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House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It will remain to be seen how closely Democrat Gov. Jared Polis aligns in the 75th legislative session with Colorado House Republicans on a variety of priority issues to the minority caucus. During a long address in which he noted Lord of the Rings, referenced Star Trek and Star Wars, and imitated Taylor Swift, Polis found a bit of time to borrow some of the key issues of the day from the minority party's playbook, including affordability, public safety, education and brief mentions of agriculture. “Colorado families are facing significant challenges, and I appreciate the governor’s recognition that affordability remains one of the greatest concerns for Coloradans," House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said following Polis' address to the join...
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Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a tough time to be a Coloradan, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen summarized for the Colorado Senate as the 75th General Assembly opened this week. "In recent years, our state has been burdened with policies that are at best heavy-handed, at worst suffocating," he said. Such as, Lundeen said, regulations, fees and the hated 10-cent per-bag fee each time a Coloradan goes to the mini-mart or the grocery store. They are policies that "weigh heavily on the families we are here to serve," Lundeen said. Some have estimated the 10-cent bag fee is a $500 annual tax for the average family. The Republican warned that economic anxieties of Coloradans are real, tangible and growing. "We have passed policies that overreach," he said. "Laws th...
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‘This is unacceptable’: Review of former CBI DNA scientist’s 10,786 cases causes rape evidence logjam
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

‘This is unacceptable’: Review of former CBI DNA scientist’s 10,786 cases causes rape evidence logjam

By Jenny Deam | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The time to process a rape kit in Colorado has now nearly doubled, leaving victims in limbo due to the continuing scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the director of the embattled agency told lawmakers Wednesday. While in November 2023 it took an average of 275 days to analyze the DNA evidence in a sexual assault case at the forensic lab, it now takes on average 517 days, admitted CBI Director Chris Schaefer in testimony before the legislature's joint judiciary committee. "This is unacceptable," Schaefer acknowledged. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado firefighters head west to help battle devastating California wildfires
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado firefighters head west to help battle devastating California wildfires

By O'Dell Isaac | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette A group of Colorado firefighters has deployed to California to join an interagency effort to battle several wildfires currently ravaging the southern part of the state. At least five fires, covering more than 45 square miles in the greater Los Angeles area, have killed at least five people, destroyed at least 10,000 structures, and forced nearly 180,000 people from their homes, according to multiple reports. As California crews work to get these blazes under control, the state’s emergency management agencies have requested aid from several other states, including Colorado. According to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, engines and crews from Castle Rock, Four Mile, Stratmoor Hills, Hartsel, and Southern Arkan...
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Trump picks Senate candidate Sam Brown to head VA memorial affairs
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Approved, Military Times, National

Trump picks Senate candidate Sam Brown to head VA memorial affairs

By Leo Shane III | Military Times President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday tapped former Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown to serve as the head of cemetery and memorial affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs, putting a combat-wounded veteran in charge of the key post. In a statement on social media, Trump called Brown “an American hero” who will work “to ensure we put America’s veterans first and remember all who served.” Brown, 41, is a West Point alumnus who served in the Army for five years after graduation. During a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, he was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE MILITARY TIMES
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Man who dragged Brighton officer with car sentenced to decades in prison
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Man who dragged Brighton officer with car sentenced to decades in prison

By Janet Oravetz  | Denver Gazette, via 9News A man who injured a Brighton Police Department officer when he attempted to drive away to avoid being arrested was sentenced Wednesday morning to 20 years in prison. Robert Trujillo, 51, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree assault related to the August 2023 incident at Overland Trail Middle School. On Aug. 16, 2023, officers responded to the school after learning that Trujillo, who was wanted on a felony domestic violence warrant was sitting in a car at the school. Officers arrived and one parked in front of Trujillo's vehicle and a second parked behind him. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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California fires: Insurance companies dropping coverage and fleeing the state due to decades-old law
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Approved, Fox Business, National

California fires: Insurance companies dropping coverage and fleeing the state due to decades-old law

By Breck Dumas  | Fox Business California's insurance crisis is expected to get even worse after the devastating wildfires raging in the state, and experts say a decades-old law plays a significant role in why insurance companies have fled the state in recent years. In 1988, California voters passed Proposition 103, which gave the state's Department of Insurance the power to approve rates or even roll them back. So, insurance companies that want to raise rates have to go through a regulatory process that can take months or even years, hindering their ability to adequately adjust rates to cover their losses and assess risk.  "Prop 103 is essentially price controls," said Steven Greenhut, western region director for the R Street Institute in Sacramento. "It puts the kibosh on t...
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TikTok’s future hangs in balance at Friday’s Supreme Court arguments 
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Approved, National, THE HILL

TikTok’s future hangs in balance at Friday’s Supreme Court arguments 

By Zach Schonfeld and Julia Shapero  | The Hill TikTok’s future will hang in the balance Friday when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over a federal law that could ban the video-sharing platform nationwide in less than 10 days.  In its waning days, the Biden-era Justice Department will square off in the courtroom against lawyers for TikTok and several creators in a seismic battle that pits national security against free speech.  “The whole point of the First Amendment is that the government can’t shut down speech that it thinks is against its interests,” said Liberty Justice Center President Jacob Huebert, a member of the creators’ legal team.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
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Horse rescued after falling into icy pond in Northern Colorado
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Horse rescued after falling into icy pond in Northern Colorado

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado Fire crews with Loveland Fire Authority rescued a horse that had fallen into an icy pond in Northern Colorado. Crews rushed to the pond on South County Road 13 on Thursday where a horse found a way through the fence and onto a frozen pond.  Firefighters said the pond could not support the horse's weight and ended up in the icy waters in the middle of the pond. The horse could not get back to shore.  Firefighters donned ice rescue suits and broke apart the ice using axes and sledgehammers. Eventually, they were able to walk the horse to shore after clearing a path.  READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Two Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices agree with Democrat appointees in allowing Trump sentencing to proceed
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Approved, National, The Daily Signal

Two Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices agree with Democrat appointees in allowing Trump sentencing to proceed

By Fred Lucas  | Daily Signal The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a New York court from sentencing President-elect Donald Trump in the “hush money” case involving porn star Stormy Daniels. A Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of fraud in relation to the case last spring in a prosecution led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. New York Justice Juan Merchan is scheduled to hand down a sentence on Friday for the former and future president. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
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