opinion

Of all the people I've worked with at Colorado State University, few embody the spirit of the land grant university like Paul Thayer. Soft-spoken and gentle, Paul is also an incredibly strong and persuasive person who always seems to use those powers for good. He is the exact opposite of whatever it means to be self-promotional. Instead, he has a gift for looking into other people, seeing their potential, and coaxing them into believing in themselves as much as he does. 

Former Colorado State Senator Mark Hillman takes a look at the performance of this year's legislative session.

(Colorado Newsline) Boulder has a far-left reputation, reflected in one of its nicknames, the People's Republic of Boulder.

Former Colorado State Senator Mark Hillman encourages respectful debates when opinions differ.

Former Colorado State Senator Mark Hillman takes a look at HB 1032, which would allow lawsuits regarding disability access violations to seek "emotional distress" damages.

Former Colorado State Sentator Mark Hillman argues that a bill before the legislature will do nothing to stop criminals or the mentally ill from inflicting harm on innocent Americans.

There are some sayings in North Park. One that I remember is that if the mosquitoes are really bad, the hay crop will be really good. Now in the midst of a real winter here in North Park, there are no mosquitoes flying around. The temperature is getting cold enough that pine beetles may not like staying in the woods. But as you should know, there aren't any pine trees left for the pine beetles to eat. The young ones that are growing typically aren't eaten by the bugs.

What is missing are plans to re-introduce Wolves into all 13 Colorado Counties that voted overwhelmingly in support for Wolf Re-introduction. These Counties have thousands of acres that already support successfully other Predators they have learned to co-exist with. The rest of the 41 Colorado Counties, by vote, are not in favor for Re-introduction.

Last month, Governor Jared Polis gave his State of the State address before a joint session of the General Assembly and to all Coloradans around the state. As I and other rural legislators listened to his speech, we couldn't help but notice something so significant to our state barely received more than a brief mention.  As the speech lagged on, it was evident the governor was clearly avoiding talking about it. It became the industrial elephant in the room, if you will.

A retired Texas journalism professor believes while short-term solutions are important, they won't provide the answers humanity needs to sustain itself.