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Articles by Valerie Richardson

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2013 photo, Utah Attorney General John Swallow speaks during a news conference in Salt Lake City. Swallow announced Thursday that he is stepping down amid multiple investigations of bribery and misconduct that have hounded him ever since he took office at the beginning of the year.  The Utah Republican Party's governing body is set to select three candidates on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 to replace Swallow. Gov. Gary Herbert will choose one of the three to fill the office until a special election can in November 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah officials blocked again on gay marriage ban

A federal judge denied Monday the Utah attorney general's request for a stay of his ruling allowing same-sex marriages, clearing the path for gay couples to marry in what may be the nation's most socially conservative state.

December 23, 2013
Secured: Action by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department in Colorado ended a school shooting Friday in 80 seconds, when an armed deputy closed in on the gunman. (Associated press)

Armed response, not restrictive gun laws, brought swift end to school shooting

It's a stark fact that is fueling an already intense debate about gun rights in this state: It was an armed deputy who stopped the Arapahoe High School gunman last week from unleashing a deadly massacre, not the expansive new gun control laws approved by Colorado Democrats in March in reaction to two mass shootings.

December 18, 2013
The German-built zeppelin flies over the Golden Gate Bridge, arriving in San Francisco on Oct. 25 to begin aerial tours of the Bay Area. The airship is the first of its kind to fly in the United States in more than 70 years. (Associated Press)

Californians turn against unions after spending clashes, strikes: poll

In one of the nation’s bluest states, public opinion is souring on California’s power labor unions amid heated debate over funding for public pensions, a rash of municipal bankruptcies and a recent public-transportation strike, according to a poll released Friday.

December 13, 2013
Demonstrators rally for better wages outside a McDonald's restaurant in Chicago on Thursday. Demonstrations planned in 100 cities were part of push to raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25. The effort produced a backlash. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Fast-food protests spur backlash

The labor movement's latest fast-food protest drew a "delicious backlash" Thursday from the burger-loving opposition.

December 5, 2013
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

‘Hunger Games’ delivers Obama’s message on income inequality

A cultural tug of war is brewing between conservatives and liberals over the message of "The Hunger Games." Are the popular teen novels and films a leftist call for the downtrodden to rise up against the rich? Or an Orwellian take on the dangers of Big Government?

December 4, 2013

Gay couple’s complaint against Colo. baker gets hearing

A bakery owner who refused to prepare a wedding cake for a gay couple heads to court Wednesday in a case closely watched for its implications on religious freedom in a society that increasingly embraces same-sex marriage.

December 3, 2013
**FILE** Madelaine O'Neal, a freshman from St. Louis, Mo., studies outside the book store at the University of Colorado in Boulder on Oct. 1, 2008. (Associated Press)

Colorado campus considers Indian names for dorms

Unusual campus names are a venerable college tradition — think Harvard's Wigglesworth Hall or USC's Argue Plaza — but nothing quite compares to those under review at the University of Colorado Boulder, where a commission has recommended renaming renovated dormitories "Houusoo Hall" and "Nowoo3 Hall" after two Arapaho Indian chiefs.

November 29, 2013