Boulder Gay Marriage

Boulder County's attorney says the clerk will continue issuing marriage licenses to gay couples because failing to do so is a violation of their constitutional rights.  In a letter Wednesday to the Colorado attorney general's office, County Attorney Ben Pearlman says recent court rulings finding gay marriage bans unconstitutional mean the clerk is acting legally.  Clerk Hillary Hall began issuing licenses last week after a federal appeals court in Denver ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry. The ruling was put on hold pending appeal.

Denver Tech Tax

Technology companies in Denver are fighting a tax the city charges on software services.  They say Denver's unusual in charging sales tax on services such as mobile app and web development. The Denver Post reports that executives from more than 30 companies have met with Denver city officials to push for a change.   Denver officials say its tax code from 1987 covering "data processing programs" allows the city to tax custom software services.  Tech executives and entrepreneurs are hoping that the city can simply re-interpret the code to remove its tax on custom software. 

Rec Shooting Areas

The U.S. Forest Service is floating a plan to restrict recreational shooting to designated areas in 625 square miles near developed areas in Colorado's Front Range foothills and along the Interstate 70 corridor.  The plan also includes opening more approved shooting ranges.  The Forest Service says 50 to 75 percent of the land is close enough to homes, roads and campgrounds that shooting is already illegal there.  Clear Creek County Commissioner Tim Mauck says the amount of land being discussed is staggering.  Kathy Hinkle of the Clear Creek County Sportsmen Club says she supports the idea of more designated ranges but wants more details on the plan.

4th of July Travel

Colorado highway officials say they're expecting heavy traffic on Interstate 70 starting Thursday for the July 4 holiday weekend. The Colorado Department of Transportation is promoting its website offering deals on things like tacos and massages to get travelers to stay in the mountains past peak travel times.  In 2013, westbound travel times on July 3 peaked at 97 minutes in the late afternoon.  Travel times for westbound traffic surpassed 100 minutes on July 4 for the noon hour.  If you're heading up the mountain corridor, expect delays throughout the day on July 3 and July 4 when traveling westbound and should allow for extra time or plan to travel earlier in the day.