Rocky Mountain Voice

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Denver man among 39 to receive pardon from President Biden, 1,500 receive commutations
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Denver man among 39 to receive pardon from President Biden, 1,500 receive commutations

By Morgan Whitley | Fox 31 News President Joe Biden is commuting 1,500 sentences and pardoning 39 Americans, including a Colorado man, in what is now the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. A White House lawyer said the people who were pardoned by Biden were convicted of nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses, and turned their lives around. A president has the power to both pardon, in which a person is relieved of guilt and punishment, or commute a sentence, which reduces or eliminates the punishment but doesn’t exonerate the wrongdoing. It’s customary for a president to grant mercy at the end of his term, using the power of the office to wipe away records or end prison terms. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Devotional: We are all born to lead, with a servant mindset
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: We are all born to lead, with a servant mindset

By Drake Hunter | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Through the years, I’ve attended countless leadership training sessions, courses and workshops. Most start with the same bold statement: “All leaders are born leaders!” While I respect the enthusiasm behind this idea, my first reaction is, “Well, of course! What else would they be?” Every leader was indeed born — but the unspoken truth is that every person born carries the potential to be a leader. The problem is that this potential often needs to be recognized. Why? Because we seldom hear follow-ups like, “All people who are born can become great leaders,” if they are willing to humble themselves and align with the principles of effective leadership. When we hear "leadership," our minds may conjure images of directors, o...
Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Maya Wheeler, a community activist and business owner from Aurora, has announced she will be running for the vacant Senate seat in District 29. The seat is currently held by Democratic Sen. Janet Buckner, who recently announced she would be resigning next month after running unopposed in the 2024 election.  Buckner started her legislative career in the House in 2015 through the vacancy process, following the death of her husband, Rep. John Buckner. She was elected to the state Senate in 2020.  Wheeler is not the only candidate seeking the vacated seat. Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, announced her intention to run for the seat last month. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Copper Creek wolf pack to return to wild as Colorado set to release 15 wolves
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Copper Creek wolf pack to return to wild as Colorado set to release 15 wolves

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News Colorado Parks and Wildlife planned to release 15 wolves in Colorado by January, and now a few more wolves will join the release. The wolves from Canada will be released in Colorado in January. Originally, this amounted to 15 wolves. However, CPW confirmed with FOX31 that five wolves (a female and four pups) from the Copper Creek wolf pack will also be part of the release. The Copper Creek wolf pack, originally introduced into the state in December 2023, was captured over the summer with plans to relocate after livestock depredations, although critics say it goes against parts of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Colorado town of Superior under home rule after special election
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado town of Superior under home rule after special election

By Sarah Horbacewicz | CBS Colorado In a special election Tuesday, the Colorado town of Superior voted to adopt a charter and move the town under home rule.  There was a low turnout for the town of more than 13,000 people. The votes came in at 1,670 for the charter and 721 against. The measure was originally planned to be on the November ballot, but a clerical error pushed it to a special election in December. Now some residents still have questions about the vote and what it means. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Arapahoe County, which has some of the strictest oil and gas regulations in the state, on Tuesday approved additional regulations, notably setting aside money for plugging wells or when they are abandoned. The new amendments to the county's oil and gas regulations came after a slew of regulations adopted last year that included requiring one-mile setbacks from existing and planned reservoirs, additional soil and water testing, wildland urban interface protections and fire code compliance on access roads. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Gillard & Stutzriem: In support of the EPC canvass board in HD16 recount
Approved, Commentary, gazette.com

Gillard & Stutzriem: In support of the EPC canvass board in HD16 recount

By Candice Stutzriem and Adam Gillard | Commentary, The Gazette We are writing to be 100% transparent with the decisions made by the EPC Canvass Board to remove three votes for Rep. Steph Vigil during the House District 16 election recount. A key point has been left out of media reports; The Canvass Board honored the voter’s intent. Speaking as two of the three members of the EPC Canvass Board, we assure all concerned that the board and the EPC Elections Department were present from the Logic and Accuracy Test all the way through the canvass signing ceremony. We witnessed the recount exceeding 387,000 ballots and inspected more than 3,000 over-votes and under-votes identified for individual adjudication. It required eight days over Thanksgiving weekend, in the counting room, with ...
Inflation rose to 3% in November in producer price index, surprisingly hot
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Inflation rose to 3% in November in producer price index, surprisingly hot

By Zach Halaschak | Washington Examiner Inflation, as measured by the producer price index, rose four-tenths of a percentage point to 3% for the year ending in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. The hot inflation rate is more than economists had anticipated and adds to recent signs that price pressures have not yet abated as President-elect Trump prepares to take office. In fact, November marked the largest rise in PPI inflation since February 2023. On a month-to-month basis, the producer price index increased by 0.4%. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics via Denver Gazette A panel of experts on Tuesday argued that certain crimes should be a felony, instead of a misdemeanor, and Colorado's policymakers should give law enforcement the right tools to go after criminals. That approach might entail pushing back on policies throughout the state and in municipalities, according to the panelists at the Common Sense Institute’s (CSI) annual summit. Moderated by Executive Editor of The Gazette, Vince Bzdek, three panelists discussed tackling crime through data-driven strategies. The Panelists included 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner, Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams and CSI criminal justice expert and fellow Mitch Morrissey, a former Denver District Attorney. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLO...
U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd ready to get to work on border security, immigration in Congress
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd ready to get to work on border security, immigration in Congress

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Since the moment Jeff Hurd was declared the winner of Colorado's 3rd District election to the U.S. House, he has been working on putting a finer point on the details of the campaign promises to the people in Southern and Western Colorado who elected him. He is actively thinking about legislation he can write and support, and bad legislation and bureaucratic systems that he can help eliminate that get in the way of prosperity and success for the people in the district, he says. During his campaign, Hurd promised he would work with other members of the Republican Caucus to secure the border. To that end, he has been reviewing legislative measures he could write and support that would promote border security. In additio...