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Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues
Fox21, Approved, State

Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues

By Carolynn Felling | FOX21 News (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser debated in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 3, outlining their distinct visions for addressing Colorado’s cost-of-living crisis. The two candidates are running for the governor’s office in the upcoming June primary election. Their campaigns show differences in strategies to tackle issues like housing affordability, health care costs, and support for the next generation. Both Sen. Bennet and Attorney General Weiser acknowledge the critical urgency of Colorado’s affordability challenges. However, their proposed solutions present divergent paths for the state’s future. Their debate highlighted a division on how to best move Colorado forward. The debate brought ...
From insider to critic: Ex-White House official questions public health orthodoxy
All Better, Approved, Commentary, National

From insider to critic: Ex-White House official questions public health orthodoxy

By Katy Talento | AllBetter Substack I kept Robert F. Kennedy Jr. out of the West Wing. Now I owe him an apology. It was 2017. We had hauled the CEOs of a bunch of pharmaceutical companies into the Oval Office so that President Trump could berate them about their drug prices. (Always a good time.) Somehow, the word “vaccine” came up in the conversation. When that happens in the president’s presence, then, now, last month, and probably next week, like clockwork, he always starts telling the same story. A woman who worked for him at the Trump Organization back in the day. Her two-year-old son, who was “perfect, beautiful, magnificent, flawless.” Then he got a shot and he was “just gone. Gone. Never the same. Beautiful boy. Then, just gone.” The CEOs all shrank back and tu...
SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project     SB26-147: a great idea almost certain to be vetoed The CPR article linked first below was my first introduction to the bill SB26-147, which is linked second below. The focus of the article is on how the legislature is pushing back on Governor Polis’ micromanaging by requiring his staff to register and hold to the same rules as any other lobbyist would. Quoting from the article with link intact: “Currently, lobbyists are required to register a stance on any bills they’re trying to influence with the Secretary of State’s Office, which makes that information publicly available. Legislative liaisons doing the same type of work for state agencies or the governor’s office directly don’t have those dis...
Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting
The Daily Record, Approved, State

Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting

By Brian Porter | The Daily Record Director Clellan recommends 3% increase to issued licenses; 257,000 participated in Big Game Draw. A briefing on prairie dog conservation, a keystone species to Fremont County, and an update to the gray wolf reintroduction will be shared when the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission meets May 6-7 at the Grand Junction Convention Center, 159 Main St., in Grand Junction. Frances Silva Blayney will officially become the newest Commission member – although she has already been serving – after her gubernatorial appointment to the Commission was upheld by the Colorado Senate last week. With the withdrawals of John Emerick and Chris Sichko from consideration, the Commission could be two members short when it convenes. ...
Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly

By Elizabeth Caven | Commentary, The Denver Gazette In a state where winter isn’t optional, you’d think reliable heat wouldn’t be either. Yet, Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission seems increasingly comfortable with discarding the very energy source that keeps the majority of households in the state warm: natural gas. Residents are not thinking about long-term regulatory frameworks when they go to turn up the heat in January. They are asking much simpler questions: Will their homes stay warm, and can they afford it? This is what makes Colorados current energy trajectory so puzzling and, increasingly, troubling. Natural gas continues to be the backbone of the states energy sphere even as lawmakers at the Capitol seem determined to ignore that fact. A recent report published ...
Colorado Title Board Blocks The “Right to Know” Transparency Amendment From Ballot
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Title Board Blocks The “Right to Know” Transparency Amendment From Ballot

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — The Colorado Title Board has refused to give Coloradans the opportunity to vote on making government transparency a state constitutional right. The board voted 2-1 at an April 24 re-hearing that a proposed constitutional amendment, put together by a large stakeholder group from across the political spectrum, did not meet Colorado’s “single-subject” requirement, calling it too broad. The 3-member Title Board is made up of representatives of the secretary of state, attorney general, and office of legislative legal services (OLLS). Colorado’s single‑subject rule requires that every citizen-initiated ballot measure be only about one issue in an effort to keep non-related topics from being grouped together.  Ball...
Gas Turbines Ramp Up As Colorado Joins Regional Grid System
The Coloradoan, Approved, State

Gas Turbines Ramp Up As Colorado Joins Regional Grid System

By Rebecca Powell | The Coloradoan In the month since Platte River Power Authority joined a regional energy market, its combustion gas turbines have been operating at a higher level and the Craig 1 unit that was supposed to have been retired instead began burning coal again. The combustion turbines have been operating at a "much higher capacity factor" and prices have been volatile, Melie Vincent, PRPA's chief power supply officer, told the board of directors on April 30. "A lot of this is just SPP operators trying to figure out the western side," Vincent said, referring to the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization's expansion into the western United States with nine utilities in Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyo...
Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists
Washington Examiner, Approved, Commentary, National

Bipartisan Majority Opposes Animal Testing Yet Federal Funding Persists

By Meghan Miller | Commentary, Washington Examiner After years of court hearings, investigations, open rescues, and protests, the notorious beagle breeding and research facility Ridglan Farms has finally agreed to release 1,500 dogs to rescue organizations. This is certainly a win for animals, but the era of animal testing is far from over, particularly because the federal government enables it. While the Left and Right don’t align on much these days, over 85% of Republicans and Democrats do agree animal testing should be phased out. Notable voices across the political spectrum, including Lara Trump, Tomi Lahren, Dave Portnoy, Jennifer Welch, and groups such as Democracy Now! have spoken out against Ridglan, unequivocally demonstrating both that the public...
Colorado Health Care Bailout Bill Could Hit Families and Small Businesses With $40 Million Fee
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Health Care Bailout Bill Could Hit Families and Small Businesses With $40 Million Fee

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Colorado insurers say health care premiums could increase by hundreds of dollars in 2027. The warning comes as state lawmakers consider $40 million in new fees on insurers that the companies say they'll pass on to policyholders.  Democratic stet Sens. Iman Jodeh and Kyle Mullica are sponsoring a bill that would bail out the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, which is short $140 million. The enterprise subsidizes care for 176,000 Coloradans on Connect for Health Colorado and 6,700 undocumented immigrants on OmniSalud. That's in addition to supporting the Colorado Reinsurance Program, which helps cover high-cost claims. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado Drivers Face $75 Tickets Under Expanded Automated Speed Enforcement
MotorBiscuit, Approved, State

Colorado Drivers Face $75 Tickets Under Expanded Automated Speed Enforcement

By Saajan Jogia | MotorBiscuit While you must not speed on public roads, even if you do, Colorado’s new automated vehicle ID system (AVIS) will track your average speed and send you a ticket if it exceeds 10 mph. This renders a speed-camera-tracking app on your smartphone useless, as the new system works in a very different way. According to a report by Motor1, AVIS is being used only on certain roads and highways in Colorado, but since it uses your average speed and not the speed recorded at one particular spot, it could be more accurate, meaning motorists with a heavy foot will have to be wary of this system. How Does AVIS Work? AVIS uses not one but multiple cameras to calculate a car’s average speed at different intervals. That means on a long stretch o...