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Second portrait of President-elect Trump will not be purchased for Colorado capitol
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Second portrait of President-elect Trump will not be purchased for Colorado capitol

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A second portrait of Republican President-elect Donald J. Trump will not be purchased and displayed in the Colorado capitol building, Lois Court confirmed Friday in a meeting of the Capitol Building Advisory Committee. Each U.S. President is memorialized in the capitol's third floor Presidential Portrait Gallery. The portrait of Democratic President Joe Biden cost $11,000, Court was told, paid for in taxpayer funds. The portraits of other Presidents have been paid for through private donations. Only one other time in U.S. history has a president been elected to non-consecutive terms, as Trump has been. "Will we need to do it, again?," Court asked of purchasing a second painting depicting Trump as the 47th President. His portrait is display...
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Colorado House Republicans celebrate election of Keltie, Woog in elimination of Dems’ supermajority
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Colorado House Republicans celebrate election of Keltie, Woog in elimination of Dems’ supermajority

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado House Republicans are celebrating the election of Rebecca Keltie and Dan Woog in their close District 16 and 19 races, which would erase Democrats' supermajority in the House. https://twitter.com/COHouseGOP/status/1857283274801877188 As of Friday morning, Keltie held a 7-vote lead over Democrat Steph Vigil in the District 16 race in El Paso County. Also, Woog has a 123-vote lead over Democrat Jillaire McMillan in the District 19 race in Boulder and Weld counties. The victories would give Republicans 22 seats in the 65-seat Colorado House of Representatives. “Colorado voters spoke loudly, supporting two common-sense leaders in Dan Woog and Rebecca Keltie,” House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said in a statement, declaring both...
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Boebert, Hurd commit to seamless transition in 3rd District U.S. House leadership
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Boebert, Hurd commit to seamless transition in 3rd District U.S. House leadership

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Republicans have had some inner-party drama this year. But, teamwork is possible. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd are proving it. In a joint press release, the two pledge a smooth transition of leadership for Colorado's 3rd U.S. House District. Boebert presently serves in the seat. Hurd will serve in the seat come January. They both express confidence in each other and their teams. “As legislators wrap up our work for the 118th Congress, it is critically important that the people of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District experience a smooth transition of representation as Congressman-elect Jeff Hurd begins his term in January,” says Boebert. The congresswoman highlights ongoing collaboration, not...
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‘CDOT is going to have to answer some hard questions’: Former, current congressmen want answers on failures
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‘CDOT is going to have to answer some hard questions’: Former, current congressmen want answers on failures

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Former State Sen. Ray Scott has been trying to hold the Colorado Department of Transportation accountable for more than a decade, even staying engaged on the issue after leaving office. “We have had too many people killed on Colorado highways in the last few years, and this year has had devastating consequences to too many families,” Scott said. Now, he's being joined by the Colorado Republican delegation in Congress, with a letter led and authored by U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, to find solutions. In June 2024, two women, Candace Smith and Trinity Hasse, were killed on Highway 550 near Montrose when they stopped for flaggers in a CDOT work zone and were hit from behind by a speeding vehicle.  Three additional people were inju...
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Ganahl: Kroger-Albertsons merger preserves competition, protects jobs and retains price points
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Ganahl: Kroger-Albertsons merger preserves competition, protects jobs and retains price points

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger has become a critical issue in Colorado, where both companies maintain a significant presence. Kroger operates 148 King Soopers and City Market stores, while Albertsons operates 105 Safeway and Albertsons locations.  To address concerns about reduced competition, Kroger and Albertsons have proposed selling 91 stores, including Safeway and Albertsons locations, to C&S Wholesale Grocers. C&S is a national distributor and operator of grocery chains such as Piggly Wiggly. The companies have committed to ensuring no store closures or layoffs of frontline workers as part of this divestiture plan, and C&S has committed to honoring collective bargaining agreements in the acquired stor...
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Schumann: Polis position as ‘protector of democracy’ at odds with his actions as governor
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Schumann: Polis position as ‘protector of democracy’ at odds with his actions as governor

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has positioned himself as a defender of state autonomy. He launched the Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD) Coalition with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The coalition aims to fight federal overreach under a second Trump administration. Polis seeks to be seen as a champion of democracy.  "In this moment, protecting democracy has never been more relevant or important, and doing so demands strong leadership at the state level," Polis said in his press release announcing the coalition. A closer look at Polis's tenure reveals a different story. He has used his authority as governor to enforce contentious policies. Critics say these policies mirror the federal overreach he opposes. With rising crime a...
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‘We only needed to flip three seats’: In House District 16, Keltie leads and is working to keep it that way
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‘We only needed to flip three seats’: In House District 16, Keltie leads and is working to keep it that way

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice The final act of a mother’s life has come to symbolize the stakes in Colorado’s House District 16 race. A late mother's son ensured his mother's ballot was cured, honoring her final wish to participate in the electoral process. “She saw herself as a patriotic American,” said Rebecca Keltie, the House District 16 Republican candidate. “That was her last act on Earth, and it touches my heart to know she voted for me. It’s humbling.” In one of the last two uncalled Colorado House races, the story highlights the weight of every vote. As of today, Keltie leads incumbent Democrat Steph Vigil by 21 votes. The razor-thin margin triggers an automatic recount per state law. With a midnight Wednesday, Nov. 13, deadline to cure ballots...
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Update: Republican Dan Woog expands lead in tight House District 19 overnight
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Update: Republican Dan Woog expands lead in tight House District 19 overnight

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice In a race Republican Dan Woog once trailed, he is beginning to look like a winner by continuing to add votes to a tight margin. His lead grew by 21 votes as of Wednesday morning to a margin of 228 votes over Democrat Jillaire McMillan in House District 19, which includes electorate in Boulder and Weld counties. On Tuesday evening, a Colorado House Republican strategist termed the race still too close to call. Woog holds 50.2% of 55,686 votes. He added 0.02%, or two-hundredths of a percent, to his margin since late Tuesday. In the other race of interest, Republican Rebecca Keltie continues to lead Democrat Steph Vigil by 21 votes in House District 16. There was no change overnight in that race as of early Wednesday. The El Paso County House...
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Mesa County voters approve measures 4A and 4B for schools, promising upgrades, transparency
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Mesa County voters approve measures 4A and 4B for schools, promising upgrades, transparency

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice In a decisive voice, the Mesa County community voted for ballot measures 4A and 4B. This passage is a clear mandate: Buildings with accessibility and security issues get an overhaul. Five learning days remain on the school calendar. And teachers will receive more approved curriculum sources, so they won’t have to resort to websites like Teachers Pay Teachers.  Mesa County voters passed Ballot Issue 4A with 71% approval to fund school renovations. Ballot Issue 4B, with 65% approval, allows retaining funds for extra educational resources and maintenance. Dr. Brian Hill, the district's superintendent, praised the community's commitment: "This support," he said, "means we can create safer, more modern learning environments. [We can] ...
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Kalam: How Denver became a city of plywood and hollow plinths
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Kalam: How Denver became a city of plywood and hollow plinths

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the heart of Denver, what once stood as a mosaic of statuesque history and pride has become a city of empty plinths, iron bolts and plywood cover-ups—monuments, not to the past, but to a peculiar present. The city, known for the quiet dignity of its Pioneer Monument, Civil War memorials and an enduring homage to figures of historic Colorado, has found itself sacrificing the aesthetic that once conveyed its cultural soul. In a surge of post-George Floyd “anti-racism,” Denver’s leaders have erased long-standing symbols, replacing artful bronzework with exposed screws and fenced-off pedestals. Denver, it seems, has become a city obsessed with forgetting. In the summer of 2020, the removal of Kit Carson’s statue at the Pioneer...
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