Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

What Xcel promised regulators and what customers were told before Dec. 17 shutoff warnings
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

What Xcel promised regulators and what customers were told before Dec. 17 shutoff warnings

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Coloradans are being asked to prepare for the chance of a planned outage on Dec. 17. The company’s public alerts tell people to watch the map. The filings tell a fuller story about thresholds, timelines and who is supposed to be in the loop when a shutoff is on the table. That framework was not created overnight. It was built through years of filings with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and formally approved in 2025. As of Dec. 16, the documents already on record allow for a clearer picture of what Xcel committed to regulators and what customers were actually told as the wind event approached. Dec. 17 was not an improvisation Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are not ad hoc emergency decisions. They are a s...
When the State Disarms the Innocent, Violence Gets Time to Work
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

When the State Disarms the Innocent, Violence Gets Time to Work

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice What happened in Australia was not merely a criminal act. It was a demonstration. A hard, visual lesson about time, power, and responsibility. Dozens of videos show attackers firing openly while innocent people run, hide, and plead. The footage is disturbing, but it is also instructive. It shows fear. It shows chaos. Most importantly, it shows uninterrupted time. Time during which violence was allowed to operate without resistance. This is not a theory. It is not ideology. It is a visible reality, recorded from multiple angles. Violence expands when nothing confronts it. It contracts only when it is met. THE MOMENT THAT DETERMINES EVERYTHING Every mass attack contains a decisive window. A moment whe...
The Bill of Rights was written to limit power. One civics lesson explains how.
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The Bill of Rights was written to limit power. One civics lesson explains how.

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice “I observed… the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer,” Ben Franklin. Bill of Rights Day is often marked with references to free speech, due process and other familiar rights. Less attention is paid to the reason those protections exist at all: to place clear limits on government power. That question sits at the center of a handwritten civics lesson now being shared among homeschool students, one that walks through how the Constitution was designed to restrict government authority, including economic decision-making. Susie Dean, a homeschool civic...
Colorado’s quiet transformation leaves working communities behind
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s quiet transformation leaves working communities behind

By Scott James | Commentary, Scott K. James I am sounding the alarm on the quiet erosion of Colorado’s values, warning of a top-down agenda that’s silencing everyday citizens. Not the Colorado of glossy tourism ads and climate conferences. The real Colorado. The one where: Kids worked ranches and feedlots, not “sustainability internships.” You and I went to Northeastern Junior College, Aims, CSU, UNC, CU – not Cornell, Yale, or Harvard – and that was good, solid, honest. We measured a person by whether they showed up and worked, not by what panel they spoke on. A neighbor expanding his cow–calf operation was a reason to crack a beer, not a reason to clutch pearls about “emissions.” Colorado used to be: Free. Pragmatic. Op...
An extinction level event looms for the Republican Party
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

An extinction level event looms for the Republican Party

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker An extinction event is a rapid, sweeping collapse -- something so disruptive that what emerges afterward is unrecognizable from what came before. Volcano eruptions or meteor strikes can trigger such events in the natural world.  Washington, D.C. may be approaching a political version of the same phenomenon, and Republicans seem disturbingly unprepared for what is coming. The GOP currently holds narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress -- seven seats in the House and six in the Senate. Those margins are razor-thin by any measure, and fragile given that five senators, three Republicans and two Democrats, are over eighty years old. But demographics are only part of the problem. History is a...
The Modern Cult Operating in Plain Sight in Our Schools
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

The Modern Cult Operating in Plain Sight in Our Schools

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the 1970s, the U.S. was gripped by a wave of predatory cults that preyed on the vulnerable, even children. Groups such as the Hare Krishnas and  Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church convinced their disciples that parents were outdated obstacles to living one’s best life, and often convinced these youngsters to leave their homes.  Once parents were out of the picture, the cult leader became the child’s new point of authority.  Thousands of families were shattered, with children vanishing into underground networks, never to be heard from again. As someone who came of age during that era, I remember the urgent warnings from parents like my own: stay vigilant, spot the signs of manipulation, and neve...
Growing Up in Prayer — Why It Matters for the Armor of God
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Devotional, Top Stories

Growing Up in Prayer — Why It Matters for the Armor of God

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests   ~ Ephesians 6:18 ~ This week, our family celebrated a special milestone: my 9-month-old grandson, Thommy-boy, said his very first word—“Baby.” Moments like that remind us how wonderful life can be even during tough times. Later, I thought: What if, ten years from now, that was still the only word he could say? We’d all see that something was seriously wrong. Growth means expanding language, forming deeper connections, and improving our ability to communicate. Remember, prayer is the strength of a united relationship, whether it’s marriage, friendship, work, community, or even an Army—an Army of God ready to fight.  At this ...
Yes, we are having a Republican State Assembly
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Yes, we are having a Republican State Assembly

By Brita Horn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Over the past several days, a new and unfounded rumor has begun circulating, suggesting that the Republican Party of Colorado does not intend to hold a State Assembly in 2026. This claim is false. It contradicts our legal obligations, it misrepresents our planning, and it has no basis in any action ever taken by this organization. As Chair of the Republican Party of Colorado, I want our members to hear directly from me: we are holding a State Assembly. We always have been. It is also important to recognize that within our party, there are strong and varied opinions about Colorado’s caucus and assembly system.  Some view it as a vital grassroots mechanism that ensures candidates earn support directly from engag...
Home at stake as veteran challenges LPEA easement expansion
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Home at stake as veteran challenges LPEA easement expansion

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Jack Barrett didn’t expect his retirement to look like this. The 80-year-old Navy veteran thought he, and his wife, would spend their later years quietly on the 9.6 acre property they bought outside Pagosa Springs—nearly two decades ago. Instead, Barrett is now fighting La Plata Electric Association over a transmission line upgrade that he says would force a widened utility easement closer to his home—and deeper into his property. “I served my country with honor,” Barrett said. “And I should not have this fight at this time in my life.” LPEA has filed a petition in condemnation to secure easement rights. It would be for project upgrading an existing transmission line from 69kV to 115kV. What began as a technica...
Opt out explained: Why Colorado Republicans could lose their primary ballots
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Opt out explained: Why Colorado Republicans could lose their primary ballots

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice One of the most contentious issues holding back the Colorado Republican Party is the infighting around the “Opt Out.” In September, the Republican State Central Committee (SCC) held a heated meeting to vote on whether to opt out of holding a primary election. While 75% of members present voted to “opt out,” state law requires a vote from three-fourths of the total membership of the SCC to officially make that decision. Unfortunately, the meeting sparked more confusion and anger across the party. For several years now, the “Opt Out” has become a litmus test for loyalty, labeling anyone who disagrees a RINO (Republican In Name Only). But I don’t believe that most Republicans understand what “opting out” actually means—and it’s ...

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds