Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

Boebert presses FBI, joins Trump and allies rallying to free ‘political prisoner’ Tina Peters
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Boebert presses FBI, joins Trump and allies rallying to free ‘political prisoner’ Tina Peters

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A 69-year-old grandmother with no prior record is serving nearly a decade in prison. Now, Donald Trump and Lauren Boebert are calling her what they believe she is: a political prisoner. Rep. Lauren Boebert is demanding federal action on behalf of Tina Peters, the former Mesa County Clerk sentenced to nine years in prison over her efforts to preserve election records following the 2020 election. In a March 21 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Boebert called the case a “staggeringly harsh” example of political prosecution and urged the bureau to investigate potential violations of Peters’ civil rights. “This is about justice and freedom,” Boebert said during a May 7 appearance on The Jeff and Bill Show, hosted by Jeff Hunt and RMV’s own Tori G...
Backlash ignored: Senate approves HB25-1312 without parental rights protections
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Backlash ignored: Senate approves HB25-1312 without parental rights protections

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Proponents hail the bill as a civil rights milestone for transgender youth. But Republicans say it strips parental rights, embeds compelled speech into law and threatens custody in future court cases. After weeks of public backlash, failed compromise efforts, and a marathon Senate floor debate, Colorado lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to HB25-1312 – a bill that critics say severs parents from decisions about their children’s identities in school. The bill passed its final Senate vote on Tuesday with no additional debate or amendments. The House voted to concur with all Senate amendments and repassed the bill without further changes, sending it to Governor Jared Polis. The final version no longer includes the family court and out-of-s...
A turning point for Colorado: RMV announces first Mountain Majesty Gala featuring Eric Trump on June 21 
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A turning point for Colorado: RMV announces first Mountain Majesty Gala featuring Eric Trump on June 21 

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The conservative grassroots in Colorado is waking up – and gathering for something bigger than politics as usual. Tickets are now on sale for what organizers are calling a major turning point for Colorado conservatives. Rocky Mountain Voice will host its first Mountain Majesty Gala on June 21 in the Denver Metro area. Doors open at 5:00 PM, and guests are encouraged to dress formal for an evening built to energize Colorado’s conservative movement – something many say is long overdue. Grassroots leaders, elected officials and media voices will gather for a night of connection, clarity and shared purpose. Eric Trump will serve as keynote speaker for the evening. A national conservative voice with deep grassroots credibility, Trump is exp...
“Parents Last”: Senate Democrats Advance HB25-1312 Despite Mass Opposition, Custody Concerns
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“Parents Last”: Senate Democrats Advance HB25-1312 Despite Mass Opposition, Custody Concerns

By Tori Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s controversial “Kelly Loving Act” is one step away from becoming law, after the state Senate advanced HB25-1312 in a party-line vote Monday night. The bill passed 23-12 following hours of floor debate—nearing an end to a legislative saga that’s drawn over 700 would-be testifiers, more than 17,000 emails from concerned constituents, and ongoing warnings from legal experts, parents, and educators. The bill started as an expansion of the Colorado Anti-discrimination Act (CADA), aiming to add gender identity and expression as protected categories in schools, courts, and beyond. Even after key changes, Republicans say it still threatens parental rights and opens the door to new legal trouble for those who disagree with progressive gender pol...
Members left in the dark: LPEA board spends big while margins shrink and bills climb
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Members left in the dark: LPEA board spends big while margins shrink and bills climb

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice When La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) members open their May power bills, most will see the effects of a 7.72% rate increase that quietly took effect April 1. While LPEA’s board says the hike is needed to cover infrastructure and supply costs, many members are beginning to ask harder questions – not just about what they’re paying, but about how their cooperative is being run. From 2019 to 2023, La Plata Electric Association’s revenue barely grew, just $3 million over five years. But its expenses went up by more than $10 million, causing profits to drop sharply.  In 2019, LPEA made $10.3 million in net income.  By 2023, that had fallen to just $3.8 million, a 63% decline. That means the co-op now keeps only 3 cents of every do...
Michelle Chandler stopped a predator — and uncovered victims who may never know
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Michelle Chandler stopped a predator — and uncovered victims who may never know

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice On May 11, 2024, at Nordstrom Rack in Lakewood, Colorado, Michelle Chandler caught a man filming her inside a women’s fitting room. She didn’t freeze or panic. Instead, she confronted him, pinned him to the ground and held him until help arrived – or so she thought.  What happened next wasn’t the swift arrival of justice. It was abandonment: by store employees, by security and later, by a system more concerned with procedure than protection. Chandler’s story quickly gained attention when she posted about it on Instagram. Social media influencers – including David Harris Jr. posted about the video. Local radio and National news outlets reached out to cover the story. And strangers from Canada to Europe responded, showing their support.&nb...
Minary: Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado
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Minary: Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The majority of Coloradans have become disengaged and disillusioned with Party politics and rhetoric, for good reasons. Both major parties, R and D, have lost their way. So, the largest bloc of voters in CO is now “Unaffiliated.” In political discussions, we often use ‘labels’ to describe ourselves and others. These labels include terms like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, Right, Left, Liberal and Conservative. Unfortunately, if you ask 10 people to define exactly what their own political label means, only one can do it with any clarity. That leads very quickly to stereotyping, misunderstandings and disagreement. Rather than listening, we talk over, rather than with, each other. For the record, I am a Constitutional Conservat...
Cole: Illegal driving, rising costs, and scarce patrols—welcome to Denver’s roads
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Cole: Illegal driving, rising costs, and scarce patrols—welcome to Denver’s roads

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Each afternoon, my three-mile commute home in Denver’s metro area is a nerve-wrecking ordeal. Drivers speed through stop signs, ignore red lights, or stop inexplicably at unmarked intersections. Cars swerve across lanes, straddle the center line, or disrupt four-way stops.  Vehicles without plates, with expired tags, or overdue permits are all too common.  As a single-income earner with only liability insurance, I dread a crash with an uninsured driver.  One accident could destroy my car—my lifeline to work and rent.  Since 2020, Denver’s roads have descended into chaos. I believe the combination of unenforced traffic laws, a 25% rise in undocumented immigration, and soaring cost of living fuels this...
The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days
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The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board This second installment of RMV’s COvid Chronicles runs longer than usual – for good reason. In just two weeks, civic trust collapsed, state control deepened and neighbors turned on each other. The details matter—because memory fades, because memory fades, but the impact endures. If the first two weeks of April 2020 made it clear to Coloradans their state was forever changed and would not be going back to the way it was any time soon, the later part of the month crystalized just how difficult earning back any God-given constitutional rights and freedoms would prove to be. Much of that had to do with the heavy-handedness of Gov. Jared Polis, elected officials and unelected bureaucrats who weren't keen on relinquishing their newfound regal powe...
O’Donnell: It’s costly to live in Colorado—and now we top the charts in personal debt
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O’Donnell: It’s costly to live in Colorado—and now we top the charts in personal debt

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Since 2021, inflation has been higher in Colorado than in any other state, mostly because of the cost of owning or renting a home. But this is also because the state legislature enjoys imposing new fees (you aren’t allowed to call them taxes) on seemingly anything they can think of. Colorado residents may not, however, realize that because it is now so expensive to live in the state, Coloradans owe more money in mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans and other consumer obligations than residents of ANY other state. The latest data from the Consumer Credit Panel at the New York Federal Reserve indicates that during the fourth quarter of 2024, the 4,983,560 households in Colorado EACH owed an average of $90,540 i...