Author: Steven K. Paulson

DENVER — Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo, who quit the party last year to run as a third-party candidate for Colorado governor, is headed back to the GOP. Tancredo said he is coming back to the Republican Party “because they’re the only game in town.” He told The Associated Press he plans to rejoin the…

DENVER — Gov. John Hickenlooper is asking everyone in Colorado to help transform the state. During his first state of the state speech Thursday, Hickenlooper said he considered every Coloradan a member of his administration. His call for a non-partisan approach to improving the state drew a long standing ovation from state lawmakers assembled in…

DENVER — Republicans are back in charge in Colorado’s House, vowing to slash spending and stick to conservative principles as the Legislature opened its 2011 session Wednesday. Their top agenda: jobs and the economy. It was the top priority for Democrats, too, as leaders from both parties promised to work together while warning of fiscal…

DENVER — Colorado’s legislative leaders, hoping to avoid another redistricting fiasco like the one 10 years ago that ended up in court, are taking a new approach this time. On Thursday, they appointed a 10-member legislative committee of five Democrats and five Republicans to tour the state and get opinions from voters on the most…

DENVER — As he wraps up his first and only term as Colorado governor, Bill Ritter says his administration will have a lasting impact on the state, providing more jobs in the emerging field of renewable energy and more money for hospitals and transportation. “We changed the direction of this state,” Ritter said in an…

DENVER — Colorado schools are getting their first ratings under new performance standards approved by lawmakers last year, replacing school report cards that teachers and educators said only stigmatized schools. Under the old system, which relied on statewide student test scores and included a complex formula to allow for low-income students and other factors, schools…

DENVER — Colorado Republican state lawmakers are divided over whether to introduce an Arizona-style package of laws to deal with illegal immigration next year. Sen.-elect Kent Lambert, a Republican from Colorado Springs, said he planned to introduce the legislation when the Legislature convenes in January. It has a long list of new requirements, including controversial…

DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter on Tuesday defended new federal reform for health care, telling business leaders it will save them money in the long run. The governor held a telephone town hall with concerned business leaders over the cost and impact of federal reform. He said the impacts on businesses were exaggerated and that…