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Tristan: How Trump’s second term is making history—promises made, promises kept
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Tristan: How Trump’s second term is making history—promises made, promises kept

By George Tristan | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It’s often said that elections have consequences; I submit this assertion expresses an undeniable truth that nearly all would attest to, regardless of one’s political persuasion. That said, how should the first six months of President Trump’s administration be objectively characterized?  Many tout it has been an unprecedented success; while others decry it has been an abysmal failure. Wherever you may sit on this continuum of opinion, what cannot be argued is whether Trump’s accomplishments, since January 20, 2025, have lived up to his 2024 campaign promises. The American electorate returned Trump back to Washington D.C., largely due to how he led over the course of his first term as the 45th POTUS. Had Trump not live...
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Colorado’s Medicaid growth is colliding with fiscal reality
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Colorado’s Medicaid growth is colliding with fiscal reality

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer A new report from the Common Sense Institute (CSI) warns that Colorado’s Medicaid program is on an unsustainable path—driven by rapid expansion at the state level and compounded by shrinking federal support. The warning comes as lawmakers prepare for a possible special session to address the state’s growing budget deficit. State policy has driven major cost growth Since 2019, Colorado has enacted 182 healthcare-related laws, with 21 of them expanding Medicaid eligibility or benefits. According to CSI’s July 2025 report, these expansions alone add approximately $158 million in recurring annual state costs. In total, the new legislation contributes around $858 million per year in additional Medicaid-related spending. Only 36% of that new spend...
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Hunter: Fort Morgan ribbon cutting celebrates purpose and partnership at Leprino’s only string cheese facility
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Hunter: Fort Morgan ribbon cutting celebrates purpose and partnership at Leprino’s only string cheese facility

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice There’s something deeply satisfying about a slice of pizza. Maybe it’s the gooey mozzarella that stretches with every bite or the quiet delight of knowing where that cheese comes from, especially when it’s right in your backyard. Recently, I had the opportunity to join Leprino Foods in Fort Morgan, Colorado, for their Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce Red Ribbon Ceremony. The event wasn’t just a formal ribbon-cutting—it was a bold step forward in deepening community connections, fueled by purpose, people, and plenty of cheese. The afternoon began with a warm welcome led by Conor Kokes, Continuous Improvement Specialist and the driving force behind Leprino’s Community Impact Team. Conor kicked things off with...
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Garbo: Treason in Plain Sight—Obama’s Coup and the Democratic Betrayal of America
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Garbo: Treason in Plain Sight—Obama’s Coup and the Democratic Betrayal of America

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If Tulsi Gabbard’s revelations don’t make your blood boil, you haven’t been paying attention. The coordinated deception revealed by the Director of National Intelligence is not just a scandal – it is a full-blown betrayal of the American people, engineered at the highest levels of our government. This wasn’t carelessness. It was deliberate. And it wasn’t just dirty politics. It was treason. President Barack Obama knew the truth. His top officials - James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice - knew the truth. The intelligence community found no legitimate evidence that Donald Trump colluded with Russia. But that didn’t stop them. Instead, they manufactured a lie, inflated a hoax, and fed it to a willing and corrupt media to unleash ...
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Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence
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Eleven stabbed at Michigan Walmart before two Marine veterans end the violence

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice What started as a typical Saturday, July 26, at a northern Michigan Walmart in Traverse City ended in chaos, bloodshed, and unexpected heroism. Eleven shoppers were stabbed — several critically — before police could arrive. Deputies say two former Marines stepped in just in time, stopping the chaos before it turned deadly. The suspect—42-year-old Bradford Gille from Sheboygan County, Wisconsin—is behind bars. Formal charges are expected soon, including one that may fall under the state’s terrorism statute. What witnesses say happened during the stabbing It was just before 4:45 p.m. when Gille began attacking customers near the checkout lanes inside the Walmart off US-31. Witnesses say he moved fast and struck randoml...
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Devotional: The Belt of Truth–Holding it all together
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Devotional: The Belt of Truth–Holding it all together

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “Biblical Christianity is Truth concerning total reality, not just about religious things.” ~ Francis Schaeffer As we wrap up this mini-series on The Belt of Truth, part of our year-long journey through The Armor of God, it’s time to buckle up to keep all of life together: heart, mind, and life (relationships). Christianity was never meant to be a divided experience; this is why God hates divorce. It’s not one thing on Sunday and another on Monday. It doesn't separate the spiritual from the factual, or belief from behavior. Christianity isn’t just true for you—it’s the Truth about everything, including who you are, what you do, and the bigger picture of life. Over the course of my life—first as a child with a parent struggling ...
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Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado
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Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s 2024 MOU with BLM is being used to block drilling on federal land, reroute energy dollars and shift authority from Washington to regulators aligned with the Polis anti-fossil fuels agenda. In September 2024, a document quietly signed by BLM Colorado Director Doug Vilsack just eight weeks before the Presidential election may have done more than establish interagency cooperation. Critics say it handed away federal power. The document—a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)—opened the door for Colorado to impose sweeping restrictions on oil and gas production.  Those restrictions now apply even to federally controlled minera...
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice They built the grid. Now they’re fined for surviving. Colorado coal workers plead for relief amid forced transition fallout. In Craig, a coal worker with $60,000 in retirement savings could lose $6,000 of it overnight—just for trying to survive after losing his job. That’s the reality hundreds of families are facing in Northwest Colorado, where coal plants and mines are shutting down years ahead of schedule and federal tax law is punishing livelihoods already in freefall. Now, the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) and the City of Craig are calling on Congress to change that. The two entities are urging passage of the Energy Worker Penalty Waiver Act, a federal bill that would exempt displaced coal workers from the standard 1...
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Garbo: Why real conservatism demands judgment, not just an algorithm
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Garbo: Why real conservatism demands judgment, not just an algorithm

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Colorado political circles, the Liberty Scorecard has become a popular benchmark for judging whether a state legislator is a “true conservative.” It’s cited in primaries, shared in campaign materials, and weaponized in internal party battles. On its face, it’s a helpful tool - shining light on legislative votes and offering a snapshot of where elected officials land on key liberty-related issues. Used wisely, it can inform voters and hold lawmakers accountable. But here’s the problem: many conservatives are no longer using the Liberty Scorecard as a tool. They’re using it as a final verdict. This shift from tool to litmus test is not only unwise - it’s politically self-defeating. Treating the Liberty Scorecard as the defi...
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