Rocky Mountain Voice

Author: Jen Schumann

Faith under fire: Grief, risk—and the legacy Charlie left behind
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Faith under fire: Grief, risk—and the legacy Charlie left behind

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Grief is an ember. Handled well, it can light a thousand torches. Pastor Chris Goble put it plainly—Charlie “died because he was willing to do things that we weren’t”—then pictured that spark rising into a bonfire of new voices. The scene in Orem set the tone, the flight to Phoenix confirmed it—and the work ahead now belongs to those willing to carry the heat without burning out. The cost of courage For Heidi Ganahl, the loss feels like “a gaping hole” in the conservative movement. “Freedom can be dangerous,” she said. “And it took a dear friend’s life.” Goble anchored that grief in scripture, drawing parallels to the early church. “We live in a spiritual cosmic war,” he said. “We have to expect both real and spiritual bulle...
Colorado mourns Charlie Kirk with vigil on Sept. 18–same day he was to speak at CSU
Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Colorado mourns Charlie Kirk with vigil on Sept. 18–same day he was to speak at CSU

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice This story was updated to include the list of CSU vigil speakers and highlights from their reflections on Charlie Kirk. Instead of a speech by Charlie Kirk at CSU, a vigil will be held in his honor. At 5:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 18, a student-led gathering will begin at CSU’s Canvas Stadium. The stadium can seat 36,000 and is located at 751 W Pitkin St., Fort Collins. CSU says it worked with organizers to move activities into secure campus venues and will use its clear-bag rule and magnetometers at entry. The university also notes these are externally organized events and not CSU-endorsed. Campus will operate as usual and parking will be tight. Planning ahead is recommended. Firearms are not permitted on college campuses under state l...
Lawsuit and liberty on the line as Shots for Freedom launches in Colorado Springs
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Lawsuit and liberty on the line as Shots for Freedom launches in Colorado Springs

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice With just days to go, Colorado gun owners are gearing up for Shots for Freedom — a two-day range weekend and banquet in Colorado Springs that organizers say is about more than rifles, raffles or fellowship. Hosted by the Colorado State Shooting Association, the September 20–21 event is tied directly to the fight against Governor Jared Polis’ new gun law. Tickets are still available through the event signup page, with proceeds funding the group’s lawsuit against Governor Jared Polis’ recently signed permit-to-purchase law, Senate Bill 25-003. Linking a celebration to a lawsuit Organizers say the strategy is to combine culture and community with legal action. “Every round fired and every seat filled helps fund the lawsuit that will decid...
“God’s timing, not mine”: Rose Pugliese on closing one chapter and trusting what comes next
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“God’s timing, not mine”: Rose Pugliese on closing one chapter and trusting what comes next

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice  Rose Pugliese describes her resignation from the Colorado House as one of the hardest decisions of her life, shaped by prayer, sacrifice —  and the voices of her children. “I truly want to follow God’s path and I think part of God’s path for me now is making sure I prioritize my children,” she explained. For the House minority leader and single mom, that path now means stepping back from the Capitol and returning to Mesa County. Her choice, effective Sept. 15, came during a week she described as overwhelming — from the Evergreen school shooting to the assassination of Charlie Kirk to the grief of 9/11 remembrances.  What finally cut through the politics was a child’s honesty. “Mommy, we feel like you’re not OK, and we want you t...
Minority Leader Pugliese resigns from House: “I want more than anything to follow God’s path”
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Minority Leader Pugliese resigns from House: “I want more than anything to follow God’s path”

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Rocky Mountain Voice received a resignation letter late Sunday night from Rep. Rose Pugliese (El Paso County), announcing she will step down as Colorado House Minority Leader and from her District 14 seat effective Sept. 15. Pugliese, who rose to the top Republican leadership post in her first term after Mike Lynch’s 2024 resignation, wrote that her faith guided her decision. “If you wanted peace, you had to follow God’s path. I want more than anything to follow God’s path. I needed to understand what that path was for me in this time of my life,” she said. She explained that the message came during a homily after the special session, when she prayed for clarity. Her letter describes a painful end to that session. “The last day of Special Ses...
To American Youth: We’re passing you the torch
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Top Stories

To American Youth: We’re passing you the torch

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I’m writing this from a rainy weekend in Vallecito, Colorado, sitting in a small A-frame with my young adult son. It’s quiet here, but grief followed me. In the past I think about how inadequate I am to help my children and grandchildren face adversity and challenges in life and I see how fallible my attempts are. And yet, in this moment, I feel — with Charlie Kirk — emboldened in a way I never have before, even though we are heartbroken. To American youth: this is for you. Like so many others, I’ve been wrestling with how to make sense of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I am a mom, a grandma and a former teacher. But like Charlie taught countless young people, we don’t stop when life is heavy — we take up the torch. What...
Remembering Charlie Kirk: Colorado memorial service set for Sunday
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Remembering Charlie Kirk: Colorado memorial service set for Sunday

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice This Sunday, September 14, BRAVE Church will host a memorial service and prayer vigil to honor the life of Charlie Kirk. The service begins at 2 p.m. MT and will be held at Brave Church campuses in Englewood and Westminster. Speakers include Pastor Jeff, Jeff Hunt, Heidi Ganahl and Victor Marx. Pastor Jeff is the founder and senior pastor of BRAVE Church. Since launching the church in 2010, he has grown it to three campuses and a K–12 BRAVE Academy, while also hosting a nationally broadcast radio program that challenges listeners to live boldly in their faith. “Charlie Kirk was a friend, a courageous brother in Christ, a bold voice for truth and a man who loved his family,” said Pastor Jeff. “He will be deeply missed but his legacy will co...
From Oregon to Boulder – The early fights that shaped Charlie Kirk
Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

From Oregon to Boulder – The early fights that shaped Charlie Kirk

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Some leaders visit a place. Charlie Kirk kept coming back. Heidi Ganahl saw it up close. “Charlie always saw hope in Colorado… he never gave up on Colorado. He always came here,” she said. “He was one of the only ones that really stood strong with me when I was getting so vilified in the governor’s race… a great mentor and teacher to me.” From her vantage point as a CU Regent and a candidate, his loyalty was unmistakable. But his roots with Colorado’s conservative movement stretch back even further, to one of the first college students he ever backed: Heidi’s daughter Tori. Early days in Ducks country The first spark came in 2016 after a chance introduction. Tori recalls that her grandpa sat next to Charlie at an Leadership of the Rocki...
Henry Ford’s vaccine study backfired, and parents weren’t supposed to see it
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, National, Top Stories

Henry Ford’s vaccine study backfired, and parents weren’t supposed to see it

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Parents have long been told that the science on vaccines is settled. A study conducted inside Henry Ford Health in Detroit set out to reinforce that message. Its authors wrote that their goal was to “reassure parents of the overall safety of vaccination.”  The data didn’t land the way the authors expected.  Tracking over 18,000 children, the study showed higher chronic illness among the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. At the ten-year mark, 57 percent of vaccinated children had at least one chronic condition. For unvaccinated kids, it was 17 percent. Parents online are calling out what the unpublished Henry Ford data really shows. https://twitter.com/catsscareme2021/status/1965753836145909911 The numbers that couldn’t be...
Day of Defense on Sept. 20 equips families to fight exploitation
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

Day of Defense on Sept. 20 equips families to fight exploitation

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice To Corrigan, the Sept. 20 Day of Defense is more than an event. It’s part of a larger calling to rally Colorado around protecting children and restoring those who’ve been harmed. Colorado ranks tenth in the nation for human trafficking, despite being only 21st in population. That reality is what Abby Corrigan, CEO of the Colorado Faith Alliance, says drives her organization’s work. She believes the fight begins with a clear truth. “Pornography is the root issue of sex trafficking. America is the number one buyer of sex in the world… they are after our children and it all leads to trafficking in some form or another,” Corrigan said. Research supports Corrigan’s concern. One in three kids see hardcore porn by age 12 — most of them by acciden...

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