All posts by Kurtis Lee

Writing

Aurora officials survey city on future of Century Aurora 16

Sisters Rachel and Heather Meyer, of Port Washington, Wis., stop on their way to California to photograph the Century Aurora 16 theater complex Tuesday. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Sisters Rachel and Heather Meyer, of Port Washington, Wis., stop on their way to California to photograph the Century Aurora 16 theater complex Tuesday. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

When is the time right to have a discussion about what should be done with the Century Aurora 16 theater? It’s a question on the minds of many in this community who continue to grieve a month after the suburban theater became the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

For leaders in the city of Aurora, now is the appropriate time to begin talking about the future of the building, where 12 people were killed and 58 injured in an early-morning attack carried out during the premiere of the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

This week, Aurora officials launched an online surveyasking people to give their thoughts on the future of the theater. City leaders then plan to share those comments with officials at Cinemark — the company that owns the theater — for consideration in the decision-making process.

Writing

Angela Giron recall effort moves forward with signatures certified

Angela Giron of Pueblo (Denver Post file)
Angela Giron of Pueblo (Denver Post file)

The votes cast by state Sen. Angela Giron in support of tougher gun laws now have the Pueblo lawmaker faced with a looming fall election date as organizers Monday amassed enough valid signatures in their recall effort.

Only about 6 percent of the signatures submitted in Giron’s recall effort were deemed invalid by the Colorado secretary of state’s office — a striking percentage that her opponents said showed strong support for their cause.

Organizers with Pueblo Freedom and Rights submitted more than 13,400 signatures to the Colorado secretary of state’s office and had 12,648 verified. They needed about 11,300 verified for a recall election and outpaced that figure by about 1,300.

Writing

Colorado Senate President John Morse recall petitions certified

Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, has received thousands of dollars to help fend off a recall effort. (Colorado Springs Gazette file)
Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, has received thousands of dollars to help fend off a recall effort. (Colorado Springs Gazette file)

The effort to recall Colorado Senate President John Morse charged forward Tuesday with the secretary of state’s office announcing that organizers submitted more than enough valid signatures to produce the first-ever recall election of a lawmaker in the state.

Secretary of state officials said that organizers with the El Paso Freedom Defense Committee’s effort obtained 10,137 valid signatures from the roughly 16,200 signatures the group turned in earlier this month. To spark a recall, they needed just 7,178 verified, and they outpaced that figure by about 3,000 votes.

But supporters of Morse argued Tuesday the petition language used was incomplete and the recall effort should be set aside.

Writing

Push to recall Senate President John Morse on in Colorado Springs

Andy Shank, a volunteer helping to gather signatures to recall state Senate President John Morse, watches Dana Beasley sign a petition at the corner of West Uintah and North 19th streets in Colorado Springs on Thursday. Morse, a Democrat representing Senate District 11, is term-limited in 2014. "I don't like what went on in the legislature in Denver, " Beasley said. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
Andy Shank, a volunteer helping to gather signatures to recall state Senate President John Morse, watches Dana Beasley sign a petition at the corner of West Uintah and North 19th streets in Colorado Springs on Thursday. Morse, a Democrat representing Senate District 11, is term-limited in 2014. “I don’t like what went on in the legislature in Denver, ” Beasley said. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

EL PASO COUNTY — It’s rare to find a Democrat representing Senate District 11, especially in a part of the state where most of the surrounding Senate districts are Republican strongholds.

Even more rare — if not unprecedented — is a Democrat who not only won the seat, but then turned around and won re-election four years later.

But that’s exactly what John Morse did, in 2006 and 2010

Read more at The Denver Post

Writing

Joe Miklosi: Vows to hold fast to his desire to “serve the people”

State Rep. Joe Miklosi greets Richelle Hentemann and her daughter, Madison, 4, at a light-rail station near I-25 and Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. "He's a very diligent, earnest and driven individual," said former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
State Rep. Joe Miklosi greets Richelle Hentemann and her daughter, Madison, 4, at a light-rail station near I-25 and Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. “He’s a very diligent, earnest and driven individual,” said former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Standing in a Greenwood Village brewery with his wife near his side, Democratic state Rep. Joe Miklosi announced he was running for Congress to restore job growth and the American dream.

“I’ve seen you raise your children; I’ve seen you work two jobs; I’ve seen you make sacrifices,” Miklosi told about 50 supporters.

That was July 2011 — several months before he went from being a long-shot Democrat vying for a seat in what was a Republican stronghold to a formidable challenger in what’s now one of the most competitive congressional contests in not only the state but also the nation.

Writing

Mike Coffman: Aurora roots “play to my strengths”

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, center, speaks with Andrew Shields as he makes spinner back-plate brackets during a visit to Univair Aircraft Corporation's headquarters in Aurora. Coffman is running for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. (Photos by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, center, speaks with Andrew Shields as he makes spinner back-plate brackets during a visit to Univair Aircraft Corporation’s headquarters in Aurora. Coffman is running for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. (Photos by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

To understand Congressman Mike Coffman’s family history in Aurora, Mary Thurston is a good resource.

Shortly after Thurston and her family moved to Aurora’s Chambers Heights neighborhood in the mid-1960s, they became close with the Coffman family, who lived a half a block away on the corner of 11th Avenue and Granby Street.

“We were both new families to the neighborhood, and we just connected,” said the 86-year-old Thurston.

Writing

Young Coloradans toggle between economy, social issues in election

Jabari Smith, organizer with Obama for America in Denver, center, Brian Winstanley, 17, left, and Andrew Schwartz, 16, of East High School check the map for canvassing in Five Points. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)
Jabari Smith, organizer with Obama for America in Denver, center, Brian Winstanley, 17, left, and Andrew Schwartz, 16, of East High School check the map for canvassing in Five Points. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

For first-time voter Tyler Antikainen, a politically in-tune 19-year-old sophomore at Metropolitan State University of Denver, both presidential candidates offer qualities he describes as essential in leading the country.

To bolster an anemic U.S. economy, he believes Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s business background is an asset. On social issues — particularly support of same-sex marriage — he’s in lock step with President Barack Obama.

“So my feeling is: Do I vote for who might be best for the country economically, or for who I agree with and is open-minded socially? I don’t know,” Antikainen said on a recent afternoon before attending his course on leadership and social change.

Writing

Obama talks of rebuilding middle class at Colorado College

President Barack Obama shakes hands with supporters after his arrival at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP | Chris Schneider)
President Barack Obama shakes hands with supporters after his arrival at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP | Chris Schneider)

COLORADO SPRINGS — President Barack Obama relayed a message to the middle-class Thursday afternoon on a grassy quad at Colorado College, often times interrupted by chants of “Four more years! Four more years!” from the thousands in attendance.

“This election is a choice between two fundamentally different visions for how we move this country forward,” said Obama to a crowd of about 4,200 gathered outside in temperatures in the mid-90s. “The direction you choose in November is going to affect not only us, but our kids and grand kids for decades to come.”

Writing

Western states’ large Mormon population may give momentum to Romney

Nevada state Sen. Joe Hardy said, "There's a common belief in the Mormon Church that we should vote and be engaged in the process of government." (David Becker, Special to The Denver Post)
Nevada state Sen. Joe Hardy said, “There’s a common belief in the Mormon Church that we should vote and be engaged in the process of government.” (David Becker, Special to The Denver Post)

LAS VEGAS — It’s a hindrance in other parts of the country, but front-runner Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith is now likely to extend his momentum as the Republican presidential nomination contest enters a region that’s proved fruitful to him in the past.

With electability a focal point among GOP voters, Romney is well-equipped to gain further traction in his message of being the candidate best fit to challenge President Barack Obama, due in part to the fact he’ll receive far-reaching support from voters like state Sen. Joe Hardy and Heidi Wixom, a reading teacher, in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses.

“There’s a common belief in the Mormon Church that we should vote and be engaged in the process of government,” said Hardy, who is among nine Mormons to serve in the Nevada Legislature.

Writing

Obama’s return to Colorado on Tuesday shows state’s importance

President Barack Obama touts his American Jobs Act in a speech Sept. 27 at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
President Barack Obama touts his American Jobs Act in a speech Sept. 27 at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Exactly four weeks since his last visit to Colorado, President Barack Obama returns on a two-day stop, reaffirming the political importance of the state for the 2012 election.

Shortly after his arrival this evening, Obama is scheduled to attend a pair of private high-dollar fundraisers at the Pepsi Center, where guests will donate a minimum of $250, and a maximum of $35,800 to participate.

Benefits from the fundraisers go toward the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that supports the president’s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee.