{"id":8262,"date":"2018-05-10T15:29:06","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T15:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=3047322"},"modified":"2018-05-10T15:29:06","modified_gmt":"2018-05-10T15:29:06","slug":"the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spot newsletter: Colorado legislative session ends with fireworks, a look at the state\u2019s most competitive congressional race and a sad update on Aurora\u2019s mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p><img class=\"size-article_inline lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor\" alt=\"\u00a0\" width=\"1500\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Welcome back to The Spot, where The Denver Post\u2019s politics team captures what\u2019s happening this week \u2014 from the Colorado legislature to Denver city hall, with a stop through the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/extras.denverpost.com\/newsletter\/splash\/thespot.html\">Sign up for The Spot newsletter for a weekly rundown of Colorado politics.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>State lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/09\/2018-colorado-legislative-session-final-day-wrap\/\">used up every minute (almost literally)<\/a> of the 2018 legislative session, delving deep into the eleventh hour Wednesday night to pass some of their most controversial and important bills this year \u2014 from a PERA fix to rules on where people can buy and\u00a0drink beer and the future of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.<\/p>\n<p>But, hey, at least we\u2019re done for a few months, right?! I\u2019m just trying not to fall asleep at my desk\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We took deep dives in the past week into the question of whether Democrats can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/06\/mike-coffman-jason-crow-gun-control-colorado-election-2018\/\">finally use gun control to dislodge<\/a> U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman\u2019s vise grip on his 6th Congressional District seat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/06\/denver-slot-home-crackdown\/\">slot homes in Denver<\/a>\u00a0and whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/07\/opioid-abuse-colorado-legislature-prescription-limits\/\">opioid legislation<\/a> passed at the Capitol will really make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Residents in several Denver-area counties will finally see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/03\/colorado-highway-e-470-fee\/\">a longtime fee go away<\/a>, and there\u2019s a really <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/09\/aurora-mayor-steve-hogan-hospice\/\">sad update about Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan<\/a> (who we\u2019re keeping in our thoughts).<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Fresh news:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Colorado lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/09\/2018-colorado-legislative-session-final-day-wrap\/\"><strong>vote to rescue PERA<\/strong><\/a> from the fiscal brink \u2014 and reach deals on beer and civil rights \u2014 as 2018 legislative session closes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3046637\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor-1\" alt=\"Rep. Yeulin Willett wears red, white ...\" width=\"5446\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<p>AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Yeulin Willett, R-Mesa County, wears red, white and blue glitter in his beard during the last day of the legislative session at the Colorado State Capitol on Thursday, March 5, 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span>ROLL CALL<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3>COLORADO: THE STATEHOUSE &amp; BEYOND<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Matt Gray, D-Broomfield, has skills. (Though I think he is going to try and keep his day job.) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/coleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#coleg<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/copolitics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#copolitics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/snlKKTh3TS\">pic.twitter.com\/snlKKTh3TS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jesse Aaron Paul (@JesseAPaul) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JesseAPaul\/status\/994375125133807616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 10, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>DENVER &amp; THE SUBURBS<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/07\/parker-colorado-annexation\/\">land use battle has been brewing in Parker<\/a><\/strong> over the last year that culminated in a decision by town leaders to annex land expressly to stop a trash transfer and recycling facility from locating on its border.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t think the fate of 59 acres of federally owned land in Lakewood has been decided. Last week, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/03\/colorado-coalition-for-the-homeless-lakewood-land-housing\/\">sued \u2014 for the second time<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 to stop the feds from selling the land at auction.<\/li>\n<li>Are you one of those who believes that once a tax or fee is put in place it never goes away? Think again. Residents in several Denver-area counties will be able to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/03\/colorado-highway-e-470-fee\/\">keep a few extra bucks<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Denver Mayor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/05\/08\/aurora-traffic-stop-michael-hancock-son\/\">Michael Hancock\u00a0apologized this week<\/a><\/strong> for his 22-year-old son\u2019s treatment\u00a0of an Aurora police officer during a traffic stop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\">[embedded content]<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3042054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor-2\" alt=\"Slot homes under construction on Tennyson Street between west 44th and 46th avenues, photographed on May 3, 2018.\" width=\"7219\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<p>Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post<\/p>\n<p>Slot homes under construction on Tennyson Street between west 44th and 46th avenues, photographed on May 3, 2018. The Denver City Council this week voted to outlaw slot homes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>D.C. POLITICS FROM A COLORADO PERSPECTIVE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3029081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/the-spot-newsletter-colorado-legislative-session-ends-with-fireworks-a-look-at-the-states-most-competitive-congressional-race-and-a-sad-update-on-auroras-mayor-3\" alt=\"Candidates for Colorado's Sixth Congressional District ...\" width=\"4584\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<p>Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post<\/p>\n<p>From right, Democratic candidates for Colorado\u2019s 6th Congressional District, Levi Tillemann and Jason Crow, to answer questions at a gun violence town hall on April 7, 2018, in Highlands Ranch. Next to them are cardboard cut outs of U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado. Democrats are pushing gun control in the state\u2019s most competitive congressional district in the hopes of loosening Coffman\u2019s vice grip on the seat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span>THE WIRE<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Questions, comments, feedback about this newsletter? Cool stories?\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:jpaul@denverpost.com?subject=The%20Spot%20feedback\">Send them our way<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And thanks for reading!<\/p>\n<p>P.S.\u00a0Please consider backing The Denver Post (<a href=\"https:\/\/checkout.denverpost.com\/subscriptionpanel\">you can subscribe here<\/a>) or journalism wherever you might be. And thanks for your support, whatever it might be.<\/p>\n<p>P.P.S. Here is your GIF reward for making it to the end of this newsletter.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What the final day of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/coleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#coleg<\/a> has felt like so far: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/byS725CRN6\">pic.twitter.com\/byS725CRN6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jesse Aaron Paul (@JesseAPaul) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JesseAPaul\/status\/994313362052804608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Staff writers John Frank, Jon Murray, Mark K. Matthews and John Aguilar contributed to this newsletter.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Welcome back to The Spot, where The Denver Post&#8217;s politics team captures what&#8217;s happening this week &#8212; from the Colorado legislature to Denver city hall, with a stop through the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7369,6880,7752,5062,45,460,5104,2056,7042,7706,7337,6907,7753,6811,7754,6857,7657,7755,117,1805,7163,6897,7659,376,7001,6847,1062,5662,7709,1547,784,7562,237,7756,1538,7757,7758,7759,7711,2097,7760,6813,7761,6848,77,9,6849,7409,6833,6855,295,50,5019,7762,7714,7763,441,7670,7049,7716,7720,7764,7765,1,3,7654,7508,7722,6963,1525,61,7724,1736,7766],"tags":[7373,6881,7767,5063,2628,3034,5109,4624,7045,7729,7338,6909,7768,6816,7769,6859,7676,7770,2695,4373,7165,6898,7678,2954,7002,6850,3632,5668,7732,4115,3357,7563,2815,7771,4106,7772,7773,7774,7734,4665,7775,6818,7776,6851,2655,6852,7414,6835,6856,2873,2630,5022,7777,7737,7778,3015,7689,7052,7739,7743,7779,7780,7673,7510,7745,6966,4093,7747,7781],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8262\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}