Rocky Mountain Voice

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ICE under siege in LA as Trump steps in, Newsom fumes
Approved, Breitbart, National

ICE under siege in LA as Trump steps in, Newsom fumes

By Joel B. Pollak | Breitbart California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) took his frustrations to social media on Saturday as President Donald Trump federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops to quell anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. Trump sent in the National Guard after two days of rioting in which black-clad radicals attacked federal law enforcement officials who were arresting illegal aliens in the city. https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1931564316932571281 The rioters set fire to cars, tagged federal buildings with graffiti, and attacked federal officers. https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1931520821471928407 City and state officials did little to stop the violence, other than offering their support for “immigrants” and criticizing the Trump administration. ...
A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s classrooms are getting quieter – not because kids are learning, but because there are fewer of them. Across the state, dropping birth rates and shrinking enrollment are forcing schools to close, merge – or sit half-empty. And the trend isn’t slowing down. In May, the Common Sense Institute released a report warning that Colorado’s birth rate has been declining since 2005 and has fallen faster than the national average since 2011. The report projects the state will lose more than 15,000 children under age 18 by 2030 – roughly the equivalent of the entire Thompson R2-J school district. Denver Public Schools is already deep into closures. According to CSI’s analysis, DPS has approved the closure of seven schools and partial restructur...
State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain
Approved, Local, The Business Times

State transportation project shutters 22-year-old Grand Junction auto sales business via eminent domain

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times For 22 years, GJ Auto Sales was a fixture in the Grand Junction community, a family-run business operated by Amber Colunga Martinez and Mike Martinez. But now, the lot at 320 S. First St. will be transformed into a state-led mobility hub, part of Colorado’s climate-focused transportation plan. Selling the property to the state of Colorado, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County due to impending eminent domain has left the couple without enough to financially open up again in a viable location. The Martinezes said they first learned of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans not through official communication, but by reading a story in The Daily Sentinel. “We found out about it through the Sentinel posting an article about i...
McCombie: Initiative 82 revives push to restrict hunting, override expert conservation
Approved, Commentary, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum, State

McCombie: Initiative 82 revives push to restrict hunting, override expert conservation

By Brian McCombie | Commentary, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum Colorado anti-hunters are making yet another push to wrest control of that state’s wildlife from wildlife professionals. This time, it is the recently proposed Ballot Initiative 82, the “Colorado Wildlife & Biodiversity Protection Act.” At its core, Initiative 82 would create an independent commission parallel to the current Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. This independent commission would then draw up legal protections for unnamed “keystone species” and assess financial penalties for any violations of these protections. If approved by voters in the state’s 2026 election, $2.5 million in taxpayer dollars will fund this commission. It then will decide what exactly are the “keystone species,” though observers ...
Mayor Mobolade’s town hall tour met with mixed reviews across Colorado Springs
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Mayor Mobolade’s town hall tour met with mixed reviews across Colorado Springs

By Brennen Kauffman | Denver Gazette Friday marks two years since Yemi Mobolade was sworn in as Colorado Springs' 42nd mayor. His achievements so far have drawn mixed reactions from the city's residents who attended the Report Out Community Tour events this week. Mobolade launched the tour on May 23, holding a meeting in each of the six Colorado Springs City Council districts to hear how residents felt about the progress made on the goals. The largest turnout was Tuesday night, when several dozen people sat in the auditorium of The Classical Academy for the District 2 meeting. The crowd was unhappy to find out that Mobolade would not be appearing. City staff and council members said he had attended Monday's town hall while sick but had begun feeling worse. Mobolade was absent from...
Hunter: Dear Common Sense on using your voice without becoming part of the chaos
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Hunter: Dear Common Sense on using your voice without becoming part of the chaos

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice “Dear Common Sense” is a no-nonsense advice column for those who still believe truth matters, leadership is earned, and common sense isn’t so common anymore. Each issue tackles real questions from real people, offering grounded wisdom for speaking up, leading well, and living with integrity in a noisy world. No shouting. No spin. Just clarity with character.  Let’s lean into our first entry. Shall we? Dear Common Sense, I care about this country, probably more than I let on. And I’m not one to sit on my hands when something needs to be said. But these days, it feels like speaking up just adds to the noise. I don’t want to keep my mouth shut, but I don’t want to add to the shouting match either. ...
“Not one mention of sexual abuse”: Parents slam Jeffco union as Title IX storm builds
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

“Not one mention of sexual abuse”: Parents slam Jeffco union as Title IX storm builds

By Heidi Ganahl, Rocky Mountain Voice Jeffco Public Schools is at the center of a storm as teachers and parents clash with Superintendent Tracy Dorland over leadership, transparency, and the district’s handling of cultural and safety concerns.  Tensions hit a breaking point on May 29, when the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA)—representing roughly a quarter of Jeffco’s 5,000 teachers—declared a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Tracy Dorland. The move came just days before news broke of a federal Title IX investigation into the district. Union leaders accused her of top-down leadership, fostering instability, and eroding trust. They highlighted high turnover in central office staff, the rejection of a board-approved policy on ICE protocols, and the rollback ...
Illegal immigrant faces 118-count indictment for firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Illegal immigrant faces 118-count indictment for firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon. BOULDER — The man accused of tossing Molotov cocktails into a group of peaceful demonstrators in Boulder was charged Thursday in state court with 118 counts, including attempted murder. Mohamed Soliman, 45, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. He appeared in court at the Boulder County jail on Thursday afternoon where he was advised of the charges against him. Soliman is being held in lieu of a $10 million bond.  The 118 charges included 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of first-degree assault, court documents show. Soliman’s next appearance in Boulder ...
D-Day remembered: Fort Carson’s Sgt. Simmons honors family legacy of valor on 81st anniversary
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local, National

D-Day remembered: Fort Carson’s Sgt. Simmons honors family legacy of valor on 81st anniversary

By Mary Shinn | Denver Gazette A Fort Carson soldier honored his family’s history this week in France ahead of commemorating the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. On Monday, Sgt. John Simmons visited the grave of his great-great-uncle Cpl. Raymond Parry in St. Mihiel American Cemetery, marking the first time in 95 years a member of the family visited the grave of the World War I soldier who never went home to Wyoming. Later in the week, he expected to receive his promotion to staff sergeant on Utah Beach, a battle site his great-grandfather Glenn Thomas Workman passed through as part of the 6th Armored Division, after it was secured 81 years ago. Simmons comes from a long line of service members on both sides of his family, including three members who served in World War I a...
Federal judge upholds Colorado’s 21+ gun law, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners vow to appeal
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Federal judge upholds Colorado’s 21+ gun law, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners vow to appeal

By Taylor Dolven | Colorado Sun A gun rights group challenged the 2023 law in court. Thursday’s ruling by a U.S. District Judge is a win for gun-control advocates. Colorado’s law requiring people to be at least 21 years old to buy a gun can stand, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The ruling is a definitive win for gun control advocates and a blow to the group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and two young people hoping to purchase guns, who sued Gov. Jared Polis to block the law in 2023. Chief U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer sided with Polis and said in his ruling that the plaintiffs could not prove that the law violated their rights. “Plaintiffs cannot establish a violation of a right secured by the Constitution or that they have suffered an irreparable injury from such a violat...