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11 puppies euthanized after 1 tests positive for rabies
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

11 puppies euthanized after 1 tests positive for rabies

By Rachel Saurer | Fox 31 News  Since a puppy at an adoption event in Sheridan tested positive for rabies last month, 11 puppies have been euthanized. The positive puppy came to Colorado from Texas and was at a July 20 puppy adoption event at Moms and Mutts Colorado, a rescue for pregnant and nursing dogs. “We have adoption events every Saturday, and so it was a pretty normal day. It was a very slow adoption event, which in retrospect is a wonderful thing,” said Aron Jones, the rescue director. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
‘J6 Praying Grandma’ avoids prison, will be on house arrest with ankle monitor for six months
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

‘J6 Praying Grandma’ avoids prison, will be on house arrest with ankle monitor for six months

By Debbie Kelley | Denver Gazette A sentencing that took four and a half hours in federal district court in Washington, D.C., Monday afternoon left 72-year-old great-grandmother Rebecca Lavrenz of Falcon with no prison time for her participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. What a magistrate judge did levy for her April 4 conviction on four misdemeanor counts: one year of probation, six months of house arrest with an ankle monitor as soon as she returns to her residence located about 14 miles northeast of Colorado Springs — and a $103,000 fine for funds she’s raised from the public. “I think it was a miracle that I don’t have to go to prison — that I am grateful for,” Lavrenz said by phone after the sentencing. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE...
Faulting new law, after daughter transitions to boy, parents sue Colorado, Brighton school district
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Faulting new law, after daughter transitions to boy, parents sue Colorado, Brighton school district

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics A Brighton couple is suing the state of Colorado, alleging that a law dealing with transgender identity violates parents’ constitutional rights and that their daughter, with the encouragement of a school district counselor, transitioned to a boy in secret.  The couple filed the Aug. 7 lawsuit against the Department of Education, and the 27J School District in Brighton. The suit seeks to challenge the constitutionality of House Bill 1039, claiming it violates parents’ rights as outlined in the First and 14th Amendments of the American Constitution. The Colorado law requires all public schools to use a child’s “preferred name,” subjecting schools to discrimination claims with the state's Civil Rights Commission if they refused if t...
Number of new Colorado businesses drops 21.7% nearly a year after filing-fee discount ends
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Number of new Colorado businesses drops 21.7% nearly a year after filing-fee discount ends

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun A 21.7% dip in folks filing to start a business in Colorado during the second quarter was largely attributed to the end of a program more than a year ago that reduced filing fees to $1, according to the latest quarterly data from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. “It was the sharpest decrease year-over-year in the state (that) we’ve been tracking since 2005. That’s both in percentage terms and absolute numbers,” said Brian Lewandowski, executive director of University of Colorado’s Business Research Division, which analyzed the data for the Secretary of State’s Office.  New business filings reached a second-quarter high last year at 54,940. The fee returned to $50 in June 2023 and now, one year later, filings dropped to 43,029 for t...
Advance Colorado could pull two ballot initiatives, likely leading to property-tax special session
Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Advance Colorado could pull two ballot initiatives, likely leading to property-tax special session

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado legislators appear headed for another debate about lowering property taxes after an influential commission largely backed a compromise plan Monday to cut taxes further if backers of two wide-ranging initiatives removed the measures from the November ballot. It’s not an absolute certainty that Gov. Jared Polis would call a special session to consider the framework deal agreed to by initiative proponents Colorado Concern and Advance Colorado with legislators and other officials who have been involved in negotiations. But with Polis having signaled a willingness to consider the idea and with the governor-backed Commission on Property Tax getting some level of support from most of its members to the general details in the plan, pressure i...
Memo: There is ‘no question’ Kamala Harris was tasked with serving as ‘Border Czar’
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

Memo: There is ‘no question’ Kamala Harris was tasked with serving as ‘Border Czar’

By Virginia Allen | The Daily Signal Every member of the House and Senate received a memo on Thursday detailing Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on border and immigration policy.  “There is no question that President [Joe] Biden tasked Kamala Harris with ‘securing the border,’ and there is no doubt that she has FAILED to secure the border and keep the American people safe,” Advancing American Freedom tells lawmakers in the one-page memo.  Despite claims that Harris was never named the “border czar,” Advancing American Freedom, a conservative policy organization, aims to prove otherwise, citing Biden’s announcement on March 24, 2021, that Harris will “lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle” of Central America. READ THE FULL STORY...
Peters convicted on seven counts in election integrity trial
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Peters convicted on seven counts in election integrity trial

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Viewed as a patriot by many on the right concerned with election security and integrity, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was convicted Monday on numerous counts related to a breakdown of her county’s election computer system in 2020. Peters was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state. Central to the case, Peters faced accusations she had used another person's security badge and her position to provide access to an expert related to MyPillow's Mike Lindell to the election system. Lindell also had questioned the validity of election results nationally....
In response to likely anti-gun Harris presidency and shooting of Trump, firearm sales jump
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, National

In response to likely anti-gun Harris presidency and shooting of Trump, firearm sales jump

By Paul Bedard | Washington Examiner, via Colorado Politics Gun sales turned up for the first time in nearly a year after last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and promises of firearm bans from Vice President Kamala Harris following her anointment as the Democratic presidential nominee. While still high historically, sales month over month had slowed until the shooting and elevation of Harris, who selected liberal gun-grabber Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, as her running mate on Tuesday. Gun sellers told Secrets that the combo has led to a sales spike and raised fears among owners. “Business picked up a few percentage points at the end of July into early August, and I think we can thank Kamala Harris and the Democrat Par...
The U.S. Navy’s warship production is in its worst state in 25 years. What’s behind it?
Approved, Military.com, National

The U.S. Navy’s warship production is in its worst state in 25 years. What’s behind it?

By David Sharp | Associated Press, via Military.com The Navy’s ability to build lower-cost warships that can shoot down Houthi rebel missiles in the Red Sea depends in part on a 25-year-old laborer who previously made parts for garbage trucks. Lucas Andreini, a welder at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, in Marinette, Wisconsin, is among thousands of young workers who’ve received employer-sponsored training nationwide as shipyards struggle to hire and retain employees. The labor shortage is one of myriad challenges that have led to backlogs in ship production and maintenance at a time when the Navy faces expanding global threats. Combined with shifting defense priorities, last-minute design changes and cost overruns, it has put the U.S. behind China in the number of ships at its dispo...
‘We’re going to get this seat back’: Bright vying to reclaim Senate District 13 for Republicans
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We’re going to get this seat back’: Bright vying to reclaim Senate District 13 for Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Scott Bright has an eye on reclaiming the Senate District 13 seat for Republicans in the Colorado Legislature. The district overlays the 48th, 50th and 63rd Colorado House districts in the areas of Brighton, Greeley and largely the Hwy. 85 corridor. Senate District 13 had been held by Republican John Cooke, for a short term the minority leader in the Colorado Senate, but upon him becoming term-limited, the seat went to Democrat Kevin Priola following redistricting. Prior to Cooke, Republican Scott Renfroe held the seat for eight years. "We're going to get this seat back," Bright said during a recent campaign event. "It is really important that we win this Senate seat, and a couple of other winnable seats." Among his top priorities would be...