Karthik Venkatraj, a 30-year-old Westminster resident, has spent the last decade seeking ways to serve his country, including serving six months in Iraq in 2015 and earning the title of captain in the Colorado Army National Guard. After returning from the Middle East, with American soil back under his feet and a deployment under his belt, Venkatraj was inspired to tackle his patriotic ambitions from a new angle — a reform in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Currently studying law at the ... Read more

Four Lao-Hmong veterans and the surviving son of a fifth were among 76 Vietnam-era veterans honored at a ceremony hosted by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter on Friday at Red Rocks Community College. One after another, an officer read off their names, their branch of the military and the years they wore the uniform, and then Perlmutter handed them a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin and a certificate to honor their service. Some saluted, some just nodded, but they all stood for a moment with the pride that eluded... Read more

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-7th District, has partnered with the governor’s office to honor men and women who served during the Vietnam era from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, the beginning and end of U.S. involvement in the war. The commemoration ceremony is part of an ongoing series of events across the country leading up to the 50th anniversary in 2025 of American withdrawal from the conflict. Response to Perlmutter’s event, first announced in February, has been so overwhelming that his office ... Read more

Lakewood, Colo. - U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) released the following statement after the U.S. airstrikes in Syria: “As I said in 2013, Assad’s use of chemical weapons against Syrian’s was unthinkable, reprehensible and a clear violation of international law. At the time I supported President Obama using targeted military action against the Assad regime to prevent further atrocities. And while President Obama respectfully deferred to Congress for additional authority, ultimately military acti... Read more

Colorado Springs — The U.S. space industry is suddenly hustling to launch NASA astronauts around the moon in an Colorado-developed Orion capsule in 2019 or even sooner, making the country’s next lunar mission earlier by at least two years and hastening preparations to reach Mars by 2033. The timeline for NASA sending astronauts on ambitious missions has been transformed by President Donald Trump taking office, Congress showing bipartisan support for funding deep-space exploration, and the maturi... Read more

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted mostly along party lines to repeal Federal Communications Commission rules that would prevent internet service providers from selling your personal information. There were 15 Republicans who joined Democrats in voting no, and U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman from Aurora was one of them. Here’s his statement: “I believe the privacy of my constituents, and other internet users, is an issue where the government needs to tread very carefully. I do not believ... Read more

WASHINGTON D.C. –The widow of a Flight for Life pilot who died in a fiery chopper crash in Frisco is reacting to National Transportation Safety Board findings that helicopter design flaws contributed to her husband’s death. 9Wants to Know reporter Chris Vanderveen was the only Denver reporter at Tuesday’s hearing and interviewed Karen Mahany following the 3-hour long hearing. Days after the death of her husband, Pat, Karen Mahany pledged to protect the legacy of a man who had logged more than 1... Read more

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) today released the following statement in response to President Trump’s Executive Order that attempts to reverse multiple major U.S. initiatives to combat climate change. “President Trump’s decision to roll back the progress we’ve made combating climate change is short-sided and a bad move for our economy. The Clean Power Plan and the many other protections put in place over the last eight years are good for our national security, good for the c... Read more

For Vietnam veteran Abe Alonzo, the March 24 ceremony honoring him and 53 others for their service in an unpopular and devastating war was long overdue. “We weren’t accepted or received after our tour in Vietnam,” said the 68-year-old Lakewood resident, who served in the Marines from 1968 to 1970. “We were never appreciated for the sacrifices we made. It was a tough time.” U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-7th Dist rict, has partnered with the governor’s office to honor men and women who served during ... Read more

DENVER – President Donald Trump’s executive order Tuesday aimed at ending Obama-era climate change rules and curbing climate regulation enforcement sent ripples across Colorado’s political spectrum. Colorado Democrats hammered Trump and his order to review and possibly rewrite the Clean Power Plan as a major threat to the environment and peoples’ health, but the order was lauded by state Republicans, who said that the order would free up the energy sector to expand the nation’s economy. Trump hi... Read more