District 1 Senator Jerry Sonnenberg. The first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Independence Institute’s Californians of the Year include a rancher from the eastern plains who voted to save rural hospitals

The libertarian-leaning Independence Institute deploys "Californian" as an insult as it seeks to define acceptable political opinion.

What you need to know about Xcel’s sweeping renewable energy plan for Colorado — and its critics

Not everyone was cheering when Xcel Energy announced a proposal to increase renewables like wind and solar to 55 percent of their electric supply by 2026.

District 1 Senator Jerry Sonnenberg laughs as he hands a toy tractor, a fixture on his desk, to the family of Senate President Kevin Grantham. The first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Time is getting short as Colorado lawmakers point fingers over elusive hospital provider fee deal

"I've just been handed a note," he said. "There's no deal."

Denver Health on Bannock in Lincoln Park. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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“Yes for today:” Wary support moves bill that would reshape the Colorado budget toward its next big fight

The Senate Finance Committee signed off on a bill that would reclassify the hospital provider fee, but members barely touched on the most contentious part.

Colorado lawmakers playing chicken on bill to fund Colorado hospitals

A bill that would restore funding for hospitals in exchange for cuts to future budgets is "dead" if Democrats balk at those cuts, the bill's Republican author said.

Newly-elected Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran on the first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Speaker Duran says Colorado legislators have a choice on the budget: “Ideology” or “problem-solving”

Democrats support a proposal to make the hospital provider fee an enterprise fund, but they won't go along with a reduction to the TABOR revenue cap.

The Colorado State Senate, March 15, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Faced with a Colorado budget that makes deep cuts to hospitals, some lawmakers are ready for a change

Republican state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg has introduced a bill to do something Democrats have wanted and most Republicans have resisted for several years now.

Eli Tomac in 2013 at the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross in Tooele, Utah. (Shawn Kirton/Flickr via CC 2.0)

Colorado rider Eli Tomac wins AMA Supercross race in Minneapolis

Denverite goes great with mornings