Rocky Mountain Voice

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‘J6 Praying Grandma’ attends Trump’s inauguration, pledges to keep fighting
Approved, gazette.com, Local

‘J6 Praying Grandma’ attends Trump’s inauguration, pledges to keep fighting

By Debbie Kelley  | The Gazette After being court-ordered not to return to Washington, D.C., or step foot in the Capitol building as part of her sentencing related to the Jan. 6, 2021, United States Capitol breach, Rebecca Lavrenz of Falcon cried when she got off a bus Monday in that very spot to attend the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. “I could not hold back the tears,” she said Wednesday. “Four years ago, we were in a battle to have truth and righteousness prevail. I couldn’t believe I was going to be allowed back in that building and watch the inauguration of the president that should have been there four years ago.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Arapahoe Co. Democrat Jamie Jackson wins House District 41 seat after vacancy election
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Arapahoe Co. Democrat Jamie Jackson wins House District 41 seat after vacancy election

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A vacancy committee of Arapahoe County Democrats elected Jamie Jackson to serve as the state representative for House District 41, replacing Sen. Iman Jodeh, who left the position to serve in the Senate.  Jackson, the COO of the nonprofit organization The Naloxone Project and vice president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action, received 52% of the vote, enough to garner a simple majority and win the vacancy election.  Community activist Aly DeWillis-Marcano and Aurora School Board president Anne Keke also ran for the seat.   READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Colorado schools may soon be required to have a cellphone policy
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado schools may soon be required to have a cellphone policy

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun All Colorado school districts would be required to adopt a cellphone policy with rules for when and how students can use phones in school under a bipartisan bill set to be introduced in the legislature later this month. The legislation aims both “to promote a conducive learning environment” and protect students’ mental health, said state Rep. Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat and prime bill sponsor. The hope is to eliminate, or at very least limit, distractions to student learning caused by cellphones and other devices. The bill, which would allow districts to make their own decisions about how to address cellphone use during school hours, shows educators’ shared concerns about the toll devices can take on kids’ academics and well-bei...
State grappling with funding insurance enterprise into the future, and solution could be premium fee hike
Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

State grappling with funding insurance enterprise into the future, and solution could be premium fee hike

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance A Colorado enterprise that offers free health insurance to undocumented immigrants and helps fund the state’s reinsurance program is likely to be short of revenue by 2027, spurring consideration of options that include raising fees on statewide health insurance policies. The Health Insurance Affordability Exchange board will meet at 8 a.m. Friday to discuss how to deal with the situation and how to grapple with the uncertainty around future federal funding. If it elects to pursue a fee increase, such an effort would have to go before the Legislature prior to the May 7 conclusion of its 2025 regular session. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE SUM & SUBSTANCE
U.S. Department of Justice investigates ‘seclusion and restraint’ of disabled students
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

U.S. Department of Justice investigates ‘seclusion and restraint’ of disabled students

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado A sweeping federal investigation into the Douglas County School District has hundreds of unearthed allegations of systemic discrimination and mistreatment, with families and advocates calling for urgent reform to protect students from racial harassment and harmful practices like "seclusion" and "restraint." CBS News Colorado is learning more about the complaints that prompted a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Douglas County School District. Investigators from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department were in Colorado last week, looking into complaints against DCSD "regarding potential discrimination, harassment, or bullying on the basis of race, national origin, religion, or disability, and the district's use of seclusion ...
Denver will take Trump administration to court over raids at churches, schools
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver will take Trump administration to court over raids at churches, schools

By Marilyn Moore | The Denver Gazette, via 9NEWS Denver has outlined its immigration response as President Donald Trump prepares to enact major policy changes, saying it will cooperate when it comes to criminal elements but will fight the White House in court over potential raids at churches and schools.   The city said it has put together a four-pronged approach to respond to Trump’s immigration policies. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER GAZETTE
Walcher: Is government going to the DOGE?
Approved, Commentary, Greg Walcher

Walcher: Is government going to the DOGE?

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com A lot of jokes about Elon Musk are making the rounds, in light of his new role in identifying government waste, fraud and abuse. One says after he puts a car into orbit, outer space will be full of germs and diseases, no longer auto-immune. Another asks what he has in common with Thomas Edison. Answer: they both got rich off Tesla. The mission of the new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) that he will co-chair with Vivek Ramaswamy, is not a joke, though. In fact, the idea of reducing wasteful spending has already achieved some level of bipartisan support in Congress. Leaders on both sides are saying no one should oppose efficiency, which is easy to say before anyone has had to vote on any specific program cut. Every govern...
ICE arrests irate Haitian gang member, murder and rape suspects in Boston
Approved, National, New York Post

ICE arrests irate Haitian gang member, murder and rape suspects in Boston

By Isabel Keane | New York Post Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers hit the ground running this week, arresting multiple violent offenders in sanctuary cities, including a hostile Haitian gang member with a lengthy rap sheet who said he “ain’t going back to Haiti” and raged “F*** Trump, Biden forever!” ICE officers in Boston made eight noteworthy arrests, including multiple MS-13 gang members, murder and rape suspects and the Haitian gang member, with 18 recent convictions, according to Fox News, who rode along with ICE for the arrests. There was also at least one “collateral” arrest where ICE took an illegal immigrant who wasn’t their initial target into custody, with the arrest in Boston being of an MS-13 gang member who had been released by the sanctuary city on Tuesda...
RFK Jr. faces mounting criticism leading up to confirmation hearing
Approved, National, THE HILL

RFK Jr. faces mounting criticism leading up to confirmation hearing

By Nathaniel Weixel | The Hill Pressure is mounting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as critics squeeze senators from both sides of the aisle to oppose President Trump’s pick to be the nation’s top health official.  Kennedy’s bipartisan opponents, including liberal advocates and an organization founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, argue the nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services isn’t fit to serve as secretary.   Liberals point to Kennedy’s longtime advocacy against vaccines and his role as the founder of the prominent anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense.   READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Barkoukis: NYT blasted for ‘insane’ take on terrorist designation of cartels
Approved, Commentary, National, TownHall.com

Barkoukis: NYT blasted for ‘insane’ take on terrorist designation of cartels

By Leah Barkoukis | Commentary, Townhall.com Social media users did a double take this week on a New York Times headline reacting to President Trump’s recent executive order designating certain cartels as global terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations. “The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” the EO notes.  “The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States,” the order continues. “In certain portions of M...