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Economists Sound Alarm: Colorado Faces Sluggish Growth, Shrinking Revenues
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State, Colorado Politics

Economists Sound Alarm: Colorado Faces Sluggish Growth, Shrinking Revenues

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado's economic outlook is on a downward trend, according to state economists, who estimated that the chances of a recession here have risen to 50%. "Uncertainty is the key aspect impacting the economy now and moving forward," said Legislative Council Chief Economist Elizabeth Ramey, who discussed the June revenue forecast with the Joint Budget Committee on Wednesday. The Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) is also less than optimistic about the economic outlook, should a federal budget bill pass, predicting it could affect 100,000 people on Medicaid and SNAP, devastate the state's rural and safety net hospitals and nearly wipe out the state's general fund reserve over the next two years. Uncertainty is also the watchword f...
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$7.4 billion later: Purdue, Sacklers strike final opioid settlement deal—but is it justice?
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ABC News, National

$7.4 billion later: Purdue, Sacklers strike final opioid settlement deal—but is it justice?

By Meredith Deliso | ABC News The settlement resolves litigation against the Sacklers over the opioid crisis. All 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., and four U.S. territories have agreed to sign a $7.4 billion settlement with the company and once-prominent family behind OxyContin, officials announced Monday. The settlement resolves pending litigation against Purdue Pharma, which, under the leadership of the Sackler families, invented, manufactured and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, according to the lawsuits. States and cities across the country said it fueled waves of addiction and overdose deaths. The attorneys general in 55 states and territories have signed on to the historic settlement, which they said will end the Sacklers' ownership of Pu...
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$6 billion wish list, $800 million budget: Denver’s bond scramble is heating up
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Denverite, Local

$6 billion wish list, $800 million budget: Denver’s bond scramble is heating up

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite Everyone wants a piece of the Vibrant Denver Bond pie. Denver has a rare opportunity to fund $800 million of capital projects in one fell swoop later this year — and everyone is clamoring for a piece of the pie.  If voters approve the measure this November the city will take out debt for a wide range of capital projects. But while $800 million may sound like a lot, it isn’t nearly enough to pay for everything city officials and residents want to build.  More than 220 projects appeared on an initial list the city is considering. Building all those projects would cost $6 billion, far more than what the city can afford. And whittling down the list hasn’t been easy.   The city’s cultural institutions — like the Boettcher Con...
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Runbeck in the hot seat: Hamadeh demands investigation into 2024 election ballot storage
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Just The News, National

Runbeck in the hot seat: Hamadeh demands investigation into 2024 election ballot storage

By Misty Severi | Just the News The investigation would center on allegations that Runbeck Election Services breached protocols in its handling of ballots in several western states during the 2024 general election. Arizona GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh on Tuesday announced in a press release first shared with Just The News that he has requested that the Justice Department investigate claims that an elections service provider breached protocols during Arizona’s general election last year. Hamadeh press release The lawmaker made the formal request earlier this month in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, which was first shared with Just The News. The letter was dated June 2.  The investigation would center on allegations that Runbeck Election Services breached p...
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“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy
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Top Stories, Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, frustration among ranchers, landowners and state officials across the West boiled over. What followed wasn’t just venting—it was a coordinated push by lawmakers and the Interior Department to delist the gray wolf and rein in the Endangered Species Act’s long hold on predator policy. “The ESA was never meant to be a Hotel California—where you can check in but never leave,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, borrowing a now-familiar line from Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman to describe how species once listed rarely come off. “We’ve far exceeded the original goals… in some cases by more than twofold.” Burgum’s comments came in response to multiple lawmakers from Colorado, Cal...
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Arapahoe Sheriff Investigates Massive Theft of Nintendo Game Consoles
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Local, denvergazette.com

Arapahoe Sheriff Investigates Massive Theft of Nintendo Game Consoles

Arapahoe County Sheriff investigating 2,810 consoles stolen from Love’s Truck Stop days after Nintendo Switch 2 launch. By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette Just like Nintendo gaming villain Wario, these thieves were looking for their gold mine. More than $1.4 million worth of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles were stolen in a heist from a semi-truck parked at a Love's Truck Stop on June 8, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. During a pre-trip inspection of his cargo, the truck driver — parked at the stop in the 1100 block of South 1st Street in Bennett — found several pallets with 2,810 consoles of the newly released Nintendo Switch to have been stolen, according to a news release from the office. The thievery took place just three days after the console was ...
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Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act GORP is being advertised as a community driven conservation success story. It’s not. It’s a federal land grab wrapped in pretty paper, designed to sell the illusion of balance while slowly destroying everything that makes Western Colorado worth living in. This bill doesn’t protect the land. It strangles it. They’ll tell you grazing is still allowed. Sure. But what good is a grazing permit if you can’t access your cows? If you can’t get there to fix fences, build a pond, haul salt, or rescue a sick calf? If you can’t use a pickup or a UTV or bring in the tools you need to survive?  When you strip away access, you strip away use.  It’s like giving you the right to own ...
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Democrat Rep’s Daughter Arrested in Grisly Assault Investigation
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Local, denvergazette.com

Democrat Rep’s Daughter Arrested in Grisly Assault Investigation

By Michael Braithwaite and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The daughter of a Colorado state representative was arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Denver last Wednesday. Nefretarie Lockley, 29, was arrested on six felony charges, including second degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and felony menacing, after allegedly stabbing a woman in the back with a knife in the 3900 block of North Elati Street, according to a probable cause affidavit provided by the Denver District Attorney's Office. Lockley is the daughter of Rep. Naquetta Ricks, the legislator confirmed in a written statement on Tuesday afternoon.Lockley will have her first court hearing on the charges on Wednesday morning. According to the arrest affidavit from Denver Police, offi...
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Walcher: Supreme Court ruling is a first step in restoring balance to NEPA
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GregWalcher.com, Commentary, National

Walcher: Supreme Court ruling is a first step in restoring balance to NEPA

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Supreme Court decisions occasionally have far-reaching impacts, but the recent ruling in Utah’s Uintah Basin Railway case was a Doozy, in which the Justices unanimously hinted that Eagle County, Colorado should mind its own business. County Commissioners there had challenged the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the 88-mile rail line, proposed by seven Utah counties as a vital transportation connection from the oil-rich region to the national rail network. Eagle County joined several environmental industry groups fighting the rail line, marginally suggesting it could impact traffic in Eagle County, which the oil trains might pass through on their way to Denver. But the real objection, highlighted in all the opponents’ legal filin...
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Working Families Slammed as COVID Subsidies End: Health Premiums May Double
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State, CBS News

Working Families Slammed as COVID Subsidies End: Health Premiums May Double

By Shaun Boyd | CBS News Republicans' sweeping measure to cut taxes and reduce spending is expected to hit the Senate floor next week. In addition to making big changes to Medicaid, the bill also allows tax credits for those who get health insurance on the state exchange to expire. Connect for Health Colorado says Coloradans on the exchange could see premiums increase by $3,000 a year if that happens. Approximately 80 percent of people who get insurance on the state exchange receive a federal subsidy. While credits were initially tied to income, the American Rescue Plan expanded them to everyone. In rural and mountain communities where insurance can run a family upwards of $30,000 a year, those credits have made insurance affordable for tens of thousands of Coloradans, including R...
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