Rocky Mountain Voice

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Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette Our state was slammed by a crime wave a few years ago — aided and abetted by a notoriously offender- friendly, victims-be-damned Legislature — leaving it to hard-hit local governments to figure out how to respond. With state lawmakers abandoning the crime fight on every front — hard drugs, auto theft, illegal immigration, you name it — a number of Colorado cities, commendably, took the reins. Some municipalities imposed stiffer sentences than the state’s for shoplifting and motor vehicle theft. Some made clear they’d continue to cooperate with federal authorities seeking to catch lawbreakers who had entered the country illegally. Some cities also stepped up policing to bridge the gap in justice created by a Capitol that had gone...
Davidson: Why Pope Leo XIV will probably not be Francis 2.0
Approved, Commentary, The Federalist

Davidson: Why Pope Leo XIV will probably not be Francis 2.0

By John Daniel Davidson | The Federalist It didn’t take long after Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, emerged onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday as the new leader of the Catholic Church for social media commentators on the right to begin decrying him as “Francis 2.0.” This snap judgment was based largely on his social media history of reposting criticisms of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance on immigration policy, as well as a few reposts of left-wing claptrap on climate change and race relations.  So does this mean the 69-year-old Chicago-born Pope Leo is going to be the next Pope Francis? The short answer is: probably not. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE FEDERALIST
Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement

By George Brauchler | Commentary, Denver Gazette SB 25-276 is a Democrat-only sponsored bill that attacks the rule of law and will make Colorado less safe and less just. It contains a predictably steep, yet unquantified, unfunded mandate to counties, who fund the 23 district attorneys’ offices across Colorado. SB 276 expands the opportunity for “noncitizen defendants” to challenge every guilty plea they have entered to every class of misdemeanor, petty offense, and even municipal charges,” at any time following the entry of a guilty plea.” There is no time limitation for this challenge. Why? To protect noncitizens from the immigration consequences associated with convictions for their criminal conduct, of course. Previously, our left-leaning legislature changed the maximum sentenc...
Devotional: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Character that Covers the Heart
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Devotional: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Character that Covers the Heart

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church In our previous devotional, we explored righteousness as God’s unwavering standard for building just and right “equable” relationships—between us and God, and with all creation. Righteousness, in simple terms, is doing what is right in God's eyes. This time, we turn our attention to one of the most powerful symbols of protection in the believer’s life: the Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). Why a breastplate? Because righteousness must not only be rooted in our hearts; it must also be worn. The breastplate protects our core—our heart, where our values, principles, and motivations reside. The armor we wear to shield that heart is character. However, it’s not just any character, it’s divine.  The Breastp...
Democratic judge in Texas indicted for allegedly running voter fraud scheme
Approved, National, The Daily Caller

Democratic judge in Texas indicted for allegedly running voter fraud scheme

By Floyd Buford | Daily Caller A Democratic judge and five other individuals were indicted over alleged election crimes after running a “vote harvesting scheme,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced Wednesday. Judge Rochelle Lozano Camacho, an elected Democratic judge in Frio County, Texas, was charged with three counts of vote harvesting during her 2022 primary campaign, according to a press release from Paxton’s office. The county’s trustee — the judge’s sister — the election administrator, two Pearsall, Texas city council members, and an additional woman were also indicted. The charges stem from a multi-year investigation launched in 2022 after Camacho’s opponent in the Democratic primary runoff, Mary Moore, filed a complaint, San Antonio-based ABC affiliate KSA...
GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge

By Brita Horn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “We will close the border. We will stop the invasion of illegals into our country,” President Trump said at an Aurora, Colorado, rally on October 12, 2024. That promise was central to his push for a second term. Now, just over 100 days in, he’s delivering – tightening the border and reversing years of neglect. The previous administration under President Joe Biden left a legacy of border chaos. Millions of illegal immigrants crossed into the United States, overwhelming not only border communities but also cities and states far from the frontier. Colorado has become a hotspot in the fight against organized crime and trafficking.  In Aurora, Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested after violent apartment takeovers. I...
Judge denies motion to dismiss in Colorado Springs ‘hate crime hoax’ case
Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Judge denies motion to dismiss in Colorado Springs ‘hate crime hoax’ case

By Celeste Springer | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - It's been six months since three people were indicted after allegedly staging a hate crime to help a Black Colorado Springs candidate, Mayor Yemi Mobolade, win an election. On Friday, a judge denied a motion to dismiss, signalling that the case will move forward and ultimately be heard by a jury. In April 2023, just before the Colorado Springs mayoral election, video of a burning cross in front of then-candidate Yemi Mobolade's campaign sign was sent to media outlets. The sign had also been painted with the "n-word." The event was thought to be a racially motivated attack on Mobolade, who was a Black candidate running against a white opponent. According to court records, investigators believe Derrick Berna...
Writing to remember and reconcile: Colorado Springs Rescue Mission marks Mother’s Day with purpose
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Writing to remember and reconcile: Colorado Springs Rescue Mission marks Mother’s Day with purpose

By Debbie Kelley | Denver Gazette Unspoken words flowed from head to heart to paper Thursday, with messages that are being sent from Colorado Springs to communities across the nation, or from earth to heaven. As Mother’s Day approaches, homeless people staying at the city’s largest emergency shelter and support campus wrote greeting cards with personal sentiments expressing thanksgiving, fond memories, forgiveness, regret, repentance and above all, their love to the women who gave them life. “I most want to tell her that we miss her so much,” said Sherry Kirkendall, who for the second year will observe Mother’s Day without her mom, who also was homeless at the time of her death in February 2024. “We were close,” she said, tearfully. “It’s been kind of tough. She was a rock, a f...
First American pope elected: Denver Catholics react with hope and caution
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

First American pope elected: Denver Catholics react with hope and caution

By Hanna Powers | KDVR.COM DENVER (KDVR) — For the first time in history, the leader of the Catholic Church is from the United States. At Regis University, a Jesuit school in Denver, students and faculty reflected on the election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago. “I’m truly surprised, I did not expect to have an American Pope in my lifetime,” said Kari Kloos, interim vice president for mission at Regis University. “I am very pleasantly surprised and also relieved,” said Alexandra Walker, a senior at Regis. Pope Leo XIV is being called a “pope for the modern world.” He speaks several languages and is known for emphasizing compassion and connection. “I found it really heartwarming and emotional that in his speech, he switched from Itali...