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Minimal traffic impacts anticipated, study finds, for state’s second proposed Buc-ee’s megamart in Palmer Lake
Approved, gazette.com, Local

Minimal traffic impacts anticipated, study finds, for state’s second proposed Buc-ee’s megamart in Palmer Lake

By Mackenzie Bodell  | The Gazette One of the three planned studies evaluating the impact of the proposed Buc-ee's west of Interstate 25 off County Line Road indicates existing 2025 traffic operations are acceptable with only minor delays and queues anticipated.  The gas station chain — known for its iconic beaver logo — has its first Colorado location in Johnstown, but the possibility of another opening near Palmer Lake has caused a resident uproar. As of Wednesday, town officials have only approved the annexation's eligibility and there is still a long way to go until residents and travelers can potentially take a trip.  Despite Buc-ee's hiring Kimley Horn to conduct a study, the town of Palmer Lake opted for an independently conducted traffic impact study by...
Dems who momentarily derailed Texas Rep. Al Green’s censure could be stripped of House committee roles
Approved, Fox News, National

Dems who momentarily derailed Texas Rep. Al Green’s censure could be stripped of House committee roles

By Elizabeth Elkind | Fox News Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has filed a resolution to punish the Democrats who derailed House floor proceedings as Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was censured on Thursday. "We have a country to run. The failed policies of Joe Biden is why they lost the House, why they lost the Senate, why they lost the presidency. They can lick their wounds all day, but they still have to behave on the House floor," Ogles told Fox News Digital in a brief interview. "We can disagree on issues and politics, but we're gonna respect one another, and I'm tired of this crap." READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
Hwy. 34 reopens in Weld County after potential pipe bomb investigated during traffic stop
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Hwy. 34 reopens in Weld County after potential pipe bomb investigated during traffic stop

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado Highway 34 was closed in Weld County early Wednesday morning after Colorado State Patrol troopers investigated a possible pipe bomb inside a vehicle during a traffic stop. Shortly after 6 a.m. the highway reopened and the 40-year-old driver was arrested for suspicion of DUI. Just before 1 a.m., state troopers stopped a black 2023 Honda Accord for speeding in the westbound lanes of the highway at mile marker 101. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Artificial intelligence workers may get special protections in Colorado
Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Artificial intelligence workers may get special protections in Colorado

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Even before Colorado has established regulations for artificial-intelligence development, legislators are advancing a proposal to give special whistleblower protection to sector workers — a plan raising significant concerns for business groups and Gov. Jared Polis. It’s not the broad idea of safeguarding whistleblowers that bothers opponents of House Bill 1212 so much as several provisions in the bill and the idea that Colorado would be alone in offering such great protections to workers who report major risks to state authorities. A key official from the Democratic governor’s administration said that Polis worries this will incentivize companies to move AI development and highly paid workers outside of Colorado to states where they face lower...
In $210M plan to ditch Tri-State, LPEA members feel the financial pinch
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

In $210M plan to ditch Tri-State, LPEA members feel the financial pinch

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Rancher J. Paul Brown tends sheep and cattle on his La Plata County spread, facing a $4,000 monthly electric bill. Lisa huddles in a home with her children, skipping heat to ease her electric bill’s bite.  This spring, folks like them could owe $90 more a year — or $308 more monthly for Brown — if a rate hike passes.  Meanwhile, La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) CEO Chris Hansen, who took the helm in November 2024, earns an estimated $545,000 annually, within the role’s $400,000–$600,000 range reported by the Durango Herald. On Feb. 19, county residents packed the LPEA Board of Directors meeting over climbing rates, tied to a $210 million plan to ditch Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, their longtim...
Movement to ban Chinese farmland purchases near U.S. military bases gains steam in Senate
Approved, Fox Business, National

Movement to ban Chinese farmland purchases near U.S. military bases gains steam in Senate

By Morgan Phillips  | Fox Business The movement to ban China from scooping up U.S. farmland conveniently located near military bases is gaining steam in the Senate.  The PASS Act, led by Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has the backing of Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and would prevent any entity from a "covered country," which includes China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, from purchasing agricultural land near military bases or sensitive sites.  It would also give the Department of Agriculture the ability to submit cases to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for review if it believes there is a national security concern and make the Agriculture secretary a voting member of the committee for purchases of agricultural land, biotechnology and any other transaction r...
Though ‘an incredible success,’ President Trump unveils plans for DOGE head Musk to work more closely with cabinet
Approved, National, New York Post

Though ‘an incredible success,’ President Trump unveils plans for DOGE head Musk to work more closely with cabinet

By Ryan King | New York Post President Trump revealed plans for cabinet secretaries and other high-level administration officials to hold more sway in the Department of Government Efficiency’s push for personnel cuts. Cabinet officials will meet with DOGE every two weeks until the administration has wrapped up its efforts to revamp the federal workforce, Trump announced, while lauding special government employee Elon Musk’s efforts as “an incredible success.” “Now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing,” Trump announced on Truth Social. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
Here’s the facts Rep. Gabe Evans used in hearing that Mayor Mike Johnston disputes
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Here’s the facts Rep. Gabe Evans used in hearing that Mayor Mike Johnston disputes

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice When confronted Wednesday with crime data by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton, detailing Denver's trends, Mayor Mike Johnston said the former Arvada police lieutenant was confused. "I think you may have some bad facts, and I'm happy to clarify them for you," said Johnston, one of four large-city mayors questioned by the U.S. House's Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In other words, despite his career in policing, Johnston either believes Evans is lying or can't understand crime data. Evans retorted, "I'm happy to show all of the sources for my facts." https://twitter.com/repgabeevans/status/1897406777114681422 And his office did in an email to the media. Following is a glance at those claims by Evans: A report by...
Garbo: In public education’s betrayal of America, Department of Education abolishment is long overdue
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: In public education’s betrayal of America, Department of Education abolishment is long overdue

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Public education was the single most destructive force of my life. It was not just a failed system; it was a weapon - an insidious mechanism that fostered and cultivated powerful lies about my self-image and self-worth that took decades to unlearn. The environment was not one of discovery, inspiration, or growth, but a bleak landscape of conformity and mediocrity, where creativity was stifled, curiosity was punished, and true excellence was treated as a threat rather than a goal. The opportunity cost of this system is beyond measure. How can one quantify the years lost to self-doubt, the potential unfulfilled, the talents unexplored, and the opportunities that vanished because the very institution tasked with equipping me ...
Rep. Jeff Crank ‘totally opposed’ to ‘just unconstitutional’ SB 3, he says in town hall
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Jeff Crank ‘totally opposed’ to ‘just unconstitutional’ SB 3, he says in town hall

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice As he debates the policy of the day in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo. Springs, has an eye on Colorado's General Assembly. He's concerned with the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 25-003 out of the Senate and to the House. The bill would prohibit the transfer, sale or purchase of a semiauto firearm not on a government-approved list and not without the taking and passage of government-prescribed classes some gun owners call a "permission slip". It has been called the most extreme gun bill in the country's history. Rep. Ryan Armagost, the co-founder of the House's Second Amendment Caucus, and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners have said the bill could be heard in the House's Judiciary Committee March 11 or 12, although it has not been add...