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Space Command exit shows economic cost of political games in Colorado
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Captain K's Corner, Approved, Commentary, State, Substack

Space Command exit shows economic cost of political games in Colorado

By Capt. Seth Keshel | Commentary, Captain K’s Corner, Substack $1 billion in economic value is moving to Northern Alabama, and there is plenty more monetary damage to dish out if Colorado wants to keep political prisoners behind bars. Economic impacts can slice like double-edged swords. Everyone who voted for President Trump last year did so knowing tariffs could cause short-term pain to some of his own voters while simultaneously strengthening an America-first economic outlook. Likewise, one state getting richer in an industry’s move across state lines means another state is getting poorer, impacting not only employees, but those engaging in peripheral business or adjacent industries. We’ve seen this over and over in the culture war with gun and ammo dealers relocating from blue to...
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HGTV Can’t Save Small Town America. Fort Morgan Proves it.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

HGTV Can’t Save Small Town America. Fort Morgan Proves it.

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When HGTV came to Fort Morgan in 2023, we were promised a makeover, a shot at national attention, fresh energy, and maybe even prosperity. The pitch was simple: if a camera crew and a few celebrity designers could just spruce up our Main Street, our town would suddenly be “revived.” For a few weeks, it felt real. The Queen Lounge looked sharp. The Rainbow Bridge sparkled with new signage. Crowds packed into Mosqueda Delicacies for ice cream. Fort Morgan was on national TV, and that was supposed to mean something. But now, two years later, the cameras are gone, and the reality is settling in. The revival was short-lived, and the disappointment is palpable. HGTV didn’t just renovate buildings; they curated a narrative, one that fit the...
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Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project, Substack Government regulations differentially harm small businesses AND private businesses I wrote a newsletter (see the first link below if you want the context) a bit back about testifying in front of the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) about how unelected boards are not how our state should run. I did end up testifying* and I wanted to share the testimony of a gentleman who preceded me because what he said struck me as important. The gentleman's name is Jeff Kendall and he is the CEO of Bruin Waste, a private, family-run business on the Western Slope which picks up trash and operates some landfills. His testimony starts in the recording of the hearing (linked second below) at the 1:03:55 mark. I won't...
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Colorado’s green building code mandates drive up housing costs and do little for the climate
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s green building code mandates drive up housing costs and do little for the climate

By Scott K. James | Commentary, Scott K. James New ‘green’ building code mandates in Colorado reek of virtue signaling, drive up housing costs, and do jack squat for the environment. The Denver Post recently dropped a fun little read about how Colorado’s unelected bureaucrats have found yet another way to make housing completely unaffordable while pretending they’re saving the planet. The Colorado Legislature cedes authority to unelected bureaucrats in the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) to whip out new codes. The Denver Post piece highlights how the CEO has done just that, and – viola – Colorado will now require cities and counties to adopt updated building codes focused on cutting emissions – because if there’s one thing this housing market needed, it was more ...
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Phones Out of Classrooms A Rare Point of Unity in Divided Nation
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Politico, Approved, Commentary, National

Phones Out of Classrooms A Rare Point of Unity in Divided Nation

By Jonathan Martin | Commentary, Politico Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” has prompted an unlikely bipartisan revolution to ban phones in classrooms. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The most consequential bipartisan accomplishment of this decade was hatched in NYU faculty housing and is being fulfilled in conservative and liberal state capitals alike. The legislative victory at hand? Banning phones in classrooms. Until now, it has barely registered amid the tribal trolling that passes for a national political dialogue in the Age of Trump. But as the school year gets fully underway across the country this week, more parents may be able to identify Jonathan Haidt, or at least his groundbreaking book on the risk of children’s access to smartphones, than they can recognize their ow...
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Fewer teens working as minimum wage hikes cut entry-level jobs
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The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Fewer teens working as minimum wage hikes cut entry-level jobs

By Rachel Greszler | Commentary, The Daily Signal As an older millennial, my high school and college summers were defined largely by the jobs I held. Not many of today’s teens can say the same. Once a rite of passage, teen jobs are now endangered. Just 35% of 16- to 19-year-olds worked last summer, down from 54% in 2000. It’s a big deal. My only purpose in working as a teen was to earn as much money as possible. But I now realize the experience and life lessons those jobs provided were far more valuable. Low-wage, entry-level jobs provide the perfect opportunity for young people to learn the importance of key skills: showing up on time, getting along with co-workers, demonstrating respect and kindness toward customers who may lack both, and...
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Are you racist? The Durango School Board thinks so.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Are you racist? The Durango School Board thinks so.

By Protect La Plata Kids | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Durango School District 9-R has spent heavily on a quiet plan to bring diversity, equity and inclusion policies into local classrooms. Attached to this commentary are invoices obtained through CORA requests to the district. They show the board paid Make It Plain Consulting more than $209,000 between 2021 and 2025. A combined file of the invoices can be viewed here. What the community didn’t realize is that the board’s long-term goal was to introduce Critical Race Theory under the banner of DEI. School board directors Kristen Smith, Erika Brown and Andrea Parmenter started by pushing a new resolution for the Durango 9-R Board of Education. As of July 2025, three Federal Civil Rights Complaints were filed against D...
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The new golden calves: Progressives bow to political idols
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The new golden calves: Progressives bow to political idols

By Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, Undercurrent Substack How the Left Turns Leaders Into Gods and Politics Into Religion Idolatry is as old as humanity itself. Ancient Israel bowed before golden calves. Rome worshiped its emperors. Today, American progressives practice their own brand of idolatry—transforming politicians, activists, movements, and bureaucracies into secular saints. These idols are exalted as saviors of society, placed beyond criticism, and treated as the ultimate sources of justice and truth. The only thing they never deliver is actual redemption. The Priesthood of Experts The story begins with intellectuals. W.E.B. Du Bois envisioned the “Talented Tenth,” a vanguard of Black elites who would uplift the race through education and cultural refinement. His idea ...
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Nuclear Energy Presents a Security Solution Colorado Can’t Afford to Overlook
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State, Approved, Commentary, Complete Colorado

Nuclear Energy Presents a Security Solution Colorado Can’t Afford to Overlook

By Kevin McManimon | Commentary, Complete Colorado While a real-life ‘Red Dawn’ scenario playing out is unlikely, with Soviets falling from the skies and taking over Colorado, the threats to national security posed by Colorado’s current decarbonization agenda are very real. Colorado is home to some of the United States’ most important national security assets, including the U.S. Space Command, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and many aerospace and defense contractors. The installations run by these assets require a dependable energy source in order to monitor threats, operate satellites, and carry out functions to protect the nation. But as the state continues towards an unrealistic climate goal of 100% decarbonization by 2040, an important iss...
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The Shield of Faith: The Final Move – Who Do You Want to Be?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Devotional, Top Stories

The Shield of Faith: The Final Move – Who Do You Want to Be?

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “Who do you want to be today… who do you want to be?” – Devo If you knew me back in the 80s, or if you’ve read my devotions or heard me preach, you know I wasn’t grooving to synth-pop or rocking parachute pants. I was a hard rocker through and through. Zeppelin, Dio, Ozzy… those were my peeps. My soul leaned into guitar solos, not synthesizers. But recently, I caught myself humming a Devo tune—yeah, that Devo—the 1984 track “Who Do You Want to Be Today?” And it struck me: that quirky little lyric actually echoes something Jesus asked long before the ‘80s ever got weird. Jesus said it better, and with eternal weight: “Follow Me.” Devo asked a fun question; however, Jesus asked a life-altering one. “Who do you want to be today?” ...
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