By | and | | The Denver PostA familiar feeling of hurt and exhaustion sank in for Black lawmakers last week when state GOP Rep. Ron Hanks on the Colorado House floor before launching into a defense of the three-fifths compromise of 1787, which counted Black slaves in the U.S. as less than whole people.Hanks, who is from rural Penrose, was mistaken for GOP Rep. Mike Lynch last Thursday during debate over .“Being called Mr. Lynch might be a good thing for what I’m about to say. No, just kidding,” Hanks said, then described the three-fifths compromise as “not impugning anybody’s humanity” but...…By | and | | The Denver PostA familiar feeling of hurt and exhaustion sank in for Black lawmakers last week when state GOP Rep. Ron Hanks on the Colorado House floor before launching into a defense of the three-fifths compromise of 1787, which counted Black slaves in the U.S. as less than whole people.Hanks, who is from rural Penrose, was mistaken for GOP Rep. Mike Lynch last Thursday during debate over .“Being called Mr. Lynch might be a good thing for what I’m about to say. No, just kidding,” Hanks said, then described the three-fifths compromise as “not impugning anybody’s humanity” but...WW…

By | | The Denver PostColorado is one signature away from providing housing benefits to residents — a first-of-its-kind policy in the U.S., according to state officials.The Senate followed in the House’s footsteps on Tuesday, giving final passage to a bill that would affect the roughly 180,000 people estimated to be living in Colorado without authorization.Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, which administers housing assistance programs and requested that lawmakers bring this bill, believes the state will be the first in the nation to allow people “to apply for, and receive,...…By | | The Denver PostColorado is one signature away from providing housing benefits to residents — a first-of-its-kind policy in the U.S., according to state officials.The Senate followed in the House’s footsteps on Tuesday, giving final passage to a bill that would affect the roughly 180,000 people estimated to be living in Colorado without authorization.Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, which administers housing assistance programs and requested that lawmakers bring this bill, believes the state will be the first in the nation to allow people “to apply for, and receive,...WW…

By | | The Denver PostRecent renderings reviewed by The Post showed a six-foot-tall, wrought-iron black fence that rings the building, which is a landmark in downtown Denver, but does not cut off doorways or the Capitol steps.The funding is baked into an $8 million budget allotment for Capitol construction — spending described in public budget documents merely as “security upgrades.”We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful,...…By | | The Denver PostRecent renderings reviewed by The Post showed a six-foot-tall, wrought-iron black fence that rings the building, which is a landmark in downtown Denver, but does not cut off doorways or the Capitol steps.The funding is baked into an $8 million budget allotment for Capitol construction — spending described in public budget documents merely as “security upgrades.”We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful,...WW…

By | | The Denver PostConfident it can prevent mass death and an overwhelmed hospital system moving forward, Colorado is preparing to relax restrictions even in counties where coronavirus cases rates remain high.On a call Saturday with city and county leaders, state officials presented a new guideline for more lenient county-level rules, with more changes planned for mid-2021.The changes will allow for greater economic and social freedoms, reflecting the state’s confidence that it can avoid overwhelming hospitals with cases, as the oldest and most at-risk populations of Colorado are...…By | | The Denver PostConfident it can prevent mass death and an overwhelmed hospital system moving forward, Colorado is preparing to relax restrictions even in counties where coronavirus cases rates remain high.On a call Saturday with city and county leaders, state officials presented a new guideline for more lenient county-level rules, with more changes planned for mid-2021.The changes will allow for greater economic and social freedoms, reflecting the state’s confidence that it can avoid overwhelming hospitals with cases, as the oldest and most at-risk populations of Colorado are...WW…

By | | The Denver PostRanked-choice voting already happens in two Colorado towns, and it’s catching on in places like New York City, Maine and Alaska.This year, Colorado lawmakers are likely to pass a bill designed to make it easier for more local governments to join in.Advocates say the alternative method of voting limits polarization, thwarts “spoiler” candidates and eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming runoff elections. It can also be quite confusing, and backers and opponents of the upcoming bill alike are nervous about the challenge of educating voters and getting their...…By | | The Denver PostRanked-choice voting already happens in two Colorado towns, and it’s catching on in places like New York City, Maine and Alaska.This year, Colorado lawmakers are likely to pass a bill designed to make it easier for more local governments to join in.Advocates say the alternative method of voting limits polarization, thwarts “spoiler” candidates and eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming runoff elections. It can also be quite confusing, and backers and opponents of the upcoming bill alike are nervous about the challenge of educating voters and getting their...WW…

By | | The Denver PostGov. Jared Polis said he believes incarcerated people, who’ve been subject to many of Colorado’s most severe coronavirus outbreaks, should not receive access to upcoming vaccines ahead of free people.It’s a position he’s stated twice in the last week, and that seems to go against Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment published weeks ago. That framework puts incarcerated people at the top of Phase 2 (of three) — below “critical workforce” and “highest-risk individuals,” but ahead of the general public and people deemed high-risk but not “highest-risk,”...…By | | The Denver PostGov. Jared Polis said he believes incarcerated people, who’ve been subject to many of Colorado’s most severe coronavirus outbreaks, should not receive access to upcoming vaccines ahead of free people.It’s a position he’s stated twice in the last week, and that seems to go against Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment published weeks ago. That framework puts incarcerated people at the top of Phase 2 (of three) — below “critical workforce” and “highest-risk individuals,” but ahead of the general public and people deemed high-risk but not “highest-risk,”...WW…

By | | The Denver PostColorado bars and eateries that have been ordered to limit their capacity are getting a temporary tax break from the state and uncertainty for the industry.Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday that via executive order he has suspended collection of the 2.9% sales tax that businesses must typically return to the government. That means businesses affected by the executive order — bars, restaurants and food trucks — can hang onto an extra $2.90 per $100 in revenue.“Colorado’s restaurants, bars, and food trucks are among the small businesses that have been hit the hardest...…By | | The Denver PostColorado bars and eateries that have been ordered to limit their capacity are getting a temporary tax break from the state and uncertainty for the industry.Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday that via executive order he has suspended collection of the 2.9% sales tax that businesses must typically return to the government. That means businesses affected by the executive order — bars, restaurants and food trucks — can hang onto an extra $2.90 per $100 in revenue.“Colorado’s restaurants, bars, and food trucks are among the small businesses that have been hit the hardest...WW…

By | | The Denver PostOne in 49 Coloradans is now contagious with COVID-19, Gov. Jared Polis said Friday, citing estimates from the Colorado School of Public Health.That’s a dramatic leap from last week’s estimate of 1 in 110. In late October, officials estimated the average was 1 in 292.“If you have five people over, you’ve got a 1 in 10 chance of being exposed to the virus right there,” Polis said during a virtual press conference Friday. “Literally everybody that you encounter could be contagious at this time.“Now is the time when what was always reasonably safe is no longer reasonably...…By | | The Denver PostOne in 49 Coloradans is now contagious with COVID-19, Gov. Jared Polis said Friday, citing estimates from the Colorado School of Public Health.That’s a dramatic leap from last week’s estimate of 1 in 110. In late October, officials estimated the average was 1 in 292.“If you have five people over, you’ve got a 1 in 10 chance of being exposed to the virus right there,” Polis said during a virtual press conference Friday. “Literally everybody that you encounter could be contagious at this time.“Now is the time when what was always reasonably safe is no longer reasonably...WW…

GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | The Denver PostColorado’s is designed to be data-driven and binary. If a county crosses certain thresholds that indicate worsening spread of the coronavirus, tougher restrictions follow via an order from the state.But data and interviews with county health officials and political leaders throughout Colorado reveal that the dial system turns out to be highly fungible, delivering citizens and businesses a patchwork of regulations informed partly by data and partly by politics.A person can run errands in two...…GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | The Denver PostColorado’s is designed to be data-driven and binary. If a county crosses certain thresholds that indicate worsening spread of the coronavirus, tougher restrictions follow via an order from the state.But data and interviews with county health officials and political leaders throughout Colorado reveal that the dial system turns out to be highly fungible, delivering citizens and businesses a patchwork of regulations informed partly by data and partly by politics.A person can run errands in two...WW…

GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | The Denver PostOn a bright October morning, with a gun on her hip and a Donald Trump “45” hat on her head, rolls up in a large SUV to a small park in the tiny western Colorado town of Collbran.She connects a phone to her loudspeaker and kicks off a hand-picked playlist with a of the national anthem turned way, way up. Nodding her head and mouthing the lyrics, a fired-up Boebert sets out to meet with voters who see in her the future of the state’s GOP.“We’ve had the discussion of should we sell? Move out of the...…GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.XBy | | The Denver PostOn a bright October morning, with a gun on her hip and a Donald Trump “45” hat on her head, rolls up in a large SUV to a small park in the tiny western Colorado town of Collbran.She connects a phone to her loudspeaker and kicks off a hand-picked playlist with a of the national anthem turned way, way up. Nodding her head and mouthing the lyrics, a fired-up Boebert sets out to meet with voters who see in her the future of the state’s GOP.“We’ve had the discussion of should we sell? Move out of the...WW…