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Red Flag Law Expansion Clears First Senate Committee On Party-Line Vote
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Red Flag Law Expansion Clears First Senate Committee On Party-Line Vote

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 Lawmakers voted along party lines after roughly four hours of passionate testimony from supporters and opponents. DENVER — On Tuesday evening, with a 3-2 vote along party lines, Colorado lawmakers advanced the first bill of the session that wrestles with the debate over gun violence prevention and the right to bear arms. The Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee heard roughly four hours of emotional — and at times, furious — testimony regarding Senate Bill 26-004 (SB26-004), which was introduced by State Senator Tom Sullivan, D — District 27. "My son, Alex, and 11 others were murdered in the Aurora theater massacre on July 20, 2012," Sullivan said. Sullivan's goal has been to ensure gun vi...
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Mayor Johnston Promises Resistance if ICE Comes to Denver
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Mayor Johnston Promises Resistance if ICE Comes to Denver

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 In the wake of a deadly weekend in Minneapolis, Mayor Mike Johnston said he is prepared to fight back against federal immigration enforcement in Denver. DENVER — On Monday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston outlined his goals for the city in 2026, which included safety, affordability, and climate resilience. However, before Johnston dove into what he wants to see in Denver this year, he addressed rising community fears sparked by two deadly federal enforcement encounters in Minneapolis, vowing to protect residents if ICE were to target Colorado. "This last weekend — which I know has been a hard one for many residents of Denver — I think, not just watching the heartbreak for Minneapolis, but the uncertainty and the fear that we know...
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Rising Inmate Numbers Put Pressure On Colorado To Expand Prison System
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Rising Inmate Numbers Put Pressure On Colorado To Expand Prison System

By: Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' budget director, Mark Ferrandino, is sounding an alarm. He says the Colorado Department of Corrections is limiting new admissions as it reaches capacity, and the state needs to open a new facility to house a growing number of inmates. Ferrandino urged Colorado's Joint Budget Committee to approve funding for more beds in the short-term.  "We are going to get to a place, unless the forecasts significantly change, where we are going to need additional capacity," Ferrandino told the committee.  Ferrandino said the state has closed seven prisons over the last 15 years, as Colorado's prison population has dropped by nearly 6,000 inmates. But he says the population is now growing rapidly, and the state...
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ICE Investigating Use of Death Symbol Cards Left in Vehicles After Colorado Detentions
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

ICE Investigating Use of Death Symbol Cards Left in Vehicles After Colorado Detentions

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released a statement condemning the actions of those leaving ace of spades cards, or "death cards," in the vehicles of people detained in a county in Colorado's mountains. Immigration advocacy group Voces Unidas first reported the practice on Thursday, stating that the cards were left inside abandoned vehicles in Eagle County after the detainment of nine Latino community members this week. The cards feature an ace of spades with "ICE Denver Field Office" at the top of the card and the address and phone number of the ICE detention facility in Aurora on Oakland Street. They were later found by family members. Voces Unidas The practice of leaving an ace of spades as a calling card reportedly bega...
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Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses

By: Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002. On Thursday night, four candidates offered competing visions for how the party can reverse its 20-plus years of failing to secure the seat. The discussion hosted by the Women of Weld County touched on electability, affordability, housing, and how a Republican governor would work with the Trump administration. While 20 candidates are vying to win their party’s primary contest, only four attended the debate: Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, Joshua Griffin, Joe Oltmann and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. Colorado’s last Republican governor was Bill Owens. The state is now considered by many to be solidly blue. Gov. Jared Polis, the current governor, won reelection i...
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Colorado voters to decide future of police cooperation with ICE
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado voters to decide future of police cooperation with ICE

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Initiative 95 would amend the state constitution to require that police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors alert federal immigration authorities if they charge someone whose immigration status is in question if that person has a prior felony conviction or the charge is for an alleged violent crime Colorado voters will decide in November whether to require that state and local law enforcement work more closely with federal immigration officials.  Initiative 95 would amend the state constitution to require that police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors alert the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if they charge someone whose immigration status is in question if that person has a prior felony convicti...
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Boulder City Council Slams Xcel Over Handling of Public Safety Power Shutoffs
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Boulder City Council Slams Xcel Over Handling of Public Safety Power Shutoffs

By: Óscar Contreras | Denver7 "I thought the power shut offs were outrageous," said Boulder Mayor Pro Tem Tara Winer. BOULDER, Colo. — At its meeting Thursday evening, Boulder City Council approved sending a letter to Xcel Energy regarding "major concerns" it has with their partnership. For weeks, Boulder's City Council has discussed the three-page letter, which reviews "whether the expectations set forth in the Franchise are being met, and whether we are realizing the vision set forth by the companion Energy Partnership Agreement." In the letter, Boulder leaders address several areas they are concerned with when it comes to Xcel. The first is "that Xcel failed to meet both the 2022 and 2024 emission milestones." The second area of concern deals ...
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Colorado Budget Panel Rejects Prison Expansion Funding Until Plan Is Presented
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Panel Rejects Prison Expansion Funding Until Plan Is Presented

By Bente Birkeland | The Colorado Sun In a 4-2 vote, the Democrats on the JBC voted in a bloc to deny the dollars, complaining that the DOC lacked a plan to address the state’s growing prison population. Democratic members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee denied a request Wednesday from the Colorado Department of Corrections for money to pay for additional prison beds.  In a 4-2 vote, the Democrats on the JBC voted in a bloc to deny the dollars, complaining that the DOC lacked a plan to address the state’s growing prison population, despite repeated requests for Gov. Jared Polis’ administration to do so. The two Republicans on the panel voted to approve the ask. “The frustration is that we are just at this point where it’s been repeated asks, y...
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Colorado prison beds could run out by 2026 and lawmakers face hard choices
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado prison beds could run out by 2026 and lawmakers face hard choices

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Spidey sense is tingling on the jail population … I had a reader mention something I thought worth sharing. Colorado has a problem. Our jail’s are nearing capacity. On top of that, we’re struggling to find people willing to guard them.A Corrections1 link is first below. It’s a copy (without the paywall) of a Denver Post article detailing how a Colorado budget analyst for the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee said we’re going to run out of beds for men in prison as early as 2026. Quoting with link intact: “Colorado’s prisons will run out of beds for men in the next fiscal year unless significant changes are made to either reduce the prison population or increase capacity, a state analyst projects in a n...
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A new session, same defiance: How Colorado’s immigration policy put ideology over enforcement
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A new session, same defiance: How Colorado’s immigration policy put ideology over enforcement

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers are walking into the 2026 session with the budget already tight. They’re also bracing for more legal fights with Washington. New bills tied to ICE enforcement are moving early, including one that would expand the state’s ability to sue over immigration-related rights claims. That push comes as Colorado is already in federal court over immigration laws passed last session. In Senate Appropriations on April 11, Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer zeroed in on SB25-276's price tag, asking whether its costs would come out of the legislature's roughly $7.5 million set-aside for new mandates and litigation risks. The answer was a quick "Yes"—no hesitation, no alternative funding source offered. Democrats introduced Senate Bill...
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