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Gotlieb: You know you’re from Colorado when… 
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Gotlieb: You know you’re from Colorado when… 

By Dorothy Gotlieb | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Former legislator and longtime Denver public servant Dorothy Gotlieb has compiled this list of Colorado quirks and cultural touchstones. You might laugh, nod in agreement – or want to add your own. Over the years, there have been several versions of a “You Know You’re from Colorado When…” list. The following is just one of the latest.  Everyday observations You ask someone you meet, “Where are you from?” You recognize FIVE seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter – and Construction! Your side of the street looks like a winter wonderland, but there’s no snow on the other side of the street. You are pretty sure that you have seen a bank, a carwash, and/or a dispensary on every block. You know that “Mile Hi...
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“Time to end retirement”: Fabbricatore joins fight to rescue migrant children as ORR Senior Advisor
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Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

“Time to end retirement”: Fabbricatore joins fight to rescue migrant children as ORR Senior Advisor

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice On May 19, 2025, retired ICE official John Fabbricatore stepped into a new role as Senior Advisor at the Office of Refugee Resettlement, just as the agency faces intense scrutiny for failing to track unaccompanied migrant children after release. Fabbricatore’s #FindTheKids hashtag signals a push to close those gaps, but the road ahead is steep. Fabbricatore announced his appointment on X, stating, “Time to end retirement. I was sworn in at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 19, 2025, as a Senior Advisor for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at the Immediate Office of the Secretary in the Senior Executive Service.”  https://twitter.com/johne_fabb/status/1924576960371421184 ORR ...
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“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ
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Approved, Local, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Would you need a perfect GPA to speak your mind or worship freely? Mesa County officials say Colorado’s new gun law is treating the Second Amendment that way – and they’ve asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene. In a three-page letter sent this month, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners urged federal authorities to investigate Senate Bill 25-003, calling it a “grotesque misuse of government power” that effectively imposes a discriminatory test on anyone wishing to lawfully own or carry a firearm. The law, which takes effect in August 2026, requires residents to complete state-approved firearms training, score 90% on a written exam and obtain conditional approval from their sheriff’s office every five years in order to receive or...
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AT&T expands in Colorado as Lumen offloads home broadband business
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

AT&T expands in Colorado as Lumen offloads home broadband business

By Tamara Chuang | Colorado Sun AT&T’s $5.75 billion purchase of Lumen Technologies home fiber-internet business will impact 1 million customers nationwide, including an undisclosed number in Colorado who buy fiber service from Quantum Fiber, a brand that originated under CenturyLink. The deal, pending regulatory approval, was announced Wednesday, and means AT&T will step into the consumer world of fiber internet service for the first time, at least here in Colorado. Besides picking up Lumen’s Colorado market, AT&T will add customers in 10 other states for a total of 1 million fiber customers. Lumen’s current network could serve 4 million households if every home ordered it. “This deal with Lumen represents a significant investment in U.S. connectivity inf...
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Denver Mayor Johnston walks back raises, braces city for cuts amid $50M budget gap
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Mayor Johnston walks back raises, braces city for cuts amid $50M budget gap

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette Facing a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is expected to announce significant cuts to the city's budget at a news conference this morning. The city is facing a $50 million gap in this year's budget, while the projected deficit is $200 million next year, according to sources, who shared information with The Denver Gazette. The city blames an economic downturn, flat revenues and "growing government costs" as reasons for the deficit, according to sources.  To deal with the shortfall, Johnston is proposing furloughs and a hiring freeze, in addition to limiting discretionary spending and reducing and restructuring contracts. The furloughs will save the city $10 million this year, according to city estimat...
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ATF crackdown: Denver gun shop owners sentenced in federal firearms fraud case
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

ATF crackdown: Denver gun shop owners sentenced in federal firearms fraud case

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The co-owners of a Denver-based firearms business have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to one count each of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and after one of the co-owners also pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm. Campbell Slayden, 26, a co-owner of Modern Arms and Optics LLC, was sentenced to 50 months in prison and pleaded guilty to two counts: conspiracy to defraud and possession of an unregistered firearm. Anthony Gallegos, 26, also a co-owner of the company, was sentenced to 36 months for conspiracy to defraud. The sentences were announced on Wednesday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The pairs’ plea agreements detail how Modern Arms and Optics...
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Hunter: Will you be the miracle Pastor John Waters needs?
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Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Hunter: Will you be the miracle Pastor John Waters needs?

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Across Colorado, churches gather each week to worship, pray, and walk in faith. From the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains, these communities share a simple but powerful calling—to love one another well. Today, that love has a chance to meet a real and urgent need. And today, that love has an urgent opportunity to shine. One of our own—John Waters, Worship Pastor at Elevating Life Church in Fort Morgan and a cherished beloved DJ on KFTM/Bob FM—is in critical need of a living liver transplant. John isn’t just a leader—he’s been a steady voice of hope. Whether preaching on Sundays or spinning tracks on the radio, he’s lifted hearts across Colorado and Nebraska. After a long and silent battle with liver disease, John’s health ha...
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Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot by terrorist who yelled ‘Free, free Palestine’
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Approved, National, New York Post

Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot by terrorist who yelled ‘Free, free Palestine’

By Nicholas McEntyre | New York Post The two Israeli Embassy staffers who were gunned down by a pro-Palestinian terrorist outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night have been identified as “friends and colleagues” who fell in love and were just days away from getting engaged. Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim were fatally shot in the street as they left the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception just after 9 p.m. in Washington, DC. “Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,” the Embassy of Israel to the USA wrote on X. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
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House passes ‘one big, beautiful bill’ in massive win for Trump
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Approved, Daily Wire, National

House passes ‘one big, beautiful bill’ in massive win for Trump

By Daniel Chaitin | Daily Wire In a significant victory for President Donald Trump, the Republican-led House early Thursday morning passed what the president has championed as the “one big, beautiful bill,” with enough Republican holdouts coming around to support the comprehensive tax and budget package. Trump met with House Republicans two days in a row as they hashed out last-minute changes to win over members from high-tax blue states who wanted a higher state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap and fiscal hawks who demanded more spending cuts. The final vote, a close 215-214, followed back-to-back all-night sessions in the Rules Committee and on the House floor. “We planned and we worked and we locked arms together as a team. And we have delivered this against all odds,” House ...
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Livability plunge: Colorado Springs now ranks 406th in national report falling from top 5 spot
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Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Livability plunge: Colorado Springs now ranks 406th in national report falling from top 5 spot

By Paige Reynolds | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s a dramatic fall that has residents and city officials asking, what happened? Colorado Springs, ranked #3 in the nation just last year by U.S. News & World Report for "Best Places to Live, has plummeted to #406 in the latest release. The rankings, which consider factors like affordability, desirability and quality of life, are used nationwide as a snapshot of where people want to live and why. So why the drop? "Colorado Springs was in the top 16% for crime, which is not really a designation that you want to see when looking for a place to live," said Erika Giovanetti, Consumer Lending Analyst with U.S. News & World Report. According to Giovanetti, both violent and property crime rates are...
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