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Rep. Dusty Johnson aims to tackle rural issues through her mantra: ‘cows, cops and coffee’
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Dusty Johnson aims to tackle rural issues through her mantra: ‘cows, cops and coffee’

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice State Rep. Dusty Johnson, who represents seven mostly sparsely populated counties on the Northeastern Plains of Colorado in House District 63, entered the 75th General Assembly ready to champion rural communities, agriculture and water rights. Representing the state's leading agricultural area, she understands constituents’ challenges firsthand and brings practical insights to the table. House District 63 spans Phillips, Sedgwick and Yuma counties at the eastern edge of the state, across Logan and Washington counties, to Morgan and into a rural portion of Weld County, making it the second-largest landmass district in the state. As Johnson puts it, “My district is the top ag-producing house district in the state.” Th...
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Letters from readers: Exorbitant fees, a moose on the buffet, and raise a flag for Trump
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Letters from readers: Exorbitant fees, a moose on the buffet, and raise a flag for Trump

Today, I'm having moose bone pudding with curried squash sauce, probably one of only a few hundred thousand humans partaking of such a pleasure on this fine winter afternoon.  If you think about it, there were 7,000 moose killed in Alaska, 21,000 in Canada and 32,000 in Russia, and with a decent body size of 700 pound it's enough poundage for family and friendly experimenting.  Colorado has a total moose population of around 3,000, with a few hundred being taken by hunters each year. With a total human population of about six million, not everyone gets a chance to try my particular piece de resistance.  The Centennial State has more than one head of cattle for every two people, so the hamburgers do make the rounds. Not everyone craves rattlesnake beans or pan-broiled r...
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Trump inauguration, with temps as low as Reagan’s in 1985, to move indoors
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Approved, National, THE HILL

Trump inauguration, with temps as low as Reagan’s in 1985, to move indoors

By Brett Samuels | The Hill President-elect Trump’s inauguration ceremony is being moved indoors because of expected bitter cold in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Trump and Vice President-elect Vance are expected to be sworn in inside the Capitol Rotunda rather than on the west front of the Capitol. Trump laid out additional details in a Truth Social post, including that he would join a crowd of supporters at Capital One Arena after his swearing in for the traditional parade. “It is my obligation to protect the People of our Country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the Inauguration itself,” Trump posted. “The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Countr...
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What is the HMPV virus that is raising concerns in China and should it be cause for alarm?
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Approved, State, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical

What is the HMPV virus that is raising concerns in China and should it be cause for alarm?

By Greg Glasgow | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical The buzz is growing about an increase of respiratory virus cases in China, but Adriana Weinberg, MD, professor of infectious diseases in the Departments of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says the news is no cause for alarm.  Unlike the COVID-19 virus in 2020, Weinberg says, the current virus reportedly on the rise in China is one that has been around for decades, commonly circulates during respiratory virus season — along with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — and is well known to health care professionals. Known as human metapneumovirus (HMPV), the virus is reported to be on the rise in China. A spokesperson for the World Health O...
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Its back to the future for some bills that failed to advance in last year’s session
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Its back to the future for some bills that failed to advance in last year’s session

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The 2024 legislative session ended with some unfinished business for some lawmakers, a few of whom have decided to give their previously unsuccessful bills another shot. While some measures have undergone changes based on feedback from last year, others remain the same. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Pikes Peak stakeholders ask state to help manage recreation around America’s Mountain
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Pikes Peak stakeholders ask state to help manage recreation around America’s Mountain

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun As federal land managers navigate shrinking budgets, Colorado Parks and Wildlife could assume a larger role in managing recreation on public lands around Pikes Peak.  A consortium — the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, El Paso and Teller counties, the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities — is asking CPW to help manage increasing recreation around America’s Mountain, starting with management of the Ring the Peak Trail.  “This can allow the Forest Service to focus on areas where they can do the most good with their wildfire crisis strategy. The same can be said for Colorado Springs Utilities focusing on water supplies and the health of our watersheds,” s...
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Hillman: We don’t need lawyers to solve every dispute
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Approved, Commentary, Mark Hillman

Hillman: We don’t need lawyers to solve every dispute

By Mark Hillman | Guest Commentary, Capitol Review Everywhere we turn, there’s an ad for a lawyer — on television, streaming services, radio, podcasts, public transportation and, of course, billboards. Not so long ago, the legal profession observed a self-imposed ban on advertising by law firms, considering such self-promotion unprofessional. In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled such bans to be an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech. What began as a trickle of unremarkable professional services ads is now a deluge. Lawyers in the U.S. spend an estimated $2.4 billion annually on advertising. One survey finds that in 2023 law firms spent more than $40 million on advertising just in Colorado. Billboard lawyers don’t spend that kind of money because they ar...
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Eckman: Dolores Canyon monument designation seeks to solve nonexistent problem
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Commentary

Eckman: Dolores Canyon monument designation seeks to solve nonexistent problem

By Adam Eckman | Commentary, Colorado Politics The recent proposal to designate lands in the Dolores River region as a national monument is a flawed initiative that directly conflicts with the interests of both Colorado and the nation. It also faces strong opposition from local communities. Though framed as a means to protect the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Dolores Canyons in Western Colorado, this move to invoke expansive federal authority to designate more than 400,000 acres as a national monument would jeopardize national security, undermine our energy independence, hinder technological progress, prevent Colorado from contributing to its carbon-free energy objectives, and — paradoxically — damage the very land it seeks to preserve. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY ...
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Greenland will decide its own future, Danish prime minister tells Trump
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Approved, National, THE HILL

Greenland will decide its own future, Danish prime minister tells Trump

By Tara Suter | The Hill The Danish prime minister told President-elect Trump that Greenland will decide its future in a call Wednesday, according to a press release. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that in her call to the president-elect that Greenland’s independence is its own choice, according to the translation of a statement released by the Danish government. Frederiksen also underscored in the call “that Danish companies contribute to growth and jobs in the United States, and that the EU and the United States have a common interest in strengthened trade.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
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Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado leading on plan for Colorado energy transition
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado leading on plan for Colorado energy transition

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As local governments on the Western Slope face the reality of the Craig Power Station closure and in preparation of Gov. Jared Polis’ mandated clean energy plan, Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado are announcing that Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative (NCEI), a program under AGNC and managed by Matt Solomon, have received a $75,000 Energy Communities Alliance Grant. The grant will enable NCEI to launch its next phase of work, focusing on creating a regional coalition and fostering collaboration across multiple states. This phase includes the development of a multi-state stakeholder map, guided by the Department of Energy’s Energy Transition Playbook. The stakeholder map will connect local governments, privat...
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