By Quentin Young | editor
“There are no government officials in the Town of Hartman who are authorized to approve contracts, spend funds, appoint replacements, certify elections, or make decisions regarding the Town of Hartman’s water system.”
— Andrew Kline, Colorado deputy secretary of state
A view of Hartman in southeastern Colorado near the Kansas border. (Google Maps)
By Lindsey Toomer
State officials Wednesday declared a small town in southeast Colorado abandoned after years of turmoil among its residents and local government leaders. Residents of Hartman, which is near the state’s border with Kansas about a 30-minute drive east of Lamar, have not had elected officials running their town since January, when the entire board of trustees for the town resigned. The town has 30 residents. The town government oversaw the local water supply, and without government officials, water infrastructure has drastically deteriorated.
Members of the Colorado House of Representatives work on the final day of the 2026 legislative session on May 13, 2026, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
By Sara Wilson
Colorado Democrats hope to flip four state House seats and one state Senate seat this fall to widen their majority power in the Legislature, the national party’s state legislative campaign committee announced this week. Democrats currently hold a 43-22 majority in the House and 23-12 majority in the Senate. If the strategy announced Wednesday by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is successful, it would push Democrats into a supermajority in both chambers. That would make it possible for the caucuses to refer state constitutional amendments to the ballot and override vetoes from the governor with a party-line vote.
Erica Schwartz testifies during her confirmation hearing to become director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
By Shauneen Miranda
Dr. Erica Schwartz got a step closer in her bid to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a key U.S. Senate panel propelled her nomination to the Senate floor Thursday. Thursday’s vote followed a tense confirmation hearing this month, during which members from both parties grilled Schwartz over how she would deal with any political interference from the Trump administration when it comes to vaccine policy. The panel’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, appeared dissatisfied with Schwartz’s responses at her confirmation hearing, but ultimately moved to advance her bid.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Fifty for 150: Ute bands expelled from Colorado’s Western Slope in 1881 | By Chase Woodruff
Greg Lopez will be on ballot as unaffiliated candidate for Colorado governor | By Lindsey Toomer
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