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New Study: Colorado’s Mental Health Status Among Nation’s Worst
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

New Study: Colorado’s Mental Health Status Among Nation’s Worst

By Debbie Kelley | The Denver Gazette For two years in a row, Colorado has had nearly the worst rate in the nation of mental illness among children and adults, when compared with other states and the District of Columbia, according to a large-scale industry study. Colorado ranks 50th — or second to last — for the prevalence of any mental health conditions in the 2025 State of Mental Health in America reports, the most recent version being released Wednesday. Vincent Atchity, president and CEO at Denver-based Mental Health Colorado, one of 140 affiliates of Mental Health America, which produces the annual analysis, isn’t surprised. Colorado has hovered near the bottom of the rankings for years in prevalence of mental problems and despite improving its standing to 14th best ...
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Can Colorado local or state governments be held liable for car damage from potholes?
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Can Colorado local or state governments be held liable for car damage from potholes?

BY TYLER HICKMAN | THE COLORADO SUN A road crew can repair a pothole in 30 minutes or less, at the cost of about $60 per square yard, officials say Yes. Colorado local and state governments can be forced to pay for car damage resulting from dangerous road conditions, including potholes. Anyone whose vehicle is damaged by a pothole on a public road can file a claim with the state, county or city that manages the property. Public entities can only be held responsible if they were previously notified of the pothole and had the resources for repairs and sufficient time to fix it, but didn’t.  After damage occurs, drivers have 182 days to file a claim, though it’s rare for claimants to be paid out. A 2024 news report revealed that of 1,300 pothole damage claims filed with th...
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PERA seeks legislation to push the next auto-adjust to 2044
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

PERA seeks legislation to push the next auto-adjust to 2044

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun State pension officials plan to ask lawmakers to relax some provisions of Senate Bill 200 in order to provide financial relief to PERA’s members. For the first time since the state pension’s finances cratered in the early 2000s, the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association is putting together a legislative proposal to bring some relief to its beleaguered members. At the pension board’s annual retreat in Colorado Springs earlier this month, pension officials offered a number of ideas to prevent — or at least delay — another round of automatic adjustments to the system’s finances. If the legislature agrees, the changes could spare retirees from additional cuts to their monthly pension checks, and stave off even higher payroll d...
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Colorado congress members ask Trump for disaster declaration over Rio Blanco County wildfires
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Fox31, Approved, State

Colorado congress members ask Trump for disaster declaration over Rio Blanco County wildfires

By Jacob Factor | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s congressional delegation is asking President Donald Trump to declare a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the wildfires that struck Rio Blanco County over the summer. The lawmakers in a joint letter to the president asked him to make the disaster declaration and open federal assistance for Western Slope County after the Lee and Elk fires burned more than 150,000 acres and caused more than $27 million in damages.5 charged with starting wildfire while Lee, Elk and Crosho Fires burned nearby “Successful recovery is essential to restoring the County’s economy, which depends on oil and gas, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and hunting and fishing,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Without additional support, resid...
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Shutdown Impact in Colorado Small for Now But Storm Clouds Gather
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Shutdown Impact in Colorado Small for Now But Storm Clouds Gather

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado officials do not not expect to see major impacts on Colorado-run programs or its workforce for the first week of the federal shutdown, though the state stands to feel the strain, particularly if the stoppage goes into the second week or longer. Like other states, a big chunk of spending in Colorado is paid for with federal dollars. The state expects to receive approximately $14 billion in federal funding for the 2025-26 budget and almost every state agency sees some of that money. Indeed, numerous state programs heavily rely on federal funding. Already, the state has had to provide stopgap funding for one of them. Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday approved a one-month funding allocation of $7.5 million to cover the cost of con...
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State Review Reveals Widespread Misconduct in Juvenile Strip Searches
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

State Review Reveals Widespread Misconduct in Juvenile Strip Searches

By Nicole Fierro | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — A review of strip searches at juvenile detention centers in Colorado unveiled more than a thousand policy violations. Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado tells FOX31 it has the legal authority to vet children’s complaints in the youth services systems by checking agencies’ documents. A complaint from a child is what initially prompted the review of more than a thousand strip searches where juveniles had to completely undress, according to CPO. “We have youth that are ages 10 to 21 that we’re talking about,” Stephanie Villafuerte, the Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado, said. “These are facilities designed to rehabilitate these young people and send them back out into the community where they can be safe and they can also be prod...
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USDA move to Fort Collins could add 6,000 jobs and $1B in output, study finds
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

USDA move to Fort Collins could add 6,000 jobs and $1B in output, study finds

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planned relocation of up to 2,600 employees to Fort Collins could bring more than $1 billion in new business output and over 6,000 new jobs to the area by the end of next year, according to a study by the think tank Common Sense Institute. In July, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the department would be relocating up to 2,600 personnel and operations to five new hubs, including Fort Collins. According to CSI study authors Dr. Caitlin McKennie and Cooper Pollard, the move is expected to “stimulate job creation, bolster local businesses, and enhance collaboration with Colorado State University,” which ranks 23rd in the nation for agricultural sciences. Agriculture plays a “vital role...
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When will the health-related employment bubble burst?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

When will the health-related employment bubble burst?

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice A few weeks ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that it had inadvertently overstated—by more than 100%—the number of new jobs created across the United States during the last full year of the Biden/Harris Administration. The BLS also noted that corrected industry and state-specific numbers won’t be available until early next year, although no changes are expected to previously published numbers for new jobs created in the “Health Care & Social Assistance” and “Government” industry categories. The overstatement means that the number of new jobs reportedly created in Colorado since the start of the current post-COVID economy (January 2023) will likely end up lower than the published 78,900, although ...
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Congressman Evans Urges Colorado to Embrace Oil, Gas and Nuclear
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Greeley Tribune, Approved, State

Congressman Evans Urges Colorado to Embrace Oil, Gas and Nuclear

By Tyler Duncan | Greeley Tribune Evans promises to fight for the deregulation of the oil and gas industry to promote job growth, national security. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans and other Colorado Republicans have set their sights on reducing environmental regulations in an effort to increase oil and gas production and revive nuclear power in Weld County. Evans and State Reps. Carlos Barron and Scott Slaugh, who was recently appointed to District 64 after Ryan Armagost resigned, visited Aims Community College on Monday for a workforce roundtable. Evans’ message to the students and faculty who attended was clear: if we don’t improve our energy production, then Colorado will suffer. Evans discussed China and its innovations in artificial intelligence and drone technology. For every 100,0...
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