Twenty years of wishful thinking by lottery ticket buyers all over the state has made all the rest of us winners when it comes to living in Colorado. For the last two decades, revenue from the Colorado Lottery has been used to build parks and trails, create open space and protect wildlife habitat.

While President Barack Obama was still waiting for the phone call from Gov. Mitt Romney conceding the presidential race, Democrats in Colorado were celebrating victories here that make our swing state seem more like a Democratic stronghold.

Environmental legislation often masquerades under other banners. Few come at it as straightforwardly as H.R. 1126, the latest incarnation of legislation to require the secretary of the interior to auction off federal lands.

Talk to a skier who learned in the ’60s and they’ll tell stories of coaches imported from Europe to teach Americans how to tackle obstacles like moguls — knees together! — and ski edges sharp enough to shred your ski pants. Our rocker skis, wide leg stance and Gortex pants are a long ways from those experiences.

When people find out that Ralena Gordon spends her time photographing abandoned mental institutions, often the first question they ask is about ghosts.

The awe children have for sea life, the blissful indulgence of the beach and the intrigue of Scuba diving deep into the sea — that’s all part of the ethos feeding the second annual Making Waves ocean symposium, hosted by the Colorado Ocean Coalition on Oct. 20 and 21.

The first thing kids often ask in the face of a tragedy is, “Why?” Unfortunately, that’s the same question adults have a tough time answering.

Levi Leipheimer, winner of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge and a stage winner in this year’s Pro Cycling Challenge, has just seen his contract with Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team terminated, effective immediately.

In the early 2000s, Boulder Weekly sent freelance writer James Dziezynski out to research a series of stories on great, little-known places to hike around town.

Officially designated wilderness areas would be protected, but primitive areas not officially marked as roadless wilderness areas would be a different matter.