Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has covered Colorado politics and government since spring of 2006. She loves the variety and challenge of the state capitol beat and talking to people from all walks of life. Bente's work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, American PublicMedia'sMarketplace, and she was a contributor for WNYC's The Next Big Thing. She has won numerous local and national awards, including best beat reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Bente grew up in Minnesota and England, and loves skiing, hiking, and is an aspiring cello player. She lives in Lakewood with her husband.
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The head of security for a voting equipment vendor speaks out from an undisclosed location where he's living after threats or harassment were directed to him and his family — even ex-girlfriends.
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Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell are among those named in the suit by Eric Coomer, Dominion's product security director, who is in hiding over threats stemming from conspiracy theories about his work.
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Delaying session or meeting remotely aren't options that have necessarily appealed to Republican state lawmakers who, for the most part, aren't shy about gathering in large numbers in 2021.
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A Colorado state team has picked up a mock vaccine at Denver's airport to deliver to a remote mountain hospital to test the ability to maintain the vaccine's required temperature.
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NPR visits one politically divided married couple in Pueblo, Colo., as they debate politics ahead of the 2020 election.
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While former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is still seen as having an edge in his state's Senate primary, recent and past comments about race have dampened enthusiasm for him among some voters.
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The coronavirus is forcing governors to ask how to balance public safety with the financial welfare of their states. We spent the day with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis as the pandemic tested his mettle.
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Several state legislatures have called off their 2020 sessions due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving necessary lawmaking in question.
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The city of Pueblo, Colo. went for Donald Trump in 2016, but a diverse population and an activated base of working-class voters could flip it in 2020.
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Bills to abolish the death penalty are being debated in state legislatures across the country. In Colorado, a couple of lawmakers have a very personal connection to this political lightning rod.