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Rahn: The value of AP African-American studies is in the truth, not CRT
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Rahn: The value of AP African-American studies is in the truth, not CRT

By Priscilla Rahn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice What is education for? Education is about searching for the truth, analyzing and differentiating good ideas from bad. Imagine a classroom where students are inspired to be creative, independent, taught self-determination and invested in the power of capitalism.  As a conservative, Republican and descendant of enslaved Africans, I believe in personal responsibility, freedom and the promise of America’s founding ideals. These traits are foundational to American greatness. Advanced Placement (AP) African-American Studies teaches students these ideals through historical analysis. This course is not CRT, which has become weaponized to define the human experience as solely and completely about our race, rather, it is a valu...
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Why are Colorado rest stops closed? CDOT blames a lack of funds to reopen
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Why are Colorado rest stops closed? CDOT blames a lack of funds to reopen

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Cass Brock of Pueblo is disappointed, to say the least, concerning access to the multiple rest stops along the Interstate 25 corridor from Denver to the southern part of the state. “I live in Pueblo and we drive I-25 to Denver monthly and also drive south on I-25.  When we drive through other states, their rest areas are and have been reopened for years since Covid restrictions.  Why are Colorado rest areas still closed?  I think it is a disservice to the over the road (OTR) truckers, and our state's residents,” she said in an email to Rocky Mountain Voice staff. According to records posted online, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) claims there are several reasons that these rest stops are still closed. The s...
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In Grand Junction, scrutiny intensifies on Resource Center to address rising crime, other issues
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

In Grand Junction, scrutiny intensifies on Resource Center to address rising crime, other issues

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Once celebrated as one of the top 10 main streets in the U.S., Grand Junction’s downtown now faces turmoil. Business owners, frustrated with the nearby Resource Center, are cleaning up feces and needles and dealing with fires and property damage. Many are calling for the center to be relocated. The Resource Center opened on Dec. 11, 2023, providing food, shelter, hygiene and navigation services for the homeless. By October 2024, however, downtown business owners reported rising concerns about harassment, danger, property damage and filth. At the Nov. 20 meeting of City Council, business owners shared their frustrations.  “We've put in a new, almost $20,000 camera system since this Resource Center came in," business own...
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Daniel: Let local communities lead on public lands
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Daniel: Let local communities lead on public lands

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Public lands are woven into the fabric of Colorado’s identity, serving as living symbols of our shared heritage, natural beauty and deep connection to the land. Nowhere is this more evident than in Western Colorado, where public lands foster a profound respect for nature and a commitment to stewardship. To ensure these lands thrive for future generations, we must adopt outcome-based policies prioritizing access, sustainability and thoughtful management — balancing conservation with economic vitality. Unfortunately, this balance is increasingly threatened by political instability and federal overreach. Mesa County, where 73% of the land is federally managed, provides a telling example of the challenges at hand. Federal burea...
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Food Bank of the Rockies facing challenge of meeting highest food insecurity level in a decade
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Food Bank of the Rockies facing challenge of meeting highest food insecurity level in a decade

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice "On the Western Slope, one in eight people — our neighbors — are food insecure. For children, it’s even worse: one in seven kids is unsure where their next meal will come from," shares Sue Ellen Rodwick, director of the Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies. "Statewide, the numbers are slightly better, but still troubling. One in nine Coloradans face food insecurity." The Food Bank of the Rockies (FBOTR) is spearheading the response to this growing crisis. It serves 417,317 people a year. The U.S. Census puts the state's population at 5,877,610. This is the largest food bank area in the contiguous U.S., covering Colorado and Wyoming. It serves a region of more than 150,000 square miles. It has three distribution centers ...
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Sloan: Could Doug Burgum and Chris Wright lead an American energy revival?
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Sloan: Could Doug Burgum and Chris Wright lead an American energy revival?

By Kelly Sloan | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There is much consternation in different corners about President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks; indeed, some of it is not entirely unwarranted. Much of it, on the other hand, is on the order of polemical hysteria, an outcropping of the left’s general caterwauling about how America under a second Trump presidency will take on the appearance of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. The Senate may have its work cut out in sorting through the noise generated around some of the appointments, but two that ought to give them no pause in the least are the President-elect’s picks for Interior and Energy: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright respectively.  It will prove exceedingly difficult to...
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The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia

By Lindy Browning, Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice While Colorado wildlife managers have been trying to figure out where to get the next crop of 10 to 15 wolves to import into Colorado, British Columbia, Canada, has been trying to cull their population of wolves because of the predation of caribou that led to the endangerment of the herds. After the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington rescinded their offer to send gray wolves to Colorado in late 2024, state wildlife officials were left scrambling to figure out where to procure the voter-mandated wolves for the repopulation efforts in Colorado. As a result of the Colville Tribe withdrawal, Colorado has, ironically, reached out to secure a deal with British Columbia to take some of their unwanted ...
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Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19
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Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The first of two election recounts critical to Republicans eliminating the Democratic supermajority in the Colorado House has been ordered by Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office. After the tabulation of 41,276 votes in El Paso County's state House District 16 race, Republican Rebecca Keltie was six votes ahead of Democrat Stephanie Vigil, by a margin of 2 one-hundredths of 1 percent of the vote, or 0.02%. State law requires a recount of an election with a margin of victory between two candidates of half of 1 percent or less, or a 0.5% margin. "Pursuant to Colorado law, the percentage of vote totals between the candidates requires the secretary of state to order a recount," the order from Griswold's office reads. The process calls for a ...
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Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says
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Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice President-elect Donald Trump has put Canada and Mexico on notice -- close their borders with the United States or face the penalty of tariffs on all imports into the United States. Crime and drugs "at levels never seen before" are pouring through porous borders to the north and south of the United States, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday. As one of his "many first Executive Orders," Trump pledged to charge Canada and Mexico 25% tariffs. "This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!," Trump wrote. "Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem." Until they do, Trump wrote, "it is...
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Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception
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Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Springs is dealing with “a hometown Jussie Smollett situation.”  That's how Todd Watkins, vice chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, described the hate crime hoax involving Mayor Yemi Mobolade. Watkins, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection official and U.S. Army analyst, says political violence in El Paso County has risen during the last nine years. His remarks highlight the seriousness of the allegations of an alleged hate crime that may have impacted the outcome of a municipal election. Three individuals have been indicted for their roles in the hoax. But the DOJ has reportedly declined to charge Mobolade despite evidence of false statements. The FBI found that Mobolade allegedly denied contact wi...
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