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The sky is not falling, my friends
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The sky is not falling, my friends

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It’s easy to get swept up in the daily drama of social media — the sky-is-falling headlines, the endless doomscrolling, the “we’re doomed” takes from people who haven’t walked outside to notice the mountains still standing tall. But every so often, someone breaks through the noise with a dose of reality. That’s what podcaster Dan Hollaway did last week on X when he responded to a viral claim that “this administration is losing young voters because it’s obsessed with Israel.” His reply? A blistering reality check that could double as a highlight reel of what’s actually working in America right now. Let’s look at a few of those wins — and maybe take a breath. Start with the economy. We’ve added more than 670,000 net jobs since Ja...
A mother, a signature and a shutdown: The Waltmans’ five-year battle for answers
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A mother, a signature and a shutdown: The Waltmans’ five-year battle for answers

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In the photo Vira Waltman is 91, holding her great-granddaughter Everly. “She was joyful and funny,” said her granddaughter Lauren Tacheny. “She was teasing Everly about touching her Shirley Temple doll—that was her personality: protective, spunky and sharp-witted.” Vira Jean Waltman with her great-granddaughter Everly, weeks before Colorado’s COVID-19 lockdown. Up until the year before she died, Vira was still playing piano and organ at the All Saints Lutheran Church chapel in Brush every Christmas Eve service. “Music was everything to her,” said her grandson Ian Waltman. A law that disappeared behind glass For years, her son John Waltman carried his mother’s notarized Medical Durable Power of Attorney. “It was supp...
The cost of obedience: How Colorado’s senators strengthened economic malfeasance
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The cost of obedience: How Colorado’s senators strengthened economic malfeasance

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It is both sad and disappointing that Colorado’s two U.S. senators are incapable of independent thought. As the simple puppets of their overlords, they have selfishly voted fifteen times NOT to reopen the federal government—even though their “no” votes hurt the Coloradans they supposedly represent.  Colorado was already struggling economically before the federal shutdown.  Between January 2023, the start of the post-COVID economy in the U.S., and August 2025, job creation in Colorado had been growing at less than half the national rate and unemployment was growing at around twice the national rate.  How state unemployment changed since January 2023: Colorado up 58.5% vs U.S. 28.5%. How ...
The Math Behind America’s Slow Surrender
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The Math Behind America’s Slow Surrender

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Every generation tells itself the same lie, that compromise keeps the peace, that negotiation is what holds a democracy together. But if you trace it out in hard math instead of soft emotion, you’ll see that every “reasonable middle ground” we’ve chosen has moved this country one step closer to socialism and one step further from the principles our Founding Fathers built this nation on. Let me show you what I mean. The Freedom Scale Picture a number line. Zero means no government. One hundred means total government control, socialism or pure democracy, where rights exist only when the majority allows them. Our Founders placed America around thirty, a balanced, limited government designed to protect liberty, property, a...
Grassroots effort pays off as GOP-endorsed school board candidates win big in Delta County
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Grassroots effort pays off as GOP-endorsed school board candidates win big in Delta County

By Angie Many & Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice We won! We won! At the Watch Party after the monthly Delta County Republican meeting, the mood was ‘Elation!’ as it was almost certain that GOP-endorsed candidates Adena Kreutz and Sheldon Kier had become newly-elected members of the local school board.  Over 40 people were at the GOP meeting, which combined regular monthly business with waiting for election results with fingers crossed and silent prayers offered. Both Adena and Sheldon attended and thanked those present for their support while everyone watched the vote tallies with cautious optimism. Adena and Sheldon were each almost 1,000 votes ahead of opponents by the time the meeting and GOP Watch Party ended. (A total of about 10,000 people voted in the...
The Shoes of Peace: Stepping Into Purpose Instead of Panic
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Devotional, Top Stories

The Shoes of Peace: Stepping Into Purpose Instead of Panic

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ~ Colossians 3:15 ~ During my time in the Air Force around the year 2000, I had the wonderful opportunity to work as a high-ropes instructor for youth in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The high ropes courses were built to challenge people beyond their comfort zones — encouraging them to trust their harnesses, stay level, and keep moving with confidence. One day, I decided to take my son Jeremiah to one of the courses. We thought it would be a wonderful father-son adventure — a fun activity we could enjoy together. But as soon as he stepped onto the line, everything suddenly shifted. Fear overwhelmed him. Anxiety took ...
Mesa County sheriff appeals budget constraints that could cut 28 deputies
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Mesa County sheriff appeals budget constraints that could cut 28 deputies

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell appeared before the Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 6, 2025, to warn that this year’s budget proposal could undo nearly a decade of progress under the 2017 voter-approved 0.37% public-safety sales tax. The budget appeal on the third floor of the county administration building doubled as a press conference, drawing commissioners, staff and reporters eager to see what “doing more with less” means for Mesa County public safety. Sheriff Todd Rowell, right, speaks with Commissioner Bobbie Daniel and Undersheriff Matt King during the Nov. 6 budget appeal in Grand Junction. Rowell said the math no longer works. “I gave up five deputies to submit a flat budget… 13 more were defunded… $980,000 in line-item...