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Colorado News Miner 148
Marx supporter paints horns on Weiser, Marx dubiously raises money, Aurora officer indicted, and more.
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2026
Disgusting Portrayal of Weiser with Horns: Republican activist Sean Pond portrayed Phil Weiser with devil horns (see his initial post, possibly modified from when first released, and reply to Kyle Clark). See also Clark's summary, in which he points out, "Depicting Jewish people with horns is a centuries-old, dehumanizing, antisemitic trope." Pond claims he didn't even know Weiser was Jewish. The depiction of Weiser with devil horns is especially disgusting given that Republican Victor Marx's claim to fame is his alleged war against demons. See also Pond's follow-up Facebook post in which he says the image of Weiser with horns is a "silly picture." As Talking Points Memo points out, Marx replied positively to Pond's posting of the image to Twitter.
Marx Alleged Campaign Finance Violations: See Chase Woodruff and 9News.
Aurora Officer Indicted: An Arapahoe County (18th Judicial) grand jury indicted Aurora police officer Matthew Neely on charges of second-degree murder and reckless manslaughter involving Rajon Belt-Stubblefield. My long-time readers know that I do not reflexively justify or condemn police shootings. Rather, I look for the evidence on a case-by-case basis. Based on video I've watched of the shooting, I believe the shooting was justified. Indeed, at the time of the shooting, the officer in question was in extreme danger, as Belt-Stubblefield was aggressively seeking to attack the officer while two other men stood nearby. If anything, the officer erred by allowing the suspect to get far too close to him and to his gun. I seriously doubt that a jury will return a guilty verdict in this case, and I seriously doubt that it should.
Colorado Christian University: The school hired Mike Pence (part-time). It hosted an event where speakers condemned populism. It broke with Jeff Hunt. Maybe the school's leaders are trying to make amends for helping to unleash the MAGA monster?
Energy Superabundance: I like the sound of that! I can't speak to Greg Brophy's specific proposals to get there; apparently the FAST-41 proposal he favors involves faster permitting.
Recycling Mandate: Sherrie Peif: "Trade group sues over heavy-handed Colorado recycling mandate."
Religious Public School: Ann Schimke: Members of the Colorado Department of Education allowed a public school to open that they knew was religious, and allowed "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to flow to the school, because, they claimed (Schimke's words), "the state legislature hasn't given the department 'any clear authority' to enforce the state constitution's ban on religious public schools."
A Religious-Themed Charter: Suzie Glassman is perturbed that a DougCo charter school has religious influences and soft-sells a religious worldview. She also wonders about the school's finances. On one hand, progressives are annoyed to fund this; on the other hand, conservatives pay taxes too. We can't possibly talk about separating school from state.
Gun Sales: CPR: "Colorado residents rush to buy guns ahead of new restrictions, breaking sales records for several stores." Denver7: "Montezuma County sheriff opts out of administering new Colorado gun law."
Clark on Colorado: I thought Kyle Clark had a nice tribute to Colorado: "The chance to work with America's best photojournalists at 9NEWS brought me here. It was the beauty of Colorado and the kindness of Coloradans that kept me here. Colorado is optimism, grit, and adventure. The handful of whiners here are vastly outnumbered by the happy doers and those who still see this place as somewhere to build a future for their families. Colorado is a state where the majority of the population has never been born here, constantly infusing it with new ideas and new energy—combined with a reverence for what makes this place special. I never hear 'That's just the way it is' in Colorado. I constantly hear 'Let's make things better.' Colorado is progress, opportunity, and ingenuity. Very few people in Colorado care where you came from. They're much more interested in why you are here and how you intend to contribute."
Adler on Boulder Climate Suit: Jonathan Adler says let Colorado courts hear the case. The Tenth Circuit agrees.
Renewable Lapse: Recently "low production from wind turbines and solar fields" led to energy alerts.
Rape Kit Backlog: Hannah Metzger: "The average turnaround for sexual assault tests is 185 days." Shameful. This is the improved timeline.
Westminster Tax Breaks: Obi Ezeadi: "The Westminster City Council unanimously advanced two of Councilmember Obi Ezeadi’s signature affordability proposals Monday night: a childcare provider property tax rebate program and a sales tax exemption for diapers, infant formula, feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence diapers." I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, lower net taxes, yay. On the other hand, I'd rather have low, even taxes for all, without any favoritism, and help the poor (if government must do that) through means-tested aid.
Ode to Calhoun: Dawn DiPrince offers a history of Westword.
Gazette: Jason Salzman is worried: "Anschutz Businessman Chris Reen Replaces Journalist at Helm of Gazette."