Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Colorado voters overwhelmingly reject higher taxes
Colorado's Proposition 103, the biggest tax-increase proposal of the off-year November election, was headed to a sound defeat early Wednesday, an indication that voters still expect government to solve its economic woes with spending cuts instead of revenue increases. Published November 1, 2011
Appeal denied on highway crosses in Utah
The Supreme Court handed a victory to atheist groups Monday, declining to hear a case on roadside crosses honoring fallen Utah state troopers in a move likely to intensify the debate about the constitutionality of religious symbols on public property. Published October 31, 2011
Perry opposes design of Confederate license plate
After declining for months to tip his hand, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, under pressure from state civil-rights leaders, said Wednesday he opposes a proposed state license plate depicting the Confederate battle flag. Published October 26, 2011
Voter ID, other initiatives follow GOP’s resurgence
Voters in Maine, Mississippi and Washington will decide election-reform questions this November, joining a wave of 36 states that in 2011 moved to increase identification requirements, limit the early-voting period, or toughen up registration rules. Published October 23, 2011
North Dakota to give up attempts to keep Fighting Sioux logo
The end may finally be near for the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. Published October 18, 2011
Ruling impacts on polar bears
The polar bear landed back in the Obama administration's lap Monday after a federal judge ruled the Interior Department must conduct an environmental review before it can exclude climate change from its strategy in aiding the threatened species. Published October 17, 2011
Sham entry of Hispanic could sway Ariz. vote
The author of Arizona's landmark immigration law is facing a recall election that's as wild and unpredictable as the state's southern border. Published October 16, 2011
Hawaii is no paradise for Abercrombie
Hawaii's Neil Abercrombie is finding trouble in paradise as he makes the rocky transition from longtime congressman to first-time governor. Published October 11, 2011
Medical-pot users fuming over ATF’s gun-sale ban
You can have your gun, or you can have your medical marijuana. But the Obama administration now says you can't have both. Published October 6, 2011
Colorado town displeased with tainted cantaloupes using its name
The residents of Rocky Ford, Colo., want to make one thing clear: The "Rocky Ford Cantaloupe" that touched off a national listeria outbreak, the deadliest U.S. food-borne outbreak in a decade, wasn't grown in Rocky Ford. Published October 4, 2011
Colorado kids dub Obama a ‘cool’ president
Julissa Belmontes and her friends at Abraham Lincoln High School here all used the same word to describe President Obama: cool. Published September 27, 2011
GOP holding winning hand in Nevada?
While the Republicans' surprising win in New York's 9th Congressional District race drew most of the attention, it was the GOP's second victory on Sept. 13 that could have even bigger ramifications for President Obama's re-election bid. Published September 26, 2011
Giffords likely to pass on Senate race as other Dems move
Don Bivens became the first Democrat to enter the 2012 Arizona Senate race Monday, a move that may indicate that the waiting period for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is over. Published September 26, 2011
Casinos support legalized online poker
The nation's largest casino trade group is going all in to legalize online poker, calling Tuesday for a proposed regulatory framework even as the Justice Department continued its crackdown on offshore gambling websites. Published September 20, 2011
Judge unseals tapes of trial about vote on gay marriage
A federal judge Monday ordered the unsealing of the video recordings in the Proposition 8 trial, handing gay-rights supporters another legal victory in their quest to legalize same-sex marriage in California. Published September 19, 2011
New Mexico Democrats, governor clash over licenses for illegals
New Mexico lawmakers are caught in a jam over whether to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and, like a trip to the motor vehicle department, this fight could take awhile. Published September 18, 2011
Online singles shun politics of dating
Singles searching to connect with soul mates via the Internet are more likely to admit that they are overweight on their online dating profiles than to acknowledge that they are active Republicans or Democrats, according to an extensive academic survey. Published September 13, 2011
Colorado governor pushes his luck on funding for schools
Sometimes you're good, sometimes you're lucky, and if you're Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, sometimes you're probably a little of both. Published September 7, 2011
A lonely Colo. legislator crusades to raise taxes
Any pol will tell you that there's no good time to try to sell a tax increase to voters, and that a period of deep economic uncertainty is even worse — unless that pol is Colorado state Sen. Rollie Heath, who insists there's no time like the present. Published September 7, 2011
In Arizona, a tentative return to politics as Giffords recovers
The idea of challenging Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for her congressional seat was once unthinkable, but a few potential candidates are starting to test the political waters. Published August 31, 2011