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Task force arrests eight in Northern Colorado multinational drug trafficking bust
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Task force arrests eight in Northern Colorado multinational drug trafficking bust

By Morgan Whitley | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Eight people were arrested for distributing dangerous drugs in northern Colorado and Wyoming in a drug trafficking bust, according to the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force. In April 2024, the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force received information about a local drug trafficking organization that was led by a Johnstown man. Detectives identified Curtis Rogers as a distributor and claimed he supplied methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone, and fentanyl across the area. Following an investigation, known as Operation King Friday, detectives learned Rogers had connections to what they called a multinational drug trafficking organization based in Mexico. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEWS
Summit Co. student, staff information may have been compromised in third-party data breach
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Summit Co. student, staff information may have been compromised in third-party data breach

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado In a release Thursday, officials with the Summit County School District announced that a data breach may have exposed sensitive information affecting students and staff. The district said they were notified on Jan. 7 that a third-party vendor experienced a data breach between Dec. 19 and Dec. 28. The company, PowerSchool Group LLC, said the compromised login credentials may have exposed information including student names, social security numbers, addresses, medical details, and staff contact information. PowerSchool said the breach has been contained and they are working with cybersecurity experts to investigate it. School district officials said they are continuing to monitor the situation. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Garbo: Do Colorado conservatives truly understand unity?
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: Do Colorado conservatives truly understand unity?

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The word "unity" is often invoked in political discourse, but I fear it is profoundly misunderstood — particularly among conservatives in Colorado. Unity is not merely a buzzword; it is a virtue and an essential principle with deep roots in the Republican Party's history. To unite does not mean to surrender one’s principles, nor does it mean blind allegiance to one faction or individual. Unity means striving for a shared purpose, leveraging our differences to achieve greater goals, and coming together to address the challenges we cannot overcome alone. Sadly, too many Colorado conservatives have misinterpreted unity as uniformity, creating divisions that weaken the very foundation of our movement. The GOP’s Legacy of Unity...
State EDC OKs millions in incentives to ‘Project Boron’ semiconductor maker for plant upgrades
Approved, gazette.com, State

State EDC OKs millions in incentives to ‘Project Boron’ semiconductor maker for plant upgrades

By Rich Laden and Bernadette Berdychowski | The Gazette A semiconductor manufacturer seeking to expand and modernize its Colorado Springs plant would be eligible for a $3.68 million cash award from the state under a financial incentive for the company approved Thursday by the Colorado Economic Development Commission. The company, whose identity was kept confidential by state officials and instead was assigned the code name Project Boron, had requested refundable tax credits that are available under the CHIPS Refundable Tax Credit program — created by Colorado lawmakers in 2023 as a means of encouraging the development and expansion of the state's semiconductor industry. In turn, the financial support provided by the state helps Colorado companies secure funding through the fe...
Trump’s Treasury pick Scott Bessent says ‘spending is out of control’
The Center Square, Approved, National

Trump’s Treasury pick Scott Bessent says ‘spending is out of control’

By Brett Rowland | The Center Square President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Treasury Department said federal spending is "out of control." Scott Bessent, an investor and hedge fund manager, testified Thursday before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.  "We do not have a revenue problem in the United States of America. We have a spending problem," Bessent said. "This is one of the things that got me out from behind my desk and my quiet life in this campaign, was the thought that this spending is out of control." The U.S. national debt stands at more than $36 trillion and is expected to surpass $37 trillion later this year. Experts and federal authorities, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, have warned for years that federal spendi...
Kansas looks on as farms retire thousands of acres in water-short Northeastern Colorado
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Kansas looks on as farms retire thousands of acres in water-short Northeastern Colorado

By Jerd Smith | The Colorado Sun Farm communities on the Eastern Plains, under the gun to deliver water to Kansas and Nebraska, are poised to permanently retire 17,000 acres of land, with the help of $30 million in state and federal funding. From Wray, to Yuma to Burlington, growers are being paid to permanently shut off irrigation wells linked to the Republican River to ensure the vital waterway can deliver enough water to neighbors to the east, as required under the Republican River Compact of 1943. As of this month, ranchers had already retired 10,000 acres under the program, and the rest will be set aside in coming months. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Jefferson Co. schools dismisses Wheat Ridge H.S. students early Friday after bomb threat
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Jefferson Co. schools dismisses Wheat Ridge H.S. students early Friday after bomb threat

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado According to the Wheat Ridge Police Department, Jeffco Public Schools is dismissing Wheat Ridge High School students early Friday due to a bomb threat. Jeffco Schools officials said they conducted an early dismissal at 11:15 a.m. as a precaution. They said the school was made aware of a threat made by a student directed at the school. Authorities advised parents that there is construction along West 32nd Avenue right outside of the high school and asked that they drive up Holland Street from West 38th Avenue to pick up students. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Grove Elementary aims to become BVSD’s first new charter school in decades
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

Grove Elementary aims to become BVSD’s first new charter school in decades

By Jenna Sampson | Boulder Reporting Lab A proposed new charter school emphasizing inclusivity for neurodiverse and special education students is under review by the Boulder Valley Board of Education. Grove Elementary would be an offshoot of Bal Swan, a private preschool in Broomfield, with its educational philosophy extending to the new publicly funded charter school.  The Boulder Valley School District has five charter schools, four approved between 1996 and 1999, and the most recent in 2002. Grove’s proposal is the first charter application in five years. The latest, submitted by Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons in 2019, was denied on many grounds, including its intent to waive the district’s nondiscrimination policy.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE BOULDER REPORTI...
Supreme Court unanimously upholds forced sale of TikTok from Chinese parent company
Approved, National, New York Post

Supreme Court unanimously upholds forced sale of TikTok from Chinese parent company

By Josh Christenson | The New York Post The US Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law Friday that would force TikTok’s sale from a Chinese state-owned firm, even as President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have sought to block the divestment. The nine justices ordered the qualified divestment by Jan. 19 of the California-based social media platform from Beijing-based ByteDance. “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” read the key portion of the unsigned opinion. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
Bipartisan ‘No tax on tips’ act, a Trump campaign idea, introduced in the Senate
The Center Square, Approved, National

Bipartisan ‘No tax on tips’ act, a Trump campaign idea, introduced in the Senate

By Casey Harper | The Center Square President-elect Donald Trump made news on the campaign trail last year when he proposed “no tax on tips.” Now, that pledge is likely to become reality. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., on Thursday introduced the No Tax on Tips Act along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Rick Scott, R-Fla. “American workers in many industries rely on tipped wages to make ends meet. Today, I’m introducing my bipartisan No Tax on Tips Act – legislation I authored to fulfill President Trump’s promise to end the wrongful practice of taxing voluntary tips,” Cruz said in a statement. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE