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New Uses for Pueblo Half Cent Tax Prompt Debate Over Voter Intent
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Uncategorized, Approved, Commentary, Complete Colorado, Local

New Uses for Pueblo Half Cent Tax Prompt Debate Over Voter Intent

By Nicki Hart | Commentary, Complete Colorado Pueblo offers a cautionary tale for communities across Colorado being asked to extend, renew, or continue a dedicated tax. When voters approve a tax for one purpose, how much can the government redefine that purpose before it must return to the people for permission? That debate is unfolding in Pueblo over the city’s Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund, a voter-approved revenue source that has existed for more than four decades. The fund originated in 1984 following the collapse of Pueblo’s steel economy. In 1992, voters fundamentally reshaped the program around a more specific economic promise that public funds would support capital improvements that create “primary jobs.” Primary jobs are those that bring new money into the local ec...
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Boulder Immigration Policies Face New Scrutiny From House Committee
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Approved, Axios, Local

Boulder Immigration Policies Face New Scrutiny From House Committee

By Mitchell Byars | Axios House Republicans escalated their months-long clash with Boulder County over local immigration policies on Wednesday, subpoenaing District Attorney Michael Dougherty for records. Why it matters: The subpoena pulls Boulder deeper into a national fight over local limits on participation with federal immigration enforcement. Driving the news: House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Dougherty, alleging his office gives noncitizens preferential treatment to help them avoid immigration consequences and saying the DA failed to turn over documents after nearly four months of requests. Jordan argues the records could inform changes to federal immigration law, including the proposed Shut ...
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Fed Rate Hike Could Squeeze Homebuyers and Renters in Southern Colorado
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KKTV 11, Approved, Local

Fed Rate Hike Could Squeeze Homebuyers and Renters in Southern Colorado

By Damien Bartonek | KKTV 11 News COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A quarter-point increase in interest rates from the Federal Reserve could make it more expensive for some El Paso County residents to buy a home, while adding pressure to an already strained rental market according to housing experts. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation remains too high and that recent data have not shown enough improvement to change the central bank’s approach. “The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long,” Warsh said. “This summer’s inflation readings do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved.” The Federal Reserve says the rate increase is intended to help bring inflation back toward its 2% target. ...
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Roaring Fork district sought friendly press after legal threat over sex ed curriculum
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Roaring Fork district sought friendly press after legal threat over sex ed curriculum

By Kelly Notarfrancesco | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Slides from Roaring Fork School District's "Understanding Our Bodies" 3Rs lessons, including the "Making Sense of Puberty" 4th/5th grade deck and its "A Note on Language" slide on gender identity and anatomy. (Roaring Fork Schools) Kindergarten lessons including explicit discussion of genitalia and instructing children to learn that there are “some body parts that mostly just girls have and some body parts that mostly just boys have.” Second grade lessons including graphic anatomical images of nude children and training to recognize people based on their identities. Sixth grade lessons directing kids to visit non-academic websites that invite them to take advocacy action on LGBTQ+ issues. These and o...
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Emergency Motion Extends Douglas County Ballot Fight With Ballots Already Sent to Printer
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Emergency Motion Extends Douglas County Ballot Fight With Ballots Already Sent to Printer

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The legal battle over a Douglas County ballot measure to increase the number of county commissioners is continuing after Rep. Bob Marshall asked a judge to reconsider her rejection of a preliminary injunction that would halt two ballot measures from reaching voters. Marshall filed an emergency motion for reconsideration Sunday, outlining a new legal argument that he said would give the court authority to grant his request. The case stems from actions of the Board of County Commissioners who, in the final days before ballot certification, approved additional language for a citizen-led ballot measure that would increase the board from three members to five and adopted a competing county-initiated measure addressing how commi...
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Englewood Drops Flock Cameras Amid Privacy and Surveillance Concerns
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Axios, Approved, Local

Englewood Drops Flock Cameras Amid Privacy and Surveillance Concerns

By Robert Sanchez | Axios Englewood could cover its 12 automatic license plate-readers (ALPRs) with garbage bags if Flock Safety doesn't promptly remove them after City Council canceled the company's contract Tuesday. State of play: Englewood has no replacement lined up for its stationary readers after council unanimously dropped Flock and deadlocked on a proposed contract with competitor Axon. The city pays Flock $64,500 annually for its ALPR system. What they're saying: "Whether we use Flock or Axon, it's no different," Councilmember Rita Russell said. "They both do the same thing." In the room: Council voted 6–0 to terminate Flock, which Englewood police began using in 2023. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT AXIOS
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Dogs Help Evergreen Students Find Calm And Connection After School Shooting
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Dogs Help Evergreen Students Find Calm And Connection After School Shooting

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado A year ago, Evergreen High School was the scene of chaos and fear. Today, the Colorado school has two new members of its community — two dogs whose presence has become part of the daily rhythm of the school, offering students and staff something they desperately needed after a shooting shattered their sense of safety. On Sept. 10, 2025, a 16-year-old Evergreen High School student opened fire, shooting two other students before fatally shooting himself. Both wounded students survived. The shooting sent students scrambling from the school and brought hundreds of law enforcement officers to the foothills campus. A year later, the physical evidence of that day has largely disappeared. The memories have not. ...
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Weld County Gives Green Light to Colorado’s Largest Data Center Near Windsor
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Weld County Gives Green Light to Colorado’s Largest Data Center Near Windsor

By Peter Choi | Denver7 The 41-acre project could become Colorado's largest data center, but community members raised concerns about water, noise, the power grid, and outreach. GREELEY, Colo. — The Weld County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday to approve a proposed data center that could become the largest in Colorado. The roughly 41-acre data center is planned for the former Carestream Health site in an unincorporated area of Weld County near Windsor. The New York-based company Global AI is proposing the project. During a public hearing on Wednesday, commissioners heard from the company and community members who raised concerns about the project's potential impacts, including water use, noise, the power grid, and the company's outreach to nearby resi...
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Denver Neighborhood Blindsided by Plans for 400 Bed Homeless Shelter
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Denverite, Approved, Local

Denver Neighborhood Blindsided by Plans for 400 Bed Homeless Shelter

By Kyle Harris | Denverite Neighbors wonder why they had to find out online. Northeast Denver residents of Clayton learned online that the city wants to build its second-largest homeless shelter in their neighborhood. Then they gathered on Tuesday night to blast city officials for failing to tell them about the city’s plans.  “It feels kind of disingenuous to say we need more shelter space over here,” said Jes Driscoll, who sits on the board of the registered neighborhood group Clayton United. “That space is prime. It’s such a great spot for housing options. Shelter is not a housing option. It’s a place to stay.” The Department of Housing Stability (HOST) submitted plans in August to build two larger homeless shelter buildings in the working-class ...
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Jeffco Schools Chief Counsel to Retire During High-Stakes Title IX Fight With Feds
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Jeffco Schools Chief Counsel to Retire During High-Stakes Title IX Fight With Feds

By Matt Kyle | The Denver Gazette As Jeffco Public Schools continues to fight a legal battle with the federal government, it will soon be without its top attorney. Julie Tolleson, chief legal counsel for the district, will retire at the end of the current school year, according to a letter sent to district staff Tuesday by interim Superintendent Rob Stein. Tolleson has been known among Jeffco staff as a “common sense” attorney who used her legal expertise to uphold student rights, Stein wrote in the letter. He also praised Tolleson for avoiding “unnecessary controversy” during her tenure. “Julie’s legal acumen will be hard to replace,” Stein wrote. “Her wisdom and perspective will be missed.” Tolleson has been with Jeffco since 2022. Her tenure ha...
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