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Internal Department of Veterans Affairs data provided by whistleblowers reveals the agency is only filling about half of its capacity to make medical appointments, even as veterans continue to wait an average of at least 30 days before a medical appointment can be scheduled. The VA documents show that between July and September of 2017, the agency only used 51.44 percent of the appointments available across its healthcare system. VA documents also show there are currently 184,520 veterans across the nation waiting longer than 30 days for an appointment and more than 45,000 new veteran patients waiting more than 90...

Jack Phillips answered the phone at his bakery, Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood. It wasn’t a social call. The caller said he was on his way to kill Phillips. “He said he was going to shoot me in the head,” Phillips said. “I’ve had other threats, but this sounded legitimate enough. He told me ‘I’m driving down this particular street, and I’m ready to turn down that one.’ I believed he was coming to the shop.” The caller said he would also harm Phillips’ daughter, who worked in the store. Police made a futile effort to trace the call, and...

**snip**Supreme Court is slated to consider several blockbuster cases when it resumes next month. One of the most highly anticipated cases is Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which involves a Colorado bakery that refused to create a custom wedding cake for a gay couple.The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled that Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, engaged in sexual orientation discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) when he declined to design and create a custom cake honoring the same-sex marriage of David Mullins and Charlie Craig.

In 2014, Colorado Civil Rights Commissioner Diann Rice compared Jack Phillips, a Christian baker who was sued for declining to make a cake for a same-sex ceremony, to perpetrators of the Holocaust. She said: I would also like to reiterate what we said in … the last meeting [concerning Jack Phillips]. Freedom of religion and religion has been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust … I mean, we can list hundreds of situations where freedom of religion has been used to justify discrimination. And to me it is...

A publication recently appeared on the campus of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) arguing that “we must ban veterans from four-year universities.” Among the reasons the author of the essay cites is that “veterans usually are associated with extremist right-wing groups such as the tea party and the NRA.” The publication also faults veterans for “openly mock[ing] the ideas of diversity and safe spaces for vulnerable members of society,” frightening fellow students with their “overwhelming presence,” and making “insensitive jokes.” Nevertheless, it denies any intention to deprive veterans of an education, explaining that they “should be allowed...

WASHINGTON -- A Republican congressman said he'll use a rarely invoked maneuver Tuesday to force a bill to the floor for a vote that would protect DACA beneficiaries for the next three years. Politico reported Sunday that administration officials met to discuss how to roll out President Trump's decision to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed qualified undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to apply for protected status. About 800,000 people are now registered under DACA. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) introduced the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow...

In August, the Denver City Council proposed an ordinance to reduce its cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security to bolster its bona fides as a "sanctuary city." Denver's latest progressive hectoring, prideful virtue signaling, and puerile chest-thumping is icing on the cake.By whatever delineating characteristics are applied—there is no legal definition—Denver has been a sanctuary city for about 20 years. Soon it will be held accountable for its irresponsible conduct, either by the Trump administration or by a growing legion of crime victims.Although some Americans harbor wistful fantasies on what it means for a city or county—out of compassion,...

A Colorado man who claimed that someone had stabbed him because he looked like a “neo-Nazi” fabricated the story after he accidentally cut his hand with a knife, according to police. Joshua Witt, who has been arrested on false reporting charges, admitted to law enforcement in Sheridan, Colorado, that he lied to officers when he alleged that a black man had attacked him for having a haircut associated with white supremacists, police officials said Monday. Witt’s original allegations went viral on social media this month, garnering press coverage across the globe, particularly from conservative newspapers that cited the stabbing as...

Thieves drove a truck through a metal barrier and stole 65 guns from Dragonman’s gun store and shooting range while Mel “Dragon Man” Bernstein — “the most armed man in America” — was out eating dinner. The incident occurred on Sunday night. According to The Denver Post, Bernstein said, “I have over 200 machine guns in my name. If I had been there they would have gotten shot in the head.” Video of the break-in was caught by surveillance cameras and apparently shows “young kids” who were “masked and hooded.” He said the suspects got away with some “valuable weapons”...

Man who claimed neo-Nazi haircut led to stabbing in Colorado actually stabbed himself, police say By: Blair Miller SHERIDAN, Colo. – A man who claimed he’d been stabbed outside a Sheridan restaurant on Aug. 16 because his haircut made him look like a neo-Nazi actually stabbed himself, police say. Joshua Lee Witt, 26, was booked late last week on a false reporting to authorities criminal summons, which could land him a fine of $2,650 and up to a year in jail if he’s convicted. Witt posted his allegations on Facebook after the incident, which he alleged happened on Aug. 16...

Federal and state data show that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Colorado who tested positive for marijuana has more than doubled since 2013. A Denver Post analysis of the data and coroner reports provides the most comprehensive look yet into whether roads in the state have become more dangerous since the drug's legalization. It shows that Increasingly potent levels of marijuana were found in positive-testing drivers who died in crashes in Front Range counties. The trends coincide with the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado. However, Colorado transportation and public safety officials say the rising number...

Two conflicting petitions regarding Weld Central High School's strikingly Civil-war-era-soldier-looking mascot, the Weld Central Rebel, are currently circulating online among community members. The petitions — one advocating a change in school mascot, the other defending its existence — mirror high-profile incidents across the nation regarding disagreements about Civil War monuments and homages. The contention at Weld Central arose in the week following violence at a white nationalist rally Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, Va., protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Around the country officials have removed, often quietly, Confederate monuments. Duke University removed a statue...

newsletter posted on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus started to make the rounds on social media Thursday. It states veterans should be banned from four-year universities. Several viewers asked 11 News to look into the origin of the newsletter. The letter states military veterans should be banned from classes and compares the military culture to white supremacist groups. The newsletter is titled "Social Justice Collective Weekly" and says it is the first issue. A spokesperson for UCCS said the newsletter has nothing to do with the school and does not represent the institution's views. However, it was...

Two governors are mulling a bipartisan presidential bid in 2020 to challenge President Trump, according to a new report. Axios reported on Friday that Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) are mulling a presidential bid in 2020, with Kasich likely at the top of the ticket. According to a source close to the negotiations, the discussions arose after the two governors got to know each other in conferences after the 2016 elections.

A newsletter posted on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus is starting to make the rounds on social media and it states veterans should be banned from four-year universities. Several viewers asked 11 News to look into the origin of the newsletter. The letter states military veterans should be banned from classes and compares the military culture to white supremacist groups. The newsletter is titled "Social Justice Collective Weekly" and says it is the first issue. A spokesperson for UCCS said the newsletter has nothing to do with the school and does not represent the institution's views. However,...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) — "the Johns," as insiders are calling them — have been making a flurry of joint appearances to talk about state-driven improvements to health care. But Axios has learned that their duet is part of an alliance that's gaining momentum toward a possible joint independent bid for president in 2020, likely with Kasich at the top of the ticket:

Colorado’s top prosecutor won’t prosecute an elector who refused to vote for Hillary Clinton even though state law required him to. Attorney General Cynthia Coffman on Monday announced she won’t charge elector Micheal Baca. Baca was part of a group that gained national attention in December. The so-called “Hamilton electors” tried to convince electors who were pledged to vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to unite behind a consensus candidate to deny Trump the presidency. …

A top Republican senator called out President Trump on Twitter Saturday, after Mr. Trump declined to condemn white nationalists when violence at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia left one person dead and 34 others injured. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), leader of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2018, called on Mr. Trump to "call evil by its name." Mr. Trump, in brief remarks Saturday from his working vacation at his golf club in New Jersey, said he condemned violence "on many sides." Given a chance to clarify what Mr. Trump meant by "all sides," a White House...

ScienceArchaeologists discover evidence of a vanished civilisation from 1300s  Lucy Pasha-Robinson,The Independent 5 hours ago  Reactions   Like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email Archaeologists may have discovered evidence of an ancient civilisation that disappeared from a corner of the southwestern US over seven centuries ago.The exodus of the Ancestral Puebloans has baffled scientists for years after they vanished without a trace from Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park in the 13th Century.One theory was the group - also known as the Anasazi - had simply migrated several hundred kilometres east.Now scientists may have found the evidence to...

A simple Colorado jazz concert reminds us how every element of modern culture is saturated with progressive talking points.