He served as a Marine. He worked as a high-powered consultant and commercial banker. He was an adviser and business partner to Erik Prince, the controversial former owner of the now-defunct international security firm Blackwater. One thing Gregg Smith has never done until now is run for office. But the well-connected, 58-year-old Democrat who moved […]
Kerry Donovan
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Democrat Kerry Donovan launches campaign to unseat Lauren Boebert
State Sen. Kerry Donovan on Wednesday filed paperwork launching her campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert next year. Donovan, a Vail Democrat, made her 3rd Congressional District bid official by submitting a statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission. She had been exploring a potential 2022 congressional bid for weeks, citing Boebert’s […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Two big-name Colorado Democrats are already exploring 2022 bids to unseat Lauren Boebert
Two well-known Democratic state lawmakers say they are already exploring whether to launch a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert next year, just weeks into the fiery Republican’s term. It’s the latest evidence that Democrats are eager to capitalize on the controversies, which have grabbed international attention, Boebert has been at the center of […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Proposal to shrink Holy Cross Wilderness, increase water storage draws hundreds of comments
Forty years after the Holy Cross Wilderness Area was created, an early effort to explore tapping its water supplies has generated more than 500 comments to the U.S. Forest Service. Aurora and Colorado Springs, which own and operate the only reservoir in the area, Homestake I, hope to demonstrate that they can divert more water from […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Want to understand the state of U.S. politics? Look no further than Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District primaries
Who is more progressive? Who is more supportive of President Donald Trump? Who is more electable? Who can get things done in Washington? Those are the questions playing out in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which spans across the Western Slope into Pueblo. On the Republican side is five-term incumbent […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Crime and Courts, Education, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Chaos and compromise: Colorado’s coronavirus legislative session ends with a flurry of big bills
The Colorado Capitol was mostly empty as the state legislature took a two-month coronavirus pause this spring. The work, though, didn’t actually stop. Behind the scenes, mostly via video calls on Zoom, lawmakers were figuring out how to deal with a host of new issues related to the pandemic, chief among them: how to balance […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Colorado could stop tourism marketing as budget writers look to slash $3 billion in spending
Budget-slashing in the governor’s economic development office is calling for a sweeping reduction of Colorado’s tourism and marketing budget. The Joint Budget Committee is weighing an 87% cut to the $18.5 million Colorado Tourism Office budget as gambling revenue evaporates under COVID-19 closures. Nearly $15 million of the state’s tourism promotion fund comes from gambling […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, News, Politics and Government
$10,000-a-day fines and other things to know about Colorado’s new public health insurance option bill
After months of debate, numerous reports and an opposition advertising campaign, Colorado lawmakers on Thursday officially introduced the bill that would create a public health insurance option in the state. Many of the details remain the same from earlier proposals — the option plans would be available at first only to people who buy coverage […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
With Bernie Sanders surging, Colorado could become a proving ground for his lagging rivals
Bernie Sanders’ campaign surge puts new emphasis on Colorado’s presidential primary next week, making the state a proving ground for other Democratic candidates challenging the narrative that Sanders is unstoppable. Colorado’s small delegate count relative to other Super Tuesday states, like Texas and California, means it’s not the top prize on March 3, but it […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
A Colorado lawmaker brought a short-term rental bill he never intended to pass. It created an uproar.
State Sen. Bob Gardner wanted to start a conversation. He’s incited a statewide uproar instead. The Colorado Springs Republican introduced a bill at the Colorado Capitol that would change the property tax assessment category for short-term rentals to commercial from residential. That would increase the taxation rate more than four-fold from a projected 7.1% in […]