Thank you to the loyal readers and supporters of The Colorado Independent (2013-2020). The Indy has merged with the new nonprofit Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) on a new mission to strengthen local news in Colorado. We hope you will join us!

Visit COLab

2019 Colorado legislature

Colorado’s new Department of Natural Resources head talks oil and water Dan Gibbs: 'We...

Hundreds of men and women who work in the state’s oil and gas fields flocked to the state Capitol this week to protest a...

No longer every teacher, every year: Union-backed bill would change Colorado teacher evaluation law

Most Colorado educators would no longer receive a full, formal review every year, and student academic growth would carry less weight in those evaluations...
Sen. Angela Williams, who sponsored a bill to ban the death penalty

Citing flaws in Colorado’s criminal justice system, lawmakers move to repeal the death penalty...

In 2004, Alex Perez, then in prison on a murder conviction, was charged with killing a fellow inmate at the Limon Correctional Facility. He...

Where do Colorado’s online school students end up? Lawmakers want to know.

Tyler Landsparger will head to Penn State in the fall to study meteorology. It will be the first time the 17-year-old from Aurora is in...

Ask the Indy: What’s going on with universal health care in Colorado? Single-payer is...

Steve Winters, a 55-year-old retired small business owner from Denver, has a straightforward question for The Colorado Independent: What are lawmakers and the governor doing...
Colorado residents unable to prove they are in the U.S. lawfully have been able to apply for special driver's licenses for almost five years. Appointments, already backfilled for months, may become harder to get this year. (Image of driver's license courtesy of Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles)

Guest post: Expand access to driver’s licenses for Colorado’s undocumented immigrants

Colorado is home to many undocumented immigrants. These individuals do not have the same opportunity to access a driver’s license as others Coloradans do...

Parole-eligible inmates would be released under new bill — to boost rehabilitation and ease...

With thousands of parole-eligible inmates behind bars in a state prison system that’s filled to capacity, lawmakers are pushing criminal justice reforms aimed at...

Death penalty repeal: Capitol Dems say ‘full steam ahead’ on legislation this year “A...

Twenty states have banned or suspended the death penalty, and this could be the year Colorado joins them. Public support for capital punishment is...

Polis calls for re-opening Cañon City prison as back-up to reform measures Long-term aim...

This story was updated at 4 p.m. on Friday with reaction from lawmakers and edited for clarity  Gov. Jared Polis wants to re-open a mothballed...
Photo by Amanda Slater, Creative Commons, Flickr

State lawmakers allot $2 million for overtime pay as prison guard vacancies grow “Our...

State lawmakers allocated $2 million to the Department of Corrections on Thursday to help cover the costs of overtime pay for prison guards for...