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July 1: New Colorado laws take effect on guns, courts—and mental health
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

July 1: New Colorado laws take effect on guns, courts—and mental health

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette While most bills passed in Colorado become law the minute the governor puts pen to paper, many aren't officially in effect for months or over a year after passage. Here are the laws passed during the last two legislative sessions that will go into effect on July 1 of this year.  Laws passed in 2024 House Bill 1130: Sponsored by then-Rep. Lindsey Daughterty, D-Arvada, former Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Colorado Springs, and former Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, the measure requires biometric data such as fingerprints and facial features to be destroyed within two years of collection or once it is no longer needed, whichever comes first, and to be stored securely until destruction. Violation constitutes a deceptive...
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Sey: Our daughters are counting on us to stand up for Title IX
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Outkick, Approved, National

Sey: Our daughters are counting on us to stand up for Title IX

By Jennifer Sey | Commentary, Outkick Not one currently competing female star has spoken up to defend the very category that made their success possible. This is the moment we get real about standing up for women and girls. Even though Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged in April that it was "deeply unfair" for boys to compete in girls’ sports, the California Department of Education (CDE) and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) have continued to allow males to compete — and win — in women’s sports.  At the California CIF Championships in June, a male athlete swept gold in the high jump and triple jump and took silver in the long jump, displacing female athletes. Lelani Laruelle should have won gold, with Jillene Wetteland and Julia Teven placing second and thir...
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Denver Public Schools under fire: Legal twist could force transparency in school debt strategy
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denvergazette.com, Approved, Local

Denver Public Schools under fire: Legal twist could force transparency in school debt strategy

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette After arguing in court filings that its lease-financing structure is legal because a nonprofit organization — not the district — incurred the debt without voter approval, Denver Public Schools now contends the same corporation is a “public entity” entitled to governmental immunity from lawsuits. The contradiction is more than semantics. If the Denver School Facilities Leasing Corporation (DSFLC) is deemed a public entity, it would be subject to Colorado’s open records and public meetings laws, an attorney and a watch dog group said. DPS has denied a public information request for documents in the corporation’s possession, suggesting district officials, despite their legal arguments, recognize DSFLC as a private organization. Scott Pribb...
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Joondeph: Prior authorization is gatekeeping with red tape—can RFK Jr. cut it?
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: Prior authorization is gatekeeping with red tape—can RFK Jr. cut it?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Preauthorization, also called prior authorization (PA), is a process where healthcare insurance companies must approve before paying for medications, procedures, surgeries, or other medical services.  These are usually standard and approved therapies. For medications, PA approval is required for many FDA-approved (though expensive) drugs, used according to label, meaning in accordance with the detailed package insert. MAHA rainmaker, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, is trying to fix this problem. https://youtu.be/g6VoqXmiLrw?feature=shared This process started in the 1960s as part of Medicare and Medicaid’s “utilization review” to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and manage c...
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Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette One of the major steps in approving a pedestrian walkway linking the state Capitol to Lincoln Park won an 8-4 vote on Thursday from a building advisory committee. The vote by the General Assembly's Capitol Building Advisory Committee followed testimony from neighborhoods groups and local residents opposed to the project, as well as from supporters, including a group advocating for people with disabilities.  One of those four "no" votes came from Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, whose Senate district includes the state Capitol. The pedestrian walkway bridge, which Gov. Jared Polis is pushing, could come at a cost of $28.5 million, according to an analysis by 9News. That's as much as 60% higher than the original forecast. Under the plan, the br...
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Anderson: Biden’s damaging open-border doctrine, by the numbers
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Real Clear Politics, Approved, Commentary, National

Anderson: Biden’s damaging open-border doctrine, by the numbers

By Jeffrey H. Anderson | Commentary, Real Clear Politics Most mainstream press accounts have largely ignored one obvious source of the Los Angeles riots – namely, that the Biden administration released more than enough illegal aliens into this country to populate a wholly new Los Angeles. In the aftermath of those riots, it’s an appropriate time to ask this question: How many illegal aliens did the Biden administration actually let into the United States? According to the Congressional Budget Office, during the four years from 2021 through 2024, a net 10.3 million people immigrated to the U.S. That figure reflects the number of (legal or illegal) immigrants who entered the U.S., minus the number who left. As a result of this huge immigration influx, the portion of the U.S. ...
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Grand Junction officials question costs and business revenue loss from bike lane project
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The Business Times, Approved, Local

Grand Junction officials question costs and business revenue loss from bike lane project

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times Plans to finalize protected bike lanes on Fourth and Fifth Streets this summer could cost the City of Grand Junction additional money in curb cut work and remove more downtown parking spaces. That raises a broader conversation about the cost of implementation and the city’s downtown parking system, including the financial viability of potential changes. Curb Cuts and Parking Losses The vote to revert to two lanes with a protected bike lane may require cutting curbs at intersections where there is currently not enough space to fit both vehicle lanes and the bike lane. This cost was not included in the May 29 special meeting when the City Council reversed a prior decision to end the pilot project. Councilmember Anna Stout asked, “So ...
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Margolis: A victory for constitutional clarity as Justice Barrett shuts down Jackson’s activist dissent
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PJ Media, Approved, Commentary, National

Margolis: A victory for constitutional clarity as Justice Barrett shuts down Jackson’s activist dissent

By Matt Margolis | Commentary, PJ Media Justice Amy Coney Barrett has gotten a bad rap lately for siding with the leftist wing of the Supreme Court on a few cases, but if you ever needed a reminder of why ACB was such a pivotal addition to the Supreme Court, look no further than her latest majority opinion, which brutally destroyed Ketanji Brown Jackson for her moronic dissent in Trump v. CASA, Inc. In a 6-3 decision that handed President Trump a major victory, the Court put the brakes on runaway district judges issuing nationwide injunctions — an abuse that’s become the left’s favorite tool for stalling any policy they dislike. Jackson’s dissent veered into unhinged territory, and she wildly accused the administration of asking the court for “permission to engage in unlawful beha...
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After 30 years of bloodshed, Congo and Rwanda sign U.S.-brokered peace pact
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U.S. News & World Report, Approved, National

After 30 years of bloodshed, Congo and Rwanda sign U.S.-brokered peace pact

By Associated Press via U.S. News & World Report The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal facilitated by the U.S. to help end the decades-long, deadly fighting in eastern Congo WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Friday signed a peace deal facilitated by the U.S. to help end the decades-long deadly fighting in eastern Congo while helping the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “an important moment after 30 years of war.” Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said at a news conference that he was able to broker a deal for “one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen.” “I was able to get them together and sell i...
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Colorado River Basin states inch toward fragile water compromise as federal deadlines approach
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, National

Colorado River Basin states inch toward fragile water compromise as federal deadlines approach

By Shannon Mullane | Colorado Sun The federal government laid out firm deadlines for the process to decide how to manage the river’s future. As the negotiations continue, environmental conditions in the basin worsen. Colorado River Basin states are almost, sort of, close to a small compromise in their negotiations that focuses on matching reservoir releases more closely to the river’s actual flow. Colorado water watchers seem to be rolling with it — so far.  Top negotiators in Colorado and six basin states offered a glimpse into the high-stakes talks for the first time in months during several water meetings this week. The states are negotiating how to manage the future water supply for 40 million people once the existing rules expire in 2026.  The opposing sides in the ne...
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