Denver News Blog

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, BC.

​Here are some local sites you might enjoy visiting.

A thread on DenverRadio.net's Comments & Rumors board begins with questions about why no local stations have started playing wall-to-wall Christmas music yet -- and ends with news that KOSI has begun the yuletide frenzy. Somewhere Der Bingle is counting his money.

JO at Colorado Pols salutes Senator Mark Udall for introducing a bill to end "predatory practices of banks and other institutions issuing credit cards." Charge!

Colin at South Stands Denver wonders if Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is playing Patriot games by pretending that Kyle Orton's ankle injury is worse than it is. Pray that he is...

Councilman Chris Nevitt doesn't want to give dispensaries an excuse to start buying from bad guys.

​While some officials seem to see the ongoing medical-marijuana boom as a threat to all that's good and strong and true about our fair state, Denver city councilman Chris Nevitt is focusing on the practical questions that arise from the issue.

Earlier this month, Nevitt talked about regulating dispensary food products that contain marijuana, among other things. But he wants to make sure rules placed on medical-marijuana purveyors aren't so onerous that they cause precipitous price increases -- a development that might cause entrepreneurs to give their business to drug dealers rather than more legitimate sources.

"For everybody who wants to participate in the medical-marijuana industry, we don't want them to be tempted to go the illegal route," he says.

Stephanie Villafuerte has a new strategy in her quest to become a U.S. Attorney.

​The nomination as U.S.Attorney of Stephanie Villafuerte hasn't gone nearly as smoothly as the Obama administration would like, due largely to accusations that she was involved in the political accessing of a federal database during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign -- the very act for which former ICE agent Cory Voorhis was sacked.

In October, Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Governor Bill Ritter, Villafuerte's former boss in the Denver District Attorneys Office, told the Denver Post that she would likely not answer questions about this matter until after her confirmation -- but yesterday, that strategy changed. A letter she sent to Senator Mark Udall was released to the public. In the missive, which can be read in its entirety below, she denies any wrongdoing in a way that's designed to squelch the controversy.

Not going to happen -- but from a political standpoint, it could be an effective move.

"Can't we all just get along?"

​Political observers have spent a lot of time har-dee-har-ing at Scott McInnis over the years -- and indeed, he's made plenty of errors and gaffes during his time in the public eye.

Note his prediction that fellow Republican Bob Schaffer would lose the 2008 Senate race to Mark Udall -- and that he would have won -- in the days before the election took place; the use of a non-Colorado mountain as the centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign website; and a hilarious meltdown while being quizzed by KHOW's Dan Caplis, who seemingly has never met a member of the GOP he doesn't love.

But we may have underestimated Scotty M.

Just ask the Durango City Council, which was visited by a human-sized hen Tuesday night during a debate about a chicken ordinance. Watch the faux feathers fly above.

All in favor of live personifications of agenda items laying eggs in city hall? Aye!

Photo by Brett Amole

Woody Paige has opinions -- and he isn't afraid to use them.

​These are some Denver-centric blogs we enjoyed reading today.

Bronco Talk's Kyle Montgomery notes that the Post's Woody Paige dismissed him as "some kid in Arizona who is a Broncos fan and writes a blog, without proper grammar or punctuation or understanding, from his mom's laundry room." Of course, Woody's the one who thought starting Chris Simms was a good idea...

According to the Colorado Independent's John Tomasic, Fox News fave Michelle Malkin enjoyed a Diana DeGette misquote more than what the congresswoman actually said. Which is understandable.

Over at Purple Row, Rox Girl shares more Jim Tracy tributes. How long is it until spring training?

Tom Tancredo has gone from fully intending to run for governor to entertaining the possibility of backing Scott McInnis.

​A lot's happened in Tom Tancredo's world during the past week.

Last Thursday, Tancredo said in this space, "I fully intend to run" for governor in 2010, adding that he planned to formally announce his intentions once he took care of some housekeeping matters. He also confirmed that he was considering a campaign because his candidate of choice, state senator Josh Penry, had dropped out. And while he didn't take the opportunity to attack Republican frontrunner Scott McInnis, who he's criticized in the past, he said the party was "looking for its soul, and I think it's looking in all the wrong places."

Since then, Tancredo's heard "lots of nice comments" about a potential gubernatorial bid "when I walk through the mall. Although I know that for everybody who comes up and says, 'Go, Tom, go!,' there are probably five people who passed me by saying, 'Go to hell, Tom Tancredo!'" Still, he confirms that he may stay out of the governor's race if conversations he's having with numerous parties, including folks from the McInnis camp, adequately address his concerns about offering a truly conservative agenda.

"Don't you... forget about me."

​These three worthy local blogs are just a click away.

Denver Stiffs' Nate Timmons makes note of Renaldo Balkman sightings during the Nuggets' evisceration of the Raptors last night -- including some in the first half! What the hell?

The folks at Coyote Gulch reports: Thanks to a decision by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, "there will soon be more water for the fish who call the Roaring Fork River basin home." Betcha they're relieved.

5280's Michael de Yoanna shares TMZ video of Balloon Boy dad Richard Heene sharing sushi with ABC reps in New York City. Change the channel now! Before it's too late!

Sarah Palin: pro-life exemplar or poser in lipstick?

​Sarah Palin, who's monopolizing the airwaves as part of her publicity tour for her new book, Going Rogue, is widely viewed as one of the more pro-life politicians on the current scene. After all, her youngest child, Trig, received a pre-natal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, but she rejected any and all entreaties to terminate the pregnancy.

But this gesture doesn't mean she's adequately anti-abortion -- not by the standards of American Right to Life, anyhow. The Denver-based organization has launched a new website, ProlifeProfiles.com, in which the pro-life credentials of politicians are put to the test. And Palin comes up wanting.

A Flickr photo.

Keeping dead people in the kitchen is not okay.

​A funeral director allegedly tells a family that the county coroner recommended him to bury their twelve-year-old child -- when the law prohibits such recommendations. A mortuary embalms a body without the final okay from the family; in the meantime, the family decides to use a different mortuary. A funeral home improperly refrigerates a body, leaving it exposed for several days.

These are some of the alleged violations a new state law is seeking to prevent. As of January 1, all Colorado funeral homes and crematories must register with the state Department of Regulatory Agencies. (So must athletic trainers, another new profession to be regulated by DORA in 2010.)

The point is to give consumers an official way to lodge complaints against funeral homes and crematories -- and to give the state a way to track those complaints to see if there are indeed widespread abuses in the funeral home industry, as the Colorado Funeral Directors Association has long alleged.

A Flickr photo

"Insurance? You don't need any stinkin' insurance."

​We call this feature "Denver Blogs" for a reason. Check out these blogs from Denver.

The Colorado Independent's Kate Redding reports that the insurance lobby is promising to fight any legislation "that would force insurers to offer individual plans that would cover maternity care." Celibate good times, come on!

David Driscoll-Carignan at Mile High Hockey previews the Avs-Calgary Flames matchup. Up for grabs: The Northwest Division lead, not to mention post-game interviews that won't require any excuses.

Protest today at KIPP Denver Collegiate High School over the sudden departure of principal Rich Barrett. Education News Colorado's Alan Gottlieb shares what colleague Nancy Mitchell learned. Consider it extra credit.

​Today marks the last day of work for 176 city employees who were laid off in order to help close a $160 million gap in Denver's budget. (Read this Denver Post story by reporter Christopher Osher for more.)

Most of the layoffs -- the equivalent of 108.5 positions -- occurred in two city departments: the Office of Economic Development and Denver Human Services. Those departments were hit harder because more of their funding comes from federal sources, which are declining, rather than the city's general fund, said Eric Brown, communications director for Mayor John Hickenlooper.

The rest of the layoffs were scattered among nine other city agencies.

So who, exactly, is getting laid off? A final list won't be available for several weeks, Brown said. But he provided this breakdown of layoffs by department:

Dick Wadhams isn't leading the "Run Tom" parade. But he swears he's not putting up roadblocks, either.

​Yesterday, Tom Tancredo confirmed his plans to run for governor now that state senator Josh Penry has dropped out of the race. That throws a kink into frontrunner Scott McInnis' dream of a united party -- united behind him, anyhow.

Dick Wadhams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, claims to be uninterested in throwing himself on the tracks in front of the Tancredo Express before it can leave the station. "Our nomination process is still open, and our precinct caucuses aren't until March," Wadhams says. "My job as state chairman is to run an open and fair process from that standpoint. And that's what I intend to do."

Still, he hints that McInnis remains in the strongest overall position, no matter what kind of challenge Tancredo mounts.

Cory Gardner's attacking Betsy Markey for voting his way. Huh?

​You've got to have a surplus of political creativity to criticize an opponent for voting as your guy would have, as opposed to going the other direction. So props to Cory Gardner campaign manager Mike Ciletti for pulling off a difficult routine regarding Democratic Representative Betsy Markey's "no" vote on the massive federal healthcare bill.

Earlier this week, Ciletti declared that "her vote was actually worse than a yes vote." How so?

"It was typical Washington politics," Ciletti says. "She waited until the very end to make her voice heard, and before that, she did everything she possibly could to help the bill pass."

Strangely (or maybe not so strangely), the coach hasn't changed much since high school.

​Here's some local bloggery to peruse.

Colin over at South Stands Denver is a little skittish about Josh McDaniels benching o-lineman Ben Hamilton in favor of another former New England Patriot. But if Joshy McD can go from high-school kicker to NFL head coach in fourteen years, he's doing something right.

Edgy headline on a Paul Teske blog at Education News Colorado: "Eat Your Veggies or a Chinese Kid Will Eat Your Lunch."

Scott Tipton was drubbed by John Salazar in the 2006 Congressional race, but as Colorado Pols notes, he's coming back for more. Guess it hurt so good.

Photo by John Johnston

Tom Tancredo wants to run for all the right reasons.

​A short time ago, Tom Tancredo was at Denver International Airport. "I'm going to Houston," he said. "I have a speech I'm making to the Texas Coalition for Immigration Reform, or something like that."

But Tancredo took a few minutes to make it clear that he does indeed plan to challenge Republican front-runner Scott McInnis in the upcoming primary to determine who'll take on Governor Bill Ritter in 2010.

"Primaries can be very difficult things, and ugly things," he conceded. "But they can also be very salutary, very helpful. And it's my hope that's the kind of primary we'll have."

Nice explanation, Dave. Really believable.

​Yesterday, we told you about a tweet sent out by Shmuck of the Week emeritus Senator Dave Schultheis, in which he essentially compared President Barack Obama to a 9/11 hijacker:

@Sen_Schultheis: Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the US Plane right into the ground at full speed. Let's Roll

In this morning's Denver Post, Schultheis swears he didn't mean to equate Obama to Arab terrorists who killed thousands, even though the "Let's roll" phrase was famously used by brave passengers who brought down United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. His claim essentially adds up to: Oops! Here's the key passage:

​Back in 2002 a Westword cover portrayed the ever-irascible Douglas Bruce as a pit bull. The story was about his long-running battle with Denver officials over dilapidated properties, but the image is still apt. Throughout his dueling with tax-and-spenders over the TABOR Amendment, his short but stormy career as a state lawmaker, right up to his current duel with Colorado Springs officials, Bruce has been the kind of iron-jawed beast you don't want to rouse.

And bureaucrats keep poking him with a stick.

"Who cares if the shot was in time? Let's surf for porn!"

​Finding good local blogs made easy.

Denver Stiffs' Andrew Feinstein was at Chicago's United Center last night to watch the Bulls come within a nanosecond of stealing a game from the Nuggets. Suck it, Brad Miller.

Square State's Zappatero thinks Betsy Markey's "no" vote on the healthcare bill was a strategic move that will blow up in her face. Hope the deductible's not too high.

Meanwhile, is Tom Tancredo running for governor or not? Both Colorado Pols and Rocky Mountain Right think he might be. What say you, Tommy?

The Boulder City Council pushed forward emergency rules about medical-marijuana businesses. Wonder how closely they read them.

​Update below:

Last night, the Boulder City Council considered imposing a temporary moratorium on new medical-marijuana operations -- and while members stopped short of putting an outright ban into place, they did establish a slew of restrictions. Through March 31, 2010, new dispensaries that didn't file before November 6 can't open in residential areas, or within 500 feet of primary or secondary schools or licensed daycare centers. Likewise, three dispensaries can't be 500 feet or less from each other.

Cannabis Therapy Institute outreach director Laura Kriho, who was at the marathon session, calls these restrictions "an effective moratorium on dispensaries in Boulder. With the retail and rental situation in the city being what it is, people were having a hard enough time finding a landlord to rent to them as it was. Now it will be effectively impossible because of the way the ordinance is written."

The haste with which these rules were assembled -- in "emergency" fashion, just like the Board of Health ruling about the description of caregivers that Denver District Court Judge Larry Naves threw out yesterday -- may have had other unintended consequences, too. Kriho thinks language adopted by the council might have established that anyone selling marijuana in the city, whether for medical purposes or not, now qualifies as a medical-marijuana business.

Dave, Dave, Dave...

​State senator Dave Schultheis, one of our go-to guys when it comes to choosing a Shmuck of the Week, may have announced his retirement -- but that doesn't mean he's lost his knack for offending the sensibilities of anyone with a brain larger than an acorn.

Big Dave's started his own Twitter feed, and he was savvy enough to protect his tweets -- meaning only people he sanctions have access to his wit and wisdom. Trouble is, some of his approved readers think his words are so brilliant that they retweet them in ways that allow folks to find and post his missives on a Retweetist page set up especially for him. And recently, multiple users posted minor variations on the following message:

@Sen_Schultheis: Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the US Plane right into the ground at full speed. Let's Roll

Yep, Schultheis appears to have compared President Barack Obama to a 9/11 hijacker -- which would seem extreme coming from most people but pretty typical for him. Looks like he hasn't retired from making an ass of himself.

See! Josh Penry really does want to spend more time with his family.

​Josh Penry made his decision to pull out of the 2010 gubernatorial race official yesterday, issuing a statement that stops considerably short of formally endorsing his main conservative rival for the office, Scott McInnis. He likewise avoided anointing McInnis the Republican most worthy of taking down current guv Bill Ritter during a late afternoon appearance on KHOW with Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman, whose comments toward the end of the interview, and after it was over, suggest that McInnis has some kissing and making up to do.

At one point, Silverman asked Penry about the timing of the news leak about his campaign's impending suspension. Penry didn't go there, but Caplis made it clear he didn't consider him to have dodged the question. Indeed, he went out of his way to praise Penry for his willingness to come on the show despite knowing that he would face tough interrogation on any issue. Meanwhile, Silverman interpreted JP's reticence to formally back McInnis as evidence that he'd like another Republican to enter the fray. Silverman's dream candidate, at least from the perspective of a lively contest: Tom Tancredo.

The tough-questions topic was unquestionably a reference to McInnis' visit with Caplis and Silverman in August, when he got flustered and petulant when asked about his allegedly broken pledge to use leftover 2004 campaign funds for breast-cancer research. That suggests Caplis, a true-blue Republican if ever there was one, is far from sold on McInnis as his party's only hope against Ritter -- and if he's got doubts, you can bet other rightists do, too. Looks like having the field almost to himself (Dan Maes doesn't seem likely to muster much of a challenge) is no guarantee that doubters will instantly fall in love with McInnis.

Read Penry's statement to supporters below:

Bill Ritter is budgeting his time -- and timing his budget.

​Editor's note: Westword is live blogging Governor Bill Ritter's presentation to the state's Joint Budget Committee about his proposed 2010-11 budget. The state is facing a $1.02 billion shortfall. The most recent posts are at the top. For the complete story, read from the bottom up.

3:50 p.m.: Ritter answers his last question, about the new energy economy. He calls Colorado a "hub" and then exits the room quickly, with a "thank you very much." Someone dims the lights.

3:46 p.m.: Ritter on Josh Penry: "I hope we're able to work together during the session ... Josh Penry was running in a primary race and made a decision to back out. This is a pretty tough business... and I respect his decision."

Betsy Markey doesn't like the House's healthcare bill -- and she's not that into talking about why not, either.

​Even though Diana DeGette has big problems with an amendment to the mammoth healthcare bill limiting access to abortions, she voted for the measure. Not so Betsy Markey, the only Democratic representative from Colorado to turn her thumb down -- and it doesn't seem to have been a last-minute decision. After all, her statement explaining her reasoning, on view below, is dated November 6 -- a day before the final vote.

As for fallout from this decision, Markey spokesman Ben Marter offers mighty few details, reacting to even the most benign questions like a hostile witness in a criminal trial.

Will Nancy Pelosi get so mad at Diana DeGette that she actually blinks?

​Just because the House of Representatives passed a healthcare bill this weekend doesn't mean it'll stay passed. Denver congresswoman Diana DeGette is leading a group of reproductive-rights supporters who are mad as hell that the version of the legislation okayed on Saturday contains an amendment co-authored by Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak that builds on the barriers already in place (most notably the 1976 Hyde Amendment) to prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. And Kristofer Eisenla, DeGette's communications director, emphasizes that while she's willing to compromise to some degree, she won't capitulate on the core issue, even if it means that the healthcare bill is dead on arrival.

"There's time for compromise and time to talk, and she looks forward to finding common ground with the proponents of the Stupak amendment, and ensuring that the final language in the bill doesn't go beyond current law," he says. "She's working very closely with the Speaker [Nancy Pelosi] to make sure that doesn't happen. But if the healthcare bill goes far beyond current law in restricting a woman's right to choose, she will oppose it."

Josh Penry's getting out even before the getting's good.

​There weren't a lot of hints in advance regarding state senator Josh Penry's decision to pull the plug on his gubernatorial campaign, which he's expected to do later today. This past Thursday, Penry spokesman Andrew Cole roundly ridiculed rival Scott McInnis' no-debating stance in this space, insisting that "there are inconsistencies in his argument about party unity" and declaring, "If, at the end of the day, you can't stand up in front of a friendly audience and debate a fellow Republican, why should those voters think you can stand up and debate Bill Ritter when it really matters?" Even more telling: Cole's introduction to his daily roundup of "need to know" news articles sent to members of the media yesterday morning, mere hours before the first reports of his back-down surfaced. After taking a swing at Ritter for allegedly proposing to "tax soda in order to pay for new cubicles for government bureaucrats," Cole wrote, "Competition seems to [be] bringing out the best in the Republican gubernatorial candidates."

McInnis clearly disagrees -- which may be why his attempts at magnanimity in advance of Penry's official pull-out feel strained.

The Prodigy's suspension is over. Time to fill some baskets.

​Examine these local blogs, why don't you?

Andrew Feinstein at Denver Stiffs sizes up two bad Nuggets losses. Lucky thing George Karl can put J.R. Smith in tomorrow night...

Colorado Pols looks at what Scott McInnis and Mitt Romney have in common. Aside from their resemblance to Muppet newscasters?

The Colorado Independent's John Tomasic wonders if Colorado's budget crisis is so dire that the state can no longer afford the death penalty (H/T Colorado Daily). It'd save on hypodermics.

Thar she blows: The Penry-Huttner Geothermal Project.

​The Department of the Interior just designated six renewable energy projects, including a 400-megawatt solar tower, as "fast-track" developments deserving of the highest priority. All six of the projects happen to be in California.

Hard to believe that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar would ignore all the potential energy sources in his home state. We've got tons of excess energy around here, begging to be harnessed for productive use. Here's a short list of some of the most reliable, homegrown renewables that deserve a fast track all their own:

"Put down your weapons. I come in peace."

​This morning, gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis' responded to critics of his decision not to debate his fellow Republican rivals with a Denver Post op-ed in which he argued that while "GOP candidate forums" are fine, direct faceoffs will do more harm than good. "Republicans aren't afraid of differing views," he writes. "We must, however, be committed to unity and civility."

Andrew Cole, Josh Penry's press secretary, avoids replying to this assertion with a sarcastic "Ha!" -- but he makes it plain that McInnis' arguments against intra-party debates, which he described as "circular firing squads" a few weeks back, are the opposite of persuasive. "Above anything else, Republican primary voters want a candidate who can beat Bill Ritter," Cole says. "And if, at the end of the day, you can't stand up in front of a friendly audience and debate a fellow Republican, why should those voters think you can stand up and debate Bill Ritter when it really matters?"

Destination: Ovum!

​Local blogs for locals like you.

Former Colorado Independent staffer Wendy Norris launches Western Citizen, her new online news project, with a story about the tough financial times being faced by backers of the latest personhood amendment. Fetus don't fail them now.

John Reidy at South Stands Denver interviews ESPN's Dave Demshek in anticipation of the Broncos' Monday night matchup against Pittsburgh. Be warned: Dave's a Steelers fan.

Colorado Pols notes that Jared Polis is now an official supporter of the House's healthcare reform bill "after months of spoon-feeding Republicans their talking points." Guess it helped the medicine go down.