@sam_tabachnik

Investigative reporter @Denverpost | formerly @NBCNews @washingtonpost and @NOLAnews | Send me your nicest comments: stabachnik(at)https://xitter.cf/t.co/TXh8OMd4yZ

 Denver, CO
Denverpost.com
Joined November 2013
  • Tweets5.8K
  • Following1.5K
  • Followers2.1K
442Media
For the past year, I've been investigating worker abuses in Colorado agriculture. In this 3-part special report, The Post found federal and state regulators have failed to keep seasonal migrant workers safe or ensure they’re paid correctly and on time. denverpost.com/2024/09/01/fr…

Unenforced Labor: An investigation into unsafe working conditions in Colorado agriculture

In this three-part special report, The Denver Post uncovers chronic abuses in Colorado’s agricultural supply chain – and the lack of action from state and federal regulators.

denverpost.com
3
31
2
47
5,825
NEW - The Trump admin has disbanded its federal cultural property investigations team and reassigned the agents to immigration enforcement, according to multiple ppl familiar with the changes. U.S. has long been viewed as a global leader in this space. denverpost.com/2025/11/06/us…

The U.S. was a leader in cultural heritage investigations. Now those agents are working immigration...

Homeland Security Investigations, the department’s investigative arm, once had as many as eight agents in its New York office investigating cultural property cases.

denverpost.com
2
3
301
Sam Tabachnik retweeted
Jon Murray@JonMurray8 Sep 2025
"Colorado’s Division of Youth Services last month removed all youth from its Lookout Mountain detention center amid what advocates say were deteriorating safety conditions." denverpost.com/2025/09/08/lo… via @sam_tabachnik

Youth detention center in Golden emptied amid what advocates called deteriorating safety conditions

Many of the staff members at Lookout Mountain have also been temporarily relocated to support youth at their new centers.

denverpost.com
1
1
374
Sam Tabachnik retweeted
Jon Murray@JonMurray3 Aug 2025
An incisive story today from @NColtrain, taking stock (and looking at impact) of Colorado’s mounting gun laws from the last five years — and going back to the post-Aurora theater shooting response more than a dozen years ago. Please give it a read.
The Denver Post
@denverpost3 Aug 2025
More than two dozen gun laws in Colorado have reshaped firearm ownership — and added barriers trib.al/yCu8OE9

More than two dozen gun laws in Colorado have reshaped firearm ownership — and added barriers

“When I got here, business was great,” one Colorado gun store owner said. “And now they’re just trying to put up all these barriers and roadblocks and red tape.”

denverpost.com
1
1
600
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has swung big during his first two years in office. Sometimes moving fast has played in his favor. Other times, the strategy seems to fall flat. Should he slow down to accomplish his goals? denverpost.com/2025/07/13/de… #denver #copolitics

Denver’s mayor thinks big and moves fast — netting mixed results. Two years in, should he slow down?

During his two years in office, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has sometimes acted first and thought out the details later, with mixed results. “I don’t regret swinging big and moving fast,” he said.

denverpost.com
1
2
1
2
1,179
News from @denverpost: Gov. Jared Polis' office is involved in talks with #Broncos over potential Burnham Yard sale, sources say. The rail yard is one of a few potential sites the club is exploring. Reporting with @ElliottWenzler and @SethKlamann: denverpost.com/2025/06/19/ne…

Gov. Polis’ office involved in Broncos talks over possible Burnham Yard sale for new stadium,...

The 58-acre former rail yard, situated east of Interstate 25 and mostly north of Sixth Avenue, is among a handful of sites the Broncos have been considering for a potential new stadium.

denverpost.com
4
9
1
11
13,965
Gov. Jared Polis pardons Coloradans convicted of psilocybin possession; The governor announced the 4 pardons during the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver denverpost.com/2025/06/18/po…

Gov. Jared Polis pardons Coloradans convicted of psilocybin possession

In 2022, Coloradans voted in favor of decriminalizing psilocybin and psilocin, two psychoactive compounds found in “magic mushrooms.”

denverpost.com
1
1
1
287
How did Denver go from a decade of growth to announcing layoffs and major cuts? A deep dive into how the city's budget reached a crisis point: denverpost.com/2025/06/09/de… #denver #copolitics @denverpost

How Denver’s budget reached a crisis point: a long surge in hiring, costly policies and sagging...

“If we could retrospectively reduce spending money that we’ve already spent and claw it back, that would be great. But we can’t do that,” one Denver City Council veteran member says.

denverpost.com
1
8
6
796
Here's a look at what the Colorado General Assembly did -- or did not -- do for the environment during the '25 session. denverpost.com/2025/06/09/co…

Here’s what Colorado lawmakers did — and didn’t — do on climate and environmental issues this year

Colorado lawmakers in this year’s session took on a wide variety of environmental issues, from the definition of clean energy to the fate of roaming bison.

denverpost.com
2
1
350
7-year-old Isaiah Stark died in 2020, likely from drinking too much olive brine. This is the story about how Grand County tried to make the case disappear. denverpost.com/2025/05/15/is…

A Colorado boy likely died from drinking too much olive brine. Grand County tried to make the...

Isaiah Stark died from ingesting too much sodium, the coroner found, likely due to drinking olive brine.

denverpost.com
3
3
10
1,896
Aaron Gordon woke up to a FaceTime call from a teammate. It was the middle of the night in China. But he turned on the lights and answered, like he always does. Why the Nuggets believe nobody deserves this moment more than Gordon: denverpost.com/2025/05/06/aa…

Aaron Gordon answered the call for the Nuggets in Oklahoma City, just as he’s always done

Aaron Gordon is Denver’s hero who doesn’t reach for the cape. It just keeps finding him.

denverpost.com
14
45
13
670
111,732
New, on Denver's NWSL stadium deal: Decades of research show that when cities shell out millions of dollars to build stadiums, they rarely recoup their costs — and the local economies see limited growth. For some, that's not the point. #copolitics denverpost.com/2025/05/04/de…

Will a NWSL stadium benefit Denver businesses? Experts debate if city’s $70 million investment plan...

As Denver City Council considers spending $70 million to bring a NWSL stadium to a site in the Baker neighborhood, businesses from the neighborhood are urging them to vote “yes.”

denverpost.com
4
3
552
I reviewed public health inspection records for the 5 most-fined apartment buildings in Denver, as well as several of the city’s most frequently cited properties. All but one received licenses, despite mountains of allegations from residents and serious habitability infractions.
The Denver Post
@denverpost4 May 2025
These landlords accrued years of complaints and serious health violations. Denver handed them rental licenses anyway. trib.al/AsOoKYz

These landlords accrued years of complaints and serious health violations. Denver handed them...

A Denver Post investigation found the city has handed out licenses to building owners with years of documented violations, who then continue to neglect their tenants.

denverpost.com
7
288
Happy to share that our series about alcohol-related deaths, Colorado's Quiet Killer, finished second among public health stories in the Association of Health Care Journalists' annual contest. If you missed the series, you can read it here: denverpost.com/2024/01/04/co…

Colorado’s quiet killer: Alcohol ends more lives than overdoses, but there’s been no intervention

In this four-part series, The Denver Post investigated why so many Coloradans are dying from drinking, and what the state could do to reduce the number of people lost.

denverpost.com
3
3
1
12
1,276
More people died in police chases in this Denver suburb than in the state’s biggest cities denverpost.com/2025/04/20/co…
2
5
412
Colorado judge sexted with woman, then presided over her criminal case; the judge also gave a personal recognizance bond to the woman's boyfriend in a different felony case after she asked him to do so, authorities allege denverpost.com/2025/04/17/ju…

Resigning Colorado judge used position to help “intimate” friend, officials say

A Colorado district court judge is accused of misconduct for using his position to help an “intimate” friend on multiple cases, according to a complaint released Wednesday.

denverpost.com
1
1
1
304
You heard it here first: Federal prosecutors have responded to immigration advocate Jeanette Vizguerra's case. She's currently being held at the ICE detention center in Aurora. I've got the details on their argument for @denverpost. denverpost.com/2025/03/25/je…

Federal prosecutors defend ICE’s ability to deport Colorado immigration advocate Jeanette Vizguerra

Jeanette Vizguerra is currently being held at the agency’s detention facility in Aurora, which is run by private contractor GEO Group.

denverpost.com
3
3
487
BREAKING: Wardens at 3 Colorado prisons placed on leave on the same day denverpost.com/2025/03/17/co…

4 leaders in Colorado prison system placed on leave on the same day

Four of the five officials placed on leave have worked for the Department of Corrections for more than a decade.

denverpost.com
5
5
959
Dancers who’ve worked at metro Denver strip clubs told @denverpost that wage theft is baked into the business model to the point where dancers sometimes go home with less money than they had at the start of the night. @sam_tabachnik and I found out more. denverpost.com/2025/03/17/co…

Colorado strip clubs persistently steal wages from their workers, dancers say: “We have to pay to...

Dancers told The Denver Post they feel pressured to illegally share tips with managers for fear of retaliation or termination.

denverpost.com
2
1
281
A Denver jury on Thursday awarded millions of dollars to former tenants of an apartment complex over systematic neglect and habitability concerns. Owners of Mint Urban Infinity will pay out between $13-15 million denverpost.com/2025/03/14/mi…

Denver jury awards tenants more than $10 million in lawsuit over neglected apartment complex

“I am completely overjoyed,” said Brandon Smith, one of the plaintiffs and tenant organizers. “I feel really proud. This is one of the happiest moments of my life.”

denverpost.com
3
4
370
Sam Tabachnik retweeted
Jon Murray@JonMurray11 Mar 2025
NEW: Former state senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis now faces an investigation by the Denver and Boulder district attorneys after resigning amid an ethics probe. Apparently at issue are at least one -- possibly two -- fake letters. denverpost.com/2025/03/11/co… via @SethKlamann/@NColtrain

Former state senator now faces investigation by Denver, Boulder district attorneys after resigning...

Former state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis resigned her Senate seat last month just hours before the ethics committee was set to deliberate about whether she had mistreated her aides.

denverpost.com
2
1
4
601
Load more