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Colorado Strengthens Criminal Investigations With New Social Media Warrant Law
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Strengthens Criminal Investigations With New Social Media Warrant Law

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A law requiring social media platforms to respond to search warrants within 72 hours goes into effect on Aug. 12. Senate Bill 011 also requires platforms to create a staffed hotline for Colorado law enforcement agencies to contact regarding pending search warrants. The bill is a pared-down version of last year’sSenate Bill 086, which also included provisions related to violations of social media policies and minor users. While the bill passed through both the House and the Senate, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed the legislation, expressing worries about requiring social media companies to enforce state laws and about the measure’s data-collection requirements. The Senate voted to override the veto, but efforts sta...
Jeffco Schools Lawsuit Seeks Clarity After Federal Challenge to Transgender Policies
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Jeffco Schools Lawsuit Seeks Clarity After Federal Challenge to Transgender Policies

By: Matt Kyle | The Denver Gazette In the wake of several threats by the Trump administration to revoke federal funding, Jeffco Public Schools filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education seeking to protect that badly needed money. Jeffco has been under investigation by the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights over the district’s policies regarding transgender students, which the federal government alleges violate Title IX. Jeffco officials said its policies are in line with Colorado state law and that the dispute is between the state and federal governments, not the school district. In its complaint, Jeffco said the district’s policies align with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which broadly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identit...
Denver Among America’s Riskiest Vacation Cities
KYGO, Approved, Local

Denver Among America’s Riskiest Vacation Cities

By Shawn Patrick | 98.5 KYGO If you’ve ever parked your car on a Denver street and returned to find the window smashed and your backpack gone, congratulations: You are a data point. Denver has been named the fourth-riskiest vacation destination in the United States for property crime, according to a new analysis by home security company Vivint using FBI data from summer 2024. The Mile High City logged 401 property crimes per 100,000 residents during peak summer travel season, putting it behind only Honolulu (442), Seattle (415) and Philadelphia (408) among 25 popular U.S. vacation cities studied. That rate is nearly three times higher than Park City, Utah, which topped the safest list at just 136 per 100,000. The ranking is driven by three categories: burglary, la...
Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog
Fox News, Approved, National

Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog

By Kevin D. Roberts and Chris Barnard | Fox News Bill would add a foreign visitor surcharge to help cover $40 billion in deferred maintenance. Conservatives have long understood that conservation is not about locking away America's natural treasures, but stewarding them through responsible use so future generations can enjoy the same public lands that earlier generations worked hard to secure. Just six years ago, President Donald Trump paid tribute to that legacy when he signed the original "Great American Outdoors Act" into law. That bill established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), which budgeted for countless infrastructure projects within our most precious landscapes. But that program expired last year, threatening the future of A...
What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wrote recently (see the first link below) about how a political agenda has hijacked the CPW Commission and they're really not bothering to hide the ball anymore. I mentioned to someone in the comments on that post that I'd heard Commissioner Jay Tutchton had remarked about the nature of the commission's votes and democracy. The second link below is to a Yahoo reprint of a 9News article which has the quote I couldn't find for the commenter. Quoting from that piece: "Yesterday was 6-5, today was 6-5. I'm happy with democracy working," said James Tutchton, the commission's chair." Said another way, Mr. Tutchton, somewhat resignedly, commented that the vote going the way he wanted on the day prior vs. the da...
Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping
ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com Gov. Jared Polis has launched an economic council as Colorado businesses cite rising costs, complex rules, and an unforgiving cost of living. The Denver Gazette reports that Gov. Jared Polis has rolled out a new public-private council aimed at improving Colorado’s affordability and economic competitiveness. The council is supposed to study the state’s business climate, benchmark Colorado against competitors, and recommend policy, regulatory, and legislative changes. Very serious people will gather around very serious tables and produce, one assumes, a very serious PDF. The timing is not exactly subtle. Colorado has fallen out of CNBC’s top 10 states for business, business leaders are increasingly pessimistic, and employers ar...
Medical Watchdog Urges AMA and Major Groups to Reject Transgender Surgeries for Minors
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

Medical Watchdog Urges AMA and Major Groups to Reject Transgender Surgeries for Minors

By Tyler O’Neil | The Daily Signal FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The medical watchdog group Do No Harm is calling on 10 major medical associations to explicitly condemn transgender genital surgeries on minors. “Professional medical societies that endorse so-called gender-affirming care in minors bear tremendous responsibility for the harm done to American children in the name of gender ideology,” Dr. Kurt Miceli, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Do No Harm, told the Daily Signal in a statement on the letters. Do No Harm sent ten largely identical open letters Wednesday morning, addressing the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Asso...
Education Department Investigates Colorado Teacher Over Same Sex Classroom Kissing Assignment
Just The News, Approved, National

Education Department Investigates Colorado Teacher Over Same Sex Classroom Kissing Assignment

By Kevin Killough | Just the News The department is also investigating a district in Washington state that displayed vials of testosterone as part of an LGBTQ Pride Month exhibit. The U.S. Department of Education said it's investigating allegations that a Colorado high school teacher required students of the same sex to kiss in front of the classroom as part of a class assignment.  The investigation is trying to determine if parents were notified about this student evaluation and whether parents or students who wanted to opt out of the exercise were allowed to, as required by federal law.  “Shocking reports from across the country indicate that our kids are being subjected to inappropriate material, surveys, and events in schools, and parents’ fundam...
Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network

By Spencer Wilson | CBS Colorado A discussion over privacy, policing and public safety technology is taking center stage in Avon after three police cameras were vandalized earlier this month. That includes two speed enforcement cameras and one Flock license plate reader. The acts of vandalism happened during the early morning hours of July 18, when someone cut down or damaged camera poles and stole two of the devices. It resulted in more than $76,000 in damage and replacement costs, according to documents prepared for Tuesday night's Avon Town Council meeting. Police said they are actively investigating the felony vandalism and theft. The vandalism also ignited a much larger conversation online after the Avon Police Department's Facebook post about the damage...
When Colorado’s water runs short what should come first: Food or fairways?
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

When Colorado’s water runs short what should come first: Food or fairways?

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com I met a guy at a golf course recently who expressed grave concern about the health of the grass this summer, because of Colorado’s ongoing drought. We hadn’t met before and knew nothing of each other’s backgrounds. But he entertained me with a tirade about Colorado’s waste of water, especially for agriculture. He asserted that 85 percent of Colorado’s precious water is used to raise livestock and feed for livestock, an outrage when there is so little for watering the greens and fairways. I was tempted to ask the man if he is a vegetarian, but I didn’t because I already knew the answer. Of course he is not a vegetarian; he is one of those activists who wants everyone else to change their lifestyles. The kind who want everyone else to r...