Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: External Outlet

Utah Gov. Cox criticizes Denver mayor for busing migrants to Salt Lake City
Approved, State, The Center Square

Utah Gov. Cox criticizes Denver mayor for busing migrants to Salt Lake City

By Derek Draplin | The Center Square Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is facing criticism from neighboring Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who said Colorado’s capital city has been sending migrants to his state “without proper notification or approval.” “This is completely unacceptable and follows on the failed catch-and-release policy of the Biden administration,” Cox, a Republican, said in a tweet on Friday morning. “Every state has received illegal immigrants and Utah’s resources are completely depleted.” Cox was referencing reporting by KUTV that said Denver has paid to bus approximately 2,000 migrants to Salt Lake City. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
Reichert: The military’s biggest problem is readiness, not recruiting
Approved, Commentary, National

Reichert: The military’s biggest problem is readiness, not recruiting

By PHILIP REICHERT | The Federalist The ongoing military recruiting crisis has dominated headlines, with the Army, Air Force, and Navy all falling short of their goals last year. Concerns over readiness and talent attraction are widespread, even being a core focus of this year’s Heritage Foundation index of military strength. However, attributing the recruiting crisis to “woke culture” or inadequate benefits misses a more intuitive root cause: Without a just war to ignite our patriotism, Americans are not in a rush to enlist. But recruiting soldiers isn’t the real issue; it’s the readiness of our military infrastructure that should alarm us. Gen. Patton once said, “Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.” The statement captu...
Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade
Approved, National, THE HILL

Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade

By ARIS FOLLEY | The Hill Former President Trump’s plan to end taxes on tips could come with a price tag of $250 billion, a budget watchdog estimated in a new analysis. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated Sunday that exempting tip income from federal income and payroll taxes could lead to a decrease of $150 billion to $250 billion in federal revenues over a decade. The watchdog noted the estimate was calculated on “a static basis” and that it does not factor in certain behavioral effects but is instead the “net of revenue gains” from eliminating the Federal Insurance Contributions Act Tip Credit. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Inflation leads to Boulder 2024 budget bump up to $530.7 million
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

Inflation leads to Boulder 2024 budget bump up to $530.7 million

By Boulder Reporting Lab Councilmembers on Thursday approved a $46.4 million adjustment to the 2024 budget, using unspent money from the prior year, new grant money and additional revenue. Much of the money will be spent on existing programs and infrastructure projects, some of which have increased in cost due to inflation, according to city officials. The budget includes renovations for city facilities, a long-awaited respite care program for homeless people transitioning out of the hospital, two electric fire trucks, seven electric buses for the HOP route, cost escalations for an underpass and multi-modal changes at 19th Street and additional money for the North Boulder Library, which is slated to open as soon as this month. READ THE FULL STORY AT BOULDER REPORTING LAB
Measure to close Boulder’s airport qualifies for November 2024 ballot
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

Measure to close Boulder’s airport qualifies for November 2024 ballot

By John Herrick | Boulder Reporting Lab City of Boulder voters may soon decide whether to close the municipal airport for the first time in the city’s history.  Organizers with the ballot measure committee, Airport Neighborhood Campaign, have gathered enough signatures to place a measure on the November ballot to decommission the Boulder Municipal Airport “as soon as reasonably feasible,” city officials confirmed on June 13. A separate but related measure to redevelop the land into a “sustainable, mixed-use neighborhood” also qualified for the ballot, officials said.  “It’s just a wonderful feeling that our hard work paid off,” Laura Kaplan, a member of the city’s Planning Board and organizer with the ballot measure committee, told Boulder Reporting Lab.  READ THE FUL...
In show of her dominance in 4th District, Boebert has out-raised and spent her five opponents combined
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

In show of her dominance in 4th District, Boebert has out-raised and spent her five opponents combined

By Sandra Fish | The Colorado Sun U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert vastly outraised her five Republican opponents in the 4th Congressional District in the two months leading up to the June 25 primary while spending heavily on TV and mailers to reach voters, campaign finance reports filed Thursday reveal. The $334,000 Boebert raised from April 1 to June 5 lagged the $624,000 she raised during the lead up to the primary in 2022. But the money was still enough to eclipse the $178,000 brought in by her five GOP competitors combined this year, according to Federal Election Commission reports. The reports, the last ones before the primary, are another indication that Boebert is likely to dominate on June 25. Her Republican opponents have failed to gain financial and political tra...
Moffat County wants $118 million in help from the company that’s closing power plant and coal mines
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Moffat County wants $118 million in help from the company that’s closing power plant and coal mines

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun Faced with a “near-existential threat” as a coal-fired power plant and the mines that feed it close, Moffat County and the City of Craig, backed by state officials, want Colorado utility regulators to require the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to provide up to $118 million in aid. Tri-State, which operates the coal-fired Craig Station, plans to shutter the plant’s first unit at the end of this year and has moved up the final closure of two other units to 2028. The two local mines that provide the coal are also expected to close. The closures will leave a large hole in the region’s taxbase and jobs. In 2023, the power plant and mines provided 43% of property tax revenues for the county and accounted for 437 high-paying jobs. ...
In debt for dad: Consumers to show Father’s Day appreciation with $22.4 billion in spending
Approved, Fox Business, National

In debt for dad: Consumers to show Father’s Day appreciation with $22.4 billion in spending

By Aislinn Murphy | Fox Business Scores of American consumers have fathers and father figures for whom they want to show their appreciation this Father’s Day, and according to a National Retail Federation (NRF) estimate, they will collectively splash out an eye-popping amount of money to do so. The NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics found in a survey that this year’s expected Father’s Day spending by American consumers will amount to the "second highest figure in the survey’s history" at $22.4 billion, according to a news release.  The survey found 75% of U.S. consumers expressed intentions to partake in the holiday. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Survey: Nearly 50% of parents with young children take on debt for Disney trip
Approved, Fox Business, National

Survey: Nearly 50% of parents with young children take on debt for Disney trip

By Daniella Genovese | Fox Business Nearly 50% of parents with young children are going into debt after taking a trip to one of Disney's theme parks, according to a recent LendingTree report. LendingTree surveyed more than 2,000 consumers, 24% of which have gone into debt for the trip, a 33% increase from its 2022 findings. However, that figure jumped to 45% among parents with children younger than 18, according to the data. Of the parents with young children who have taken on debt, almost all of them, 83%, did so in the past five years. Parents, faced with tighter budgets and persistent inflation, "are more likely to take on debt than before," according to LendingTree. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Your Social Security COLA increase could be smaller than expected next year
Approved, Fox Business, National

Your Social Security COLA increase could be smaller than expected next year

By Megan Henney  | Fox Business Social Security recipients are on track to receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) next year that is smaller than previously expected after inflation moderated more than expected in May. Mary Johnson, a retired Social Security and Medicare analyst, estimated the adjustment could be about 3%, based on May inflation data, which showed the consumer price index was unchanged from the previous month and is up 3.3% from the same time last year. Both figures are lower than expected, suggesting high inflation is loosening its grip on the U.S. economy. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS