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“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In a jailhouse visit marked by resilience, revelation and restrained emotion, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters offered a window into the chapter of her life that has largely unfolded behind bars.  For two-and-a-half hours on May 18, we sat across from each other in a controlled visitation room. No pens or paper were allowed, so what follows is drawn from a memory still sharp with immediacy, and a recorded voice memo I made in my truck just moments after we said goodbye. Peters wore standard prison-issued clothing and a DOC patch with her name and inmate number sewn on. I bought her a cappuccino from the vending machine and a Butterfinger, which I had to unwrap and place on a paper plate before handing it to her across the table. She ...
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Cities sue Polis over housing mandate, cite threat to local control
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Approved, Local, State, The Colorado Sun

Cities sue Polis over housing mandate, cite threat to local control

By Bente Birkeland | Colorado Sun A lawsuit filed Monday argues the state is violating the right of local governments to shape how they grow and develop Six “home rule” cities in Colorado are suing the state, alleging it has unconstitutionally usurped their local authority over land use and zoning as it pushes communities to allow denser housing development.  The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of an executive order Gov. Jared Polis signed last week to withhold some state grants from local communities if they fail to implement a slate of recent housing laws. The cities say the order encroaches on the powers of both the General Assembly and the judiciary to say what the law is and is “beyond the governor’s authority.” The cities are also asking the courts to f...
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Bent County declares Second Amendment Sanctuary, defies SB25-003
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denvergazette.com, Local, State

Bent County declares Second Amendment Sanctuary, defies SB25-003

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette An eastern Colorado county has passed a resolution declaring itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” in opposition to a bill passed by the legislature this year that requires individuals to participate in safety training to be eligible to purchase certain types of firearms. On May 15, the Bent County Board of Commissioners and Bent County Sheriff unanimously passed a resolution declaring that no county resources will be used to enforce provisions of Senate Bill 003 that have not been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill, which was signed into law last month, requires individuals to take a hunting safety course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife to be able to purchase semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines. Sheriffs’ departments ...
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From guns to gray wolves: 9 new laws reshape CPW’s future
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Approved, State, Summit Daily

From guns to gray wolves: 9 new laws reshape CPW’s future

By Ali Longwell | Summit Daily The state wildlife agency is tasked with implementing new legislation — some it asked for and some it did not Over 120 days, Colorado lawmakers introduced over 650 bills in the 2025 legislative session. Among those that passed were several that will have implications for Colorado Parks and Wildlife as it tackles illegal wildlife traffic, manages hunting and sport shooting activities, continues the voter-mandated reintroduction of gray wolves and more. Senate Bill 2: How Colorado’s gun control bill will affect Parks and Wildlife One of the major bills this legislative session was a gun control bill measure that requires new training and background checks before individuals can purchase semi-automatic guns that accept detachable magazines. Parks ...
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Colorado Christian camp sues state over gender facility access mandate
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Approved, Fox News, State

Colorado Christian camp sues state over gender facility access mandate

By Jeffrey Clark | Fox News A Christian camp that has been operating since 1948 in Colorado is suing the state after the camp was told that it had to accommodate gender expression in bathrooms and a variety of other spaces.  "They feel like they're honoring God in what they're doing, and I feel like they should do that, to operate in a way that's consistent with that," camp volunteer and mother Leah Rohwer told CBS News in an interview.  The camp, known as Camp IdRaHaje, which is short for "I'd Rather Have Jesus," has refused to obey the state government's demands that it accommodate gender expression in camp facilities.  It is a conflict that is personal for Rohwer, who told CBS that she has a family member who identifies as transge...
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Out on bond, out of control: Decades of Colorado’s soft-on-crime policies under fire
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Out on bond, out of control: Decades of Colorado’s soft-on-crime policies under fire

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A series of violent incidents in Denver during April 2025 has intensified scrutiny of Colorado’s criminal justice reforms, with critics contending that lenient policies on bail and sentencing have compromised public safety.  Five recent cases, documented through court records, booking reports and social media posts from the advocacy account @dobetterdnvr, reveal a troubling trend: offenders with extensive criminal histories, released on low or no-cost bonds or parole, allegedly committed murders, assaults and attempted murders – leaving multiple victims. https://twitter.com/dobetterdnvr/status/1919768043120628140 Yet, this issue is not new – historical cases stretching back decades suggest a persistent pattern of reci...
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Gaines: Phil Weiser spends your tax dollars suing Trump and backing gun control
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Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Gaines: Phil Weiser spends your tax dollars suing Trump and backing gun control

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project There but for the grace of God goes Colorado I was corresponding with someone recently and they mentioned something interesting. This person is a lawyer and said they were in a 10th circuit (Federal) courtroom recently and overheard an appellate case out of New Mexico about gun control. I am not sure if you remember, but New Mexico's governor made quite a splash a while back by declaring a public health emergency related to guns, trying essentially to use that to take away the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of that state. Those orders, and later iterations of same, have been working their way through the courts ever since. The first link below is to that case if you're curious. This person asked a neighbor...
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A tale of two cities: How two Colorado mayors stand far apart on immigration
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local, State

A tale of two cities: How two Colorado mayors stand far apart on immigration

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette Colorado's two most populous cities are separated by fewer than 60 miles, but when it comes to their approach to immigration law enforcement, the mayors of Colorado Springs and Denver stand much farther apart. To some extent, both mayors are merely articulating their respective cities' positions, though the crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration has put the spotlight on their contrasting views. On the one hand, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has repeatedly defended his city's response to the illegal immigration crisis, and, at one point, suggested civil disobedience as a proper action against a federal mass deportation program.  On the other hand, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade welcomed a major ICE ...
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Trial for suspects in mayoral campaign hate crime ‘hoax’ commences Monday
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Trial for suspects in mayoral campaign hate crime ‘hoax’ commences Monday

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette The federal trial for two of the three suspects facing charges related to a hate crime “hoax” that made headlines during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election is set to begin Monday. In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that Derrick Bernard Jr., 35, Ashely Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West, 38, were indicted by a federal grand jury for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, now Mayor Yemi Mobolade. The indictment states that the hate crime itself involved a burning cross in front of a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur amid the runoff between Mobolade, who is Black, and Wayne Williams, who is White. READ THE...
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Tracking collar signals death of female wolf in northwest Colorado, marks fourth this year
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Approved, Aspen Times, State

Tracking collar signals death of female wolf in northwest Colorado, marks fourth this year

By Ali Longwell | Aspen Times One of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves died on Thursday, May 15, in the state’s northwest region.  Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed on Friday that they received a mortality alert on the female wolf’s collar on Thursday. The agency provided no additional details on the incident or the cause of death.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct the investigation and necropsy to determine what caused its death.   The wolf’s death marks the fourth death this year of the 15 animals that Parks and Wildlife brought from British Columbia in January.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE ASPEN TIMES
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