Rocky Mountain Voice

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‘Uncertainty’ hits Boulder Valley S.D. amid enrollment decline, new funding law and tax cap measure
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

‘Uncertainty’ hits Boulder Valley S.D. amid enrollment decline, new funding law and tax cap measure

By Jenna Sampson | Boulder Reporting Lab The Boulder Valley School District is set to spend over $550 million on operating expenditures next school year. In lockstep with declining enrollment, fixed costs continue to rise, increasing the cost per student. Boulder spends over $4,000 more per pupil than the state average of $15,000, with some schools allocating over $22,000 per student. This yearly enrollment decline of 1.5%, combined with a new funding law and a November 2024 ballot measure to cap property taxes — a major revenue source for BVSD — has sparked concerns about the district’s future budget. Although the new funding law may provide additional state aid, this will be offset by declining enrollment unless the district manages to reduce fixed costs. One potenti...
State vet: 1.8 million head of poultry depopulated due to bird flu in Weld County
Approved, State, thefencepost.com

State vet: 1.8 million head of poultry depopulated due to bird flu in Weld County

By Rachel Gabel  | The Fence Post The most recent report of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has resulted in the depopulation of 1.8 million head of poultry at a commercial table egg facility in Weld County. Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin said the state’s dairies and poultry facilities have cooperated with her office diligently to reduce the spread of HPAI. Baldwin said the monitoring, testing and reporting of HPAI in Colorado is a result of the cooperation between producers and partners, including the State Veterinarian’s office and is important to reduce the spread between dairies and poultry facilities. “Do I think Colorado has the most cases in the nation? No. Do I think Colorado has the most reported cases in the nation? Yes. Absolutely,” Baldwin said....
Democrat U.S. Rep. Pettersen joins the fray of those asking Biden to ‘please pass the torch’
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Democrat U.S. Rep. Pettersen joins the fray of those asking Biden to ‘please pass the torch’

By Morgan Whitley | Fox 31 News Rep. Brittany Pettersen, from Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, is the latest politician to call on President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic candidate. On Friday, Pettersen posted a statement on her personal X account asking Biden to “please pass the torch.” Pettersen represents the 7th Congressional District of Colorado in Jefferson, Broomfield, Lake, Park, Teller, Chaffee, Fremont, and Custer County after being elected in 2022. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Aurora police preparing to roll out auto theft tracking program

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Aurora Police Department is preparing to roll out a new tracking program that would enable officials to locate stolen cars. The goal is to spread the program, called Metro Track, across the region to make it more powerful, APD Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said at a Thursday Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Committee meeting. Metro Track, done in collaboration with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Agency (CATPA), is based on a similar program in Cook County, Illinois, and another similar program in Denver, called DenverTrack, Hildebrand said. Those interested in participating in the program can enroll with the police department, giving officers consent to track the car in the event that it gets stolen. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER ...
Four takeaways from the ‘Big Boy’ presser Biden used to try and save his candidacy
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Four takeaways from the ‘Big Boy’ presser Biden used to try and save his candidacy

By Jack Birle | Washington Examiner President Joe Biden‘s press conference was intended to help end the growing list of doubts within the Democratic Party about his candidacy, but the event has not stopped the questions about whether he can continue as the nominee. Scheduled two weeks after his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump, Biden’s appearance at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., offered mixed results as he was able to survive the rare solo news conference. Throughout his press conference, Biden was asked directly by journalists about mounting pressure for him to drop out of the presidential race — from those worried about his ability to win to those concerned about downballot effects. He defiantly proclaimed that he believes...
In Elbert County, manager and attorney get 40% pay increases, with perks
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

In Elbert County, manager and attorney get 40% pay increases, with perks

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics Two of Elbert County’s top officials received contract extensions this year, each with pay raises and county-owned cars, among other perks. The Board of County Commissioners extended “Engagement of Service” contracts to County Manager Shawn Fletcher and County Attorney Bart Greer. Fletcher, who has been on the job for less than 18 months, saw a pay bump of $80,000 over his 2023 contract, bringing his annual salary to $220,000. Additionally, he gets the use of a county-owned or leased vehicle, a monthly housing allowance of $1,500, and an extra two weeks (8 days) of vacation leave above his current accrual rate. Greer, who has represented the county for close to seven years, will also receive an annual salary of $220,000 and use a county ve...
Colorado’s 11-foot tall, 27-foot-long stegosaurus to be auctioned by Sotheby’s July 17
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado’s 11-foot tall, 27-foot-long stegosaurus to be auctioned by Sotheby’s July 17

By The Associated Press (via The Colorado Sun) The nearly complete fossilized remains of a 161-million-year-old stegosaurus discovered in Colorado in 2022 will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York next week, auction house officials said. The dinosaur that Sotheby’s calls Apex stands 11 feet tall and measures 27 feet nose to tail, according to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture. The stegosaurus, with its distinctive pointy dorsal plates, is one of the world’s most recognizable dinosaurs. Apex, which Hatton called “a coloring book dinosaur,” was discovered in May 2022 on private land near the town of Dinosaur. The excavation was completed in October 2023, Sotheby’s said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Southern Ute Indian Tribe sues Colorado governor, gaming division over sports betting
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Southern Ute Indian Tribe sues Colorado governor, gaming division over sports betting

By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is suing Gov. Jared Polis and the director of the Colorado Division of Gaming, Christopher Schroder, saying the administration is illegally freezing tribes out of the online sports betting market, in part, to maximize state tax collections.  The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver, alleges the state sought to exclude the tribe from internet sports betting by acting in bad faith, using delay tactics and belatedly making legal arguments that conflict with federal law and a state gaming compact with the tribe.  “Enough is enough,” Southern Ute Chairman Melvin Baker told Colorado lawmakers during an American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee meeting Monday. “Litigation is not...
TSA take your shampoo? In New York a ban means travel shampoo might not be in your hotel room either
Approved, Fox Business, National

TSA take your shampoo? In New York a ban means travel shampoo might not be in your hotel room either

By Ashley DiMella  | Fox Business New York state will be mandating hotels to forgo small bottles containing "hospitality care" products such as shampoo and lotions. The enforcement comes as a bill was passed in the New York Assembly in hopes of reducing waste. Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, hotels with more than 50 rooms will not be able to provide toiletry bottles under 12 ounces, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation's website. The act, which was first introduced in 2019, defines "hospitality personal care product" as a "product provided by a hotel and intended to be applied to or used on the human body or any part thereof for cleansing," the legislation states. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Boyd: Contrary to media claims, inflation index shows Americans still face sky-high prices
Approved, Commentary, National, The Federalist

Boyd: Contrary to media claims, inflation index shows Americans still face sky-high prices

By Jordan Boyd | Commentary, The Federalist Contrary to the corporate media cabal’s desperate attempt to paint the Consumer Price Index report for June 2024 as a sign that inflation “cooled” and will continue “cooling” and “slowing” the closer the nation gets to November’s presidential election, Americans are still paying higher prices on basic day-to-day goods and services than they did in the last four years. When the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest inflation index showing a 0.1 percent decrease in prices from May 2024 to June 2024, press outlets and the Democrat regime rushed to bill the data as a sign that inflation is “at its lowest level in more than three years.” The New York Times’ Paul Krugman, whose partisa...