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Hunter: ‘Real people doing real things’—NoCo Legislative Wrap-Up rallies the grassroots
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Hunter: ‘Real people doing real things’—NoCo Legislative Wrap-Up rallies the grassroots

Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice Last night’s Northeast Colorado Legislative Wrap-Up at Rez Church in Loveland wasn’t just a review of bills and budgets—it was, for many of us, a clear-eyed call to civic action. Several hundred attendees gathered to hear from elected officials representing Colorado’s northeastern counties, including a few rising voices in the state’s Republican ranks. Among them were Reps. Ryan Gonzalez and Carlos Barron, two principled young leaders quickly gaining traction with voters across Colorado. The event was thoughtfully organized by NoCo Wrap-Up, marking its inaugural year. Well-coordinated and engaging, it was also refreshingly focused on substance over spectacle. It set a high bar and laid the foundation for what many...
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[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities
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[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice [UPDATED – July 3, 2025]: This story has been updated to include comments from Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly on Colorado’s fentanyl laws and enforcement challenges. Each Colorado taxpayer carries the burden of the fentanyl crisis, and in 2024, that amounted to about $2,220 per resident. A June report from the Common Sense Institute estimated the total cost for Colorado at $13.1 billion. This financial burden becomes reality in emergency healthcare services, preventative programs and lost productivity. But there’s also the deep emotional toll on families shattered by addiction and loss. Despite rising pressure to prevent overdose deaths and target traffickers, a 2024 bill to increase penalties for fentanyl posses...
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DiGirolamo: This is how a predator grooms your son in under an hour
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DiGirolamo: This is how a predator grooms your son in under an hour

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Perhaps you have a son and think you don’t need to worry about online predators. Think again. Typically, girls are targeted on social media accounts for either explicit content or coerced to meet in person for a sexual encounter. It’s different for boys, who are usually targeted for money. These blackmail situations are criminal offenses, commonly termed “sextortion.” This is What a Predator’s Playbook Looks Like: A criminal will set up a profile with a picture of an attractive college age female. The picture will be provocative and eye-catching, so a teenage boy won’t think twice about accepting the social connection. They’ll make contact online through social media accounts such as Snapchat, Instagram and especially...
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Hunter: Rural leadership shines through in Fort Morgan Chamber’s future
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Hunter: Rural leadership shines through in Fort Morgan Chamber’s future

Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice When rural Colorado shows up for each other, the whole state gets stronger. That belief echoed throughout the Off-the-Clock Networking Hour on June 25, where Leticia Morales was welcomed as Executive Director of the Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce.  Held in the spirit of connection and collaboration, the event brought together local leaders, media partners, and civic voices who share a common goal: strengthening the bonds that make Morgan County, and all of Colorado, thrive. As a lifelong resident of Morgan County, Morales’ appointment represents both a homegrown success story and a bold step forward for the Chamber’s vision. “This is more than just a new chapter for me, it’s a new opportunity for all...
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Waltz: What our nation’s founders didn’t foresee—and the Left is exploiting
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Waltz: What our nation’s founders didn’t foresee—and the Left is exploiting

By Jim Waltz | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This summer’s news reported in the media is focused on the fierce opposition to the deportation of illegal immigrants. The persistent rioting drains federal and state resources from their duty to uphold the law, including the removal of illegal immigrants present in our country. Removing residents from any locale undermines the left’s effort to alter future elections by tampering with the upcoming census. The real purpose of the left's open border advocacy is not rooted in humanitarianism (for example, Martha's Vineyard relocated about 50 immigrants, declaring their lack of resources—yet they can still accommodate some 150,000 paying tourists annually). It is an attempt to affect our Constitutional right to a census, the next t...
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Garbo: The optics of ‘reason’ are working—and Republicans keep helping
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Garbo: The optics of ‘reason’ are working—and Republicans keep helping

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Outside of the state legislature in the world of the average voter, Colorado Democrats have deftly positioned themselves as the calm, steady voice in a chaotic political environment. Their latest press release condemning the Douglas County Home Rule initiative - from CDP Chair Shad Murib and County Democrat Chair Meg Furlow - follows a long, deliberate pattern: contrast Republicans’ chaos with Democrats’ reason.  It’s politics distilled for those unversed or fatigued by ideology. A Seasoned Pause Amid Schoolyard Chaos Remember the rancor surrounding the school board meetings in Douglas County? Heated rhetoric. Personal attacks. Ostracism of dissenters. In that frenzied atmosphere, Democrats stepped in as the adults in...
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The COvid Chronicles June 1–7, 2020: Struggle sessions and Stockholm syndrome rewrite the rules
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The COvid Chronicles June 1–7, 2020: Struggle sessions and Stockholm syndrome rewrite the rules

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board In this seventh chapter of COvid Chronicles, Contradictions defined the week. Rioters roamed, elites applauded and Denver’s institutions bent the knee. Officials called for systemic change—just not to their own hypocrisy. No, it’s not short. Neither was the damage—to downtown, to public trust or to the truth. As a dark pall fell over what little of downtown Denver hadn’t been destroyed or defaced by the George Floyd riots, the reckoning intensified at the foot of the Rockies. If the first week of June taught Coloradans anything, it was that COVID had become an afterthought. In its place came the fallout from the Floyd frenzy, which demanded real victims of harassment and havoc abandon the truth of their Orwellian ordeal, bow to the altar of ...
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“Colorado is yearning to be red”: Eric Trump fires up sold-out RMV Gala
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“Colorado is yearning to be red”: Eric Trump fires up sold-out RMV Gala

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Eric Trump had no intention of returning to politics. After years on the front lines of the MAGA movement, he told his father he was done. Ten years of lawsuits, media smears and raising a young family had him ready to step back. Then Heidi Ganahl called. “I told my father… I’m retiring from politics,” Trump said. “And then I got a call from Heidi. Damn it. Alright, fine. I’m back in.” More than 400 conservatives packed the sold-out June 21 event in Golden—including 150 VIPs—united by a common belief that Colorado’s still worth fighting for. The movement begins: Pizza Ranch and a tabletop speech Trump opened with a story about 2016 that drew laughs. The MAGA movement didn’t begin with consultants or ad buys. It started in places lik...
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Devotional: Be a Twinkie in a Ding Dong world
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Devotional: Be a Twinkie in a Ding Dong world

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church Let me take you back to the year 1988—my early days as a Christian, stationed in Germany with the United States Air Force. I was a brand-new convert, ready to charge hell with a squirt gun. Freshly saved and fully fired up, I figured the best way to show my faith was with the biggest King James Bible I could find. In Germany. That was no easy task. But I found a Christian bookstore, marched in, and said something like, “Give me the real deal.” What they handed me was less a Bible and more a leather-bound briefcase of holy intimidation. It had gold letters on the front, multiple bookmarks, and enough weight to count as carry-on luggage. I was thrilled. I thought, The bigger the Bible, the greater the faith. Here I...
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Boll: Ideological divides remain in Douglas County—but Home Rule offers a path forward
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Boll: Ideological divides remain in Douglas County—but Home Rule offers a path forward

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As a 30-year resident of Douglas County, I’ve witnessed our community’s strength, resilience, and commitment to individual liberty. Yet, I was stunned in 2020 and 2021 when some community members surrendered their parental rights to government bureaucrats during the COVID-19 response, advocating for government-backed mandates on virtual learning, masking, and vaccinations.  Five years later, we face a similar battle with the proposed Home Rule ballot initiative. This is our chance to reclaim local control, and voters must consider the source of opposition to understand what’s at stake. The Promise of Home Rule Home Rule would empower Douglas County to design a government that reflects our values, not Denver’s one-siz...
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