On first glance, Amendment 76 looks redundant. Colorado’s current constitution states that “every citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 or older, has state residency and is registered to vote can participate in elections. Amendment 76 seeks to change that language to “only a citizen.” Federal, state and local elections in Colorado are already only […]
Lucy Haggard
Lucy Haggard was a TRENDS Reporting Fellow from August 2020 to May 2021 with The Colorado Sun.
Email: lucy@coloradosun.com Twitter: @lucy_haggard
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
In Colorado’s hard-to-count communities, census outreach and coronavirus support are one and the same
To say that 2020 has not been a normal year to take a national census — well, it doesn’t quite capture the full extent of the situation. The Census Bureau’s normally nonpartisan operations have been repeatedly undercut, whether it’s in the form of chronic underfunding, the federal administration’s fear-stoking attempt in 2019 to add a […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News
Boulder County health officials warn that unchecked coronavirus rates could lead to stay-at-home return
Despite efforts from the University of Colorado Boulder and Boulder County to limit young adults from gathering and interacting with others in the community, health officials warned Tuesday that if coronavirus rates don’t improve, the county could be forced to shut down in the way it did in March. A statewide public health order issued […]
Posted inGrowth, News, Politics and Government
As 2020 Census approaches finish line, Colorado looks to close the gap of who’s undercounted
The last day for Coloradans to respond to the 2020 census, the decennial poll of everyone living in the U.S. that determines how billions of dollars are spent across the country, is fast approaching. As of Thursday, more than 96% of the state’s households have been counted, with almost 70% responding on their own. That’s […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
Kill fish to save fish: Behind Colorado’s effort to revive the Rio Grande cutthroat trout
On a beautiful early September day, Ken Gierhart hiked a trail familiar since boyhood to Music Pass in the Sangre de Cristo mountains above Westcliffe. As he dropped off the saddle toward the Sand Creek lakes, he noticed people heading the opposite direction with fishing poles. “How’s the fishing?” he asked one woman. “They’re all […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Election 2020, News, Politics and Government
Cory Gardner has voted to confirm 98% of Trump’s judicial nominees as decision on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat looms
Cory Gardner is a consistent ally of President Donald Trump when it comes to judicial picks, a Colorado Sun analysis shows. The Colorado Republican has voted to confirm all but four of the 214 nominations to the U.S Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. District Court put forth by Trump that have been […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government, Wildfire
A Colorado dashboard seeks to put a price on future wildfires, other natural disasters amid a warming climate
As Colorado experiences a record-breaking wildfire season amid accelerating population growth and statewide drought, many are asking: How can we be resilient in the face of inevitable disaster? It’s a dense question. To find an answer, the Colorado Water Conservation Board teamed up with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and a handful […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News
Six months after historic Suncor settlement, community around Commerce City refinery still feels “exploited”
Six months after Suncor Energy agreed to a landmark $9 million settlement for repeatedly violating air quality standards, Coloradans have the opportunity to formally tell the company how they really feel — or at least, what they think of its communication style. The energy company on Wednesday began surveying neighbors of its Commerce City refinery […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado gun sales remain at high volume, prompting $1.3 million request to speed up background checks
A surge in demand for firearms during the coronavirus pandemic means Colorado’s background check process currently takes at least 500 times longer than normal – and it’s not slowing down any time soon. In an effort to speed the process back up, the Polis administration is asking state lawmakers to approve $1.3 million in emergency […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Wildfire
Snow and cold temps slow down Cameron Peak fire, downgrade evacuations — if only for a few days
Up to 16 inches of snow is falling Tuesday on the massive Cameron Peak fire west of Fort Collins, slowing its growth and offering much-needed respite to crews managing the blaze that tripled in size over the weekend. It’s not the biggest wildfire currently burning — that title goes to the Pine Gulch fire, which […]