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Colorado’s Shift Left Sparks Growing Resentment in Neighboring States
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State, Approved, Commentary, Fleeting West

Colorado’s Shift Left Sparks Growing Resentment in Neighboring States

By Wes Flynn | Commentary, Fleeting West (Substack) Coloradans were once known for being friendly, modest, and considerate. That reputation has fundamentally shifted thanks to the last three million people who arrived and steamrolled the place. I remember a time when meeting people and telling them that I'm from Colorado was met with intrigue and positive reception. Prior to the last 20 years or so, Coloradans were recognized as being friendly, modest, and maybe a little idiosyncratic due to our orientation to the outdoors and not paying much mind to the domestic space. Our roads were friendly and safe, our cities were quiet and friendly, and like most westerners, we really just wanted to go our own way and do our own thing and stay off the radar. But that reputation has fundament...
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Cost of Colorado dam project doubles to $2.7 billion as towns fear the price
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Cost of Colorado dam project doubles to $2.7 billion as towns fear the price

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Northern Water has halted multiple contract bids while it scales back designs to hold together a coalition of water agencies Northern Water has halted some design and construction contracts and is cutting back its multibillion-dollar, two-dam supply project after its biggest customer said it was pulling out, officials said, as they detailed how the budget for their decades-long ambition suddenly jumped to $2.69 billion from $2 billion.  Four design-and-build contracts for the Northern Integrated Supply Project, meant to serve growth in 15 communities and water agencies, were pulled from the bidding process for at least three to four months while engineers consider how costs could be cut, Northern Water General Manager Brad Wind said in...
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Smoke and ash drive Colorado’s animals to the edge of survival
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Summit Daily, Approved, State

Smoke and ash drive Colorado’s animals to the edge of survival

By Allisyn Capel | Summit Daily With wildfires raging across Colorado amid extreme drought conditions, the state's inhabitants -- human and wildlife alike -- are bracing for impacts. On Friday, Aug. 22, around 207,500 acres were burning across the state in 17 fires. The vast majority of this acreage is attributed to nine large fires on the Western Slope. "Wildfires can have significant negative impacts to the landscape, wildlife and homes," said Brad Banuli, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's northwest region senior terrestrial biologist. In the last month, wildfires have prompted Parks and Wildlife to evacuate hundreds of native trout from the Stoner Mesa Fire in the San Juan Mountains, monitor a variety of wildlife species and habitats, and alter fall hunts for certain bear, elk and ...
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One third fixed two thirds punt: Colorado’s special session shrugs off hard cuts
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

One third fixed two thirds punt: Colorado’s special session shrugs off hard cuts

By Scott K. James | Commentary, Scott K. James Dems filled about $253M of a $783M gap by ending tax breaks, then handed the real cuts to Polis and the reserves. One-third fixed. Two-thirds punted. The Denver Post reports that the Special Session Show wrapped after Democrats plugged about $253 million of a $783 million shortfall by ending tax breaks and other revenue moves. Roughly $530 million still yawns open. That hot potato now rolls to Gov. Jared Polis, who is expected to mix mid-year cuts with a deep dip into reserves. Eleven bills head to his desk. The biggest moneymaker, HB25B-1004, auctions tax credits for a one-time cash hit this year while sacrificing future revenue. The Post also notes the partisan script. Democrats...
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Senator Sullivan’s “just another form” gun law remark goes unchecked by media as sheriffs warn of crippling costs
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Senator Sullivan’s “just another form” gun law remark goes unchecked by media as sheriffs warn of crippling costs

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Senator Sullivan's dismissive rhetoric goes unchecked by the liberal media Let me start with a quote from Post "reporter" Nick Coltrain's article linked at bottom. "SB-3 does prohibit the sale of many semiautomatic weapons -- unless the purchaser has completed a firearm education course. The bill was heavily amended while it made its way through the legislature and Sullivan now describes it as a 'permit-to-purchase' law. People who follow the law haven’t lost access to anything in recent years -- and won’t under this law, Sullivan said. But laws need to change as society changes, he said. Sullivan likened the new gun laws to the shift toward widespread adoption of seatbelts in cars a few generations ago. It didn’t ha...
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A political refugee in Colorado: The painful choice to leave my homeland
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

A political refugee in Colorado: The painful choice to leave my homeland

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice After months of prayer, deliberation, and heartbreak, my wife and I have made the decision to leave Colorado. We’ve accepted an offer on our home in Castle Rock. For the first time in my life, I am saying goodbye to the state of my birth - the mountains where I learned to hike, the skyline I memorized as a child, the people and culture I have served, fought for, and loved.  This was not an easy decision. This is pain. This is grief. This is exile. But I am not moving for a job. I’m not moving for a change of scenery. I am leaving because Colorado has made it abundantly clear that I no longer have a voice in the government of my own state.  I am a political refugee. My family is being forced out, not by a singular...
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Personalized Learning Grows Through Colorado’s Microschools
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State, Approved, Complete Colorado

Personalized Learning Grows Through Colorado’s Microschools

By Ellie Carson | Complete Colorado With the Colorado school year quickly approaching, microschools present a promising revitalization of the one-room schoolhouse. Microschools are small learning communities typically serving less than 50 students, but which may have as many as 150. These schools are usually privately funded and launched by parents or educators to offer unique programs that address a specific need or demand in their communities. Low student-to-teacher ratios prioritize giving individual attention to each student. It is difficult to identify all microschools in Colorado due to their unconventional size. Estimates suggest there may be between 100-120 schools currently operating. One example is Highlands Micro School, which operates out of an old residence in Northwe...
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Colorado GOP Says Special Session Fell Short as Democrats Claim Progress
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State, Approved, DENVER7

Colorado GOP Says Special Session Fell Short as Democrats Claim Progress

By Colleen Slevin | Denver7 Governor Jared Polis is expected to address the remaining $500 million budget gap in a presentation to the Joint Budget Committee on Thursday. DENVER — Colorado's special legislative session ended on Tuesday after six days. The success of the session depends on which state lawmaker you ask. Governor Jared Polis called the session on Aug. 6 to address the state's $1.2 billion budget hole, which he said was created by tax changes made in President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1). According to the governor and fellow Colorado Democrats, Colorado will collect less revenue than expected when lawmakers approved the state budget in May. Some of that $1.2 billion revenue loss was absorbed by the state education fund and the affordable housing fu...
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English skills, safety concerns fuel support for Trump’s visa pause
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Cowboy State Daily, Approved, State

English skills, safety concerns fuel support for Trump’s visa pause

By Clair McFarland | Cowboy State Daily The Wyoming Highway Patrol and the state’s largest advocate for truckers said Friday that they support the federal government’s sudden suspension of immigrant worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The Trump Administration paused the issuance of work visas for truckers on Thursday. The head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol said it’s a good move, if it’s being used to vet truckers better for their skills and regard for safety. The Wyoming Trucking Association supports the policy change.  The Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project’s leader, however, said it misses the mark – since there are recent signs of trucking companies overworking or otherwise taking advantage of immigrant truck drivers. Se...
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Colorado sees one of the nation’s largest drops in alcohol use
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Westword, Approved, State

Colorado sees one of the nation’s largest drops in alcohol use

By Thomas Mitchell | Westword Alcohol consumption has been on a steady decline across the country, and Colorado is near the top of that trend, according to a new analysis of data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Don't get it twisted: Substance-abuse counselors in Colorado still have a lot of work. Along with continuing to rank in the top ten for adults who drink, Colorado also outpaces national averages in daily cannabis use, and it has topped the country in cocaine use for two of the last three years. But slow motion is better than no motion. Alcohol Use on the Decline in Colorado Around 54 percent of Americans said they drank alcohol in a recent Gallup poll, the lowest reported number since the survey operation began trac...
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