By Quentin Young | editor
Two of the first debates of the Colorado midterm election took place this week in Colorado Springs. Phil Weiser, the Democratic attorney general who is running for governor, took the stage Thursday with Greg Lopez, an unaffiliated candidate. Notably absent was Victor Marx, the Republican nominee around whom many questions swirl (about his past, about his campaign finances, about how many people he’s killed — lots of questions). As Chase Woodruff reported, Weiser, who is heavily favored to win, vowed to stand up to President Donald Trump. During the same event, U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank faced off against his Democratic challenger, Jessica Killin. As Sara Wilson reported, Killin repeatedly criticized Crank’s attitude toward the war in Iran. Below are some of our other top stories from the week.
Deer in Colorado. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Wayne D. Lewis)
Colorado voters could adopt a right to hunt and fish, but opponents warn measure threatens wildlife
By Sara Wilson
Colorado voters will decide in November whether to put the right to hunt and fish in the state’s constitution. Hunting and fishing activities are already legal in Colorado and managed by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The amendment is backed by CRWM and the Wisconsin-based International Order of T. Roosevelt, which has successfully led similar campaigns in other states and seeks to preserve the so-called “North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.” Opponents of the initiative worry it would restrict Colorado’s ability to enact future protections for wildlife and solutions for wildlife conflicts, create public-safety concerns and cause management problems.
Phil Weiser, Colorado attorney general, speaks to supporters in Denver in June. (Photo by Andrew Fraieli/Colorado Newsline)
By Sara Wilson
The tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed Wednesday to pay over $17 billion in a nationwide settlement in a case centered on youth social media addiction. The deal includes over $615 million over nine years for Colorado, which was one of 51 states and territories to sue the company in 2023. “The relief we are getting in this settlement is very meaningful and well beyond what any court has ordered or is likely to order,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, said.
The Colorado River flows through Palisade on June 9, 2023. (William Woody for Colorado Newsline)
NEWS ANALYSIS
By Chase Woodruff
Elected officials from across Colorado’s political spectrum continued a 68-year-old tradition last week when they took to the stage at the annual summer conference of the Colorado Water Congress in Steamboat Springs. The Water Congress brings together experts, policymakers, agricultural producers and other interest groups to negotiate and strategize in a state where water has always been a scarce and carefully managed resource. Notably absent, however, from the event’s three days of speeches on water policy was the predominant reason why the situation on the Colorado River is bad and getting worse: human-caused climate change.
TIMELINE 1876
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Following years of turmoil, county approves contract with Pueblo sheriff union | By Lindsey Toomer
Judge reinstates pause on Trump order limiting mail ballots | By Jacob Fischler
Commentary: ICE detention center is a health risk to every Coloradan | By Quentin Young
Commentary: The number of Denver overdose deaths is shocking. The city is making it worse. | By Lisa Raville and Z Williams
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