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10 months after killing Kaitlyn Weaver, ICE arrests illegal teen prosecutors let walk
Approved, Fox News, Local

10 months after killing Kaitlyn Weaver, ICE arrests illegal teen prosecutors let walk

By Louis Casiano | Fox News The youth was sentenced to probation and community service in a plea deal for the July 2024 death of Kaitlyn Weaver An illegal immigrant teenager who was spared jail time after he was convicted of killing a Colorado woman in a high-speed crash has been arrested, along with his family, by immigration authorities.  The 16-year-old from Colombia was sentenced to probation and community service for the July 2024 death of Kaitlyn Weaver, 24, in Aurora after striking a plea deal with prosecutors.  The teen, who has not been publicly named because of state laws that shield the identity of underage criminal suspects, was arrested May 20 along with his family, who were also living in the United States illegally, U.S. Immigration and Custom...
Chamber report flags 200K Colorado regulations as “excessive or duplicative”
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Chamber report flags 200K Colorado regulations as “excessive or duplicative”

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado's regulatory framework took the center stage during this year's legislative session, where lawmakers clashed over proposed measures that — depending on who is asked — either benefit workers or create new burdens on businesses. Behind these two competing frameworks are the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Fiscal Institute. On the one hand, the chamber and its allies argue that regulations have increased significantly over the past decade, putting up unnecessary barriers for businesses. On the other hand, the Colorado Fiscal Institute and its supporters maintain that the rules are essential to protect workers and consumers from harmful practices. One of the most frequently cited statistics during the session...
Message still matters: How Caliber Contact’s Pollie-winning campaign helped defeat Colorado’s Prop 127
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Message still matters: How Caliber Contact’s Pollie-winning campaign helped defeat Colorado’s Prop 127

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice When Colorado voters rejected Proposition 127 in 2024, they didn’t just weigh in on mountain lions and bobcats – they delivered a decisive verdict on who should shape wildlife policy. In the state’s first failed wildlife ballot measure since 1992, 54.7% voted no.  Behind that result was an award-winning campaign by Caliber Contact, a Republican firm that reframed the issue through a values-driven lens by tapping into safety concerns, protective instincts and the voice of everyday Coloradans – over celebrity advocates.  Caliber Contact’s work is once again making headlines after the firm received two Pollie Awards this month for this very campaign – reminding the political world how strategic messaging helped sway one of Colorado’s most h...
HHS terminating $750M for Moderna’s mRNA-based bird flu vaccines amid safety concerns
Approved, Fox News, National

HHS terminating $750M for Moderna’s mRNA-based bird flu vaccines amid safety concerns

By Alec Schemmel | Fox News The decision follows HHS's removal of COVID vaccines from federal vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women President Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is terminating awards totaling more than $750 million dollars that were provided to pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna to help facilitate its production of mRNA-based bird flu vaccines.  During President Joe Biden's final week in office, his administration awarded $590 million to Moderna to help speed up its production of mRNA-based vaccines. The $590 million award followed a separate $176 million award Biden gave to Moderna earlier last year for mRNA vaccine technology. Messenger RNA vaccines are a newer type of vaccine technology, which w...
Home rule vs. housing order: Colorado Springs challenges Polis directive
Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Home rule vs. housing order: Colorado Springs challenges Polis directive

By Mackenzie Stafford | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council decided to roll the dice on roughly $20 million in funding, according to the city's estimates. It comes after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed executive order D 2025 - 005, which includes blanket statewide housing requirements aimed at improving affordability. The city claims that there are a handful of laws in the order that are not right for the Colorado Springs community. The only issue is that, as part of the executive order, not following these laws could put the city under noncompliance, which is a one-way ticket to getting those dollars pulled.At a city hall meeting on Tuesday, councilmembers voted 7 to 2 on a resolution to reaffirm Colorado S...
Trump ends controversial animal research grants: ‘Making America Greater for Animals’
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Trump ends controversial animal research grants: ‘Making America Greater for Animals’

By Paul Bedard | Washington Examiner They’re calling it the “Making America Greater for Animals” movement. In a continuation of his first term, President Donald Trump has bolstered his reputation as the best friend of animals by canceling grants for experiments on monkeys, dogs, and cats. With several moves, including his targeting of Harvard University research grants, Trump has recently ended several “cruel” research projects long opposed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the White Coat Waste Project. At Harvard, Trump ended funding for grants supporting testing on baby monkeys taken from their mothers. Some tests looked at the harmful impact on developing brains when the eyes of young monkeys were sewn shut. “PETA applauds the Trump administrati...
Vote of no confidence for JeffCo Superintendent Dorland follows union letter calling it necessary
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Vote of no confidence for JeffCo Superintendent Dorland follows union letter calling it necessary

By Carly Moore | Fox31 JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland was given a vote of no confidence by a teachers’ union during a meeting Thursday night. Dorland has been in the position since April 2021, but last night the Jefferson County Public Schools teachers’ union said they’re not pleased with the overall direction the district is going. In a letter to the district board of directors on their website, the Jefferson County Education Association Representative Council and Operational Board said the vote of confidence was a necessary step. The letter said that under Dorland’s leadership, there is a disconnect between administration, education and families, and that her leadership has exacerbated tensions and damaged the dis...
“Thank you, President Trump”: Musk exits DOGE, $175B saved—says mission will endure
Approved, Daily Wire, National

“Thank you, President Trump”: Musk exits DOGE, $175B saved—says mission will endure

By Hank Berrien | Daily Wire “The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government”  On Wednesday night, Elon Musk made it clear that the reason he was leaving his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project was due to a rule limiting special government employees to 130 days of service rather than any rumored feud with President Donald Trump. This week, Musk publicly criticized the tax and spending package championed by Trump, saying, “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” Musk’s departure from government work coincides with his recent remarks indicating he would focus m...
York: Why Musk’s space vision matters more than Washington will admit
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

York: Why Musk’s space vision matters more than Washington will admit

By Byron York | Commentary, Washington Examiner WHY MUSK IS SO IMPORTANT. Elon Musk‘s giant Starship spacecraft went out of control, tumbled, and broke apart several minutes into a test flight Tuesday night. It was the latest in a series of unsuccessful-but-still-instructive tests of Musk’s hugely ambitious rocket program, which is designed to go to Mars. And it is also, at least for now, the heart of the American space program. “Starship is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket,” the Washington Post reported, “and its test flights are crucial to the future of America’s space ambitions.” That, and not a troubled venture into government, is what makes Musk so important. Musk is crucial to America’s space ambitions because, for a long time, after one of the g...
Multiple wolf attacks hit Western Slope ranchers—CPW accused of broken promises
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Multiple wolf attacks hit Western Slope ranchers—CPW accused of broken promises

By Tracy Ross | Colorado Sun Three ranches near where wolves were released in January say Colorado Parks and Wildlife is not keeping its promise to let them know when the collared animals are near Ranchers are calling multiple wolf attacks on cattle over Memorial Day weekend in Pitkin County “devastating” and evidence Colorado Parks and Wildlife is failing to keep its promise to alert ranchers when wolves are in range of their livestock.   The attacks occurred over three days on the Crystal River Ranch, in the Crystal River Valley, and on the Lost Marbles and McCabe ranches, in the Roaring Fork Valley.  The first happened early Friday morning on the Crystal River Ranch, according to Tom Harrington, manager of the ranch and president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association....