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Jeffco Schools Superintendent Steps Down After Five Years
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Jeffco Schools Superintendent Steps Down After Five Years

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Colorado's second-largest school district needs a new superintendent. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland announced her resignation on Friday. Dorland has been on the job for five years. She began her position in April 2021 after serving as Chief Academic Officer for Adams 12 Five Star Schools. In May 2025, the Jefferson County Education Association announced a "no confidence" vote against Dorland, stating there was a "disconnect between the central administration and the educators, families and communities we serve." READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

“Hell No”: Denver Mayor Refuses To Yield On Assault Weapons Restrictions

By Chierstin Roth | CBS Colorado Denver Mayor Mike Johnston didn't mince words in response to a letter sent last week from the Department of Justice threatening to sue unless the city stops enforcing its so-called ban on "assault weapons." "We're here today to let them know that our answer is 'Hell no,'" said Johnston. "There are too many Coloradans we've had to say goodbye to in too many places because of the impact of assault weapons," he added. Since 1989, city ordinance has made it a crime to carry, store, keep, manufacture, or sell these weapons. Included in the city's definition of an assault weapon is a semiautomatic pistol or rifle with the feeding device capacity of more than 15 rounds, but it's not an outright ban of these types of guns. ...
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Colorado Health Care Bailout Bill Could Hit Families and Small Businesses With $40 Million Fee
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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
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Colorado Democrats Push Prison Release Measures As Capacity Pressures Mount
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Prison Release Measures As Capacity Pressures Mount

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Three months after the legislative Joint Budget Committee approved emergency funding for nearly 1,000 more beds in Colorado's prisons, the system is already near capacity again. Gov. Jared Polis asked the committee for up to $200 million to reopen a private prison. It set aside about $6 million to partially reopen the facility but, it will cost another $40 million a year to operate it. That's a non-starter for many Democrats who have introduced bills aimed at lowering the prison population instead. State analysis shows that while admissions have been constant, releases are down. State Rep. Jennifer Bacon says the Parole Board has released only 29 inmates this year out of nearly 240 who are past their parole e...
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Colorado Regulators Approve Aurora Area Wells Despite Fierce Community Opposition
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Colorado Regulators Approve Aurora Area Wells Despite Fierce Community Opposition

By Kelly Werthmann | CBS Colorado Colorado regulators on Tuesday cleared the way for a controversial oil and gas project near the Aurora Reservoir, following a yearslong battle by community members to block the plan. In a narrow 3-2 vote, the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission approved the permit for SM Energy's Sunlight-Long well development plan. The decision follows more than six hours of presentations and deliberations on Tuesday, marking the culmination of at least seven public hearings regarding the site's potential impact on the surrounding area. CBS The approval allows for fracking operations to move forward approximately 3,000 feet from the nearest homes. Members of the community group Save the Aurora Reservoir (STAR) have fought th...
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Xcel Energy Prepares Shutoffs In Drought Stricken Regions In Western And Southern Colorado
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Xcel Energy Prepares Shutoffs In Drought Stricken Regions In Western And Southern Colorado

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado Xcel Energy announced that customers in parts of western Colorado and the San Luis Valley should prepare for possible power shutoffs on Wednesday. Strong winds, combined with dry conditions and low humidity, will result in high wildfire risk. "To reduce the risk of wildfire and support public safety, we are planning for a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) beginning on Wednesday, April 22, around 9 a.m. MT for some customers in Garfield, Mesa and Pitkin counties, and around 11 a.m. MT for some customers in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande and Saguache counties," the company said. Many of these areas are already experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, and the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag...
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Colorado Farmers Light 100 Fires To Defend Orchards From Sudden Freeze
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Colorado Farmers Light 100 Fires To Defend Orchards From Sudden Freeze

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A cold snap moved through Colorado on Friday, bringing snow and freezing temperatures to areas where many spring plants are already in bloom. That led a business on the Western Slope to get creative in order to save its orchards. The Sanders family opened the Palisade Peach Shack 17 years ago and has seen the farm grow from 8 to over 80 acres, but they say that this year's warm weather, coupled with the sudden freeze, nearly spelled disaster. Owner James Sanders told CBS Colorado that they have never had a freeze when the fruit is in this stage of growth. At the moment, the fruit is at the stage they would normally see in the middle of May, with peaches the size of thumbs and hardened seeds. Sanders says this could ...
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State Budget Passes With Medicaid Reductions And Broad Spending Cuts
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

State Budget Passes With Medicaid Reductions And Broad Spending Cuts

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The state Senate gave final approval Thursday to a new state budget. It came in at just under $47 billion, an increase of about $3 billion over last year. The discretionary portion of the budget -- the general fund -- is $17.4 billion. While lawmakers avoided cuts to K-12 education and higher ed, most state departments saw reductions, with the agency in charge of Medicaid taking the biggest hit. Medicaid spending makes up about 40% of this year's budget. It has been increasing dramatically over the last few years, in part because the legislature has expanded the services it covers. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Report Finds Millions In Improper Payments At Unregulated Colorado Autism Centers
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Report Finds Millions In Improper Payments At Unregulated Colorado Autism Centers

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado A new report by the Colorado Department of Human Services says a lack of oversight at facilities that provide therapy for kids with autism has resulted in dozens of complaints of child abuse. It comes after a federal audit found the state Medicaid program made at least $78 million in improper payments to the facilities, some of which are owned by private equity firms that the state agency overseeing Medicaid says have exploited the lack of regulations to maximize revenue. Pam Bisceglia has dedicated her life to improving the lives of people with disabilities as Executive Director of Advocacy Denver and parent of a daughter with autism. She says the facilities sprang up across Colorado when the state and federal government began requi...
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Jeffco Schools Challenge Federal Title IX Findings Amid Data Dispute
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Jeffco Schools Challenge Federal Title IX Findings Amid Data Dispute

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado Jeffco Public Schools is disputing a U.S. Department of Education conclusion that the school district is violating Title IX, asking federal officials for a meeting and more details on their findings as a 30-day deadline for response arrived on Monday. The department's Office for Civil Rights determined that 61 male students were competing on girls' sports teams in the district — a finding Jeffco says contradicts data it originally submitted to investigators after the OCR began its investigation of Jeffco in June 2025. "During this review, we requested clarification on several findings that appear to contradict the data we originally provided — discrepancies that directly impact two of the OCR's three proposed actions," the district said in ...
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