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Biden resumes immigration program that was suspended over fraud concerns
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Approved, National, Newsweek

Biden resumes immigration program that was suspended over fraud concerns

By Matthew Impelli | Newsweek President Joe Biden's administration is set to resume an immigration program that was previously suspended due to fraud concerns. On Thursday, the Biden administration announced that it was resuming an immigration program that permits migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the United States. The program was previously suspended over fraud concerns, but the announcement today that the updated program will include "additional vetting" of their U.S.-based financial sponsors. "Together with our existing rigorous vetting of potential beneficiaries seeking to travel to the United States, these new procedures for supporters have strengthened the integrity of these processes and will help protect against exploitation of beneficiaries,...
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End of an era marked at Colorado Springs’ Martin Drake Power Plant
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Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

End of an era marked at Colorado Springs’ Martin Drake Power Plant

By Austin Sack | Fox 21 Colorado Springs After less than two years of demolition work, the former Martin Drake Power Plant (Drake) has been taken to ground level, marking a dramatic change in the city’s skyline for the first time in 100 years. Community leaders are celebrating the milestone while looking toward a cleaner and more sustainable future. “There’s been thousands and thousands of our community members that have worked at this plant over the last hundred years, spent holidays, their nights, their weekends, did everything they could to make sure that we had reliable generations,” said Travas Deal, Chief Executive Officer at Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities). “We always want to celebrate what this plant did for this great city and now we want to celebrate what’...
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Colorado voters will decide whether to overhaul election system, adopt statewide ranked choice voting
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado voters will decide whether to overhaul election system, adopt statewide ranked choice voting

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Colorado voters will decide in November whether to make a series of major changes to the state’s election system.  Initiative 310, which qualified Thursday to be on the November ballot, would change most of Colorado’s primaries so candidates from all parties run against each other, followed by a ranked choice voting general election.  The supporters of the measure, led by Kent Thiry, the wealthy former CEO of Denver-based dialysis giant DaVita, needed to collect more than 125,000 voter signatures to get the initiative on the ballot.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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‘We will hunt them down, we will find them, we will arrest them and we’ll deport them’
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

‘We will hunt them down, we will find them, we will arrest them and we’ll deport them’

By Alliyah Sims | Fox 31 News As more and more videos begin to surface showing alleged gang violence at Aurora apartment complexes, it’s putting people across the Denver metro area on high alert. FOX31 spoke to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston about how city leaders are ready to address those issues. Johnston said the Denver Police Department has already been working with federal, state and other local agencies because they have been made aware of the problem early on. He said while there has been no evidence of Denver apartments being “taken over” by a Venezuelan gang, they are providing a heavier police presence in areas that have risks. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31
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County assessors in Colorado offer mixed views on property tax compromise
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

County assessors in Colorado offer mixed views on property tax compromise

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics County assessors from around the state offered their insights into the compromise legislation that lawmakers approved at the conclusion of a special session on Thursday. The product of negotiations between Gov. Jared Polis, legislators, and the groups behind a pair of ballot initiatives seeking deeper property tax cuts, House Bill 1001 is relatively similar to the property tax bill that passed in the final days of the regular session in May but includes notable changes. House Bill 1001's aims to slow property tax growth, which has been increasing exponentially in Colorado since the Gallagher Amendment was repealed in 2020. The 30-plus-page bill includes a number of provisions for different property types, including residential, nonresidenti...
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Evans tours southern border near El Paso, criticizes that Caraveo has not
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Evans tours southern border near El Paso, criticizes that Caraveo has not

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Gabe Evans, the Republican nominee for the 8th District seat in the U.S. House, visited the southern border near El Paso on Thursday. “The open-border policies of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Yadira Caraveo have had dire results: more deaths, a record number of individuals on the terrorist watch list crossing into the U.S., and record levels of poisonous fentanyl released into the U.S.," Evans said. "In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded an astonishing 2.5 million border crossings, plus an unknown additional number of got-aways." He reports 375 individuals on the terrorist watch list have been apprehended crossing into the U.S., and 99 have been released into the U.S., as of July. Evans is vying to unseat Democrat Caraveo in...
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Todd Hollenbeck’s employment contract as county administrator approved
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Approved, Local, Mesa County, Mesa County News

Todd Hollenbeck’s employment contract as county administrator approved

By Mesa County News During the Aug. 27 public hearing, the commissioners approved Todd Hollenbeck’s employment contract as Mesa County Administrator — Hollenbeck will take the helm on Jan. 4, 2025. “Todd has a diverse set of experiences that make him tailor-made for this position,” said Commissioner Cody Davis. “He served Mesa County in criminal justice, public works, regional transportation, public health as the interim health director, and administration in his current role as Deputy County Administrator — it would be hard to find someone with a more diverse portfolio of experiences, coupled with his deep institutional knowledge and strong working relationships within our community.”  READ THE FULL STORY AT MESA COUNTY NEWS
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China involvement in fentanyl crisis a ‘huge problem’, official says
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Approved, National, Westernslopenow.com

China involvement in fentanyl crisis a ‘huge problem’, official says

By Jamie Joseph | Westernslopenow.com China is a driving force behind much of the illegal drug trade in the United States, including fentanyl and marijuana, according to law enforcement authorities. Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Director Donnie Anderson says China’s involvement is a “huge problem.” “It’s been a problem here in Oklahoma since 2019 or 2020,” Anderson said Monday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “It’s not just marijuana. It is directly related to the cartels. The Chinese criminal organizations are laundering money for the cartels, and they’re very good. … They’re the best we’ve ever seen.” READ THE FULL STORY AT WESTERNSLOPENOW.COM
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Colorado test scores affirm daunting task to overcome COVID-era learning loss
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado test scores affirm daunting task to overcome COVID-era learning loss

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette The latest academic achievement data demonstrates the daunting task schools face in overcoming student learning loss across the state, including the Denver metro area, even as the COVID-19 pandemic is now in the rearview mirror.  The modest gains in math and English are remarkably similar to last year, when state officials described the results as a “stair step” improvement and local educators called the scores disappointing. Colorado students showed a 1.3-point improvement in math and 0.4 points in English. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER GAZETTE
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Colorado Springs’ Randy Royal named IAFC Fire Chief of the Year
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Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

Colorado Springs’ Randy Royal named IAFC Fire Chief of the Year

By Austin Sack | Fox 21 Colorado Springs At the core of the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is a group of people who love to serve the city, but every group needs a strong leader. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has selected CSFD Fire Chief Randy Royal as the Career 2024 Fire Chief of the Year. Chief Royal was awarded the honor on Aug. 14 at the 2024 Fire-Rescue International Conference in Dallas, Texas. Since 1996, the International Fire Chief of the Year award has recognized one volunteer and one career fire chief for their leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, public service, and contributions to the fire service on an international level. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 COLORADO SPRINGS
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