Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is exploring whether to file a lawsuit to stop President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration for funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump made the extraordinary move Friday, sidestepping a Congress that has refused to grant the White House the more than $5 billion in funding that […]
government shutdown
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Armstrong: Congress should free Colorado’s brewers from onerous regulations
Can you think of a good reason why federal bureaucrats should approve beer labels or the opening of breweries? Neither can I. Among the victims of the government shutdown were brewers in Colorado and across the nation, whose product was held up by delays in government action. Part of the problem, as Hope Kirwan reports […]
Posted inColoradans, News, Politics and Government
“It feels like a Band-Aid”: Colorado federal workers’ unemployment claims near 3,000 as short-term shutdown deal is reached
Unemployment claims from federal workers in Colorado neared 3,000 on Friday with $442,298 paid out to those furloughed folks before President Donald Trump agreed to fully reopen the federal government — at least temporarily. It was hardly reassurance, though, of a permanent fix to the political impasse that’s captivated the nation for more than a […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Here’s how Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet voted as the U.S. Senate rejected both plans for reopening government
By Andrew Taylor and Alan Fram, The Associated Press A splintered U.S. Senate swatted down competing Democratic and Republican plans for ending the 34-day partial government shutdown on Thursday, leaving President Donald Trump and Congress with no obvious formula for halting the longest-ever closure of federal agencies and the damage it is inflicting around the country. In an embarrassment to Trump […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Americans deserve a government that works for all of us — not just for the oil and gas industry
As the government shutdown heads toward a second month, the Trump administration insists on pushing its reckless “energy dominance” agenda, continuing to process oil and gas permits while letting our national parks be pillaged. It’s clear that President Trump does not care if hard-working Americans go without paychecks, if families lack access to the services […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: Martinez decision demonstrates Colorado’s Supreme Court commitment to judicial discipline
The Colorado Supreme Court sent shockwaves through various industry, environmental and political circles when it issued an opinion in COGCC v. Martinez last week. While the outcome of the decision certainly sparked multiple reactions and set the stage for an epic legislative policy battle, the rationale and reasoning behind the court’s opinion drew scant review. Coloradans […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government, Wildfire
The government shutdown is taking a toll on wildfire preparations across the West
By Gillian Flaccus, The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. — Just two months after a wildfire wiped out Paradise, California, officials are gearing up for this year’s fire season and fear the government shutdown could make it even more difficult than one of the worst in history. The winter months are critical for wildfire managers who use […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Gov. Polis says the federal shutdown isn’t impacting Colorado’s state budget — but that could quickly change
Like every other state, Colorado has been feeling the pinch of the ongoing federal government shutdown. But Gov. Jared Polis said Wednesday it’s not affecting the makeup of the state’s budget — yet. “We don’t feel at this point, if the government were to reopen promptly, that there necessarily would be a budget impact to […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
Federal workers in Jefferson County file one-fourth of Colorado’s 1,642 shutdown unemployment claims
Federal workers in Jefferson County have made the most unemployment claims in Colorado since the government shutdown began three weeks ago, according to data from the state labor department. Approximately 23 percent of the 1,642 unemployment claims filed by federal workers in Colorado since the government shutdown began are from Jefferson County. Denver County ranked […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Rocky Mountain National Park begins tapping recreation fees to pay some workers
Update on Jan. 14, 2019: A Rocky Mountain National Park spokesman said Monday the park began using recreation fees to temporarily pay about 10 percent of furloughed workers to clean up the park. They’ve been plowing roads, cleaning restrooms and collecting trash since Saturday. Other staff, such as law enforcement rangers, continue to work without […]