I believe there is a darker side to our current gun conversation. The elephant in the room is the impact that the gun control debate is having on the conspiracy-driven anti-government movement.]]> Longmont city council members knew that the state might sue their community over the new oil and gas regulations that they passed a few weeks back. But it was a risk that they were willing to take in order to protect their town’s residents’ health, property values and overall quality of life. ]]> Colorado’s Republi … Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper was in Boulder a few days back speaking at the FrackingSENSE lecture series that the University of Colorado puts on. As is the norm for the governor these days, he spent a fair amount of time bemoaning his reputation as a puppet of the oil and gas industry.]]> Regardless of whether or not he heads north, everyone in Boulder owes Brigham a debt of gratitude.]]> At a City Council meeting a couple weeks back, Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum spent a fair amount of time suggesting that Boulder’s elected leaders need to do a better job of filling out their legally required disclosure forms, which were, of course, designed to shine light on potential conflicts of interest. The mayor’s right.]]> As you may recall, the last Boulder County commissioners meeting got a bit rowdy, as anti-fracking advocates disrupted the meeting with chants and heckling aimed at an Encana employee who came to present commissioners with the industry’s take on things.]]> There’s more than one way to lie. You can knowingly offer up false information as truth, or you can offer up little pieces of a story while leaving out other parts of the tale in order to convey a false impression without actually stating an inaccurate fact.]]> This time around, Boulder County citizens can’t just choose to shop at the local organic clean air and water store and pay a little more to keep their families safe while they carry on the fight with their own county to get it to do what the vast majority of citizens want.]]> Two pro-gun-rights billboards have recently gone up in Greeley and they’re causing quite a stir, as in you can read about them in The Washington Post kind of stir. But why have a couple of political signs sparked so much controversy and who is paying for them?]]> As Boulder County struggles to rewrite its current oil and gas regulations, the petroleum extraction industry has already begun its blitzkrieg of our lands.]]> Well, it’s another first for Boulder County. Or should I say another black eye? When Nov. 6 rolls around, I hear we will be the only county in the nation that won’t be guaranteeing its citizens the right to a secret ballot, or at least that’s what voter privacy activist Marilyn Marks says.]]>