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Walcher: Breaking China’s grip on rare earth minerals begins with real mining at home
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Walcher: Breaking China’s grip on rare earth minerals begins with real mining at home

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Energy Secretary Chris Wright went to Wyoming last week to cut the ribbon on the first new rare earth mine in the U.S. since the 1950s. Telling the assembled guests and reporters that the “Brook Mine” is critical to breaking China’s “stranglehold on rare earth processing,” he hinted that it might be the first of several. It should be. A few years ago, I visited Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar and when discussing the need for domestic production of vital minerals, he picked up a dark brown rock from the Mojave Desert, explaining that it was mostly composed of a “rare earth” element. He said millions of such rocks littered the desert in his district, yet the United States imported 100 percent of the mineral it contains. That situation has no...
Colorado at risk of losing $156 million solar grant under Biden-backed EPA shift
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado at risk of losing $156 million solar grant under Biden-backed EPA shift

BY MICHAEL BOOTH | THE COLORADO SUN Subsidies for lower-income families to get access to solar panels and cheaper bills are under threat from the GOP administration The Environmental Protection Agency wants to cancel $7 billion in solar installation grants, including $156 million already awarded to Colorado, according to national news reports, and Colorado state officials and solar industry leaders are scrambling to learn what is happening to a highly touted program.  The Colorado Solar and Storage Association said the cancellation, if confirmed, would mean yet another federal blow to clean energy efforts, where Colorado has led the way nationally in converting power generation to renewable sources and promoting solar use in lower-income neighborhoods.  “It’s dev...
DiGirolamo: The predator playbook every parent needs to know about
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

DiGirolamo: The predator playbook every parent needs to know about

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Internet is a 24\7 how-to manual. Unfortunately, it’s also available for predators to gather advice to target and manipulate your child. All in a matter of seconds, simply by asking. Staca Shehan, Vice President at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children recently said, “We're also seeing offenders enter questions asking for guides or tutorials on how to groom or recruit children and do it more efficiently.” The following summarizes the ways predators go after your kids: Predator Grooming Tactics: Victim Targeting: Constantly seek children and teens to interact with. It is quick and easy to find others online. Predators seek anyone who is vulnerable and willing to interact in a chat room, on social me...
Garbo: Colorado Democrats set the house on fire, then send you the insurance bill
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Garbo: Colorado Democrats set the house on fire, then send you the insurance bill

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If you’re a Colorado homeowner staring down another massive insurance premium hike - welcome to the consequences of single-party rule. For over a decade, Democrats have run this state. For the last four years, they’ve enjoyed unchecked supermajorities. And yet, while your coverage hasn’t improved, your bill has exploded. In just two years, my own homeowners insurance jumped 190%: - 2023–24: $3,029 - 2024–25: $5,230 (+72.66%) - 2025–26: $8,768 (+67.65%) I’ve filed zero claims. My house hasn’t changed. But the policies passed under Democratic control have made everything worse. This is what happens when public policy is written by unskilled, untalented, uninformed people who face no meaningful opposition or accountabil...
800% spike in ICE attacks blamed on ‘radical left’ by agency director
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

800% spike in ICE attacks blamed on ‘radical left’ by agency director

BY BRADLEY DEVLIN | THE DAILY SIGNAL https://youtu.be/61QbHhHtVY0?feature=shared This article is a preview of Politics Editor Bradley Devlin’s interview with acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons on “The Signal Sitdown.” Watch the full episode on YouTube by clicking on the video above. Two months ago, violent riots broke out in America’s second-largest city after immigration enforcement officers served legal warrants, signed by a judge, to individuals in this country illegally.  The rioters, which the media assured you were “mostly peaceful,” laid siege to federal buildings, attacked law enforcement officers, lit cop cars on fire, and looted businesses for days—all while flying the flag of a foreign country. Of course, we’re talking about the Los...
Minary: Why merit beats seniority and DEI in hiring and leadership
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Minary: Why merit beats seniority and DEI in hiring and leadership

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice With the federal debt now topping $35 trillion, it’s clear there’s too much fraud, waste, abuse, corruption, redundancy, reckless spending and status quo. Change is in order. In Jan. 2025, Pres. Trump issued an Executive Order entitled: “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” which introduced MERITOCRACY into the system.  A lot of people applauded the change and others reacted negatively.   MERIT is a good thing. The dictionary defines MERIT as: 1) Superior quality or worth; 2)  Quality deserving praise or approval; 3) Virtue and demonstrated ability or achievement.  Those qualities are all good when you’re looking for a surgeon, banker, financial advisor, employee, m...
New Colorado laws raise stakes in domestic abuse response
DENVER7, Approved, State

New Colorado laws raise stakes in domestic abuse response

BY BRANDON RICHARD | DENVER 7 DENVER — More than 200 new state laws will take effect on Wednesday, including laws that provide additional protections for survivors of domestic abuse. Denver7 dug into one of the new laws and spoke with community members to find out how it will address a problem they say is long overdue for a solution. Eunice Brownlee is a survivor of domestic abuse. While she was never physically abused, she told Denver7 she endured constant emotional and financial abuse and was afraid of losing custody of her daughter. “There were all kinds of stuff that happened, and our life became very challenging,” Brownlee said. “One of the things that most people don't understand is that coercive control is the thing that keeps people trapped in relationships b...
Divide Family Battles Teller County to Keep Greenhouse and Grow Food
Local, Approved, The Colorado Sun

Divide Family Battles Teller County to Keep Greenhouse and Grow Food

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun The fifth-generation Woodland Park area family argues the 2,856-square-foot greenhouse is allowed under the state Farm Stand Act. DIVIDE — Virginia Loop imagined rows and rows of carrots and peppers, trees that would give her lemons and kiwifruit in a few years, and even her own crop of avocados on their land at 9,200 feet. What she has, though, are wasted seeds, tomato plants of a half-dozen varieties that wilted and died in their pots, and a greenhouse taken over by weeds. Virginia and her husband, Zac, had a dream of growing their own food, sharing with the neighbors and selling their extra zucchinis, potatoes and mangoes to fellow Teller County residents. They researched state and local laws, decided they did not need a permit, took out ...
Apple’s Tim Cook Announces Additional $100B for American Manufacturing at White House
The Western Journal, Approved, National

Apple’s Tim Cook Announces Additional $100B for American Manufacturing at White House

By Randy DeSoto | The Western Journal Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at the White House on Wednesday that his company will be investing an additional $100 billion in the U.S. economy, on top of the $500 billion it previously committed to invest over the next four years. Cook said during an Oval Office event with President Donald Trump that Apple supports 450,000 American jobs, with suppliers and partners in all 50 states. “I’m very proud to say that today, we’re committing an additional $100 billion to the United States, bringing our total U.S. investment to $600 billion over the next four years,” the CEO stated. Cook noted that his company has recently entered into agreements with 10 U.S. companies to build Apple component parts. “I’m proud to say that Apple is leading the cr...
United Flights Resume After Grounding Thousands Over Tech Glitch
National, Approved, The Gazette

United Flights Resume After Grounding Thousands Over Tech Glitch

By Shivani Tanna and Rajesh Kumar Singh | The Gazette CHICAGO (Reuters) -United Airlines said a technology issue that led to a grounding of its flights for a few hours at U.S. airports and major delays across its network on Wednesday had been resolved. "While we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations," the airline said. The technology issue prompted ground stops at several major United hub airports including Newark, Denver, Houston, and Chicago, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's website. United said the problem related to its Unimatic system that houses information about each flight that is then fed to other systems, including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times. As of 10:25 p.m. ET (0225 ...