Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland is an award-winning journalist who joined Colorado Public Radio in August 2018 after a decade of reporting on the Colorado state capitol for the Rocky Mountain Community Radio collaborative and KUNC. In 2017, Bente was named Colorado Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and she was awarded with a National Investigative Reporting Award by SPJ a year later.
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Crucial statewide races are on the line, and the party faces an increasingly riled base. -
Colorado’s Medicaid spending has grown dramatically in recent years, making it tough for the state’s budget writers to avoid deep cuts to the program. -
One party leader calls it a “dumpster fire” after state chair resigns following no-confidence vote. -
The Department of Corrections says it needs money to fund additional beds. But Colorado lawmakers don’t want to keep writing short-term checks without a long-term plan. -
State legislators delayed the law’s implementation to give stakeholders a chance to hammer out disagreements on consumer protections. -
Police say the technology has improved public safety. But as public outrage over these systems grows, state lawmakers step into the debate. -
GOP Chair Brita Horn will resign as party chair in April, months before a critical mid-term election and after months of infighting.
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For a lot of farmers in Colorado, and across the country, insecticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, have been a game changer. But what’s been a breakthrough for some has been a nightmare for others. -
The SEED Act would have restricted the use of neonicotinoid-coated seeds. -
Upgrades to an affordable housing development for seniors in Fort Collins, a new transit and housing hub in downtown Longmont and a new pedestrian bridge in Denver over Interstate 25 are all receiving money among the first round of state grants to encourage communities to build denser developments.
