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Coloradans From Every Political Party, Age Group and Region Want Politicians To Do Something About the Cost of Living

Jun 10, 2024

There’s a catchall phrase that’s been tossed around as parody for decades, but feels increasingly earnest: In this

Voter Guide 2024: State Senate Primary Races Q&A

Registered voters in Colorado should have received their ballots in the mail for the June 25 primary, which includes

A New Sol Rises

Jun 7, 2024

The Sopris Sun is proud to announce that beginning June 28, el Sol del Valle will embrace a new look, a new

Inside the News: Longmont Leader News Site Closes – ‘A Day I Hoped Would Never Come’

Jun 6, 2024

Colorado seems like a bust for the Canadian-owned local news publisher that tried to replicate its success in the

Court Briefs Lay Out Arguments in Boulder Lawsuit Over Fees for Police Body-Cam Footage

Jun 5, 2024

Are Colorado law enforcement agencies allowed to charge the public thousands of dollars for body-worn camera footage of

We Are Asking Coloradans What They Want Candidates To Focus on This Election. Thousands Have Answered.

Thousands of Coloradans responding to a survey by their local newsrooms say candidates competing for their votes this

Coloradans Want Their Candidates Focused on Good Government and Democracy. But That Can Mean a Lot of Things.

A lot of Coloradans are worried about our democracy. And they want candidates to pay attention to it too. That is the

West End Readers Make Voices Heard in Election Survey

It’s an election year, and the San Miguel Basin Forum has been asking locals this spring what they want to hear from

Where Republican Candidates in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District Stand on Big Issues

Jun 4, 2024

The GOP-leaning district spans Colorado’s Western Slope and stretches into Pueblo and southeastern Colorado. U.S.

State of News: Colorado

Tracking trends, anticipating challenges and spotting opportunities to make Colorado’s news ecosystem ever

State of News: Colorado 2023

Jun 3, 2024

The 2023 State of News: Colorado is based on the most comprehensive survey of state news outlets to date. In October

Voters Across Colorado, and Chaffee County Say “Democracy” Top Issue for 2024 Election

May 30, 2024

Earlier this year, Ark Valley Voice (AVV) made a commitment to our readers for what we called “engaged

Its Radio Transmissions Encrypted Since 2016, Aurora Police Considered — Then Rejected — a Delayed Public Feed on Broadcastify

The death at age 89 of longtime police reporter Marilyn Robinson brought to mind an enduring image for those of us who

Inside the News: Fewer Colorado Journalists Covering the Arts Is ‘Bad for Everyone’

A dozen years ago, critic and commentator John Moore left the Denver Post. Typically, a journalist accepting a buyout

Ability To Afford Housing a Top Concern for Young Colorado Voters

May 29, 2024

Young voters in Colorado are worried about their ability to afford rent across the state, but they haven’t heard

Judge: Lakewood Police Must Disclose Blurred Body-Cam Footage of Officers Shooting and Killing 17-Year-Old

May 24, 2024

A judge Friday ordered the Lakewood Police Department to release blurred body-worn camera footage of officers shooting

Court of Appeals: All Coloradans Have Legal Standing To Sue Over Open Meetings Law Violations — No Matter Where They Live

May 23, 2024

A Pagosa Springs attorney who has filed nearly 100 open-government lawsuits in the past several years has standing to

Inside the News: New ‘Locally Owned’ Digital News Site Estes Valley Voice To Launch in Colorado

A picturesque town at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park will be the latest setting for a new digital news outlet

Inside the News: Colorado Springs Indy RETURNS as a Bi-Weekly Newspaper

May 17, 2024

Three months after two wealthy local developers announced they would relaunch the iconic Indy alternative weekly

Colorado Passed a Law To Crack Down on Dishonest Officers by Pulling Their Certifications. Has It Worked?

May 15, 2024

Nearly 70 Colorado law enforcement officers have lost their state-mandated certifications since 2020 after being

Inside the News: ‘Death Threats’ Says a Small-Town Newspaper Publisher in Colorado

May 10, 2024

A rural Colorado newspaper publisher says he has faced threats and harassment as his town has lurched into the paranoid

Wrap-Up: Tally of Open-Government Losses in 2024 Colorado Legislative Session Could’ve Been Higher

May 9, 2024

It could have been worse. While open-government losses far outnumbered wins in the 2024 session of the Colorado General

The Colorado Lotus Project: A Statewide Look at the Strengths and Barriers Facing Colorado’s Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Community

May 8, 2024

The Colorado Lotus Project is a groundbreaking effort to uplift the unique voices and experiences of Asian American and

Inside the News: KOAA ‘Under Pressure’ Not To Air ‘Jailhouse Video’ Does It Anyway — and Explains Why

May 3, 2024

KOAA News5 in Colorado Springs says authorities pressured it not to air video it legally obtained — but the TV

Proposed Ban on Fees for Body-Worn Camera Footage Dies With Law Enforcement Whistleblower Bill

A proposal to ban the charging of fees for unedited body-worn camera footage, released to the public under the 2020 Law

We Asked, ‘What Matters to You in This Election?’ Here’s a Bit of What We’ve Heard So Far

May 2, 2024

One month ago, CPR joined newsrooms across the state to launch an ambitious project: invite the people of Colorado to

Bill To Address Cora ‘Abuse’ Dies in State Senate Committee

May 1, 2024

State senators Wednesday killed a bill that would have given state and local government entities more time to respond

Senate Bill To Protect Librarians Would Make ‘Request for Reconsideration’ Forms Open Records Under Cora

Apr 30, 2024

Update: Gov. Jared Polis signed SB 24-216 into law on Friday, May 31. People who want library books removed from

Inside the News: Local Media Smackdown — Gazette vs KRDO in Colorado Springs

Apr 26, 2024

In a rare development, two local news organizations in Colorado Springs — the daily newspaper and a commercial TV

Bill Lets County Clerks Delay Cora Responses up to 20 Working Days Around Elections — Except for Journalists’ Requests

Apr 25, 2024

Update: Gov. Jared Polis signed SB 24-210 into law on Thursday, June 6. A House amendment adopted May 5 limits the

Provision in Colorado Law Enforcement Bill Restricts Fees for Body-Worn Camera Footage

Apr 24, 2024

Update: An amended version of HB 24-1460 died in the House on a 31-33 vote on Friday, May 3. See this blog article. A

Sponsor Expects Public Body Livestreaming Bill Will Die in House Appropriations Committee

Apr 23, 2024

A bill to require the livestreaming of meetings of state and local boards, councils and commissions “will not go

Colorado Lawmakers Remove ‘Vexatious’ Requester Provision From Bill That Lengthens Cora Deadlines

Apr 20, 2024

A bill in the Colorado legislature aimed at curbing the “abuse of CORA” no longer contains a provision for labeling

Inside the News: A Look Into Colorado’s Journalism Workforce Pipeline

Apr 19, 2024

In Colorado, the mountain snowpack is melting, green shoots are poking through mulch, and some college journalism

Ballot Title Set for Proposed Initiative To Repeal New Open Meetings Law Exemptions for Colorado Legislators

Apr 18, 2024

The title is set for a proposed Colorado initiative to repeal newly enacted legislation that narrows the definition of

Yellow Scene Lawsuit Challenges $2,857 Fee for Body-Cam Footage of Fatal Boulder Police Shooting

Apr 12, 2024

A lawsuit challenges the Boulder Police Department’s insistence that a news organization pay the city nearly $3,000

Inside the News: Donations Surge to Colorado Sun After GOP Ejected Its Reporter From Event

Thousands of dollars have poured into the Colorado Sun this week and dozens of people have signed up as new members of

Hospitals Suing Patients Over Unpaid Bills Would Have To Put Their Names on the Lawsuits Under New Colorado Bill

Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent hospitals from publicly concealing their involvement in

Amended Colorado Autopsy Bill Requires Release of Deceased Minor’s Name in Summary Report

Apr 11, 2024

Update: The House concurred with Senate amendments to HB 24-1244 and repassed the bill on Friday, Apr. 19, sending it

Bill To Exempt Legislative Affinity Caucuses From the Colorado Open Meetings Law Dies in Committee

Apr 10, 2024

State lawmakers Tuesday killed a bill that would have codified 41-year-old case law by making the legislature’s

The Dangerous Silencing of Sandra Fish: A Call to Stand for Democracy

In an alarming act against press freedom and your right to know, Sandra Fish, a seasoned Colorado Sun reporter, was

An Open Letter Regarding the Unwarranted Ouster of Journalist Sandra Fish from the Colorado Republican State Assembly

Apr 9, 2024

The Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), Colorado Press Association, Colorado Broadcasters Association, Colorado Media

Voter Voices 2024

Apr 8, 2024

Election coverage that puts voters

Inside the News: Could Colorado’s Political Journalism Be the Best in the Nation in 2024?

Apr 5, 2024

More than two dozen Colorado newsrooms have launched an unprecedented collaboration to better cover the 2024 elections.

Colorado Legislators Advance Bill To Shield Evaluations of Educators From Public Disclosure

Apr 3, 2024

Update: The Colorado House passed SB 24-132 on a 50-11 vote on Monday, Apr. 8, sending the bill to Gov. Jared Polis. A

The $1.3 Billion-Plus Problem: Explaining Medical Debt in Colorado Using 7 Charts

Picture a room with 100 people in it — just regular adults, people with jobs and monthly bills and credit scores. In

La deuda médica afecta a gran parte de EE.UU., pero en especial a inmigrantes en Colorado  

DENVER, Colorado. — En febrero, la hija adolescente de Norma Brambila le escribió una carta que ahora lleva en su

Medical Debt Affects Much of America, but Colorado Immigrants Are Hit Especially Hard

DENVER — In February, Norma Brambila’s teenage daughter wrote her a letter she now carries in her purse. It is a

Inside the News: The Liberal Media in Colorado

Apr 2, 2024

Over the years, Colorado Republicans in this one-party state that is controlled overwhelmingly by Democrats have

Inside the News: Colorado Press Group’s Board Leader Resigns Following ‘Recent Stories’

Mar 29, 2024

The board president of the Colorado Press Association, Brian Porter, resigned his position this week after the news

Court of Appeals: City’s Draft Financial Report Is a Public Record Under CORA

Mar 28, 2024

The draft of an annual financial report prepared by Durango city officials for later submission to the state auditor is

Inside the News: Man Bites Dog – A New (Checks Notes) Printing Press Comes to Colorado

Mar 15, 2024

News on the newspaper printing front in Colorado in the past year — or few years — has been bleak. In

Colorado Leads On Medical Debt Protections, Even As Health Care Costs Remain ‘Out of Control’

Mar 11, 2024

Lindsey Vance carried medical debt for nearly half her life.  The 41-year-old Denver resident said her debt began

Inside the News: Layoffs lash Colorado Public Radio, Slicing Into Podcasts and Production

Mar 8, 2024

This year has already been brutal for the local media business with layoffs lashing newsrooms coast to coast at outlets

Inside the News: Colorado Media Odds & Ends — Medicated Roundup Edition

Mar 1, 2024

💊 This week’s newsletter was produced in recovery mode, sidelined by an unfun medical issue — so it’s

UCHealth Demanda a Miles De Pacientes Cada Año. Pero No Encontrarás Su Nombre En Los Documentos

Feb 28, 2024

AURORA — El anillo brillaba: oro blanco de 18 quilates, de doble banda, con un diamante de 1.5 quilates en el

Colorado Supreme Court Will Review Appellate Ruling That Keeps Peace Officer Database Confidential

Feb 26, 2024

The Colorado Supreme Court will review whether appellate judges wrongly decided the Peace Officer Standards and

Colorado Bill Sets Up a Public ‘Clearinghouse’ of Draft Legislation In Between General Assembly Sessions

Feb 23, 2024

State lawmakers could voluntarily post drafts of proposed legislation — before legislative sessions begin — on a

Inside the News: Colorado Joins National Press Forward Local News Campaign

This week, a cluster of Colorado foundations announced they have joined a national fundraising campaign to galvanize

Court of Appeals: Town Board’s Closed-Door Censure of Trustee Violated Colorado Open Meetings Law

Feb 22, 2024

The town board of Del Norte violated the Colorado Open Meetings Law by censuring a fellow board member during a closed

CFOIC/ACLU Brief: Court of Appeals Must Not Restrict Legal Standing To File Open Meetings Lawsuits

Feb 20, 2024

Denying a Pagosa Springs lawyer legal standing to sue a school district because he doesn’t live within its boundaries

UCHealth Sues Thousands of Patients Every Year. But You Won’t Find Its Name on the Lawsuits.

AURORA — The ring sparkled: 18-karat white gold, double-banded, with a 1.5-carat diamond at its center. It was

Hospital Doesn’t Use Its Own Name When Suing Patients

Feb 17, 2024

For years, Colorado’s largest and most prominent medical provider did something that seemed to go against its family

Inside the News: Local Developers Buy Indy Alt-Weekly and Colorado Springs Business Journal

Two high-profile businessmen and major developers in Colorado’s second-largest city have become the new owners of the

Diagnosis: Debt Colorado

Feb 16, 2024

Examining the scale, impact and consequences of medical debt in

Colorado House Bill Lets Governments Label Records Requesters As ‘Vexatious,’ Take Longer To Comply With Requests, Withhold Records That ‘Invade’ Privacy

Records custodians would have the power to deem someone a “vexatious requester” and bar that person from obtaining

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Bill on AG’s Office Study of Misinformation and Disinformation

Feb 15, 2024

A legislative committee Wednesday narrowly endorsed a proposed $150,000 study by the Colorado Attorney General on ways

Six Years After Governor’s Veto, Another Colorado Bill Seeks To Seal Autopsy Reports on Minors

Nearly six years after then-Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed a bill to seal autopsy reports on minors, Colorado’s county

Inside the News: How Some Colorado Newsrooms Are Using Artificial Intelligence

Feb 10, 2024

This week, John Hickenlooper, who represents Colorado in the U.S. Senate, spoke at a CU Boulder conference where he

‘NO ACTION TAKEN’: Judge’s Terse Response to BusinessDen Motion To Lift Contempt Order

More than two months after BusinessDen asked a judge to set aside her contempt threat against reporter Justin

Inside the News: How $360K Will Flow To ‘Advance Equity and Inclusion’ in Colorado Local News

Feb 3, 2024

Colorado Media Project, which underwrites this newsletter, announced this week how more than $360,000 will flow to

Court of Appeals Affirms Judge’s Order Requiring Release of Woodland Park School District Security Footage

Feb 2, 2024

The state’s second-highest court Thursday affirmed a judge’s order to disclose video surveillance footage showing

Competing Court Cases Focus on Disciplinary Records of Elizabeth Police Chief Who Resigned

Jan 31, 2024

A judge will decide whether disciplinary records about the former police chief of Elizabeth are “personnel files”

Inside the News: Springs Cops Asked a TV Station To Remove Video of a Mysterious Explosion. KKTV Complied.

Jan 27, 2024

Earlier this month, a mysterious billowy object similar in size and shape to a paper IKEA floor lamp floated over a

Colorado Bill Adjusts 2023 Law Requiring Redaction of Juveniles’ Names From Criminal Justice Records

Jan 21, 2024

Update: Gov. Jared Polis signed HB 24-1090 into law on Tuesday, Feb. 20. State lawmakers want to adjust a 2023 juvenile

Inside the News: Stolen Newspapers After a Front-Page Exposé on Colorado’s West Slope

Jan 20, 2024

UPDATE: Saturday, Jan. 20, 3:20 p.m.: Reached by phone, Paul Choate, a local restaurant owner in Ridgway, said he

Inside the News: Colorado Media Odds & Ends — Post-Post-Holiday Roundup

Jan 13, 2024

 This week’s newsletter was produced transcontinentally, so it’s just a roundup. Hopefully it compliments

Judge: Some Emails About a Cyberattack at the State Higher Education Department Can’t Be Disclosed

Jan 12, 2024

Certain records about a June 2023 cyberattack at the Colorado Department of Higher Education are subject to CORA’s

Pagosa Springs Attorney Who Has Filed Nearly 100 Open Government Lawsuits Defends His Role as a ‘Private Attorney General’

Jan 11, 2024

A Pagosa Springs lawyer who routinely sues school boards around the state for violations of the open meetings law is

Lawmakers’ Use of Anonymous ‘Quadratic Voting’ System Violates Colorado’s Open Meetings Law, Judge Rules

Jan 7, 2024

Colorado lawmakers’ use of an anonymous private survey to prioritize bills impacting the state budget “thwarts the

ACLU, CFOIC Brief: Colorado Supreme Court Should Reaffirm a Litigant’s Right To Use CORA

Jan 4, 2024

The state’s highest court should reaffirm that people who sue state and local government entities are still entitled

Human Services Asks Colorado Supreme Court To Review Appellate Ruling on Disclosure of Child Abuse Statistics

Jan 3, 2024

The Colorado Department of Human Services wants the state’s highest court to review a recent appellate court opinion

Inside the News: What Happened in Colorado’s Media World in 2023

Jan 1, 2024

Hello, and welcome to 2024 at Inside the News in Colorado. Each January, I write a year-in-review column for the

CFOIC’s 2023 Year in Review: Denver School Board, Red Rocks, Disappearing Messages, CORA Changes, Livestreamed Courts and a Theater Surveillance Video

Dec 29, 2023

Several key rulings in 2023 showed why courts matter so much for enforcing and interpreting Colorado’s open

Inside the News: Colorado Springs Indy Alt-Weekly Is ‘Shutting Down, Going Dark in January.’ Then What?

Dec 22, 2023

Colorado’s second-largest city, which is about the 40th largest in the nation, seems poised to lose its alternative

Obtaining Criminal Court Records May Take Longer Because of New Colorado Law Requiring Redaction of Juveniles’ Names

Dec 21, 2023

Because of a 2023 law that protects the privacy of juveniles, the Colorado Judicial Department plans to limit

Inside the News: ‘Bigger Picture, Slower Stuff’: A Rural Reporting Experiment in Southwest Colorado

Dec 15, 2023

For the past six months, a journalist for the Daily Yonder, a national nonprofit news outlet focused on rural

12 Ways To Improve Colorado’s Open Government Laws

Dec 13, 2023

Three years ago, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition published a “wish list” of recommendations for

Inside the News: A Colorado Reporter Defies and Fights a Judge’s Order To Return Court Documents

Dec 8, 2023

Late last month, a Colorado judge made the remarkable decision to order Justin Wingerter of BusinessDen to return

Court of Appeals Sides With Aurora Sentinel in Open Meetings Case, Orders Release of City Council Executive Session Recording

In a victory for the Aurora Sentinel, the Colorado Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling Thursday and

‘A Classic Prior Restraint’: BusinessDen Reporter Defies Court Order To Return Suppressed Civil Suit Records

Dec 6, 2023

Update: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed an amicus letter with the court in support of

Inside the News: Who Is Buying the Iconic Denver Post Building? The City of Denver

Dec 1, 2023

On a Sunday in March of 2009, a crane company pulled up to 101 W. Colfax Ave. in downtown Denver. There, workers began

Rogue Officers Bounce Between Communities, Often With Few Consequences

Nov 30, 2023

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story contained a photo that misidentified an officer as Parker Police

Inside the News: A Roundup of Colorado-Based Podcasts

Nov 24, 2023

A reader emailed recently to ask if I knew of a good roundup of Colorado-based podcasts. “We’re updating our list

Colorado Court Holds That Public Officials’ Text Messages on Cellphones Are Public Records

Nov 20, 2023

On October 30, 2023, a Colorado state court judge determined that two Denver city officials had improperly withheld

Inside the News: What Might Happen to the Silver World Newspaper in Lake City, Colorado?

Nov 16, 2023

Grant Houston started the weekly Silver World newspaper in Lake City right out of college when he was 23. For 46 years

Newspaper Editor Asks Colorado Supreme Court To Reverse Ruling That Shields Identities of People Who Want Library Books Banned or Reclassified

Are people who want books banned or reclassified library “users” whose identities are protected by Colorado law?

News Organizations Object to Suppression of Sex Assault Case Records That Were Admitted Into Evidence in Open Court Hearings

Nov 15, 2023

A judge’s decision to restrict access to records in the case of a cardiologist accused of sexually assaulting and

Inside the News: Colorado’s Indie Journalists Keep Local Legacy Media in the Mix

Nov 11, 2023

For the past few years, a movement has been spreading in Colorado. In multiple cities and towns, journalists have left

Court Briefs Lay Out Arguments in Open Meetings/CORA Lawsuit Over Lawmakers’ Use of Anonymous Ballot System

Nov 8, 2023

In a new court brief, leaders of the Colorado General Assembly defend their use during recent legislative sessions of

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