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The Donkey King: Power that Bows
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Devotional, Top Stories

The Donkey King: Power that Bows

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.~ Matthew 21:7 ~ As we step into Holy Week, we’re confronted with a different kind of power. If you were writing the story of a king entering his capital, you’d likely describe strength, dominance, and control—a warhorse, a parade, a show of force. But Jesus? He rides in on a donkey. And just like that, everything we thought we knew about power gets flipped upside down. Wait—did you say donkey? Yes. And if that doesn’t make you pause, very little will. Because the real question isn’t just what kind of King is this? It’s what kind of power are we actually fighting for? Let’s be honest—especially in leadership, politics, and public life—we often...
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The record that removed a child: Allegations, filings and fallout
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

The record that removed a child: Allegations, filings and fallout

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In Part 1, Fitzke describes how things unraveled at home and led into court. From there, the case played out through filings, testimony and what was said in court. Court filings show the case against Heather Fitzke relied on letters, testimony and screenshots. In one letter, a Basalt parent described the teen as fearful of returning home and said Fitzke had made life harder by withholding identification, taking money and posting about the teen online. Another letter included allegations that Fitzke yelled, threw items in the teen’s room, restricted access to medication and expressed beliefs about gender identity that concerned other parents. Screenshots submitted to the court show a series of text messages attributed to Fitzke. ...
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How a Garfield County dispute turned into a court-ordered separation
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

How a Garfield County dispute turned into a court-ordered separation

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Heather Fitzke’s story offers a look at how quickly a family dispute can move from home into the courtroom—and how outside involvement, public statements and court filings can reshape parental authority in ways many families may not expect. That side of the case is laid out in Part 2. Heather Fitzke says what happened to her family didn’t start in a courtroom. But that’s where it changed everything. She expected to defend herself, and she also ended up arguing with a judge about pronouns.  That moment came during a seven-hour hearing on Sept. 10 that would change the course of her family. Fitzke said that hearing came after she had already lost custody of her child through a separate guardianship decision. On Sept. 10, the judge ru...
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Colorado Safe2Tell system sees record growth: But outcomes stay hidden
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado Safe2Tell system sees record growth: But outcomes stay hidden

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice February marked the first time this school year that monthly Safe2Tell totals outpaced the same period during the previous year. Three thousand and eight reports. Eighteen percent higher than January. And still, the question that the data doesn't answer: what actually happens once a report is filed? That gap, between the volume of concerns being submitted and the public record of what follows, sits at the center of a system that now handles tens of thousands of tips each year from Colorado students, parents, and community members. The Colorado Attorney General's Office released the February figures earlier this month, along with a press release citing interventions in student safety and welfare concerns.  Attor...
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The hidden impact of two Colorado bills: Privacy risks few are talking about
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The hidden impact of two Colorado bills: Privacy risks few are talking about

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When I heard about two bills recently proposed in the Colorado State Legislature, I don’t want to sound overly dramatic—but I felt a real chill. Right now, our Constitution and modern technology are on a collision course. We’re being forced to decide how to embrace powerful tools without sacrificing privacy and the rights those tools were never meant to undermine. Consider the debate over Flock cameras in Denver: 400 to 800 people showed up to a community meeting in November, and another 24,000 watched online. People are paying attention—and they’re concerned. Yet these new bills are moving forward with little fanfare and even less public scrutiny. Because they deal with technology, they’re easy to overlook—but their poten...
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Going the wrong way: Colorado’s fentanyl deaths rise while the rest of the nation falls
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Going the wrong way: Colorado’s fentanyl deaths rise while the rest of the nation falls

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice While much of the country is finally beginning to turn the corner on fentanyl, Colorado is heading in the opposite direction. And the human cost is staggering. Colorado’s numbers are still moving up—synthetic opioid deaths have climbed 17 percent since December 2024. Elsewhere, the trend has started to turn. Across the country, overdose deaths have dropped 26.9 percent, according to the CDC, the steepest one-year decline of the crisis and the lowest levels since 2019. Colorado isn’t just behind. It stands apart. A March 2026 report from the Common Sense Institute puts that gap into focus: 1,620 excess deaths. In other words, that’s how many more Coloradans died from synthetic opioid overdoses between ...
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The Democrats who funded Colorado’s 611% Medicaid overrun are running for Congress
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The Democrats who funded Colorado’s 611% Medicaid overrun are running for Congress

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is staring down a $1 billion budget hole. Disabled kids are losing healthcare. Dental benefits are getting capped at $750 a year. Two Democrats who helped create and fund Cover All Coloradans are now asking voters to send them to Congress. Shannon Bird stepped away from the statehouse to run full-time. That sets up a primary between Bird and Rep. Manny Rutinel in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, with Republican incumbent Gabe Evans waiting in November. It started with HB22-1289 in 2022, opening Medicaid-style coverage to children and pregnant women who otherwise met eligibility but didn’t qualify because of their immigration status. Bird voted yes. The early estimate was $14.7 million for the fiscal year, tied to an expe...
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Colorado saw red flags in autism therapy billing and approved higher rates anyway
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado saw red flags in autism therapy billing and approved higher rates anyway

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Federal auditors documented convicted staff working with autistic children. Colorado had no system to catch it. Every week, parents of autistic children in Colorado dropped their kids off with behavior therapists they trusted. What they didn't know—what the state never required anyone to verify—was whether those therapists had passed a background check. Many hadn't. Not because anyone failed a background check. Because Colorado never required one. HHS Office of Inspector General audit highlights—February 2026. Source: https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/audit/11494/A-09-24-02004-highlights.pdf The findings from federal auditors came out in February. At least $77.8 million in improper Medicaid payments for autism therapy in 20...
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From party switch to $6.4 million: Examining the rise of a CD4 candidate
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From party switch to $6.4 million: Examining the rise of a CD4 candidate

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In a matter of months, Eileen Laubacher went from a newly registered Democrat with no primary voting history to the best-funded candidate in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. That kind of political acceleration is unusual on its own. What makes it more striking is how many pieces had to move at once to get there. Her party registration, then and now In Jefferson County, Laubacher shows up as a registered Republican as far back as 1998. That didn’t change until January 2024, when she went unaffiliated, followed by a switch to Democrat two months later using her Ken Caryl address. She filed to run for Congress not long after. It would be more than four months before her voter registration was updated t...
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Born for Battle: A New Identity, A New Fight
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Devotional, Top Stories

Born for Battle: A New Identity, A New Fight

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 ~ Most of us remember the classic story “The Ugly Duckling.” A small bird is born on a farmyard, but something about him seems… off. The ducks mock him. The chickens peck at him. Everywhere he goes, the message is the same: “You’re awkward.” “You don’t belong.” “Something must be wrong with you.” So, the little duck grows up believing the lie: This is just who I am. Now, I’ve always felt a personal connection to that story. My name is Drake, and for those who may not know, a drake is literally a male duck. Not eagle. Not lion. Not stallion. Duck! So if anyone should understand the Ugly Duckling story, it’s me. ...
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