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Garfield joins eight counties to have opted out of state’s sensitive spaces concealed carry ban
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Garfield joins eight counties to have opted out of state’s sensitive spaces concealed carry ban

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice During a Monday meeting of Garfield County's commissioners, the board of Tom Jankovsky, Mike Sampson and Perry Will exercised an option to exempt Garfield County from the law, created by Senate Bill 24-131, which prohibits lawful concealed carry by permit holders from government buildings. The bill, by Democrat Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis — who recently resigned in disgrace — and Chris Kolker, took effect in July 2024. In Garfield County, those who possess a valid concealed carry permit can now take handguns into specific government buildings, in this case the county's administration buildings, in both Glenwood and Rifle, where the county commissioners have offices. The opt out provision does not include courthouses. It...
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Laramie Energy gives Mesa County a bleak outlook on future under present regulation
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Laramie Energy gives Mesa County a bleak outlook on future under present regulation

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In an informational work session, Chris Clark of Laramie Energy gave Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and JJ Fletcher an update concerning how ever-increasing regulatory policy in Colorado is not only impacting smaller oil and gas companies, but also cutting into the county budget. Energy producing counties have relied on their share of the severance tax, a tax that is extracted from fossil fuel energy developing companies that is designed to cover infrastructure impacts like water development, roads and local entities. In the past, severance tax dollars paid for local libraries, hospital wings, firefighting facilities and equipment, municipal water line replacements, and funded upgrades to local schools, among many...
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How Jeffco Kids First exposed a school cover-up that made international headlines
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How Jeffco Kids First exposed a school cover-up that made international headlines

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A Jefferson County teacher lost her license after an alleged grooming scandal involving a student at Columbine High School. The more disturbing revelation? School officials allegedly not only failed to stop it, but facilitated a fraudulent federal declaration to help the student move in with another teacher — all without notifying her parents. Leann Kearney, a social studies teacher at Columbine, allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student, according to state investigators. The student’s mother discovered thousands of alleged calls and text messages between the two, including a letter detailing a kiss.  But rather than stepping in to protect the student, Jeffco school staff active...
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HB 1040, adding nuclear to state’s clean energy definitions, gains bipartisan support
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HB 1040, adding nuclear to state’s clean energy definitions, gains bipartisan support

'If Colorado wants to boost our economy, this is a serious conversation to have' — Rep. Ty Winter By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice A proposal to include nuclear energy in two statutory definitions of clean energy has passed the Colorado House on second reading. House Bill 25-1040 is a bipartisan measure by Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, and Ty Winter, R-Las Animas, with the goal of adding nuclear to "clean energy" definitions, enabling financing. "This does not bring nuclear energy to Colorado," Valdez said, who founded one of Colorado's largest and now defunct solar energy companies in 2008. "This designates it as clean energy." The bill would include nuclear, in definition, alongside solar, wind and other clean energy. "If Colorado wants to boost our economy, this is...
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Garbo: How Lauren Boebert earned my vote and my respect
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Garbo: How Lauren Boebert earned my vote and my respect

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When Lauren Boebert announced her decision to leave Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and run for office in the 4th, I’ll admit, I was hesitant. Like many others, I questioned her motives. Was this about finding an easier path to victory? Was it a calculated move driven by self-interest, rather than a genuine desire to serve? These doubts lingered as the primary approached, and, while I ultimately cast my vote for her, it was with reluctance, not enthusiasm. But now, mere months after her election, I can confidently say: I was wrong. What I’ve witnessed since Lauren Boebert became CD4's congresswoman has not only erased my skepticism but replaced it with deep respect and admiration. From Day 1, she has shown an unwaver...
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In killing Rep. Woog’s delivery fee repeal bill, Democrats again voted against relief for Coloradans
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In killing Rep. Woog’s delivery fee repeal bill, Democrats again voted against relief for Coloradans

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Another Republican measure, which could have made everyday life more affordable for Coloradans trying to get by, has been killed by House Democrats. House Bill 25-1144, by Rep. Dan Woog, R-Frederick, which would have repealed retail delivery fees, was postponed indefinitely Tuesday — legislative lingo for killed — along party lines. The measure failed, 9-4. "By voting to keep this delivery fee in place, Democrats are adding to the financial strain that Colorado families and small businesses are already struggling with," Woog said. "This fee is just another example of the hidden costs that make it more difficult for hardworking Coloradans to succeed. Instead of relieving the pressure on our citizens, this vote will only continue to hurt the ve...
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The transparency fight for public records despite private agendas in Durango 9-R
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The transparency fight for public records despite private agendas in Durango 9-R

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Access to public, governmental records ensures transparency, but in Durango School District 9-R, accessing them can come with hurdles. Parents say their Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests have been met with delayed responses and roadblocks. Brit Hanson, a Durango parent, started looking into the board’s decision-making processes after growing frustrated with its policies. Her concerns began during the COVID-19 pandemic. "My elementary son wore a mask for an entire year and developed an insane rash. He was on medication. Then he would go to violin class afterwards and still have to wear a mask," Hanson said. At one school forum, she recalled how officials dismissed parents’ concerns. "We had over a hundred par...
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HB 1135, requiring schools adopt student cell phone usage policy, advances out of committee
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HB 1135, requiring schools adopt student cell phone usage policy, advances out of committee

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice The debate to end all debates may soon reach a conclusion. State lawmakers Wednesday advanced House Bill 25-1135, by Steamboat Springs Democrat Rep. Meghan Lukens and El Paso County Republican Rep. Mary Bradfield, a measure requiring schools adopt and implement a student communication device policy. The bill now moves to the House floor on a 11-1 vote of the House Education Committee. While the measure's concepts were broadly supported in the committee hearing, in many schools across the state, suspension of cell phone access in the classroom has raised the ire of parents and students. Many schools have local policy restricting cell phone use, largely brought by educators who have increasingly said classroom distractions have grown beyond the...
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‘Let there be a run on guns’: Senate Democrats advance semiauto gun ban to Colorado House
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‘Let there be a run on guns’: Senate Democrats advance semiauto gun ban to Colorado House

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice A debate Tuesday on the proper role of government and at what point constitutional liberty has been infringed, led by Senate Republicans, fell upon deaf ears. Senate Bill 25-003, what some deem to be the most overreaching gun-control proposal in the country, was passed by a 19-15 vote of the Democrat-dominated Senate and now heads to the Colorado House. If it were to clear the House, the bill would land on Gov. Jared Polis' desk. The bill, if it were to be signed into law, would allow for future purchase, sell or transfer of only certain semiauto firearms on a Democrat-submitted list and would create a de-facto gun owner registry through other requirements, such as mandatory hunter's and firearms education classes prior to purchase. "We ha...
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Danielle Jurinsky will seek second, four-year term on Aurora City Council
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Danielle Jurinsky will seek second, four-year term on Aurora City Council

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Danielle Jurinsky had been an entrepreneur and business owner, military veteran and single mom, and then, four years ago, added policymaker to the list. She announced Tuesday her intention to seek a second, four-year term to an Aurora City Council at-large seat. The City Council includes 11 members in three wards and at-large seats. Election Day is Nov. 4, 2025. More detail is available through the City of Aurora's website. “Coming through the pandemic as a restaurant owner, my business and many others like mine faced government overreach and increasing costs that threatened to shut us down,” Jurinsky said. It inspired her run for City Council in support of other business owners, who were confronted by local and state governments forcing t...
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