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Ibotta CEO warns impending Colorado AI law ‘makes us look like we don’t get it’
Approved, Business Den, State

Ibotta CEO warns impending Colorado AI law ‘makes us look like we don’t get it’

By Max Scheinblum | Business Den Feb. 1, 2026, could be the turning point for Colorado’s tech economy. That’s when SB205, a bill Gov. Jared Polis signed into law last May, goes into effect. The Consumer Protections for Artificial Intelligence legislation aims to proactively prevent consumer harm by regulating the use of “high-risk” artificial intelligence in “consequential decisions.” Those decisions include anything from school admissions to job applications to bank loans and insurance claims where AI systems help decide outcomes. The language of the law includes both the developers of the software and deployers of it, such as schools, city governments or businesses with over 50 employees. Leaders within the tech industry and outside of it, including some of the state’s l...
Clear Creek County sheriff strives for change in his office after former deputy sentencing
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Clear Creek County sheriff strives for change in his office after former deputy sentencing

By Nate Belt | Fox 31 News IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) — Former Clear Creek County deputy Andrew Buen will spend the next three years behind bars, officially sentenced Monday morning after being convicted of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Christian Glass nearly three years ago. Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris says while they still have a ways to go, he’s confident his office is on the right track to making sure something like this doesn’t happen again thanks to many policy changes made since Glass’s death. “We as an organization understand the tragic nature of what happened,” said Harris. That’s why he said things needed to change in his office. “We issued over 200 brand new policies in the last year,” said Harris. Policies to better hold dep...
Coal-fired power plant in northwestern Colorado still set for 2028 closure despite Trump administration orders
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Coal-fired power plant in northwestern Colorado still set for 2028 closure despite Trump administration orders

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun The coal-fired Craig Station is still set to close in 2028 — even as the Trump administration is making a drive to keep coal units going — according to the operator’s electric resource plan filed with Colorado utility regulators on April 11. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which runs the plant, says in its preferred plan that the Craig Unit 1 will close by the end of this year and units 2 and 3 will be shuttered in 2028.  Battery storage and a natural gas-fired plant will be added in Moffat County as part of the plan. Three days before Tri-State filed its plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to expand production of “beautiful clean coal” a...
ACLU sues to block use of Alien Enemies Act to deport TdA members in Aurora
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

ACLU sues to block use of Alien Enemies Act to deport TdA members in Aurora

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Colorado to try to block the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to remove immigrants unlawfully living in the U.S. who are accused of being members of a Venezuelan gang. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent President Donald Trump from using the wartime act, arguing the White House proclamation designating members of Tren de Aragua as "alien enemies" does not satisfy the tenets of the Alien Enemies Act. Specifically, a gang’s criminal activities "do not constitute an 'invasion or predatory incursion' under the AEA and the Act was a wartime authority meant to address 'military' attacks," the ACLU argued in the lawsuit. AC...
HB25-1312 and the silencing of parents: What the Rocky Mountain Summit revealed
Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

HB25-1312 and the silencing of parents: What the Rocky Mountain Summit revealed

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice From court-ordered gag rules to the looming threat of custody loss, this isn’t hypothetical — it’s happening now. Colorado families gathered at the Rocky Mountain Summit in early April to share what it means to raise children under a system that increasingly treats concern as abuse. What happened at the Summit Held April 6 in Englewood, the event brought together medical professionals, whistleblowers and families.  Their message was clear: parents are being sidelined by courts, schools and legislation that favors affirm-only practices. And proposed legislation like HB25-1312 may take things further, redefining parental objection as emotional abuse under the law. The Summit marked a milestone for 14-year-old Chl...
Hunter: Faith-driven schools are proving that clarity and character create safe campuses
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Hunter: Faith-driven schools are proving that clarity and character create safe campuses

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the face of rising cultural concerns over student safety and institutional trust, a quiet but significant shift in Colorado’s educational landscape is rooted in moral conviction, sustained by ethical character, and bearing fruit in meaningful outcomes. While negative headlines often dominate the news cycle, a growing number of schools—especially those built on faith-based foundations—are showing that principled leadership still works. These institutions aren’t just reacting to problems; they’re proactively building systems and cultures where students can thrive. This proactive approach should reassure us that safety and success are not just aspirations, but achievable outcomes. And it all begins with what they believe. T...
Colorado taxpayers footed $7.3M bill for dead Medicaid enrollees, audit finds
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado taxpayers footed $7.3M bill for dead Medicaid enrollees, audit finds

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Thousands of deceased Coloradans stayed on the state’s Medicaid rolls, as the state continued paying managed care organizations to cover them, a lapse federal investigators flagged as wasteful in a recent audit. Colorado made an estimated $7.3 million in capitation payments between 2018 and 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG). The payments continued for some Coloradans months after their deaths because of outdated reporting and system delays, state officials said. Simply stated, capitation payments are fixed monthly fees paid to managed care organizations for each Medicaid enrollee. “We know that there is fraud, waste, and abuse in the system that we have...
House Minority Leader Pugliese: Parental rights transcend party lines
Approved, Newsmax, State, Top Stories

House Minority Leader Pugliese: Parental rights transcend party lines

By James Morley III | Newsmax Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, told Newsmax Saturday that "parental rights in an issue that transcends party lines" in light of recent bills passed in the state Legislature that she said aim to erode the authority of parents. Last week, the Colorado House of Representatives passed House Bill 1312, which Pugliese said will punish a parent for referring to a transgender child by their birth name and gender, calling it "coercive control." "What this bill basically says is if you don't subscribe to a certain ideology, you could lose your children," she said during an appearance on "America Right Now." READ THE FULL STORY ON NEWSMAX
Trump administration claims it has no duty to return deported migrant from El Salvador
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Trump administration claims it has no duty to return deported migrant from El Salvador

By Kaelan Deese | Washington Examiner The Trump administration says it has no obligation to retrieve a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, despite a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the government to “facilitate” his return. In a court filing Sunday, U.S. officials argued that the high court’s directive regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia simply requires that the Trump administration not block his return should El Salvador elect to send him back, but that it does not require actively securing his release from a Salvadoran prison. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Linnebur: Rural Colorado’s energy boom isn’t luck—it’s leadership
Approved, State, The Daily Sentinel

Linnebur: Rural Colorado’s energy boom isn’t luck—it’s leadership

By Tyler Linnebur and Evan Underwood | Commentary, The Daily Sentinel Rural Colorado is experiencing a surge in economic growth thanks to smart federal policy and local energy leadership. Federal energy tax credits, combined with Colorado’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, are revitalizing rural communities by creating diverse, durable jobs and attracting new investment. By supporting both traditional and renewable energy sources, Colorado is proving that a balanced approach delivers real results where they’re needed most. Energy legislation over the past few years reinforced efforts to boost clean energy production and manufacturing across the country. These programs support technologies ranging from solar and wind to energy storage, electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing. B...