State Court of Appeals upholds Boulder’s camping ban; CO democrats censure Polis; Farmers face tough decisions due to drought

Headlines Thursday, May 21, 2026

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    State Court of Appeals upholds Boulder’s camping ban; CO democrats censure Polis; Farmers face tough decisions due to drought KGNU News

State Court of Appeals upholds Boulder’s camping ban

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that the City of Boulder’s camping ban ordinance does not violate the constitutional rights of unhoused residents unable to access indoor shelter. 

The ordinance was first adopted in 1980 and allows police officers to ticket people for sleeping in public areas. 

The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of multiple organizations against the City of Boulder in 2022 for this ordinance, but were not successful. 

In the Court’s decision, Judge Eric Kuhn said, “Boulder’s residents without a safe place to rest indoors understandably may seek shelter on public property. But, no matter how sympathetic their plight, these circumstances alone don’t create new state constitutional rights.” 

The decision is a significant setback for the case, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the constitutionality of a similar ordinance in 2024. 

Plaintiffs argue that the line between conduct and status is sometimes inseparable when the conduct is necessary for survival.

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CO democrats censure Polis

Colorado Democrats met last night to decide whether to censure Governor Jared Polis over his clemency of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from state prison. 

At 8:55 pm last night, it was announced that state democrats have decided to formally censure Governor Jared Polis. The measure passed with 89.9% support from his own party.

A complaint from hundreds of Democrats also seeks to suspend Polis from speaking or attending all Democratic Party events. 

The complaint says the decision to shorten Peters’ prison sentence is detrimental to the Democratic Party, and it seeks to reiterate the party’s commitment to election integrity and democratic institutions. 

Gov. Polis said Peter’s nine-year prison sentence related to tampering with county voting machines after the 2020 election was overly harsh and violated her constitutional rights. 

A Colorado appeals court said the judge improperly considered her free speech rights when handing down the sentence. Peters is scheduled to be released June 1.

This story was reported by the Colorado Capital News Alliance.

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Farmers face tough decisions due to drought

According to surveys done by Colorado State University, farmers say the health of their land and their financial well-being are the biggest impacts of drought.

Retta Bruegger with CSU’s Grand Junction extension says Colorado’s farmers and ranchers are making decisions about how they’ll weather this year’s exceptionally dry conditions.

That includes determining whether they’ll have the grazing resources for their livestock, and choosing to buy more hay or sell some of their animals.

“Some folks are prioritizing early-season crops, if they’re in like a specialty vegetable situation where they’re worried they’re going to run out of water mid-season. They may be prioritizing high value crops that can be grown early on,” said Bruegger.

Drought can also impact mental health in the ag industry. CSU says that between January and March of this year, requests for its mental health services for farmers were 40 percent higher than any other year.

This story was reported by Caroline Llanes for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

 

JD Vance named Air Force Academy commencement speaker

Vice President JD Vance will deliver this year’s commencement address at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on May 28. 

He will speak to more than 900 graduating cadets who will go on to serve in the Air Force or Space Force.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink gave the speech last year.

Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the academy’s commencement addresses in 2023 and 2024.

This story was reported by the Colorado Capital News Alliance.

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You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show, with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

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