Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Sen. Ted Cruz triumphs in 2016 presidential straw poll
Sen. Ted Cruz hasn't said whether he has presidential ambitions, but Sunday he won one of the first straw polls for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. The Texas Republican captured 45 percent of the 504 votes cast by attendees at the Western Conservative Summit, a day after drawing several standing ovations during his luncheon speech at the fourth annual conference. Published July 28, 2013
Sen. Cruz: Defund Obamacare before Americans become ‘addicted’ to subsidies
Sen. Ted Cruz urged conservatives Saturday to join a petition drive to defund Obamacare, calling it their last chance to stop the national health-care plan before its implementation in January. Published July 27, 2013
GOP stars head to Western Conservative Summit, debate strategy for success
This isn't an election year, but you wouldn't know it from the number of potential Republican presidential candidates rubbing shoulders in swing-state Colorado this weekend. Published July 27, 2013
Sex, money and lies: ‘Culture of Corruption’ boomerangs on Democrats as scandals blossom nationwide
The Democratic Party is battling scandals from New York to San Diego and from city hall to Capitol Hill, as the party finds itself on the defensive over embarrassing lapses ranging from sexual misconduct to multiple scandals ensnaring the Obama administration. Published July 24, 2013
Alaska voters to weigh oil production slide vs. costly tax incentives
A fight over a tax cut is morphing into a battle over Alaskans' sense of themselves and of an energy-based economy that has long distinguished Alaska from the Lower 48. Published July 22, 2013
Detroit’s mayor sees other cities facing bankruptcy
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing warned Sunday that his may be the first major city to declare bankruptcy, but that it won't be the last. Published July 21, 2013
Prominent black leaders split on Trayvon verdict, calls for Florida boycott
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus moved Sunday to dampen calls for an economic boycott of Florida in reaction to the Trayvon Martin verdict, saying the effort could wind up hurting black communities. Published July 21, 2013
Aurora shooting anniversary speakers make push for more gun laws at vigil
Speakers at a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of the Aurora theater shooting Friday urged lawmakers to approve tougher firearms laws while gun-rights supporters watched from the wings. Published July 20, 2013
Latest win for Colorado gun-rights activists: Recall election set Sept. 10
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper set Sept. 10 as the date for the state's first-ever legislative recall election Thursday after a judge rejected a lawsuit aimed at stopping the recalls of two Democratic state legislators. Published July 18, 2013
Gun-rights group unwelcome at Friday memorial for Aurora shooting victims
Plans by a gun-rights group to participate in ceremonies on Friday marking one year since the Aurora theater shooting have drawn criticism from some participants who say the group doesn't belong. Published July 18, 2013
Cut in mineral royalties to Western states tied to sequester
Western lawmakers are waging a bipartisan revolt against the Obama administration's decision to cut mineral royalties to the states as a result of the sequester, but so far the administration isn't budging. Published July 11, 2013
Mascot feud hits Denver after university introduces Boone replacement
University of Denver officials reignited the school's simmering mascot feud last month by proposing three new mascots — an elk, a jackalope and a "mountaineer" — but many alumni are still smarting over the school's decision to dump Boone, the chubby pioneer who was jettisoned in 1998 for being insufficiently inclusive. Published July 8, 2013
Bolivian government angry over plane rerouting due to Snowden suspicions
While still apparently holed up in a Moscow airport, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden precipitated another international incident, this time over the Bolivian president's plane being rerouted to Austria over concerns that Mr. Snowden might be onboard. Published July 3, 2013
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro defends Edward Snowden: ‘He did not kill anyone’
NSA leaker Edward Snowden remained stuck in legal limbo Tuesday as he frantically seeks asylum, but his case prompted an unprecedented apology from the nation's top intelligence officer. Published July 2, 2013
Deadly Arizona wildfire again stirs debate on cause of huge forest blazes
The wildfires charring the West again this summer have reignited the debate over what is fueling the horrific infernos: man-made climate change or the proliferation of overgrown, diseased forests. Published July 1, 2013
Critics say Supreme Court’s Prop 8 ruling takes power from voters, gives it to state officials
The Supreme Court's decision Wednesday on Proposition 8 unlocked the door for same-sex marriage in California but also may have stifled the voices of the state's voters. Published June 30, 2013
Magpul floods Colorado with ammo magazines 2 days before gun laws kick in
An estimated 5,000 gun-rights advocates lined up hours in advance Saturday to score 20,000 free and discounted 30-round ammunition magazines at "A Farewell to Arms," billed as a "freedom festival" for those disenchanted with the Colorado Legislature's aggressive gun-control push. Published June 30, 2013
Is one-party rule dividing America? Concentration of power can lead to overreach, backlash
While one-party dominance is an almost surefire cure for gridlock, it also points to the increasing balkanization of state governments as Democrats and Republicans move away from the political center. Published June 27, 2013
Traditional-marriage supporters vow to fight on for DOMA, California Prop 8
Conservative and Republican lawmakers expressed outrage Wednesday at the failure of the Obama administration and California state officials to defend duly passed laws on gay marriage, which contributed to their defeat earlier in the day at the Supreme Court. Published June 26, 2013
Party-switching state senator says Dems have moved too far to the left for Louisiana
Elbert Guillory knows a thing or two about taking risks. Shortly before he switched his party allegiance from Democrat to Republican, he rappelled down the side of a 20-story building in Baton Rouge, La., to help raise money for adoption services. Published June 23, 2013
