Grace Church raided; Rev. Don Armstrong under ‘ecclesiastical indictment’
More than 20 police officers raided the landmark Grace Church and St. Stephen's in downtown Colorado Springs on Wednesday, marking the latest in the ongoing criminal investigation into whether the controversial Rev. Don Armstrong embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars. Keep reading for the full story of the saga over Armstrong and his breakaway church, which split from the Episcopal Church of North America more than a year ago.
Bush pardon for eagle-killer doesn’t mean open season on the birds
When President George W. Bush issued 14 pardons on Monday, one stood out in the list of cocaine dealers and bank fraudsters — a Missouri farmer who was convicted more than a decade ago of killing bald eagles.
Gazette: D.A.R.E. is for drugs, cookies are for munching
What do Boulder and Colorado Springs have in common? Among other things, there’s Wayne Laugesen, a former libertarian columnist at the Boulder Weekly who some time ago took up post as the editorial page editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette. And, as Laugesen in the past applauded eliminating the law enforcement-sponsored D.A.R.E. in Boulder, he’s now promoting abolishing the anti-drug education program in tax-strapped El Paso County, where the sheriff is looking to save $1 million a year.
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.
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.
Vail Daily shutters Vail’s first newspaper, the venerable Vail Trail
In yet another sign of just how tough things are in the newspaper industry these days, even community publications — once nearly unassailable in terms of financial viability — are getting the axe.
The midnight deregulation express
It’s something of a tradition — administrations using their final weeks in power to ram through a slew of federal regulations. With the election grabbing the headlines, outgoing federal bureaucrats quietly propose and finalize rules that can affect the health and safety of millions.
Rumors: Congress to investigate Bush in Obama Era?
Here’s something interesting from my favorite new Washington gossip blog, Unattributable:
According to one Democratic senator, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been discussing the possibility of holding major hearings to examine the activities of the Bush Administration. The form and scope of such hearings have yet to be determined, but this senator, and member of the Senate Judicial Committee, is pressing for something along the lines of Church-Pike–a bicameral endeavor that would address the full range of executive misdeeds.
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.
Surge in Colorado deportations points to national increase in enforcement actions
Recent data shows that Colorado and Wyoming saw a 7 percent increase in deportations of undocumented immigrants in 2007, but the information should come as no surprise because the federal government has been dramatically stepping up enforcement actions, including worksite raids and criminal prosecutions.