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Navigating Colorado’s legislative landscape at the Club 20 debates
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Navigating Colorado’s legislative landscape at the Club 20 debates

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice As Colorado elections draw near, the Club 20 debates offer a glimpse of the possible representation from which to choose in the state legislature. With Democrats holding a supermajority in the House (46-19) and a near supermajority in the Senate (23-12), the Club 20 debates last week were crucial for voters who want their interests represented. Water rights, agriculture, the housing crisis and healthcare were key issues dominating the discussion, as rural and urban Colorado face differing challenges. Where common ground can be agreed upon is a task often left to state lawmakers to tackle. Water Rights Water management was a central theme across all debates, with candidates recognizing the importance of securing Colorado's w...
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Prop. 130 will create $1 million death benefit for emergency responders
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Prop. 130 will create $1 million death benefit for emergency responders

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When there's an emergency -- a home break-in, fire or heart attack -- Coloradans depend upon emergency responders from the far stretches of the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and places in between to be there. Advance Colorado is asking voters this November to be there for emergency responders. Election Day is Nov. 5. "Let's take care of our first responders who take care of us, and make sure their families get a $1 million death benefit," said Advance Colorado Executive Vice President Kristi Burton Brown on Monday in a Twitter/X post. https://twitter.com/KBBColorado/status/1838217369883177267 Advance Colorado is the organization that placed Prop. 130 on the ballot, a measure that would direct $350 million from the state to assis...
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Amendment H ensures accountability in Colorado’s judiciary, retired Chief Judge Maes says
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Amendment H ensures accountability in Colorado’s judiciary, retired Chief Judge Maes says

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Even though retired Colorado 10th Judicial District Chief Judge Dennis Maes has plenty to do as a board member for Pueblo School District, he writes monthly articles on the need for judicial reform.  And behind the scenes, he acts when he observes actions that throw the question of judicial transparency and accountability into question. He’s also gone to multiple news media outlets to air his concerns. Maes believes that the work of investigative journalists around the state, including the Denver Gazette's David Migoya, led to Amendment H appearing on the ballot.  “Migoya was key in exposing judicial scandals, including the Mindy Masias case and other judicial misconduct issues," Maes shared. In November of 2022, Maes submi...
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First gentleman Marlon Reis sought to ‘craft legislation’ related to wolves, emails show
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

First gentleman Marlon Reis sought to ‘craft legislation’ related to wolves, emails show

By Aaron Adelson | Denver Gazette, via 9News In emails obtained by Denver Gazette news partner 9News, Colorado's first gentleman Marlon Reis was in contact with a group that included the governor's wildlife adviser. He wanted to meet to "craft legislation" related to wolves, and the adviser replied they would not meet without him. This week, lawmakers pressed Colorado Parks and Wildlife's leaders about how the governor's office has affected their decisions. The CPW director conceded he was not directly answering the questions. “That’s a very big concern because, in my opinion, that’s how it’s happening," Grand County Commissioner Merrit Linke told 9NEWS, "It doesn’t seem like CPW is making decisions based on science, based on evidence, based on what’s happening in other state...
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Candidates for Colorado Board of Education agree state falls short in education funding, teacher pay
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Candidates for Colorado Board of Education agree state falls short in education funding, teacher pay

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics While not all of the candidates running for a seat on the State Board of Education are in head-to-head matchups against each other heading into the November election, the seven candidates agree that not enough money is going toward funding public education in Colorado. Bluntly putting it, Democratic candidate Kathy Gebhardt said, “I can’t think of any place that it’s not failing” when it comes to the state’s public education funding. Starting with operations, Gebhardt, who is running unopposed in District 2, said teachers need to be paid adequate salaries, which creates teacher shortages. While some lawmakers have paid more attention to special education programs, which are seeing more funding, the money remains insufficient, she said.  READ...
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Americans are exhausted with high-stakes election described in apocalyptic terms, experts say
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Americans are exhausted with high-stakes election described in apocalyptic terms, experts say

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics “Exhausted.” That's how Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly summed up how he believes voters are feeling about how politics is affecting society.  The Republican sheriff said his deputies have not really dealt with many calls arising out of political disputes. But the tension exists, he said. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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PERA needs $13 billion in cash or wide-ranging cuts for solvency, state policymakers are told
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

PERA needs $13 billion in cash or wide-ranging cuts for solvency, state policymakers are told

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Six years and billions of dollars into Colorado’s 30-year pension rescue plan, the Public Employees’ Retirement Association has less than a 50-50 chance of reaching its goal of full funding by 2048. PERA officials on Monday are expected to report back to the legislature’s Pension Review Subcommittee on what it would take to increase those odds to 67%. The answer: $13 billion in up-front cash, or a wide-ranging package of “draconian” cuts, according to PERA’s actuaries. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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DEA forecasting record-breaking fentanyl seizures in Rocky Mountain region, including in Colorado, Utah
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Approved, Cowboy State Daily, State

DEA forecasting record-breaking fentanyl seizures in Rocky Mountain region, including in Colorado, Utah

By Jen Kocher | Cowboy State Daily While fentanyl arrests may be down so far in Wyoming this year, seizures are skyrocketing in adjacent southern border states while a more deadly form of meth takes hold across the state. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency saw record seizures of fentanyl in Utah in June, surpassing the prior year by nearly 17%. The arrests were part of DEA’s Operation Cash Out efforts to increase its ground game while simultaneously going after drug profits leaving the country. READ THE FULL STORY AT COWBOY STATE DAILY
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‘Billboards are effective’: Wyoming sheriff laughs at “Venezuela Ahead” billboard at Colorado border
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Approved, Cowboy State Daily, State

‘Billboards are effective’: Wyoming sheriff laughs at “Venezuela Ahead” billboard at Colorado border

By Leo Wolfson | Cowboy State Daily A large billboard warns drivers along southbound Interstate 25 at the Wyoming-Colorado border: “Venezuela Ahead, Be Prepared!” on a color scheme that mimics the Venezuelan flag. This is in reference to recent reports of a Venezuelan gang named Tren de Aragua taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, a large suburb of Denver. Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said he burst out laughing when he saw the billboard for the first time. READ THE FULL STORY AT COWBOY STATE DAILY
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Department of Homeland Security adds sniffing device to AI tools helping fight wildfires in Colorado
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Department of Homeland Security adds sniffing device to AI tools helping fight wildfires in Colorado

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun New technology allowing firefighters to “smell” points of origin and locate hot spots or new fires even before smoke can be seen is among the next generation of safety measures the Department of Homeland Security says will help communities and first responders facing longer, more destructive fire seasons in Colorado.  Headlining an event this week at the Boulder County Regional Fire Training Center, the sensor can detect fire-born particulates, volatile organic compounds, chemicals and gases and then send the data to a cloud-based system that updates every 18 seconds and issues geographically targeted notifications to disaster management officials and first responders. Although the sweet spot for detection is a half-mile to a mile away, developer...
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