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Anyone in the mood for a little boycotting this weekend might want to start with Wolf Motors. ProgressNow Colorado, a liberal activist group, is calling attention to the potentially offensive billboard the company has put up on its Wheat Ridge site.
The company seems to be in cahoots with local radio blowhard Peter Boyles, who has been promoting the often discredited but never silenced “tea party” and “birther” movements for months.
The often confounding, forever sublime First Amendment guarantees that Wolf, Boyles, and the rest of this curious brood are free to protest President Obama’s policies, of course. But the racially tinged caricatures of the president cross the line. It’s merely the latest and most localized evidence that certain people believe it’s okay to bring a little bigotry back now that an African-American has ascended to the highest job in the land. But it never was, nor will it ever be.
Maybe if these folks wised up and brought a little class to the debates they’d so dearly like to have, some common sense and common ground might rise above the noise.
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has decided the state will collect sales tax on medical marijuana. Late yesterday, Suthers released a legal opinion that mandates the proliferating dispensaries must seek a retail sales license from the state in order to operate, reports The Denver Post.
Advocates at the Colorado Wellness Association believe most dispensary owners will appreciate the move “if it will help prove the legitimacy of their efforts.”
Indeed, credibility is enough of a concern in Pueblo County that a commissioner recently bailed on a dispensary tour when he learned a reporter was on the way, according to the Chieftain. Commissioner Anthony Nuñez was ostensibly visiting the dispensary to better understand the case of its owner, who’s been lobbying the commissioners there to refrain from enacting a temporary ban on dispensary licensing.
The county will vote this morning on whether to follow the city’s lead on a moratorium, an issue taken up in various municipalities across Colorado of late.
The community of Lyons is also looking at a temporary ban, notes the Longmont Times-Call, and Grand Junction voted yesterday to place a one-year moratorium on dispensaries there, writes the Daily Sentinel. Aurora has also voted in favor of a short-term ban, reports the Post, which runs down a list of towns that have considered bans of differing lengths and points out that elected officials in Fort Collins and Loveland also plan to vote on the issue tonight.
Depending on your perspective, it could be a good thing that federal officials have not contacted Governor Bill Ritter or state Representative Buffie McFayden about the possibility of moving suspected terrorists now held in the Guantanamo Bay prison to Supermax in Florence.
The Associated Press, which reports that Colorado officials have not yet been contacted despite rumors the detainees could come to Colorado, adds a caveat: the U.S. Justice Department says the task force studying where to house the detainees hasn’t made any final decisions. Still, an indication of where the 100 foreign detainees might end up came yesterday as federal officials toured the mostly unused, 1,600-cell Thomson Correctional Center in rural Illinois, reigniting the partisan debate over the closure of Gitmo (via Reuters).
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try five detainees, including self-professed 9/11 mastermind Kalid Sheikh Mohammed, has spawned intense criticism from many Republican lawmakers, as well as some of the family members who lost loved ones in the 2001 attacks, according to CBS News.
Republicans have argued the attacks were war crimes and support military tribunals, while Democrats backing Holder say a trial in New York would illustrate the ideals of the American legal system to the world.
Footnoted has discovered an “interesting new disclosure about Porsche” tucked deep within a financial filing. The German car-maker is suing Crocs, the Niwot-based shoe manufacturer, over the use of the name Cayman. Back in May, Crocs Europe B.V. received a letter from Porsche claiming that Crocs’ Cayman shoe model infringes upon their trademark for the car of the same name.
Crocs Europe was ordered to “immediately cease and desist,” and in July the company received an injunction notice, although it is hard to see how people could confuse the slow-moving rubbery Crocs sandal that sells for $29.99 for the zippy Porsche Cayman, which goes for $51,000.
Crocs plans a vigorous defense, and as Footnoted theorizes, “it’s got to be an expensive distraction for Crocs, which had to find a law firm in Germany to represent its interests.”
Chris Weiss of MotorCrave chimes in: “Porsche has helped to draw an analogy between its car and a pair of $30 foam slippers. Nice job Porsche.”
Laura Kriho, the Cannabis Therapy Institute’s outreach director, says it appears the Boulder City Council’s effort to rush an emergency ordinance to crack down on medical marijuana has spawned confusion about what the rules actually do.
“They didn’t put a lot of thought into the definitions or into the rest of the ordinance,” she tells the Daily Camera, saying it appears the ordinance could be interpreted to mean that anyone who sells pot is in business legally.
Read the language for yourself. The approved ordinance states a medical marijuana business in Boulder is “any establishment that makes available marijuana in any form to any other person in exchange for money, goods or services,” or anyone with “possession of more than six marijuana plants and two ounces of a usable form of marijuana, unless the possession is by a patient or primary caregiver” as defined by the Colorado Constitution.
So does this mean anyone in Boulder can sell pot now without fear of being busted? Not so fast, says city attorney Jerry Gordon: The “ordinance doesn’t legalize the sale of marijuana,” although he concedes a layperson might interpret it otherwise. (more…)
If you are dazed and confused by all the legal fighting over Colorado’s apparently nebulous law legalizing medical marijuana, you’re not alone. The headlines have been a blur in recent weeks. While local politicians are promising crackdowns, fearing a stoners’ free-for-all, the courts and state officials are trying to sort out myriad issues and controversies surrounding the tremendous growth of medical marijuana dispensaries of late.
Last August, the state Board of Health decided anyone who supplies marijuana to a registered user is qualified to be a “caregiver.” The rules seemed simple enough until last month, when the state Court of Appeals seemed to eclipse that rule in a criminal case, concluding that a woman was not qualified to be a caregiver because she provided the drug only and no other health services. That led the Board of Health to reconsider and temporarily accept the court’s requirements.
There’s more: Lawyers got involved, and yesterday Denver District Judge Larry Naves overturned the Board of Health’s interim decision, concluding that officials ignored the needs of patients and violated state open-meetings laws in the process (via The Associated Press).
So now, medical marijuana providers can go back to slinging pot without offering other services to patients who have a certificate and prescription.
Westword talks with Brian Vicente, one of the attorneys who represented medical marijuana patients, after the ruling: “The judge made it very clear the Board of Health needs to cease disenfranchising the public. We hope that at subsequent hearings, they will abide by Colorado law and listen to patients and providers.” Eyes are now set on a December 16 Board of Health meeting.
In the sometimes confusing balloon-boy universe, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden almost faced charges for his role in the fiasco—almost.
Somewhere along the story’s time line, the outspoken and camera-friendly Alderden had disclosed that social-services workers were asked to investigate the Heene family, who prior to the balloon-boy incident appeared on ABC’s “Wife Swap.”
The Heene family’s attorney, David Lane, claims Alderden was trying to make the family look bad in the public eye. But Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett, serving as a special prosecutor, disagrees, stating in a letter released yesterday that there will be no charges against Alderden (via the Fort Collins Coloradoan).
“Although Sheriff Alderden references the fact that the Department of Social Services has become involved, he discloses no data or information obtained from a Department of Social Services report, nor does he improperly release any identifying information obtained from records or reports of child abuse,” Garnett writes. “Thus, no criminal charges are warranted.”
Either Shane Bauer, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and their friend Joshua Fattal are a trio of spies who posed as American hikers in Iran on a botched mission or they’re simply naive. It’s been two months since the three were arrested after allegedly entering Iran from Iraq.
Shannon Bauer, Shane Bauer’s sister, a graduate student in psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, recent told the Daily Camera, “It was very much in character for him to go there. The day before it happened, I got an e-mail from him saying how safe it was. This is a part of Iraq that Western tour groups go to.”
It seems the hikers aren’t really spies, as Iranian officials have alleged. Rather, the three are being used as political pawns in the protracted battle between Washington and Tehran over Israel and nuclear weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Turkey that President Barack Obama must choose between Israel and relations with Iran.
The announcement came only hours after Tehran’s prosecutor announced spying charges against the three, although Ahmadinejad (pictured) said he hoped the three would not be jailed, while avoiding questions over whether he believed they were spies. (more…)
Focus on the Family’s patriarch James Dobson may have reached the end of an era as he prepares to leave the Colorado Springs-based evangelical media empire’s radio show. But the organization still flexes conservative muscle when it comes to the issue of gay marriage.
The latest battleground was Maine, where voters reversed a state law earlier this week that allowed same-sex couples to marry, a national trend against gay marriage that includes California, Hawaii, and myriad other states (via The Wall Street Journal).
Focus on the Family Action, the organization’s political arm, poured in $115,266 to help the coalition support the repeal, according to election records analyzed by the Colorado Springs Gazette. Jenny Tyree, Focus’ marriage analyst, credits Focus founder James Dobson with the win, saying his views on traditional marriage still resonate with Americans.
The ski town of Breckenridge has voted by a margin of almost three to one to legalize the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. The ordinance also removes criminal penalties for the possession of bongs, pipes, and other drug paraphernalia, notes 7News.
“This vote demonstrates that Breckenridge citizens overwhelmingly believe that adults should not be punished for making the safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,” says Sean McAllister, the Breckenridge attorney who proposed the ordinance.
Breck authorities, however, could still enforce state and federal laws that make possession illegal.
Meanwhile, voters in Denver overwhelmingly defeated Initiative 300, which would have required police to seize cars from drivers caught without a license—even if they simply left their ID at home (via 9News). (more…)
Maybe you haven’t been paying attention because there’s not a presidential race on the ballot, but today is Election Day in Colorado, and that includes Denver, which is conducting a mail-only ballot. If you still have one, and are inclined to vote, it is too late to simply fill it out and put it in the mailbox. But fret not: You have until 7 p.m. to get your butt down to the county clerk and recorder’s office or a designated drop site, writes 9News.
You may, for instance, want to chime in on Initiative 300, which would allow Denver police officers to impound your vehicle if you are caught driving without a license—even if you simply forgot your license at home or in your locker at the Y.
Opponents are trying to kill the initiative, saying it could leave Denver drivers paying as much as $2,700 to get their cars back if they’re nabbed by the long arm of the law, according to 7News. That’s more money than the Blue Book value of a lot of cars on Denver’s streets. I-300 builds upon a law passed by Denver voters last year, despite heavy opposition from local pols and editorial boards.
Westword takes an in-depth look at both measures and the true motives of their author, a Jefferson County resident.
There’s plenty more on the Denver ballot, including several contested school board races, the Denver Daily News points out. To find out more about today’s election in other Colorado counties, the Secretary of State has it all mapped out at its online Election Center.
Politicians around Colorado—from Pueblo to Grand Junction—are cracking down on the proliferation of the dispensaries that distribute legal medical marijuana. Their weapon: red tape.
A state legislator is exploring ways to slow the spread of such operations, but Pueblo’s city council is leading the charge.
Last night, the council there voted unanimously for a 90-day moratorium on licensing dispensaries following a lengthy hearing, according to the Chieftain, as the city looks at a variety of ordinances to regulate how marijuana may be distributed to patients. In Denver, Councilman Charlie Brown is pushing for much the same: a new licensing system similar to that of bars and nightclubs, and outright bans on dispensaries near schools.
“I think it’s out of control here,” Brown tells The Denver Post. “We need to play catch-up here. It’s become Wild West, baby.” (more…)
Even the BBC is reporting that the annual Naked Pumpkin Run, a “zany” Halloween tradition, failed to materialize in Boulder because of the threat of a police crackdown. Presumably, the Naked Pumpkin Runners didn’t want to be arrested and charged as sex offenders.
The Mall Crawl returned to Boulder, but in a very mellow manner: 4,000 people showed up in costumes on the city’s Pearl Street Mall, watched closely by police officers, although there were few indications of a rowdy, alcohol-infused riot, as authorities had feared.
Many people complained to the Daily Camera that police overreacted and made everyone feel guilty for simply wanting to go out and have some fun.
I was there, and the best part was the impromptu dance performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Truly great. There were some fun political messages, too. Michael May and Gerry Callejo carried naked, inflatable men with jack-o-lanterns on their heads and a sign, “Free the Pumpkins,” causing the police chief, who was watching, to crack a “wry smile,” writes the Camera. (more…)
Daniel Newman, who invited as many as 4,000 fellow zombies to the 16th Street Mall last weekend, has received a $1,000 bill for his wildly fun Zombie Crawl.
“Basically, the Downtown Denver Partnership, the guys who manage the mall, without e-mailing us or asking us if we could help clean up, considered all the fake blood to be the same as graffiti and handed it to that department,” Newman tells Westword.
Newman, the founder of the crawl, invested $2,000 to promote it and says he was otherwise psyched by how things went, including the turnout. In four years, the crawl has grown from about 80 people to thousands.
Meanwhile, Hapa Sushi, known for kinky fare such as the Booty Call Roll and Multiple Orgasm Roll, has devised a publicity stunt meant to help Naked Pumpkin Run participants cover up should they feel compelled to do so. The restaurant, which expects to be on the running path, is giving out sexy orange undies branded with “Hapa,” according to the Daily Camera.
Until this week, the case against Richard Heene for the balloon-boy fiasco seemed pretty straightforward. Even Heene’s wife, Mayumi, has admitted the odyssey was a hoax and that her husband had coached the entire family to deceive authorities and the media.
But for reasons unknown, prosecutors have been slow to file charges against Richard Heeene—and perhaps his wife (via The Associated Press). Earlier this week, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office turned the case over to prosecutors, who claim they are waiting for more information (but won’t specify what kind of information) before they will file charges.
Now, outspoken Sheriff Jim Alderden could face charges for disclosing that social-services workers were asked to investigate the family, which, prior to the alleged publicity stunt, had appeared on ABC’s “Wife Swap.” Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett has been appointed as a special prosecutor in investigating whether Alderden (pictured) violated any laws, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
The Heenes’ attorney, David Lane, claims Alderden mentioned that child services were involved in an attempt to make the family look bad in the public eye. (more…)
Though voters defeated a measure in 2008 that sought to define a fertilized human egg as a person, thus affording it rights, advocates of the idea will not give up. The text of 2010’s proposed “Personhood Amendment,” according to backers at Personhood Colorado, would clarify Colorado’s constitution by stating that the definition of a “person” shall “apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”
Moreover, abortion, as well as tinkering with fertilized eggs for scientific reasons, would be an offense tantamount to murder or torture: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.”
The Colorado Independent reports that Colorado Right to Life and Personhood USA, the groups behind proposed Initiative 25, are “lining up friends and foes” in their latest campaign, including scientists at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Personhood Colorado Director Gualberto Garcia Jones says the measure is “intended to account for human beings who may be created through asexual reproduction in laboratories and used as raw material for research, organs, or stem cells.”
Such groups are mobilizing in several states, including Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which reports that if one state approves such legislation, it could be used to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing abortion.
Following the Justice Department’s announcement last week that it will not seek to prosecute the users and providers of medical marijuana so long as they follow state law, local officials are increasingly looking for ways to intervene themselves.
The executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, James B. Martin, says the explosion of new patients represents “an abuse of the system,” writes The New York Times.
Specifically, Martin claims many young men in their early 20s are going to a small handful of doctors and complaining of severe or chronic pain, the first step in applying for state cards that allow them to receive medical pot.
“It is exceedingly unlikely that there’s an epidemic of chronic pain among young male adults,” Martin says. (more…)
If you noticed the 4,000 or so zombies along the 16th Street Mall this weekend, you know Halloween is basically a weeklong celebration this year—one that could end on a high point (at least as far as crowd-size goes) in Boulder.
That’s because the People’s Republic has a long list of options on Saturday, starting in the afternoon, when droves of University of Colorado football fans will leave Folsom Field after the team plays Missouri.
Halloween last fell on a weekend in 2004, and a riot broke out on University Hill, near campus. This year, there’s an extra hour of daylight saving time, meaning bars can stay open another hour if they choose, the Daily Camera points out.
Then there’s the annual naked pumpkin runners, dangling their naughty bits in the street, and persisting rumors of a revival of the Mall Crawl, which could lure hoards of costumed folk to party on the Pearl Street Mall.
As police Commander Curt Johnson says, “We only get Halloween on a Saturday once every seven, eight years. … This is certainly probably the one night this year we’ve had to do the most planning and preparation for.”
For years, advocates failed to persuade President George W. Bush to back hate-crimes legislation, but now, President Barack Obama will sign a measure to expand the legal definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation, gender, disability, or gender identity.
Yesterday’s 68-29 vote in the U.S. Senate sent the bill to the president.
“There have been nearly 80,000 hate-crime incidents reported to the FBI since I first testified before Congress in support of a hate-crimes bill 11 years ago,” U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. says (via the Los Angeles Times).
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation tracked 164 hate-crimes offenses in 2008, the most recent statistics available. James Dobson of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family called the legislation “utter evil” on his radio show earlier this year (via LifeSiteNews), fearing the Hate Crimes Bill, H.R.1913, could be used to prosecute people for their religious opinions on sexuality.
Meanwhile, NPR hails the bill as “the greatest expansion of the 1969 federal hate-crime law.” The original law was enacted after the murder of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and aimed to protect people from violence because of their race, religion, or national origin.
Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? 
Anyone in the mood for a little boycotting this weekend might want to start with Wolf Motors. ProgressNow Colorado, a liberal activist group, is calling attention to the potentially offensive billboard the company has put up on its Wheat Ridge site.
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado 
In the sometimes confusing balloon-boy universe, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden almost faced charges for his role in the fiasco—almost.
Either Shane Bauer, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and their friend Joshua Fattal are a trio of spies who posed as American hikers in Iran on a botched mission or they’re simply naive. It’s been two months since the three were arrested after allegedly entering Iran from Iraq.
Politicians around Colorado—from Pueblo to Grand Junction—are cracking down on the proliferation of the dispensaries that distribute legal medical marijuana. Their weapon: red tape.
Even the 
Daniel Newman, who invited as many as 4,000 fellow zombies to the 16th Street Mall last weekend, has received a $1,000 bill for his wildly fun Zombie Crawl.
Until this week, the case against Richard Heene for the balloon-boy fiasco seemed pretty straightforward. Even Heene’s wife, Mayumi, has 
Following the Justice Department’s announcement last week that it will not seek to prosecute the users and providers of medical marijuana so long as they follow state law, local officials are increasingly looking for ways to intervene themselves.
If you noticed the 
For years, advocates failed to persuade President George W. Bush to back 