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Denver Coliseum to act as 24/7 severe weather shelter through Feb. 16
Approved, DENVER7, Downtown Denver, Local

Denver Coliseum to act as 24/7 severe weather shelter through Feb. 16

By Claire Lavezzorio | Denver7 DENVER — The City of Denver opened the Denver Coliseum as a 24/7 severe weather shelter Friday afternoon, allowing those experiencing homelessness to escape the cold and snow for an extended period of time. The Coliseum, located at 4600 N Humboldt Street, will remain open until 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. People in need can go directly to the Coliseum. The city said this shelter is best suited for individuals, not families. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7
Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Democratic-controlled House committee killed legislation that supporters said would put more teeth into Colorado law following hours of testimony, in which victims who were bought and sold as children for purposes of sexual exploitation sought to persuade lawmakers to advance the measure.   House Bill 1092 would have mandated minimum sentences for those who buy children for sexual exploitation. The bill was heard in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which is also known as the "kill committee." On Thursday, the panel lived up to its nickname, killing the bill on an 8-3 party-line vote. Advocates said they aren't giving up and promised to be back next year. More than 50 witnesses packed ...
Homeless kids on rural Eastern Plains have few resources, no shelters
Approved, Eastern Plains, Local, The Sentinel

Homeless kids on rural Eastern Plains have few resources, no shelters

By Rae Solomon and KUNC | Aurora Sentinel On a broad commercial drag in rural Fort Morgan, Colo., there’s an aging roadside motel with a yellowed sign out front advertising vacancies at daily and weekly rates. But it’s no longer a functioning motel in the traditional sense, so much as a pay-as-you-go refuge for locals who have nowhere else to call home. Marygrace Lankhorst and her husband, Lonnie Walker, are among the residents. By the time a major cold snap hit the region in mid-January, they’d been living at the motel for about two and a half months. Their room was small and crammed full of possessions – suitcases, boxes of food, bags of clothing and various treasures rescued from the alleyways of Fort Morgan. A microwave next to the TV served as the kitchen. READ THE FULL ST...
Gov. Polis busted for cooking on gas stove in his home
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, State

Gov. Polis busted for cooking on gas stove in his home

By Colorado Peak Politics Did our glassy-eyed governor just expose his hypocrisy and ownership of a (Gasp!) gas stove in sharing a picture of his Valentine’s Day meal with the masses? Governor Polis doesn't want us to have gas stoves or gas water heaters, or anything gas... yet HE has a gas stove?! #copolitics https://t.co/ZV4EWeyV1l— Joshua T. Hosler (@JoshuaHosler) February 15, 2024 The folks on X sure seem to think so. And yet, it’s a little hard to tell, because the photo was cropped so suspiciously close. So we overexposed the shot just a smidgen to take a closer look at the blacked out burner in the bottom right corner to see if that was a gas top grate, or a glass top for an electric stove. Lo and behold, that ain’t no flat top glass burning electric...
Report: McDaniel offered to step down from RNC leadership if Trump wanted her out
Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, National

Report: McDaniel offered to step down from RNC leadership if Trump wanted her out

By Rachel Schilke | Colorado Springs Gazette Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel reportedly said she would step down as chairwoman if former President Donald Trump became the nominee and wanted her out. McDaniel believes the Republican nominee deserves a chairperson they can trust, so she said she would resign from her post if that was what Trump wished, according to the Washington Post. It looks like this may come to pass, as reports are circulating that McDaniel will step down after South Carolina's primary on Feb. 24. Her resignation after many years in leadership came after she faced a slew of criticism from party members and the former president, who has appeared to have changed his tune on McDaniel in rece...
Homicide investigation underway at UCCS campus Friday
Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, El Paso County, Local

Homicide investigation underway at UCCS campus Friday

By Abbey Soukup | Colorado Springs Gazette A homicide investigation is underway at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus following reports of shots fired early Friday morning, according to Colorado Springs police.  Sgt. Ward with the department's Stetson Hills division said a call of shots fired came in at roughly 6:11 a.m. Friday. As of 7:11 a.m., the department's homicide unit was making its way to the scene.  🚨Happening now🚨CSPD is on scene on a death investigation. This is not an active shooter situation. A partial shelter in place is still in effect for the UCCS Campus as the investigation continues. The campus will be closed for the remainder of the day. https://t.co/zwmiGxYC4T— Colorado Springs Police Department (@CSPDPIO) February 16, 2024 READ ...
The Housing Crunch Is Causing Americans To Delay Marriage and Children
Approved, Heritage Foundation, National

The Housing Crunch Is Causing Americans To Delay Marriage and Children

By EJ Antoni | Heritage Foundation Failed public policies are undermining the institution of marriage in America. Rates of both marriage and child births have been trending down for decades, but the current cost-of-living crisis is poised to accelerate these declines. If you can’t afford a place to live, chances are you won’t get married and have kids. That’s precisely the calculus for millions of young Americans today who can’t make ends meet despite a record number of them holding second or even third jobs. Sixty percent are living paycheck to paycheck. Americans have accumulated a record high $1.1 trillion in credit-card debt as many can’t cover even necessities. But Americans aren’t just falling into debt—they’re falling behind on payments too. Defaults and delinquencies are r...
It’s official: Amache National Historic Site in Southeast Colorado ensures federal protection for former Japanese American incarceration camp
Approved, Local, National, Southern Colorado, The Colorado Sun

It’s official: Amache National Historic Site in Southeast Colorado ensures federal protection for former Japanese American incarceration camp

By Kevin Simpson | Colorado Sun Nearly two years after legislation designated the site of Colorado’s Granada War Relocation Center — also known as Camp Amache — part of the National Park System, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on Thursday formally closed the deal that creates Amache National Historic Site, ensuring federal protection for the grounds where more than 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Details surrounding Granada’s official acquisition and donation of the land were recently finalized to clear the way for the National Park Service to assume management of the site, which sits on nearly one square mile just outside of the southeastern Colorado town. Amache opened in 1942 and closed in 1945. It was the smallest of 10 suc...
The Results Are In: Parents Favor School Choice
Approved, Commentary, Real Clear Education, State

The Results Are In: Parents Favor School Choice

By Hanna Skandera | Real Clear Education Parents want a choice when it comes to their children’s education. A new report published by The National School Choice Awareness Foundation reveals that 72% of parents considered new schools for their children in 2023 — a massive 35% increase from 2022. Additionally, more than 70% of parents in nearly every state support the implementation of school choice policies. This momentum has caught the attention of state legislatures across the country. Led by a growing coalition of parents, a total of 14 states established or expanded school choice programs last year, and six of these states passed universal school choice legislation. In October, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be awarding ...
Denver has helped 40,000 migrants while Colorado Springs counts 24 families. Does being a sanctuary city matter that much?
Approved, Denver Metro, Local, Southern Colorado, The Colorado Sun

Denver has helped 40,000 migrants while Colorado Springs counts 24 families. Does being a sanctuary city matter that much?

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun El Paso County commissioners, voices amplified by a microphone, left no room for misinterpretation: Migrants are not welcome in Colorado Springs.  “Keep going. Find a sanctuary city,” Commissioner Carrie Geitner said two weeks ago during a hastily called news conference after a few South American migrants arrived at a church-run shelter. “They asked for those folks to come to their cities. Find one of those. That’s where they should go.” About a week later and an hour up the highway, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was quoting from the Statue of Liberty: “Please, send us your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” he said, even as he announced budget cuts brought on by housing and feeding migrants. “These are folks yearning to breathe ...