Valerie Richardson

NRA aims social-media ad at Calif. state Sen. Leland Yee

Disgraced California state Sen. Leland Yee is the new poster boy in a social-media ad campaign released Thursday by the National Rifle Association.

March 28, 2014

In wild West, growing battle of man vs. nature

The deadly mudslide in Washington state offers a grim perspective on an issue bedeviling the West: homebuyers who move beyond the suburbs and build their houses up against, and even into, the wilderness.

March 27, 2014

Alaskans battle for survival against feds’ protection of migratory birds

Washington's refusal to allow a 10-mile gravel road between King Cove and the airport at Cold Bay is a matter of life or death for Alaskans who rely on quick access to airports and hospital flights as much as migratory birds rely on the eel grass that the Interior Department would rather preserve.

March 26, 2014

Congress members back U.S. flag against school’s ban

Twenty members of Congress lent their support Tuesday to a lawsuit filed on behalf of three California students who were forbidden from wearing American flag T-shirts at their high school during a Cinco de Mayo celebration, a decision an appeals court upheld last month.

March 25, 2014

Fracking initiatives in Colorado are ground zero for national debate

A gusher of proposed ballot initiatives on hydraulic fracturing is poised to flood the November ballot as Colorado digs in for a gritty election battle between the oil and gas industry and environmentalists.

March 24, 2014

Romney: ‘Our esteem … has fallen’ under Obama

Mitt Romney said Sunday that the United States’ international esteem has declined during President Obama’s five years in the White House.

March 23, 2014

Gingrich: Obamacare will cost Democrats the Senate this fall

Lawmakers and pundits marked the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act on Sunday, with Republicans predicting the troubled centerpiece of the Obama presidency will hurt the entire Democratic Party this fall.

March 23, 2014

Students fill out ‘March Madness’ brackets ranking Obama scandals

President Obama famously fills out an NCAA March Madness basketball bracket ever year, but it's nothing like the one recently circulated by campus conservative activist Caleb Bonham.

March 23, 2014

Climate change talk brings chills to Alaska Democrat; GOP exploits issue in oil-rich states

The Senate Democrats' decision to issue a national wake-up call on climate change didn't exactly come at a great time for Democrats like Sen. Mark Begich.

March 17, 2014

Report: EPA accused of overkill in ‘raid’ on Alaska gold-mine

Last year's Environmental Protection Agency raid on the small gold-mining town of Chicken, Alaska, constituted a clear case of overkill by federal authorities seeking violations of environmental regulations, according to an official review of the controversial incident released Thursday.

March 13, 2014

Christ in the City puts Pope Francis’ vision at work on Denver streets

Four months into his papacy, Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop during his trip to Brazil for World Youth Day. At the Cathedral of Rio, a large audience of young people waited expectantly in the July rain.

March 13, 2014

Six Senate seats could hinge on Keystone pipeline

After five years of stalling on the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama suddenly has a half-dozen compelling reasons to make up his mind, and all of them are running to retain their Senate seats.

March 9, 2014

Stars not aligned with polls on Keystone

It looks like actor and new Oscar laureate Jared Leto isn't quite on the same page with the bulk of his audience when it comes to the Keystone XL pipeline.

March 7, 2014

Former Greenpeace insider Patrick Moore who questions climate change says he can stand the heat

As a former Greenpeace insider, Patrick Moore wasn't surprised by the heated reaction from the left on his explosive testimony about climate change last week before a Senate committee.

March 4, 2014

Pot shot: GOP candidates see hit to Colorado’s image from legal weed

Colorado may be the first state with a retail marijuana market, but that doesn't mean the next governor has to like it.

March 3, 2014

Arizona veto likely to chill other religious freedom bills

The uproar over the religious freedom bill vetoed Wednesday by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is expected to have a chilling effect on the handful of similar bills making their way through other state legislatures.

February 27, 2014

Alaska marijuana-legalization initiative clears signature hurdle to qualify for ballot

An Alaska initiative to legalize recreational marijuana qualified Wednesday for the August primary ballot after gathering more than 36,000 valid signatures.

February 27, 2014

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoes controversial religious freedom bill

The Republican governor's decision came amid a national outcry against Senate Bill 1062, led by gay-rights leaders who said the bill essentially legalized discrimination against homosexuals.

February 26, 2014

Colorado GOP switches candidates in effort to oust Sen. Udall

Rep. Cory Gardner will run for the Republican Senate nomination instead of seeking reelection, according to Republicans. At the same time, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck said he will drop out of the Senate race and instead pursue the GOP nod for Mr. Gardner's House seat.

February 26, 2014

Health links hyped to drive fear of fracking despite studies that fail to back up claims

Environmentalists are still waiting for proof that hydraulic fracturing makes people sick, but that's not stopping them from whipping up anxiety over public health.

February 25, 2014