​ On a small stage on the steps of the Capitol this morning, surrounded by more than a hundred local film industry folks, House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino ticked off movies made in Colorado: City Slickers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and one he called "the seminal piece of film work that really talked about the legislature -- Dumb and Dumber." That drew a laugh from the crowd, there to support a bill to increase Colorado's incentives for filmmakers.

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Boulder City Council.

​Tuesday night, Boulder City Council reduced fines and approved no jail time for first and second convictions on sixty municipal offenses -- an effort to prevent a flood of minor cases (like Occupy Boulder camping tickets) from filling courtrooms.

Some aspects of these changes please the ACLU of Boulder. Others don't.

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​In its February newsletter, under the headline "PROPOSED SPORTS AUTHORITY SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL," local neighborhood organization the Sloan's Lake Citizens' Group encourages its membership to write the city in response to the potential additions to Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Because of its lighting and view plane implications, the issue has become a heated one in recent neighborhood discussions. implications, Tonight, the group will vote on an official stance.

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Rick Santorum.

​The headlines say that Rick Santorum, of all people, was the big winner yesterday among wannabe Republican presidential nominees thanks to victories in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and the Missouri primary. But his prize didn't come in delegates, since none were at stake in any of the contests -- a fact that led MSNBC's Rachel Maddow to argue that the Republicans' method of choosing a presidential nominee is a mess.

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Tiger Salamander.

​Is the Western Tiger Salamander about to become Colorado's official state amphibian?

Students across the state drafted a bill (carried by Representative Angela Williams) calling for just that. And if it passes in both houses the way it did the Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee yesterday, it could join our list of state trees, insects and more, on view below.

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Mark Barker.

​Despite the obligatory squawks from lawmakers about the need for transparency in government, few of their actions are quite as transparent as their efforts to shield internal bureaucratic processes from outside scrutiny. For a demonstration of this principle in action, look no further than two bills currently creeping through the state legislature that would close investigative records previously accessible to the lowly public -- including records dealing with police misconduct and the disciplinary process.

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Newt Gingrich.

​When last we spoke with Colorado Republican Party head Ryan Call about the February 7 Colorado caucuses, he noted that Newt Gingrich had not scheduled any state events. But that's changed. At this hour, Gingrich is scheduled at a west-side rally, with another assembly juxtaposing him and Rick Santorum. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney has two Colorado stops slated for today on opposite sides of the state. Call gives us the details.

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​A running gag in the classic comedy Raising Arizona is that just about everybody in the vicinity of Tempe is packing heat -- even the pimple-faced kid at the convenience store, who whips out a Dirty Harry special and starts blasting away at stickup man Nicholas Cage. But it's no joke that statehouse Republicans would like to extend the sanctions offered by Colorado's "Make My Day" law to allow citizens to use deadly force to defend their businesses as well as their homes.

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Willie Shepherd.

​Attorney and former Democratic power broker Willie Shepherd was sentenced to one year of probation, domestic violence classes and alcohol monitoring after pleading guilty earlier this month to third-degree attempted assault, a class two misdemeanor.

The plea stemmed from Shepherd's September 14 arrest on domestic violence charges.

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Doug Lamborn

​I know, I know. There are lots of other folks out there struggling to make ends meet, unsung worker drones subsisting on sweatshop wages. But let's face it: Doug Lamborn is underpaid.

I'm not talking about his base salary of $174,000 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. That's standard. But the real gravy -- the gratuities, emoluments, wet kisses and campaign support he receives from the oil and gas industry in exchange for services rendered -- it's a disgrace, frankly.

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