Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

Garfield County commissioners ‘demand a pause’ in wolf reintroduction program
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Garfield County commissioners ‘demand a pause’ in wolf reintroduction program

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Tom Jankovsky, Mike Samson and Perry Will are setting the standard. The Garfield County commissioners are doing what some say commissioners in every county should do for their constituencies who voted against the 2020 ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves to Western Colorado.  In a press release on Jan. 21, 2025, the commissioners announced they had written a letter to Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, requesting that the agency reconsider its approach to releasing grey wolves on the Western Slope. “The Board of County Commissioners’ letter demands a pause in the reintroduction of wolves to ensure the program is working, that impacts to ranchers be mitigated, and that people have the right to defend...
Complaints against Pueblo Co. Democrats, alleging failure to report $5.2M in revenue and building expenses, go unanswered
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Complaints against Pueblo Co. Democrats, alleging failure to report $5.2M in revenue and building expenses, go unanswered

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A pair of complaints against the Pueblo County Democratic Party for failure to report revenue and expenses, as required by state law, have thus far gone unanswered by party officials, according to Tracer and the complainant. One of the complaints was first levied in October. Jonathan Ambler, who ran as the Republican nominee in House District 46 in 2018, 2020 and 2022, filed two separate complaints against the Pueblo County Democrats related to violation of campaign finance laws. The Colorado Secretary of State's Elections Division has performed initial investigation into the complaints. The initial complaint, No. ED2024-77, was filed Oct. 16, 2024, as a result of a Pueblo Chieftain newspaper article related to the finances of the two maj...
Shamblin: President Trump pardons pro-life political prisoners for crime of peacefully protesting
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Shamblin: President Trump pardons pro-life political prisoners for crime of peacefully protesting

By Scott Shamblin | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a monumental victory for the pro-life movement and justice itself, President Donald J. Trump has officially pardoned several pro-life political prisoners who were unjustly persecuted for their unwavering defense of the unborn. President Trump’s decision to pardon 23 pro-life political prisoners marks a turning point in the battle for justice. These elderly grandparents, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers, were not violent criminals but peaceful advocates for the unborn, unfairly targeted by the Biden Administration’s discriminatory enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Their crime? Exercising their 1st Amendment rights in defense of innocent life. The FACE Act, passed in 1994, was suppos...
Complaint alleges Secretary of State Griswold has violated her own department’s campaign finance rules
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Complaint alleges Secretary of State Griswold has violated her own department’s campaign finance rules

By Rocky Mountain Voice Jena Griswold just can't seem to catch a break. After the Republican Party tattled on the secretary of state, detailing disclosure of election system passwords for months on her own website and up to within days of the general election, and after the Colorado Libertarian Party sued her for the disclosure, she has had a rough go at potentially attempting to earn her party's nomination for governor by first announcing her candidacy as a Democrat. The latest in a winter of missteps for the secretary of state is a campaign finance complaint claiming Griswold has violated her own department's rules for campaign announcements. The complaint, detailed in a Colorado Politics report, was filed Jan. 14 by The Public Trust Institute, represented by Suzanne Taheri o...
Eastern Plains lawmakers want to prohibit ‘cultivated’ meat in Colorado
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Eastern Plains lawmakers want to prohibit ‘cultivated’ meat in Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A pair of Eastern Plains lawmakers want to ensure when Coloradans eat hamburger, it was grown on the hoof and not in a lab. House Bill 25-1064, sponsored by Rep. Ty Winter, R-Las Animas, and Sen. Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells, would prohibit the selling, manufacture or distribution of cultivated meat products. The bill will be heard at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, in the House's Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee, in a session which could be lengthy. Preceding HB25-1064 on the agenda are HB25-1034 to change the dangerous dog statute in Colorado, and HB25-1074 to repeal the 2020 legislation which gave Colorado cage-free eggs. It is scheduled to be the sixth bill heard. Winter, who represents nine counties in Southeast Colorad...
Devotional: Wearing the ‘Armor of Humility’ as a leader
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: Wearing the ‘Armor of Humility’ as a leader

By Drake Hunter | Devotional, Rocky Mountain Voice Genuine confidence can sometimes feel like a rare gem in a world filled with pride and arrogance. Interestingly, leaders in fields like the military, corporate world, education, politics and faith often struggle to find that solid confidence, especially in an age where neglect, individualism and mediocre leadership are too common. In comparison, factors like DNA, experiences, culture and authority shape our confidence only to a point. Still, the deep-rooted convictions of life establish and sustain humility and produce resilience in the long run. In the previous blog, "The Armor of Belief, Truth, and Trust," we discussed how our life is built on those Godly elements that unlock the most potent secret of leadership — humility. R...
Launch of SAFE Colorado aimed at building safer, stronger Colorado
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Launch of SAFE Colorado aimed at building safer, stronger Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice John Fabbricatore and Steven Monahan were announced Wednesday as the leaders in the launch of Strong Advocates For Enforcement in Colorado (SAFE Colorado), aimed at enhancing public safety across the state by fostering collaboration among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Fabbricatore previously served as an ICE field director in Colorado and Wyoming, and was the 2024 Republican nominee to the 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House. He is a visiting fellow of the Heritage Foundation. Steven Monahan was the 2022 Republican nominee to the 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House. The mission of SAFE Colorado is "to protect communities by prioritizing safety over political agendas and holding leaders accountable for...
If you’re fed up with high egg prices, you’ll like HB25-1074 by Rep. Gonzalez and Sen. Kirkmeyer
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

If you’re fed up with high egg prices, you’ll like HB25-1074 by Rep. Gonzalez and Sen. Kirkmeyer

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice If you have not yet visited your grocer's refrigerated section in 2025, you're in a for a surprise. The only eggs you will find are cage-free, and they are expensive. There's a reason. House Bill 20-1343, passed nearly five years ago, set forth standards for laying hens and the eggs they produce, of which some harmful consequences are just being realized today. The bill by Western Slope Democrat rancher Sen. Kerry Donovan and Western Slope Democrat attorney Dylan Roberts had bipartisan support from a full flock then of about two-thirds of the Colorado General Assembly, and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill. Weld County Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, R-Greeley, and Weld County Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, neither of which supported the 2020...
Greeley-headquartered JBS to pay $4 million to settle child labor violations
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Greeley-headquartered JBS to pay $4 million to settle child labor violations

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice JBS USA Food Company, a leading meat packing processor and slaughterhouse in America, will pay $4 million in settlement to individuals and communities related to its unlawful child labor practices, the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced. The agreement requires JBS to hold "key elements of its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers accountable" for illegal child labor practices, the news release reads. JBS will additionally lead a targeted advertising campaign to raise awareness of unlawful child labor practices. JBS claims to be the second-leading beef, pork and poultry producer in the United States, with more than 70,000 team members. The company has six operations in and is headquartered in Greeley. Other areas...
Cody Davis, the new Mesa Co. Commission chair, prioritizes listening, engaging with community
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Cody Davis, the new Mesa Co. Commission chair, prioritizes listening, engaging with community

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As Cody Davis received the gavel as the new chair of the Mesa County board of commissioners, he reflected on its playful history. Like when Bobbie Daniel became chair, Davis helped bedazzle it to add a glittery flair in honor of her leadership.  Now that the gavel has been passed to him, Davis joked about expecting “something like Thor’s Hammer” but admitted the simple wooden gavel feels fitting for his no-nonsense approach. “I’m not a very glittery, in-your-face personality," he said. "If I were to upgrade it, maybe I’d add a little plane or something aviation-related." In December, Davis accomplished a little-known feat — he earned his pilot's license. Flying has been a lifelong aspiration inspired by his father, who...