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Why Colorado’s Elections No Longer Belong to Its Voters
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Why Colorado’s Elections No Longer Belong to Its Voters

By: Vince Bzdek | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Why is Michael Bloomberg, the former presidential candidate, three-term New York mayor and founder of the financial info firm that bears his name, spending millions on Colorado elections? The short answer: because he can. The liberal New Yorker has donated $2.7 million to support Denver’s flavored tobacco ban, Referendum 301, to be decided on Tuesday. Two of his donations to that campaign were the largest individual contributions in Denver history, according to an Axios analysis. Bloomberg is also the largest donor in the 2026 governor’s race, giving $500,000 to a super-PAC supporting U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s campaign. “This is a very large donation for a statewide race,” Seth Masket, professor of political sc...
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Polis Sounds Alarm on Medicaid Spending: “We Can’t Fund Everything”
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Polis Sounds Alarm on Medicaid Spending: “We Can’t Fund Everything”

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released his budget request for next year, and Medicaid will take a big hit. The governor says the health insurance program for low-income Coloradans is growing at nearly twice the rate of the state government overall. Polis says, if the state doesn't slow the rate of growth, the program will crowd out everything but funding for schools in the next few years. In the state, 1.2 million Coloradans rely on Medicaid. The governor says none of them will lose coverage, but what that coverage looks like will change.  "There's two levers on Medicaid," Polis said during a press conference. "One is how many people you cover, and two is what you cover." Polis' budget request hones in on what services Medicaid covers. "There have bee...
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Modern-Day “Bonnie and Clyde” Busted with Cat After Violent Colorado Liquor Store Theft
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Outkick, Approved, Local

Modern-Day “Bonnie and Clyde” Busted with Cat After Violent Colorado Liquor Store Theft

By: Sean Joseph | OutKick Shoplifting, pepper spray, biting, and a cat. Colorado’s liquor store chaos has it all. There's a certain amount of perseverance required to get caught shoplifting from a liquor store and refuse to go down without a fight. I'm not saying it's a form of determination that should be admired. I'm simply pointing out that there is more than one path from shoplifting to being arrested, and these two chose the path that includes pepper spray and biting while brawling with employees. A man and woman in Colorado had, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, shoplifted several items from a liquor store and tried to leave. Two employees of the fine establishment followed them out into the parking lot and attempted to sto...
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Judge Weighs Whether Colorado Can Restrict ICE From Warrantless Arrests
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Judge Weighs Whether Colorado Can Restrict ICE From Warrantless Arrests

By: Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A federal judge heard testimony on Thursday from multiple noncitizens who were arrested by immigration officers in Colorado this year, and arguments from their attorneys that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is violating the legal standard for conducting warrantless arrests. The ACLU of Colorado and other law firms have asked U.S. District Court Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson to issue a preliminary injunction holding ICE to the requirement in federal law that warrantless arrests only occur when officers have probable cause to believe someone is in the country illegally and they are a flight risk. “Masked, militarized ICE agents with flak jackets and long rifles are terrorizing neighborhoods across Colorado, ignoring their du...
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Safety, Discipline, and Learning at Heart of Denver School Board Races
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Safety, Discipline, and Learning at Heart of Denver School Board Races

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado Voters will elect four members of the Denver School Board next week. That will determine a majority on the seven member board and the future direction of the district, including the tenure of Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. DPS parents who are stressing the importance of casting ballots talked with CBS News Colorado. Chanele Simmons is a business owner and mom to three DPS students attending schools in far northeast Denver. She says her children's well-being is on her mind every day they're in classes. "That they're good and safe, that they're learning and that they're emotionally great," she said. Simmons would like to see the next Denver Board of Education focus on bringing down class size. She fears with the current class sizes are making i...
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Colorado Businesses Warn State Policies Threaten Economic Future
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Businesses Warn State Policies Threaten Economic Future

By Dan Grossman | Denver7 The sentiment comes from the latest Colorado Businesses Roundtable fall outlook survey and points to Colorado's affordability issues and regulatory environment. DENVER — Colorado businesses said they’re almost twice as worried about our state’s economic future as they are about the nation’s. This is from the Colorado Business Roundtable survey that just came out. The survey asked 50 business executives about what’s concerning them. The responses point toward Colorado’s affordability issues and policies supporting workers. “What we've been seeing over time is really the layering on effect of regulation, rules for businesses that really add a cost of doing business to Colorado,” Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown said. “When the eco...
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Colorado Leaders Urge Action as SNAP Deadline Nears and Health Enrollment Begins
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Leaders Urge Action as SNAP Deadline Nears and Health Enrollment Begins

By: Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Open enrollment season kicks off in just a couple of days. SNAP benefits are set to run out at the same time on Nov. 1. Some leaders on Capitol Hill say Americans should prepare to be sticker-shocked by an increase in premiums. This is all coming with no deal on healthcare subsidies as Congress remains shut down. Open enrollment begins with no deal on healthcare We heard from both Democrats and Republicans representing Coloradans on Capitol Hill.They have different thoughts about how we got to this point and what could happen next. “This is going to impact everybody, even if you are on an employer-sponsored healthcare. That’s why we need to fix this,” said Congressman Jason Crow, a Democrat representing the state’s 6th ...
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Pentagon Expands Domestic Readiness, Establishes Rapid Deployment Forces Nationwide
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THE HILL, Approved, National

Pentagon Expands Domestic Readiness, Establishes Rapid Deployment Forces Nationwide

By: Ellen Mitchell | The Hill The National Guard is building a “quick reaction force” (QRF) of some 23,500 troops trained in crowd control and civil disturbance that can be ready to deploy to U.S. cities by early next year, according to a leaked memo reported by multiple outlets Wednesday.  The Oct. 8 memo, signed by National Guard Bureau Director of Operations Maj. Gen. Ronald Burkett, orders the Guard from nearly every U.S. state, Puerto Rico and Guam to train 500 service members. States with smaller populations such as Delaware will have 250 troops in its force, while Alaska will have 350 and Guam will have 100, Task & Purpose reported.  A previous Pentagon memo issued in September, and revealed by The Guardian, had mandated that the Washington...
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Even the Washington Post Says It’s Time for Democrats to End the Shutdown
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Fox News, Approved, National

Even the Washington Post Says It’s Time for Democrats to End the Shutdown

By: Marc Tamasco | Fox News 'Schumer has allowed the shutdown to drag on because he's worried about fending off a primary challenger in 2028,' the editorial said. The Washington Post editorial board criticized Senate Democrats on Wednesday for holding the government "hostage" for a month in hopes of extending costly Obamacare subsidies and urged them to reopen the government by voting for a clean funding bill. "The right answer is to reopen the government with a clean funding bill, ideally for a full year, to get food stamps flowing and federal workers back in the office, and then have a debate about ACA subsidies," the Post editorial said. "Democrats openly acknowledge that they refuse to do this because it would mean giving up their leverage. If they persist, it...
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Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns
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The Gazette, Approved, Local

Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns

By Seth Boster | The Gazette One recent afternoon near his Colorado Springs home, Sean Paige was hiking with Nellie the golden retriever en route to a favorite spot in Stratton Open Space: South Suburban Reservoir.  “She’s still anxious to get there, because she thinks it’s gonna be full of water,” Paige said.  But Colorado Springs Utilities announced the draining of South Suburban Reservoir in April 2024 for repairs to the dam. Nellie has been among dogs splashing in the water over the years — the place Paige has called “dog heaven” under the gaze of Cheyenne Mountain — but not the past couple of summers during the closure.  And not for summers to come, following an announcement by Utilities.  “Now it’s off-limits,” Paige lamented. “Try explaining that t...
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