Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: External Outlet

Teller County to DOJ: Don’t punish rural communities for Denver’s sanctuary policies
Approved, KOAA News, Local

Teller County to DOJ: Don’t punish rural communities for Denver’s sanctuary policies

By Brett Forrest | KOAA News TELLER COUNTY — In a letter sent to President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ), Teller County leaders are simultaneously supporting DOJ lawsuits against Colorado while at the same time asking for leniency if federal funding is cut off from the state. The letter was written and signed by Teller County’s three commissioners and sent last week to the DOJ’s Office of Civil Rights. The commissioners first take issue with Colorado’s recent gun control measures, going so far as to encourage the DOJ to take legal action against the state of Colorado. “Recent legislative actions taken by the Colorado Legislature and Governor Jared Polis leave us no choice but to appeal to the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Justice to take legal action to reve...
DPS Superintendent Marrero delayed closure list before bond vote—used September data anyway
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

DPS Superintendent Marrero delayed closure list before bond vote—used September data anyway

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Last year, when the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education established guardrails for campus closures, Superintendent Alex Marrero requested a one-time extension before releasing his closure list, citing the need for the October Count enrollment data for his team to complete the analysis. “I don’t believe that we’re going to have an accurate count no earlier than October,” Marrero told the board during the Aug. 15 meeting, in which he requested additional time. District documents suggested otherwise — specifically, that the district obtained enrollment numbers in September. In public documents, the September data was cited as justification for the closure list. Some have suggested the reason for the delayed release was to avoid ant...
Notarfrancesco: Pueblo D70 Schools handed kids’ emotional data to political NGOs without parental consent
Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Notarfrancesco: Pueblo D70 Schools handed kids’ emotional data to political NGOs without parental consent

By Kelly Notarfrancesco | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice  It is said there is no such thing as a free lunch.  One small school district in Pueblo, Colorado, recently learned that a free lunch can be served with a side of community outrage. When the Pueblo D70 Board of Education unanimously voted in March of 2024 to “accept” a significant in-kind gift of $700,000 from the organization TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students), did they realize what they were implementing in district classrooms?  D70 accepted a “gift” of controversial psychosocial educational content, financed and promoted by multi-million-dollar non-governmental organizations dedicated to transforming the world through social change.    The...
Trump teases ‘most consequential executive order in our country’s history’
Approved, Daily Wire, National

Trump teases ‘most consequential executive order in our country’s history’

By Tim Pearce | Daily Wire President Donald Trump said Sunday he will sign an executive order that will reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals “almost immediately by 30% to 80%.” Trump announced the move in a post on Truth Social. The order aims to bring “FAIRNESS TO AMERICA” by lowering drug costs in the United States while raising them throughout the rest of the world. “Therefore, I am pleased to announce that Tomorrow morning, in the White House, at 9:00 A.M., I will be signing one of the most consequential Executive Orders in our Country’s history,” Trump said. “I will be instituting a MOST FAVORED NATION’S POLICY whereby the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” he said. “Our Country will finally be treated ...
Groundbreaking report exposes massive Biden failure in Gaza: 62 US troops harmed, $230M wasted
Approved, National, The Western Journal

Groundbreaking report exposes massive Biden failure in Gaza: 62 US troops harmed, $230M wasted

By Ben Zeisloft | Western Journal There were 62 American service members injured during the Biden administration’s Gaza aid pier project, marking a higher level of injuries than previously revealed. The pier, which was meant to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of Gaza amid Hamas’ war with Israel, cost an estimated $230 million and was only operational for some 20 days, per Reuters, which cited a new release from the Pentagon Inspector General. “Based on the information provided, we were not able to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred during the performance of duties or resulted off duty or from pre-existing medical conditions,” the government report said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WESTERN JOURNAL
US and China agree to slash tariffs temporarily after trade talks
Approved, National, New York Post

US and China agree to slash tariffs temporarily after trade talks

By Emily Crane and Diana Glebova | New York Post The United States and China agreed Monday to a 90-day truce in their raging trade war — with each agreeing for now to slash reciprocal tariffs by more than 100 percentage points, bringing China’s duty rate down to just 10%. Under the agreement, the US will drop its 145% tariff rate on most Chinese goods to 30%, while China will lower its rate to 10% from 125%, officials said.   The agreement also includes a mechanism for talks toward a permanent deal to continue — and the two sides spoke about how they will both address the flow of fentanyl from China to the US, a White House readout of the agreement read. At the White House Monday, President Trump confirmed that 25% tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum re...
Rite Aid files for bankruptcy
Approved, Fox Business, National

Rite Aid files for bankruptcy

By Daniella Genovese | Fox Business Rite Aid, which filed for bankruptcy twice in two years, will potentially close dozens of additional locations.  The pharmacy chain, which shuttered hundreds of its locations during its first bankruptcy proceeding, is now expected to close 47 stores due to a variety of factors, including financial underperformance and lack of interest from potential buyers. The company has already sold or closed 29 retail locations and entered into agreements to sell the prescription files of 63 additional stores. It is an about-face from 2023, when the company operated thousands of locations around the U.S. Since then, the debt-laden company has significantly reduced the size of its footprint as part of its turnaround strategy. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUS...
Former El Paso County public defender pleads not guilty to sexual assault of a 14-year-old
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Former El Paso County public defender pleads not guilty to sexual assault of a 14-year-old

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette A former El Paso County public defender accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old pleaded not guilty in the 4th Judicial District on Thursday. Thomas Cushing, 26, was arrested Nov. 22, 2024, and faces one count of sexual assault against a child, according to court records. An affidavit for Cushing’s arrest indicates he met with the victim on two different occasions for sexual intercourse. The document also states the victim told Cushing that she was 18 years old, but made it clear she was a high school student still living with her legal guardians. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Colorado Republicans: Effort to save taxpayers money ‘shredded’ by Democrats this session
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Republicans: Effort to save taxpayers money ‘shredded’ by Democrats this session

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette Republican lawmakers, who are in the minority at the state Capitol, said they saw little success in their campaign to save residents money this year, as Democrats "shredded" that goal. At the beginning of the session, Republicans unveiled a series of measures that, they insisted, would save the average Colorado family $4,500 each year. "We had hopes to make life more affordable," said Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen of Monument. The agenda included measures to repeal the state's grocery bag ban and undo a retail delivery fee, ride share fees, and regulations around cage-free eggs. They also sought reductions in energy and utility costs, and pushed to reduce and — eventually repeal — the state income tax and the state tax on Social ...
Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — On May 5, the Denver City Council failed to approve a contract extension with Flock, a tech surveillance company that has been contracted to provide over 100 license plate readers around the county. The city first contracted with Flock in March 2023, with the original agreement lasting through the end of this February. The amendment would have extended the contract by another two years for $666,000. The original contract cost the city $339,450, but the cost wasn’t the main reason why council members voted no. Instead, the members cited privacy concerns, questioning who has access to the data as Denver continues to remain in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration for so-called “sanctuary laws.” Members worried that ...