Rocky Mountain Voice

Approved

Student-led election forum at Liberty Common H.S. will feature three state House, Senate races
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Student-led election forum at Liberty Common H.S. will feature three state House, Senate races

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It is a rarity in general election races of about any variety -- this week a student-led debate will feature seven candidates for three seats in the Fort Collins area. Liberty Common High School will host a forum featuring candidates in House District 52 and 53, and Senate District 14. The forum will take place at the high school, 2745 Minnesota Dr., from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3. House District 52 is a race which may have slipped under most radars. The candidates include Steve Yurash, with the Colorado Center Party, and Democrat Yara Zokaie. House District 53 features Democrat Andrew Boesnecker and Republican Donna Walter. In Senate District 14, three candidates are slated to appear. They include Libertarian Jeff Brosius, Democrat ...
Caldara: Central planners disregard Coloradans’ true mobility needs
Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Central planners disregard Coloradans’ true mobility needs

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Tired of all the traffic? Tough. The central planners in charge command it only get worse at an exponential rate. The reason our roads suck is money that could fix and expand them goes to transit which relatively no one uses. U.S. Census data shows only 4% of Denver’s commuting population uses transit. Remember that number — 4%. Yet, in the Denver metro area, almost all “transportation” dollars go to transit. The Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) failed FasTracks scam spent more than $7 billion at a time when all the highway needs statewide were around $9 billion. We could have fulfilled nearly all of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) wish list for the entire state with what we spent on one choo-choo...
Boulder police are using AI to write crime reports, and some urge caution
Approved, Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

Boulder police are using AI to write crime reports, and some urge caution

By John Herrick | Boulder Reporting Lab Earlier this year, the Boulder Police Department began using artificial intelligence to transcribe body camera footage and generate police reports, a move officials say is saving time and improving report writing. This month, the department adopted a new AI policy. However, some community members are urging caution against the blanket deployment of these emerging technologies without proper safeguards.  The department’s use of AI technology was discussed this week during Police Chief Steve Redfearn’s first meeting with the Police Oversight Panel since his promotion earlier this month. The 11-member volunteer panel reviews investigations into complaints of officer misconduct and advises on department policies. READ THE FULL STORY AT...
The YIMBY push for multifamily housing hits a ‘nope’ from homeowners
Approved, National, Newsbreak

The YIMBY push for multifamily housing hits a ‘nope’ from homeowners

By  Robbie Sequeira | Newsbreak An American flag flies above the construction site of a multifamily housing development last year in Los Angeles. In many places, homeowners are opposing state and local efforts to strip away exclusive single-family-home zoning to allow the construction of more multifamily housing. Mario Tama/Getty Images When Minneapolis, then Oregon, then other local and state governments began stripping away exclusive single-family-home zoning over the past five years to allow the construction of multifamily housing, many development advocates predicted the start of a pro-YIMBY revolution. But the “yes-in-my-backyard” movement has stumbled even before it’s really gotten started. READ THE FULL STORY AT NEWSBREAK
Is Prop. 129 the answer to the veterinary shortage in rural Colorado?
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Is Prop. 129 the answer to the veterinary shortage in rural Colorado?

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice It’s a rare occasion indeed when we see Gov. Jared Polis and Heidi Ganahl, former rivals in the 2022 governor’s race, agree on much of anything.  Proposition 129, on your general election ballot, is just the thing that they could speak about in one voice. Prop. 129 asks voters to approve a new mid-level veterinary practitioner, equating the mid-level practitioner to a physician’s assistant for humans. The duties of this newly proposed veterinarian professional associate (VPA) would overlap between those of the veterinarian (DVM) and those of a traditional vet tech. The proposed VPA would be able to diagnose, recommend treatment and perform some surgeries under the supervision of a DVM. If Prop. 129 passes, it would not go into ...
In Highlander moment, Denver police arrest man accused of using sword in fatal roadside stabbing
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

In Highlander moment, Denver police arrest man accused of using sword in fatal roadside stabbing

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette The Denver Police Department on Sunday arrested a suspect for fatally stabbing a young man with a sword in south Denver, according to the probable cause affidavit. In a statement, police said the stabbing took place around 10:57 a.m. at the corner of Lipan Street and Evans Avenue. At the scene, a 20-year-old victim was transported to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries, according to police. Police said they arrested suspect Patrick Browne, 39, on first-degree murder and felony menacing charges. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Knudsen: Kamala Harris blasted for ‘pitiful’ Hurricane Helene response
Approved, Breitbart, Commentary, National

Knudsen: Kamala Harris blasted for ‘pitiful’ Hurricane Helene response

By Hannah Knudsen, Commentary | Breitbart Vice President Kamala Harris is facing intense scrutiny — not from the establishment media, but from Americans on social media — for her lackluster response to the damage inflicted on several states due to Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a strong Category 4 storm late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region. While Florida has been in recovery under the direction of Florid Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is no stranger to unleashing a strong hurricane response, swiftly restoring power, inspecting bridges, and clearing roadways in the Sunshine State — many inland and beyond were caught off guard by the mass devastation in inland areas, such as Asheville, North Carolina. According to the Associated Press, at least 30 were&nbs...
Colorado’s bold move to ban oil drilling sparks national debate
Approved, National, OilPrice.com

Colorado’s bold move to ban oil drilling sparks national debate

By Felicity Bradstock  | OilPrice.com Earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers in Colorado proposed two pieces of legislation aimed at introducing a statewide ban on oil and gas wells, which would be the first of its kind in the U.S. One of the bills aimed to introduce a ban on new oil and gas drilling permits by bringing an end to new oil and gas licenses starting in 2028. The second proposal would require oil and gas companies to pause production for five months each year. The proposal of such strict limitations on oil and gas operations had not previously been seen and the proposal of such far-reaching laws could encourage other states to follow suit. Environmentalists are calling for lawmakers to bring an end to oil and gas production, with a particular focus on fracking, a tec...
Donald Trump: Kamala Harris would ‘decimate’ social security and medicare
Approved, Breitbart, National

Donald Trump: Kamala Harris would ‘decimate’ social security and medicare

By Matthew Boyle | Breitbart Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News exclusively that Vice President Kamala Harris would “decimate” Social Security and Medicare if she won the election, and the only way to protect those programs is to vote for him. Asked during a nearly hour-long interview last weekend about Democrats privately sounding the alarm about Harris’s silence on Social Security and Medicare as Politico reported earlier in September, Trump sounded off, saying she avoids talking about the programs because people know her policies would destroy them. “So she doesn’t talk at all about Social Security or Medicare because everyone knows she’s going to decimate them,” Trump told Breitbart News. “They’re going to be destroyed. There’s no way to fix it once she does tha...
Jefferson County candidates offer views on budget, housing, metro districts
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Jefferson County candidates offer views on budget, housing, metro districts

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics Candidates for the Jefferson County Board of Commission offered competing visions, at times clashing approaches to priorities and spending, during a debate on Thursday night.  In District 1, which covers the northern part of the county and includes Arvada and Westminster, current commissioner and former state lawmaker Tracy Kraft-Tharp is vacating the seat. Last year, she announced that she would not seek reelection. There are four candidates vying for the position. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS