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Colorado could become the first state to require in-person voting in jails 
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado could become the first state to require in-person voting in jails 

By Olivia Prentzel | Colorado Sun Colorado could become the first state to require county jails to set up in-person voting stations for incarcerated voters under a Democratic-backed bill that has sparked criticism that it would pose financial and logistical hurdles to already-strapped sheriff’s offices. Advocates of Senate Bill 72 say placing polling stations inside jails would reduce barriers to a fundamental right for those eligible to vote. Opponents say the current system is working and the new law would be an “unfunded mandate” that would cause disruptions. In Colorado, incarcerated people awaiting trial or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction are eligible to vote. If passed, it could impact nearly 6,000 people who are confined waiting for a trial...
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Urdiales to seek HD63 seat in Northeastern Colorado
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Approved, Eastern Plains, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Urdiales to seek HD63 seat in Northeastern Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Brian Urdiales, a Realtor and former member of City Council in Fort Morgan, has announced he will seek the Republican nomination for Colorado House District 63, setting up an opposed primary. The seat is presently held by Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, the minority whip in the Colorado House of Representatives. Holtorf, who is not seeking re-election, was among the first to enter the race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 4 seat when U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, announced he would not seek re-election. “We see the policy in Denver and at the state capitol, and we know in Morgan County and other areas of Eastern Colorado that one size government does not fit all,” Urdiales said. He opposed top-down government policies whi...
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Purchase, sale and transfer of so-called assault weapons would be banned in Colorado under new bill
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Purchase, sale and transfer of so-called assault weapons would be banned in Colorado under new bill

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Two Denver Democrats on Tuesday introduced a measure that would ban the purchase, sale and transfer of a broad swath of semi-automatic firearms, defined in the bill as assault weapons, in Colorado.  The lead sponsors of House Bill 1292 are Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Tim Hernández. They introduced the legislation with 14 cosponsors, all of them House Democrats.  It’s unclear whether the measure, which is similar to legislation that failed in the Capitol last year, will have enough political support to pass out of the House, let alone the Senate. Democrats control both chambers. (Measures need 33 votes to clear the House and 18 to pass the Senate.) If it passes the legislature, the bill would be met by a skeptical Gov. Jared Polis, w...
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Camping ban in Pueblo aims to clean community, put homeless in shelters
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Southern Colorado

Camping ban in Pueblo aims to clean community, put homeless in shelters

'I see it as compassionate that I care enough about my human neighbors that I’m not going to allow them to lay out in the wilderness like a bunch of wild animals' – President Mark Aliff A parade of three doctors, activists, non-profit personnel, pastors and previously homeless residents approached Pueblo’s City Council for the better part of two hours Monday seeking their opposition to a ban on unauthorized camping on public property. “It’s rare we get an ordinance with residents lining out the door to speak,” said City Councilwoman Sarah Martinez, who opposed the ban. At issue is a homeless population creating concerns which some say has grown out of control – from drug refuse and human waste, to fires and fear of drownings, to one member hearing gunshots during the night. Cit...
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Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016
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Approved, Grand Junction Sentinel, Local, Western Slope

Mesa County jail population at lowest level since 2016

By SAM KLOMHAUS | Grand Junction Sentinel Daniel Harmon knew he had to get help when he woke up in the Mesa County Detention Center’s booking area not knowing how he got there. ”I passed out one time, and I ended up getting arrested. It was the blacking out until I came in the jail, not knowing exactly how long I had been laying in booking, and then I woke up and I was like ‘wow, this is something I need to change,’ “ Harmon said. Harmon, a 39-year-old inmate, participates in a substance abuse program under the jail’s behavioral and mental health services program. ”My main problem was drugs and alcohol,” Harmon said. “I used quite often and I never really truly asked for help, and when I did, one of the first things that was offered was the JBBS (Jail Based Behavioral Health Se...
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Hickenlooper plays politics with border security
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, National

Hickenlooper plays politics with border security

By Colorado Peak Politics What we have here is a failure to communicate. Senate advances military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan https://t.co/HM0fEz0TFI— Caitlyn Kim (@caitlynkim) February 13, 2024 When Democrats say they want border security, what they mean is Joe and Jody Taxpayer need to cough up more money by the billions to pay for an entire new infrastructure to keep borders open and migrants pouring through by the millions. When Republicans say they want border security, what they mean is Joe Biden needs to reverse his policies abusing immigration policies to allow migrants by the millions to pour through the border. And, fix the border wall where drug dealers, criminals, terrorists and human traffickers lurk. The solution to an out-of-control migrant cri...
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Hundreds of formerly federally regulated Colorado wetlands and streams are unshielded right now
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Hundreds of formerly federally regulated Colorado wetlands and streams are unshielded right now

By Jerd Smith | Colorado Sun What’s the best way to protect hundreds of acres of wetlands and streams in Colorado, in the absence of federal rules that once did that work? It’s one of the biggest water issues facing state lawmakers this year. But as the legislative session kicks into high gear, there is no consensus yet on how to proceed. Last week, Republican Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, introduced Senate Bill 127 as a first stab at figuring it out.  At issue is how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now defines so-called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, which determines which waterways and wetlands are protected under the federal Clean Water Act. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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House votes to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas over border crisis
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Approved, Fox News, National

House votes to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas over border crisis

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, among three Republicans to oppose impeachment By Elizabeth Elkind , Bradford Betz | Fox News Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been impeached by the House of Representatives. A Cabinet secretary has not been impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876. Tuesday evening’s vote marked House Republicans’ second attempt at impeaching Mayorkas. GOP lawmakers targeted the Biden official over the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. border, accusing him of deliberately flaunting existing immigration law and worsening the situation.  The 214-213 vote was always expected to be tight; Mayorkas narrowly escaped impeachment last week when every single House Democrat showed up to shield him, including Rep. Al G...
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Providers say proposed state board of ed rules threaten homeschool learning programs
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Providers say proposed state board of ed rules threaten homeschool learning programs

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER–New rules being proposed by the Colorado State Board of Education that will eliminate funding for enrichment programs offered to home-schooled children could negatively impact thousands of students statewide who are served annually by Colorado Early Colleges (CEC), according to a letter obtained by Complete Colorado. CEC is Colorado’s largest network of tuition-free, public charter schools, that offers a wide array of academic options to more than 6,000 students, including brick-and-mortar middle and high school locations, an online campus, college direct locations, and homeschool academies. The board is expected to take up the rule changes at its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 14. In a letter obtained by Complete C...
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Poll: Majority think Biden received ‘special treatment’ in classified documents investigation
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Approved, National, THE HILL

Poll: Majority think Biden received ‘special treatment’ in classified documents investigation

By  LAUREN IRWIN | The Hill Just more than half of Americans think President Biden received special treatment when a special counsel did not bring forth charges following a classified documents probe, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, found 53 percent of all respondents agreed with the statement that Biden “received special treatment because he is the U.S. president.” Nearly 30 percent of Democratic respondents said the same. Special counsel Robert Hur released a 388-page report last week detailing his findings after a roughly yearlong investigation into how documents from Biden’s time as vice president ended up at an old office space and his home in Wilmington, Del. The report’s conclusion said Biden “willfully” ret...
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