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A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights
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Approved, Law Week Colorado, State

A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado In 1959, 14-year-old Bobby Gallegos was convicted of first-degree murder in Colorado. According to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Gallegos v. Colorado, the child and another juvenile tricked an elderly man into letting them into his hotel room, where they assaulted him, stole $13 from him and fled.  Less than 2 weeks later, Gallegos was caught by police and admitted to the assault and robbery. Just a few weeks after that, he was convicted in a juvenile court of “assault to injure.”  After his sentencing, the elderly man he assaulted died, which led to Gallegos being tried in state court—for first-degree murder.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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Meet Colorado’s ‘storm doctor,’ who chases tornadoes and prepares for medical emergencies
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Approved, Out There Colorado, State

Meet Colorado’s ‘storm doctor,’ who chases tornadoes and prepares for medical emergencies

By KELLY HAYES | Out There Colorado, via The Gazette During the spring, as thunderclouds form and twisters charge across the Kansas plains, you can find Dr. Jason Persoff in his 2014 Kia Sorento. With him, an iPad and ham radio. He’s chasing tornadoes, his springtime hobby for the past 25 years. When the chill of winter quiets the air, he chases another natural phenomenon in his backyard: snowflakes. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
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Delta County schools grapple with state-mandated gender policies in community opposed to it
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Delta County schools grapple with state-mandated gender policies in community opposed to it

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In January 2025, House Bill 24-1039 will take affect across Colorado, requiring public schools to honor students' chosen names and pronouns. Schools are engaged in discussions as they form policies that adhere to the law. The community outcry in Delta County, a rural community in Western Colorado, reflects the challenges many school districts face. Delta residents have a history of taking a stand for local control and community values in the face of what they see as state overreach and an inappropriate pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in schools. Last year, the Delta County School Board passed Resolution 2023-29 to ensure that any social studies curriculum addressing LGBTQ cultures would be age-appropriate and focused on achievements...
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Colorado justices reject media request for police officer records on narrow grounds
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado justices reject media request for police officer records on narrow grounds

By Michael Karlik  | Colorado Politics At the same time the Colorado Supreme Court found that two media outlets were properly denied access to records bearing on police officers' misconduct, it declined to endorse an interpretation of state law that would have enabled non-law enforcement entities to shield their documents by labeling themselves "criminal justice agencies." Instead, the justices on Monday concluded that label applies to one particular licensing agency, the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board. As a result, POST's records certifying and decertifying law enforcement officers are subject to more stringent disclosure guidelines. Previously, the state's Court of Appeals concluded POST met the definition of a criminal justice agency. However, the appellate c...
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CDPHE temporarily suspends water testing at state lab after second chemist found manipulating data
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Approved, KRDO.COM, State

CDPHE temporarily suspends water testing at state lab after second chemist found manipulating data

By Sadie Buggle | KRDO-TV ABC 13 The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced it will be temporarily suspending water testing at the State Laboratory after an investigation revealed a second chemist manipulated water quality control data. This new case was discovered while the agency was investigating another chemist's work in the state water lab, which CDPHE said was found to have been intentionally manipulated. According to our Denver news partners, the investigation led to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revoking a testing certification for the lab. Both instances of data manipulation contributed to lapses in testing for certain metals in water, CDPHE said. READ THE FULL STORY AT KRDO-TV ABC 13
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Second Amendment groups eye challenge to Colorado’s new tax on guns and ammo
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Approved, Bloomberg News, State

Second Amendment groups eye challenge to Colorado’s new tax on guns and ammo

By Michael J. Bologna | BloombergTax.com Colorado is hot on the heels of California with its excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Litigation from gun owners and Second Amendment rights groups may not be far behind. The 6.5% tax Colorado voters approved on firearms and ammunition sellers won’t take effect until April 1, 2025, but constitutional scholars and attorneys on the front lines of Second Amendment litigation expect at least one lawsuit in the coming months. California’s 11% excise tax was challenged just weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the legislation last year. READ THE FULL STORY AT BLOOMBERGTAX.COM
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Colorado to consider state rules on massive federal 340B drug-pricing program
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Colorado to consider state rules on massive federal 340B drug-pricing program

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Many employers know little about the $66 billion 340B federal drug-pricing program and its impact on them. But that likely will change in 2025, when a schism between hospitals and drug makers over the rapid growth of the program will take center stage at the Legislature. The Colorado Hospital Association is working with a group of lawmakers to introduce a bill early in the session that would prohibit drug manufacturers from limiting the use of the discount program to certain pharmacies. Eight states have passed similar laws and about a dozen others are expected to consider them next year, making it arguably the most divisive health-care debate in America today. Created in 1992, the 340B program requires pharmaceutical companies participatin...
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CBI says more than 1,000 cases impacted by former forensic scientist who allegedly manipulated data
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Approved, Fox21, State

CBI says more than 1,000 cases impacted by former forensic scientist who allegedly manipulated data

By Heather Willard | Fox 21 After over a year of investigating, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said a comprehensive review of a former forensic scientist has been completed. In doing so, the agency found that about 1,003 cases were impacted in her nearly 30-year career. The agency previously announced that 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 were identified as being affected by the scientist’s data manipulation. On Nov. 6, 2023, CBI announced that Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a forensic scientist within the agency for about 29 years, was no longer working there and was subject to internal affairs and criminal investigations because of DNA anomalies in her work. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21
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Health department monitoring Colorado renewable energy plant for excessive fumes
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Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Health department monitoring Colorado renewable energy plant for excessive fumes

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado State health officials have begun monitoring a facility that converts cow manure into natural gas after elevated levels of an unhealthy and flammable - but also naturally occurring - gas were recently detected. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide were discovered through instruments readings at Platte River Biogas near Lasalle. Hydrogen sulfide, informally referred to as "swamp gas" or "sewer gas," is known for its odor that is similar to rotten eggs. The gas occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gases, and hot springs, according to the National Institute of Health. It is also produced by human and animal wastes and results from the bacterial breakdown of organic m...
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It’s lower basin states versus the upper basin in fight over Colorado River water
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

It’s lower basin states versus the upper basin in fight over Colorado River water

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As he prepares to begin his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, on priority for U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd will undoubtedly be protection of water in Western Colorado, via the Colorado River. During a Dec. 5 conference in Las Vegas, Nev., representatives of the seven states that utilize water from the Colorado River Basin were so at odds over what states and how much water use needs to be cut that they couldn’t even be on stage at the same time.  Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico make up the Upper Basin. California, Arizona and Nevada represent the Lower Basin. The current rules for sharing water expire in 2026, and each group has submitted a separate proposal for new guidelines thereafte...
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