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Whoever holds power, Colorado records should remain public
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Whoever holds power, Colorado records should remain public

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project CFOIC updates their CORA/Open Meetings guide CFOIC has been a great help to me in learning how to do public records requests (and they continue to be as I encounter issues with getting records, etc.). They recently updated their excellent guide on open records requests and open meetings law based on recent changes. It’s linked at bottom. If you are doing requests or thinking about it, bookmark it. In the spirit of paying forward the help I received, I am happy to help you in what ways I can if you are thinking of doing some records requests and/or if you have a topic you want to investigate but don’t know where to start. Message me or email through my newsletter. https://coloradofoic.org/op...
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From dope dealer to hope dealer: Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell brings message of redemption to Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From dope dealer to hope dealer: Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell brings message of redemption to Colorado

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice He walked into church on April 18, 1999, with a bruised brow, money in his pocket, and murder on his mind. By the time he walked out, Lorenzo Sewell had given his life to Christ. That same day he went to his drug boss and quit. That day, and that decision, is the foundation of everything Sewell has built since.  The senior pastor of 180 Church in Detroit will bring his story of redemption and his message of civic faith to the RMV Freedom Fest, where he will speak on the main stage and give the invocation at the Mountain Majesty Gala on Saturday, June 27. A student of the street Sewell grew up on Detroit's east side in a home marked by abuse and instability. His father is in prison for murder. At age eleven, ...
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Colorado Consumers Push Back Against Xcel Rate Hike Proposal
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CPR News, Approved, State

Colorado Consumers Push Back Against Xcel Rate Hike Proposal

By: Ishan Thakore | CPR News Xcel Energy’s proposed deal to raise average residential energy bills by nearly 6% is running into a wall of opposition from Colorado consumer and environmental groups.  The proposed residential rate increase would be among the largest ever in the state, according to the Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate (UCA), which advocates for customers and is opposed to the deal. In November, the state’s largest utility petitioned state regulators at the Public Utilities Commission to let it increase how much it charges for electricity. Xcel hadn’t requested a major price hike to its customer base rates since 2022. Last year, the company said it needed to recoup around $356 million it spent to build new renewab...
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More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Another firm is withdrawing from the individual health insurance market, including for Colorado, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The move by Cigna Healthcare is part of the company’s overall plan to withdraw entirely from the Affordable Care Act market. It will impact individual health plans for 369,000 members in 11 states, according to a company announcement on April 30. In Colorado, Cigna provides individual health insurance to 40,853 members, according to the the state’s insurance office. Cigna joins five other insurers that have pulled out of Colorado since 2022. That doesn’t include two insurers that announced they were withdrawing from the individual market last year but rescinded that announcement two months later. ...
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Transportation Funding Showdown Continues Between Lawmakers And Initiative Backers
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Transportation Funding Showdown Continues Between Lawmakers And Initiative Backers

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The standoff over Colorado’s road‑funding initiative will continue after supporters declined state lawmakers’ request to withdraw the measure, while both sides signaled they are still willing to pursue a broader agreement ahead of the fall deadline. Initiative No. 175, backed by the coalition Restore Our Roads, would require that all transportation-related revenue be used exclusively for building and repairing roads and bridges, improving safety, conducting transportation planning and engineering, and supporting Colorado State Patrol operations. A petition for the measure received over 180,000 signatures and is currently being reviewed by the Secretary of State’s Office. To qualify for the November ballot, just over 124,000 of ...
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From coal transition to data centers: JOLT summit heads to Grand Junction
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From coal transition to data centers: JOLT summit heads to Grand Junction

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Before JOLT became an annual summit, local leaders across Northwest Colorado were wrestling with a difficult question: What comes after coal? Now they’re holding their fourth summit, and this year’s program includes discussions on geothermal energy, data centers, critical minerals, electric cooperative power supplies, workforce development and Colorado River issues. "I don't think that with JOLT, the mission has changed," said Ray Beck, chairman of JOLT — Joint Organizations Leading Transition. "We're still trying to educate people on different sources of energy." Founded by local officials, educators and industry leaders, JOLT was created as Northwest Colorado communities searched for answers about economic transition and long-term op...
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Colorado needs a smarter answer on data centers than yes or no
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado needs a smarter answer on data centers than yes or no

By Scott James | Commentary, Scott's Sheet Colorado can welcome data centers, but only with honest math on water, power, rates, and who pays when the press release meets the utility bill. Most normal people do not wake up worried about data centers. They wake up worried about the mortgage, the water bill, the power bill, the kids, the roads, and whether the internet will freeze right as the Broncos line up on fourth and short. Then somebody says “data center,” and the room divides almost immediately. One side acts like every giant project is economic manna from heaven. The other side acts like a server farm is Mordor with better landscaping. Somewhere between NIMBY and corporate shill, there is a principled yes. Colorado ought to find it. Big Pivots argues that...
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Bandimere unveils vision for massive new racing destination near Hudson
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Competition Plus, Approved, State

Bandimere unveils vision for massive new racing destination near Hudson

By Bobby Bennett | Competition Plus John Bandimere spent more than 60 years helping build one of the most recognizable drag strips in America. Now he’s preparing to build something that, in his mind, isn’t really a drag strip at all. That’s the part many people don’t understand.The next Bandimere Speedway will have a quarter-mile. It will have grandstands. It will have race cars, race fans and many of the features people associate with one of drag racing’s most respected facilities. What it won’t be is Thunder Mountain. “We’ll never be able to replace it,” Bandimere said. “We can do a lot of things that’ll make it to where the new place will have a good feel, but you never can replace it.” For years, racers and fans gathered at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, w...
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Aurora ICE Facility Operator Says Colorado Overstepped Authority With New ICE Inspection Law
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Aurora ICE Facility Operator Says Colorado Overstepped Authority With New ICE Inspection Law

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The private prison company that operates the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Aurora has filed a lawsuit against Colorado to stop the enforcement of a new law requiring additional health and safety inspections of immigration detention facilities. The lawsuit from Geo Group, filed Monday in Denver District Court, lists Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser as the plaintiff, along with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment executive director Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the department’s environmental health and sustainability director Jeff Lawrence, and Adams County Health Department executive director Kelly Weidenbach. Earlier this year, the Adams County Health Department conducted an on-site investigatio...
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Colorado Responds To Federal Coal Extension Orders With New Emissions Requirements
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Responds To Federal Coal Extension Orders With New Emissions Requirements

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill in reaction to orders from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep older coal units online. The federal government’s instructions applied to Craig Unit 1 in Colorado, one of five coal units affected nationwide. The state legislation requires installation of modern pollution controls and cost reporting for any Colorado coal-fired power plants that continue operating beyond planned retirement dates. The measure, House Bill 26-1226, also directs the Public Utilities Commission to support resource planning consistent with state clean energy goals. The legislation signed June 4 targets qualifying coal units that emitted significant nitrogen oxides or sulfur dioxide in 2024. It...
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