Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: External Outlet

Livability plunge: Colorado Springs now ranks 406th in national report falling from top 5 spot
Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Livability plunge: Colorado Springs now ranks 406th in national report falling from top 5 spot

By Paige Reynolds | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s a dramatic fall that has residents and city officials asking, what happened? Colorado Springs, ranked #3 in the nation just last year by U.S. News & World Report for "Best Places to Live, has plummeted to #406 in the latest release. The rankings, which consider factors like affordability, desirability and quality of life, are used nationwide as a snapshot of where people want to live and why. So why the drop? "Colorado Springs was in the top 16% for crime, which is not really a designation that you want to see when looking for a place to live," said Erika Giovanetti, Consumer Lending Analyst with U.S. News & World Report. According to Giovanetti, both violent and property crime rates are...
Woman shot by security guards after failing to stop at gate at CIA Headquarters
Approved, Daily Wire, National

Woman shot by security guards after failing to stop at gate at CIA Headquarters

By Zach Jewell | Daily Wire Security Guards at the CIA’s headquarters in McLean, Virginia, shot and wounded a woman on Thursday morning after she failed to stop at the gate, CBS News reported. The woman was transported to the hospital with what law enforcement officials described as a non-fatal gunshot wound to her upper body. The woman who crashed into the gate was identified as 27-year-old Monia Spadaro, according to NBC News. In 2021, Spadaro was found guilty of driving under the influence. “There was a security incident that law enforcement responded to outside CIA Headquarters,” a CIA spokesperson told NBC News. “The main gate is currently closed, employees should seek alternative routes. Additional details will be made available as appropriate.” READ THE FULL S...
Trump forces South African president to watch video of country’s leaders calling for genocide
Approved, National, The Daily Caller

Trump forces South African president to watch video of country’s leaders calling for genocide

By Reagan Reese | Daily Caller President Donald Trump forced the President of the Republic of South Africa to watch videos of the country’s leaders calling for the genocide of white farmers during a meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday.  South African president Cyril Ramaphosa visited Trump for a bilateral meeting as well as a private lunch. In the middle of their public conversation, Trump ordered his staff to dim the lights and play videos of “genocide in South Africa” for attendees of the meeting. The video montage showed different clips of political leaders from the minority party in South Africa calling for killing the Boers — a term that means “farmers” and refers to white South Africans — and supporters chanting along. Another clip showed what Trump said were a...
Denver crisis grows while solutions stall: Family homelessness up 150% since 2022
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Denver crisis grows while solutions stall: Family homelessness up 150% since 2022

By Veronica Acosta | Denver7 DENVER — For nearly two years, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's administration has been working to find solutions to the city's homelessness crisis. According to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, the number of families living on the street dropped last year. However, data from the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) shows the overall number of families experiencing homelessness has increased by 150% since 2022. During a presentation to the city's Safety, Housing, Education, and Homelessness Committee, Jeff Kositsky, the deputy director for HOST, said the family shelter waitlist increased 78% in the past year. He attributed the increase in families experiencing homelessness to a rise in eviction filings, a growing number of unhoused newcomers,...
Colorado Republican Congress members rally behind Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Approved, National, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Republican Congress members rally behind Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

By Caitlyn Kim | The Colorado Sun House leaders are trying to pass the massive package with Republican votes alone. Trump came to the Capitol Tuesday morning to convince the holdouts to back the bill. President Donald Trump left a meeting with the Republican caucus Tuesday morning predicting a great victory. His trek to the U.S. Capitol came as GOP leaders try to get his “big, beautiful bill” passed in the House this week.   House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose party holds a slim majority, has been trying to stitch together a bill that can deliver on Trump’s agenda while threading the needle between his far right faction, his swing seat members, and others in the caucus, as the different factions seek opposing changes to the bill. “Anybody that didn’t support [the bil...
Hate crime hoax trial continues with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade on the stand
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Hate crime hoax trial continues with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade on the stand

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette DENVER • The openly emotional mayor of Colorado Springs was asked to testify Tuesday about the details of his 2023 mayoral campaign season before and after a hate crime “hoax.” In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, Yemi Mobolade, who is Colorado Springs’ first elected Black mayor. The indictment alleged the crew staged a hate crime by defacing one of Mobolade’s campaign signs with a racial slur and placing a small burning cross in front in the early hours of April 23, 2023. Videos and photographs of the incident were sent in ...
Digital alerts replace sirens for tornado warnings in much of Colorado—are you signed up?
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Digital alerts replace sirens for tornado warnings in much of Colorado—are you signed up?

By Shaul Turner | Fox31 DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Hundreds of thousands of residents are concerned about fair warning when it comes to tornadoes in Colorado. While some counties have siren systems in place, others rely on alert systems. Whether out on the plains or in more populated communities, tornadoes can strike within a matter of minutes after high winds are detected. Justin Anderson told FOX31 he remembers the tornado that touched down in Highlands Ranch in June of 2023, damaging homes and the South Metro Fire Rescue Station Number 17 on South University Boulevard. “One of our trees almost fell all the way over,” said Anderson. Many who are new to Colorado or are visiting say they only expect tornadoes to occur along the eastern plains and are shocked to learn that t...
10-year gun ban for car thieves: Polis signs HB 1174 into law
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

10-year gun ban for car thieves: Polis signs HB 1174 into law

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill prohibiting anyone convicted of car theft in the first degree from owning a gun during a visit to the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. In Colorado, motor vehicle theft in the first degree is a Class 3 felony, carrying a prison sentence of up to 12 years and fines ranging from $3,000 to $750,000. Under House Bill 1171, individuals who have maintained a clean record can petition for a court order, allowing them to own a gun 10 years after their case has been resolved. "Today, we are taking important steps to make Colorado one of the top 10 safest states in the nation," Polis said. "From now on, anyone convicted of first-degree motor vehicle theft ineligible to possess a firearm, keeping guns out of the w...
Senate unanimously passes ‘no tax on tips act’
Approved, Daily Wire, National

Senate unanimously passes ‘no tax on tips act’

By Daniel Chaitin | Daily Wire On Tuesday, the GOP-led Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that seeks to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise for getting rid of taxes on tips. Axios reported earlier in the day that Senate Republicans were likely to block a request for unanimous consent for Cruz’s measure by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) because the GOP-controlled House is working on Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which has its own “No Tax On Tips” component. However, that opposition did not materialize and Cruz’s “No Tax on Tips Act” passed by unanimous consent, which is an agreement that allows the upper chamber to bypass standard rules to speed up proceedings. READ TH FULL STORY AT THE DAILY WIRE...
Memorial Day set for lowest gas prices in over 20 years
Approved, Breitbart, National

Memorial Day set for lowest gas prices in over 20 years

By John Carney | Breitbart Americans celebrating Memorial Day by hitting the road will likely be paying the cheapest gas prices since 2003. GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform, said Tuesday that it forecasts the national average price of gasoline to be $3.08 per gallon on Memorial Day. That would make it the cheapest since 2021 in nominal terms. After adjusting for inflation, it would be the lowest since 2003. This is not expected to be short-lived. Prices of gasoline are expected to average around $3.02 per gallon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with prices falling below three dollars on some days. That’s likely to bring cheer to the 69 percent of Americans who plan on taking a road trip this summer. “American road trip culture remains resilient,” GasBuddy said in a news...