Kill Bill
A Senate kill committee stopped a bill banning gay conversion therapy, reports The Grand Junction Sentinel, which quotes sponsor Pat Steadman:
“’People are free to say whatever demeaning, demoralizing, judgmental things they want to say about people who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender) or questioning their sexual orientation. That’s their free-speech right. They can go be as big a jerk as they want to,’ Steadman said. ‘But when it comes to practicing psychotherapy … the state has an interest in making sure that people are not harmed.’
Unfortunately, for Steadman, his colleagues disagreed.
Rough Riders
Around 100 demonstrators converged at the RTD building to decry the transit company’s proposal to raise fares. “I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had to choose between spending money to eat or on getting to where I needed to go. … It’s crucial that they respond to the needs of people who need public transportation the most,” bus-rider Bianca Mikahn told Monte Whaley of The Denver Post.
Like a dashboard in August
How is Colorado’s climate-change-era High Country doing? It’s doing hot and dry. Snowpack is the third-lowest it has been in three decades. Temperatures across the state are 6.7 degrees above average. Colorado this spring was home to 163 high-temperature records. There is not a lot of skiing going on. There will be fires. Via the Summit County Voice.
New Home
The seemingly doomed Castle Rock prairie dogs that have been threatened by construction, rescued by animal lovers and seized by the police and wildlife officials are no longer in danger of becoming ferret food. The prairie dogs will be taken to a new home outside Sedalia. Via The Denver Post.
Frack attack
Noble Energy announced plans to slash 100 jobs in Greeley and Denver. It’s a market problem. Crude oil has lost more than half its value since June. It was $107 a barrel. It’s now $52 a barrel. Via The Coloradoan.
Fresh pot, clean sheets
Yes, legal pot has increased tourism in Colorado and, yes, hotel room bookings are booming in Denver for the city’s annual 4/20 “legalize it” pot celebration day. Via The Cannabist.
It Gets Better?
It began as another deadly shooting against an unarmed black man by a cop. But after a video showed what actually happened to Walter Scott, the mayor and police chief of North Charleston, S.C., actually did the right thing. That has to be a sign of progress. Via Dana Milbank at The Washington Post.
Pot Holes
As many had predicted, pot legalization has turned into a problem for the Mexican drug cartels. Border Patrol pot seizures and Mexican army pot seizures are both down significantly. Via Time.
Fight On
One hundred and fifty years after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Americans are still fighting over many of the same issues. Via The Atlantic.
Cruzing Ahead
In a surprising development in the GOP race, Ted Cruz takes a big chunk of big money. Network of Super PACs says it has raised $31 million in support of Cruz. How much does that change things? Via The New York Times.
Media Attack
It’s not clear how Rand Paul will do in the GOP field, but he has already shown how he’ll play it against the media. By being against the media. Via The Washington Post.
Photo Credit: Guillaume Paumier, Creative Commons, Via Flickr
