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Gazette editorial board: Why taxing servers and medics is political malpractice
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Gazette editorial board: Why taxing servers and medics is political malpractice

The Gazette editorial board | Commentary, Denver Gazette You’d think our state’s ruling Democrats would be doing their level best to win back the working class in advance of next year’s national midterm election. It will be a referendum, after all, on the Trump presidency and congressional Republicans — who won power last year with the support of workers long deemed the sole domain of the Democratic Party. Yet, Colorado’s Legislature and Gov. Jared Polis decided to gut-punch Colorado workers, instead — by essentially taxing their hard-earned overtime wages. That provision was buried in an obscure, wide-ranging bill innocuously titled, “Tax Expenditure Adjustment,” which lawmakers passed this spring. Polis signed it into law in May. The state’s overtime tax is intended to offset fe...
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CBI audit report exposes culture of retaliation and compromised cases
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CBI audit report exposes culture of retaliation and compromised cases

By Jenny Deam and Luige Del Puerto | Denver Gazette CBI commissioned the assessment in the wake of the DBA scandal that rocked the forensics lab An independent report on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's forensics lab released Tuesday offered a sobering assessment of the beleaguered department, where past leaders ignored internal allegations of misconduct in handling DNA evidence and new leadership was plunged into a crisis that has rocked the public's trust. The new report by Forward Resolutions, a small Wisconsin consulting firm commissioned in January to review procedures in the wake of the scandal at the state crime lab, concluded past CBI leaders were "ill-equipped to handle crises and critical incidents." The report further stated that, even when told of serious irre...
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El Paso County sheriff transfers 19 illegal immigrant offenders to ICE
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El Paso County sheriff transfers 19 illegal immigrant offenders to ICE

By Aidan Hulting | Denver Gazette Nineteen people who the El Paso County Sheriff's Office says were in the country illegally, and have allegedly committed crimes in El Paso County, are now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. This marks the second list the El Paso County Sheriff's Office has released this summer detailing its ongoing cooperation with ICE. “As part of our continued commitment to transparency, I am once again releasing a list of individuals and their associated criminal charges related to the safe and secure transfer of custody to our federal partners at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal. “We will continue to provide this information in a timely manner to demonstrate compliance with Colorad...
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Gazette editorial board: ‘Sam’s Story’ is a tragic testimony to Colorado’s marijuana crisis
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Gazette editorial board: ‘Sam’s Story’ is a tragic testimony to Colorado’s marijuana crisis

The Gazette editorial board | Commentary, Denver Gazette It’s both embarrassing and galling that an elected University of Colorado regent — who also happens to be the state’s most politically connected marijuana dealer — tried to squelch a public health campaign alerting parents to the perils her products pose to our youth. Denver pot shop owner and first-term CU Regent Wanda James at first claimed, preposterously, the campaign was racist. Then, she denounced it as “recycled junk science” even if — oops — its author was no less an authority than the Colorado School of Public Health. Outrageously, she even tried to use her clout to crush the campaign. It all backfired on James last week. The Board of Regents voted to censure her for her misuse of her public office in a shameless bi...
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Bailey: Violent crime up 30% in Colorado, 28% in the Springs—why?
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Bailey: Violent crime up 30% in Colorado, 28% in the Springs—why?

By Tatiana Bailey | Commentary, Denver Gazette There’s been a lot of attention in the media regarding rising crime within Colorado Springs. As someone who works closely with public data, I always try to avoid sensationalism and instead ask: What’s driving this, and how do we compare to the U.S. and other cities? When you look at U.S. trends overall and specific comparison cities, there are, indeed, some alarming trends. Crime rates in the U.S. between 2018 and 2024 are virtually identical. However, the state of Colorado and the city of Colorado Springs have both seen double-digit increases in the rate of violent crimes per 100,000 population. Both our state and region’s violent crime rate have increased by roughly 30% while the U.S. rate is relatively steady increasing 2...
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Gazette editorial board: Congress should back Boebert’s bill to delist gray wolves—rural livelihoods matter
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Gazette editorial board: Congress should back Boebert’s bill to delist gray wolves—rural livelihoods matter

The Gazette editorial board | Commentary, Denver Gazette Congress should pass U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025, which would remove the gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species Act. This bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Tiffany and Colorado’s Republican delegation — Reps. Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, and Jeff Hurd — addresses a critical imbalance: protecting a thriving species at the expense of Colorado’s endangered farmers and ranchers. The gray wolf’s recovery is a success story, and delisting it federally is a step toward prioritizing human livelihoods while maintaining state-level management. The gray wolf, listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978 when fewer than 1,000 roamed the lower 48 states, has rebounded impressively. By 2020, the U...
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Boulder Jewish Community Leader Killed in Firebomb Attack
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Boulder Jewish Community Leader Killed in Firebomb Attack

By David Zalubowski - AP | The Denver Gazette A woman injured in the Boulder Pearl Street Mall attack earlier this month has died, leading the Boulder District Attorney's Office to file murder charges against an Egyptian national accused of carrying out the attack.  Officials said Karen Diamond, 82, died as a result of the severe injuries she suffered after a suspect threw Molotov cocktails at a group of protesters pressing for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The number of people injured during the June 1 attack, initially set at 15, has grown to 29, according to the district attorney's office. The attack also injured a dog.   "There are no words to express the pain of this horrific loss of our beloved member and friend," Rabbi M...
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July 1: New Colorado laws take effect on guns, courts—and mental health
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July 1: New Colorado laws take effect on guns, courts—and mental health

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette While most bills passed in Colorado become law the minute the governor puts pen to paper, many aren't officially in effect for months or over a year after passage. Here are the laws passed during the last two legislative sessions that will go into effect on July 1 of this year.  Laws passed in 2024 House Bill 1130: Sponsored by then-Rep. Lindsey Daughterty, D-Arvada, former Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Colorado Springs, and former Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, the measure requires biometric data such as fingerprints and facial features to be destroyed within two years of collection or once it is no longer needed, whichever comes first, and to be stored securely until destruction. Violation constitutes a deceptive...
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Denver Public Schools under fire: Legal twist could force transparency in school debt strategy
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Denver Public Schools under fire: Legal twist could force transparency in school debt strategy

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette After arguing in court filings that its lease-financing structure is legal because a nonprofit organization — not the district — incurred the debt without voter approval, Denver Public Schools now contends the same corporation is a “public entity” entitled to governmental immunity from lawsuits. The contradiction is more than semantics. If the Denver School Facilities Leasing Corporation (DSFLC) is deemed a public entity, it would be subject to Colorado’s open records and public meetings laws, an attorney and a watch dog group said. DPS has denied a public information request for documents in the corporation’s possession, suggesting district officials, despite their legal arguments, recognize DSFLC as a private organization. Scott Pribb...
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Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee
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Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette One of the major steps in approving a pedestrian walkway linking the state Capitol to Lincoln Park won an 8-4 vote on Thursday from a building advisory committee. The vote by the General Assembly's Capitol Building Advisory Committee followed testimony from neighborhoods groups and local residents opposed to the project, as well as from supporters, including a group advocating for people with disabilities.  One of those four "no" votes came from Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, whose Senate district includes the state Capitol. The pedestrian walkway bridge, which Gov. Jared Polis is pushing, could come at a cost of $28.5 million, according to an analysis by 9News. That's as much as 60% higher than the original forecast. Under the plan, the br...
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