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Missy Woods case could plant necessary doubt within DNA testing, judicial system, DA Brauchler says
kdvr.com, State

Missy Woods case could plant necessary doubt within DNA testing, judicial system, DA Brauchler says

By Gabby Easterwood | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Officials said that after the filing of Missy Woods’ felony charges, re-trials and multiple strains on the justice system could be next. Woods, the former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA analyst, had her first court appearance Thursday morning. This comes after she was charged with 102 felonies related to alleged tampering and excluding of DNA evidence. There are 58 cases impacted, ranging from homicides to robberies to sexual assaults and sexual assaults on children. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
CBI under fire for failing to notify defendants evidence used against them may have been falsified
CBS Colorado, State

CBI under fire for failing to notify defendants evidence used against them may have been falsified

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is under the microscope. State lawmakers grilled CBI Director Chris Schaefer about the agency's handling of a scandal involving evidence in thousands of criminal cases. All of the cases were handled by now former DNA analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods, who appeared in court on Thursday on 102 felony charges related to tampering with or falsifying evidence. The legislature allocated millions of dollars last year for CBI to retest DNA in the cases, but the agency is still sitting on most of that money. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Under the Dome, Democrats take aim at big business, Republicans at overregulation
coloradopolitics.com, State

Under the Dome, Democrats take aim at big business, Republicans at overregulation

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics State lawmakers from both parties are pledging to pass legislation aimed at saving Coloradans money — whether by eliminating fines they deem unnecessary or regulating practices they believe exploit working-class families.  Democrats are setting their sights on major corporations, which they say have taken advantage of inflation to boost profits while working families bear the brunt. They're banking on a pair of recent lawsuits against the nation's largest property management companies to drum up support for legislation they say will save Coloradans more than $1,500 a year. Republicans, on the other hand, have repeatedly referred to the state's high number of regulations, the sixth-most in the country, as the problem. They've draf...
Senate Bill 3, banning semiauto firearms, could cause gun shops to shutter, owners warn
State, The Colorado Sun

Senate Bill 3, banning semiauto firearms, could cause gun shops to shutter, owners warn

By Lucas Brady Woods and Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Colorado gun stores say they may be forced to shutter should Democrats in the legislature this year pass a ban on the manufacture, sale and purchase of semiautomatic firearms with detachable ammunition magazines. Senate Bill 3 would make a large portion of the merchandise at Colorado gun stores illegal to sell overnight, hitting their bottom lines but also presenting safety and liability issues.  The measure is aimed at making it harder for people to violate the state’s 15-round magazine limit, and in turn limit the violence someone can inflict during a mass shooting. It targets semiautomatic rifles and shotguns that are capable of accepting detachable ammunition magazines, like AR- and AK-style firearms, as well as ...
Complaints against Pueblo Co. Democrats, alleging failure to report $5.2M in revenue and building expenses, go unanswered
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Complaints against Pueblo Co. Democrats, alleging failure to report $5.2M in revenue and building expenses, go unanswered

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A pair of complaints against the Pueblo County Democratic Party for failure to report revenue and expenses, as required by state law, have thus far gone unanswered by party officials, according to Tracer and the complainant. One of the complaints was first levied in October. Jonathan Ambler, who ran as the Republican nominee in House District 46 in 2018, 2020 and 2022, filed two separate complaints against the Pueblo County Democrats related to violation of campaign finance laws. The Colorado Secretary of State's Elections Division has performed initial investigation into the complaints. The initial complaint, No. ED2024-77, was filed Oct. 16, 2024, as a result of a Pueblo Chieftain newspaper article related to the finances of the two maj...
Missy Woods, former CBI forensic scientist, booked into jail on 102 felony charges
gazette.com, State

Missy Woods, former CBI forensic scientist, booked into jail on 102 felony charges

By Jenny Deam and Carol McKinley | The Gazette Former top Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist, Yvonne "Missy" Woods, turned herself into Jefferson County authorities on Wednesday and was booked into jail on a 102-count felony indictment, according to county sources and court documents. Woods, 64, was being held in Jefferson County Jail on a $50,000 cash only bond, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance at 10 a.m. on Thursday. In the 35-page indictment, Woods — who goes by Missy — faces felony charges that include attempt to influence a public servant, perjury, forgery and cybercrime, according to court documents. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Complaint alleges Secretary of State Griswold has violated her own department’s campaign finance rules
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Complaint alleges Secretary of State Griswold has violated her own department’s campaign finance rules

By Rocky Mountain Voice Jena Griswold just can't seem to catch a break. After the Republican Party tattled on the secretary of state, detailing disclosure of election system passwords for months on her own website and up to within days of the general election, and after the Colorado Libertarian Party sued her for the disclosure, she has had a rough go at potentially attempting to earn her party's nomination for governor by first announcing her candidacy as a Democrat. The latest in a winter of missteps for the secretary of state is a campaign finance complaint claiming Griswold has violated her own department's rules for campaign announcements. The complaint, detailed in a Colorado Politics report, was filed Jan. 14 by The Public Trust Institute, represented by Suzanne Taheri o...
Eastern Plains lawmakers want to prohibit ‘cultivated’ meat in Colorado
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Eastern Plains lawmakers want to prohibit ‘cultivated’ meat in Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A pair of Eastern Plains lawmakers want to ensure when Coloradans eat hamburger, it was grown on the hoof and not in a lab. House Bill 25-1064, sponsored by Rep. Ty Winter, R-Las Animas, and Sen. Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells, would prohibit the selling, manufacture or distribution of cultivated meat products. The bill will be heard at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, in the House's Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee, in a session which could be lengthy. Preceding HB25-1064 on the agenda are HB25-1034 to change the dangerous dog statute in Colorado, and HB25-1074 to repeal the 2020 legislation which gave Colorado cage-free eggs. It is scheduled to be the sixth bill heard. Winter, who represents nine counties in Southeast Colorad...
Colorado’s wolves could have migrated east of Continental Divide, into Fremont County
kdvr.com, State

Colorado’s wolves could have migrated east of Continental Divide, into Fremont County

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Colorado’s wolf population now has 29 members, according to state officials, and one of the population members is “exploring” a watershed in what Colorado Parks and Wildlife called southeastern Colorado. On Wednesday, the state released its first monthly movement map since the release of 15 Canadian gray wolves and the five surviving members of the Copper Creek pack. The 20 wolves were released into Eagle and Pitkin counties between Jan. 12 and 18 and were released both north and south of Interstate 70. “One female wolf is exploring the southeast region of the state,” CPW said in its Wednesday release. “There is currently just one wolf in the highlighted watershed.” READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Arapahoe Co. Democrat Jamie Jackson wins House District 41 seat after vacancy election
coloradopolitics.com, State

Arapahoe Co. Democrat Jamie Jackson wins House District 41 seat after vacancy election

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A vacancy committee of Arapahoe County Democrats elected Jamie Jackson to serve as the state representative for House District 41, replacing Sen. Iman Jodeh, who left the position to serve in the Senate.  Jackson, the COO of the nonprofit organization The Naloxone Project and vice president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, received 52% of the vote, enough to garner a simple majority and win the vacancy election.  Community activist Aly DeWillis-Marcano and Aurora School Board president Anne Keke also ran for the seat.   READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS