Government Transparency

More than 300 voters purged by Coffman cast provisional ballots

Remember all those voters purged from the rolls by Secretary of State Mike Coffman, many in defiance of a federal court order? Coffman maintained he was well within the law, merely removing voters who had died, moved or filed duplicate registrations, but U.S. District Court Judge John Kane blasted the “obdurate” Coffman at an emergency hearing called four days before the election when reports surfaced that voters were still being purged after an earlier settlement ordered a halt.

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.

Military command casts broad net with homeland security operations

A recent article by The Colorado Independent reported that the U.S. Northern Command, a military entity created in 2002 for homeland defense missions and based in Colorado Springs, plans to activate and train an estimated 4,700 service members for specialized domestic operations inside the United States.

Colorado State University ’shocked’ by Penley resignation

A day after Colorado State University President Larry Penley suddenly resigned after five years of leading the state’s second-largest public university, the general mood among campus and community leaders was shock.

CSU President Larry Penley unexpectedly resigns; walks with $389,000

Larry Penley, the president and chancellor of Colorado State University, unexpectedly resigned his position Wednesday via a letter to the system’s Board of Governors, effectively ending his five-year reign at the state’s second-largest public university.

His resignation, effective Nov. 30, comes weeks after an investigation by The Colorado Independent highlighted Penley’s efforts to shift state funds away from the university’s academic colleges and library system while injecting cash to the school’s athletics department and nearly tripling the budget of his own Office of the President. The investigation sparked criticisms and concern from longtime CSU faculty members and state lawmakers, who questioned Penley’s shift of public funding to nonacademic functions.

Breaking: CSU President Larry Penley resigns post

Larry Penley, the president and chancellor of Colorado State University, unexpectedly resigned his position Wednesday effectively ending his five-year reign at the state’s second-largest public university.

The resignation came weeks after The Colorado Independent published an investigative series highlighting the decisions made during Larry Penley’s tenure to increase administrative and athletics funding during the last five years.

Inmate assaults visitors at federal prison

Two visitors were assaulted by an inmate at a federal prison in Florence on Sunday, adding to a dramatic surge in violent attacks that have plagued the prison since April.

Elite combat brigade for homeland security missions raises ire of ACLU

In the next three years the military plans to activate and train an estimated 4,700 service members for specialized domestic operations, according to Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of U.S. Northern Command, which was created in 2002 for homeland defense missions.

More reports of violence point to ailing federal prison system

Deadly assaults in federal penitentiaries are on the rise and they aren’t exclusive to Colorado. Following reports that an inmate was stabbed to death in August at the U.S. Penitentiary in the southern city of Florence, there is news from another federal lockup that a guard was assaulted and stabbed multiple times this month, lending credence to correctional workers’ claims that the entire system is an understaffed tinderbox.

Electronic voting machine lab suspended by feds over performance concerns

A Denver-based independent lab that tests and certifies electronic voting machines is being suspended by the federal Election Assistance Commission for failing to comply with national standards.