The mixed drinks. The cocktail wieners. The small talk. The joy of victory. The agony of defeat. Election night watch parties are a rite of passage for any candidate, an often-anxiety-filled exercise in thanking your supporters in celebration or, in the worst case, conceding that you came up short. Coronavirus, the indiscriminate thief, has stolen […]
Jonathan Singer
Posted inCOVID, News, Politics and Government
Should the Colorado legislature shut down because of coronavirus? The conversation is well underway.
Colorado lawmakers have begun discussing in earnest whether to temporarily shut down the state legislature to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. The debate comes as the outbreak increasingly disrupts activity at the Capitol and as Gov. Jared Polis is warning that the spread of the virus has no end in sight. Colorado’s largest […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Teen vaping cannot be Colorado’s new normal. This is a preventable epidemic
Just when I thought we were making significant strides at preventing teens from smoking traditional tobacco, the tobacco industry invented vaping and Colorado’s teen vaping epidemic ensued. I have had to change my practice, the questions I ask my patients, and the counseling I offer because the tobacco industry has been very successful at getting […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
A change to Colorado’s DUI testing system has stoked fears of dropped cases and could shutter a private business
Big questions are swirling around Colorado’s ability to carry out blood tests and prosecute offenders in driving under the influence cases after a policy switch that could jeopardize cases and put a private lab out of business. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on July 1 began testing blood drawn during DUI investigations for free in […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado’s 2019 legislative session was a doozy, from Democrats’ growing pains to a blabbermouth GOP strategy
Colorado Democrats may control the state Capitol, but the story in the final days of the 2019 legislative session was the Republican stranglehold on their calendar. That’s mainly because of the Colorado Senate, where the GOP ground work to a halt in the waning weeks of the lawmaking term, forcing Democrats to consider what measures […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Growth, News, Politics and Government
Construction workers exploited by Colorado’s underground economy want to add bite to wage theft law
In Colorado’s underground economy, where cash flows under the table and crews are lured by the promise of good wages and free housing, workers are getting ripped off. Especially construction workers who don’t speak English or aren’t living here legally. Union officials have uncovered allegations of wage theft from subcontracted workers who restored Colorado Mills […]
Posted inHealth, News, Politics and Government
Cannabis lobby gains new clout in Colorado as its spending tripled in the past five years
As Colorado’s marijuana industry has grown to top $6 billion in sales in its fifth year of legalization, the cannabis lobby at the Capitol is also growing, in numbers, spending and stature. This will be a big year for the industry, with marijuana regulations sunsetting and bills vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper resurfacing. […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Death of boy, 7, found in Denver storage unit, could spark new rules about following up on kids at risk who are pulled from school
Caden McWilliams’ body lay hidden in a storage unit for as long as seven months, and no one was looking for him. The fact no one reported the 7-year-old missing has prompted child advocates to call for a system of follow-up when a child who has been the subject of an abuse or neglect investigation […]
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
Colorado Democrats launched a #MeToo commission this year, but so far there is little to show
In January, as the #MeToo movement burned at the state Capitol, Colorado Democrats made a big statement: The creation a new commission to examine and improve the party’s policies on gender equity and workplace harassment. The move put the Democrats in front of a major controversy and made the party appear responsive to women and men […]