December is most commonly thought of as the holiday season, but for members of Colorado’s General Assembly it’s also a time for working on changes they want to make to state law in the upcoming session.
One possible bill would stop allowing driver’s licenses to be suspended when people don’t pay court fines and other charges.
For The Denver Post’s story Sunday, statehouse reporter Alex Burness visited two women — a mother and daughter — who are stuck in the same Catch-22: Without driver’s licenses they can’t get jobs. Without jobs they can’t pay off their court bills and get their driver’s licenses reinstated.
Alex also looks at the reasons the practice is still legal in Colorado despite support from progressives and conservatives for ending it.
— Cindi Andrews, politics editor
Driving while poor: Colorado’s vicious cycle of unpaid fines and suspended licenses
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Five of The Denver Post’s best stories this week
Seven Denver Public Safety employees have died by suicide in the past two years, a rate far higher than national average
Over his 35 years as a Denver police officer, Brian Barry has responded to countless homicides, suicides, assaults and grisly crashes. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2017.
“I’m here,” he said. “I’m living proof that somebody can go through this war with their personality intact.”
Denver Post reporter Elise Schmelzer reports on that war and the elevated rate of death by suicide among Denver first responders.
Impeachment hearings put Colorado congressmen in the limelight
For Reps. Joe Neguse and Ken Buck, both on the House Judiciary Committee, this week’s impeachment ends a two-week stretch in the limelight, Justin Wingerter reports. Whether it was sought or not, the two congressmen from Colorado participated in history.
RELATED: Denver talk radio show canceled after host wishes “for a nice school shooting” to interrupt impeachment
Colorado regulators OK rules aimed at cutting pollution, greenhouse gases from well sites
After three days of hearings, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission approved new rules tightening controls on oil and gas emissions under SB181, Judith Kohler reports. They call for more frequent inspections of oil and gas equipment statewide, with a special provision for homes and schools within 1,000 feet of well sites.
RELATED: EPA declares Colorado a “serious” violator of federal air quality standards, forcing stricter efforts to reduce pollution
RTD may ax six bus lines, reduce service on 16th Street Mall shuttle to deal with severe driver shortage
A proposed RTD plan to deal with chronic bus and train operator shortages would eliminate some bus routes and decrease the frequency of others, John Aguilar reports. If the cuts are approved, the changes wouldn’t go into effect until May.
RELATED: Here’s how RTD’s proposed bus and train cuts will affect you
Was no-show among Broncos fans a one-time blip or cause for concern?
Large swaths of empty seats at Empower Field at Mile High were painfully obvious to players and fans in the Dec. 1 game against the Chargers.
“That was the emptiest I’ve seen it in eight years here,” Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe said. Read more from Ryan O’Halloran.
MORE SPORTS NEWS: How Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr.’s living situation keeps him grounded
More of our best stories
+ Denver Water gets go-ahead to replace lead pipes
+ Colorado detectives use online genealogical databases to solve cold cases
+ Debt & Democracy: Reporter David Migoya answers your questions about a recent Denver Post investigation into Colorado metro districts
+ Denver airport is about to see 2.5 million holiday travelers — here’s how to navigate the crowds
+ Lakewood struggles with new growth-control law
+ Urban camping bans suffer blow at Supreme Court, but Denver stands behind its ordinance
+ Colorado’s oil and gas employment tumbles for first time since March 2017
+ As feds prepare to shift DIA air traffic patterns, Gilpin County is the latest community to dread plane noise
+ “Itap a labor of love”: Denver family volunteers for Salvation Army for 64th year
+ Denver’s coolest new restaurant of 2019 is finally here, just a few days before the year ends — The Know
+ League of Charter Schools asks state board to free them from Littleton Public Schools
Photo Illustration of the week
