Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has been reporting on state legislative issues for KUNC and Rocky Mountain Community Radio since 2006. Originally, from Minnesota, Bente likes to hike and ski in her spare time. She keeps track of state politics throughout the year but is especially busy during the annual legislative session from January through early May.
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State Rep. David Ortiz was paralyzed from the waist down while serving in Afghanistan. To give him access to the House podium, legislative staff say they have built the first lift of its kind.
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The Colorado Caroling Company shares the joy of performing holiday favorites for appreciative audiences.
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Election officials are trying to win over voter trust that ballots are handled and counted securely. In Colorado, a clerk went so far as to invite one skeptic to work at his office to see for herself.
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More states have adopted redistricting commissions as an antidote to gerrymandering over the past decade. Depending on the state, commissions look and function very differently. Are they working?
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A county clerk in Colorado is under investigation after sensitive information about the county's voting machines appeared on conspiracy websites.
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Independent redistricting commissions in Colorado and other states were meant to take some of the politics out of the process. Recent events, though, show that parties are still pushing for influence.
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Reports of psychosis associated with new cannabis concentrates have half a dozen states proposing new regulations They're also proposing more taxes to fund research about the unknowns in concentrates.
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Weeks after the mass shooting in Boulder, Colo., the push for a statewide ban on assault-style weapons is losing steam, even among prominent Democrats who say it is the wrong strategy.
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Some see these legal fights as another way to take on viral misinformation, one that's already starting to show some results.
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After 10 people were killed at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., state Democrats say they're considering joining seven other states and D.C. by banning "assault-style" weapons.