Rocky Mountain Voice

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Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, who lost the House District 16 race to Republican Rep.-elect Rebecca Keltie, says she will not challenge the results. An automatic recount, ordered after the race ended in a seven-vote lead for Keltie, brought that race to a tie. But the canvassing board in El Paso County made up of one Democrat, one Republican, and the county clerk, declared that three votes cast for Vigil would not be counted, and Keltie was certified as the winner on Dec. 5. The Secretary of State's office accepted those results. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year. The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis' comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state's 64 counties. State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility
Approved, Denverite, Local

Downtown Denver set for $570M tax-funded investment in housing, jobs, culture, parks, mobility

By Kyle Harris | Denverite The Downtown Development Authority is set to revamp the central city with hundreds of millions of dollars in spending. The authority previously funded the revitalization of Union Station and the surrounding area. Earlier this year, voters approved changes that will allow the organization to take on $570 million of debt and spread the spending across a broader swath of downtown Denver. On Monday, the Denver City Council approved more detailed plans for how the money will be spent over the next 13 years. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
Trump celebrates Wray resigning from FBI: ‘A great day for America’ in ending DOJ weaponization
Approved, Daily Wire, National

Trump celebrates Wray resigning from FBI: ‘A great day for America’ in ending DOJ weaponization

By Ryan Saavedra | Daily Wire President-elect Donald Trump celebrated FBI Director Christopher Wray announcing on Wednesday that he will be resigning at the end of the Biden administration. “The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump said in a post. “I just don’t know what happened to him.” Wray said during an FBI town hall that he had been pondering his future over the last several weeks after Trump tapped Kash Patel to serve as the new director. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY WIRE
Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says

By Rachel Saurer | Fox 31 News Colorado State Patrol shared an encouraging look at auto theft numbers statewide. The number of cars being stolen has dropped to the lowest it has been since 2020. “In 2023, we saw a 20-plus percent reduction over 2022. And this year in 2024, we are trending for further decreases from last year. An additional 20 percent or more depending on how this last month or so goes,” said Cale Gould, public outreach coordinator, Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority with CSP. Gould said there are many factors contributing to this decrease to include owners taking accountability for their vehicles and the state passing legislation to further criminalize motor vehicle theft and provide more funding. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Police backtrack on claim that University of Colorado students overdosed on drugs laced with fentanyl
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Police backtrack on claim that University of Colorado students overdosed on drugs laced with fentanyl

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado Police in Boulder are now backtracking on their claim that over the weekend a group of University of Colorado students overdosed on cocaine that was possibly tainted with fentanyl. Instead, police now say the five men had consumed an extreme amount of alcohol and then some had taken drugs which led them to become violently sick. It happened on Saturday night at Kappa Sigma fraternity. Police say Narcan was used at the fraternity house before the students were transported to the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado is 6th most regulated state in America, chamber report says
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado is 6th most regulated state in America, chamber report says

By Marissa Ventrelli and Luige del Puerto | Denver Gazette Colorado is the sixth-most regulated state in the country and nearly half of its roughly 200,000 regulations are "excessive or duplicative," a finding that poses negative ramifications on economic growth, on productivity and, ultimately, on residents, according to a new study from the state's chamber of commerce. The study commissioned by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce is the latest report to examine the state's regulatory environment and to argue that the regulations lead to job losses associated with compliance costs and lost sales. The chamber released its study following another report showing that Colorado has slipped behind other states in terms of economic strength and that its economy is proje...
Supermarket super merger that would have impacted 105 grocery stores in Colorado collapses
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Supermarket super merger that would have impacted 105 grocery stores in Colorado collapses

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun A day after two judges in two lawsuits ruled against the proposed $24.6 billion supermarket merger, Albertsons Companies said Wednesday it would end its merger agreement with Kroger. “Given the recent federal and state court decisions to block our proposed merger with Kroger, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement. We are deeply disappointed in the courts’ decisions,” Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said. At the same time, the Idaho grocery chain, which owns 105 Safeway and Albertsons grocery stores in Colorado, said it filed a lawsuit against Kroger for breach of merger agreement accusing the larger supermarket chain “repeatedly refusing to divest assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignoring regulators’ feedbac...
House Republicans announce committee assignments for 75th state legislative session
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House Republicans announce committee assignments for 75th state legislative session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A bench of Republicans offering diverse skill, experience and conservative values will serve Coloradans in the 75th session of the Colorado General Assembly, Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said Wednesday as she announced the party's committee assignments. “The House Republican caucus is proud to bring common-sense leadership and thoughtful solutions to the issues Coloradans care about most,” she said. “These assignments truly reflect the caucus’ commitment to increasing affordability, keeping Colorado families safe, and protecting taxpayers while providing strong leadership and expertise across all legislative areas." She joined Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter in announcing the committee assignments. “Our committee members bring a wealt...
As Colorado slips behind other states in economic strength, slower economic growth in 2025 is ‘new reality’
Approved, gazette.com, State

As Colorado slips behind other states in economic strength, slower economic growth in 2025 is ‘new reality’

By Bernadette Berdychowski  | The Gazette As Colorado slips behind other states in terms of economic strength, its economy is projected to grow — albeit slower in 2025, according to a new report. The Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Boulder released its 60th annual outlook Monday detailing forecasts of Colorado’s economy and various industries for 2025 based on the analysis from 140 statewide government, business and academic experts. The report found Colorado’s economy is growing, but falling behind in several areas. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE