The Rocky has landed on some of their porch steps for as long as they can remember.

Senate President Peter Groff as a young boy searched for sports scores.

Sen. Chris Romer remembers dreading the sound of the paper hitting when he knew it was going to be bad news about his dad, the governor.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette said the Rocky was the first newspaper she read as a girl.

The Rocky Mountain News is Colorado.

Its stories have been a fixture on bulletin boards and refrigerators and in scrapbooks. They made people laugh and cry, spurred them to action, began their day over coffee.

"The Rocky's been such a part of Colorado's fabric.

"It's going to be odd to not see it on the street and on my front porch," said former Gov. Bill Owens.

Below, other leaders share their reactions to news of the Rocky's closing:

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper

"For a couple of weeks I've had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that today became a knot. It's been 22 years since I got laid off from the company I thought was going to be my career. That's an emotion you don't forget."

Nugget Carmelo Anthony

"I've gotten to know a lot of people from the Rocky Mountain News during my six years here and they're good people. I wish them all the best of luck as they move on and go forward."

Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb

"In 1991 when people didn't give me a chance, the Rocky Mountain News did and endorsed me for mayor. It was the turn-around."

Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher

I hope the governor and mayor will declare a day of mourning. I am bringing black arm bands to the office for all who might wish to do public mourning for this loss to the public sphere. Marshall McLuhan, the great media ecologist, describes why the Rocky will be missed: "People don't actually read newspapers. They get into them every morning like a hot bath."

Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver

"I just told the Post this: the News by far has the best and most comprehensive legislative coverage."

Bob Schaffer, former Republican congressman

"My fondest memory of the Rocky is the legendary John Sanko covering the state legislature.

"He set a high-water mark for professional journalism."

Patty Calhoun, editor of Westword

"It's sad, not just because of all the good reporters and journalists there who may have to switch careers. It's sad to lose a city institution. I've been here just over 30 years so I remember every incarnation since then. I remember the scrappy Rocky Mountain News that Michael Howard ran. I remember the Ralph Looney, the Jay Ambrose eras. John Temple did a great job of creating a paper with a lot of strong voices. The irony is even with a restricted staff and this strange limbo the Rocky was putting out strong papers to the end."

Gov. Bill Ritter:

"For me it's a very, very sad day. . . . We lose a Colorado icon, we lose a newspaper that has contributed so much, I think, to the history of the state. . . You can argue all you want with an editorial writer, but at the end of the day, you can call him. You can find him and you can talk to him, and you can't do that on a blog."

Realtor Edie Marks

"I think that it was the fairest newspaper, the most diverse, and an important part of my daily life. I'm going to miss it tremendously."

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver

"The Rocky Mountain News was the first paper I ever read as a girl. That's how I'm going to remember it. What I'm really going to miss is the depth of coverage on Western issues."

House Speaker Terrance Carroll, D-Denver

"The Rocky has served this community thoughtfully for 150 years. Its editorial board has never shied away from taking farsighted, sometimes popular - sometimes not - stances on controversial topics affecting real people."

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora

"It was such a part of Colorado history. My father sold it as a teenager in the Great Depression, right in front of the Brown Palace Hotel. . . . I think it was second to none in terms of the quality of its reporting and editorial writing."

Neil Westergaard, editor of the Denver Business Journal

"The Rocky used to put blowup figures on its roof during the holiday season. In 1989, two years after Dean Singleton bought The Post, one of those figures was Odie, Garfield's dog. A group of Post workers dressed up as workmen, snuck up to the roof and put a giant foam replica of The Denver Post in Odie's mouth. It stayed up there for a couple of hours. The competition was absolutely fierce between The Post and the News."

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet "The Rocky Mountain News has chronicled the storied, and at times tumultuous, history of Colorado for nearly 150 years. I am deeply saddened by this news, and my heart goes out to all the talented men and women at the Rocky. "

State Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, son of former Gov. Roy Romer.

"My heart sank. I actually shed a tear. I was running an errand and heard it on KCBO. . . . There were days as a family when we dreaded the paper hitting, days when my family's personal life was put on the cover, but there were great days too. One of my favorites was St. Patrick's Day 1999. My daughters graced the cover of the Rocky, two girls in their Irish Dance costumes. That's one of my prize possessions."

House Minority Whip Cory Gardner, R-Yuma

"When I was 6 or 7 and growing up in Yuma, my dad had a farm equipment distribution shop, and we would walk down the street to the bakery. He would bring the Rocky sports section, and I would bring the comics."

House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville

"I imagine with no more Rocky, my framed 'Nixon Resigns' Rocky Mountain News might be up in value. . . . I'll miss most some of the folks that were working for it. You had a heck of a lot of talent down there."

Compiled by Ed Sealover, Lynn Bartels, Myung Kim and M.E. Sprengelmeyer

A tribute to the Rocky

* U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, wrote a tribute to the Rocky Mountain News that is expected to be entered into the Congressional Record as early as today. The full Colorado congressional delegation has signed on in support.

Mr. President, I rise today to report the sad news that a distinguished and cherished newspaper is shutting down. The Rocky Mountain News, which was slated to celebrate its 150th anniversary just two months from now, will be publishing its final edition this Friday (today).

As Coloradans know, this tabloid- style paper has been an essential component of spreading the news about events local and worldwide. It shared that role with Colorado's other statewide paper, The Denver Post. Readers came to rely on its many reporters and editors, and to appreciate and enjoy its columnists, photographers, cartoonists and contributors over its many years of service to the state.

The paper has been recognized for many achievements. It has focused on many poignant stories that have touched people's lives and affected policy issues of the day. One such series of stories I want to particularly mention. Reporter Laura Frank delved into the plight of the thousands of nuclear facility workers who have been stymied in their efforts to receive compensation that they are owed for illnesses incurred from exposure to toxic materials while protecting our nation at these facilities. Her stories, called "Deadly Denial," included a story about a former Rocky Flats worker named Charlie Wolf.

. . . There are many, many other such stories from the annals of the Rocky Mountain News over the years. It is why it has been such an important contribution to the daily lives of the people of Colorado and the concerns of the nation.

I am saddened that the paper was unable to continue to keep the presses running. It appears to be the victim of these economic times and the changing nature of how people get their news and information. I share the emotions of the staff at the paper of this closing, and hope they will continue to be contributors to the journalistic procession and helping us all better understand and learn about our state and the world.

Mr. President, I ask that a copy of the Rocky Mountain News' story about its history that was published at their 140th anniversary be included in the record. This piece is an example of the outstanding work of the paper as well as highlighting its illustrious history and contributions.

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