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LIVE BLOG: Fired FBI director James Comey testifies on Trump-Russia in front of Senate intel committee
Replay former FBI director James Comey’s testimony in an open hearing of the Senate intelligence committee regarding the Russia probe and his firing. Click here for the full wrap-up. Continue reading
Longmont police say ‘misinformation’ from housing authority led to apartment search presence
LONGMONT, Colo. – The Longmont Police Department on Wednesday laid the blame for its officers and K-9 units being involved in apartment inspections on a letter the Longmont Housing Authority sent to residents, and said officers were only present at the housing authority’s request.
“It was incorrectly reported that the police were conducting illegal searches,” a statement from the police department Wednesday said. “The source of this misinformation can be traced back to a letter that the Longmont Housing Authority sent to residents stating, ‘Please note that we will occasionally have K-9 units with LPD accompany us for purposes of training and compliance.’” Continue reading
Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid nominated to fill Gorsuch seat on 10th Circuit
DENVER – President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison H. Eid to fill the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals seat vacated when Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Washington Times first reported Eid’s nomination, saying the judge was also on the president’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees. The Denver Post was able to confirm that was the case shortly afterward, citing two congressional sources. Continue reading
Feeling disillusioned with Republicans and Democrats? There’s officially a new party in Colorado
DENVER – If you’re a Coloradan feeling disillusioned by the Republican and Democratic parties but want a party affiliation, there’s a new official minor party you can sign up for: The Unity Party.
The party, which has had a presence in Colorado since 2005, on Monday reached the 1,000-voter mark necessary to give it minor party status on state election ballots in both 2018 and 2020.
The Unity Party joins the American Constitution, Green, and Libertarian parties as the fourth minor party in Colorado. Aside from the Republican and Democratic parties, more than one-third of the state’s registered voters aren’t affiliated with any party.
Before reaching the 1,000-voter threshold, the Unity Party was a qualified political organization, which meant that any prospective candidates had to petition to get on a ballot.
The party will now have to assemble at least 73 days before the 2018 primaries to nominate a candidate or organize a primary for the party’s choice.
The only candidate currently registered with the party is Bill Hammons, who has run for various seats in Congress in every congressional election since 2010.
Hammons is running for the governorship of Colorado in 2018.
He lost to Jared Polis in both 2010 and 2012 when he ran for Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District seat.
In 2014, he received 6,427 votes in a bid for the U.S. Senate seat won by Cory Gardner, and in 2016, he received 9,336 votes in the election for Colorado’s other U.S. Senate seat, which Michael Bennet won.
Hammons outperformed two independent candidates in that election.
He is also both the state and national chairman of the Unity Party, whose slogan is: “Not right, not left, but forward.”
Hammons called the news of his party’s certification “pretty exciting” and that it “was a long time coming.”
He told Denver7 Wednesday the party would likely get together in the next couple of months to readopt their bylaws, and would likely schedule the nomination convention for some time next March.
He said he remains committed to his governorship run despite also running the state and national chapters for the Unity Party.
“I welcome challenges in the party,” Hammons said, “but I’d be the best Unity Party candidate for the job.”
“This latest development reflects that as Coloradans we treasure our ability to make our own decisions,” Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said about the addition of a new minor party.
Colorado authorities say election system wasn’t breached after report leaks NSA intel
DENVER – Colorado authorities haven’t received any notice from federal agencies that state voter systems were compromised during last year’s election, they said Tuesday.
On Monday, The Intercept published a leaked National Security Agency classified intelligence document showing that Russian hackers were able to phish their way into some U.S. elections systems, specifically through a company called VR Systems. Continue reading
Day after report, Longmont officers and K-9s stop tagging along during apartment inspections
LONGMONT, Colo. – A day after Denver7 reported that police officers and their K-9 partners were tagging along during apartment inspections, the police department said it was discontinuing the practice.
A Longmont Police Department spokesperson called Tuesday to say the department’s officers didn’t participate in any inspections Tuesday and that they wouldn’t be involved in the future. Continue reading
After years-long fight, Colorado approves medical marijuana treatment for PTSD
DENVER – Coloradans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will now be able to treat their conditions with doctor-approved medical marijuana, bringing a close to a years-long fight.
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 17 Monday, which will allow physicians, after consultation and a medical background review, to prescribe patients suffering from doctor-diagnosed PTSD with medical marijuana treatments. Continue reading
Criminal justice bills will become law without Hickenlooper’s signature; ‘budget transparency’ cited
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will allow two criminal justice reform bills passed by the state Legislature to become law without his signature, saying he had “concerns that the bill’s full and true impact on the state budget was not fully transparent.”
Hickenlooper sent letters to the Republican-controlled Senate Tuesday informing them Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 19 would become law on June 10 without his signature. Friday, June 9 is the last day for Hickenlooper to sign or veto bills lest they become law without his signature. Continue reading
Colorado governor signs bill allowing women to get 12-month birth control prescriptions
DENVER – Colorado women will now be able to get a year’s supply of birth control all at once after Gov. John Hickenlooper signed House Bill 1186 Monday.
The bill passed through Colorado’s Legislature with bipartisan support. Its supporters say the new law will be a boon to women since it will mean they’ll have to make fewer trips to the pharmacy and will be less likely to disrupt their prescription cycle.
Hickenlooper also praised the bill as a win for women in rural Colorado who may have to drive a long distance to their nearest pharmacy or to get their prescriptions renewed.
Under previous rules, women were only able to get one- or three-month prescriptions.
The bill’s authors pointed to a 2011 National Institutes of Health study that showed unintended pregnancies fell by one-third in places that allowed 12-month prescriptions.
“Women in rural Colorado will see great benefits from this bill. They will be able to access the birth control they rely on, exactly when they need it. This means more time left in their busy days and less likelihood of unintended pregnancies,” said Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Gunnison.
The Republican co-sponsors of the bill, Rep. Lois Landgraf and Sen. Don Coram, said the bill’s aim of reducing unintended pregnancies was “common sense.”
“Nine out of ten women in this country use birth control at some point in their lives. This bill breaks down a barrier to care that will have an incredible impact on women’s lives,” said Sarah Taylor-Nanista, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado.
Supporters of the bill wore pink to its signing at the state Capitol Monday.
SCOTUS again declines to take up Colorado cake store discrimination case
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court again failed to act on the case involving the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood after being listed for consideration for an 11th time.
The judges could still decide to take up the case, despite it being distributed for conference each week since Feb. 21 and still not being taken up.
Jack Phillips, who owns the cake store, has petitioned the court after a lower court ruled he discriminated against a gay couple who wanted him to make them a wedding cake in 2012. Phillips has long claimed that as a Christian, he has the religious freedom to deny business to same-sex couples.
The Colorado Supreme Court last August declined to review the case, agreeing with a Colorado Court of Appeals decision that said the shop could continue to enforce its religious beliefs, but not while operating as a business in Colorado.
The Supreme Court declined to take up a similar case involving a New Mexico photographer after multiple conferences in 2014.