Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Complete Colorado

Colorado College Awards Credit for Progressive Activism Internships
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Colorado College Awards Credit for Progressive Activism Internships

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado COLORADO SPRINGS—Colorado College is putting a price tag on political activism — or rather, waiving it for its own students — by offering academic credit to undergraduates who spend the summer, among other offerings, working to “shut down immigration detention centers.” The Colorado Springs-based private liberal arts school’s “Social Action Institute” runs a summer internship pairing students with left-of-center advocacy groups from June 11 through July 28. One of the three tracks offered lets students assist attorneys representing immigration detainees while simultaneously doing “advocacy and organizing work” toward closing the facilities where those same clients are held.  Students earn .25 credits towards graduation fo...
Read More
What Would Colorado’s Declaration Of Independence Say Today?
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

What Would Colorado’s Declaration Of Independence Say Today?

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Happy 250th Birthday, America! You look fabulous. As all the cool countries are saying, “250 is the new 230.” The Declaration of Independence wasn’t merely an announcement of war against a tyrant. It was the most revolutionary political document ever written. The Declaration was a landmark in human development, perhaps the landmark of all human history. For the first time government was no longer affirmed sovereign. The individual was. That simple idea changed the world. You rule yourself. Your life belongs to you. Your liberty belongs to you. Your happiness is yours to pursue as you define it. Your property belongs to you. Government exists not to rule over you, but to secure your&n...
Read More
Colorado Third Grade Reading Scores Continue to Lag Despite Millions in Spending
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Third Grade Reading Scores Continue to Lag Despite Millions in Spending

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado In a recent episode of Independence Institute’s Learning Curve education podcast, Erin Brantley and Ross Izard look at Mississippi’s dramatic improvement in public school reading achievement and whether Colorado can apply similar strategies to boost literacy outcomes through the state’s READ Act. Mississippi shot from 49th nationally in fourth-grade reading proficiency in 2013 to ninth in 2024. The hosts credit much of that success to the state’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act, combining science-based reading instruction, early identification of struggling readers, targeted interventions, and, when necessary, requiring students who fall short of  reading benchmarks to repeat third grade before advancing. READ THE FULL AR...
Read More
NERC Report Raises New Questions About Colorado Energy Reliability
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

NERC Report Raises New Questions About Colorado Energy Reliability

By: Sarah Montalbano | Complete Colorado The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2026 State of Reliability report contains lessons for Colorado’s electricity sector. While the grid as a whole “continues to deliver reliable electric service,” challenges are mounting thanks in part to the “declining availability of aging combustion generation.”  NERC’s report finds that power plants failed more in 2025, with the fleet-wide forced outage rate climbing to 9.2 percent against “historical norms rarely exceeding” 8 percent. Coal-fired plants saw their forced outage rate rise from 11.2% in 2024 to 14.1% in 2025. NERC surveyed owners of generators that s...
Read More
RNC Sues Griswold Over Overseas Voters With No Colorado Residency History
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

RNC Sues Griswold Over Overseas Voters With No Colorado Residency History

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER–The Republican National Committee on Friday filed suit in Denver District state court against Secretary of State Jena Griswold, challenging her office’s policy of allowing overseas voters who have never set foot in Colorado to cast ballots in state elections. Filed just four days before Colorado’s primary election, the suit argues Griswold’s implementation of the state’s overseas voter law runs headlong into the Colorado Constitution’s residency requirement. Griswold is also a candidate for Colorado attorney general in the June 30 Democrat primary. “Residency is not inherited and cannot be established by proxy,” the complaint reads. “An individual who has never personally made Colorado his or her home has not ...
Read More
Boulder Climate Lawsuit Emerges as Flashpoint in Colorado Democrat Primaries
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Boulder Climate Lawsuit Emerges as Flashpoint in Colorado Democrat Primaries

By Kyle Kohli | Complete Colorado In the Colorado primary elections this year, oil and gas perspectives are showing up in a unique way: Boulder’s now 8-year old climate lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the Boulder case during its fall term, placing the issue on a national stage right in the middle of election season. Given Boulder’s targeting of energy companies and potential to increase prices, it threatens to undermine national Democrats’ focus on affordability. In Colorado, the case raises important questions for candidates seeking office: where do they stand on energy production, climate litigation, and the use of courts to drive policy outcomes? Boulder pops up in ...
Read More
Boulder prepares for Sundance as housing rules face a real-world test
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, Local

Boulder prepares for Sundance as housing rules face a real-world test

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado There are few things more satisfying to watch than socialists getting mugged by reality. The Sundance Film Festival is invading my hometown of Boulder early next year. Sundance drew 85,000 attendees last year in Park City, Utah. Boulder’s hotel room inventory is about 2,900. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when Hollywood’s anti-capitalist elite collide with basic supply and demand, we’re about to find out. When things don’t go as planned, the planner-class doubles down on its religion: more planning. When restrictions, rules, permits and fees don’t produce the desired outcome, more restrictions, rules, permits and fees are needed. Sundance is an event for and by well-heeled, artsy, socialist elites. So, Boulder is perfe...
Read More
Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters will have the chance this November to constitutionally guarantee that revenue intended for building and maintaining the state’s highways actually goes to fixing the roads, after proponents of Initiative 175 submitted enough valid signatures to earn a spot on the 2026 statewide ballot. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday announced that of the 189,355 total petition signatures submitted, 143,112  were deemed valid, easily clearing the 124,238 threshold required of all citizens’ initiatives. Because 175 amends the state Constitution, signatures from at least two percent of registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 state senate districts were also required. They cleared that hurdle as well...
Read More
Citizen Movements Across Colorado Gain Ground at City Hall
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Citizen Movements Across Colorado Gain Ground at City Hall

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado In a recent episode of  Independence Institute’s public affairs tv show, Devil’s Advocate, host Jon Caldara sits down with Brandon Wark, creator of Free State Colorado, to look a the the rise of citizen activism, and how ordinary Coloradans can influence local government. The two dive deep into the idea idea that meaningful political change often begins not under Colorado’s gold dome, but at city councils, school boards, and local ballot boxes. You can see the entire episode on YouTube. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COMPLETE COLORADO
Read More
PowerGab Examines the Cost of Energy Mandates as Xcel Seeks Massive Rate Hike
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

PowerGab Examines the Cost of Energy Mandates as Xcel Seeks Massive Rate Hike

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado In a recent episode of Independence Institute’s* PowerGab energy podcast, hosts Amy Cooke and Jake Fogleman look at Xcel Energy’s request for a massive electricity price hike in Colorado (originally $355 million, now pared down to roughly $245 million). The duo zero in on why utility bills keep rising, and how decisions made years ago are now hitting ratepayers hard. Cooke argues that rate hikes are “lagging indicators,” the result of layers of policy choices, regulatory approvals, and energy mandates dating back more than a decade. She points specifically to the Colorado Energy Plan and the decision to accelerate retirement of coal-fired power plants, with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) prioritizing emissions red...
Read More