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Donelson, Lehmkuhl face off in first candidate forum for Colorado Springs City Council
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Approved, gazette.com, Local

Donelson, Lehmkuhl face off in first candidate forum for Colorado Springs City Council

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Dave Donelson and Lee Lehmkuhl kicked off a series of Colorado Springs City Council forums Tuesday by discussing fire risk and fiery issues in District 1. KOAA is hosting the televised candidate forums in partnership with The Gazette in the lead-up to the April 1 municipal election. The two candidates for District 1 answered questions from KOAA reporter Alasyn Zimmerman and pre-taped district residents about the biggest problems in Colorado Springs. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Bipartisan bill to increase gun theft penalties advances out of House committee, into appropriations
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Bipartisan bill to increase gun theft penalties advances out of House committee, into appropriations

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A bill increasing penalties for gun theft narrowly cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday, passing through the House Judiciary Committee by one vote.   House Bill 1062, sponsored by Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, and Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, would exempt firearms from the state's sentencing structure for theft, making it a Class 6 felony, regardless of the firearm's value.  The bill passed on a 6-5 vote and will move on to the Appropriations Committee, as it carries a fiscal note of nearly $400,000 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and nearly $1 million for 2026-2027. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado Restaurant Association supports tip offset bill as Denver restaurants struggle
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado Restaurant Association supports tip offset bill as Denver restaurants struggle

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News The Colorado Restaurant Association and Foundation is supporting a group promoting independent restaurants in the state, in addition to the Restaurant Relief Act, to help keep Colorado’s restaurants and eateries open. “We want our restaurants and teams to thrive, but we have to stay open for that to happen,” the association wrote in a Facebook post. “Independent restaurants are closing every single day in Colorado. In just three years, Denver has lost 22% of its restaurants.” READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Proposals forbid Colorado governments from banning gas or propane-fired appliances
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Proposals forbid Colorado governments from banning gas or propane-fired appliances

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Denver Gazette A group that secured a major property tax deal with legislators last year is behind ballot measures to prohibit state and local governments from banning the use of gas or propane-fired equipment and appliances, such as stoves and heaters. The group seeks to enact the prohibition in state statutes, as well as enshrine that language in the Colorado Constitution. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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The transparency fight for public records despite private agendas in Durango 9-R
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

The transparency fight for public records despite private agendas in Durango 9-R

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Access to public, governmental records ensures transparency, but in Durango School District 9-R, accessing them can come with hurdles. Parents say their Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests have been met with delayed responses and roadblocks. Brit Hanson, a Durango parent, started looking into the board’s decision-making processes after growing frustrated with its policies. Her concerns began during the COVID-19 pandemic. "My elementary son wore a mask for an entire year and developed an insane rash. He was on medication. Then he would go to violin class afterwards and still have to wear a mask," Hanson said. At one school forum, she recalled how officials dismissed parents’ concerns. "We had over a hundred par...
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HB 1135, requiring schools adopt student cell phone usage policy, advances out of committee
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1135, requiring schools adopt student cell phone usage policy, advances out of committee

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice The debate to end all debates may soon reach a conclusion. State lawmakers Wednesday advanced House Bill 25-1135, by Steamboat Springs Democrat Rep. Meghan Lukens and El Paso County Republican Rep. Mary Bradfield, a measure requiring schools adopt and implement a student communication device policy. The bill now moves to the House floor on a 11-1 vote of the House Education Committee. While the measure's concepts were broadly supported in the committee hearing, in many schools across the state, suspension of cell phone access in the classroom has raised the ire of parents and students. Many schools have local policy restricting cell phone use, largely brought by educators who have increasingly said classroom distractions have grown beyond the...
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Trump undercuts Lindsey Graham budget plan ahead of key Senate vote
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Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Trump undercuts Lindsey Graham budget plan ahead of key Senate vote

By Rachel Schilke | Washington Examiner President Donald Trump sided with House Republicans in a brewing fight over whether to pass his agenda in one or two parts on Wednesday, undercutting Senate GOP leaders poised to take a key vote advancing their plan later this week. In a post to Truth Social, Trump praised both chambers for doing a “SPECTACULAR job of working together” but said House Republicans’ budget resolution, which tackles tax reform alongside priorities such as the border, is better than Sen. Lindsey Graham‘s (R-SC) because it “implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” The measure put forward by Graham, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, focuses on border security, defense, and energy but l...
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Senate Judiciary Committee advances Kash Patel as FBI director, will face vote in closed Senate executive session
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Approved, National, The Post Millennial

Senate Judiciary Committee advances Kash Patel as FBI director, will face vote in closed Senate executive session

By The Post Millennial The Senate took a procedural step Tuesday toward confirming Kash Patel as FBI director, voting 48-45 along party lines to begin debate on his nomination. The final confirmation vote is expected later this week. Republican senators have expressed strong support for Patel, 44, citing his background as a prosecutor and national security aide in the first Trump administration. They have also praised his commitment to addressing concerns about political “weaponization” within the FBI and refocusing the agency on its core law enforcement responsibilities. During Patel’s confirmation hearings, he vowed to end the weaponization of the FBI as well as censorship coming from the agency and said, “If confirmed I will work with congress to expose any corrupt activities ...
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Zeisloft: As media freaks over 1 DOGE employee getting IRS access, we learn Biden gave 919 people access
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Approved, Commentary, The Western Journal

Zeisloft: As media freaks over 1 DOGE employee getting IRS access, we learn Biden gave 919 people access

By Ben Zeisloft  | The Western Journal , Commentary The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency is about to provide a staff member access to IRS data, causing the media and the Democrats to spin into a frenzy. Gavin Kliger, a software engineer who works at DOGE, will be based at the IRS for 120 days, and he will reportedly have access to the tax agency’s data, according to a Monday report from CNN. Kliger will work as a senior adviser for the IRS acting commissioner. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WESTERN JOURNAL Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional righ...
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Trump says price of peace may be fresh Ukrainian elections, Zelensky accuses president of ‘disinformation’
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Approved, Breitbart, National

Trump says price of peace may be fresh Ukrainian elections, Zelensky accuses president of ‘disinformation’

By Oliver JJ Lane | Breitbart If Ukraine wants a seat at the peace talks it should refresh the democratic mandate of its presidency by holding fresh elections, President Donald Trump suggested as he reacted to the first round of U.S.-Russia peace negotiations on Tuesday. UPDATE 1615: In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, President Trump accused Zelensky of being a “dictator” for failing to hold elections. Trump went on to suggest that the Ukrainian leader, who cancelled elections last year under martial law, is an opponent to the peace process, writing that Zelensky “probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.” While promising to continue efforts to negotiate a peace settlement, Trump added: “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and ...
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