Buescher’s controversial DNA-swabbing bill likely to bite the dust
State Rep. Bernie Buescher (D-Grand Junction), whose narrow defeat Nov. 4 was one of the biggest shockers of the election and a rare setback for state Dems, is lamenting the potential demise of his pet project — a felony DNA-swabbing bill.
Shades of gay: Prop. 8 boycotts recall post-Amendment 2 anger over Colorado
Don’t ski here, don’t hike here, don’t convention here, don’t come here. That was the message, coming from the higher echelons of Hollywood, indeed from gays and lesbians and their friends across the country, in the weeks after Colorado became the “Hate State” and Colorado Springs the “Belly of the Beast” when Colorado voters approved Amendment 2 in 1992. Now post-Proposition 8, California and even Utah have found themselves the targets of even more sophisticated boycott efforts.
Colorado tops percentage of women state legislators as gains inch forward
Colorado has the highest percentage of women serving as state legislators this year, barely edging out Vermont and New Hampshire, according to a Christian Science Monitor article published Sunday. Considering both the state House and Senate, 38 percent of Colorado's lawmakers are women, ahead of Vermont's 37.8 percent and New Hampshire's 37.7 percent. In only one chamber in the nation — the New Hampshire state Senate — do women hold a majority of seats.
Prop 8 protests evoke memories of Colorado’s Amendment 2 fight
Reports on the numbers in Colorado were varied: between 500 and 1,000 in Denver ; 300 in Fort Collins, a hundred in Colorado Springs; several hundred in Boulder; two dozen in Aspen. The numbers weren’t huge, but the passion — in response to California’s anti-gay Proposition 8 — has been tremendous.
More layoffs at Focus on the Family
UPDATE: Focus on the Family announced this afternoon that 202 jobs will be cut companywide — an estimated 20 percent of its workforce. Initial reports bring the total number of remaining employees to around 950.
Focus on the Family is poised to announce major employee layoffs today from its Colorado Springs-based ministry and media empire. The cutbacks come just weeks after the group pumped more than half a million dollars into the successful effort to pass a gay marriage ban in California.
Critics are holding up the layoffs, which come just two months after the last round of dismissals in the organization, as a sad commentary on the priorities of the families on which the ministry is truly focusing.
Rallies to protest Prop 8, marriage bans set for Saturday across Colorado
A nationwide day of protest against California's Proposition 8 and other measures in last week's election that banned same-sex marriage includes rallies planned in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Durango and Aspen. Organized through the Join the Impact! Web site, simultaneous protests aim to call attention to the issue as a civil rights issue at 11:30 a.m. MST Saturday as hundreds of gatherings take place across the country.
Historic $3 million settlement in Emily Rice case; horror lingers
On Thursday, news broke that the City of Denver is poised to pay a record $3 million to settle the two-year old case involving Emily Rice, the 24-year old who suffered a lacerated liver and spleen and bled to death in the city jail.
The proposed settlement includes a laundry list of policy changes that must be installed at the jail, including sensitivity and other training, and establishes what is known as “Emily’s Rights” to dictate patient care at the jail.
Denver man appeals Dick Cheney subpoena ruling in First Amendment lawsuit
Fresh off delivering what some pundits say was the kiss of death for John McCain by endorsing the senator just before the Nov. 4 election, lame-duck Vice President Dick Cheney may be a bit distracted from trying to cement the Bush legacy in the administration’s final 100 days.
‘Misled’ petition signers say Amendment 46 defeat brings relief
The Vote No on Amendment 46 campaign isn't the only group pleased to see the anti-affirmative action measure lose, albeit on a teensy margin Thursday afternoon.
Several people who launched complaints that they were misled into signing onto the proposal have also expressed happiness that the measure flopped.
Military command casts broad net with homeland security operations
A recent article by The Colorado Independent reported that the U.S. Northern Command, a military entity created in 2002 for homeland defense missions and based in Colorado Springs, plans to activate and train an estimated 4,700 service members for specialized domestic operations inside the United States.