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Douglas Co. Commissioner Lora Thomas says she was ‘evicted from my office’ amid political conflict
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Douglas Co. Commissioner Lora Thomas says she was ‘evicted from my office’ amid political conflict

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Lora Thomas has resigned from her position as Douglas County commissioner, a term which was to end in five weeks. According to a Denver 7 report, Thomas cites years of harassment by fellow commissioners George Teal and Abe Layden as the reason for her decision. In a press release and conference, Thomas reflected on her public service and the personal toll of the ongoing conflict. Thomas' resignation ends a career in public service which lasted decades. Before serving as a county commissioner, she broke barriers. She was the first woman captain and major in the Colorado State Patrol. She also served as Douglas County coroner, reducing office costs by 33% and rooting out internal corruption. Thomas noted her commitmen...
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Could Polis really align with Trump on anything? He might on cutting from BLM wild horse management budget
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Could Polis really align with Trump on anything? He might on cutting from BLM wild horse management budget

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In a shocking and unexpected post on Twitter/X, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis posted that he wants the Trump administration to give at least half the funding that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) uses to manage Colorado wild horses to Colorado. The post came from his personal page, not his official governor's page. Polis wrote, “…the BLM spends $187.8 million dollars a year on the Wild Horse Program, including $8.5 million on the 'inhumane horse roundups', and over $100 million caring for the 60,000 horses in holding facilities. Giv[ing] half that amount to the states with wild horses (like CO) with guardrails for horse treatment, we will efficiently manage the population through birth control, eliminating the need for c...
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Morrison Police Department to disband, response to be covered by Jefferson County
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Morrison Police Department to disband, response to be covered by Jefferson County

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News The Morrison Police Department is disbanding, a spokesperson confirmed with FOX31 on Wednesday. The decision was made Monday during a town board meeting. The town said in a press release that the board of trustees was in the process of adopting its 2025 budget. “Due to various financial concerns, the adopted budget results in a reduction in the Town’s Police Department. The Town anticipates that police services in the Town will be provided by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office beginning in January 2025,” the release stated. “The Town is working expeditiously to ensure a smooth transition.” READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Developer meeting on proposed Palmer Lake Buc-ee’s turns heated
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Approved, gazette.com, Local

Developer meeting on proposed Palmer Lake Buc-ee’s turns heated

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette A public meeting hosted to discuss a proposed Buc-ee's location along Interstate 25 packed the Palmer Lake Elementary School cafeteria Tuesday night, frequently turning hostile and argumentative between company representatives and community members. "We don't desire your beaver nuggets," said audience member Alexandra Olivier, who joined an overwhelmingly negative wave of comments at the informational meeting. Residents raised a myriad of concerns over the travel center, which has been proposed on a piece of current El Paso County land west of I-25 and directly south of County Line Road. Developers have submitted an annexation plan to the county that would bring the site into the town of Palmer Lake under a "flagpole" annexation, connecting the roug...
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Government employees are working from home. GOP lawmakers and Elon Musk’s DOGE plan to change that
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Approved, National, National Review

Government employees are working from home. GOP lawmakers and Elon Musk’s DOGE plan to change that

By James Lynch | National Review A bombshell report from Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) found that the amount of federal employees working fully in-person is near-zero despite the government spending billions annually to ensure buildings remain suitable for occupancy. Thursday morning, the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus held a meeting where Ernst presented a report on widespread remote work among federal employees, according to a source familiar. Multiple Republican senators and Ramaswamy were seen at the Senate DOGE meeting. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NATIONAL REVIEW
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Proposed ‘blanket ban’ on flavored tobacco could cost the city of Denver millions
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Proposed ‘blanket ban’ on flavored tobacco could cost the city of Denver millions

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette via Colorado Politics A bill prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products within the City and County of Denver got the nod of approval from the city’s Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee on Wednesday. The vote was 6 - 1, with Councilmember Kevin Flynn casting the lone dissenting vote. The next stop will be City Council for a final vote as early as Dec. 16, to pass the ordinance by the end of the year, according to District 9 Councilmember Darrell Watson, one of the bill’s sponsors. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado’s first biomass energy plant closed, set for auction as owner files for bankruptcy protection
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado’s first biomass energy plant closed, set for auction as owner files for bankruptcy protection

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun The pioneering biomass plant in Gypsum — the first in the state to begin converting shredded beetle-kill trees into electricity — has shut down and its owner has filed for bankruptcy protection citing more than $40 million in debt.  The closure has terminated wildfire mitigation efforts in Colorado’s forests and reveals the growing struggle of burning biomass for electricity as demand grows for more affordable renewable energy options like solar and wind. The highest bidder for the plant and the 94-acre property along the Eagle River in Gypsum — revealed last week in Colorado U.S. Bankruptcy Court — is an Illinois-based real estate firm that proposes paying $2.45 million. The trustee in charge of the sale said the Urban Investment Research Cor...
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Feds using banks to surveil Americans’ financial data without warrants, House Judiciary says
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Approved, Fox News, National

Feds using banks to surveil Americans’ financial data without warrants, House Judiciary says

By  Brooke Singman  | Fox News Federal law enforcement has been manipulating the Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) system to gain access to Americans’ financial information without warrants or probable cause, the House Judiciary Committee said Friday.  The panel and its Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released its interim report, first obtained by Fox News Digital, which details its findings.  The committee said in the report that the FBI "has manipulated" the SAR's filing process to treat financial institutions "as de facto arms of law enforcement, issuing ‘requests’ without legal process, that amount to demands for information related to certain persons or activities it considers ‘suspicious.'" READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
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Recount settles Republican wins in Colorado House Districts 16 and 19
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Recount settles Republican wins in Colorado House Districts 16 and 19

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The Democratic Party's grip on the Colorado House has been loosened a bit following Republican victories in a pair of races which were so tight as to trigger mandatory recounts. Both Rebecca Keltie, in House District 16, and Dan Woog, in House District 19, won majorities following recounts performed in three counties and reported by the Colorado secretary of state's office. "A mandatory recount was required for the general election races for House Districts 16 and 19 due to the narrow vote margin between the top vote-getter and second-highest vote-getter," the secretary of state's advisory read. The trigger for a mandatory recount is a margin between the top two candidates of 0.5%. Republicans will hold 22 seats in the 75th General Asse...
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Trump appoints David Sacks as White House a.i. & crypto czar
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Approved, National, The Post Millennial

Trump appoints David Sacks as White House a.i. & crypto czar

By The Post Millennial President-elect has created a new role in the White House for tech entrepreneur David Sacks, who will become the White house A.I & Crypto Czar. "I am pleased to announce that David O. Sacks will be the 'White House A.I. & Crypto Czar,'" Trump said in his announcement of the appointment. "In this important role, David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency," Trump said, "two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas. He will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in...
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