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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper denies pardon for undocumented immigrant Ingrid LaTorre
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday denied a request for a pardon from an undocumented immigrant from Peru who faces possible deportation following a conviction, saying the woman’s crime was not victimless, but also took the opportunity to plead for a congressional fix to immigration reform issues.
Ingrid Ecalada LaTorre, 33, a mother to two U.S. citizens, had asked Hickenlooper to grant her clemency before her stay of removal expires Friday.
Democratic candidate for Colorado governor Cary Kennedy unveils public option health plan
DENVER – Cary Kennedy, one of a handful of Democrats vying for the nomination for Colorado’s governorship in 2018, on Tuesday unveiled a plan to bring a public option health care plan to Colorado in the vein of what Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., has floated for years.
Under her proposal, all Coloradans would be able to pay into the state’s Medicaid program, Health First Colorado, or the state employee health plan.
The ex-state treasurer said that once her plan theoretically goes into effect upon her victory, it would encourage market competition and reduce costs for Coloradans. Continue reading
Body found in Denver elevator was 82-year-old man with dementia reported missing on July 5
DENVER – The person discovered dead in an elevator at a Denver apartment complex earlier this week was an 82-year-old man with early-onset dementia who had last been seen on July 5 close to where his body was eventually found.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner on Thursday identified the man as Isaak Komisarchik, 82, but said his cause and manner of death were still undetermined pending investigation. Continue reading
Coffman: Russia may be interfering with stalled recovery efforts for Littleton officer Steven Beare
DENVER – U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman said Wednesday that he believes that friction between the U.S. and Russia is delaying the recovery efforts in finding Littleton Police Officer Steven Beare, who went missing on a remote mountain in Russia three months ago.
Beare still hasn’t been found after weeks of searches earlier this summer and is presumed dead. Continue reading
Colorado’s 2018 health insurance premiums finalized; 26.7% average increase in individual plans
DENVER – Health insurance premiums for individual medical plans in Colorado will go up by an average of 26.7 percent in 2018, and small group plan premiums will rise by an average of 6.6 percent—both slightly lower than was originally estimated earlier this summer.
The Colorado Division of Insurance released the finalized premium hikes for next year’s health insurance plans on Wednesday, nearly two months after it released the requests made by the various companies operating in Colorado. Continue reading
Colorado’s Gardner, Coffman change course from pre-2014 with support of DACA legislation
DENVER – U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner signed on Tuesday for the first time to cosponsor the Dream Act, which would effectively implement DACA through legislation, on the same day that his fellow Republican member of Congress, Mike Coffman, tried to force the House to vote on a DACA extension.
After President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday morning that DACA would be rescinded, Trump and many Republicans in Congress, including those from Colorado, called for the legislative body to craft new legislation for Dreamers in the next six months. Continue reading
Hundreds of Denver students rally at Auraria Campus to protest Trump’s DACA decision
DENVER – An estimated 1,100 students in Denver walked out of class Tuesday after the Trump administration announced it was rescinding the Obama-era immigration program that has protected more than 17,000 people in Colorado from being deported.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the move Tuesday morning, and the Department of Homeland Security officially rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) minutes later. Continue reading
DACA rescinded: Colorado’s elected officials react to Trump’s immigration decision
DENVER – Reaction from Colorado’s members of Congress and other state government officials to the Trump administration’s decision to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program started pouring in shortly after Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security formally rescinded the Obama-era policy, which has protected around 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and Sessions put the ball in Congress’ court to make a formal legislative policy. President Obama resorted to using an executive action to implement the policy after Congress failed to pass a measure. Continue reading
Ex-U.S. Ambassador to South Korea says more work with China needed amid ‘serious crisis’ over nukes
DENVER – The former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, who also led the American delegation to previous talks over North Korea’s nuclear program, says there is “a serious crisis” brewing following North Korea’s latest nuclear test, and that the U.S. and China need to start working together more to stave off anything worse.
Christopher Hill, who was the ambassador to South Korea from 2004-05 and served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2005 to 2009, also led the American delegation to the “Six Party Talks” in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds of the talks between the U.S., North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. Continue reading
Colorado immigrants, lawmakers anxiously await Trump’s decision on DACA
DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper joined state lawmakers, immigrants and activists at the state Capitol Friday to voice support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program days ahead of President Trump’s decision on whether or not he’ll continue the program.
The morning rally by some of Colorado’s highest-profile Democrats came as the timeline for Trump’s decision was still up in the air, with Trump telling reporters a decision could come Friday or Monday. But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed later Friday that the president would make his decision by Tuesday. Continue reading