A pair of “large tree nymph” butterflies. Photo Lenny Lensworth Frieling Is Plea Bargain a Dirty Word? Is the Negotiation Balanced Like these Butterflies? Plea bargains are misunderstood and inappropriately denigrated by some defendants. Boulder courts, as well as courts across the United States, plea bargaining is a fundamental part of resolving criminal cases. In Colorado’s criminal courts, plea bargains are commonly used to settle cases without proceeding to trial. Consider that only about 4% of all cases go to trial, either before a jury or as a bench trial. A small... Read More

Photo credit: Lily Lemire This weekend is parents weekend and there are SO many things to do with parents, especially if they are from out of town. CU, of course, has a list of activities for parents to do but doing your own fun planned activities is how you can get the most out of parent’s weekend. Some things to consider doing: There are tons of good restaurants on pearl street to check out, my personal favorite is Hapa Sushi, they have great happy hour deals from 2-5! Also be sure to check out the Sink, which is located on the Hill. Get the sink burger, it does not disappoint. If parents... Read More

I approached this week’s column with verve. Fantasy online shopping is one of my favorite procrastination past times. So the prospect of perusing offerings upon offerings for holiday gift ideas? YES, PLEASE. Then a weird thing happened. I started to feel… icky. Like I’d had a body dip in jam and then rolled around in sawdust. Icky. There were so many things. So many price points. So much that honestly… nobody really needs. I suppose I had my own little “meaning of Christmas” crisis. A crisis only because the column I intended to write was predicated on buying... Read More