About a dozen schools have been told by the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs to jettison mascots that appropriate American Indian imagery.
Adrienne Benavidez
Posted inColoradans, Education, Equity, News, Politics and Government
Colorado school dropped its Native American mascot but can’t get off list with others facing hefty state fine
A lower Arkansas River Valley school that dropped its Native American mascot in response to a new state law banning their use remains on a list of noncompliant schools that face hefty fines. In early December, a state board declined to remove Avondale Elementary School from a list of 26 schools that have failed to […]
Posted inNews
Colorado governor tells geographic renaming board to consider easier-to-pronounce alternatives
Gov. Jared Polis said “dots and dashes” made it hard to say Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain — leading one board member to label the governor’s position “problematic”
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Despite partisan rhetoric at the Colorado Capitol, just 4.4% of bills this year passed along purely party lines
A record 504 bills introduced in the Colorado legislature became law this year, and 94% of them had at least one Republican vote. And half of the 39 Republicans in the state House and Senate voted for 58% of those bills, according to a Colorado Sun analysis. That’s despite a third year of Democratic rule […]
Posted inColoradans, Culture, Education, News, Politics and Government
New Colorado law banning most American Indian mascots forces schools to confront cultural shifts
Faced with a new state law requiring the elimination of most American Indian mascots, a handful of Colorado schools are delving into their histories and having community-wide discussions about what a nickname, mascot or logo should represent. In Lamar, that means sticking by its Savages nickname, even if images and logos must be changed. And […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Legislation to reduce Colorado’s jail populations makes sense for safety and social justice
This past summer’s worldwide protests against police brutality and calls to defund the police greatly increased discussions and renewed awareness of widespread structural and institutional racism that is normalized in America. The racial justice movement in America was clearly alive and well. It finally seemed possible to many that we could make substantial changes to […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News
Colorado legislature advances effort for tougher toxic emissions monitoring at polluting companies
Advocates and lawmakers wary of Colorado companies’ toxic emissions and disclosures to the public won an early victory Thursday when a state House committee approved new fenceline and neighborhood air monitoring of the targeted businesses. The House Energy & Environment Committee approved House Bill 1189 by an 8-to-5 vote after long hours of testimony, including […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, News, Politics and Government
Indigenous students say they need more from Colorado universities. An in-state tuition bill is a first step.
By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado Indigenous students with historical ties to Colorado could soon get in-state tuition at public colleges under a proposal that recently cleared its first legislative hurdle. Student advocates say the bill is part of a broader push on how Colorado schools need to address injustice against Indigenous people and ensure all […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News
Coalition demands fence line monitors, tougher caps at Suncor to protect Colorado communities
A coalition of neighbors, activists and state legislators on Wednesday unveiled a bill creating real-time air monitoring at the fence lines of major toxic polluters and a new network of dispersed community sensors, putting allies on notice they expect tangible results this year from the environmental justice movement. The soon-to-be-introduced bill would require the Air […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government, Transportation, Wildfire
Air quality improved slightly during the stay-at-home order. But Colorado still has a serious pollution problem.
Metro Denver ranks 10th among most ozone-polluted cities in the country, according to the American Lung Association. Fort Collins is ranked No. 19. Colorado has been making progress to clean up its air over the past decade by enacting stricter oil and gas regulations and automobile emissions standards, but the Front Range is still out […]