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Devotional: Breastplate of Righteousness – Living in Harmony
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: Breastplate of Righteousness – Living in Harmony

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice At the start of our devotional journey this year, we uncovered God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and explored the Helmet of Salvation—our foundational assurance in Christ. Now, it's time to embrace the next vital piece of God's gear: the Breastplate of Righteousness. But what exactly does righteousness mean, and how can we practically wear it daily? If the idea feels abstract or a bit distant, don’t worry—let’s unpack it together and discover how transformative and essential this protection is in our lives. Jesus provides us with an encouraging starting point: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6, NIV). To capture the beauty and simplicity of this promise, we can rephrase "bl...
State sends $8M to 12K residents—billions more remain in unclaimed property
Approved, DENVER7, State

State sends $8M to 12K residents—billions more remain in unclaimed property

By Shannon Ogden | Denver7 DENVER — Colorado, you have some money coming to you. The Colorado Department of the Treasury is mailing $8 million in unclaimed property to 12,000 Coloradans. The checks will arrive in the next few weeks and can be cashed immediately without further action. Twice yearly, companies transfer assets to the Department of Treasury when they can't locate the owners. The state said it currently holds more than $2 billion in unclaimed funds owed to 15 million people or entities. State Treasurer Dave Young said this round of checks includes some sizeable payouts. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7 NEWS
Former Colorado town clerk arrested for embezzling $47K in public funds
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Former Colorado town clerk arrested for embezzling $47K in public funds

By Sydney Isenberg | Denver7 HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Colo. — The former town clerk of Hot Sulphur Springs is accused of embezzling more than $47,000 in town funds during her tenure. Jessica Webb, 51, of Hot Sulphur Springs was arrested on Saturday for money laundering, theft, embezzlement of public property and first-degree official misconduct. She posted bond and was later released from the Grand County Jail. Court documents show that Webb became Hot Sulphur Springs' town clerk on February 21, 2019, and was fired in August 2023. The investigation began on Oct. 11, 2023, when Mayor Ray Tinkum brought concerns to the Grand County Sheriff's Office. Due to the complexity of the investigation, detectives requested help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) High Tech Crime Un...
Why HJR25-1023’s logic for killing TABOR collapses under basic constitutional history
Approved, completecolorado.com, State, Top Stories

Why HJR25-1023’s logic for killing TABOR collapses under basic constitutional history

By Rob Natelson | Complete Colorado To understand why some members of the Colorado legislature are unworthy of your trust, look no further than their current effort to take away your state tax refunds and abolish your right to vote on taxes, spending, and debt. An astounding 44 of 100 lawmakers are sponsoring House Joint Resolution (HJR) 25-1023. This resolution would spend tax dollars on a lawsuit to void the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Coloradans voted to add this valuable protection to the state Constitution in 1992. I’ve listed the sponsors at the end of this column, so you can see who they are and what districts they so poorly represent. I’ve also included a link so you can see their party affiliation and email addresses and another link so you ...
Immigration judge allows Mahmoud Khalil deportation effort to proceed 
Approved, National, THE HILL

Immigration judge allows Mahmoud Khalil deportation effort to proceed 

By  Lexi Lonas Cochran | The Hill A judge in former Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil’s case ruled against him Friday, finding he is eligible for deportation while giving his legal team a little less than two weeks to respond. Jamee Comans, an immigration judge in Louisiana, found the government’s case is “facially reasonable.” She gave his team until April 23 to file its response. The government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable,” Comans said, The Associated Press reported. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Justice: Colorado’s HB1312 is sacrificing families to the trans lobby
Approved, State, The Daily Caller

Justice: Colorado’s HB1312 is sacrificing families to the trans lobby

By Tiffany Justice | The Daily Caller No parent should ever be forced to enable harm to their child. It’s a primal instinct—to shield, to nurture, to guide our kids through life’s storms. Yet, Colorado is charging toward a law that turns this instinct upside down, branding it abusive for parents to question their child’s desire to “change their gender.” This isn’t a minor policy tweak; it’s a full-frontal assault on parental rights, propped up by the flimsy facade of “gender-affirming care”—a practice I see as abuse cloaked in compassion. The legislation at the heart of this, HB25-1312, cleared the Colorado House in early 2025 and is winding through the Senate as of April. Its supporters pitch it as a shield for transgender individuals, but peel back the rhetoric, and the real ta...
Over 20 Colorado pastors unite in urgent call to action against HB25-1312
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Over 20 Colorado pastors unite in urgent call to action against HB25-1312

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice “If you don’t speak up now, it may be too late.” That’s the message from a growing coalition of Colorado pastors urging fellow faith leaders to take a public stand against HB25-1312 — a bill they say undermines parental rights, criminalizes biblical truth and puts families at risk. Pastor Jeff Anderson, Senior Advisor for Faith Outreach to Congressman Jeff Crank, sent a letter Friday afternoon to pastors across Colorado urging them to speak out against the bill.  “We want to bring to your attention a critical issue affecting parental rights in Colorado,” Anderson wrote. “This bill includes provisions that could have significant implications for parents and families.” The bill, titled “Legal Protections for Transge...
Niwot residents urge Boulder County to pause minimum wage ordinance harming small businesses
Approved, Left Hand Valley Courier, Local

Niwot residents urge Boulder County to pause minimum wage ordinance harming small businesses

By Peggy B. Graham | Left Hand Valley Courier During the Boulder County Commissioners' public comment session on April 3, several Niwot residents addressed the commissioners with significant concerns about the detrimental effects of the current minimum wage ordinance on Niwot's small businesses. Ordinance 2023-4, which took effect on January 1, 2024, established the minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder County at $16.57 per hour this year, $1.76 higher than the neighboring incorporated towns and cities, except Boulder, which is still lower than the county ordinance. The ordinance mandates annual increases, reaching $25 per hour by 2030, and then further adjusting in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. Notably, most larger municipalities within...
Colorado refuses to certify DEI removal order, risks $800M in school funds
Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, National, State

Colorado refuses to certify DEI removal order, risks $800M in school funds

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado will refuse a demand from the Trump administration to certify that its schools have eliminated what the federal government says are illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, state Commissioner of Education Susana Córdova said Thursday. “I am not signing that,” Córdova said. “I am not asking our districts to sign that.” However, Córdova told the State Board of Education she will sign a new assurance that the state is in compliance with Title VI, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, “so that my name, in addition to the department’s previous commissioner who signed our previous assurance, is on file and on record to be able to indicate that we are fully enforcing Title VI.” The U.S. Department of Educatio...
Colorado bill blocks deportation efforts, weakens citizenship path requirements
Approved, COLORADO PEAK POLITICS, State

Colorado bill blocks deportation efforts, weakens citizenship path requirements

Colorado Peak Politics Colorado Democrats use a lot of energy and our tax dollars encouraging migrants to come here illegally and then remain as non-citizens, rather than promoting legal U.S. citizenship. And here they go again. A state Senate panel this week passed radical legislation to further restrict deportation activities of federal immigration officers in every Colorado city. Plus, the bill kills current requirements that migrants be actively pursuing legal citizenship when applying for a driver’s license or in-state tuition to a public university, which is subsidized by taxpayers. And shamefully, not a single reporter or Democrat voter is asking why the legislature is incentivizing non-citizens to retain their illegal status. The pending bill is SB25-276, and It’s...