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Colorado News Miner 135
Evergreen High shooting, Kirk murder, suspect release, unaffiliated voters, Caraveo, a police shooting, electric homes, and more.
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2025
Evergreen High Shooting
The Suspect: Shelly Bradbury: "Social media accounts for [the suspect] suggest to experts that he was involved in nihilistic violent extremist networks–which the U.S. Department of Justice defines as people who seek to 'destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors.' . . . [The suspect] also held an account and commented on a website called WatchPeopleDie, which features videos of killings, sexual violence and animal cruelty." Jesse Paul and Olivia Prentzel: The suspect "embraced conspiratorial, antisemitic and white supremacist social media content." The suspect also "reposted TikToks about the 1999 Columbine High School shooting" and posted photos on X of a revolver.
School Resource Officer: Denver Post: Parents at Evergreen worried about spotty availability of a school resource officer. "A school resource officer was not at the school when 16-year-old [suspect] started firing his gun."
Warning Signs: Kevin Vaughan: The Anti-Defamation League "alerted the FBI in July to disturbing internet posts and activity that have now been tied to the 16-year-old Evergreen High student who shot two classmates." Government's fundamental responsibility is to act to protect citizens from violent crime. See also the report from the Denver Post.
Heroic Staff: Denver7: The sheriff's public information officer Jacki Kelley said, "Lots and lots of kids and teachers locked down in those rooms, did what they were supposed to do, and we know that it saved lives. They're heroes. . . . [The perpetrator] came up on a roadblock on many of those doors. He couldn't get to those kids."
Quick Takes
Kirk Murder Fallout: Colorado's Suicide Prevention Follow-Up Coordinator responded to the murder of Charlie Kirk by calling him a "pro-gun, pro-violence dude" and "a white man who spews horrid shit against every marginalized community." In response, Rep. Rose Pugliese called for that state employee to be fired. In response, Chase Woodruff, reporter for Colorado Newsline, called Pugliese's demand part of "a retaliatory purge for political speech." Meanwhile, "Vandals burned a Loveland family's memorial to Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk" and "smashed the back window of the family's SUV." Meanwhile, "Two Colorado Springs teachers have reportedly been placed on administrative leave after allegedly making comments about Charlie Kirk's death." The district is investigating whether the remarks "indicated approval of" the murder. Meanwhile, Libs of TikTok has called out a law clerk, Rep. Steven Woodrow, Rep. Lorena Garcia, and a school board candidate for their critical remarks about Kirk (in those cases I find the remarks insensitive and in some ways misinformed but not egregious). I should note that the exceptional cases get the attention; most people, including most elected officials, have responded to Kirk's murder sensitively and appropriately.
Colorado Victims of Political Violence: People in the state killed in political violence include the victims at Sand Creek; Silas Soule, murdered for helping to expose the atrocities at Sand Creek; Jewish talk show host Alan Berg, murdered by white nationalists; the victims at Ludlow; Tom Clements, murdered by white nationalists; Preston Porter Jr., murdered in a racial-terror lynching. (ChatGPT has a few other examples.)
Pugliese Out: House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese has resigned her seat, citing a "toxic" legislative environment and her need to prioritize her children.
Polis, Rourke Tangle over Inmate Release: Chris Bolin: "Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said it would have taken a change in state law to prevent the release of an inmate identified as dangerous by law enforcement who caught the attention of Elon Musk and Gov. Jared Polis." The suspect in question was arrested for first-degree assault causing significant bodily injury, second-degree attempted homicide, first-degree burglary, and felony menacing. But the suspect "was found incompetent to stand trial and likely could not be restored to competency." Rourke and Sheriff Steve Reams blame HB 24-1034, signed by Polis. See also reports by 9News and Denver7.
Immigration Laws: Krista Kafer defends Colorado laws limiting communications between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement on grounds that people who don't trust the police will not report criminal wrongdoing.
RTD Stabbing: CBS: "Colorado stabbing victim calls 911 after suspect stabs him in the face on RTD light rail train."
Unaffiliated Voters: They now constitute 51% of voters. Again, we should separate party and state. This means ballot access laws should be the same for all comers, government should not list party on ballots or even track party affiliation, government should not fund party primaries, and we should adopt approval voting or some other good method to handle races with more than two candidates.
Caraveo Out: Yadira Caraveo has dropped out of the Eighth Congressional race (for a seat she formerly held), citing "stigmatization of mental health." As sad as this is, her dropping out is good for Democrats, who have a serious chance of taking back the seat from Gabe Evans.
Police Shooting of Belt-Stubblefield: Here is the Denver Post headline: "Civil rights attorney Ben Crump pledges justice for Black man shot by Aurora police," Rajon Belt-Stubblefield. This headline implies that the man was treated unjustly. He was not. I watched body-cam video. Belt-Stubblefield appeared to throw a weapon on the ground, violently assaulted the officer, assumed a fighting stance toward the officer and continually stepped closer to him, and ignored multiple commands to get on the ground. Any officer would have been a fool not to think his life was in danger at that point. This was a tragic death for which the officer was not at fault, legally or morally. The confrontation started, as the Post reports, because Belt-Stubblefield was speeding and then "he hit two cars trying to outrun a police car."
Child Care Costs: Cory Gaines blames shortages and high costs of child care on "regulatory bloat." Ann Schimke reviews a report from the Common Sense Institute about difficulties with getting child care.
Lakewood Zoning: Sage Kelley: Lakewood officials want to "increase affordable housing within the city by reconfiguring the use of single-family zoning, allowing for multi-family homes to be built in those areas." Good. The NIMBYs aren't happy, because they want poor people to suffer.
Clare Out: Colorado romance author Pamela Clare, long ago an editor and investigative journalist with Boulder Weekly, announced that she is retiring from romance writing to focus on her grandchildren, painting, quilting, socializing, and "poetry and nonfiction theology." I read and enjoyed several of her Colorado-set romance novels. I interviewed her a few years ago.
Park Revenues: Daily Sentinel: "New state park pass continues to exceed revenue expectations." To me this suggests expanding opt-out choices for funding aspects of state government. Often people will choose to fund things they care about, if given the opportunity.
House Fees: Aldo Svaldi: "On average, builders in metro Denver paid $67,896 to local governments for a detached or standalone home, and $52,065 for a new duplex, condo or townhome." But most of this is for a water tap.
"Encouraged" by Force: Here is the headline with Sam Brasch's article: "Colorado launches new building code designed to encourage efficient, all-electric homes." Whoever writes headlines over at CPR has a funny idea of what "encourage" means. Brasch's text: "The Colorado Energy Office published its Model Low Energy and Carbon Code . . . which will become the state's new minimum building code on July 1, 2026. After that date, all cities and counties must adopt the regulations whenever they update local building codes or adopt even tougher local building efficiency rules." Or, as Don Vito Corleone says, "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse."
Detailed Sculpture: At first I was going to make fun of the prudes worried about a nude sculpture in Fruita. But the sculpture, in public outside, really is pretty revealing "down there." As my ten-year-old said, "I think this would be better in an art museum." Or perhaps with a modest cover. I do rather like the sculpture, though.
Titone in Rolling Stone: In case you missed her article on AI regs. (I haven't researched the underlying issues enough to have formed an opinion.)
Denver DA Records Error: Kevin Vaughan: "Denver prosecutors failed to turn over police reports to defense attorneys in as many as 800 criminal cases" due to "an automated file processing issue." Oopsie!
Caldara on Trans 2A: I think the right way to describe Jon Caldara is "trans-exclusionary but trans-tolerant." I just can't get through to him on this issue. Anyway, in his recent column the tolerance part comes through: "Those of us who have been most critical of the trans agenda should be the first to shout our outrage of the singling out of, and the possible disarming of, trans people."
Furries: 9News went to a local furry event. (Nobody tell Heidi Ganahl!)