Free Republic

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Colorado's legalization of the commercial marijuana trade, and the reviews aren't good. An editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, "Five years of retail pot coincide with five years of a homelessness growth rate that ranks among the highest rates in the country. Directors of homeless shelters, and people who live on the streets, tell us homeless substance abusers migrate here for easy access to pot." The paper says, "Five years of Big Marijuana ushered in a doubling in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana, based...

While most of the focus is on the media's “shiny object”, Judge Roy Moore and the contentious senate race in Alabama, a very dangerous statement has been tossed out by Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. With the support of Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and Todd Young of Indiana, Gardner has put forth the idea that if Judge Roy Moore wins the election in Alabama the senate should expel him because he does not meet the moral and ethical standards of the senate.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton refused to speculate about what the Senate should do if Roy Moore wins his Senate race in Alabama after being accused of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple women. Cotton, a Republican, said it’s up to the people of Alabama to decide if that’s the kind of man they want representing them in the Senate. “As far as Roy Moore goes, I'm not going to speculate about what may happen should he win. We're three weeks out from the election, he made it pretty clear this week that he's not going to step aside … it’s up...

...David Stevenson has volunteered at Denver Hospice, helping people whose loved ones are at the end of the their life. "Over and over I hear folks leave and they're saying 'What do we do now?' And my response is, "I have no idea, but we`re going to do it together,'" Stevenson said. A few weeks back, a surprise awaited the old Air Force veteran when he arrived at the hospice. "I showed up one Tuesday afternoon and checked the patient list, and I saw a Jim Geist on the list. And I thought, 'Boy, that name's familiar,'" Stevenson said. He...

A previously deported illegal immigrant gang member charged with attempted murder and kidnapping this month was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Ft. Collins, a northern Colorado sanctuary city that ousted a finalist for police chief over his support of immigration enforcement. Judicial Watch blew the scandal open in September and is embroiled in a public records saga with Ft. Collins officials for documents surrounding the selection process and abrupt elimination of a respected veteran law enforcement official with impressive credentials. Ft. Collins is trying to keep records secret by asserting that the “material is so candid or personal that public...

Thomas Cavaness, a campaign organizer in 2012, says he was a young, recently out gay man when now State Rep. Paul Rosenthal, D-Denver, grabbed his inner thigh during a campaign event hosted by LGBT and community allies. Rosenthal denies the allegations, telling The Denver Post, "He's lying."Cavaness isn't surprised by that response."I hate being called a liar, but very rarely do sexual predators when faced with accusations do they admit to their crimes," Cavaness tells Colorado Politics. "I feel numb, I feel nervous, but in a way, I also feel proud that I have been able to come forward and...

Colo.- - With opioid overdoses at an all time high nationwide, some Colorado patients have turned to another form of relief. Marc Hood, of Paonia, said he began taking opiates back in 2003 after he was involved in a backhoe accident that left him practically crippled. "It’s the only way I’d be able to walk, to control the pain enough to be able to walk, to have any type of life with my kids.” Hood said in order to manage the lasting pain from his injury, he constantly needed to take a number of different pain killers. At one time...

A preschool that leases space from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder is shutting down at the end of the month after the church congregation voted to become a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants facing deportation. "It put us out of business," said Active Boulder Kids owner Kristen Argow Heaton. About 90 percent of the congregation that attended a church meeting on the matter last month voted to move forward with plans to outfit a portion of the building to provide living quarters for an immigrant taking sanctuary. Argow Heaton said that parents notified the church ahead of the vote that...

The top Senate Republican campaign official said Monday that the Senate should move to expel Roy Moore should he manage to win the special election next week for senator from Alabama. “I believe the individuals speaking out against Roy Moore spoke with courage and truth, proving he is unfit to serve in the United States Senate and he should not run for office,” said Sen. Cory Gardner, Colorado Republican. “If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate.” It’s the...

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), who leads the Senate GOP campaign arm, is calling on the Senate to expel embattled Alabama GOP nominee Roy Moore if Moore wins December's special election, the first GOP senator to publicly raise the specter of expulsion. "I believe the individuals speaking out against Roy Moore spoke with courage and truth, proving he is unfit to serve in the United States Senate and he should not run for office," Gardner said "If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of...

DENVER (CBS4)– A former Democratic legislative aide is now the tenth woman to accuse Rep. Steve Lebsock, a Democrat representing Thornton, of sexual harassment. In a detailed Facebook post, Cassie Tanner accuses Lebsock of making repeated lewd sexual advances and then publically unbuttoning part of her blouse. The incident happened in 2014 at a Young Democrats function held with other legislative aides at 1UP in LoDo.

Twin investigations are probing an incident at the Naval Special Warfare training complex in Coronado that left one Navy SEAL candidate in a coma. Authorities this week said that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents and members of the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado are reviewing an Oct. 12 mishap that occurred during a study session for the land navigation course of the Basic Under Water Demolition/SEAL training program, or BUD/S. As an incentive to correctly answer questions, two sailors allegedly agreed to slap whichever one got a response wrong. BUD/S candidates typically challenge each other to perform acts of...

On the 1300th block of Winters Avenue at CAPCO, Inc. Federal Agents are executing a court ordered search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation. We'll keep you posted as more details become available.

Kelley first bought a Glock 9mm from Specialty Sports in December 2014 - the same year he got a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force, which should have precluded him from buying a gun. 'You never want to sell something to someone that will commit any form of crime, let alone a mass murder like this,' Lepp told KENS5. He says he wants to know what happened to cause the system to fail... A TIMELINE OF TEXAS CHURCH SHOOTER'S HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

The Air Force Academy says racial slurs posted outside the dorm rooms of five black students were written by one of those students. The announcement Tuesday was a jarring turn in an episode that prompted the academy's superintendent to make a widely viewed speech warning that racists were not welcome at the school. The academy says the student is no longer at the school, but a spokesman declined to say whether the student withdrew or was expelled.

Tom Tancredo is back. As Colorado’s gubernatorial primary fills with an ever-larger set of ambitious Republican chancers, the logic of a Tancredo comeback based on name recognition becomes obvious. Especially when the GOP seems to have moved in his direction since he left. From one angle, Tancredo looks like a John Wycliffe to Donald Trump’s Martin Luther, the morning star of the Republican Reformation. Tancredo put forward some of the same complaints about the Republican party and tried to weaponize his plainspokenness about them. He emphasized the same issues in the same combative way. He just did it first. Read...

Full title: So many Walmart shoppers drew their own handguns during Colorado Walmart attack that police were unable to quickly identify the suspect CCTV Police say startled shoppers at the Colorado Walmart where a shooter opened fire and killed three stalled the search process after they drew their own handguns in defense. The shoppers' immediate response to the violent event 'absolutely slowed' investigation as it left authorities scanning through surveillance tapes in pursuit of the single armed attacker. The few innocent yet armed individuals were eventually weeded out as suspects, amid the several hour-long investigation which began Wednesday night and...

The "nonchalant" gunman who killed three inside a Denver-area Walmart Wednesday evening, sparking mass panic and an all-night manhunt, was nabbed during a raid on an apartment building just eight miles from the scene, police said. Scott Ostrem, 47, was taken into custody without incident after police stopped his red Mitsubishi Mirage at an intersection less than 10 miles away from the Walmart he had attacked, FOX31 Denver reported.

Suspect in triple homicide at Thornton Walmart apprehended by SWAT. ... Thornton police are expected to release more information during a news conference at 9 a.m. Thursday.  ...He filed for bankruptcy in 2015, was charged with resisting arrest in 1999, was sued by a family member in 2011, and was charged with driving under the influence in 2013. There's no known motive for the shooting at this time. The shooting at the Grant Street Walmart was reported to dispatch at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, according to Thornton Police.  Thornton police said two men were killed and a woman was taken to...

THORNTON, Colo. — A gunman opened fire at a Walmart here on Wednesday evening, striking multiple people, the police said. Two men were confirmed dead, and a woman was taken to the hospital. It was unclear whether the gunman was among those shot. The Thornton Police Department confirmed the shooting on Twitter at 6:27 p.m. local time and urged people to stay away from the area. Shortly after 9 p.m., the department tweeted that it was reviewing security footage and interviewing witnesses to get a description of the suspect. No one was in custody, a police spokesman, Matt Barnes, told...