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It was a night filled with costumes, kegs, and partying. One problem, it took place at the Colorado Governor's Mansion. photos posted on the internet show Governor Bill Ritter's 22-year-old son August Ritter III drinking from a keg at a recent masquerade party held at the historic home. The other picture shows August Ritter and an unidentified female playing around with the state flag. An invitation, reading, "Mansion Masquerade-Because Life is Too Tasty Not to Party"-

Big snow equals big lines, but avy hazards linger. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. That’s what diehard skiers are saying this year, milking every last drop of pleasure from a a winter that just won’t seem to end... some of the best skiing of the season ... where winter-like snow lingers in the steepest notches and chutes. The relatively dense spring snow settles more quickly than mid-winter powder, and this is prime-time for the hike-to terrain. “It was sweet,” Local backcountry skiers are talking about big lines on big peaks, with solid top-to-bottom coverage on favorites like Buffalo Mountain...

Give retiring U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo a job at The Onion! The Littleton Republican got such a chuckle out of a Rocky story this morning about the University of Colorado's $9 million plan to bring high-profile political conservatives to teach on the left-leaning Boulder campus that he jokingly threw his hat in the ring. "I should be the clear favorite for the job," Tancredo said — tongue firmly in cheek — in a news release announcing he'd sent in his application. "Who doesn't want a slightly used Congressman, with a 98% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, educating their...

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH 131,000 Coloradans endorse 'personhood' plan Ballot initiative would extend constitution's protections to pre-born Posted: May 13, 2008 9:41 pm Eastern © 2008 WorldNetDaily Kristi Burton, spokeswoman for Colorado for Equal Rights, and her mother announcing more than 131,000 Coloradans want a personhood amendment on the 2008 election ballot More than 131,000 Coloradans have endorsed a plan to put an initiative on the fall 2008 election ballot that would allow voters to extend the U.S. Constitution's protections to those who haven't been born yet, something supporters say the U.S. founders intended all along. In a campaign...

Unlicensed drivers would see their cars impounded under a Denver ballot measure that opponents say targets illegal immigrants. The proposed ordinance states: "Unlicensed drivers including illegal aliens are not eligible for auto insurance and pose a significant danger to the people of the city and county of Denver when driving and must be prevented from doing so in every way possible." Backers have gathered enough signatures to have the item placed on the ballot in August should City Council members choose not to adopt it. At least one council member is opposed. Bruce Wright, identified in documents submitted to the...

In a breach of the local code of ethics -- and possibly the law -- 32 are killed after straying onto a neighbor's land.FAIRPLAY, COLO. -- This is not a place where buffalo are welcome to roam. When 32 bison lumbered across a fence that separated their owners' vast, wind-swept expanse of land from a neighboring ranch in March, they ended up dead. Some fell where they were shot. Others scattered, galloping for miles before they succumbed in the snow. They were victims, contend the bison's owners, of a murder plot hatched by the neighbor, a Texan frustrated by what...

A heavy spring snowstorm moved across Colorado on May Day and was expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow in the high country. Wintry weather was blamed for a rash of minor accidents that closed westbound Interstate 70 for about 90 minutes just west of Denver on Thursday. "There's a lot of slide-offs, fender-bender types," State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said. "There's nothing like serious injuries or anything, but it caused the road to be closed." Watkins said up to 40 cars were involved in minor accidents on U.S. 36 near Lyons, 30 miles northwest of Denver....

The matchup was inevitable. For the past two months, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff ... His complex proposal would undo the tightest part of that knot by lifting the spending limits imposed by the 1992 Taxpayer's Bill of Rights... Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs,... "For this purpose, I come before you as the author of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, and as is my wont, I will speak plainly," he began. "This measure, if adopted, will mean unlimited state spending forever." Bruce railed against what he saw as a conspiracy by the "tax-and-spend crowd" to "con" voters into giving up government...

DENVER -- Lawmakers in the state are trying to determine what kind of action will be taken against Republican Rep. Douglas Bruce after he was ordered to leave the podium of the Colorado House of Representatives for saying that Colorado doesn't need "5,000 more illiterate peasants." Bruce made the comment Monday during a debate on a bill that would allow the state to help immigrant workers get temporary visas from the federal government. Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who was chairing the floor debate, ordered Bruce to leave the speaker's podium after saying, "How dare you?" Bruce denied later he was...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A 33-year-old Colorado Springs woman who may have sparked a massive child-protection raid at a polygamist compound in Texas kept a steady job and gave no hint of her activities to those closest to her. "She is the last person I would expect to do something like this," said a woman in her mid-20s who described herself as the roommate of Rozita Swinton. Speaking at the door of their apartment, the roommate described Swinton as a steady, soft-hearted person. But growing evidence indicates Swinton repeatedly made calls to authorities in multiple jurisdictions, setting off large emergency...

"Nine, eight, seven ..." A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on the University of Colorado's Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m. Sunday. Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU's Boulder campus every April 20 -- the date of an annual, internationally recognized celebration of marijuana -- began rising over the sea of heads earlier than normal this year. "Oh forget it," one student said, aborting the countdown to 4:20 p.m. and lighting his pipe early. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, long drag. "Sweet." Although it's become an annual and renowned...

"Texas Rangers participated in the arrest of a Colorado woman who allegedly pretended to be a girl locked in a basement. The Rangers were in the state as part of their investigation into the Texas polygamy custody battle, local police told ABC News. It was unclear if the arrest was related to the phone call from a woman who claimed to be a 16-year-old girl, a phone call that sparked what has become one of the largest child custody cases in U.S. history. "

Gov. Bill Ritter paid more than $200,000 in campaign expenses out of his inaugural account in violation of campaign-finance laws, his office announced today as March disclosures come due. Ritter has put up his home as collateral on a $200,000 loan to repay the misspent funds...

Perched on a lonesome bluff above the dusty San Pedro River, about 30 miles east of Tucson, the ancient stone ruin archaeologists call the Davis Ranch Site doesn’t seem to fit in. Staring back from the opposite bank, the tumbled walls of Reeve Ruin are just as surprising. Some 700 years ago, as part of a vast migration, a people called the Anasazi, driven by God knows what, wandered from the north to form settlements like these, stamping the land with their own unique style. “Salado polychrome,” says a visiting archaeologist turning over a shard of broken pottery. Reddish on...

Heavenly Father we thank and praise You that You are raising up Your people to send out the battle cry against the killing fields of the abortuaries across the country. Father, we thank You for those who have stood in prayer, and those who are doing sidewalk counseling in front of Planned Parenthoods across this country. Father continue to strengthen and energize them, protecting them in the battle they are waging. Father we thank You for raising up people to bring forth legislation that protects the lives of ALL the unborn. Father we bring up the issues in Colorado in...

His movie chronicled the trial of the Chicago Seven, the free-wheeling activists whose protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention prompted a police riot and became a touchstone for the movement to end the war in Vietnam. (The "10" in the title includes co-defendent Bobby Seale and the two lawyers who defended them, William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass.) .... A year later, "Chicago 10" was the opening-night film at Sundance '07. The movie was sold to Roadside Attractions, which at first pushed for an August '07 release. But the political climate didn't seem ready for the movie, Morgen said. "There...

Federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis sat at the defense table in federal court Tuesday, but opening statements by his lawyer indicated that the legal team would try to put the actions of Gov. Bill Ritter and the city of Denver on trial. Bill Taylor, attorney for the special agent, said his client was "shocked, angered, and yes, bewildered" when he read statements by Ritter, then a candidate for governor, in an August 2006 newspaper article saying that when he was Denver district attorney, his office had always been tough on illegal immigration. Voorhis' experience as an immigration agent, and as...

A 50-vehicle pileup has closed I-70 in both directions at mile marker 195 on Vail Pass. The initial accident occurred on the westbound side of I-70 at mile marker 189 in Eagle County. The eastbound lane has also been closed at this time to allow emergency vehicles to access the scene. According to dispatch, there are numerous injuries and several possible amputations. There has been a mutual aid request for backup and many patients are being transported to St. Anthony's Summit Medical Center for treatment. "So far we have one patient in critical condition and two more patients just arrived...

Blaring at readers from newspapers across the nation was continuing evidence of the press' obsession for benchmarks of servicemen who've sacrificed their lives in Iraq, as if the 3,999th soldier to die -- or for that matter, the first -- merited no mention. This issue isn't about freedom of the press. It's about journalistic ethics. The media circle like vultures waiting for the next lapse in government accountability, but demands virtually unlimited freedom to use anonymous sources. Who polices the "policemen of democracy?" Why, they do, of course, creating their own rules of conduct (such as "Deliberate distortion is never...

RIYADH, 28 March 2008 — Shoura Council Chairman Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid has urged US authorities to review the case of Homaidan Al-Turki, a 37-year-old Saudi student who was found guilty in a Colorado state court of 12 counts of sexually assaulting his Indonesian maid. “The Saudi people sympathize with Homaidan Al-Turki and they closely follow up his case,” the Shoura chief said and hoped for a speedy end to the issue. He also emphasized the Kingdom’s respect for American justice. Al-Turki, a former Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado, maintains that he did not sexually assault the woman, whose...

Is that building at Colfax Avenue and Bannock Street still Denver City Hall, or have council members formally renamed it Denver Union Hall? If not, the rechristening may not be far off. After all, kowtowing to union interests has gotten so pronounced that one council member objected last week to a proposed contract with a company to manage airport parking for fear that its modest management fee signified a covert plan to cut union staffing. "That raised my eyebrows, and right away I thought that I hope that doesn't come on the backs of the employees," said councilman Paul Lopez.

The number of suspected salmonella cases linked to contaminated tap water in Alamosa, Colorado exceeded 200 Sunday. Of 216 reported cases, 68 were confirmed by lab results, public information officer Jim Shires said. health officials said may be caused by the municipal water system. Health officials said the Alamosa tap water tested positive for bacteria believed to be salmonella, but are awaiting final confirmation. Authorities said the first victim began showing symptoms around March 8. State emergency management officials activated an emergency operations center in the Denver suburb of Centennial to help coordinate deliveries of bottled water. “The risk that...

Cory Voorhis Bobby Marchetti and the Celebration Orchestra Rep. Tom Tancredo Bob Haworth - formerly with the Kingston Trio Silent Auction Support Cory's Legal Defense! Have fun! Ballroom (and other) dancing! Sunday, March 23, 2008, 4-8 pm Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave, Golden

Colorado's two largest newspapers and Elitch Gardens will host the biggest party of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, officials announced today. "This is going to be one of the biggest events ever in the city of Denver," Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth said. The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, through the Denver Newspaper Agency, will pay to host the so-called media party and will invite the 15,000 members of the media, the more than 6,000 delegates and alternates, and assorted Democratic VIPs. Partygoers will be treated to Colorado and southwest cuisine as well as cotton candy and snow...

The Greeley rally was held today with the spirit of D.C. in attendance. We had some V.F.W. Warriors with us and the honks were plenty.

Gun instructors, sellers cite politics, rash of shootings Jefferson County is seeing a startling rise in applications for concealed gun permits. Between March 1 and 11, the Jeffco sheriff's office received 246 applications from residents who want to carry firearms. That's five times the number of applications submitted for the entire month of March 2007, according to the sheriff's office. Since Jan. 1, the sheriff's office has received more than 500 concealed-carry applications, almost as many as all of 2006. Statewide, applications have risen nearly 50 percent between 2006 and 2007. Tiffany Morgan, a college student and part-time employee at...

COLORADO SPRINGS — Applications for concealed-weapon permits have skyrocketed in Colorado, with the increase fueled by everything from heavily publicized mass shootings to routine renewals, according to the state's sheriffs. In 2007, 9,880 people statewide sought permits, compared with 6,649 people in 2006 and 6,670 people in 2005, according to the County Sheriffs of Colorado. And the surge has continued into 2008 in several counties. Law-enforcement experts have different ideas on why more people want to carry concealed weapons. Some believe it is due to a rash of violent outbreaks at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and a mall in...

Do you think the cost of the Iraq war thus far has been worth it? (Read the story.) Total Votes = 384 Yes No I don't know

I have a mortgage on my Colorado primary residence with Bank of America, which is apparently a California company. The enforcement section of the CA FTB has sent me an enforcement letter, We received information that you made martgage payments to B of A, N.A. during 2006. The mortagage interest you paid indicates that you may have sufficient income to have a filing requirement for the 2006 tax year. We checked our records and are unable to locate your 2006 California income tax return. ... FYI I am a COLORADO resident, (employed in Colorado, living in Colorado, paid in Colorado,...

Colorado health officials estimate that it will cost $5 million to launch an emergency water-pumping program next week to avert a potential catastrophic blowout at an old mine tunnel here. Such an event could send a toxic brew laced with heavy metals into the Arkansas River and harm hundreds of people in this historic mountain community. Jim Martin, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told townspeople Friday the state will do everything it can to jump-start a response plan that includes pumping water out of the tunnel to relieve pressure and to treat the water...

University of Colorado regents on Wednesday selected Bruce Benson as the school's 22nd president, shelving concerns about his academic credentials and partisan background and instead funneling hope to his pledge to fix the school's financial problems.

Houston-based ConocoPhillips plans to build a new Global Technology Center and Corporate Learning Center on the 432-acre campus, which it recently purchased from Sun Microsystems. The technology center will serve as a hub for the company's research and development of renewable energy and high-tech carbon-fuels recovery.

According to Newsmax, The Telegraph is outlining a scenario by which Al Gore becomes the Democratic Nominee for President. In the unattributed report from Newsmax (meaning I can't give you a link), Gore comes into play after Clinton regains enough momentum in March to deflate Obama's current surge. The Clinton camp reportedly believes that if Obama doesn't deliver a knock-out blow before the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio, Hillary could win those races and regain the momentum, with many superdelegates uniting behind her to preserve party unity. That could lead to bitter battles at the Democratic convention in...

An estimated 1.5 billion gallons of water is straining on blockage in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, leading Lake County Commissioners to declare a state of emergency Wednesday. Commissioners issued the declaration because of lack of response to historic water levels accumulated in the mine pool east of Leadville. And, with a 168 percent of average snowpack, officials fear spring runoff could increase water level and pressure in the blocked drainage tunnel, leading to a catastrophic blowout. "At this blockage, there is a head of water almost 200 feet high pressing against a possible rock and rubble 'dam.' No engineers...

DENVER - More than 1 billion gallons of contaminated water — enough to fill 1,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools — is trapped in a tunnel in the mountains above the historic town of Leadville and threatening to blow. Lake County Commissioners have declared a local state of emergency for fear that this winter's above-average snowpack will melt and cause a catastrophic tidal wave. The water is backed up in abandoned mine shafts and a 2.1-mile drainage tunnel that is partially collapsed, creating the pooling of water contaminated with heavy metals. County officials have been nervously monitoring the rising water pressure inside...

Mitt Romney came to Colorado today and talked to a very large and enthusiastic crowd. The rally was held at a car dealership in Denver with an expectation of 150 people. It turns out there were close to 2,000 people there and 2/3 of the crowd were left standing outside trying to push their way in. Sadly, I was not able to get inside and hear what Mr. Romney had to say, but those of us outside, though disappointed, had a great time talking about the unacceptability of McCain and discussing who Romney might pick for VP if he gets...

LONGMONT — A 14-year-old Silver Creek High School student stabbed another student seven times Thursday morning at the school, according to police and school officials. olice arrested 14-year-old Jackson Crutcher of Louisville on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault and second-degree assault, according to reports. The 14-year-old girl was taken to Longmont United Hospital to be treated for six stab wounds to her back and one to her left arm, all of which were minor... Reports immediately after the attack indicated that students and staff subdued Crutcher, but Earhart said the police investigation came up with a different...

2:00 p.m. Governor Mitt Romney Holds "Change Begins With Us" Stop Harley Davidson 8858 Pearl Street Thornton, Colorado 3:00 p.m. Governor Romney Holds a Media Availability Harley Davidson 8858 Pearl Street Thornton, Colorado

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- A former day camp teacher subcontracted by the city has pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child for taking an 8-year-old student away from a Lakewood recreation center and spanking him 20 times. Michael DiPalma pleaded guilty last Friday. His trial was to have started on Monday. Authorities said DiPalma was teaching a Lego class for children at the city's Link Recreation Center, 1295 S. Reed St., in July 2006 when he lured the boy into his car, drove to a nearby apartment parking lot. Police said he climbed in the back seat, pulled down the...

Mother warns community about 'Nazi' home invasion Officers told her 'rights' were 'only in the movies' Posted: January 10, 2008 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Bob Unruh © 2008 WorldNetDaily.com The mother of an 11-year-old boy abducted by SWAT team members and taken to a hospital after he was bruised while horsing around is warning members of her community of the "Nazi" tactics she endured, including a statement from the officers that her "rights" were "only in the movies." The case involves Jon Shiflett, who injured himself while trying to grab the handle of a door on a car his sister...

Mitt Romney enjoys a dominant, 19-point lead over John McCain among Republicans likely to attend Colorado caucuses Feb. 5, with Mike Huckabee trailing and Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani barely registering a nod, according to a Denver Post poll. The Democratic caucuses hold more potential for high drama in the presidential race, with Colorado voters split evenly between Barack Obama at 34 percent and Hillary Rodham Clinton at 32 percent... .... Romney dominated the Nevada caucuses and has done well throughout the West, where Mormons are neighbors instead of a distant question mark, said Brad Coker of the polling firm...

Mountain bikers worry proposal could kill ‘epic ride’. Many of the area's skilled mountain bikers are concerned about a proposal that would ban them from some of their most-prized local trails, including a segment of the Colorado Trail. The proposal is part of a draft plan by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to guide management of 2.4 million acres of public lands in Southwest Colorado. The plan recommends classifying 55,000 acres as new wilderness, including 51,000 acres west of Hermosa Creek. Congress is ultimately responsible for establishing wilderness areas, which cannot be used by motorized vehicles...

Boulder, CO, Jan 22, 2008 / 03:11 am (CNA).- A Catholic-sponsored debate about the ethics of abortion packed hundreds into an auditorium on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, CO this past Friday night. The debate featured two prominent philosophy professors—Drs. Peter Kreeft and David Boonin—who defended their views on the ethics of abortion. Listeners filled all 288 seats of the auditorium, while others sat in the aisles. Still more sat in the overflow seating in the basement hallway, and even crowded the stairs leading up from the basement, a total audience easily surpassing 400 in number. The debate,...

I know that I've provided previous images of Great Sand Dunes both from space and on the ground. But when I saw this one, I knew it was the one for this week. What it shows very nicely is why the sand dunes are where they are -- winds blow across the Rio Grande valley through the pass in the Sangre de Cristo range, and the sand carried by the winds has to stop at the base of the mountains. The gap in the mountains is fairly easily seen in this image. I actually had a view from a fairly...

The beetle infestation that is expected to kill all of Colorado's mature lodgepole forest within five years is moving into Wyoming and the Front Range. A pine beetle infestation is spreading from the mountains into southern Wyoming and the Front Range, and all of Colorado's mature lodgepole pine forests will be killed within three to five years, state and federal officials said Monday. The bark beetle infestation ravaged 500,000 new acres of forests in Colorado in 2007, bringing the total infestation to 1.5 million acres — almost all of state's lodgepole forests — according to the latest aerial survey. The...

Still in Control Pervez Musharraf was calm, confident and—despite a flurry of rumors—not about to announce his resignation. Instead, the Pakistani president's "concession" to his troubled nation was an announcement that he would allow Britain's Scotland Yard to help local law enforcement agencies with their investigation into last week's assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Speaking in a nationally televised address two hours after Pakistan's election commission announced the postponement of the ballot to Feb. 18, six weeks later than had been scheduled, Musharraf was notably deferential in his remarks about Bhutto, often invoking her "martyrdom" and extolling...

The search for two Albuquerque snowboarders missing since Friday in the Wolf Creek Ski Area has been called off for the day. Now there could be more problems coming for rescuers as the next storm moves in bringing in more snow.

Two Farmington families have been missing since Friday, after a snowmobiling trip near Chama, N.M. The Groen and Martin families travelled to the town near the New Mexico-Colorado border on Friday morning to enjoy the winter weather. All six headed out on snow mobiles, north of town, that morning. A massive snow storm swamped the Chama area that day, and no one has heard from either family since. sponsor "It's kind of frustrating waiting around here just waiting and knowing that they're up there needing help", said Larry Groen, the father of Jason Groen. Jason, his wife Shannon Groen and...

DENVER -- An inmate who twice escaped from the Pueblo County jail filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, alleging that guards abused him and didn't do enough to stop him from breaking out. Scott Anthony Gomez, Jr. alleges that guards have sprayed him with pepper spray, shot him with a stun gun, and beaten and kicked him without provocation. He also claims that employees of the Pueblo County sheriff's department got other inmates to assault him. The suit in U.S. District Court in Denver was filed against Pueblo County, former sheriff Dan Corsentino, current sheriff Kirk Taylor, six guards and their...