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Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado
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Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s 2024 MOU with BLM is being used to block drilling on federal land, reroute energy dollars and shift authority from Washington to regulators aligned with the Polis anti-fossil fuels agenda. In September 2024, a document quietly signed by BLM Colorado Director Doug Vilsack just eight weeks before the Presidential election may have done more than establish interagency cooperation. Critics say it handed away federal power. The document—a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)—opened the door for Colorado to impose sweeping restrictions on oil and gas production.  Those restrictions now apply even to federally controlled minera...
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice They built the grid. Now they’re fined for surviving. Colorado coal workers plead for relief amid forced transition fallout. In Craig, a coal worker with $60,000 in retirement savings could lose $6,000 of it overnight—just for trying to survive after losing his job. That’s the reality hundreds of families are facing in Northwest Colorado, where coal plants and mines are shutting down years ahead of schedule and federal tax law is punishing livelihoods already in freefall. Now, the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) and the City of Craig are calling on Congress to change that. The two entities are urging passage of the Energy Worker Penalty Waiver Act, a federal bill that would exempt displaced coal workers from the standard 1...
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Garbo: Why real conservatism demands judgment, not just an algorithm
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Garbo: Why real conservatism demands judgment, not just an algorithm

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Colorado political circles, the Liberty Scorecard has become a popular benchmark for judging whether a state legislator is a “true conservative.” It’s cited in primaries, shared in campaign materials, and weaponized in internal party battles. On its face, it’s a helpful tool - shining light on legislative votes and offering a snapshot of where elected officials land on key liberty-related issues. Used wisely, it can inform voters and hold lawmakers accountable. But here’s the problem: many conservatives are no longer using the Liberty Scorecard as a tool. They’re using it as a final verdict. This shift from tool to litmus test is not only unwise - it’s politically self-defeating. Treating the Liberty Scorecard as the defi...
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Restoring Education: Veteran educator Priscilla Rahn invites teachers to reconnect and rebuild
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Restoring Education: Veteran educator Priscilla Rahn invites teachers to reconnect and rebuild

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice This August, as educators across the country prepare for a new school year, veteran teacher and author Priscilla Rahn is offering something more than just a back-to-school refresher—she’s offering a movement. With over three decades of experience in public education, Rahn has worn nearly every hat in the system: teacher, principal, teacher evaluator and higher education mentor. Now in her 32nd year, she’s channeling that experience into her new book, Restoring Education in America: An Inspirational Teacher Toolbox, along with a powerful professional development book study designed to reignite teachers’ passion and purpose. “I was inspired to write the book because I’ve observed how professional development has changed,” Ra...
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Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control
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Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control

By Christy Anderson | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Contracts. Impasse. Mediation. Oh my!  We’ve all seen the headlines, the crowd of red shirts, and the talking points about “fighting for teachers and students.” But as a teacher—and a former union member—I’m here to tell you: what’s happening with the Mesa Valley Education Association (MVEA) isn’t about students. It’s political theatre, and it’s about control.  Let’s start with a bit of history.  Teacher unions were initially formed to give educators a voice in working conditions. In the early 20th century, teachers—primarily women—were underpaid, lacked job security, and had no influence in how schools were run. The National Education Association (NEA), founded in 1857, and the American Federation of T...
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Trailblazers among us: Meet the RMV award winners changing Colorado from the ground up
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Trailblazers among us: Meet the RMV award winners changing Colorado from the ground up

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice At the Mountain Majesty Gala last month, the room was on its feet. Eric Trump had just wrapped his keynote, a message aimed straight at the grassroots: Colorado is yearning to be red. But the loud applause that night wasn’t reserved only for the headliner.  It also came when everyday Coloradans—organizers, volunteers and first-time leaders—were called up for something new: the first Trailblazer Awards.  It was for the people doing the work when no one’s watching. It was a moment to take in, struck not just by who received the awards—but why. These weren’t political celebrities. They were parents, satirists, engineers and organizers.  Most had never sought attention. But they’d earned it. Here are the stories of Trailblaze...
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Hunter: The Prince of Darkness and the Light of the World
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Hunter: The Prince of Darkness and the Light of the World

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice Giving Thanks in Evil Times — A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and the Goodness That Guides Us They called him the Prince of Darkness, a man whose voice shook stadiums and whose image terrified a generation of churchgoers. Ozzy Osbourne was never the poster child for purity. He bit bats, howled at moons, and lived through headlines that left even the tabloids gasping. And yet, strangely enough, it was Ozzy—not a pastor or prophet—who helped spark a light in my soul.  Not because of his music, necessarily, though I played more than my fair share of "Bark at the Moon" and "Crazy Train," but because of the man behind the madness. It wasn’t his heavy metal thunder that broke through my walls. It was his humanity....
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DiGirolamo: Teen sexting—What every parent needs to know
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DiGirolamo: Teen sexting—What every parent needs to know

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice How Teens Make It Worse: Taylor Swift wrote that when you’re fifteen, and someone tells you they love you, you’re going to believe them. Almost twenty years later, a teen’s definition of love and what’s fun and flirty now includes sending nude images.  The number one activity where teens contribute to their own detriment is sexting. According to the nonprofit Fight the New Drug, most teens have viewed pornography, with the average age of exposure at eleven years old. If explicit images are viewed frequently and at a young age, sending and receiving nude pictures become normalized. Over 90% of teens have sent or received explicit images by the time they graduate high school. 53% of boys and 39% of girls believe pornog...
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Ganahl: Big wins, bigger fights—Colorado conservatives are gaining ground
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Ganahl: Big wins, bigger fights—Colorado conservatives are gaining ground

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Grassroots momentum is building—but the Left isn’t backing down We’ve been in the trenches for a long time here in Colorado. For years, it’s felt like one loss after another—on parental rights, on fiscal responsibility, on election integrity. But something has shifted. In this week’s episode of Unleashed, I talk about the wins we’re finally starting to see—and why they matter more than ever. 🎙️ Listen here, and watch on YouTube or Rumble. The Tide Is Turning Across the state, local conservatives are stepping up and taking ground: We’re electing bold, principled leaders to county parties. Grassroots voices are winning school board and city council seats. Citizen journalists are breaking stories the mainstream med...
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