Opinion Columnists

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. launched a new clinic at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center “dedicated to studying and caring for patients experiencing health problems following vaccination.” In essence, RFK is introducing a full-blown clinical program into NIH that is not built on asking whether vaccines cause disease (a question already asked and answered in the negative hundreds of times), but rather on the false prior belief that they do. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Steele: RFK adds another layer of tarnish on America’s crown jewel

By Fintan Steele

October 21, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. launched a new clinic...

Boulder City Council members are asked to do too much — the Oct. 15 packet was 782 pages long! — and have too little time for reflective study of the issues they must opine on. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Wallach: Boulder City Council’s 782-page packet shows just how badly procedural reform is needed

By Mark Wallach

October 20, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Boulder City Council members are asked to do too much — the Oct. 15 packet...

Victory doesn’t always go to the one with most money (Rochat, Can You See?)

By Scott Rochat

October 19, 2026 at 9:20 a.m.

If you’ve been following the baseball news this postseason, you might have noticed that the...

A botched execution shakes our attitudes toward the death penalty (Opinion)

By Clarence Page

October 18, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

As an opponent of capital punishment, I find the unintended gruesomeness of the botched execution...

Every election season, we tell voters to do their homework. Be an informed voter. That advice is right. But it assumes something many voters do not have: hours to spare for one more responsibility, studying every choice carefully before they vote. In my precinct, the ballot has 53 decisions and is almost three feet long. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Martin: Colorado’s crazy-long ballot was not designed with voters in mind

By Jim Martin

October 11, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Every election season, we tell voters to do their homework. Be an informed voter. That...

Last week, the White House unveiled America.gov, an AI search tool. After test-driving the chatbot, reporters were inclined to agree, finding it did a pretty good job at debunking Trump’s oft-repeated falsehoods on topics such as election fraud, tariffs, inflation, illegal immigration, climate change and, perhaps most painfully for Trump's ego, who won the 2020 election. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump’s ‘truth’ betrayed by White House chatbot (Opinion)

By Clarence Page

October 11, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Last week, the White House unveiled America.gov, an AI search tool. After test-driving the chatbot, reporters were inclined...

The MAGA movement's refusal to recognize that Christopher Columbus was a flawed figure, and its insistence that he was heroic and unerring, is juvenile. It is the same way Trump views America: without flaw. This is the perspective of a child, a form of toxic patriotism. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)

Trump wants to monopolize our American story. We can’t let him. (Opinion)

By James Vacca

October 9, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.

The MAGA movement's refusal to recognize that Christopher Columbus was a flawed figure, and its...

Given the pressing need for real change and reform in how Boulder’s government runs, here are some specific recommendations for how to vote. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Pomerance: Voting in this crazy election

By Steve Pomerance

October 9, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Given the pressing need for real change and reform in how Boulder’s government runs, here...

Boulder needs greater oversight of our city government, and the voters need to consider financial oversight and governance in our votes. Progressive government can also be fiscally responsible. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

Burton: After 11 years, the Alpine-Balsam numbers have finally come out

By Jan Burton

October 7, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Boulder needs greater oversight of our city government, and the voters need to consider financial...

City of Boulder staff are routinely pilloried as working against the interests of the people, and City Council members are frequently described as corrupt or in the pocket of developers. Sorry to disappoint, but I know staff, and I know my former colleagues. They are hard-working professionals who are dedicated to the well-being of this city. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Wallach: Boulder, we need to take a deep breath and calm down

By Mark Wallach

October 6, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

City of Boulder staff are routinely pilloried as working against the interests of the people,...

Friends in slow places (Rochat Can You See?)

By Scott Rochat

October 5, 2026 at 5:36 a.m.

You know all those cop shows where it takes a high-speed chase to corral the...

Why parents sometimes need to go to school, too (Opinion)

By Clarence Page

October 4, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

The fact remains that sometimes our responsibilities to do what's best for our children conflict...

Rather than jumping to the quick fix of the $400 million Recreation and Safety Bond, the Boulder Chamber urges city leadership to pursue the more challenging process of comprehensively scrutinizing municipal expenditures, considering if they still fund priority needs, and evaluating whether they’re delivering the desired return on investment. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Tayer: Why the Boulder Chamber says ‘no on 2K’ ballot measure

By John Tayer

October 3, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

Rather than jumping to the quick fix of the $400 million Recreation and Safety Bond,...