Rocky Mountain Voice

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Walcher: The “sky is falling” water narrative doesn’t hold water
Approved, GregWalcher.com, National, State

Walcher: The “sky is falling” water narrative doesn’t hold water

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com Every year for the past 25, at least, negotiating teams for the seven states on the Colorado River have worked to overcome a new crisis, invariably driven by two entities: the State of California and the federal Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). For a quarter-century, those teams have responded to federal pressure based on the dubious theory that an ongoing drought, and a resulting decline in the river’s flow, somehow changed the law and gave BOR authority to ignore the Interstate Compact. Not once has the federal agency ever acknowledged the government’s own role in reducing the river’s flow, by neglecting to manage thirsty invasive species like tamarisk, and especially by allowing national forests to become so overgrown that much of...
Hunter: “Don’t scatter roses after I’m gone” – what my wife’s words taught me during Brain Cancer Awareness Month
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Hunter: “Don’t scatter roses after I’m gone” – what my wife’s words taught me during Brain Cancer Awareness Month

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Husband of Sherrie Hunter - Thriver of Life, not a Victim of Cancer For decades, I’ve stood in uniform beside the flag-draped coffins of fellow servicemen. I’ve stood at the front of church sanctuaries to bless weddings full of joy and eulogize lives full of sorrow. I’ve held hands with the grieving, prayed over the broken, and offered words when there were no words. But nothing—absolutely nothing—prepared me for this. On January 3, 2024, my wife, Sherrie, and I were pulled into a world no one ever wants to enter: the world of brain cancer. The diagnosis was brutal and blunt—Stage Four Glioblastoma.  It sounded like a sentence, not a diagnosis. And for over a year now, we’ve lived with it. Fought it. Prayed through it. ...
Boebert presses FBI, joins Trump and allies rallying to free ‘political prisoner’ Tina Peters
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Boebert presses FBI, joins Trump and allies rallying to free ‘political prisoner’ Tina Peters

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A 69-year-old grandmother with no prior record is serving nearly a decade in prison. Now, Donald Trump and Lauren Boebert are calling her what they believe she is: a political prisoner. Rep. Lauren Boebert is demanding federal action on behalf of Tina Peters, the former Mesa County Clerk sentenced to nine years in prison over her efforts to preserve election records following the 2020 election. In a March 21 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Boebert called the case a “staggeringly harsh” example of political prosecution and urged the bureau to investigate potential violations of Peters’ civil rights. “This is about justice and freedom,” Boebert said during a May 7 appearance on The Jeff and Bill Show, hosted by Jeff Hunt and RMV’s own Tori G...
Backlash ignored: Senate approves HB25-1312 without parental rights protections
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Backlash ignored: Senate approves HB25-1312 without parental rights protections

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Proponents hail the bill as a civil rights milestone for transgender youth. But Republicans say it strips parental rights, embeds compelled speech into law and threatens custody in future court cases. After weeks of public backlash, failed compromise efforts, and a marathon Senate floor debate, Colorado lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to HB25-1312 – a bill that critics say severs parents from decisions about their children’s identities in school. The bill passed its final Senate vote on Tuesday with no additional debate or amendments. The House voted to concur with all Senate amendments and repassed the bill without further changes, sending it to Governor Jared Polis. The final version no longer includes the family court and out-of-s...
A turning point for Colorado: RMV announces first Mountain Majesty Gala featuring Eric Trump on June 21 
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A turning point for Colorado: RMV announces first Mountain Majesty Gala featuring Eric Trump on June 21 

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The conservative grassroots in Colorado is waking up – and gathering for something bigger than politics as usual. Tickets are now on sale for what organizers are calling a major turning point for Colorado conservatives. Rocky Mountain Voice will host its first Mountain Majesty Gala on June 21 in the Denver Metro area. Doors open at 5:00 PM, and guests are encouraged to dress formal for an evening built to energize Colorado’s conservative movement – something many say is long overdue. Grassroots leaders, elected officials and media voices will gather for a night of connection, clarity and shared purpose. Eric Trump will serve as keynote speaker for the evening. A national conservative voice with deep grassroots credibility, Trump is exp...
Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce transgender military ban
Approved, National, National Review

Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce transgender military ban

By Haley Strack | National Review The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration may begin enforcing a ban on transgender troops serving in the military while the case continues working its way through lower courts. The ruling granted the administration’s emergency request to lift a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order, so it did not lay out the justices’ reasoning and will remain in place only until the issue is decided in lower courts. The Court’s three liberal justices — Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor — dissented but did not provide their reasoning. The ban was issued via executive order on Trump’s first day in office and revokes a Biden-era rule that allowed transgender people to serve openly in the milit...
DOJ lawsuit puts spotlight on Denver’s ‘sanctuary’ policies
Approved, denvergazette.com, National, State

DOJ lawsuit puts spotlight on Denver’s ‘sanctuary’ policies

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Colorado and the City and County of Denver, alleging their policies are interfering with the job of immigration officers in a case that could have ramifications for enforcement nationwide. The lawsuit filed Friday in Colorado District Court claims both the state and Denver have enacted “sanctuary laws” in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the latest in a series of actions by the president cracking down on so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions. A “sanctuary city” generally refers to a jurisdiction that discourages local law enforcement from reporting an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities. This tension was on full display during a congressional hearing in March, when Denver Mayor Mike Joh...
Colorado Senate committee rejects judicial watchdog picks over misconduct concerns
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Senate committee rejects judicial watchdog picks over misconduct concerns

By David Migoya | Denver Gazette In a bipartisan rebuke of how a years-long scandal has been handled, a Colorado Senate committee on Monday made the rare move of not approving the gubernatorial reappointment of the top two members of the state’s Commission on Judicial Discipline. Just months after voters statewide overwhelmingly chose to change how Colorado disciplines judges, the state Senate Judiciary Committee voted — 4-3, with two Democrats joining the panel’s two lone Republicans — to offer an unfavorable recommendation to the full Senate on the reappointment of Mindy Sooter and Jim Carpenter, the chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the 10-member commission. It was the committee’s last official act as the legislative session rushed to a close on Wednesday. The full...
Flawed filing stalls Peters’ release bid as DOJ weighs in and President Trump demanding action
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Flawed filing stalls Peters’ release bid as DOJ weighs in and President Trump demanding action

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A federal judge on Monday warned former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters that her request to be released while she appeals her 2024 criminal convictions appears to be brought improperly and may be subject to dismissal. Jurors convicted Peters for her role in a security breach of her office's voting equipment. She is currently serving a nine-year sentence of incarceration. While the state's Court of Appeals reviews her conviction, Peters has filed a federal petition for "habeas corpus," a legal tool used to challenge one's confinement. Specifically, Peters is seeking to be released on bond while her appeal moves forward in state court. In a May 5 order, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak identified a problem with the petition....
Rural Southwest Colorado farmers face 65% water shortfall after dry winter
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Rural Southwest Colorado farmers face 65% water shortfall after dry winter

By Shannon Mullane | Colorado Sun Ken Curtis, a water manager in southwestern Colorado, had two words to describe his district’s expected water supply this summer: “Pretty bad.” “(We’re) looking at about 30%, maybe 35% supply,” said Curtis, who manages the Dolores Water Conservancy District.  Water managers across Colorado and the West are looking at this winter’s snowfall and weather forecasts to plan for summer water supplies, whether it’s using water for gardens, lawns, fisheries, crops or livestock. The conditions vary widely at the local level. In some parts of Colorado, like Denver, the winter provided enough snow to fill reservoirs and avoid extra restrictions. Other regions are tightening their belts.  Curtis hoped to at least give water users in his district ...