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Colorado’s hands-free driving law appears to be working, early data shows
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado’s hands-free driving law appears to be working, early data shows

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A month and some change after it went into effect, Colorado's hands-free driving law appears to be showing early success at curbing distracted driving, according to research from Cambridge Mobile Telematics.  According to CMT's data, cellphone motion distraction has decreased 3.3% statewide, an improvement the company estimates has prevented 88 crashes, 49 injuries, and $3.5 million in economic damages.  The law, which took effect on January 1, prohibits drivers from using handheld mobile devices while driving, with exemptions for emergencies. Colorado is the 30th state in the country to ban sending texts and making phone calls while driving. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Dave Williams will become the fifth straight one-term chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, announcing the decision in an email to members Friday not to seek re-election. "After much prayerful consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election as chairman of the Colorado Republican Party," he announced. Williams was elected in 2023 to succeed Kristi Burton Brown as chairwoman, bringing in what he had described as a "grassroots majority" era of the party. He was the fifth in a string of one-term party leaders, including before Burton Brown: Ken Buck, preceded by Jeff Hays, preceded by Steve House. Ryan Call, who preceded House, was the last two-term party leader. A chairman's term is two years, with elections in odd calendar years. ...
March for Tina Peters is Saturday, March 1, in Fort Collins
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

March for Tina Peters is Saturday, March 1, in Fort Collins

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Tina Peters, formerly the Mesa County clerk and recorder, rose to notoriety for her stance on election integrity, after facilitating a forensic image of Mesa County’s election management system prior to a ‘Trusted Build’ by the Colorado secretary of state. In October 2024, Tina Peters was handed a nine-year prison sentence following a conviction on seven charges, including three felonies, for attempting to influence a public servant, one for conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and misdemeanors for official misconduct, duty violation and noncompliance with the secretary of state. Peters is currently serving her sentence in the Larimer County jail. Her backers are uniting for a show of support, hoping for justice...
Sen. Michael Bennet is ‘very, very seriously’ considering Democratic run for governor, senior aides say
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Sen. Michael Bennet is ‘very, very seriously’ considering Democratic run for governor, senior aides say

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is “very, very seriously” considering a run for Colorado governor in 2026, according to two senior aides, as he contemplates how to most effectively push back against the Trump administration.  The aides spoke Friday to The Colorado Sun on the condition of anonymity to relay personal conversations they’ve had with Bennet. The staffers said Bennet has been making phone calls to Colorado political and civic leaders as he mulls his decision.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Trump, Zelensky go at it in heated oval office debate
Approved, National, National Review

Trump, Zelensky go at it in heated oval office debate

By David Zimmermann | National Review President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance traded heated barbs with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, calling the wartime leader “disrespectful” and saying he should be more “thankful” for continued U.S. support. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!” Trump told Zelensky as the two sit next to each other in the Oval Office. “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance chimed in. “You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the Unites States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NATIONAL REVIEW
Bill to provide ranchers confidentiality in reporting of wolf depredation losses sailing through legislature
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bill to provide ranchers confidentiality in reporting of wolf depredation losses sailing through legislature

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Relief from a state reporting requirement on ranchers most impacted by the reintroduction of wolves could soon be on its way. Senate Bill 25-038, introduced in the Senate by Western Slope Sens. Marc Catlin and Dylan Roberts, requires the confidentiality of personal information for anyone filing a claim related to wolf depredation or other damages. It sailed out of the House's Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee this week on a 13-0 vote and passed second reading on the House floor by voice vote. The bill earned a rare 35-0 vote of support in the Senate, before advancing to the House. When a new batch of wolves were released in the state earlier this year, it was done so with secrecy, Republican Rep. Ty Winter notes. "We thi...
Garbo: An open letter to RINO Watch Colorado — my self-nomination
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: An open letter to RINO Watch Colorado — my self-nomination

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice To the courageous, yet anonymous, arbiters of Republicanism at RINO Watch Colorado: I am writing to self-nominate to RINO Watch Colorado — not as a concession to any purity test, but as a challenge to this misguided and fruitless crusade. I do so as a strong grassroots conservative in Colorado, unwavering in my commitment to the U.S. Constitution, to limited government, to the fundamental liberties enshrined in our Bill of Rights, and to the preservation of the values that made this nation great. If believing that the Republican Party must grow stronger by educating, inspiring and persuading — not by shunning, purging and dividing — makes me a RINO, then I must self-nominate. As a Colorado native, I have lived, b...
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs first law of 2025 session, a bipartisan cleanup measure
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs first law of 2025 session, a bipartisan cleanup measure

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis has signed his first law of the 2025 legislative session, a bipartisan cleanup measure that affects the state's nursing homes. House Bill 1022, sponsored by Reps. Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver, and Karen McCormick, D-Hygiene, and Sens. Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, allows individuals who passed a competency evaluation administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on or before July 1, 2017, to be included in the state's definition of "qualified medication administration personnel". Not only is the bill the first measure the governor has signed into law this session, but it is also Espenoza's first bill to become law since being elected in November. READ...
‘They say it was out in Kansas’: Denver International Airport celebrates 30th anniversary
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

‘They say it was out in Kansas’: Denver International Airport celebrates 30th anniversary

By Justin Adams | CBS Colorado Thirty years ago, Continental Airlines Flight 34 left Stapleton International Airport as the last commercial flight to leave the airport. Overheard in the control tower, the pilot on the plane said, "We will miss this place. A lot of memories." Its replacement was an airport set in an area many locals couldn't find on a map.  "They say it was out in Kansas," said Stephen Lee, who is the Director of Emergency Management & Communication at Denver International Airport. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Nearly 100 cadets identified in investigation into honor code violations, U.S. Air Force Academy says
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Nearly 100 cadets identified in investigation into honor code violations, U.S. Air Force Academy says

By Sydney Isenberg | Denver 7 News The U.S. Air Force Academy on Thursday said it identified nearly 100 cadets during an investigation into potential violations of its honor code. Academy officials said the cadets admitted to either cheating or tolerating cheating during a weekly knowledge test. The cadets who admitted to cheating received "punitive sanctions and rehabilitation actions," according to the academy. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS