Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: External Outlet

ICE officials not allowed on Denver school campuses, superintendent says
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

ICE officials not allowed on Denver school campuses, superintendent says

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette A top Denver school official has reiterated a district policy that does not permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on campus as the Trump administration prepares to crackdown on illegal immigration. In his inauguration speech on Monday, Trump said he will go after criminals and gang members, a reference to, among others, the Venezuelan gang that is seeking to entrench its tentacles in metro Denver. Trump campaign officials have said his administration will go after individuals convicted of crimes and those who already face deportation orders.    “No individual should be permitted to enter the building without ascertaining whether the individual has a legitimate business or educational purpose,” Denver Public Schoo...
Trump announces largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project ‘in history’
Approved, Fox Business, National

Trump announces largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project ‘in history’

By Breck Dumas  | Fox Business President Donald Trump unveiled a massive artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure project from the private sector on the first full day of his second term in office on Tuesday. During a speech at the White House, Trump announced that Softbank, OpenAI and Oracle have joined forces for a project called Stargate, to build data centers in the U.S. for powering AI.  The CEOs of all three tech firms – OpenAI's Sam Altman, Oracle's Larry Ellison, and Softbank's Masayoshi Son – joined Trump from the Roosevelt Room at the White House for the announcement. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Colorado AG Weiser joins suit against Trump over birthright citizenship order
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado AG Weiser joins suit against Trump over birthright citizenship order

By Zach Schonfeld, Rebecca Beitsch | KDVR-TV FOX 31 News, via The Hill Twenty-two Democrat-led states and two cities challenged President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, that on Tuesday kicked off the first legal battles between his new Justice Department and Democratic attorneys general.  The two separate lawsuits, filed in Massachusetts and Washington state, ask federal judges to rule the order contradicts the Constitution, which under the 14th Amendment bestows citizenship on anyone born in the United States.  READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Front Range hospitals grow while Colorado’s rural hospitals, Denver Health struggle financially
Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Front Range hospitals grow while Colorado’s rural hospitals, Denver Health struggle financially

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado On Sunday, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) released a report on the financial health of Colorado's hospitals. While some are showing financial strength, others appear to be struggling. The department's annual report measures hospital profits, reserves, costs, expenses and the level of community benefit that tax-exempt hospitals offer their communities in place of paying taxes. "These reports provide valuable insights for Coloradans into where their money is going within health care. Hospital revenue growth represents a rapidly increasing part of the overall health care dollar," HCPF Executive Director Kim Bimestefer said. "The billion-dollar annual increase shown in this report is reflected in the insurance prem...
Trump lays out Coloradan Chris Wright’s focus, to unleash ‘liquid gold’ at home and abroad
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, National

Trump lays out Coloradan Chris Wright’s focus, to unleash ‘liquid gold’ at home and abroad

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics President Donald Trump vowed to bring down domestic prices and position America as an energy exporter by unleashing the “liquid gold” flowing beneath U.S. soil, stripping away what he deemed to be excessive regulations and adopting a slew of policies favorable to oil and gas drilling.  “Once again, we will work to make America an energy producer. We'll bring prices down, fill strategic reserves up to the top, and export American energy all over the world,” he said during his inauguration speech on Monday. Chris Wright, a Denver businessman and Trump’s pick for Energy secretary, will play a key role in carrying out the vision. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Child care assistance is frozen across Colorado as counties run out of funding
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Child care assistance is frozen across Colorado as counties run out of funding

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun A child care subsidy program to help low-income families afford care so they can work or search for work has been frozen in several of Colorado’s largest counties.  Enrollment in the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program, which helps more than 32,000 children attend child care statewide, is now capped in a growing number of counties, including Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Broomfield, Pueblo, Weld, El Paso, Larimer, Alamosa, Mesa, Jefferson and Weld counties, leaving families without assistance at a time when child care costs are soaring. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
State air quality officials identify five priority toxic contaminants, leading to more regulation
Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

State air quality officials identify five priority toxic contaminants, leading to more regulation

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado officials took the first steps Friday in adding new control measures around five priority toxic air contaminants produced by sources ranging from oil-and-gas drilling to wastewater processing to the sterilization of medical equipment. By choosing the five priority toxics, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission triggered a process that will lead to creation of health-based standards around the compounds in September and then approval of emission-control strategies in 2026. Environmental activists cheered a future in which contaminants create fewer health problems in long-polluted areas, while business leaders warned that AQCC members selected the quintet without any discussion of whether the toxins are feasible to control. READ...
Arapahoe County using money from Prop. 123 for housing services
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Arapahoe County using money from Prop. 123 for housing services

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Arapahoe County is putting $200,000 in funding from Proposition 123 toward housing stability services via a program to target at-risk people, county officials said in a news release.  The county is one of four organizations in Colorado to get money from the proposition for Colorado Emergency Rental Assistance for Housing Stability Services, according to the release.  Arapahoe County's program to provide services with money from the Department of Local Affairs will start in February. Services to help with housing include application assistance, case management, community outreach and resource referrals to individuals and families facing financial hardships that threaten their housing security.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Colorado lawmakers react to inauguration of President Donald Trump
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado lawmakers react to inauguration of President Donald Trump

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Donald J. Trump was sworn in to serve as U.S. President for the second time on Monday, Jan. 20, drawing reactions from around the world, but also from some of Colorado’s lawmakers. Trump named Colorado several times during his campaign for presidency, and visited Aurora in October to speak about immigration and the gang violence reported at troubled apartments in the city. Those apartments are now under an emergency closure order, and the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency said in December that 16 people arrested in connection to an armed apartment invasion were suspected Tren de Aragua members or associates. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Costco Teamsters vote to authorize strike
Approved, Fox Business, National

Costco Teamsters vote to authorize strike

By Pilar Arias  | Fox Business Eighteen thousand Costco Teamsters are preparing to strike if a "fair contract offer" is not presented by the end of the month. Eighty-five percent of Costco Teamsters across the U.S. voted in favor of authorizing the strike, according to a Sunday press release. Tensions had been building throughout the week, as Teamsters put up several Costco-related posts on its social media. "From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement," Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.  READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS