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Special session on property taxes has ended. What did legislators pass?
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kdvr.com, State

Special session on property taxes has ended. What did legislators pass?

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News The Colorado Legislature’s 2024 special session ended Thursday after a whirlwind four days, with lawmakers approving a bipartisan bill to reduce the assessment rate for residential properties. The bill passed the Colorado House on Wednesday, but not without some pushback. The measure had been serving as negotiations between state lawmakers and supporters of the statewide ballot initiatives 50 and 108. The pre-negotiated measure was designed to slow property tax increases. The measure passed with a vote of 45-18 in the House, with 15 Democrats and three Republicans voting no. Two representatives were excused. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Colorado test scores affirm daunting task to overcome COVID-era learning loss
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado test scores affirm daunting task to overcome COVID-era learning loss

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette The latest academic achievement data demonstrates the daunting task schools face in overcoming student learning loss across the state, including the Denver metro area, even as the COVID-19 pandemic is now in the rearview mirror.  The modest gains in math and English are remarkably similar to last year, when state officials described the results as a “stair step” improvement and local educators called the scores disappointing. Colorado students showed a 1.3-point improvement in math and 0.4 points in English. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER GAZETTE
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Democrat Gov. Jared Polis’ husband, Marlon Reis, shuts down social media after heated wolf debate with rancher
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Approved, New York Post, State

Democrat Gov. Jared Polis’ husband, Marlon Reis, shuts down social media after heated wolf debate with rancher

By Patrick Reilly | New York Post Colorado First Gentleman Marlon Reis deactivated his social media accounts after getting into a howling match about wolves on Facebook over the weekend. Reis, who is Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ husband, had posted online about grants the state was offering for nonlethal wolf deterrents when he got into a heated exchange in the comments with David Gittleson, according to 9 News. READ THE FULL STORY AT NEW YORK POST
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Claiming Colorado GOP chairmanship, Eli Bremer asks court to declare Dave Williams was properly removed
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Claiming Colorado GOP chairmanship, Eli Bremer asks court to declare Dave Williams was properly removed

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics One of the two Colorado Republicans who lay claim to the title of state GOP chairman sued the other on Wednesday, escalating a battle for control of the party just weeks before ballots start going out to voters. In the days since a group of the party's central committee members met to oust Dave Williams, the incumbent chairman, and elect Eli Bremer as his replacement, both men have insisted that they are the Colorado GOP's rightful leader while comparing the other to an illegal squatter. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Video shows armed gang at troubled Colorado apartment building believed to have been taken over by migrants
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Approved, Fox News, State

Video shows armed gang at troubled Colorado apartment building believed to have been taken over by migrants

By Jasmine Baehr | Fox News Potential gang activity was caught on surveillance camera in a  Colorado apartment building after what one former resident calls "no accountability" kept law enforcement from assisting.The video shows many men armed with handguns, and one with a scoped rifle, bursting through the door of the apartment complex for unknown reasons. The group appears to be Tren de Aragua, or TdA, a transnational gang based out of Venezuela. The gang, with reportedly 5,000 members, has a motto of "real until death," or "real hasta la muerte." READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
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Marijuana user cannot be banned from gun ownership, U.S. court rules
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Marijuana user cannot be banned from gun ownership, U.S. court rules

By Nate Raymond | Denver Gazette A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday ruled that a pot-smoking gun owner in Texas cannot be prosecuted for violating a federal ban on users of illegal drugs owning firearms, saying it is unconstitutional to disarm her based on her past drug habits. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the prosecution had violated Paola Connelly's right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment citing a landmark 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights. "Marijuana user or not, Paola is a member of our political community and thus has a presumptive right to bear arms," U.S. Circuit Judge Kurt Engelhardt, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, wrote for a three-judge panel. READ THE FU...
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If Senate approves measure, property tax special session could be over except governor’s signature
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

If Senate approves measure, property tax special session could be over except governor’s signature

By Gabrielle Franklin | Fox 31 News A property tax agreement is one step closer to passing after it cleared the House floor in a vote of 45-18, but not without pushback. The measure had served as a negotiation between some state lawmakers and supporters of statewide ballot initiatives 50 and 108. The pre-negotiated property tax agreement designed to slow property tax increases cleared the House without much opposition recorded in the final vote, but before members voted, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle let leaders know they did not like the way this bill came to be. Democrat and Republican members of the House stood in solidarity as representatives voiced frustrations about the process that got the bill on the floor, calling out the governor and leadership for negotiating dea...
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Smrz: Venezuelan Gang Expands In Denver
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Smrz: Venezuelan Gang Expands In Denver

By Jimmy Smrz | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver is facing an unprecedented threat as the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) expands its operations into the city. Notorious for its involvement in extortion, kidnapping, and murder, TDA has given its members a “green light” to attack and open fire on Denver police officers, sparking serious concerns about the safety of the city. With local law enforcement already stretched thin by budget cuts and escalating crime, Denver's Mayor Mike Johnston and the city seem ill-prepared for this threat. Global Cartel, Local Consequences TDA’s influence reaches far beyond Venezuela, where it has operated with impunity, and is now taking root in U.S. sanctuary, cities including New York, Chicago, and ...
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Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session
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Approved, CBS 11 KKTV, State

Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session

By Tony Keith | CBS11 The Colorado House passed HB24B-1001 on Wednesday hoping it will help reduce property taxes. News releases from both House Democrats and House Republicans shared their take on the legislation. ”We are committed to making Colorado a more affordable place to live, and with this bill we’re delivering additional property tax relief in a responsible way while protecting funding for our schools, parks, libraries and community institutions,”said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon.“Two initiatives from wealthy special interests on the November ballot would de-fund schools, lengthen emergency response times, and strip health care away from our most vulnerable Coloradans. Stopping these measures with small changes to the bipartisan property tax package from last session...
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Tren de Aragua Gang expands to Denver and Aurora, unleashing chaos in sanctuary cities
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Approved, Fox News, State

Tren de Aragua Gang expands to Denver and Aurora, unleashing chaos in sanctuary cities

By Christina Coulter | Fox News Although Denver's suburbs don't share its sanctuary city policies, the influx of migrants into the Mile High City has spilled outward. Now, its neighbors are facing an unprecedented wave of activity from a notorious Venezuelan prison gang.  Officials from Aurora, about nine miles east of Denver, told Fox News Digital the Tren de Aragua gang has gained a strong foothold in their city, commandeering apartment complexes and drumming up violent crime and sex trafficking.  "We currently have entire complexes under gang control — complexes where staff have been beaten up, they've been threatened, their families have been threatened [and] complexes where there are no staff left on the property," Aurora City Council Member Dani...
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