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The push to redefine beneficial use ignores 100 years of western water law
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

The push to redefine beneficial use ignores 100 years of western water law

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Last week when some marauding teens bashed a mailbox with a bat, angry neighbors posted on nextdoor.com, “there needs to be a law against that.” Is that just an impulse reaction, or do they really not know there is a law against that. Since 1909, it has been a federal offense to tamper with, vandalize, deface, or destroy mailboxes, under penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. People often think things ought to be illegal that already are, that we should regulate things we already do, even that things ought to be defined that already are. I couldn’t help wondering how serious recent headlines were, announcing that several environmental industry groups had petitioned the Bureau of Reclamation to stop allowing water to be wast...
Safety or politics: Debate grows over Jeffco school resource officers
Fox31, Approved, Local

Safety or politics: Debate grows over Jeffco school resource officers

By: Spencer Kristensen, Brooke Williams | FOX31 Denver DENVER (KDVR) — On Wednesday morning, Jeffco Public Schools and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office released a joint statement addressing the community’s questions about the School Resource Officer program. “Our commitment to safety and security in Jeffco schools is unwavering,” Superintendent Tracy Dorland said in a press release. “Jeffco Public Schools does not employ SROs. Instead, through intergovernmental agreements, our local law enforcement partners, like JCSO, provide SROs to serve in our schools and our district now pays for half of this cost. We are proud of our strong partnership with law enforcement, including our shared commitment to a robust SRO program that supports our students and staff.” The school dis...
Four House Republicans block effort to censure Ilhan Omar over Charlie Kirk comments
Fox News, Approved, National

Four House Republicans block effort to censure Ilhan Omar over Charlie Kirk comments

By Elizabeth Elkind | Fox News House lawmakers voted to table the resolution before they could weigh the measure itself The House of Representatives voted along bipartisan lines on Wednesday to table a resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over comments about Charlie Kirk. Four House Republicans voted with Democrats to table the legislation, effectively blocking it from receiving its own House-wide vote. A vote to table is a procedural mechanism allowing House members to vote against consideration of a bill without having to vote on the bill itself. The measure was blocked in a narrow 214 to 213 vote. The four Republicans who voted to table the measure are Reps. Mike Flood, R-Neb., Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Cory Mills, R-Fla. McClintock...
Colorado Gas Stove Labeling Law Faces Court Challenge
State, Approved, DENVER7

Colorado Gas Stove Labeling Law Faces Court Challenge

By Anusha Roy | Denver7 DENVER — The debate over the gas stove inside your home is headed to court. Lawmakers passed a new Colorado law requiring safety labels on new gas stoves being sold. The law would require labels in both English and Spanish. Advocates say this would help people understand the impact of gas stoves on the air quality inside their homes. On the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) website, the agency shared: “There is evidence that particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and methane can be released into indoor air from gas stoves.1" "According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollutants can build up to levels that may affect people’s health if the spa...
Law tied sheriff’s hands as violent suspect walked free in Weld County
Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Law tied sheriff’s hands as violent suspect walked free in Weld County

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics eld County Sheriff Steve Reams says a 2024 law required him to release a man who had been charged with attempted murder stemming from an incident in Greeley earlier this year. According to Reams, 21-year-old Debisa Ephraim was arrested in April and charged with second-degree attempted murder following an altercation between him and another man that had been captured on video. The victim suffered a brain injury and spent a “substantial” amount of time in the hospital and rehabilitation, but Reams says he is now mostly recovered. Ephraim, a refugee from Tanzania who had a previous record of violent behavior, had been detained in the Weld County Jail for several months when his defense team asked the court to determine whether he was compet...
Education funds drained by bureaucrats while kids fall behind
New York Post, Approved, Commentary, National

Education funds drained by bureaucrats while kids fall behind

By Post Editorial Board | Commentary, New York Post If you think spending more money on America’s schools will lead to greater student achievement, guess again: A new analysis of 12,000-plus school districts shows just the opposite. Not only does more spending not correlate with better student performance, turns out it coincides with moderately worse performance. The public-policy watchdog Open the Books looked at payroll growth at 12,531 public-school districts from 2019 to 2023, and compared it to the percentage change in the district rankings on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams, the gold standard for measuring reading and math proficiency of fourth and eighth graders. Guess what: The greater the payroll growth, the more...
Loveland Family Outraged After Charlie Kirk Memorial Burned
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Loveland Family Outraged After Charlie Kirk Memorial Burned

By Shaul Turner | KDVR Fox31 LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) – A Loveland family is speaking out after the burning of their memorial to Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on Sept. 10, during an event at Utah Valley University. The incident happened Saturday evening. In addition to the memorial being burned, the back window of the family’s SUV was smashed as five children slept inside the home. On Tuesday, the Loveland Police Department reported that they had arrested a suspect, David Hunt Gilroy, 64, who faces second-degree arson and resisting arrest charges in connection with the incident. “It’s a sign like are you kidding me, for a man that was wrongfully shot,” the father told FOX31. The Loveland family interviewed with FOX31, but asked not to be identifie...
Campaign Signs for Elizabeth School Board Defaced With Hate Symbols
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Campaign Signs for Elizabeth School Board Defaced With Hate Symbols

By Anna Coon | KDVR Fox31 ELBERT, Colo. (KDVR) — Three candidates for the Elizabeth School Board woke up Tuesday to a disturbing sight: their campaign signs had been vandalized. David Fletcher, a current school board member and one of the candidates whose sign was defaced, said he wasn’t surprised to see the damage. The signs, which he shares with two other conservative candidates, were all marked with swastikas early Tuesday morning. “I think that they are just some people that are filled with hate,” Fletcher said. “Who knew I was going to be painted as a Nazi just for running for school board?” Fletcher says tensions in the local political scene have likely increased due to the district’s ongoing court battle with the ACLU over books it tried to remove from school libraries. ...
Trump Labels Antifa A Major Terror Threat
National, Approved, TownHall.com

Trump Labels Antifa A Major Terror Threat

By Scott McCallen | Townhall Pres. Donald Trump is designating Antifa as a major terrorist organization, he said on Truth Social on Wednesday night. "I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" The White House confirmed the post. After Kirk's assassination, Trump said that he would find the groups that fund political violence, Townhall's Katie Pavlich posted. “My administration will find each and everyone of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other poli...