Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: External Outlet

Denver Schools say lease-financing is lawful, critics say it skirts voter oversight
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Schools say lease-financing is lawful, critics say it skirts voter oversight

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette In a motion to dismiss filed Friday in response to a lawsuit, Denver Public Schools (DPS) defended its use of lease-purchase agreements — a financing method critics say sidesteps required voter approval for public debt that could leave students without access to their schools if the district defaults. “This allegedly unlawful ‘scheme’ is actually a common and completely legal method of financing projects for public entities in a manner that is authorized by statute and has been repeatedly ratified by Colorado courts,” DPS officials said in their filing. As previously reported by The Denver Gazette, DPS has quietly taken on hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term debt through a controversial financing tactic that sidesteps the state’s con...
Free speech fight hits Colorado: XX-XY Athletics sues over HB25-1312
Approved, Fox News, State

Free speech fight hits Colorado: XX-XY Athletics sues over HB25-1312

By Jackson Thompson | Fox News Brand founder Jennifer Sey says legislation forces Coloradans to 'adhere to an ideology that is in violation of actual truth' EXCLUSIVE: The women's activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics is suing the state of Colorado over a recent state law that the company claims would interfere with its ability to market its message.  The lawsuit takes aim at the state for passing a law called HB25-1312 and amending the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which defines "gender expression" to include "chosen name" and "how an individual chooses to be addressed." The laws state Coloradans have a right to access "public accommodations and advertising" that are free of discrimination on that basis.  The company's lawsuit claims ...
Don Jr. helps launch American Rights Alliance to fight for Tina Peters
Approved, Gateway Pundit, National

Don Jr. helps launch American Rights Alliance to fight for Tina Peters

by Jenn Baker | Gateway Pundit Few names evoke as much passion—and as much injustice—as Tina Peters. She is a Gold Star Mother, a cancer survivor, and a whistleblower whose only crime was fulfilling her oath. As the duly elected Clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, Tina uncovered what she believed were unlawful alterations and software deletions in her county’s election system. Her response wasn’t partisan—it was principled: preserve the records, protect the truth, and serve the people. But the system she served didn’t protect her. It came after her like an angry mob. Arrested. Raided. Vilified. Silenced. Tina Peters has faced one of the most politically vindictive prosecutions in modern history—all for trying to ensure transparency in the very foundation of our Republic: our ele...
Maryland school settles with student suspended for asking about American flag
Approved, Fox News, National

Maryland school settles with student suspended for asking about American flag

By Chris Papst | Fox 25 News Towson, Md. (WBFF) — It’s a story that grabbed national attention - a Maryland student, and prospective U.S. Marine, suspended while asking why classrooms in his high school did not contain American flags. Project Baltimore first spoke with Parker Jensen in April. Soon after, he sued Baltimore County Public Schools. And now, that lawsuit has been settled. It was just last month when Project Baltimore broke the news that Jensen, a Marine hopeful, was suspended from school for seven days, after he went to Baltimore County Public Schools headquarters to ask why some classrooms at Towson High were missing American flags. According to state law and BCPS school board policy, all classrooms must contain the flag. As a result of that suspension, J...
Ratepayer risk? State law forces Xcel into costly ‘Markets+’ grid deal
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Ratepayer risk? State law forces Xcel into costly ‘Markets+’ grid deal

By Mark Jaffe | Colorado Sun Xcel Energy must join wholesale electric market to meet Colorado law. Execs say big upfront cost is best economic and operational choice. Xcel Energy’s plan to join a short-term, wholesale electric market is drawing fire from critics who, in hearings before state regulators this week, said that the price tag is too high and the benefits are minimal. The market for purchasing day-ahead power Xcel Energy wants to join, Markets+, is run by the Southwest Power Pool, or SPP, whose grid stretches across all or parts of 14 states from Texas to North Dakota. In hearings before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, business and consumer groups are challenging the $30 million in upfront costs to join Markets+ and Xcel Energy executives are defen...
Polis’ $10M ‘bridge to nowhere’ sparks public backlash
Approved, Axios Denver, State

Polis’ $10M ‘bridge to nowhere’ sparks public backlash

By John Frank | Axios To celebrate Colorado's 150th birthday, Gov. Jared Polis wants to build a pedestrian bridge to nowhere. Why it matters: The project — financed with public and private dollars — is generating significant opposition from those who say it would serve little purpose and upset the aesthetics of downtown Denver. Driving the news: Polis is the chief promoter of the overpass to connect the state Capitol grounds with the state-owned Veterans Park, just across Lincoln Street. He is soliciting donations from private entities, ranging from $10,000 to $1.5 million, including from interests with business in front of his administration. The bridge is set for completion in summer 2026. Yes, but: The design renderings for the 11,000-square-...
$1B in home loans: Company markets mortgages to illegal immigrants
Approved, Daily Wire, National

$1B in home loans: Company markets mortgages to illegal immigrants

By Spencer Lindquist | Daily Wire The Prysma Lending Group gives mortgages to illegals, 'No Social Security or Green Card required.' After decades of mass illegal immigration into the United States, untold millions of illegal aliens have settled throughout the country, competing with Americans for government benefits, jobs, and now, for homes. For most illegal aliens, obtaining a mortgage from a traditional bank — without a social security number or a credit score — is nearly impossible. But as millions of illegal aliens flooded the country, a new industry has cropped up to capitalize on the new customer base, selling financing catered to the illegal population. One entity at the forefront of this industry, a Daily Wire investigation has revealed, is Prysma Lending, which has g...
El Paso County defies state sanctuary push, gives deputies ICE powers
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

El Paso County defies state sanctuary push, gives deputies ICE powers

By Nick Smith | Denver Gazette On a day when the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced the transfer of 16 people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, its sheriff, Joe Roybal, said Tuesday he intends to enter an agreement that will give his deputies specified powers of an ICE agent. The 287(g) program authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform certain immigration officer functions under the agency's direction and supervision, according to the Immigration and Nationality Act.  The program has three models that local law enforcement agencies can enter into, each that gives the agency distinct powers. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office said they are not ready to comment on which model Roybal...
Garbo: Fear Is Not a Strategy And It’s Killing the Republican Party
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Garbo: Fear Is Not a Strategy And It’s Killing the Republican Party

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There’s a growing tone in parts of the Republican Party - loud, bitter, and angry. It presents itself as strength, as boldness, as "fighting back." But listen closely, and you’ll hear something else beneath it: fear. You see it in the endless purity tests. In the public shaming of fellow Republicans. In the weaponized use of the word “RINO.” In the obsession with rooting people out instead of bringing people in. This isn't what strength looks like. It’s what fear looks like when it’s dressed in patriotism and broadcast through a megaphone. When Anger Becomes a Crutch Anger has become a default setting for some in our party, not because they’re wrong to feel concern about our country, but because they’ve lost fa...
RMV keeps expanding its mission to inform, empower–and engage
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

RMV keeps expanding its mission to inform, empower–and engage

By R.N. | Guest Contributor, RMV NE CO Newsroom At a recent Morgan County GOP gathering, RMV Ambassador Drake Hunter announced that Rocky Mountain Voice is expanding into Northeast Colorado with a new newsroom in Fort Morgan – part of a broader effort to support civic engagement and community journalism. “Rocky Mountain Voice isn’t just growing – it’s reaching communities across Colorado to ensure local voices are heard,” said Hunter. “By establishing newsrooms and encouraging engagement, we’re creating a space where citizens can be informed, connected, and empowered.” Behind every article, RMV stands for free speech, faith, and the Constitution. The organization stands for free speech, faith freedom, and protecting the rights of everyday Coloradans. “You don’t have to be the l...