Colorado
Colorado Democrats spar over legislation as party seeks direction in Trump era
In late February, the second-ranking Democrat in the Colorado House sat before a group of her colleagues and prepared to do something she had rarely done: voluntarily kill one of her own bills.
House Bill 1020 would have put initial regulations on earned-wage services — companies that let employees access part of their paychecks early in exchange for a fee. Majority Leader Monica Duran and her co-sponsor, Denver Democratic Rep. Sean Camacho, had pitched the measure as a way to put guardrails on a financial product vital for lower-income people in a financial bind.
But Democratic critics alleged it was an attempt by financial companies, who were backing it, to draft their own regulations, and those legislators argued that the service was just a different kind of payday loan. After the bill passed its first committee, progressive Democratic lawmakers worked with a liberal think-tank, the Bell Policy Center, to draft amendments that would have imposed tighter regulations on the services.
Duran and Camacho — who denied the services were a loan — were open to the changes. But Duran said that as she reviewed the amendments, she felt the bill had slipped away from the one she’d introduced. The industry groups supporting the bill balked, and one formally filed to oppose it.
So when the bill came up for a vote, Duran and Camacho voluntarily — and acrimoniously — killed it.
House Bill 1020 was not the first business-friendly bill to be decried as anti-worker, and it hasn’t been the last to be scuttled by other Democratic lawmakers. Another — to help struggling restaurants by clipping tipped workers’ minimum wage — has been delayed until later this month because of that opposition. A third — a draft proposal to audit recent environmental, labor and health care regulations — is undergoing a full rewrite amid backlash from both Democratic lawmakers and the union and environmental groups allied with them. Its sponsors say the idea may be tabled altogether.
It’s not unusual for House Democrats — whose 43 members span the left-of-center spectrum — to disagree on policy, even to the point of semi-public conflict. Nor are the contested bills unique or particularly startling. Lawmakers of both parties often run legislation in coordination with businesses or trade groups, and this year’s bills, sponsors contend, set out to address real problems: a sagging restaurant industry, a popular but unregulated financial service, and debates over the state’s regulatory framework.
“Doing the right thing matters. How we show up to this building matters,” Duran told colleagues on the House’s Finance Committee before asking that they vote to table it. She defended the legislation as pro-worker: “This bill was for working people, to support working people, and as a fierce advocate for working families, I know firsthand how supportive this bill would have been. It is frustrating when misinformation is spread saying this bill is anti-worker.”
But the debate swirling around the direction of the Democratic Party and the chaotic uncertainty springing from the Trump administration have elevated opposition from more liberal members of the party. While some lawmakers have worked to legislate this year like any other, others have sought to close ranks and defend what they see as Democratic priorities in a tumultuous political environment, both for the party and the country.
That tone was set, in part, two weeks after the election, when Democratic lawmakers gathered in the Capitol to unveil pro-labor reforms. Near the end of their news conference, one of the bill’s sponsors called out, “Which side are you on, Democratic Party?”
“We are facing a reckoning of what type of party we want to be,” said Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins freshman who opposed both the tipped-wage measure and Duran’s paycheck bill. “I also think that everybody wants to represent their own districts to the best of their ability. I ran on standing up for workers.”
Trying to help struggling restaurants
The debate around all three bills has been heated. During testimony Monday night, Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis said that it was “appalling” that Democrats were proposing to cut the tipped minimum wage while “the federal government is in chaos.”
Rep. Alex Valdez, a Denver Democrat backing the tipped wage bill, said the rhetoric surrounding it has been “vile,” referring to crude flyers depicting another lawmaker and negative reviews left for restaurants whose owners had testified in support of the bill.
The measure — which now faces a critical and potentially fatal vote in mid-March — is intended to help struggling restaurants reeling from high costs. As written now, it would lower the specific minimum wage paid to workers who also received tips in Denver and elsewhere that exceed the state minimum.
Another sign of the tricky political dynamics: It’s backed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston but opposed by Lewis and other City Council members, as well as lawmakers from both parties who disparage it as a pay cut and a violation of cities’ ability to set their own wage laws.
Valdez said lawmakers’ desire to respond to actions and posturing from the Trump administration had further strained an already difficult debate, which he said fundamentally turned on helping restaurants stay afloat.
“I think that’s where we see an exacerbation by the Trump administration. It’s just, ‘What can I do?’ But that isn’t always the best way to do things,” he said. “I think at least with the tipped wage (bill) — this is the culmination of a five-year process. We didn’t catch this overnight. It’s five years of conversation, and we’re still having it.”
But for other lawmakers, debate in the legislature is a statement on the uncertainty from Washington, D.C., and internal arguments over how the Democratic Party reacts to its November losses.
“I do think we are trying to figure ourselves out in this moment. Are we a party for working people or not?” said Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat and among the more left-wing legislators.
Even though he and labor unions are pushing a contentious effort to reform the state’s labor law, Mabrey said he felt that “labor groups, progressive advocacy groups, consumer rights’ groups are playing defense this year in a way that they did not have to play defense in my first two years.”
“It is not a DOGE bill”
The audit proposal — to have the state auditor review 10 years’ worth of environmental, labor and health regulations — fits into that feeling of defensiveness because it’s backed by business groups, legislative leadership and Gov. Jared Polis. When details of the audit bill were revealed last month, several Democrats responded with a profane, three-word response.
That reaction — further fueled by fears of deregulation at a federal level — has helped put the brakes on the proposal. Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat sponsoring it, said Wednesday that the idea was about promoting good governance. But it’s now being reworked fundamentally, and it may not come at all this year, she said.
Some Democratic lawmakers had taken to calling the proposal the “DOGE bill,” referring to billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” which has set about dismantling a succession of federal agencies in recent weeks.
“To be frank, we had not had enough of an initial conversation before we released the draft,” McCluskie said. “In large part because of what’s happening with the Trump administration … I think people are drawing a parallel there that is not the same. I would push back. We are trying to just, again, focus on good governance.”
“It is not a DOGE bill,” she added, emphatically.
McCluskie argued that the party can find a path forward that helps both workers and businesses. While Colorado Democrats largely held serve in November, the party’s national losses were “a moment for all of us to recognize that a lot of folks are unhappy,” the speaker said.
“I would lift up that we also have to think about the entire … ecosystem: businesses, workers, consumers, right?” she said. “You have to think about that globally, and I have always believed you can be pro-business and pro-worker at the same time.”
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Colorado
Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead
DENVER — When getting good looks but failing to finish against a locked-in goalie, it’s not easy to stick to a game plan. But instead of pressing, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s group showed maturity, even after the Los Angeles Kings’ Artemi Panarin scored what could’ve been a back-breaking first goal of Game 2 late in the third period.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog buried a perfect pass from Martin Nečas three minutes after Panarin scored. Then Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner, giving Colorado a 2-1 win and 2-0 series lead.
“I liked our mentality again tonight,” Bednar said, adding that he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort. “That’s how we have to win. It’s good practice. It’s something we’ve been talking about all year, the importance of defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys.”
The Avalanche led the league in goals scored this season, but they also were stingy defensively, allowing fewer goals than any other team. Through two games, they’ve shown a willingness to play tight-checking, low-scoring games and get the results they need.
“We have absolutely no problem playing this way,” said Landeskog, who scored from the slot after Nečas caught the previously-impenetrable Anton Forsberg out of position and set his captain up for an open look. “If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. And I thought tonight, we just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”
Colorado has controlled the series at five-on-five. The Kings’ only two goals have come on power plays, and Colorado had 79.05 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five Tuesday, per Natural Stat Trick.
It was an odd night that included a broken glass delay, a choppy first period and a waved-off goal after a puck got lodged in the side of the net. Let’s dig into all of it.
Roy plays hero
With goalie Patrick Roy and forward Peter Forsberg’s retired numbers hanging in the Ball Arena rafters, it was probably a bit disorienting seeing a Roy score on a Forsberg in overtime. But that’s what happened when trade deadline addition Nic Roy backhanded a loose puck past Anton Forsberg’s left pad, punched the air and jumped into the glass in celebration.
The goal was Roy’s second overtime goal in his career. He scored the Game 4 winner for the Vegas Golden Knights in their 2021 conference final series against Montreal. That goal also came at the net-front.
“I like to be in (that) area, and a lot of those (overtime) goals are scored there,” Roy said. “So I try to be there as much as I can.”
“He’s a really smart player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “It might not be everyone’s first pick (to score), but it takes a full team to win in the playoffs.”
Josh Manson fired a shot from the point to create chaos around the net ahead of Roy’s goal, and Bednar also credited Nazem Kadri with making a slick play to get the puck to his defenseman.
Physicality and a penalty parade define the first
D.J. Smith didn’t quite get his exact wish of his players hitting Colorado’s defensemen more in the first half of the first period, but he did get big hits. Shortly after Colorado’s Josh Manson laid a massive body check on Scott Laughton, Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson hit Martin Nečas in the neutral zone, seemingly catching him in the head.
Nečas went down, bloodied, and chaos ensued. Brett Kulak went after Anderson. Scrums broke out next to the Kings net. Sam Malinski brought down Quinton Byfield, and Mathieu Joseph did the same to Artturi Lehkonen. Anderson did not get a penalty for the hit, though he and Kulak were handed matching roughing minors. Kulak got an extra penalty for a cross check. (Nečas briefly left the game, presumably because he was pulled by a concussion spotter, but returned.)
“There were big hits,” Bednar said. “We gave some. We took some too, but it’s all right. That’s what’s going to happen this time of the year. You’re playing a big, strong, physical team, and sometimes I like it. Can wake some guys up if they’re not going, and you can ramp up your competitive spirit.”
It was the most dramatic stretch of a rugged first period that included seven minor penalties. The string of infractions slowed some of the momentum Colorado gathered from a furious start. The Avalanche led 9-0 in shots through the first 6:04. The period ended with Colorado leading 14-6 in shots.
After Anderson’s hit, scrums broke out after seemingly every whistle. At one point Jeff Malott caught Cale Makar with an elbow. Nečas also took a chance to hit Anderson toward the end of the period.
“There were a bunch of melees on the ice today,” Bednar said. “It felt like playoff hockey, which is the way you want it to feel. It tests your team, and it’s why it’s the most fun time of the year to play in the playoffs.”
In total, the period took around 45 minutes. The Kings got big saves from Anton Forsberg, allowing them to stay in the game and shift it into a rugged style that favored them, at least temporarily. It wasn’t enough in the end.
“To a man, this team’s playing hard,” Kings coach D.J. Smith added. “We have to find a way to win, though.”
Goalies continue strong start to the series
Darcy Kuemper started the year as Kings starter, but Anton Forsberg became their go-to goalie during their late-season playoff push. He has continued his strong play into the first round. In Game 1, he made 30 saves on 32 shots. He was sharp again Tuesday, helping the Kings withstand Colorado’s early onslaught of shots. Colorado gave him a tough look early in the second. Kadri fed Landeskog on the slot, and Forsberg managed to parry it away. Late in the second, he got in front of turnaround shots from both Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche eventually beat him in the third when he overcommitted to Nečas, who instead passed to Landeskog in the slot.
He finished the night with 34 saves. He wasn’t quite able to make a 35th, giving up the game-winner to Roy.
“We’re right there, playing well,” Forsberg said. “We’re fighting hard. We just have to stick with it and turn this around.”
Across the ice, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves. Panarin beat him with a dangerous shot from the slot for the lone goal he allowed in regulation, but overall he continued to give Colorado the dependable goaltending expected of him. His highlight came when he stopped Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. He robbed Byfield again in overtime, making a glove save on a shot off the rush.
A penalty, a penalty shot and a long wait
Jeff Malott took an ill-advised boarding penalty on Artturi Lehkonen in one of many instances of the Kings’ fourth line toeing the line of too much physicality. The Avalanche were in position to gain the lead — or at least some momentum — but Cale Makar mishandled a puck at the blue line, leading to a Quinton Byfield breakaway. Makar got called for a hook as he raced back to catch the forward, and the referees awarded a penalty shot.
Byfield tried to beat Wedgewood glove side, but the goalie made the save. The crowd erupted in excitement, but that came with an unexpected drawback. Fans banged on the glass behind the Kings’ bench, and a pane of it shattered. Kings coach D.J. Smith got smothered with shards. It caused a 19-minute stoppage for clean up.
If the Wedgewood save was going to serve as momentum for the Avalanche power play, the delay stopped that. Nathan MacKinnon got called for interference on Alex Laferriere shortly after play resumed.
“I think the flow would kind of come and go a little bit,” MacKinnon said. “Not ideal with the glass, but it was the same for both teams.”
“They just handled it better coming out of that,” Bednar added.
MacKinnon and Bednar both felt the Avalanche were able to push the pace more in the second half of the second period.
Another waved-off goal
Sam Malinski fired a shot toward the net to start the third period. It got caught in the side of the net, but not on the inside. Malinski thought he scored, and the goal horn went off. After review, though, it was clear the puck was lodged on the side of the cage.
It was the second Avalanche goal waved off in as many games. Logan O’Connor had a goal waved off for goaltender interference last game.
Panarin shows why Kings traded for him
The Kings acquired Artemi Panarin from the Rangers to bring a gamebreaking offensive talent into a lineup that lacked it. He validated their trust late in the third period. He played his normal shift with the top power-play unit, then stayed on with the second grouping. Trevor Moore found him with a pass in the slot, and he buried it.
Colorado’s top skilled players had more chances than Los Angeles’, but Panarin came through when he got his best look of the night. He also scored the Kings’ only goal of Game 1.
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Spring brings the first fresh produce, which means it will soon be time for farmers’ markets to kick off around the area.
For those in Southern Colorado who want to buy their products from local vendors and growers, check out the list below.
North Colorado Springs
Western Museum of Mining and Industry
- 225 North Gate Boulevard, near the I-25 exit
- Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Runs from May through September
Briargate Farmers Market
- 7610 North Union Boulevard, near Briargate Boulevard
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 27 through Sept. 30
Cordera
- 11894 Grandlawn Circle, near Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard
- Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 24 through Sept. 6
Colorado Farm and Art Market
- 7350 Pine Creek Road, near East Woodmen Road and I-25
- Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from June 20 through Oct. 17
Banning Lewis Ranch at Vista Park
- 8833 Vista Del Pico Boulevard, near Dublin Boulevard and Marksheffel Road
- Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Runs from May 28 through Aug. 27
Backyard Market in Black Forest
- 6845 Shoup Road, near Black Forest Road
- Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from May 23 through Oct. 17
South Colorado Springs
Colorado Farm and Art Market
- 132 West Cimarron Street, at the corner of Sierra Madre Street, Downtown
- Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Runs from June 17 through Oct. 21
Old Colorado City Farmers Market
- Bancroft Park at West Colorado Avenue and South 24th Street in Old Colorado City
- Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from June 6 through Oct. 17
Colorado Springs Sunday Market
- Acacia Park 115 East Platte Avenue, Downtown
- Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 10 through Oct. 25
Southeast Farmer’s Market
- 2050 Jet Wing Drive, near Chelton Road
- Sundays from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
- Runs from June 14 through Oct. 11
Fountain
Fountain Community Market
- Metcalfe Park, 618 East Ohio Avenue, near Fountain Mesa Road
- Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Runs from May 30 through Sept. 26
Woodland Park
Woodland Park Farmers Market
- At Memorial Park, 117 Center Avenue, near East Lake Avenue
- Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Runs from June through September
Pueblo
Pueblo Farmers Market
- Mineral Palace Park, 1604 North Santa Fe Avenue, at West 15th Street
- Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon
- Runs from May 2 through Oct. 31
Colorado
Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb
Seventy years ago, a housing developer looked at an empty stretch of land north of Denver and saw the future. What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.
CBS Colorado is excited to shine the spotlight on Thornton, as Colorado marks 150 years as a state.
“The history of Thornton is really the history of suburbia,” said Lance Jones, the historian and curator of the city’s 70th anniversary exhibit. “Thornton was planned. Thornton was intentionally created as a city.”
Hoffman, Jones explained, recognized an opportunity in the postwar boom. “He realized the Denver Metro area was going to really explode and he wanted in on the ground floor,” Jones said. To sell his 5,000 planned homes, Hoffman turned to an unlikely marketing asset — Hollywood.
Three of his employees happened to be the brothers of Jane Russell, one of the biggest film stars in America at the time. “She was an A-list actress. I mean, she was really top of the game,” Jones said. Hoffman asked the brothers if their sister might make an appearance, and she agreed.
“One day in 1954, his grand opening celebration, she came out. And a lot of people came out to see her — big, big crowd,” Jones said. “Thousands of people showed up to see her, to get a glimpse, to take a picture.” Russell would return to Thornton more than three decades later, appearing at the opening of the Thornton Parkway interchange in 1986.
The homes Russell helped promote were advertised at $9,950, with a down payment for GI’s of $532.30 and a monthly mortgage of $65. Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era. “That represented a big chunk of the average person’s paycheck. People would have to save up for that,” Jones said.
A Denver Post clipping from Jan. 31, 1954, on display at the exhibit, documents the arrival of the city’s first residents. “This is one of the first families in Thornton moving in,” Jones said. “This was a unique thing. They created the city. It just sprang from nothing.”
By 1956, residents had established enough civic infrastructure to pursue formal incorporation. “There were a lot of civic organizations, a lot of clubs, a lot of veterans organizations — it was a big joiner kind of town,” Jones said. “And, eventually, in 1956, they were able to get incorporated.”
That civic spirit, Jones argued, never left. “The culture here in Thornton kind of developed from that. It’s still a city with a lot of civic involvement, a lot of events, a lot of cohesion.”
The exhibit highlights several residents whose stories reflect the city’s early character. Among the artifacts is a cheerleading uniform that belonged to Loretta Garcia — the first baby born in Thornton after its incorporation. She and the city share the same milestone birthday. “Thornton is 70, and so is she,” Jones said. Garcia was delivered at home on Rowena Street because the trip to a Denver hospital was considered too far. “The doctor came up here and delivered her at home.”
Another featured resident is Norma Ellman, a Thornton High School teacher, who in 1956 traveled to California to compete on a CBS game show called “High Finance.” She won the equivalent of what Jones estimates would be more than $1 million today. The victory was significant enough that the mayor authorized Ellman to present the show’s host with a key to the city of Thornton.
Jones said the exhibit is designed to connect newer residents with the people who built the community, noting that from its earliest days Thornton had a strong Hispanic presence that continues today alongside a growing diversity of other ethnicities.
“The younger people really do need to hear from the folks who made Thornton, Thornton,” Jones said. “You have to know where we came from to know where we’re going.”
The 70th anniversary exhibit is free and open to the public at the Thornton Arts and Culture Annex. Visit this page for days and hours.
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