When John Suthers termed out of statewide office in 2015, after one of the longest runs as Colorado attorney general in state history, the powerful Republican did not slide into retirement. Within six months, he was elected mayor of the second-largest city in the state and quietly began working to jumpstart Colorado Springs’ listless recovery […]
Jesse Paul
The Colorado Sun — jesse@coloradosun.com
Desk: 720-432-2229
Jesse Paul is a Denver-based political reporter and editor at The Colorado Sun, covering the state legislature, Congress and local politics. He is the author of The Unaffiliated newsletter and also occasionally fills in on breaking news coverage.
A Colorado College graduate, Jesse worked at The Denver Post from June 2014 until July 2018, when he joined The Sun. He was also an intern at The Gazette in Colorado Springs and The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, his hometown.
Jesse has won awards for long form feature writing, public service reporting, sustained coverage and deadline news reporting.
Email: jesse@coloradosun.com Twitter: @jesseapaul
Posted inNews, Transportation
MAP: More than 70 people have died in Colorado aircraft crashes since 2014. Here’s what the data tells us.
Since 2014, 73 people have died in helicopter and airplane crashes in Colorado. The aircraft they were piloting or were passengers in went down for an array of reasons, from alcohol intoxication to mechanical malfunctions to human error. None of the crashes happened during a commercial flight. Most of the crashes happened in the high […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Gov. Hickenlooper pardons one murderer who committed crime as juvenile, cuts short the sentence of six other killers
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday cut short the sentences of six more men convicted of murder and pardoned a seventh, continuing to use his clemency authority more than ever before as he prepares to leave office. Last week he shortened the sentences of six other men convicted of murder. MORE: Hickenlooper commutes life sentences […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Nearly 1 in 4 lawmakers in the 2018 Colorado legislature landed seats via vacancy committee. And more appointments are coming.
Nearly one in four lawmakers in the Colorado legislature last session had at some point landed in a statehouse seat thanks to a vacancy appointment, a Colorado Sun analysis shows. The side-door entrance to the Colorado General Assembly will remain equally open next year as at least five — and possibly as many as eight […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Republican state Sen. Randy Baumgardner, in Democrats’ crosshairs because of sexual harassment, leaves legislature
Republican state Sen. Randy Baumgardner, in the crosshairs of Democrats because of sexual harassment allegations, on Monday evening said he will step down from the Colorado legislature. The lawmaker from Hot Sulphur Springs had not been placed on any committees by his party’s leadership in the Senate for the upcoming legislative session. In a letter […]
Posted inNews, Transportation
Awkward pose no more: Denver airport first to get new TSA full-body scanner that lets passengers keep hands at their side
The awkward hands-in-the-air pose passengers at airport security checkpoints across the U.S. have been making for years while passing through full-body scanners might soon be a thing of the past. New technology being operated by the Transportation Security Administration at Denver International Airport allows travelers to keep their hands at their side when screened by […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Hickenlooper commutes life sentences of 6 men convicted of murder, including in high-profile Curtis Brooks case
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday commuted the life sentences of six men convicted of first-degree murder as young men or teens, marking the most significant action he has taken with his clemency authority in more than five years when he indefinitely halted the execution of convicted killer Nathan Dunlap. The term-limited Democrat granted parole eligibility […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
Cory Gardner’s science award led some to cry foul over climate change. Here’s why that’s notable for 2020.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner says he believes climate change is real and that humans are contributing to it. “I’ve said it before — I said it in 2014 — there’s no doubt pollution contributes to climate change,” the Colorado Republican told The Colorado Sun last week. “Climate change is real. I’ve been on the record […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government, Water
Cory Gardner, Scott Tipton bring new “good Samaritan” bill to address abandoned mines and stoke solution for $50B problem
Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton on Thursday introduced the latest version of a so-called “good Samaritan” bill to address abandoned, leaking mines in the U.S. with hopes of breaking roughly two decades of congressional gridlock on the topic. With just weeks left before the end of the year, the legislation […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Democratic state senator, embroiled in accusations he used a women’s restroom at Capitol, is stepping down
State Sen. Daniel Kagan announced his resignation from the Colorado General Assembly on Wednesday evening, a decision that comes after he was accused of repeatedly using a women’s restroom at the Capitol. The Cherry Hills Village Democrat did not provide a reason for stepping down from his seat two years into his four-year term. The […]