Rocky Mountain Voice

State

Colorado sued over law punishing ‘misgendering’: Doctors, parents cite First Amendment
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado sued over law punishing ‘misgendering’: Doctors, parents cite First Amendment

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette Several organizations and a western Colorado dermatologist have filed a lawsuit seeking to block specific provisions of a recently signed state law that, as originally introduced, would have defined "deadnaming" and "misgendering" as discriminatory acts but whose final version had been heavily modified.   The plaintiffs in the lawsuit included Defending Education, the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, Protect Kids Colorado, and Do No Harm. Travis Morrell, a Grand Junction dermatologist and member of Do No Harm, is also a plaintiff. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Colorado Civil Rights Division members are named as defendants. All five groups believe that a person's gender identity "cannot differ from their sex ...
Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves
Approved, Commentary, State, Substack

Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wrote about Polis advisor Nicole Rosmarino being the sole finalist for the directorship of the State Land Board recently. That newsletter is linked first below if you want or need context.On the heels of that newsletter, I got a message from a reader alerting me to the other two appointments that Governor Polis made to the State Land Board--this is the same board mind you that makes decisions on grazing leases, mineral-extraction (oil/gas) leases, and provides revenue to schools--Mark Harvey from Pitkin County and James Pribyl from Louisville. Harvey was appointed to fill the agriculture seat on the board and Pribyl the citizen-at-large seat.If the name Pribyl sounds familiar, you're not alone. He was a former member of the ...
“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ
Approved, Local, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Would you need a perfect GPA to speak your mind or worship freely? Mesa County officials say Colorado’s new gun law is treating the Second Amendment that way – and they’ve asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene. In a three-page letter sent this month, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners urged federal authorities to investigate Senate Bill 25-003, calling it a “grotesque misuse of government power” that effectively imposes a discriminatory test on anyone wishing to lawfully own or carry a firearm. The law, which takes effect in August 2026, requires residents to complete state-approved firearms training, score 90% on a written exam and obtain conditional approval from their sheriff’s office every five years in order to receive or...
AT&T expands in Colorado as Lumen offloads home broadband business
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

AT&T expands in Colorado as Lumen offloads home broadband business

By Tamara Chuang | Colorado Sun AT&T’s $5.75 billion purchase of Lumen Technologies home fiber-internet business will impact 1 million customers nationwide, including an undisclosed number in Colorado who buy fiber service from Quantum Fiber, a brand that originated under CenturyLink. The deal, pending regulatory approval, was announced Wednesday, and means AT&T will step into the consumer world of fiber internet service for the first time, at least here in Colorado. Besides picking up Lumen’s Colorado market, AT&T will add customers in 10 other states for a total of 1 million fiber customers. Lumen’s current network could serve 4 million households if every home ordered it. “This deal with Lumen represents a significant investment in U.S. connectivity inf...
ATF crackdown: Denver gun shop owners sentenced in federal firearms fraud case
Approved, kdvr.com, State

ATF crackdown: Denver gun shop owners sentenced in federal firearms fraud case

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The co-owners of a Denver-based firearms business have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to one count each of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and after one of the co-owners also pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm. Campbell Slayden, 26, a co-owner of Modern Arms and Optics LLC, was sentenced to 50 months in prison and pleaded guilty to two counts: conspiracy to defraud and possession of an unregistered firearm. Anthony Gallegos, 26, also a co-owner of the company, was sentenced to 36 months for conspiracy to defraud. The sentences were announced on Wednesday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The pairs’ plea agreements detail how Modern Arms and Optics...
Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 2020 CVR at Tuesday Capitol press conference
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Analyst to reveal altered Arapahoe 2020 CVR at Tuesday Capitol press conference

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A nationally recognized computer scientist will present what he says is direct evidence of vote data manipulation in Arapahoe County's 2020 election – and altered ballot records in a newly released 2025 file – at a May 27 press conference at the Colorado State Capitol. Dr. Walter Daugherity, a Harvard-trained expert in computer science and election auditing, is set to speak at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the west steps of the Capitol. According to a press release circulated Wednesday, Daugherity will walk the public through four exhibits that show what he describes as "a manipulated cast vote record" and evidence that votes were changed at the ballot level. The core claim: Two cast vote records, one election Cast vote records (CVRs) are...
Colorado Republican Congress members rally behind Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Approved, National, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Republican Congress members rally behind Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

By Caitlyn Kim | The Colorado Sun House leaders are trying to pass the massive package with Republican votes alone. Trump came to the Capitol Tuesday morning to convince the holdouts to back the bill. President Donald Trump left a meeting with the Republican caucus Tuesday morning predicting a great victory. His trek to the U.S. Capitol came as GOP leaders try to get his “big, beautiful bill” passed in the House this week.   House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose party holds a slim majority, has been trying to stitch together a bill that can deliver on Trump’s agenda while threading the needle between his far right faction, his swing seat members, and others in the caucus, as the different factions seek opposing changes to the bill. “Anybody that didn’t support [the bil...
Digital alerts replace sirens for tornado warnings in much of Colorado—are you signed up?
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Digital alerts replace sirens for tornado warnings in much of Colorado—are you signed up?

By Shaul Turner | Fox31 DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Hundreds of thousands of residents are concerned about fair warning when it comes to tornadoes in Colorado. While some counties have siren systems in place, others rely on alert systems. Whether out on the plains or in more populated communities, tornadoes can strike within a matter of minutes after high winds are detected. Justin Anderson told FOX31 he remembers the tornado that touched down in Highlands Ranch in June of 2023, damaging homes and the South Metro Fire Rescue Station Number 17 on South University Boulevard. “One of our trees almost fell all the way over,” said Anderson. Many who are new to Colorado or are visiting say they only expect tornadoes to occur along the eastern plains and are shocked to learn that t...
10-year gun ban for car thieves: Polis signs HB 1174 into law
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

10-year gun ban for car thieves: Polis signs HB 1174 into law

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill prohibiting anyone convicted of car theft in the first degree from owning a gun during a visit to the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. In Colorado, motor vehicle theft in the first degree is a Class 3 felony, carrying a prison sentence of up to 12 years and fines ranging from $3,000 to $750,000. Under House Bill 1171, individuals who have maintained a clean record can petition for a court order, allowing them to own a gun 10 years after their case has been resolved. "Today, we are taking important steps to make Colorado one of the top 10 safest states in the nation," Polis said. "From now on, anyone convicted of first-degree motor vehicle theft ineligible to possess a firearm, keeping guns out of the w...
“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“They didn’t think I had it”: Tina Peters on evidence, betrayal and faith behind bars

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In a jailhouse visit marked by resilience, revelation and restrained emotion, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters offered a window into the chapter of her life that has largely unfolded behind bars.  For two-and-a-half hours on May 18, we sat across from each other in a controlled visitation room. No pens or paper were allowed, so what follows is drawn from a memory still sharp with immediacy, and a recorded voice memo I made in my truck just moments after we said goodbye. Peters wore standard prison-issued clothing and a DOC patch with her name and inmate number sewn on. I bought her a cappuccino from the vending machine and a Butterfinger, which I had to unwrap and place on a paper plate before handing it to her across the table. She ...