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Garbo: How Lauren Boebert earned my vote and my respect
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

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 Dan Woog, R-Frederick, which would have repealed retail delivery fees, was postponed indefinitely Tuesday — legislative lingo for killed — along party lines.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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In Grand Junction, officials and community alike want to know more on future resource center site
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

In Grand Junction, officials and community alike want to know more on future resource center site

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice City officials are negotiating to relocate Grand Junction’s Resource Center to North Avenue, but residents and business owners have thus far been left uninformed. Despite past assurances a new location should limit its impact on businesses, Rocky Mountain Voice has confirmed that city officials are in the process of acquiring 2851 and 2851 ½ North Avenue, a strip mall surrounded by businesses and residences. Councilmen Dennis Simpson and Scott Beilfuss confirmed the deal is underway, but said the Council has not yet considered it in a formal session. “We’re in the process of negotiating to buy 2851 and 2851 ½ [on North Avenue]. I guess there are two different properties probably [to combine],” Simpson said. Beilfuss...
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SB 5, the undoing of the 81-year-old Labor Peace Act, is headed to Colorado House
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SB 5, the undoing of the 81-year-old Labor Peace Act, is headed to Colorado House

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice When she opened the 75th General Assembly with other lawmakers, Douglas County Republican Sen. Lisa Frizell noted Democrat Gov. Jared Polis' description of "the free state of Colorado". The passage of Senate Bill 25-005 out of the upper chamber Tuesday is proof enough, Frizell says, that those were only words from the head of the ruling party, which led the labor bill. "This bill does nothing more than to put handcuffs on workers and businesses alike," Frizell said, noting Colorado is already rated as the sixth most-regulated state in the country. Senate Bill 25-005, by Majority Leader Sen. Robert Rodriguez and Democrat Sen. Jessie Danielson, which would undo significant portions of an 81-year-old labor relations law, was adopted on a 22-1...
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Legislature recognizes contributions of nurses, EMS responders
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Legislature recognizes contributions of nurses, EMS responders

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice The role of emergency workers and nurses was recognized Tuesday in the Colorado Senate, with a selection of each seated in the chamber. Adams County Democrat Sen. Kyle Mullica, an emergency room nurse when he's not serving in the state legislature, noted that a nurse is comfort in trying times. "It has been a tough [few] years to be a nurse," he said. "They take care of us in our most difficult times." And before a patient many times reaches the hospital or emergency room, emergency workers care for them, El Paso County Republican Sen. Larry Liston said. Republican Sen. Mark Baisley introduced EMS workers in the chamber. "Every now and then we need a hero," he said. "When that emergency medical situation comes on us or our family, or...
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Final hearings today for Senate’s labor, semiauto firearms ban bills as state legislature returns to business
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Final hearings today for Senate’s labor, semiauto firearms ban bills as state legislature returns to business

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A three-day weekend in the Colorado General Assembly may have been needed for the ambitious schedule lawmakers may keep today, Tuesday, Feb. 18. Another marathon session of the Colorado Senate could be on tap, as Senate Bill 25-003, the semiauto firearms ban, returns to the floor for third reading. At issue, bill sponsor Democrat Sen. Tom Sullivan said, is whether, in the interest of stemming mass shootings in the state, Coloradans should sacrifice constitutionally-provided gun ownership rights. “We’re concerned about the next firearm, not the one you have,” said Sullivan, which identified the bill’s approach to prohibit purchase, sale and transfer of common-use firearms that many on the political right find unconstitutional. “If we allow ...
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