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Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge
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Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado’s governor just made this statement “The market has made it clear, EVs (electric vehicles) are here to stay.” I agree with him. Electric cars, unlike 8-track tapes and rotary-dial phones, will continue to be available to consumers for a long, long time. Cool. But why he made the statement puzzles me. He did so while touting his decision that the state will increase one of its subsidies to buy a new EV from $6,000 to $9,000. Wait a second. Which one is it? Has the market made clear electric vehicles are “here to stay”? Or do we need to increase the EV subsidy by a third to keep its market alive? And it begs another question: If the state is in a budget crisis, why spend our very scarce money buying people cars instead...
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Progressive Activists Target Northern Colorado Elections in Local Power Push
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Progressive Activists Target Northern Colorado Elections in Local Power Push

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado FORT COLLINS ­— One of the state’s most extreme left-wing political organizations is back on the campaign trail, endorsing candidates for public office in various local races during this off-year election, including a significant focus on northern Colorado The Colorado chapter of the Working Families Party (WFP), which touts itself as a “multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over powerful,” has endorsed multiple candidates in non-partisan school board and city council races across Greeley, Fort Collins and Longmont. In the past, WFP has endorsed such controversial officials as former Denver School Board Member Tay Anderson, who was accused of sexual misconduct with students; Rochelle Galindo, the former House District...
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Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority
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Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado AURORA–Voters in the the City of Aurora will decide on multiple charter amendments and city council seats this November, along with a referred measure asking residents to create a new tax-financed Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Aurora, which borders Denver to the east, is Colorado’s third most populous city at a little over 414,000 residents, made up of portions of Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties.    The DDA is a government entity whose purpose is to revitalize the downtown-area including businesses, infrastructure, and events. A governing board appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council would include one council member and 4-10 residents within the district.   Aurora City Council approv...
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Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake
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Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake

By Jake Fogleman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would overturn nearly four decades of sensible tax policy by abandoning Colorado’s flat-rate income tax and adopting a graduated tax system. Under their proposals, Colorado taxpayers would be forced to confront a new five-bracket tax system with marginal rates up to 9.5 percent, among the highest in the country. The proponents claim it’s about fairness, equity, and making t...
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Wheat Ridge Brewery Targeted After Hosting Conservative Discussion
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Wheat Ridge Brewery Targeted After Hosting Conservative Discussion

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado In a shocking turn of events, a Wheat Ridge brewpub actually (you might want to sit down for this one) recently allowed a group of customers meeting informally to discuss conservative politics to come inside to buy food and drinks. Among the participants was Barbara Kirkmeyer, a state senator and Republican candidate for governor. Scandalous! If you restrict your media diet to conservative propaganda mouthpieces such as Westword and the Denver Post, you might think that the owner of the bar in question, Paul Porter, is just a guy who “has made a career of fixing chain restaurants and entertainment venues” and who runs an establishment that’s “ridiculously fun.” But that’s just what they want you to think. Over on...
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Pueblo Voters to Decide Whether to End Strong Mayor System
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Pueblo Voters to Decide Whether to End Strong Mayor System

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado PUEBLO–The City of Pueblo’s November election ballot includes a major charter amendment asking voters to dismantle the city’s “strong mayor” form of government, reverting to the council/manager system the southern Colorado municipality of roughly 111,000 residents once had. Pueblo, along with Denver, Leadville and Colorado Springs are currently the only cities that operate under a council-mayor form of government, where an elected mayor with veto authority acts as the chief executive, preparing the budget, hiring and directing staff, and proposing ordinances. The city council acts as the mayor’s legislative counterpart, adopting the budget, and approving and acting on ordinances. Ballot Question 2C asks voters to change to a council-manager cit...
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Colorado certifies light ballot: Two statewide measures on TABOR refunds and high-earner deductions
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Colorado certifies light ballot: Two statewide measures on TABOR refunds and high-earner deductions

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters will be getting a break from a long list of statewide questions this November, after Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced she had certified the 2025 ballot with only two measures going in front of all voters in the state. Voters will however still have their fair share of things to vote on closer to home as many city council and school board seats are up for grabs, as well as new local tax asks and extensions of existing taxes around the state. This year is an odd year election, meaning ballot measures are, for the most part, limited under state law to fiscal issues related to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The two measures that will appear were both referred by the legislature this S...
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Trained Armed Staff Could Be Key to School Safety
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Trained Armed Staff Could Be Key to School Safety

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Enough. Damn it, enough! Enough virtue signaling instead of preventing school shootings. Enough of elected school boards denying reality. It is time for all of Colorado’s 178 school districts to join the 50 that currently have volunteer, trained, concealed armed staff to stop a shooter the moment he begins — because when seconds count, the police are only minutes away The difference is wanting to feel safe versus wanting to be safe. By constantly making it harder and more expensive for law-abiding people (i.e. the good guys) to purchase, practice and legally carry firearms, our lawmakers think we will feel safer. Maybe some will even fall for it and feel safer. But none of it makes us any safer. Reality check Actually ...
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Montezuma County judge faces potential removal after allegations of abuse of power
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Montezuma County judge faces potential removal after allegations of abuse of power

By Savana Ksarck | Complete Colorado CORTEZ–The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline (CCJD) has announced formal proceedings to potentially remove Montezuma County Court Judge Ian McLaren for multiple instances of judicial misconduct, including lying while under investigation by the commission. Montezuma County borders Utah, New Mexico and Arizona in the southwest corner of Colorado. The 22nd Judicial District judge came under fire during a case involving then Montezuma-Cortez School District Superintendent Tom Burris in August 2024. Burris had been accused of failing to report sexual abuse of a student by a teacher. After an investigation found no evidence of the alleged abuse, McLaren then scheduled a hearing where he berated Burris over the unsubsta...
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