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Iconic ‘Ronald McDonald House’ in Steamboat Springs placed for sale
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Iconic ‘Ronald McDonald House’ in Steamboat Springs placed for sale

By Maddie Rhodes | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News A Steamboat Springs home with an indoor shooting range is going on the market for millions. Officially, it’s called the Cowboy Lodge, but locals refer to it as the “Ronald McDonald House.” While there’s no relation to McDonald’s, the multi-million dollar mansion, sitting near the slopes on Ski Trail Lane in Steamboat Springs, is known for its ode to the fast food joint, as it had a Ronald McDonald statue on the roof for years. According to Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, over time, the house turned into an icon as skiers and boarders on the Steamboat Springs Ski Resort gondola would catch a glimpse of the interesting statue. Thus, the house was deemed the “Ronald McDonald House” by locals. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV FOX 31 NEW...
Chris Wright, the Coloradan who could be on cabinet, pledges to ‘unleash American energy’
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Chris Wright, the Coloradan who could be on cabinet, pledges to ‘unleash American energy’

By Scott Weiser | Denver Gazette Chris Wright, a Denver businessman and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Energy secretary, told U.S. senators Wednesday that, if confirmed, he would use the position to “unleash American energy at home and abroad.” That message and others like it drew universal praise from the Republican members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, setting him up for an easy confirmation, with Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, saying he hopes to have it wrapped up before the end of the month. Wright faced fairly straightforward questions during his confirmation hearing and he appeared to have secured bipartisan support. Once confirmed, Wright would be tasked with administering U.S. energy policy, maintaining and protecting the nation’s nuclear ...
Superintendent says D-11 failed ‘people of Jenkins’ amid mounting criticism over middle school closure
Approved, gazette.com, Local

Superintendent says D-11 failed ‘people of Jenkins’ amid mounting criticism over middle school closure

By Eric Young | The Gazette Bus pick-ups and drop-offs, a new start time and new channels of communication were among the updates Colorado Springs District 11 provided to Jenkins Middle School families Thursday night as they prepare to exit the school next week. For the second in a series of community meetings, D-11 superintendent Michael Gaal took to the stage of Doherty High School’s auditorium to speak directly to those in attendance, but not without an admission first — that was loud and clear. “The district has failed the people of Jenkins,” he said. “I am your superintendent. I am ultimately accountable for that failure. Our goal here tonight is to start to begin to regain your trust.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Rep. Dusty Johnson aims to tackle rural issues through her mantra: ‘cows, cops and coffee’
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Dusty Johnson aims to tackle rural issues through her mantra: ‘cows, cops and coffee’

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice State Rep. Dusty Johnson, who represents seven mostly sparsely populated counties on the Northeastern Plains of Colorado in House District 63, entered the 75th General Assembly ready to champion rural communities, agriculture and water rights. Representing the state's leading agricultural area, she understands constituents’ challenges firsthand and brings practical insights to the table. House District 63 spans Phillips, Sedgwick and Yuma counties at the eastern edge of the state, across Logan and Washington counties, to Morgan and into a rural portion of Weld County, making it the second-largest landmass district in the state. As Johnson puts it, “My district is the top ag-producing house district in the state.” Th...
Letters from readers: Exorbitant fees, a moose on the buffet, and raise a flag for Trump
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Letters from readers: Exorbitant fees, a moose on the buffet, and raise a flag for Trump

Today, I'm having moose bone pudding with curried squash sauce, probably one of only a few hundred thousand humans partaking of such a pleasure on this fine winter afternoon.  If you think about it, there were 7,000 moose killed in Alaska, 21,000 in Canada and 32,000 in Russia, and with a decent body size of 700 pound it's enough poundage for family and friendly experimenting.  Colorado has a total moose population of around 3,000, with a few hundred being taken by hunters each year. With a total human population of about six million, not everyone gets a chance to try my particular piece de resistance.  The Centennial State has more than one head of cattle for every two people, so the hamburgers do make the rounds. Not everyone craves rattlesnake beans or pan-broiled r...
Trump inauguration, with temps as low as Reagan’s in 1985, to move indoors
Approved, National, THE HILL

Trump inauguration, with temps as low as Reagan’s in 1985, to move indoors

By Brett Samuels | The Hill President-elect Trump’s inauguration ceremony is being moved indoors because of expected bitter cold in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Trump and Vice President-elect Vance are expected to be sworn in inside the Capitol Rotunda rather than on the west front of the Capitol. Trump laid out additional details in a Truth Social post, including that he would join a crowd of supporters at Capital One Arena after his swearing in for the traditional parade. “It is my obligation to protect the People of our Country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the Inauguration itself,” Trump posted. “The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Countr...
What is the HMPV virus that is raising concerns in China and should it be cause for alarm?
Approved, State, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical

What is the HMPV virus that is raising concerns in China and should it be cause for alarm?

By Greg Glasgow | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical The buzz is growing about an increase of respiratory virus cases in China, but Adriana Weinberg, MD, professor of infectious diseases in the Departments of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says the news is no cause for alarm.  Unlike the COVID-19 virus in 2020, Weinberg says, the current virus reportedly on the rise in China is one that has been around for decades, commonly circulates during respiratory virus season — along with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — and is well known to health care professionals. Known as human metapneumovirus (HMPV), the virus is reported to be on the rise in China. A spokesperson for the World Health O...
Its back to the future for some bills that failed to advance in last year’s session
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Its back to the future for some bills that failed to advance in last year’s session

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The 2024 legislative session ended with some unfinished business for some lawmakers, a few of whom have decided to give their previously unsuccessful bills another shot. While some measures have undergone changes based on feedback from last year, others remain the same. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Pikes Peak stakeholders ask state to help manage recreation around America’s Mountain
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Pikes Peak stakeholders ask state to help manage recreation around America’s Mountain

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun As federal land managers navigate shrinking budgets, Colorado Parks and Wildlife could assume a larger role in managing recreation on public lands around Pikes Peak.  A consortium — the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, El Paso and Teller counties, the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities — is asking CPW to help manage increasing recreation around America’s Mountain, starting with management of the Ring the Peak Trail.  “This can allow the Forest Service to focus on areas where they can do the most good with their wildfire crisis strategy. The same can be said for Colorado Springs Utilities focusing on water supplies and the health of our watersheds,” s...
Hillman: We don’t need lawyers to solve every dispute
Approved, Commentary, Mark Hillman

Hillman: We don’t need lawyers to solve every dispute

By Mark Hillman | Guest Commentary, Capitol Review Everywhere we turn, there’s an ad for a lawyer — on television, streaming services, radio, podcasts, public transportation and, of course, billboards. Not so long ago, the legal profession observed a self-imposed ban on advertising by law firms, considering such self-promotion unprofessional. In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled such bans to be an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech. What began as a trickle of unremarkable professional services ads is now a deluge. Lawyers in the U.S. spend an estimated $2.4 billion annually on advertising. One survey finds that in 2023 law firms spent more than $40 million on advertising just in Colorado. Billboard lawyers don’t spend that kind of money because they ar...