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Speech or statute? Appeals court weighs bond denial in Tina Peters case
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Speech or statute? Appeals court weighs bond denial in Tina Peters case

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Court of Appeals is being asked to decide whether Tina Peters was denied bond because of her speech—or whether the issue is already foreclosed by appellate rules. Was her bond denied because of her speech? The Attorney General’s office argues the court does not need to answer that question. In its view, Peters’ petition is untimely, successive and barred under Colorado’s appellate rules. The dispute now before the court centers on bond pending appeal. The defense says a district judge treated Peters’ public criticism of Mesa County’s voting system as a public danger. The state says the bond statute independently supports denial and that the petition should be dismissed on procedural grounds. 2026-01-30 A...
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America’s real election crisis: A collapse of public trust
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National

America’s real election crisis: A collapse of public trust

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker One of the most corrosive realities in contemporary American electoral politics isn't polarization, misinformation, or even foreign interference. It is something more basic: a majority of Americans no longer trust the integrity of their elections. This is not a fringe belief limited to one party or ideology. According to polling from Rasmussen Reports, ahead of the 2024 presidential election, 62 percent of likely voters were “concerned that cheating will affect the outcome of the 2024 election.” This skepticism crosses party lines and has persisted over the years. The pattern is clear: whichever party loses a presidential election claims the winning party cheated. Democrats insisted George W. Bush stole the 20...
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Two courts, one case: Judge to weigh prosecutor removal and child hearsay in Hawkins proceedings
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Two courts, one case: Judge to weigh prosecutor removal and child hearsay in Hawkins proceedings

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice What began as criminal charges against retired Aurora Police Department sergeant Michael Hawkins has expanded into a dispute spanning two counties and two courts. While Hawkins faces felony allegations involving children, his former wife, Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins, was jailed after declining to follow a reunification therapy order issued during divorce proceedings. Two hearings that are set for February 19th inside a Douglas County District Court could subtly influence the course of People v. Hawkins. The hearings for case 24CR808 begins at 9:00 a.m and 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom C and are expected to be available through the Colorado Judicial Branch livestream.  The morning argument centers on a defense r...
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Colorado Democrats’ Gun Control Agenda Has Failed. HB26-1021 Is the Reset We Need
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado Democrats’ Gun Control Agenda Has Failed. HB26-1021 Is the Reset We Need

By Reps. Brandi Bradley and Max Brooks | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s update: House Bill 26-1021 will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, upon adjournment in HCR 0107. The committee is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Readers may listen live here: https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00327/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20260217/29/17994#info_ For more than a decade, Colorado Democrats have treated gun control as a political obsession. Not because it works. Not because it reduces crime. But because it expands government control and satisfies national activist donors. Meanwhile, crime has increased, communities feel less safe, and the only people consistently punished are those who follow the law. Hous...
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The High Cost of Ignorance: Why Special Interests Are Fighting Prescription Drug Transparency in Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The High Cost of Ignorance: Why Special Interests Are Fighting Prescription Drug Transparency in Colorado

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s update: House Bill 26-1056 will be heard in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, upon adjournment in HCR 0112. The committee is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Readers may listen live here: https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00327/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20260217/-1/18053#handoutFile_  “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” — Upton Sinclair It's easy to be wrong when it makes you money.  If the average savings from using a Pharmacy Stewardship Program (PSP) are $1,500 per member per year, and Colorado has around 2 million workers covered by employer health plans, th...
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At Durango forum, GOP candidates field rotating questions submitted from across Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

At Durango forum, GOP candidates field rotating questions submitted from across Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Instead of posing the same question to an entire panel and allowing candidates to respond in sequence, organizers of the Feb. 13 Republican candidate forum in Durango tried something different. For the most part, candidates received different questions in turn. There wasn’t much room to sit back and think through an answer while someone else talked. Once your name was called, it was your turn.  VFW Post 4031 hosted the event, with RMV, Southwest Republican Women and the La Plata County Republican Central Committee working together to put it on. Clark Craig emceed the evening, and local GOP members Lisa Zimmerman and Amber Morris helped organize it. JJ McKinzie joined the Secretary of State panel shortly before t...
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Democrats advance gun barrel regulation bill on party line vote
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Democrats advance gun barrel regulation bill on party line vote

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Gun barrels are not serialized. They are not a regulated “firearm” under federal law. But Colorado lawmakers are preparing to vote on whether they should be treated more like one. The bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan of Centennial, would require barrels to be sold through a federally licensed dealer instead of privately. Dealers would keep purchase records for five years. Violations could carry fines — and up to 30 days in county jail. The proposal advanced out of committee on a narrow vote and now heads to the full Senate. Supporters describe it as the next step after last year’s ghost gun legislation. Critics argue it regulates a part that cannot be traced. At the center of the debate: whethe...
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Faith Over Feelings: The Rules of Engagement – Flight Line to Living Room
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Devotional, Top Stories

Faith Over Feelings: The Rules of Engagement – Flight Line to Living Room

By Drake Hunter | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If you love me, keep my commands. ~ John 14:15 ~ In the Air Force, Rules of Engagement were never suggestions. They weren’t emotional guidelines. They were commands—clearly defined before the pressure ever came. When executing missions on the flight line, especially in dangerous areas, you can't decide in the moment what feels right. You don’t rely on instinct alone. You don’t let adrenaline dictate your actions. You operate under authority—clear orders, strict boundaries, and a defined purpose. Never letting emotions alter the mission, because obedience is what ensures lives are protected—yours and others', no matter how you feel. In fact, I learned early on that the tougher the situation, the more im...
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Buyers walk free, survivors carry the scars: Colorado debates sentencing for child traffickers
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Buyers walk free, survivors carry the scars: Colorado debates sentencing for child traffickers

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers confronted a question this week that has lingered for years under the gold dome: how far should the state go in punishing those who buy and traffic children? Two bills offered two different answers. Senate Bill 26-015 cleared Senate Judiciary on a 6–1 vote and was referred, as amended, to Appropriations. Senator Nick Hinrichsen cast the lone “no.” HB26-1082 went the other direction. Representative Scott Bottoms’ bill would have required life without parole in certain cases involving trafficked minors. It stalled in the House Judiciary Committee. No one in the room disputed the harm. That wasn’t the fight. The debate centered on sentencing, and whether judges should still have ro...
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