E
    Ethan Axelrod

    Ethan Axelrod

    Contributor

  • New Roadless Rule Draft Draws Immediate Heat From Conservation Groups

    The State of Colorado and the U.S. Forest Service today announced yet another draft version of the controversial Colorado Roadless Rule (pdf) that has been hotly debated for nearly six years. Already environmental groups indicated the new draft rule falls short of protecting some of the state's 4.2 million acres of roadless national forest land. The release of today's draft plan and draft environmental impact statement (pdf) starts the clock ticking on what may be the final 90-day public comment period after nearly five and a half years and more than 200,000 public comments.

  • Fourmile Fire Victim Sues Insurance Company For Denying Coverage

    A Boulder County woman and business owner who lost her home in last fall's devastating Fourmile Fire is suing the insurance company that covers her organic mint and candy company for denying to insure her lost property on grounds that it wasn't listed at her business addresses. Debra St. Claire -- who owns St. Claire's Organics Inc., which makes organic and vegan breath mints, herbal sweets, candies and lozenges -- said she obtained commercial business property insurance from Sentry Insurance in 2009, according to a lawsuit filed in Boulder District Court on Monday.

  • BLM Will Give Oil Shale Development In The West A Fresh Look

    The federal Bureau of Land Management announced on Wednesday that it is prepared to begin a process to take a fresh look at commercial oil shale development in the Rocky Mountain West. In 2008, under the administration of George W. Bush, the BLM made 1.9 million acres of public lands available for oil shale development. Upon taking office in January 2009, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar halted the Bush oil leases pending a review of the 2008 action.

  • Forbes: Colorado County Is One Of Nation's Ten Wealthiest

    Forbes released its list of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. this week, and one Colorado county made the cut. Forbes determined Douglas County, with an average annual household income of $99,522, to be the seventh wealthiest county in the country. "Now a relatively populous county with 280,000 residents, this county south of Denver has boomed over the last 10 years, luring young professionals with luxury homes and planned communities," Forbes wrote of Douglas County.

  • Senate Committee Approves Bill To Move Primaries To June

    The State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee of the Colorado Senate voted in favor on Tuesday of a bill that would move the state's primary elections to June. Senate Bill 189 (embedded below), sponsored by Democrat Rollie Heath of Boulder, would move the date of the primary election from the 2nd Tuesday in August to the last Tuesday in June. The AP reports that the law would help ensure Colorado's compliance with a 2009 federal mandate designed to make it easier for service members and voters living abroad to vote.

  • MMJ Investment Funds Axed; Proponents: 'We Already Know The Mafia Is Here'

    Medical marijuana lobbyists virulently plied their trade Monday in a furious attempt to stop an amendment to HB 1043, the medical marijuana "clean-up" bill, that struck language allowing for the creation of investment funds that proponents hoped would fund a restructuring of the industry. Legislation sponsored by Representative Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and spearheaded by Josh Stanley and the Medical Marijuana Industry Group, could have changed the overall funding structure of the industry in Colorado by allowing individuals to enter into investment funds that would invest in the marijuana trade.

  • Membership Has Its Privileges: 5 Worth Joining

    One of the best ways to explore our parks, museums and gardens is with a membership -- like a ski pass, sans snow, mountains and frozen face muscles. Denver Botanic Gardens: Open year-round, the Botanic Gardens are great for the constantly rotating exhibits as well as the free wi-fi -- making it a great place to work outside. Denver Museum of Nature & Science: One of the best nature and science museums in the nation, it's open all year and members get plenty of benefits -- exclusive members-only invites to screenings, workshops and lectures, discounted tickets to planetarium shows, discounts at the shop and café, guest passes and free admission to more than 290 other science centers and museums nation-wide.

  • Lafayette Company Pushes For Greener Handling Of The Dead With The Coffin Spa

    Dying is a dirty business. One Lafayette entrepreneur is looking to clean it up. Ed Gazvoda wants to use a process called alkaline hydrolysis to reduce a corpse to a bag of bone powder and a barrel of gray water.

  • Colorado Budget Cuts Put Cancer Screenings At Risk

    Largressa Munnerlyn wants lawmakers to know that. "I'm living proof that we need this program," Munnerlyn said of Colorado's Women's Wellness Connection, which estimates it will cut breast and cervical cancer screenings for 5,100 women next year under a 41 percent budget cut pending in the state Senate.

  • Denver Movie Theaters With Perks: Child Care, Wine Bars And More

    Anyone can show us a film on an oversized screen, but babysitting and a full-spectrum bar? Whether thinking ahead to "Pirates of the Caribbean" or looking to catch the latest arthouse flick, here are our favorite perked-out Denver movie theaters for catching the latest big screen flick. Cinema Grill: This small, locally owned venue (pictured) revels in kitsch while offering something few others do: a waitstaff.

  • Despite Public Clamoring, Gessler Already Has Tools To Find Illegal Voters

    For a month now, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has testified before the state General Assembly and Congress that thousands of noncitizens may have voted in the state's last general election. "After an initial investigation of Colorado's voter database, we know we have a problem with possible noncitizens on the voter rolls," Gessler told a congressional committee last week.

  • Mobile Medical Marijuana Farm Missing

    The owners of stolen mobile medical marijuana grow unit are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to its recovery. Someone stole the The 28-foot, $50,000 cargo trailer, known as a "GrowBot" from the annual High Times Medical Cannabis Cup at the EXDO Event Center in Denver on Sunday night. The reward is being offered by Wright Group Entertainment Services and GrowBot.

  • Bill To Alter Colorado Oil And Gas Conservation Commission Makeup Clears House Committee

    The House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee approved a Republican-sponsored bill on Monday that would alter the makeup of the state agency that regulates oil and natural gas in Colorado. House Bill 1223 (embedded below), sponsored by Republican Representative Ray Scott and Senator Steve King, seeks to restore some the influence that the energy industry lost on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after new regulations took effect in 2009. The bill, as passed by the committee on Monday on a 6-5 vote, would add two members to the currently-nine-member Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission.

  • 'Alpine Bank' Sues 'Alpine Dank' Dispensary Over Name

    Alpine Banks might be in the business of dealing green, but not the kind sold by Alpine Dank. On Friday, Alpine Banks of Colorado filed a lawsuit in Denver federal court against Alpine Dank and its founder, Jeffery Lessard of Basalt and Telluride. Alpine Banks claims that Lessard has created confusion in the marketplace with the Alpine Dank name, and seeks a court injunction to stop Lessard from using the marijuana-inspired moniker.

  • Colorado Petroleum Association Drops Petition To Roll Back Controversial State Rule

    The Colorado Petroleum Association (CPA) today dropped its bid to get the state to roll back its rule for proper disposal of pit liners used in the oil and gas drilling process. Rule 905 was one of the revised oil and gas drilling regulations most criticized by the industry after the new, more environmentally stringent rules went into effect in the spring of 2009. The CPA withdrew its petition at today's Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) meeting, eliciting praise from the environmental community.

  • Are The Broncos Giving Up On Tim Tebow?

    Recent reports are indicating that John Elway, the Broncos' Vice President of Football Operations is not convinced that celebrated 2010 first round pick Tim Tebow is the long-term answer for the team at quarterback. Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline cited multiple anonymous sources over the weekend in reporting that Elway is considering using a high draft pick on a quarterback at the NFL draft later this month. ESPN'S John Clayton confirmed Pauline's report, and suggested that the Broncos may draft a quarterback in the second round of the draft, and trade its first round pick.

  • SAME Cafe: Denver Couple Cooks For The Masses

    You'll find Denver's SAME Café on a quaint little East Colfax sidewalk, offering made-from-scratch food created daily. "We encourage people to work in exchange for their food at the time of eating, but people can make arrangements to come back later and volunteer," says Brad Birky, who co-owns the café with his wife, Libby. "We wanted to fix a problem we saw in the Denver community related to food dignity," says Birky.

  • Romer Gets Denver Post Endorsement

    The Post wrote that the decision came down to Romer and James Mejia, with Romer winning out thanks to his strong financial background--he worked at JPMorgan Chase for years--and his education stance. "My team and I are deeply honored that The Denver Post has backed our campaign's vision of expecting more for Denver's future," Romer said in a statement Friday.

  • Craft Beer Spotlight: SandLot on Rockies Opening Day

    The Rockies play the Diamondbacks on April 1 at 2:10pm -- and while cheering on the Rocks, craft beer lovers should spend an inning or two at SandLot Brewery inside Coors Field. SandLot is owned by Coors and serves Blue Moon -- two brands that don't exactly inspire a lot of love from craft beer fanatics, nor bring to mind innovative craft brews. The SandLot is officially part of the Blue Moon Brewery Company, and it's also one of Coors's experimental research and development breweries outside of the main Coors Brewery in Golden.

  • Civil Unions Bill Killed On Party Line Vote

    After hours of emotional testimony, Senate Bill 172, the Colorado Civil Unions Bill, was killed on a party line vote in the House Judiciary Committee Thursday night. The Bill, which was approved by the Democratic Senate last week, was sponsored by Democratic Senator Pat Steadman and Representative Mark Ferrandino, both of whom are gay.