Rocky Mountain Voice

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Prop. 130 will create $1 million death benefit for emergency responders
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Prop. 130 will create $1 million death benefit for emergency responders

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When there's an emergency -- a home break-in, fire or heart attack -- Coloradans depend upon emergency responders from the far stretches of the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and places in between to be there. Advance Colorado is asking voters this November to be there for emergency responders. Election Day is Nov. 5. "Let's take care of our first responders who take care of us, and make sure their families get a $1 million death benefit," said Advance Colorado Executive Vice President Kristi Burton Brown on Monday in a Twitter/X post. https://twitter.com/KBBColorado/status/1838217369883177267 Advance Colorado is the organization that placed Prop. 130 on the ballot, a measure that would direct $350 million from the state to assis...
Amendment H ensures accountability in Colorado’s judiciary, retired Chief Judge Maes says
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Amendment H ensures accountability in Colorado’s judiciary, retired Chief Judge Maes says

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Even though retired Colorado 10th Judicial District Chief Judge Dennis Maes has plenty to do as a board member for Pueblo School District, he writes monthly articles on the need for judicial reform.  And behind the scenes, he acts when he observes actions that throw the question of judicial transparency and accountability into question. He’s also gone to multiple news media outlets to air his concerns. Maes believes that the work of investigative journalists around the state, including the Denver Gazette's David Migoya, led to Amendment H appearing on the ballot.  “Migoya was key in exposing judicial scandals, including the Mindy Masias case and other judicial misconduct issues," Maes shared. In November of 2022, Maes submi...
U.S. will send troops to the Middle East, warns Americans to leave Lebanon on brink of all-out war
Approved, National, The Daily Mail

U.S. will send troops to the Middle East, warns Americans to leave Lebanon on brink of all-out war

By Wills Robinson  | The Daily Mail The U.S. is sending troops to the Middle East in response to the surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah and as the region teeters on the edge of an all-out war. The Pentagon announced on Monday that 'additional' service members would be deployed to join the 40,000 already stationed in the region along with a dozen warships and fighter jet squadrons. Israel forces have ramped up their airstrikes deep inside Lebanon and the State Department has warned all Americans to leave as the risk of conflict spirals to levels not seen in years. READ THE FULL STORY AT DAILY MAIL
Study finds source of pollutants around Elyria Swansea neighborhood
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Study finds source of pollutants around Elyria Swansea neighborhood

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News A new study found the causes of pollution in the Elyria Swansea neighborhood near Commerce City, with two well-known facilities causing most of the pollution. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder looked into the neighborhood that is filled with manufacturing plants like the Suncor Energy oil refinery, the Robert W. Hite wastewater treatment plant, local industrial shops and major highways. While it’s referred to as a “heavily polluted urban area” in the study, some of these facilities are causing more pollution than others. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
King Soopers shooter Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa found guilty of murdering 10 in Boulder
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

King Soopers shooter Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa found guilty of murdering 10 in Boulder

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado Jurors reached a verdict Monday afternoon in the Boulder grocery store shooting trial. The jury found Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa guilty of shooting and killing 10 people at the South Table Mesa King Soopers on March 22, 2021, in addition to guilty verdicts on dozens of other charges.  Jurors had to determine whether Alissa, the gunman who admitted to the shooting, was legally sane at the time of the attack. In addition to the guilty verdict on 10 counts of first-degree murder, the jury also found the gunman guilty on 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder, guilty of one count of assault in the first degree and guilty on six counts of possession of a large-capacity magazine during the commission of a felony.  READ THE FULL STOR...
First gentleman Marlon Reis sought to ‘craft legislation’ related to wolves, emails show
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

First gentleman Marlon Reis sought to ‘craft legislation’ related to wolves, emails show

By Aaron Adelson | Denver Gazette, via 9News In emails obtained by Denver Gazette news partner 9News, Colorado's first gentleman Marlon Reis was in contact with a group that included the governor's wildlife adviser. He wanted to meet to "craft legislation" related to wolves, and the adviser replied they would not meet without him. This week, lawmakers pressed Colorado Parks and Wildlife's leaders about how the governor's office has affected their decisions. The CPW director conceded he was not directly answering the questions. “That’s a very big concern because, in my opinion, that’s how it’s happening," Grand County Commissioner Merrit Linke told 9NEWS, "It doesn’t seem like CPW is making decisions based on science, based on evidence, based on what’s happening in other state...
Candidates for Colorado Board of Education agree state falls short in education funding, teacher pay
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Candidates for Colorado Board of Education agree state falls short in education funding, teacher pay

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics While not all of the candidates running for a seat on the State Board of Education are in head-to-head matchups against each other heading into the November election, the seven candidates agree that not enough money is going toward funding public education in Colorado. Bluntly putting it, Democratic candidate Kathy Gebhardt said, “I can’t think of any place that it’s not failing” when it comes to the state’s public education funding. Starting with operations, Gebhardt, who is running unopposed in District 2, said teachers need to be paid adequate salaries, which creates teacher shortages. While some lawmakers have paid more attention to special education programs, which are seeing more funding, the money remains insufficient, she said.  READ...
Trump has a plan for economic prosperity, Harris does not
Approved, Fox News, National

Trump has a plan for economic prosperity, Harris does not

By  Andy Puzder | Fox News As the November election approaches, the economy remains the most important issue for voters. On the question of which candidate voters believe would make the best economic policy decisions, President Trump holds a 10 percentage point advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the latest Pew Research survey. No one should be surprised.  Trump offers straightforward pro-growth economic policies consistent with the plan he successfully implemented during his first term in office, as most voters fondly recall.  He would keep tax rates low, encouraging investment and consumer spending, reduce growth-hobbling business regulation, and expand America’s domestic energy production, reducing the cost of literally everything. ...
Duke: The rise of BlueAnon
Approved, Commentary, National, The Spectator

Duke: The rise of BlueAnon

By Alexander Hall  | The Spectator Someone call the disinformation police! Left-wing conspiracy theories and attempts to manipulate the media are spiraling out of control ahead of the 2024 election. From tall tales about former president Donald Trump staging his own assassination attempt to the lower-stakes speculation that Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is wearing guyliner, “BlueAnon” has reemerged in a big way. BlueAnon is a blanket term coined by some conservatives to describe liberal and left-wing conspiracy theories. It intentionally rhymes with QAnon, the arguably better-known right-wing conspiracy, and mostly arose in response to what many regard as the Russian collusion hoax, the idea that Trump colluded with the Russian government to win the 2016...
Devotional: What is the trunk of who you are?
Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: What is the trunk of who you are?

By DRAKE HUNTER | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Living in the grandness of Colorado and traveling to the mountains often is like walking through a divine art gallery. Nature here doesn’t just sit still; it grabs you by the senses and shakes you awake. If you've ever bitten into a juicy Colorado Palisade peach, you know what I mean. That peach, sweet and perfect, didn’t just happen overnight. It started as a tiny seed, growing into a sturdy tree, nourished by the soil, rain and sun until it became something delightful — an actual work of art, and what a great picture of life itself. Think about it. That peach tree needed a solid trunk to support the weight of its branches and fruit. It couldn’t produce anything worth tasting, if its foundation were weak. The same goes for us. Li...