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Government Shutdown Leaves Colorado Veterans Waiting for Help
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DENVER7, Approved, National

Government Shutdown Leaves Colorado Veterans Waiting for Help

By: Sophia Villalba | Denver7 DENVER — On this Veteran's Day, it's harder for our veterans to get the help they need during the federal government shutdown. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Office (VFW) in Denver said because of furloughs and building closures within the Veteran Affairs, it's harder for veterans to get benefits they've earned. That means any veterans trying to get new disability benefits are facing delays right now. It's particularly challenging for older veterans, and the VFW is trying to help as much as they can. The VFW's legislative director for Colorado said it is not that the VA is shutting people out, but it's taking longer to get things done. “Some of the older veterans are not as savvy with technology as other people, so that’s a major impact and that i...
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Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver City Council rejected Mayor Mike Johnston’s $1.66 billion spending plan, but the proposal, as amended, will still govern operations, as the charter requires the city to have a budget in place by Nov. 12. In a split 6-6 vote on Monday, councilmembers expressed disappointment with various aspects of the budget process, citing its complicated nature and “lack of collaboration and transparency.” One councilmember was absent. Councilmembers Chris Hinds, Kevin Flynn, Diana Romero-Campbell, Jamie Torres, Amanda Sandoval and Darrell Watson voted in favor of the budget, while Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Shontel Lewis, Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Paul Kashmann, and Amanda Sawyer balked at the spending plan. At-large C...
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Denver’s Inflation Rate Leads Nation Despite Cooling Elsewhere
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Denver’s Inflation Rate Leads Nation Despite Cooling Elsewhere

By: Brooke Williams | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Denver has some of the worst inflation problems of large metropolitan areas across the nation, according to new data. Personal finance website WalletHub released a study showing the changes in inflation for 23 major metropolitan statistical areas across the U.S., with the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area having some of the biggest inflation problems. Nationwide, the rate of inflation sits at 3% as of September. WalletHub said factors like the war in Ukraine, labor shortages and recent tariffs drive inflation higher than the target rate of 2%. The study focused on the changes in inflation over the last year and the last few months. Highest Consumer Price Index change – Latest month vs two months before The study, ...
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Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep
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Chalkbeat Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado A “blue wave” swept across the country on Election Day. But in Denver, all the school board candidates were Democrats. So, faced with similar choices, voters bubbled their ballots for the candidates endorsed by a Democratic stalwart: the teachers union. “If you’re in a blue city and you’re a blue voter, you’re going to vote for the true-blue candidates — and the true-blue candidates were the union candidates,” said Van Schoales, a longtime supporter of the Democratic brand of education reform. For many years, Denver Public Schools was considered a national exemplar of the type of education reform that favors school choice and charter schools but not private school vouchers. A 2019 teachers strike sparked in part by pushback to reform polici...
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Colorado buys the socialist sandwich: Free lunches and fewer freedoms
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado buys the socialist sandwich: Free lunches and fewer freedoms

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Colorado Politics If you’re a fan of limited government, personal liberty, or educational choice, Tuesday night’s election results were a downer, just another one in a long line of depressing elections that has made Colorado more California than California. However, if you prefer a controlling elite deciding your fate, debt, class envy and teacher unions, it was just another victory in a decade’s long win streak. I’m curious how multi-billionaire nannyist Michael Bloomberg felt about his out-of-state investment. He put $5 million toward convincing Denver voters adults must stop buying Swisher Sweets cigars (which contains flavored tobacco, the new fentanyl). As adults drive by marijuana shops selling flavored edibles, liquor stores selling peach-inf...
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Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette Six mountain communities across Colorado voted on Tuesday to raise their lodging taxes after the state legislature passed a bill allowing counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare and housing for workers.  Lodging tax increases passed in Eagle, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Ouray, Routt and Park but failed in Chaffee and Custer counties. Rural mountain communities have struggled for years under the pressures of increased tourism. Supporters said the new state law would allow those communities to pass along some of their increased costs to visitors. Before the new law’s adoption, the tax revenue could be used only for tourism marketing and some worker housing. Some of...
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Congress Moves Toward Ending Shutdown After Weeks of Gridlock
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Politico, Approved, National

Congress Moves Toward Ending Shutdown After Weeks of Gridlock

By: Jordain Carney | Politico The framework lawmakers agreed to Sunday night would not guarantee an extension of the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits. The Senate voted to break the shutdown stalemate Sunday, paving the way for the government to reopen as soon as later this week. The 60-40 vote to take the first step toward ending the shutdown came hours after enough Democrats agreed to support a package that would fund multiple agencies and programs for the full fiscal year, and all others until Jan. 30, 2026. In exchange, Democrats have a commitment from the Trump administration to rehire government workers fired at the start of the funding lapse, and the promise of a Senate floor vote in December on legislation to extend expiring Obamacare tax credits. In the end...
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Federal Investigation into Colorado Wolf Death Underway, Questions Remain Over Legality of Importing Wolves
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Federal Investigation into Colorado Wolf Death Underway, Questions Remain Over Legality of Importing Wolves

By: Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Colorado Parks and Wildlife said an investigation is underway after a female gray wolf died in southwest Colorado last month. They received a mortality alert for wolf 2506 on Oct. 30. The wolf was part of a group of wolves from British Columbia that were brought to Colorado in January. Because gray wolves are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, it's illegal to harass, harm, or kill them without federal authorization. Officials said they will determine the wolf's cause of death following a necropsy and investigation. The reintroduction of gray wolves into Colorado has been a controversial one. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has spent about $3 million to relocate 30 wolves to the state since 2023, nearly four times...
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Colorado Springs Districts Send Clear Message: Schools Exist to Educate, Not Indoctrinate
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, Local

Colorado Springs Districts Send Clear Message: Schools Exist to Educate, Not Indoctrinate

By The Gazette Editorial Board | The Gazette A blue wave that saw conservatives nationwide lose governors’ races, ballot initiatives and even school board elections appeared to have affected Colorado, as well. It was a setback in our state for candidates running on student academic growth against the union machine. But there was a bright spot — El Paso County — where reform-minded candidates swept Academy District 20’s three seats, won two of three contested seats in the ultra-competitive Colorado Springs School District 11, and won at least one of two seats up for grabs in School District 49. The second race in D49 remains too close to call.  All three El Paso County districts preserved their pro-education reform majorities. These victories, hard-fought and locally grounded,...
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FBI Ignored Warnings of Armed Violence, Antifa Activity Before Jan. 6, Lawmaker Says
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Just The News, Approved, National

FBI Ignored Warnings of Armed Violence, Antifa Activity Before Jan. 6, Lawmaker Says

By: John Solomon | Just the News Numerous confidential informants alerted the FBI prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot that there was the strong possibility of “armed” conflict at the U.S. Capitol, but that intelligence was not disbursed aggressively enough to force a change in security that fateful day, the first congressman to review those source reports tells Just the News. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., the chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee investigating Jan. 6 law enforcement failures, said he was floored to see the specificity of threats and the consistency in warnings that multiple confidential human sources provided the FBI and that the intelligence was serious enough that it should have prompted more security and possibly even a cancellation of President Donald Trump’s s...
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