Why is Douglas County so worked up about home rule?
Voters in Douglas County are deciding whether to become a home rule county. With ballots due June 24, the issue is stirring up a lot of strong feelings, amidst competing claims about what it would mean for this fast-growing part of Colorado. County commissioners say home rule status would give Douglas County more legal standing to fight back against Democratic policies coming out of the State Capitol. But the experience of Colorado's only two existing home rule counties shows that home rule is more complicated, and less far reaching than they may hope.On this episode of Purplish, CPR's Stephanie Wolf joins CPR's Bente Birkeland to break down home rule: from how the idea got its start in an armed conflict on the steps of Denver's city hall, to the role it's playing today in the fight over housing policy.You can read the full story here.Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music was composed by Brad Turner.
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When Colorado rewrote the rules for policing
2020 was an extraordinary year for the Colorado legislature. COVID-19 forced lawmakers to break halfway through session. They returned to work in May with a short list of priorities: balance the budget and respond to the pandemic. But almost immediately, the Capitol became the epicenter of protests over the killings of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police. The chants of “Black lives matter” outside the statehouse walls pushed lawmakers to take up the issue of police reform that summer. They ultimately wrote and passed an ambitious bipartisan bill, which included body camera requirements and deadly force use limits. The governor signed into law within weeks.CPR’s Bente Birkeland looks at what made this major piece of police accountability legislation possible and, along with CPR’s Ben Markus, examines the law’s impact in the five years since.Read more: How protests over George Floyd’s death led Colorado to rewrite its rules for policingPurplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner. Additional reporting in this episode from Allison Sherry and broadcast tape came from NPR and CBS News Colorado. Special thanks to KDUR at Fort Lewis College for allowing us to record in their studio.
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Medicaid cuts, AI regs, special session chances: Colorado’s governor and legislative leadership weigh in
State lawmakers have bid adieu to the Colorado State Capitol — for now. But lots of questions remain. For example, what’s next for Colorado’s controversial artificial intelligence law? What about federal spending cuts? Will state lawmakers have to return to Denver before next January to absorb changes from Washington? And the big question: where is Governor Jared Polis on all of this?After so much Polis talk on Purplish this year, this is a chance to hear from the governor himself. Polis spoke with The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul during the the Sun’s 2025 Legislative Session Recap, a live event held at The University of Denver on May 15, 2025. This episode, hosted by CPR’s Bente Birkeland, includes excerpts from that conversation, as well as a discussion about the hot issues of the session with Senate President James Coleman, a Democrat from Denver, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat from Dillon. They address the moments of tension between the legislature and governor this session, TABOR reform, the potential impacts of proposed federal Medicaid cuts and more.Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner. Special thanks to The Colorado Sun for partnering on this episode and the technical crew at DU for recording it.
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That’s a wrap, for now. Here’s how the 2025 session ended up
State lawmakers took it right down to the wire on some of the biggest issues of the 2025 legislative session, including immigration, artificial intelligence, labor unions, rights for transgender Coloradans and rideshare safety. While some are poised to become law, others crashed and burned in the final stretch. And a few made it over the finish line, but are likely headed to a veto at the hand of the governor. CPR’s Bente Birkeland, KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods and The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul come full circle on the various issues they discussed all session long, including policies that got settled earlier in the year, like the gun bills. We also check back in with the first-time lawmakers we met early in the session, and learn how things went for them, on the path from day one to day 120.Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner. Special thanks to CCNA editor Chas Sisk, who helped get the Alliance up and running and heads back home now that the regular legislative session has wrapped.
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A rare veto showdown at the State Capitol
Lawmakers got behind a bill this session that would have required social media companies like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram to do more about illegal activity on their platforms. It was a significant policy change, and it seemed poised for success, passing the legislature with broad bipartisan support in both chambers. But then the bill hit the governor’s desk, where Polis, concerned about its potential impacts on privacy and free speech, pulled out his veto stamp.What happened next was a rare -- and somewhat surprising -- showdown between two branches of government, and a window into the complex politics that surround the power of the veto.CPR’s Bente Birkeland and The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul examine how it all went down and what this moment could mean looking ahead, as Colorado’s Democratic majority at the statehouse appears to be increasingly willing to challenge Polis during his waning time in office.Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner.
Purplish is CPR News' weekly podcast about state politics, state government, Colorado policy, and political identity. This season the show is hosted by public affairs reporters Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney. Each week while the legislature is in session, they'll break down the latest developments, look ahead to what's next, and dive into the bigger picture of what it all means.
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