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Supreme Court Takes Up Colorado Preschool Case Testing Religious Freedom
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Supreme Court Takes Up Colorado Preschool Case Testing Religious Freedom

By Lindsay Whitehurst | The Denver Gazette WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear from Catholic preschools that say Colorado violated their religious rights by excluding them from a state-funded “universal” pre-kindergarten program over their admission policies. The court agreed on Monday to take up the appeal from St. Mary Catholic Parish in its challenge against a state program. That challenge is supported by the Trump administration. Joined by the Archdiocese of Denver, two Catholic institutions, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood, filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado, alleging their preschools cannot participate in the publicly funded program because the church’s religious views on sexual o...
Xcel Energy Prepares Shutoffs In Drought Stricken Regions In Western And Southern Colorado
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Xcel Energy Prepares Shutoffs In Drought Stricken Regions In Western And Southern Colorado

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Xcel Energy announced that customers in parts of western Colorado and the San Luis Valley should prepare for possible power shutoffs on Wednesday. Strong winds, combined with dry conditions and low humidity, will result in high wildfire risk. "To reduce the risk of wildfire and support public safety, we are planning for a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) beginning on Wednesday, April 22, around 9 a.m. MT for some customers in Garfield, Mesa and Pitkin counties, and around 11 a.m. MT for some customers in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande and Saguache counties," the company said. Many of these areas are already experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, and the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag...
CPW nominee under scrutiny as broader concerns surface about board power
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

CPW nominee under scrutiny as broader concerns surface about board power

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Some questions for CPW hopeful Christopher Sichko Last Wednesday I posted about the upcoming Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing for three of Gov. Polis’ CPW appointees. If you want or need the context from the earlier newsletter, you’ll find it linked first below. A reader noted something interesting about one of the commissioner candidates. When I read what they wrote, I got curious and thought I would follow up with Mr. Sichko. The second link below is to a 10/25/2024 article in Elevation Outdoors entitled “LOCAL HEROES: Christopher Sichko, PHD”. The relevant part comes from the bottom of the article. Quoting: “Sichko says, ‘My ultimate goal is to support the regener...
Colorado Senate Advances Plan To Address Prison Overcrowding Crisis
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Senate Advances Plan To Address Prison Overcrowding Crisis

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette As lawmakers work to complete the next state budget, they are intensifying efforts to address overcrowding and capacity challenges within the Department of Corrections and related agencies — issues that have contributed to increased spending in the budget. The state Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to Senate Bill 159, specifically designed to work on the capacity issue. The measure, sponsored by Democratic Sens. Julie Gonzales of Denver and Mike Weissman of Aurora, has two components. One would require the creation of a working group to make recommendations for a corrections capacity management plan, including input from affected parties. That’s been part of the Joint Budget Committee’s demand for a com...
Lone Tree Pushes Back Against State Control Over Local Zoning
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Lone Tree Pushes Back Against State Control Over Local Zoning

By Tyler Melito | Denver7 The City of Lone Tree is prepared to use its Home Rule Charter to overrule state laws that limit local control over zoning, occupancy limits, and land use. LONE TREE, Colo. — The City of Lone Tree is calling out the state legislature for passing laws that narrow local control, specifically in areas pertaining to zoning, occupancy limits, and land use. In a recent post on the city's website, officials stated the state is passing laws in "areas traditionally governed at the local level." Lone Tree Mayor Marissa Harmon telling Denver7's Tyler Melito recent state laws are eroding the city's Home Rule Charter. The charter, passed by residents in 1998, acts as the city's constitution and gives the city the power to manage its own affairs. ...
Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics The $900 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade could threaten the viability of more than 400 hospitals nationally and at least nine in Colorado, a new report has found. The hospitals span the Front Range and rural communities, from Denver Health — the region’s primary safety-net provider — to smaller hospitals in places like Leadville, Lamar and Fort Morgan, reflecting the mounting pressure across both urban and rural health systems. “The cuts will be devastating to many low-income and disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid,” the report said. “Moreover, they will have knock-on effects on hospitals that disproportionately serve these communities, deepening the financial strain already plaguing rural and sa...
Colorado Farmers Light 100 Fires To Defend Orchards From Sudden Freeze
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Colorado Farmers Light 100 Fires To Defend Orchards From Sudden Freeze

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A cold snap moved through Colorado on Friday, bringing snow and freezing temperatures to areas where many spring plants are already in bloom. That led a business on the Western Slope to get creative in order to save its orchards. The Sanders family opened the Palisade Peach Shack 17 years ago and has seen the farm grow from 8 to over 80 acres, but they say that this year's warm weather, coupled with the sudden freeze, nearly spelled disaster. Owner James Sanders told CBS Colorado that they have never had a freeze when the fruit is in this stage of growth. At the moment, the fruit is at the stage they would normally see in the middle of May, with peaches the size of thumbs and hardened seeds. Sanders says this could ...
DOJ Finds Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ineligible Names On Voter Rolls
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

DOJ Finds Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ineligible Names On Voter Rolls

By Harold Hutchison | The Daily Signal DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon told “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo that federal officials discovered tens of thousands of dead people and non-citizens on voting rolls. The Trump administration has sued multiple states for failing to turn over voter rolls to the Department of Justice, which is seeking to ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and other federal laws aimed at protecting the right to vote. Dhillon told Bartiromo that, even in states trying to comply with the laws, issues concerning voting eligibility were still being identified. “States are not in compliance, even those ones...
Democrat Push to Expand Supreme Court Could Redefine Constitutional Balance
JONATHANTURLEY.ORG, Approved, Commentary, National

Democrat Push to Expand Supreme Court Could Redefine Constitutional Balance

By Jonathan Turley | Commentary, Jonathan Turley Blog Various Democrats have been openly discussing their plans after retaking power to change the system so they never lose power again. Democratic strategist James Carville has been one of the most vocal and returned to the subject this week in laying out how they will make D.C. and Puerto Rico states and pack the Supreme Court with a liberal majority. On his podcast with Al Hunt, Carville explained, “If the Democrats win the presidency and both houses of Congress, I think on day one, they should make Puerto Rico [and] D.C. a state, and they should expand the Supreme Court to 13. F— it. Eat our dust.” Notably, this week, New Jersey just elected a radical new member, Analilia Mejia, who ran on pa...
Are lawmakers getting the full picture? Concerns raised about Capitol health research
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Are lawmakers getting the full picture? Concerns raised about Capitol health research

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I have followed and written pretty extensively on how a group tied to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is funding a group of four “legislative fellows” with the stated intent of providing nonpartisan, unbiased scientific information to legislators. See “Related” below if you want to read that op ed. I recently had a chance to sit down to discuss this work with Jon Caldara on an episode of Devil’s Advocate. That video is linked first below. Embedding people in the legislature with outside funding is concerning, but concerns don’t automatically equal problems. I mentioned in the video that the public work I’d seen from the fellows seemed pretty benign. Taping with Mr. Caldara inspired me to go back into ...

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