People convicted of felonies who have served their entire sentences can vote in Colorado. So can people on probation and parole.

Those convicted of felonies who are imprisoned or confined to detention as part of their sentence cannot vote. They regain their voting eligibility after they have completed their “full term of imprisonment,” according to the Colorado Secretary of State.

“The day you are released from detention or incarceration is the day your eligibility to register to vote is restored,” the office stated on its website.

Defendants facing criminal charges in jail who are pretrial detainees or out on bond awaiting trial can vote. In May 2024, the General Assembly passed a law requiring county clerks to work with county sheriffs to allow voting in jail for at least one day, give detainees information on voting eligibility and provide them with instructions on how they can verify or change voter registration. 

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The red and pink retardant firefighters dump on wildfires has been found to be harmful to waterways.

The slurry typically consists of about 85% water, 10% fertilizer that includes ammonium phosphate, and 5% natural thickeners, stabilizers, bactericides, corrosion inhibitors and dyes usually made of iron oxide.

The solution is not considered harmful to humans or land animals but can be acidic and damaging to plants due to its high concentrations of nutrients. Ammonia is toxic in waterways, and the U.S. Forest Service follows guidelines to limit slurry getting dumped into them. 

In a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s use of slurry, U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen ruled that the Forest Service has conceded that it’s a pollutant. Case law showed “that the direct effects of fire retardant entering a waterway ‘could include, in certain circumstances, lethal and sub-lethal effects in aquatic species,’” wrote Christensen, who serves in the Missoula Division of the Montana District. 

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Colorado does not require motor vehicle insurance for electric bikes as long as the bikes fit the state’s electrical assisted bicycle classifications and aren’t motorcycles.

The state has three classifications for e-bikes: 

• Class 1: an electric assisted bicycle with a motor that provides power when the rider is pedaling and stops when the bike reaches a speed of 20 mph.
• Class 2: an electric assisted bicycle with a motor that provides power but stops when the bike reaches a speed of 20 mph.
• Class 3: an electric assisted bicycle with a motor that provides power when the rider is pedaling but stops when the bicycle reaches a speed of 28 mph.

Insuring e-bikes, however, is recommended by some insurance providers, who recommend at least liability coverage in case of an accident. Companies have started offering special e-bike insurance for riders as some companies don’t insure them as property under homeowners policies.

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Gangs had no apparent role in a raucous demonstration in Aurora on Sunday as Venezuelans reacted to the reelection of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, police say.

A crowd of up to 4,000 people had awaited the results in a shopping center parking lot. Gunfire erupted after Maduro was named the victor, and mounds of trash were strewn about. No injuries, arrests or property damage were reported. Police said the shots were fired into the air. 

“There is no evidence to date that the gathering was organized by a criminal organization or that any gang activity occurred related to the gathering,” police said.

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have fled to Colorado over the past year because of economic conditions and the authoritarian control of Maduro, whose government is accused of human rights violations. Challenger Edmundo Gonzalez had pledged to restore political freedom. His loss gives Maduro another six-year term.

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A Colorado law that goes into effect Aug. 7, 2024, will allow motorcycles to ride between lanes past cars — but only if traffic has stopped. Riders must make sure lanes are wide enough to allow them to pass safely, and they are limited to 15 mph when overtaking stopped cars.

Motorcycles cannot pass using the right shoulder, and they cannot move in the opposite direction of traffic in the lanes.

The new rule aims to reduce congestion by allowing riders to move up at stop lights and during traffic jams, while decreasing the chance for motorcycles to get rear-ended. 

California and Utah are among states that allow motorcycles to ride between lanes under some circumstances. The American Motorcyclist Association endorses the practice, saying it gives motorcyclists an “escape route” from being rear-ended. An Oregon transportation study found it also prevents air-cooled engines from overheating by keeping motorbikes in motion.

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Colorado residential property values jumped 26.9% statewide in 2023, with many counties reporting much higher surges.

Under Colorado law, properties in the state must be revalued every two years. The most recent revaluation occurred between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.

In that time, Douglas County reported a median residential valuation rise of 47%. Arapahoe County reported a 42% jump. The city and county of Broomfield saw a 41%. Larimer County’s values surged 40%. Adams County reported a jump of 38%. Jefferson County’s values soared 36.5%. Boulder County experienced a 35% rise.

The repeal of the Gallagher Amendment in 2020 was partly to blame for the double-digit increase in valuations seen across the Metro Denver area. The amendment limited how much property assessments — and therefore property taxes — could rise. The repeal was driven by state and local governments struggling with huge deficits that originated during the pandemic.

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The International Olympic Committee awarded Denver the 1976 Winter Olympics in 1970, but the state turned down the opportunity two years later after voters made it illegal to use state tax revenue to fund the event.

Voters passed a constitutional amendment forbidding the use of state funds to finance the games Nov. 7, 1972. Organizers had no choice but to rescind the IOC’s offer as the city needed millions of dollars for construction and other preparation costs in order to host the games.

While business and civic leaders had believed that the majority of Coloradans supported hosting the Olympics, the rejection at the ballot box was seen as a reaction to the state’s aggressive focus on growth and development at the time. Voters were growing upset at open space being gobbled up by construction and state funds being used to subsidize building, historians say. 

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The Supreme Court’s overturning of the 40-year-old Chevron ruling limits the authority of regulatory agencies, but it did not trigger an automatic repeal of any policies including those of the Environmental Protection Agency.

On June 28, 2024, the high court essentially ended the wide latitude federal agencies had been given to interpret laws and make their own policies as long as they didn’t conflict with congressional intent. The initial Chevron decision had basically left rulemaking to agencies, citing their subject matter expertise, rather than judges.

But the recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision that broke along partisan lines shifted power to the courts, which can now more easily overturn — or affirm — agency policies when they are legally challenged.

The ruling specifically stated that the change applies to “cases and controversies” that arise “going forward.”

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Colorado State University is building a breeding and research center on its Foothills Campus to study bats and their response to infectious disease. The building, funded by a $6.7 million National Institute of Health grant, is scheduled to be completed by 2025.

The building’s primary function will be to breed “virus-free, disease-free bats” that will be used by CSU researchers and also be sent to other universities and government agencies, the university said.

It will also house some biosafety level 2 research. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could involve microbes that pose “moderate hazards,” are not foreign and are associated with diseases of “varying severity” such as staphylococcus. 

CSU officials stated that the university “has no plans to conduct gain-of-function infectious disease research with bats that could increase the transmission of a virus or other pathogens to humans.”

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A Vail arson attack on Oct. 19, 1998, remains one of the costliest ecoterrorism acts in the United States.

A group known as “the family” connected to the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front targeted the Vail ski resort, destroying four ski lifts and burning down a restaurant, a lodge and a utility building, according to the FBI. Damage was initially estimated at $12 million and later reassessed at $26 million.

The groups’ stated goal was to protect the habitat of the Canada lynx, endangered in Colorado.

Three people pleaded guilty in the attack while one suspect remains at large. Josephine Sunshine Overaker remains a fugitive and is believed to have fled to Europe. 

The family, a group of about 20 active until 2001, was responsible for at least 25 crimes including vandalism, property damage, animal releases and arson, causing about $48 million in damage, the FBI said. 

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