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Douglas County Cuts Red Tape to Speed Business Growth
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CBS Colorado, Approved

Douglas County Cuts Red Tape to Speed Business Growth

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado Douglas County leaders have launched an initiative to reduce red tape and incentivize business development in the county. "It's all we ever wanted to do," Becky Stroh told CBS Colorado. "Finally, we got to the point in our lives where we're like, 'All right, we're ready to open up our own place.'" In 2012, Stroh and her husband opened their dream restaurant in Castle Rock, the Hideaway Bar & Grill. "Permits just take a while," Stroh said. "So getting approvals take a long time." Stroh says the permitting process for the initial opening, and subsequent remodels, was lengthy. "The LED sign outside, that I remember that permit took six weeks," Stroh said. "It would just be nice to know when are we going to get the pe...
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Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado A Denver District Court judge has given Secretary of State Jena Griswold until Thursday to comply with an open records request, or she could be held in contempt. The records involve consulting work, paid for with public funds. Griswold's office says it doesn't have the documents and it refuses to ask the consultant for them, claiming that would impose an undue "burden." Instead, the Secretary of State's office sent four employees and the Attorney General's Office sent three attorneys to court. The consultant was brought in two years after Griswold became Secretary of State. The office had become a revolving door. Griswold was on her second deputy secretary, third chief legal counsel and fourth chief of staff. An invoice in the court record ...
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DHS Secretary Mullin Visits Colorado, Addresses Immigration Enforcement and Aurora TB Dispute
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

DHS Secretary Mullin Visits Colorado, Addresses Immigration Enforcement and Aurora TB Dispute

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado A visit to Colorado this week by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin largely flew under the radar. Mullin visited Colorado's supermax prison, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in southern Colorado before holding a private meeting with Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado's 8th Congressional District, and Hispanic faith leaders. Mullin said on Friday he wanted to address what he called "false rumors" about immigration enforcement. "Being able to talk to faith leaders who can talk to their congregation about the actual facts instead of what they say online, I think they were very thankful," Mullin said. CBS Colorado caught up wit...
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Former Weld County IT Worker Sentenced After Downloading Child Abuse Videos From Police
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Former Weld County IT Worker Sentenced After Downloading Child Abuse Videos From Police

By: Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A former employee with the City of Greeley's Information Technology Department was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after he removed hard drives from the Greeley Police Department.  The hard drives contained child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM, which Jacob Schmidt downloaded to his phone, according to a press release from the Weld County District Attorney's Office. The videos were police department evidence which Schmidt was not authorized to access.  Schmidt was arrested on June 11, 2025, after investigators with the Weld County Sheriff's Office received several tips about Schmidt having CSAM on his phone, according to the DA's press release. Those investigators were able to ...
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New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado The ribbon has officially been cut on a new Colorado school as Douglas County continues to grow. John Adams Academy is the first school to open in the fast-growing community of Sterling Ranch. The school describes itself as liberty-based and offers a classical education. "This has been a long time in the making," said John Adams Academy Douglas County Co-Founder Kim Gilmartin. "We knew that there was a need for a school like this, so we put our heads together and brought it to fruition." CBS Gilmartin and her co-founder, Sterling Ranch mother Ellie Reynolds, say the school hopes to educate students through rigorous academics and a focus on the Founding Fathers' vision of America. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Larimer County DA Blasts PR Bond for Fugitive Facing Child Sex Crime Charges
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Larimer County DA Blasts PR Bond for Fugitive Facing Child Sex Crime Charges

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado A Northern Colorado district attorney is accusing a magistrate of putting local children and others at risk after she released a fugitive on a personal recognizance bond. The fugitive was wanted for creating and possessing child sexual abuse material out of Wyoming. John Smallbone of Converse County, Wyoming, was originally arrested on 72 counts related to creating and possessing child sexual abuse material. According to prosecutors, he posted a $250,000 bond in Wyoming but failed to appear for his next court hearing, forfeiting the bond and becoming a fugitive. John Smallbone Larimer County After authorities located Smallbone in Larimer County, he was arrested on the Wyoming warrant while awaiting extradition.  "There is ...
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Colorado Judge Approves $3000 Bond for Woman Detained by ICE at DIA
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Colorado Judge Approves $3000 Bond for Woman Detained by ICE at DIA

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado According to the attorneys for Chantal Rojas, the woman who was detained by ICE at Denver International Airport, she could be released on bond on Wednesday after a judge granted her a $3,000 bond on Tuesday.  The Department of Homeland Security said Rojas is originally from Ecuador and overstayed her visa in the U.S.  She was taken into ICE custody on July 20 and placed in the detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, according to DHS. Last week's interaction between Morales Rojas and DHS was captured on camera and quickly spread online.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network

By Spencer Wilson | CBS Colorado A discussion over privacy, policing and public safety technology is taking center stage in Avon after three police cameras were vandalized earlier this month. That includes two speed enforcement cameras and one Flock license plate reader. The acts of vandalism happened during the early morning hours of July 18, when someone cut down or damaged camera poles and stole two of the devices. It resulted in more than $76,000 in damage and replacement costs, according to documents prepared for Tuesday night's Avon Town Council meeting. Police said they are actively investigating the felony vandalism and theft. The vandalism also ignited a much larger conversation online after the Avon Police Department's Facebook post about the damage...
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Colorado Independents Put Two-Party Politics to the Test in 2026
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Independents Put Two-Party Politics to the Test in 2026

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado It appears Colorado will have a three-way race for governor. Former Republican Congressman Greg Lopez, who is running for governor as an independent, says the Secretary of State's Office has certified him for the ballot. Last Friday, Doctor Shimon Blau also qualified as an independent in the 1st Congressional District, which encompasses Denver. While independent candidates are underdogs in most races, CBS Colorado analysts Mike Dino, a Democrat, and Dick Wadhams, a Republican, say don't count them out. For years, Coloradans have been moving away from the two major parties and registering as unaffiliated. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Colorado Election Officials Allege Victor Marx Campaign Repeatedly Exceeded Donation Limits
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Election Officials Allege Victor Marx Campaign Repeatedly Exceeded Donation Limits

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The Colorado Secretary of State's Office says the Republican gubernatorial nominee Victor Marx's campaign received nearly 200 illegal campaign contributions during the primary election. Campaign finance law caps individual donations at $1,450 to reduce the outsized influence of wealthy donors and prevent quid pro quo corruption. Colorado Secretary of State The Election Division received complaints alleging the Marx Campaign had repeatedly violated the law. It launched an investigation and found the campaign accepted 197 illegal contributions totaling more than $78,000 over the limit. It says he also accepted another $1,000 in illegal cash donations. Darcy Schoening filed the complaints against the campaign. She says Marx m...
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