Valerie Richardson

Alaska voters to weigh oil production slide vs. costly tax incentives

A fight over a tax cut is morphing into a battle over Alaskans' sense of themselves and of an energy-based economy that has long distinguished Alaska from the Lower 48.

July 22, 2013

Detroit’s mayor sees other cities facing bankruptcy

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing warned Sunday that his may be the first major city to declare bankruptcy, but that it won't be the last.

July 21, 2013

Prominent black leaders split on Trayvon verdict, calls for Florida boycott

A member of the Congressional Black Caucus moved Sunday to dampen calls for an economic boycott of Florida in reaction to the Trayvon Martin verdict, saying the effort could wind up hurting black communities.

July 21, 2013

Aurora shooting anniversary speakers make push for more gun laws at vigil

Speakers at a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of the Aurora theater shooting Friday urged lawmakers to approve tougher firearms laws while gun-rights supporters watched from the wings.

July 20, 2013

Latest win for Colorado gun-rights activists: Recall election set Sept. 10

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper set Sept. 10 as the date for the state's first-ever legislative recall election Thursday after a judge rejected a lawsuit aimed at stopping the recalls of two Democratic state legislators.

July 18, 2013

Gun-rights group unwelcome at Friday memorial for Aurora shooting victims

Plans by a gun-rights group to participate in ceremonies on Friday marking one year since the Aurora theater shooting have drawn criticism from some participants who say the group doesn't belong.

July 18, 2013

Cut in mineral royalties to Western states tied to sequester

Western lawmakers are waging a bipartisan revolt against the Obama administration's decision to cut mineral royalties to the states as a result of the sequester, but so far the administration isn't budging.

July 11, 2013

Mascot feud hits Denver after university introduces Boone replacement

University of Denver officials reignited the school's simmering mascot feud last month by proposing three new mascots — an elk, a jackalope and a "mountaineer" — but many alumni are still smarting over the school's decision to dump Boone, the chubby pioneer who was jettisoned in 1998 for being insufficiently inclusive.

July 8, 2013

Bolivian government angry over plane rerouting due to Snowden suspicions

While still apparently holed up in a Moscow airport, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden precipitated another international incident, this time over the Bolivian president's plane being rerouted to Austria over concerns that Mr. Snowden might be onboard.

July 3, 2013

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro defends Edward Snowden: ‘He did not kill anyone’

NSA leaker Edward Snowden remained stuck in legal limbo Tuesday as he frantically seeks asylum, but his case prompted an unprecedented apology from the nation's top intelligence officer.

July 2, 2013

Deadly Arizona wildfire again stirs debate on cause of huge forest blazes

The wildfires charring the West again this summer have reignited the debate over what is fueling the horrific infernos: man-made climate change or the proliferation of overgrown, diseased forests.

July 1, 2013

Critics say Supreme Court’s Prop 8 ruling takes power from voters, gives it to state officials

The Supreme Court's decision Wednesday on Proposition 8 unlocked the door for same-sex marriage in California but also may have stifled the voices of the state's voters.

June 30, 2013

Magpul floods Colorado with ammo magazines 2 days before gun laws kick in

An estimated 5,000 gun-rights advocates lined up hours in advance Saturday to score 20,000 free and discounted 30-round ammunition magazines at "A Farewell to Arms," billed as a "freedom festival" for those disenchanted with the Colorado Legislature's aggressive gun-control push.

June 30, 2013

Is one-party rule dividing America? Concentration of power can lead to overreach, backlash

While one-party dominance is an almost surefire cure for gridlock, it also points to the increasing balkanization of state governments as Democrats and Republicans move away from the political center.

June 27, 2013

Traditional-marriage supporters vow to fight on for DOMA, California Prop 8

Conservative and Republican lawmakers expressed outrage Wednesday at the failure of the Obama administration and California state officials to defend duly passed laws on gay marriage, which contributed to their defeat earlier in the day at the Supreme Court.

June 26, 2013

Party-switching state senator says Dems have moved too far to the left for Louisiana

Elbert Guillory knows a thing or two about taking risks. Shortly before he switched his party allegiance from Democrat to Republican, he rappelled down the side of a 20-story building in Baton Rouge, La., to help raise money for adoption services.

June 23, 2013

Colorado University weighs anti-discrimination protection for conservatives

Few would disagree that conservative professors are an endangered species on campus, which is why the University of Colorado Board of Regents is scheduled to consider Thursday a resolution that would prohibit discrimination based on "political affiliation or political philosophy."

June 19, 2013

Colorado Senate president will face recall election forced by gun-rights activists

The first-ever recall election of a Colorado state legislator moved closer to fruition Tuesday after it was announced that there are sufficient valid signatures to proceed with the recall of Senate President John Morse.

June 18, 2013

Magpul offers soon-to-be illegal weaponry to Colo. gun buyers

Colorado gun owners stocking up on magazines before the state's ammunition restrictions hit July 1 received an assist Monday from Magpul Industries.