At a midnight showing of the film The Dark Knight Rises, 12 people were killed and 58 were injured after a lone gunman began firing into a packed Century 16 theater in Aurora.

Longmont's ordinance requires a minimum of 750-foot setbacks from occupied structures, compared with the state’s 350-foot requirement, and Longmont’s new regs also prohibit drilling in residential areas of the city. It all sounds good, but a recently discovered loophole in state laws may severely hinder any benefits that might have come from the city’s new rules.

When the name-calling, finger-pointing and flip-flopping finally came to an end and the vote was taken, the Longmont City Council had passed a new set of oil and gas regulations that represent the first real test of local government versus state government when it comes to regulating the oil and gas industry.

Colorado activists have raised concerns about satellite imagery of what appears to be scarred earth caused by the dumping of oil/gas drilling waste, but state officials maintain that most of the strange patterns are simply areas where livestock feed was deposited.

When it comes to genetically modified organisms, more commonly known as GMOs, the U.S. is pretty far behind the rest of the world, but not in every category. We grow and eat more of these genetically engineered foods than anyone else. We’re easily number one. So much so that there’s really no other country in our rearview mirror. Nearly 80 percent of the global market for GMOs is in the U.S.

The following is the entire email string sent on the city council hotline July 9 concerning the controversy surrounding the decision by city council members Ken Wilson and George Karakehian to change the manner in which City Attorney Tom Carr, City Manager Jane Brautigam and Municipal Court Judge Linda Cooke are evaluated by city council:

A troubling pattern of secrecy and conflicts of interest continues to unfold among certain members of Boulder city government. This week’s email spat among a few council members and staffers is just the latest example of questionable actions — and inactions — of Boulder’s elected officials and the people they hire and supervise.

A nation held its breath. There were 366 blue plastic capsules containing birth dates waiting to be chosen from a large glass jar at Selective Service National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 1969.

Think about a time you had to deal with a difficult insurance claim, or feared recovery in the aftermath of an injury. Now think about trying to deal with that after two, three or even four tours in a war zone while living in a fog that makes everyday life an onerous task. Many of our veterans are now facing just such a task.

It started with an errant shot … and now another one. This time it was a mule deer just south of Casper, Wyo. The bullet took off the deer’s lower jaw and sent the pain-crazed animal flailing in circles, stumbling to the ground, then back up. But it didn’t run away, or couldn’t. By the time Ron got down the hill to see what he’d done, his head was already swimming.