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“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy
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Top Stories, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, frustration among ranchers, landowners and state officials across the West boiled over. What followed wasn’t just venting—it was a coordinated push by lawmakers and the Interior Department to delist the gray wolf and rein in the Endangered Species Act’s long hold on predator policy. “The ESA was never meant to be a Hotel California—where you can check in but never leave,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, borrowing a now-familiar line from Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman to describe how species once listed rarely come off. “We’ve far exceeded the original goals… in some cases by more than twofold.” Burgum’s comments came in response to multiple lawmakers from Colorado, Cal...
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Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.
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Montrose Commissioner Pond: GORP Is a Land Grab. Period.

By Sean Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act GORP is being advertised as a community driven conservation success story. It’s not. It’s a federal land grab wrapped in pretty paper, designed to sell the illusion of balance while slowly destroying everything that makes Western Colorado worth living in. This bill doesn’t protect the land. It strangles it. They’ll tell you grazing is still allowed. Sure. But what good is a grazing permit if you can’t access your cows? If you can’t get there to fix fences, build a pond, haul salt, or rescue a sick calf? If you can’t use a pickup or a UTV or bring in the tools you need to survive?  When you strip away access, you strip away use.  It’s like giving you the right to own ...
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Garbo: If true, it’s the greatest violation of American sovereignty in modern history
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Garbo: If true, it’s the greatest violation of American sovereignty in modern history

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice According to new reports, the FBI has obtained intelligence confirming that China has produced and distributed fake U.S. driver’s licenses to facilitate fraudulent mail-in ballot voting. Let that sink in. If true, this is not just foreign interference in our elections; it is a coordinated attack on American sovereignty. And the gravity of such a revelation cannot be overstated. This would represent not only a betrayal by a foreign adversary but a failure, or worse, a complicity within our own institutions. What’s worse is the possibility that this operation didn’t occur in a vacuum. It may have been aided, ignored, or tolerated by political actors here at home. If so, we’re not just looking at corruption. We’re looking at tre...
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Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap
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Knutzen: Northeastern Clay Busters rack up top medals in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap

By Bruce Knutzen | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This guest piece highlights the success of the Northeastern Clay Busters at the 2025 SCTP tournament. Coach Bruce Knutzen shares results and reflections from a team growing in strength and community support. Over the weekend of June 6th, 7th, and 8th, members of the Northeastern Clay Busters SCTP team attended a three-day state tournament. The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is open to youth from elementary grades through college to participate in the safe, educational, and enjoyable SCTP clay target sports of American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays. All school-age boys and girls in grades 12 and under, with the physical, mental, and emotional maturity to participate in a team sport, are eligible for the ...
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Garbo: Immigration policy should serve America, not exploit it
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Garbo: Immigration policy should serve America, not exploit it

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Let’s set the record straight. Immigration is not a right. Not under the U.S. Constitution. Not under international law. Not by any moral, legal, or civil standard.  It is a privilege, and one granted by a sovereign nation to those who respect its laws, value its principles, and are willing to contribute to its future.  That privilege, once respected and coveted as one of the greatest honors in the world, is now under relentless attack - distorted by entitlement, corrupted by politics, and weaponized by those who seek to benefit without belonging. To understand this clearly, let’s use a comparison everyone can relate to: driving a car. The Driving Analogy Driving isn’t a right. It’s a regulated privilege. I...
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Hardin: Why the NRA-ILA legislative roundups matter more than ever
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Hardin: Why the NRA-ILA legislative roundups matter more than ever

By Amanda Hardin | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Last week, Rocky Mountain Voice partnered with the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) to host two critical Second Amendment Legislative Roundups—first in Lakewood, then in Fort Morgan. These events weren’t just a chance to hand out bumper stickers and shake hands; they were about mobilization. Colorado’s gun owners are facing unprecedented legislative attacks, and what we saw in those rooms was the beginning of a serious response. The first event took place on June 10 at Bristlecone Shooting, Training & Retail Center in Lakewood. Over 45 citizens gathered to review the flurry of anti-gun bills that crossed the governor’s desk this year, including the newly signed Senate Bill 25-003. Attendees walked away not only wit...
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Ganahl: Local voices, local values, local control–Home Rule for Douglas County
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Ganahl: Local voices, local values, local control–Home Rule for Douglas County

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice By now, you’ve probably received your ballot—and with it, an opportunity that could redefine how we govern ourselves. This vote will decide who sits on the commission responsible for drafting our Home Rule Charter. That document will set the tone for the future of Douglas County, and I believe it’s time we step up and take control of that future ourselves. If we choose Home Rule, we gain the power to tailor our government to meet our needs—not someone else’s idea of what those needs should be.  Let’s call it like it is—too often, the laws coming out of Denver are written without Douglas County in mind. We’re not just growing—we’re growing with purpose. And let’s be real, Douglas County has its own way of doing things. Home Ru...
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DiGirolamo: Undercover as a 13-year-old, an officer finds what parents fear most
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DiGirolamo: Undercover as a 13-year-old, an officer finds what parents fear most

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice You wouldn’t let your middle schooler wander the mall by herself, so why would you let her wander the Internet alone? If your child has online access, then every predator all over the world potentially can contact your kid.  Is this a risk that parents should be worried about? First, it’s important to understand why predators are on the Internet, online games and social media. Predators are after kids for several reasons: First, to obtain explicit material. Second, to extort someone for money and third, to meet for a sexual encounter.  Frequently, the predator may be seeking a combination of the three. Dawn Hawkins, CEO for National Center on Sexual Exploitation noted on X (formerly Twitter), “Child sexual ab...
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Justice on hold: Lawmakers race to fix Colorado’s rape kit backlog
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Justice on hold: Lawmakers race to fix Colorado’s rape kit backlog

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A backlog of 1,369 untested sexual assault kits at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation delays justice and drives significant costs, per a June 2025 report from the Common Sense Institute. Authored by former Denver DA Mitch Morrissey and Senior Analyst Erik Gamm, the report estimates clearing this backlog could prevent 1,481 crimes—including 1,030 sexual assaults—and save Colorado $234.7 million.  The Yvonne “Missy” Woods scandal, involving manipulated DNA in over a thousand cases since 2014, worsened this crisis, exposing gaps in CBI’s processes.  Two bills, HB25-1275 and SB25-304, address these issues, as Rep. Matt Soper (R-Delta), co-sponsor of HB25-1275, detailed in a Rocky Mountain Voice interview. The Wo...
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Devotional: The belt of truth—where trust finds its anchor
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Devotional: The belt of truth—where trust finds its anchor

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church If there’s one thing that holds relationships, communities, and even entire cultures together, it’s trust. But trust isn’t something that floats around waiting to be found—it’s something built. And like any lasting structure, it’s built on a solid foundation. That foundation, according to Scripture and life experience alike, builds trust through the truth. As someone who gets to wear a few meaningful hats—Pastor at Elevating Life Church, founder of Four-Dimensional Living, and Ambassador for Rocky Mountain Voice—I find myself constantly in conversations where people are searching for one thing: a reality they can trust. And the more I listen, the more I’m convinced: trust can’t grow where truth is absent. It withers under lie...
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