Rocky Mountain Voice

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Likely voters hold pessimistic view toward state’s future, government in poll entering election year
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Likely voters hold pessimistic view toward state’s future, government in poll entering election year

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice A large swath of voters may be concerned with the direction of the state and with items ranging from tax burden to cost of living and education, painting a pessimistic picture in an election year, a poll conducted in late 2023 finds. The Colorado Polling Institute survey finds 43.1% of likely voters believe the state to be on the wrong track, with 67% of Republicans and 45% of unaffiliated voters holding that view. Half of those who have resided in the state for at least 20 years believe Colorado is on the wrong track. Only 50.4% of likely voters surveyed believe the state is on the right track. The poll was taken among 621 voters with a margin of error of 3.8%. About one-fourth of those surveyed believe state and local taxes are about...
Mary Bradfield qualifies for ballot in El Paso County’s House District 21 seat
Approved, El Paso County, Rocky Mountain Voice

Mary Bradfield qualifies for ballot in El Paso County’s House District 21 seat

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Mary Bradfield, a Republican seeking re-election to House District 21 in El Paso County, has qualified for the primary ballot, the Colorado Secretary of State's office announced Wednesday. Bradfield serves as the minority party's caucus chair in the Colorado House. She submitted 1,758 signatures on a petition to be placed on the primary ballot, and 1,126 signatures were accepted by the Secretary of State's office. She was required to meet a 1,000=signature threshhold. A record of all accepted and rejected signatures, including reasons for each rejection, is on file with the Secretary of State.
Rep. Anthony Hartsook’s massage trafficking bill advances in House committee hearing
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Anthony Hartsook’s massage trafficking bill advances in House committee hearing

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A bill by Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, which would add certain mandatory criminal background investigation requirements of massage facilities in an effort to curb human trafficking, advanced Tuesday in the Colorado House. Colorado has seen numerous arrests in the past few years related to human trafficking at massage parlors, including in Denver in 2022 and in Jefferson County in 2023, Hartsook wrote in a press release. House Bill 24-1371 would advance discretionary local regulatory authority of massage establishments to a requirement. “This bill will establish a mandatory national fingerprint background check of all employees and owners for these types of facilities,” Hartsook said. “It will deter bad actors from trying to move to Colorado and...
Total solar eclipse causes one state to declare emergency in advance of phenomenon
Approved, National, The Epoch Times

Total solar eclipse causes one state to declare emergency in advance of phenomenon

By Jack Phillips | The Epoch Times Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statewide emergency due to a large influx of visitors to his state to view the total solar eclipse on April 8. The Republican official said that the number of visitors to Indiana may strain the state’s communications, transportation, and emergency response systems, warranting the need for the declaration. Indiana includes some of the best locations in the United States to see the eclipse, according to a map of the path of totality. “The massive number of people viewing this event in our state may well stress and/or interfere with first responder and public safety communications and emergency response systems such that a technological or other emergency may occur,” Mr. Holcomb said in a statement last week, addin...
Lauren Boebert treated for blood clot in leg, expects ‘full recovery’
Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, State

Lauren Boebert treated for blood clot in leg, expects ‘full recovery’

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Springs Gazette U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert expects a full recovery after undergoing a medical procedure on Tuesday at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland to remove a blood clot from her leg, the Colorado Republican's campaign said. After experiencing "severe swelling" in her upper left leg, Boebert was admitted to the hospital on Monday and was diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome, a condition that interrupts blood flow, her campaign said. Doctors successfully completed surgery to remove a blood clot and insert a stent, which addressed Boebert's symptoms. Following recommended rest, she's expected to recover fully without significant long-term health concerns and should be able to resume normal activity. READ THE FULL STORY IN THE COLORAD...
Gabe Evans in CD8 among 20 ‘Trailblazers’ endorsed by Top GOP super PAC for ‘proven track records’
Approved, Fox News, National

Gabe Evans in CD8 among 20 ‘Trailblazers’ endorsed by Top GOP super PAC for ‘proven track records’

By Aubrie Spady , Paul Steinhauser  | FOX News The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) dropped its first round of "trailblazer" endorsements for the 2024 election cycle, a major advancement in Republican efforts to expand their slim House majority in the fall. CLF, a top Republican super PAC closely aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson that supports and invests in Republican congressional campaigns across the country, made 20 key House endorsements Wednesday that were shared first with Fox News Digital. Throughout their campaigns, the selected Republican candidates will receive financial support from the group's Trailblazers Fund, a hard-dollar arm set up ahead of the 2018 midterm elections to fund high-priority congressional campaigns. READ THE FULL STORY AT ...
Colorado Republicans: Bill banning lawmakers’ guns from Capitol is unconstitutional
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Republicans: Bill banning lawmakers’ guns from Capitol is unconstitutional

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Senate Republicans on Tuesday charged that legislation seeking to effectively ban lawmakers from bringing firearms into the state Capitol is unconstitutional. Senate Bill 131, as introduced, would have banned firearms, including concealed weapons, from 19 identified "sensitive spaces," including schools, colleges, parks, recreation centers, protests and rallies, and local government buildings. The bill's Democratic sponsors, Sens. Sonja Jaquez Lewis of Longmont and Chris Kolker of Centennial, narrowed its scope in a Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The panel not only changed the bill's title — a fairly unusual move — but also added the state Capitol to the list of "sensitive spaces," while removing more than a dozen others. READ THE...
As Tesla sales slump and Ford cuts back on EV workforce, Buttigieg doubles down on ‘Economically Smart Play’
Approved, Breitbart, National

As Tesla sales slump and Ford cuts back on EV workforce, Buttigieg doubles down on ‘Economically Smart Play’

By IAN HANCHETT | Breitbart On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America Reports,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that “the automotive sector is moving towards EVs” and China pushed for an advantage in the EV market “because that’s the economically smart play” but “we can’t just sit back and let this happen on its own pace” because there’s a competition between the U.S. and China. Co-host John Roberts asked, “Tesla sales fell 8.5% the first quarter of this year, Ford, this week, is laying off two-thirds of its workforce at the F-150 electric Lightning plant, it’s also scaling back a battery production facility because of sagging sales. EV sales are nowhere near what this president wanted or expected. Yet, the administration continues to shove them down c...
Daniel: Unleash responsible energy production in Colorado, kill Senate Bill 24-159
Approved, Commentary, Western Slope

Daniel: Unleash responsible energy production in Colorado, kill Senate Bill 24-159

By BOBBIE DANIEL | Guest Columnist Recently, our Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution declaring Mesa County’s opposition to Senate Bill 24-159, which prohibits new oil and gas production in Colorado. At first glance, the Front Range sponsors of this bill aim to give us less pollution, better health outcomes, reasonable care of finite mineral resources and more responsible property rights. We all want these things, and while the aspiration for reduced pollution and enhanced health and environmental stewardship is universal, the approach of SB 24-159 is concerning. It is a widely-known achievement of the 19th century that the greatest standard of living has been achieved by respecting private property rights of the individual, versus the road of collective...
Lawmakers advance bill to livestream, allow remote comment to state and local boards
Approved, Colorado Freedom of Information, State

Lawmakers advance bill to livestream, allow remote comment to state and local boards

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information State and local boards, councils and commissions would be required to livestream many of their public meetings and offer remote public testimony under a bill, endorsed Wednesday by a Colorado legislative committee, that is designed to improve access to government for people with disabilities. “This bill affirms the right to participate in our democracy,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, a Greenwood Village Democrat who is sponsoring House Bill 24-1168 with Rep. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City. “And by allowing remote public testimony, this legislation breaks down barriers that have historically silenced voices dues to geographical or physical limitations,” Rutinel added. “It ensures that every citizen has an equal opportunity...