Valerie Richardson

Calif. court upholds gay marriage ban

Both sides of the debate over same-sex marriage said Tuesday's California Supreme Court decision upholding Proposition 8, the second defeat in a row for gay-marriage supporters, may have ended the legal battle on the ballot initiative but not the fight over the issue. Published May 27, 2009

Calif. high court upholds ban on gay marriages

The California Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday a ban on gay marriage approved by the state's voters in November, but it allowed same-sex marriages performed before the initiative's passage to stand. Published May 26, 2009

In defeat, Colo. GOP gets set for victory

Back in November, Colorado Republicans took an important first step toward regaining their former status as the state's dominant political party: They lost. Published May 26, 2009

Gay marriage bill hits snag in N.H.

After a yearlong string of victories nationwide, the campaign for gay marriage hit an unexpected snag Wednesday when the New Hampshire House rejected a bill that also included legal protections for religious institutions. Published May 21, 2009

Once again, everybody loves a Memorial parade

Memorial Day parades are staging a comeback. Published May 21, 2009

Bush polar bear rule retained

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday that he will stick with the Bush administration's rule on polar bear protection, dealing a defeat to environmentalists by refusing to use the Endangered Species Act to enact sweeping policies on climate change. Published May 9, 2009

Maine recognizes same-sex marriage

Maine became the fifth state to recognize same-sex marriage on Wednesday as Gov. John Baldacci signed a newly passed bill making such unions legal. Published May 7, 2009

U.S. talk radio host banned

A British blacklist that includes four Americans among 16 named foreigners barred from the country is prompting outrage from free-speech activists and the best-known of the targets, popular talk-radio host Michael Savage. Published May 6, 2009

Gay-marriage bills corner 2 governors

Two New England governors are facing a choice between their principles and their party as same-sex-marriage bills move nearer to landing on their desks. Published May 4, 2009

Miss California finds her new cause

Miss California may have lost a pageant, but she's not sorry. She has won a cause. Published April 29, 2009

Maine, N.H. new gay marriage front

Gay marriage advocates are looking to New Hampshire and Maine as the next states likely to approve same-sex marriage laws after this month's string of legislative and court victories in New England and the nation's heartland. Published April 28, 2009

Internet-only news site falters

A coterie of former Rocky Mountain News reporters has gone back to the drawing board after breaking with its financial backers in an effort to launch an online newspaper. Published April 24, 2009

Man gets life in transgender teen’s death

Colorado State District Judge Marcel Kopcow passed sentence less than two hours after Allen Ray Andrade, 32, was found guilty by a Weld County jury of first-degree murder and a hate crime. The jury deliberated for about two hours before handing down its verdict in the death of 18-year-old Angie Zapata, who was born Justin Zapata but lived as a female. Published April 23, 2009

Tolerance waning for zero-tolerance rules

DENVER | Ten years after the Columbine massacre, some states are losing their tolerance for the zero-tolerance policies that proliferated in the aftermath of the nation's deadliest high-school shooting. Published April 21, 2009

School to probe Tancredo protest

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched an investigation into a raucous student protest that prevented former Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo from delivering a speech Tuesday night on campus. Published April 17, 2009

UNC probes Tancredo speech protest

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched an investigation into a rowdy student protest that prevented former Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, from delivering a speech Tuesday night on campus. Published April 16, 2009

Tax demonstrators teed off

Tens of thousands of protesters staged anti-tax "tea parties" to mark tax-filing day and attack the Obama administration's spending plans. Published April 16, 2009

Iowa Democrats defy marriage vote pleas

Democrats in the Iowa legislature killed efforts Thursday to bring the gay marriage issue to the ballot, rejecting the pleas of hundreds of demonstrators who flooded the state Capitol in a bid to get legislators on the record for one battle in a same-sex marriage war brewing for the 2010 elections. Published April 10, 2009

Tancredo takes cause to home turf

After wrapping up his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and stepping away from Congress, Tom Tancredo came home to Colorado this year with visions of semiretirement. Published April 7, 2009

Group gains against Electoral College

A movement to bypass the Electoral College and elect the president based on the popular vote is gaining steam, racking up almost one-fifth of the support needed to trigger the plan. Published April 6, 2009