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Greg Smith and Colorado State open the NCAA men’s basketball tournament by taking it to Missouri early, then holding on behind Dorian Green’s 26 points.
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FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013
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Slaying possibly a “hit” SUSPECT: Paroled white supremacist at center of CHASE: Driver of black Cadillac brain-dead after probe into killing of state prison chief Clements gun battle with Texas law enforcement o∞cers
Texas lawmen work the scene where Evan Ebel collided with an 18-wheeler, emerged from the car and was left brain-dead after a shootout with authorities. Jimmy Alford, Wise County Messenger
G EN ER A L ASSE MBLY
By Kirk Mitchell, Sadie Gurman, Joey Bunch, Lynn Bartels and John Ingold The Denver Post
CIVIL-UN I O N S L AW I N CO LO RADO
Kids fight for rescue dogs, cats to be state pets By Colleen O’Connor The Denver Post
It was like a dogfight at the Senate Education Committee on Thursday afternoon. The battle to make dogs and cats adopted from shelter and rescue centers the official state pet pitted schoolkids against professional lobbyists representing purebred dog clubs, retailers, groomers and dog-show organizers. The bill ultimately passed, 6-3, but there were moments when the students from Peakview School in Walsenburg thought their project, designed to help them learn about the legislative process, could go either way. So many people arrived to testify that stragglers were left to find seats in the overflow room. Dog leashes stretched across the packed hallway, obstacles for the unwary, and piercing barks interrupted testimony. Griffin Kerr, the 3-year-old son of the bill’s PETS » 9A
ENTERTAINMENT
JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF J.T. From his new album to “Saturday Night Live” to his shows at SXSW, Justin Timberlake has captivated The Post’s Ricardo Baca. »1C
Lawmakers and dignitaries applaud Gov. John Hickenlooper, bottom, signing Senate Bill 11 legalizing civil unions at the History Colorado Center. Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
“We’re going to make history” By Lynn Bartels The Denver Post
Amid cheers and tears, Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday signed a civil-unions bill into law, erasing a generation of anguish for supporters of gay rights in what once was dubbed “the hate state.” “Unbelievable,” Hickenlooper said, looking at the gays and straight allies who were crammed into the History Colorado Center
to watch history being made. Sen. Pat Steadman of Denver, one of four gay Democrats who sponsored Senate Bill 11, recalled that “painful” night when voters approved Amendment 2, which prohibited laws from protecting gays from discrimination. “I was there on election night in 1992 with many of you, and I see your faces in this room,” he said. “That was a very tragic moment, and CIVIL » 12A
Inside: Colorado businesses look to establish a niche with civil unions. »12A
INS I D E Business » 13-15A | Comics » 11-13C | Lottery » 2A | Markets » 15A | Movies » 6C | Obituaries » 23A | Puzzles » 11-12C
Colorado corrections officials are investigating whether a paroled white-supremacist prison-gang member at the center of the investigation into the execution-style slaying of state prison chief Tom Clements was ordered by the gang to do a “hit,” a source told The Denver Post on Thursday. “What’s not known is whether this was ordered or a crime of opportunity,” said a Department of Corrections employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The source said a gang leader in prison, called a “shot caller,” could order a member to kill someone. Shortly after Clements’ slaying Tuesday night, Colorado placed all 20 of its prisons on Evan modified lock-down. Spencer The suspect was identi- Ebel has a fied as Evan Spencer Ebel, lengthy 28, a parolee in metro Den- criminal ver, according to federal record. and state officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Ebel was identified as a member of a white-supremacist prison gang known as the 211s. Ebel led Texas authorities on a wild chase and shootout Thursday and is now the focus of the investigation into the shooting death of Clements and a Denver pizza-delivery driver. Ebel has a criminal record dating to 2003 that includes convictions on robbery, menacing and weapons charges. In 2006, he was charged with assault on a correctional officer. CLEMENTS » 17A
How it went down: Tracking the deadly chase in Texas. »17A The suspect: Evan Ebel “struggling to find a place in the world.” »18A