Colorado: Marksievers

Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday plans to sign into law a ban on texting while driving. The bill also makes it illegal for any driver under 18 to talk on handheld cell phones while driving. Hands-free devices are allowed, and there are exceptions for emergencies.

The text message ban takes effect in December. Drivers could be fined $50 for texting while they drive.

At least a dozen states and the District of Columbia have laws that ban the practice or that take effect this year. Text message bans also await governors' signatures in Illinois and Tennessee.

As talk radio and the blogosphere blew up with claims that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a racist, scholars of ethnicity and politics called for a quick truce.

A one-time poor choice of words on Sotomayor's part, perhaps, was their view. The New York appellate judge said in a 2001 speech, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

But Sotomayor's other, voluminous words — even in the same controversial speech — scream moderation, said academic experts who are following the debate.

A Denver Nuggets banner joined The Stars and Stripes and Colorado's red, gold, blue and white billowing over the state Capitol this afternoon as Gov. Bill Ritter proclaimed May 2009 "Nuggets May-nia Month."

Emerging from the Capitol building flanked by seven go-go boot-clad Nuggets dancers, Ritter said he'd not yet been able to reach Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make a little wager - but he's still trying.

"We're confident of a Nuggets victory," Ritter said just two hours before tip-off.

Receiving the honor for the Nuggets was team mascot Rocky, complete with party poppers that threw blue and gold confetti and streamers into the air during the press conference.

A state senator's after-hours security code for the Capitol has been deactivated after he made it available to a class he was teaching.

Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said he had no idea he was breaching security when he provided his individual code to the 11 graduate students in his Colorado government and politics class at the University of Colorado Denver.

Mitchell might own the distinction of being the only lawmaker to ever be "deactivated."

"It's never happened to a lawmaker in anyone's memory, but it has happened to other statehouse employees," said Lance Clem, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

The code — a series of numbers — allows lawmakers, staffers and others to get into the state Capitol after hours.