Valerie Richardson

Bloomberg: Pro-gun towns must lack roads

Colorado Springs and Pueblo may not be Paris or London, but they are not quite the rural backwaters that anti-gun activist Michael Bloomberg apparently thinks they are. The former New York City mayor said he was “sorry” about the recalls of two Democratic state senators last year over the state legislature’s passage of gun-control laws, but said the districts in the recall races were so “rural” that “I don’t think there’s roads.” Published July 10, 2014

Harry Reid lambasted by black conservatives after calling Justice Thomas white

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's description of Justice Clarence Thomas as one of "five white men" triggered a backlash Wednesday on social media from black conservatives. Published July 10, 2014

Obama gets ditched by Colorado Democrats

Colorado Democrats ducking President Obama's speech here Wednesday morning are drawing hoots for their less-than-convincing excuses. Published July 8, 2014

Colorado sues Boulder County clerk to stop her from issuing gay marriage licenses

The Boulder County Clerk's decision last week to start issuing licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of Colorado law has her in hot water with state officials. Published July 3, 2014

California grants wind industry permit to kill eagles, ruffling more than feathers

In a bid to give alternative energy sources a boost, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has quietly granted a California wind energy farm a permit to kill a limited number of endangered bald and golden eagles that get sliced up in its giant turbines. Published July 2, 2014

Poll: Colorado governor’s race locked in dead heat

Bad news for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper: A poll released Tuesday shows him running neck and neck with newly nominated Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez. Published July 1, 2014

Anti-fracking vote mixed blessing for Colo. governor

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is a strong supporter of hydraulic fracturing, but last week's defeat of a high-profile local anti-fracking initiative wasn’t good news for him or state Democrats. Published June 30, 2014

Tie-dyed no more: At Colorado summit, marijuana industry is serious business

Those expecting to find hippies in tie-dyed T-shirts at the inaugural National Cannabis Industry Association's Cannabis Business Summit last week were in for a rude awakening. Published June 29, 2014

Colo. Dems’ push for Tancredo backfires; GOP nominates Beauprez for governor

Former Rep. Bob Beauprez won Tuesday the Colorado Republican gubernatorial nomination, overcoming Democratic efforts to promote his nearest rival, former Rep. Tom Tancredo. Published June 25, 2014

Border children fuel debate in GOP race for Arizona governor

The crush of border-crossing children being dropped off by the Obama administration in Arizona has erupted as a campaign issue in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican. Published June 23, 2014

Role reversal: Col. Democrat hit as immigration hard-liner

Ordinarily it's the Republican candidate who gets hammered for being insufficiently supportive of illegal immigrants, but that's not how the dynamic is playing out in a pivotal House race here. Published June 19, 2014

Life inside a children’s warehouse: Border agents watch over illegals in limbo over their futures

Imagine running a high-security day care at a Costco, and you have a pretty good idea of the scenario unfolding along the Arizona border. Published June 18, 2014

Sen. Mark Udall embraces Obama, not pipeline

Other vulnerable Senate Democrats in tight re-election battles are embracing the Keystone XL pipeline and stiff-arming President Obama — but not Colorado's Mark Udall. Published June 16, 2014

$A worker helps monitor water pumping pressure and temperature, at the site of a natural gas hydraulic fracturing and extraction operation in western Colorado. Tisha Schuller, president of the Oil and Gas Association in Colorado, said, "Boulder and Lafayette were nothing more than symbolic votes. Lafayette's last new well permit was in the early 1990s and Boulder's last oil and gas well was plugged in 1999." (ASSOCIATED PRESS)$

Bans on fracking in Colorado would hurt family farms, elderly

When foes of fracking complain about moneybags billionaires profiteering from "Big Oil," they're probably not thinking of people like Bob and Cristy Koeneke. Published June 12, 2014

Colorado unveils Obamacare tax to boost struggling state exchange

Colorado will begin charging an Obamacare tax next month on all health insurance policies — even those obtained through private employers — to help prop up the state's struggling health care exchange. Published June 10, 2014

Calif. judge rules teacher tenure policies unconstitutional

In a stunning defeat for teachers' unions, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge found Tuesday that job-security policies such as teacher tenure are unconstitutional because they cause disproportionate harm to poor and minority students. Published June 10, 2014