Rocky Mountain Voice

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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...
Denver to consider $197M contract for Colfax transit project; total project cost is $280.5M
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver to consider $197M contract for Colfax transit project; total project cost is $280.5M

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette After postponing the matter last week, the Denver City Council on Monday will consider a $197.3 million contract for construction of a bus rapid transit system that would dramatically reshape the “longest commercial street in the country.” The contract with Kraemer North America would be for the East Colfax Avenue Bus Route Transportation (BRT) project, which will cost a total of $280.5 million, according to city estimates. Of that total, $150 million is funded by federal grants, $28.5 million from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, $14 million from the City of Aurora, $65 million from the Elevate Denver bond and $22.5 million from other sources. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Americans are exhausted with high-stakes election described in apocalyptic terms, experts say
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Americans are exhausted with high-stakes election described in apocalyptic terms, experts say

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics “Exhausted.” That's how Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly summed up how he believes voters are feeling about how politics is affecting society.  The Republican sheriff said his deputies have not really dealt with many calls arising out of political disputes. But the tension exists, he said. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
PERA needs $13 billion in cash or wide-ranging cuts for solvency, state policymakers are told
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

PERA needs $13 billion in cash or wide-ranging cuts for solvency, state policymakers are told

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Six years and billions of dollars into Colorado’s 30-year pension rescue plan, the Public Employees’ Retirement Association has less than a 50-50 chance of reaching its goal of full funding by 2048. PERA officials on Monday are expected to report back to the legislature’s Pension Review Subcommittee on what it would take to increase those odds to 67%. The answer: $13 billion in up-front cash, or a wide-ranging package of “draconian” cuts, according to PERA’s actuaries. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Ryan Routh admits to ‘assassination attempt’ in purported letter released by DOJ
Approved, Breitbart, National

Ryan Routh admits to ‘assassination attempt’ in purported letter released by DOJ

By Awr Hawkins | Breitbart Fifty-eight-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, the alleged would-be assassination in Palm Beach on September 14, 2024, allegedly left a note with a friend making clear his intent to kill former President Donald Trump. Forbes reported the handwritten missive is also allegedly an admission that his attempt to do so had failed. The note said, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you…I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.” Routh allegedly added, “I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.” The note was allegedly contained in a box which Routh gave to an unidentified person and which was not opened until after Routh’s arrest following the alleged assassination attempt. READ THE FULL STORY AT...
Biden-Harris’ big-spending infrastructure bill produced little progress on key projects
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Biden-Harris’ big-spending infrastructure bill produced little progress on key projects

BySarah Bedford | Washington Examiner Democrats have touted the infrastructure bill Congress passed in 2021 as a signature accomplishment of the Biden-Harris administration, but some of its ambitious projects have fallen far short of expectations nearly three years after President Joe Biden signed it into law. A massive program to expand rural broadband access has failed so far to connect any homes to the internet. A push to electrify school bus fleets has proved costly and inefficient. And a multibillion-dollar effort to build thousands of electric vehicle charging stations across the country has so far yielded just a handful of stations. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act contained $1.2 trillion in spending on what the White House called “a ...
Here’s how a Venezuelan gang was able to infiltrate the U.S. and wreak havoc in major cities
Approved, National, The Daily Caller

Here’s how a Venezuelan gang was able to infiltrate the U.S. and wreak havoc in major cities

By Wallace White | Daily Caller A notorious Venezuelan gang is extending its tentacles into the U.S. on the back of the Biden-Harris administration’s border crisis, and experts say that immigration authorities have no way of identifying the criminal group’s members before they hit American soil. The gang, known as Tren de Aragua, has made headlines in recent weeks with its criminal activities in multiple states, according to multiple reports. Yet, border authorities have virtually zero tools to detect Venezuelan migrants’ affiliations with the gang, as the U.S.’ diplomatic relationship with the beleaguered country is effectively on ice, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We have next to no vetting for the Venezuelans who are entering the country, because we have no re...