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Xcel reaches $640M agreement to resolve all Marshall fire claims
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denvergazette.com, Approved, Local

Xcel reaches $640M agreement to resolve all Marshall fire claims

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette Xcel Energy reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims relating to the 2021 Marshall fire, the organization said in a statement Wednesday. The organization will pay north of $640 million to resolve all the pending litigation, about $350 million of which will be funded by its remaining insurance coverage, Xcel said. Individual agreements will still remain subject to final documentation and deliberation with individual plaintiffs. The December 2021 fire destroyed more than 1,000 businesses and homes in Louisville, Superior, and unincorporated Boulder County, taking two lives and forcing 37,000 people to evacuate. Despite the agreement, Xcel said its equipment did not cause or contribute to the fire and it does not admit any ...
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Gold Card residency rewards those investing in America, not exploiting it
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Gold Card residency rewards those investing in America, not exploiting it

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker President Donald Trump’s two recent executive orders, one imposing a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas and the other launching the “Gold Card” fast-track residency program, represent the most significant immigration reforms in decades.  Image by ChatGPT They flip the incentive structure that has for years favored multinational corporations and global outsourcing firms over American workers, while also tackling long-ignored national security risks. As a policy, open borders is one area where Democrats and many Republicans agree. Democrats want new voters, while the Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street Journal Republicans want cheap labor. President George W. Bush, backed by Senator John McCain, in 2007, pushed for “comp...
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Governor’s mansion doubles as free soapbox for First Gentleman’s animal agenda
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Governor’s mansion doubles as free soapbox for First Gentleman’s animal agenda

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The First Gentleman's lecture series -- who's footing the bill? A couple weeks back, I noticed an article about a talk at the governor's mansion about wolf reintroduction involving the First Gentleman and his guests for the evening. The article is linked first below if you'd like to give it a read.If you know anything about the First Gentleman, you know he is a dedicated animal rights activist. Has been for a while. It should therefore not shock anyone that the guests at this talk were also animal rights/wildlife advocates.I won't go into the details of the talk. I'll leave it to you to read up if you'd like.The First Gentleman has the same First Amendment rights as anyone else. He's welcome to have an opinion and expre...
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Prove him right: The American Idea is worth fighting for
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Think Again USA, Approved, Commentary, National

Prove him right: The American Idea is worth fighting for

By Melanie Sturm | Commentary, Think Again USA Substack Can we restore the American Idea — for our children and our humanity? When Talking Stops I’m glad I waited to watch Charlie Kirk’s memorial before finishing this post. For days I struggled to write — distracted by the “he-had-it-coming” justifications of his murder, and by the claim that finding common ground is no longer possible. But I refuse to accept that. This essay is my attempt to prove why — and to enlist you in restoring dialogue at a moment when America desperately needs it. They say grief comes in waves. This summer I lost two dear friends far too soon, and then came the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two. Though we were only acquaintances, the footage replaying on my f...
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MSNBC’s attack on Tom Homan collapses under scrutiny
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The Federalist, Approved, Commentary, National

MSNBC’s attack on Tom Homan collapses under scrutiny

By Hans Mahncke | Commentary, The Federalist There is no evidence that Tom Homan agreed to anything improper, no evidence that he acted on behalf of anyone, and no evidence that he violated any law. After nearly a decade of hoaxes — from Russiagate to Ukraine, from impeachment sagas to the circus around Brett Kavanaugh — the American public has been conditioned to expect another “bombshell” headline every few months. Now, right on schedule, a new one has emerged. This time, the target is Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and now the border security czar in the Trump administration. MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig reported on Saturday that Homan had supposedly been ensnared in a sting operation run by the Biden-era Department ...
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Colorado e-bike tax credits will be reduced by 50 percent in 2026
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado e-bike tax credits will be reduced by 50 percent in 2026

By: Gabrielle Franklin | KDVR DENVER (KDVR) — Challenging economic times have hit many this year, including the state of Colorado. A popular program that helped more Coloradans get outside will have you paying more out of pocket next year. Tax credits for Colorado e-bikes are set to be reduced next year. That action, combined with other economic pressures, has small business owners concerned. Dan “DJ” Johnson of Cycle Erie said his business has been doing well this year.“It’s been a strong year for us. Not quite as strong as we hoped but it’s been good,” Johnson said about the year his business has had in 2025. He worries that uncertainty handed down from both the state and federal government could get in the way of the shop’s success next year. A $450 tax credit for ...
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Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case

By: Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District and stalking victim "outraged" over judge's decision to only sentence stalker to probation CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A Douglas County judge is under fire for two separate probation decisions she’s made in just one week. District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District George Brauchler told Denver7 he’s “outraged” by the ruling, but he never specifically said who the judge was. “I don’t think judges exist in this jurisdiction to do what the DA says. That doesn’t make sense. I don’t think that [ruling] protects defendants appropriately either,” Brauchler said. “My respect for the bench doesn’t mean that I like all of their decisions, and in this particular case, I think this one is too risky for the p...
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Public Safety Survives Cuts as Denver Faces Budget Crunch
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Public Safety Survives Cuts as Denver Faces Budget Crunch

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Day two of the public hearings for Denver’s proposed 2026 spending plan got underway on Tuesday with presentations from the city’s public safety agencies. As representatives from the Denver Department of Safety, Denver Police, Denver Fire, Denver Sheriff and the Department of Public Health and Environment shared plans for helping the city tighten its belt, recurring themes included streamlining program functions, identifying new sources of revenue and shifting some positions out of the city’s general fund into alternate funding sources such as special revenue funds and grants. Overall, agencies sought to protect core services and align with council priorities. Here are some of the top takeaways for the day: Denver Public SafetyDirector...
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Colorado Officials Arrest Five for Wildfire in Rio Blanco County
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Colorado Officials Arrest Five for Wildfire in Rio Blanco County

By Heather Willard | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Five people have been arrested in connection to a 35-acre wildfire that started on Aug. 15 in Rio Blanco County, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office. The fire sparked in the Yellow Jacket area, which is northeast of Meeker in Rio Blanco County. Deputies were able to begin an investigation and preserve evidence while firefighters and air support were actively fighting the blaze, which indicated the fire was “likely human-caused,” according to a sheriff’s office release. Those charged, and the charges they are facing, were announced as: Zachary Williams, 29 A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie Several federal charges, including entering a forest closure, possession of fireworks and removing wood with...
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Colorado’s Housing Crunch Shows Signs of Easing but Costs Still Bite
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Housing Crunch Shows Signs of Easing but Costs Still Bite

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette The cost of housing has soared in our state in recent years, outpacing income growth and making it especially challenging for lower-wage earners and younger, entry-level workers to afford rent. Buying a place of their own is an even taller task for many. It all has led to much public debate and, inevitably, hyperventilation by politicians pledging to solve what they have dubbed an affordable-housing “crisis.” The panic also has led to a lot of misfires by policymakers.  Among those are proposals that would put the squeeze on providers of rental housing, presuming them to have bottomless pockets. Rent control is an example. There also have been various policy prescriptions making it harder to evict tenants. Some o...
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