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Larimer Co. assessor says 51 homes were damaged or lost in Alexander Mountain fire
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Approved, BizWest, Local

Larimer Co. assessor says 51 homes were damaged or lost in Alexander Mountain fire

By BizWest The Larimer County assessor has completed a report of property damage caused by the Alexander Mountain Fire. The report, completed Sunday, shows that 51 homes were recorded as damaged or lost. Property owners impacted by the fire could see their property values reduced, resulting in their taxes being lowered, as they recover, repair or rebuild, according to a news release from the assessor’s office. “In the months ahead, my office will continue to study damages in the Alexander Fire burn scar for any valuation adjustments on impacted properties,” Larimer County Assessor Bob Overbeck said in a prepared statement. “We’ll also be there to assist homeowners while they rebuild.” READ THE FULL STORY AT BIZWEST
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There are 2.5 million acres of ag land in Colorado owned by foreign interests, but will lawmakers pass a bill to stop it?
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

There are 2.5 million acres of ag land in Colorado owned by foreign interests, but will lawmakers pass a bill to stop it?

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette State Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, introduced House Bill 23-1152 more than a year ago, aiming to ban foreign ownership of agricultural land in Colorado. Although the bill did not make it out of committee, discussions during Wednesday's Water Resources and Agricultural Review Committee meeting indicate renewed interest in the topic, and a new bill is expected to be introduced. Some 2.5 million acres of Colorado farmland are owned by foreign entities, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. This makes Colorado home to the third most foreign-held agricultural land in the nation, followed only by Texas (5,435,906 acres) and Maine (3,489,957 acres). Ashley House, Colorado Farm Bureau vice president of stra...
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Forest Service: Alexander Mountain fire that burned nearly 10,000 acres was human-caused
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Forest Service: Alexander Mountain fire that burned nearly 10,000 acres was human-caused

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News On Friday, the U.S. Forest Service said the Alexander Mountain Fire that burned almost 10,000 acres was determined to be human-caused. The Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County was the largest of the recent Colorado fires, sparking in late July and burning 9,668 acres. While it’s almost at full containment after over a week, it destroyed or damaged 52 structures and caused hundreds of evacuations. Wildland fire investigators and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office are following leads, and investigators are asking anyone with information to call the Forest Service Law Enforcement Tip Line at 303-275-5266. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Democrat Jillaire McMillan will face Republican Dan Woog in HD19 general election
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Democrat Jillaire McMillan will face Republican Dan Woog in HD19 general election

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A vacancy committee has selected Jillaire McMillan as the new Democratic candidate for the House District 19 election after the incumbent candidate, Rep. Jennifer Parenti, announced she was dropping out of the race last month.  McMillan, a small business owner, will face former state Rep. Dan Woog in the November election. “I’m a first-time candidate who’s been considering public office for a long time," said McMillan. "While I believe my combination of public service, community relationships, and nonpartisan advocacy have uniquely prepared me to be the candidate and legislator HD19 needs, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for the experience of being a candidate. This condensed process packed so much work and emotion into a shor...
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In Tina Peters trial, an advocate for election integrity is found
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In Tina Peters trial, an advocate for election integrity is found

By Jason Bias | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- In this Western Slope courtroom, Tina Peters, the Mesa County Clerk, has been courageously standing up for election transparency and integrity. Her trial has become a focal point for those advocating for secure and transparent electoral processes. Peters faces charges related to election security breaches she allegedly allowed to demonstrate election fraud during the 2020 elections. These charges include tampering with election equipment and official misconduct. Peters has maintained that her actions were necessary to ensure the integrity of the voting process. Peters' supporters here argue the state's evidence fails to demonstrate any malicious intent or actual tampering with votes. Peters’ defense team ...
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Tina Peters trial has seen Dominion, former clerk’s staff testify
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Tina Peters trial has seen Dominion, former clerk’s staff testify

By Rocky Mountain Voice staff | Commentary Previously-elected Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is facing seven felony charges and several misdemeanors in a trial happening this week on the Western Slope.  She is accused of orchestrating a breach to prove election theft. Peters has pleaded not guilty, claiming to be a victim of lawfare. The Colorado secretary of state’s office has refuted her claims summarized in three reports Peters has published, called the “Mesa [County] Reports.”  State prosecutors allege that Peters enlisted software engineer Gerald “Jerry” Wood for IT contract work. Wood passed a background check, received his security badge, and allegedly returned it the same day. However, prosecutors claim his badge was used twice in May 2021 to access secure election f...
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Parents are pushing for better Colorado playgrounds for kids with disabilities, and even small towns are getting in on it
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Parents are pushing for better Colorado playgrounds for kids with disabilities, and even small towns are getting in on it

By Dan England | The Colorado Sun Parents everywhere hear the call of the wild, especially in the summer months, and one of the most common refrains is, “Can we go to the park?” For many parents it might be a relief, a chance to shoo them out of the house like a miller moth. Yes! Go to the park! But for Lauren Bowling, that refrain is anything but a chance to unwind. It means work. It means nearly two hours in the car. It means a whole afternoon.  Lauren and her husband, Richard, have twin boys they call walking miracles. Miles and Mack had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and were week-to-week starting about 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Lauren said, until they were delivered by emergency cesarean section at 28 weeks. The babies scrapped and survived, and the boys are now ag...
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While other states were lowering taxes, Dem’s VP candidate Walz hit Minnesotans with tax hikes
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Approved, National, The Washington Times

While other states were lowering taxes, Dem’s VP candidate Walz hit Minnesotans with tax hikes

By Jeff Mordock | The Washington Times During Tim Walz’s tenure as Minnesota’s governor, he has approved more than $10 billion in tax hikes, imposing new taxes on everything from retail deliveries to workers’ earnings, overseeing one of the most dramatic shifts towards higher taxes in the country. Mr. Walz’s big-spending, high-tax policies have led to an anemic economy in Minnesota, which has lagged behind the rest of the nation in economic growth. Average weekly wages in Minnesota rank among the lowest in the country, and population growth has stalled as high-income households flee the state. The tax-and-spend spree makes Mr. Walz an outlier at a time when governors of both parties are slashing state taxes. It also foreshadows the direction Vice President Kama...
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There’s a DEI reason you won’t hear ‘ladies and gentlemen’ at a Delta gate any longer
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Approved, Fox Business, National

There’s a DEI reason you won’t hear ‘ladies and gentlemen’ at a Delta gate any longer

By Hannah Grossman | Fox Business Over the last few years, Delta Air Lines has embraced the diversity, equity and inclusion agenda under the purview of a chief officer who believes that the phrase "ladies and gentlemen" isn't inclusive.  Delta's Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Impact Officer Kyra Lynn Johnson has said publicly Delta is striving to "boldly pursue equity" which has impacted every level of the company, from its hiring practices to the language it uses in gate announcements.  "So we're beginning to take a hard look at things like our gatehouse announcements. You know, we welcome ‘ladies and gentlemen.’ And we've asked ourselves, ‘Is that as gender inclusive as we want to be?’" Johnson said during a February 2021 panel with other DEI insiders. "You...
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Gaines: How the legislature performed magic to make your TABOR refund disappear
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Approved, Commentary, State

Gaines: How the legislature performed magic to make your TABOR refund disappear

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project They take your TABOR refund, not by removing it from your hand, but by taking away the possibility there will be one in the first place.When I've written in the past about gas stoves or internal combustion cars, one thing I've noted is that the government doesn't necessarily outright ban those things, they merely take away your ability to find them and/or buy them.Something similar happened this last legislative session.  The state (depending on the estimates) either took your TABOR refunds for the future or it took a huge chunk of them.And like with what I said about the stoves, they didn't take them by direct action, that is, but taking the check out of your hand.  No, they took them by taking away your ability to ...
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