. 19 that "confirms your commitment to complying with federal law and identifies the immediate incentives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement." Gov. Polis' Office said in a statement to CBS Co...
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