Colorado is one step closer to winning an infusion of federal Race to the Top money, and it couldn't come at a better time. With the state hemorrhaging cash, it would be devastating if further budget cuts to K-12 education derailed Colorado's reform agenda.

Colorado has rebounded somewhat from last year's last-place standing among oil- and gas-producing states in an annual survey measuring attractiveness for investment by that industry.

More than half the owners of medical-marijuana centers in Colorado have criminal arrest or conviction records for crimes such as dealing drugs, sexual assault, burglary and weapons violations, according to statistics developed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and obtained by 9News.

Despite assertions earlier in the week that he would "solely target" Democratic opponent John Hickenlooper, former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo on Wednesday foreshadowed a possibly brutal campaign when he quickly took a shot at GOP candidate Scott McInnis.

Utah is not the only state where lawmakers are attempting to address illegal immigration — which is traditionally a federal issue handled by Congress.

As one voracious non-native fish bears down on the Great Lakes, notorious mussels are spreading across the West. Frustrated state officials say it’s time for the federal government to play a bigger role in stopping the spread of invasive species.