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Ukrainians and Sudanese with temporary legal status will keep protections for now

WASHINGTON — Immigrants living in the United States with humanitarian status from Ukraine and Sudan will retain their deportation protections and work authorizations for now, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend. More than 100,000 Ukrainians and roughly 2,000 Sudanese with Temporary Protected…

Data centers are now the largest financial bet in US history

The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures. Until now, no industry had driven the U.S. economy with such force since the railroad expansion of the late 1800s, when titans battled one another to lay the…

No Kings event in Grand Junction emphasizes early voting, nonpartisan participation

About 300 people came out for a No Kings rally Saturday in Grand Junction. Organized by Indivisible Grand Junction, the event attracted fewer than the thousands who’ve attended previous No Kings rallies in the city. But it was billed as a “nonpartisan voter participation, education and community connection event,”…

No Kings protests in Colorado meant to help protect the November election

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied and marched near the Colorado Capitol on Saturday in the largest of dozens of planned No Kings events across the state, part of a nationwide day of action that organizers hope will encourage participants to vote and help protect the November election. It was the latest in a series of…

Last-minute Trump DOJ suit in California targeting noncitizen voters alarms advocates

After the U.S. Department of Justice sued California over its refusal to remove voters the federal government alleges are noncitizens, voting rights advocates fear the Trump administration is violating a court order blocking it from rooting out noncitizens with states’ voter data. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan…

Colorado to receive federal funding to support Aspen Acres Fire recovery

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved Colorado’s request for funding to support businesses harmed by a wildfire that grew to over 100,000 acres in southern Colorado this summer. The Aspen Acres Fire, the seventh-largest wildfire in Colorado history, destroyed more than 200 structures across Pueblo and…

Think balancing Colorado’s budget is easy? Try it.

Colorado voters face some big decisions about taxes and spending this election. A new digital tool lets them see how three big ballot measures would affect the state budget — and whether they can close the state’s $1.6 billion budget gap. The online tool, called Colorado Tradeoffs, focuses on two ballot measures that…

Proposition 133 could punish trafficking victims and harm reproductive health access

With ballots now arriving in mailboxes, Coloradans will decide on the deceptive Proposition 133, a measure titled “Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor.” Despite its title, the measure could punish victims for crimes they were forced or coerced to commit, make survivors less likely to seek help, and create new…

Colorado student wins top prize at National Civics Bee Championship

WASHINGTON — Peter Daniell of Broomfield, Colorado, took home the grand prize Wednesday night after winning the National Civics Bee Championship in the nation’s capital. Daniell, a ninth-grader, was one of 52 students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and American Samoa who put their civics knowledge to the test…

The next act for the No Kings movement: Early voting in the midterms

WASHINGTON — The No Kings movement that has brought millions to the streets across the United States three times since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term is staging its next event at the polls. Organizers across hundreds of advocacy groups will pull together thousands of events nationwide Saturday to…

Hickenlooper debates Trump, healthcare with GOP challenger Baisley

Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper used a debate Wednesday night to ask Colorado voters to send him back to Washington to push back against President Donald Trump and start “rebuilding our economy,” and reject a Republican challenger he said would be a “rubber stamp” for Trump’s agenda. A fixture in Colorado…

Former Rep. Ken Buck tops list of Colorado Republicans endorsing Weiser for governor

Ken Buck, the former five-term Republican member of Congress from Colorado and onetime chair of the state GOP, endorsed Democrat Phil Weiser for governor Wednesday alongside more than a dozen other state and local GOP officials. “I’m supporting Phil Weiser because I know Phil,” Buck said in a video released by the…

Powered by spikes in energy prices, inflation surges to 3.7%

Inflation grew to a 3.7% annual rate in September, according to an Oct. 14 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 3.4% in August. In the last consumer price inflation report before midterm elections, with voters already fed up with higher prices, September’s number was the highest since May, when it…

Amendment 82 is a dark-money attack on Colorado’s clean energy leadership

With election season here, Colorado voters will decide on a wide range of ballot measures. Now is a good time to think about what makes a good ballot measure and what makes a bad one. A great example of a good one was Amendment 37, which we passed back in 2004. It required Colorado’s large

Data center backlash set to sway midterm elections

In the course of a single election cycle, the backlash against data centers has grown from an issue at local planning commission and city council meetings to become a flashpoint in state and federal races across the country. Candidates who once touted data centers as an economic boon have backtracked, and voters in at…

Trump heads West in latest swing to bolster GOP in rocky lead-up to midterms

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week will journey out West in an effort to galvanize support for Republican candidates three weeks before the midterm elections and convince voters to support his party amid low presidential approval ratings. As the deeply unpopular war in Iran enters month eight, resulting in…

Lauren Boebert, Eileen Laubacher appear in lone televised debate ahead of midterms

Democrat Eileen Laubacher said during a debate Monday night that if her party regains control of Congress during the upcoming midterm elections, it should not use that power to impeach President Donald Trump. “I do not want us to waste two more years trying to impeach the president. I do not think that that is

US senators from both parties blast Trump order to import Russian diesel as illegal

The Trump administration’s order to allow import of Russian diesel violates a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports while the country’s war with Ukraine is ongoing, according to a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. Following an Oct. 9 call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the U.S…

US House Dem leaders condemn Homeland Security raid on home of Rep. Ilhan Omar

WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in the U.S. House condemned a “deeply disturbing” raid early Monday at the District of Columbia home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who has long been a target of verbal attacks by President Donald Trump and Republicans. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Democratic…

Election betting is booming as the midterms near. Do states have the power to curb it?

On Friday morning, the prediction market platform Kalshi gave the Democratic candidate in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race an 87% chance of winning. The volume of trading on the outcome exceeded $1.8 million. This is exactly the type of activity Minnesota and numerous other states want to shut down. “They jeopardize…

Trump administration sues Denver over law enforcement mask ban

The U.S. Department of Justice Thursday sued Denver over a city ordinance that bans law enforcement officers from wearing masks. Denver City Council unanimously adopted the policy in March in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wearing masks to conceal their identities. It applies to federal…

Measles cases reach 4,080 for the year — the highest in decades

Measles cases for the calendar year surpassed 4,000 for the first time in decades, with as many as five deaths in Pennsylvania, as the federal government steps in with financial help for states but also fans vaccination fears and skepticism. A weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed…

Aging workforce, immigration crackdown are depleting skilled workers

A perfect storm of harsh immigration enforcement, aging journeymen and a building boom for data centers is wreaking havoc on the nation’s supply of skilled trade workers. Automakers and construction contractors say they need more access to workers through accelerated training, steady immigration and a cultural shift…

Denver’s 1876 tax rolls shed light on Colorado’s Gilded Age inequality

With the arrival of a major east-west railroad in Pueblo in early 1876, Colorado’s second city entertained hopes of surpassing Denver in commercial importance — but tax records published later in the year shed light on how far the Mile High City’s would-be rival would have to go to catch up. The total assessed value

Public education’s goal is high-quality education for all students

Many of you know the story of Malala, a female child who was shot in the head by a Taliban assassin in Pakistan. She was an advocate for education; she had a blog as a pre-teenager where she posted articles supporting the rights of all Pakistani children to education. She was riding in a bus

Orphaned cubs abound in Colorado as black bear families struggle to find food

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is rescuing more abandoned black bear cubs this year after environmental conditions strained food sources that bears rely on to fatten up before winter. “Extreme drought conditions have limited natural forage in the higher elevations,” said Rachael Gonzales, Colorado Parks and Wildlife…

Weiser, Colorado Democrats maintain fundraising edge in final weeks before Election Day

Attorney General Phil Weiser entered the home stretch of the 2026 governor’s race with a significant financial advantage over his Republican rival, Victor Marx, disclosures show. Weiser’s campaign raised nearly $1.7 million in the third quarter of 2026, and reported $724,879 in cash on hand as of Oct. 1. That was…

Colorado Republicans navigate Trump’s unpopularity

In 2024, Gabe Evans put a huge banner on his campaign website highlighting Donald Trump’s endorsement of his run for Congress. Then a Republican state representative, Evans was running to unseat the Democratic incumbent in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District north of Denver. Trump went on to win the presidency for a…

Candidates in crucial Colorado congressional district trade barbs over voting records

The two candidates running to represent Colorado’s most competitive congressional district met Wednesday for their only debate ahead of the November election, sparring over federal immigration policy, affordability and the economy, and healthcare. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Fort Lupton Republican finishing his first term…

Advocates blast Trump campaign against in-state tuition for immigrants

WASHINGTON — Leading immigration advocates and experts sounded the alarm Wednesday on the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to undo state laws allowing some immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in the states where they reside. The U.S. Department of Justice has sued 24 states, Washington, D.C., and the…

No major gains projected for count of women in Congress after midterms

WASHINGTON — The number of women in the U.S. Senate is unlikely to increase and may decline following the November midterm elections, though there are still opportunities for candidates to make history in the upper chamber. Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, said on a…

As a Colorado coal mine closes, solar comes on

This commentary was originally published by Big Pivots. One chapter ended and another began last week in Colorado’s book-length transition from coal combustion to renewable generation of electricity. Both involved Platte River Power Authority, which delivers electricity to four municipalities along the northern Front…

Trump drops longtime aversion to mail-in voting with GOP trailing in polls

President Donald Trump wants to sharply curtail mail ballots. He’s called them “inherently corrupt” and baselessly condemned them as a major source of fraud. But with Republicans falling behind in the polls, the president is now urging his supporters to vote in the midterm elections any way they can, including by…

US House Dems’ campaign chief predicts they’ll gain majority control in midterms

WASHINGTON — Democrats expect they’ll gain a majority of seats in the U.S. House following November’s midterm elections, giving the party a platform to serve as a check on the president’s power. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said during an interview Monday that curbing the war in Iran…

Republican Victor Marx fined $58K for campaign finance violations

Victor Marx, the Republican nominee for Colorado governor, was assessed a fine of $57,647 on Friday by the Colorado secretary of state’s office for accepting campaign contributions in excess of the legal limit. The fine is believed to be the largest penalty ever assessed by the secretary of state’s Elections Division…

Hiring slows in September with job growth of 29K

Jobs across the United States rose by 29,000 in September, a disappointing result as recent growth was also revised down in Friday’s monthly jobs report, the last one before midterm elections. September growth was a large dip from a strong August number that was revised down from 162,000 to 133,000 in the new report…

In 1876, Colorado Republicans emerged victorious in the first state elections

After a month-long sprint of political campaigning across the new Centennial State, Coloradans went to the polls to vote in the first state elections on Oct. 3, 1876 — and telegrams arriving in Denver throughout the day soon left little doubt as to who the victors would be. “By four o’clock in the afternoon it

Here’s what’s driving the Gen Z gender gap

Editor’s note: This story is part of Gen Z at the Ballot Box, a collaboration between States Newsroom and The 19th. Brenna Vandergeest was a teenager when her grandmother told her about Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court case that ended the federal right to an abortion. She said it lit a…

Victor Marx isn’t running for Colorado governor. He’s running for state pastor.

Victor Marx has made some spectacular headlines. The Republican nominee for Colorado governor can’t say how many people he’s killed. He claims to have participated in extraordinary exploits overseas as part of his ministry but refuses to substantiate what appear to be tall tales. He performs exorcisms — over the…

Colorado commission seeks economists for next phase of racial equity study

The Colorado legislative commission tasked with studying the effects of historical racism on Black Coloradans faces a funding gap as it seeks an economic contractor. The Black Coloradan Racial Equity Study Commission could need to raise around $215,000 to pay researchers to analyze a nearly-complete historical study…

Family of Renee Good sues federal government, Trump officials over killing

The family of Renee Good filed a pair of lawsuits against the federal government and top Trump administration officials Thursday morning, seeking compensation and a trial to determine the liability of several federal officials in Good’s killing. Good was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent…

US Senate leaves nation’s capital in advance of midterms with much still undone

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators departed Capitol Hill on Wednesday night for their campaign break, leaving numerous policy disputes unresolved. The chamber won’t return until Nov. 9 for the five-week lame-duck session, when party leaders will have to decide which bills they want to negotiate during what could be the final…

In Colorado, the majestic ponderosa pines are dying

This story was originally published by Capital & Main. The white Cessna banked right to reveal dense forests of Douglas fir, pines and quaking aspen in varying shades of green bathed in the early morning light. Yet secreted under the layered bark of some pines is a pest whose upcoming flight places Colorado’s highest…

Republican AGs sue abortion ‘shield law’ states in US Supreme Court

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and the attorneys general in Arkansas and Alabama filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court, suing California, Massachusetts and New York to invalidate the so-called “shield laws” that have allowed providers in those states to send abortion medication…

Schumer: Democratic US Senate may block Trump nominees for Supreme Court, lower courts

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated Wednesday that should Democrats regain control of the chamber following the elections, they plan to block judicial nominees sent up by President Donald Trump, including for any possible vacancies on the Supreme Court. “Look, the bottom line is, one of…

Trump TV ads paid for with $20M in Homeland Security funds, Dems find

President Donald Trump is tapping $20 million in Homeland Security funding to pay for TV ads that heavily feature him ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats said Tuesday as the promos critics call propaganda come under bipartisan attack. The Trump administration recently moved the funds into a U.S. Customs and…

Colorado awards $1M for projects to deter human-bear conflicts

Colorado is distributing $1 million across the state to fund projects designed to lower the number of run-ins between humans and hungry black bears seeking trashcan meals. The latest round of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Grants will fund 17 projects, the state announced Tuesday…

Implications of Michigan case for Craig coal unit in Colorado

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in southern Colorado recently to proclaim the virtues of coal-fired power. As a key player in the Trump administration, it’s his job to milk additional life out of a technology that in many places, including Colorado, is akin to a 15-year-old cell phone or a land line. Coal, he

Weld County group collecting petition signatures to block Global AI data center

A citizens group wants Weld County voters to have the final say on county commissioners’ recent approval of a large data center project near Windsor — and to require voter approval of all such developments in the future. Two petitions backed by the group Protect Our Water and Energy Resources, or POWER, were approved…

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sues to stop ICE detention center in Hudson

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued the federal government on Tuesday in an effort to stop or delay the opening of a new immigration detention facility in Hudson, alleging that the agencies in charge failed to perform a statutorily-required environmental review or provide information to the public before…

Governors pledge to oppose federal overreach — even when their party runs Washington

Democratic and Republican governors say they will more aggressively push back on federal overreach regardless of which party controls Washington. Earlier this month, the bipartisan National Governors Association for the first time in over a decade updated its internal principles on federalism — the system of power…

Colorado voters could see more poll monitors during the midterm election

Common Cause Colorado and its partners are preparing to expand a longstanding, nonpartisan election protection program during the midterm election with around 1,000 volunteer poll monitors, up from around 300 in 2024. “These are neighbors and folks of all political affiliations who are united around one purpose: to…

Trump thwarted in hunt for rare noncitizen voters as midterms near

Five weeks before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections. Even a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states access to a supercharged Department of Homeland…

Protecting our water means prioritizing local voices

For us locals, Aurora Reservoir is a point of pride, home to some of the cleanest tap water in the nation. Now, it’s become emblematic of a broader struggle shaping the future of the American West. When we formed Save The Aurora Reservoir in 2022 to push back against a sprawling oil and gas proposal

‘Dumbfounds us all’: Congress struggles with policies rippling from AI development

The challenges and dire threats surrounding the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence appear unlikely to move Congress or President Donald Trump to act as the U.S. Senate enters its last week before the midterms. The rapid emergence of the technology has sparked a host of policy debates, with some warning of an…

Trump administration revokes $810M approved by Congress for refugee aid and more

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress. The $810 million in the “pocket rescission” would have gone to refugee assistance programs at the Department of Health and Human…

Cap on state revenue collection would rise under Colorado ballot measure

Coloradans will again vote on a long list of statewide ballot measures in 2026 — but unlike in previous years, the state Legislature had hardly anything to do with it. Proposition NN, which asks voters to raise the cap on the amount of tax revenue the state is allowed to keep each year, is the

States put criminal justice, marijuana policies before voters in 2026

Voters in nine states will weigh changes to their criminal legal systems and drug policies this fall. The Nov. 3 ballot measures include questions about pretrial release, fentanyl and human trafficking penalties, immigration enforcement, traffic cameras, drug cartels and marijuana regulation. The measures reflect a…

Racial disparities ground challenge to Colorado Springs off-cycle elections

Voting rights groups unsuccessfully sued Colorado Springs in 2022, arguing the timing of the city’s municipal elections led to a racial disparity in voter turnout. They’re trying again now that a new Colorado law creates a local enforcement mechanism. The League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region, Citizens…

Colorado to get $250M in federal funding for electricity grid improvements

The Colorado Energy Office will receive $250 million from the federal government to improve electricity transmission links between Eastern and Western grids, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday. It’s part of $1.9 billion total to help fund 31 grid-improvement projects. “This means lower costs and fewer…

Democrats gain 4 in US Senate GOP on Iran war resolution, but vote falls short

WASHINGTON — Despite skyrocketing fuel prices and sinking approval ratings for President Donald Trump’s conflict in Iran ahead of the November midterms, Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ efforts Thursday to check the president’s unfettered military action in the Middle East. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa…

Voters to decide fate of state taxes this fall

This fall, voters in at least nine states will decide whether to cut, cap or raise taxes through ballot measures that will give them a direct hand in steering state tax policy in a conservative or progressive direction. Some states, such as California, will weigh whether to tax — or untax — their wealthiest residents.

Bring transparency back to Colorado courtrooms

Colorado law says state criminal courts must offer livestreams of their proceedings, but the state’s top judge has little use for that mandate. Citing abuse of the livestream feature, Monica Márquez, the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, last week ordered a 90-day pause on the requirement that courts…

Flock surveillance cameras raise constitutional questions, bipartisan US senators say

WASHINGTON — A vast and growing network of artificial intelligence-driven Flock cameras could violate constitutional privacy rights, U.S. senators on a Judiciary Committee subcommittee said during a Wednesday hearing. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, the chair of the Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, said the…

Judge skeptical of White House ban of 3 news outlets but holds off on ruling for now

WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly indicated during a Wednesday hearing he may order the Trump administration to reinstate White House press passes for reporters from three news organizations who had their credentials revoked this weekend. Kelly, of the U.S. District Court for the District of…

Colorado health insurance premiums expected to jump by 10% next year

Coloradans who buy their health insurance on the individual market, rather than getting coverage through their employer, will see around a 10% increase in their premiums next year, the state’s Department of Insurance announced Tuesday. The state’s average is less than the 15% national median, but it differs based on…

​ID number would have to appear on Colorado mail ballots if amendment passes

Coloradans who vote with a mail ballot must sign the ballot envelope. If voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment in November, they would also need to include an ID number on the envelope. Amendment 84 would require voters to write the last four digits of their Social Security number, their Colorado driver’s…

GOP’s ‘rubberstamp’ of Trump puts US Senate in play, Dem campaign chair says

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats believe they could pick up as many as six seats following this November’s midterm elections, despite Republicans having better fundraising numbers and break-even polling in several states. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand said during a sit-down…