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Wolf funding diverted but reintroduction charges ahead
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Wolf funding diverted but reintroduction charges ahead

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun A group of Western Slope lawmakers Thursday abandoned their attempt to pause wolf reintroduction in Colorado. But they reached a deal with Gov. Jared Polis that will redirect about $250,000 set aside to bring more gray wolves into the state this year into a fund aimed at driving down health care costs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife will have to find the funding elsewhere to continue its reintroduction plans, which doesn’t appear to be a problem for the agency.  The next batch of wolves is scheduled to be released in western Colorado around December. The state is already sourcing animals for that release. State Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat, said the alternative to the compromise was the bill being killed by the legislature d...
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Colorado farmers and cities face tough choices in looming water showdown
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado farmers and cities face tough choices in looming water showdown

By Sharon Sullivan | The Colorado Sun STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Colorado water officials announced Wednesday a rough plan to figure out how the state would handle an unwelcome specter in the Colorado River Basin: forced water cuts. Mandatory water cuts are possible under the 103-year-old Colorado River Compact in certain circumstances, mainly if the river’s 10-year flow falls too low. It’s a possibility that is one or two “bad years” away, some experts say.  Colorado, however, does not have a clearly defined plan, or regulations, for how exactly it would handle such forced water cuts. It’s time to start preparing, according to state engineer Jason Ullmann, Colorado’s top water cop. Over the years, Coloradans on both sides of the Continental Divide have asked about these “compact...
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Local leaders warn new AI law could harm Colorado innovation
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The Gazette, Approved, State

Local leaders warn new AI law could harm Colorado innovation

By Seth Klamann | The Gazette While filling the $800 million gap in the state budget is a significant part of the special session set to go underway this morning at the state Capitol, the battle over artificial intelligence regulations is quickly taking center stage, with mayors from three major cities weighing in. In a letter, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman called on state legislators to intervene and stop Senate Bill 205 from going into effect as planned on Feb. 1, 2026, arguing they fear it would deter companies and jobs from coming to Colorado, not to mention millions of dollars in implementation expenses.  “As mayors of the three largest cities in Colorado, with different political affiliations, we are ...
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Fox31 owner moves on 9News: Colorado leaders warn of media monopoly
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Fox31 owner moves on 9News: Colorado leaders warn of media monopoly

By Parker Yamasaki | The Colorado Sun Leading Colorado Democrats condemned the proposed consolidation of local TV news stations in Colorado, which would see Fox31’s owner buying its rival Tegna, owner of Denver’s 9News. “Colorado is stronger when reporters have the independence to ask tough questions and keep us all informed,” U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said in a statement emailed to The Colorado Sun. “An FCC-approved merger of 9News and KDVR’s parent companies would greatly weaken Colorado’s civic infrastructure.” Nexstar Media group, owner of Fox31, announced this week that it is acquiring Tegna for $6.2 billion. The sale is expected to close in the second half of 2026.  Opponents of the deal, including Bennet and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, worry that consolidation will g...
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Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills
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State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators began to advance proposals dealing with an $800 million budget shortfall on Thursday, just hours after the legislature officially re-convened to deal with the revenue shortfall.  They started with a hearing on Senate Bill 1, which adds a requirement to the existing state law that outlines the governor's authority to make spending reductions in case of a significant drop in revenue. Under SB 1, Gov. Jared Polis would be required to develop a plan and present it to the Joint Budget Committee before it goes into effect. Lawmakers and the Polis administration have indicated that budget cuts should be put into place by Sept. 1 in order to spread out any reductions over 10 months, instead of waiting until next Februa...
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Veteran Colorado Teacher Opts Out Unions, Champions Educator Choice
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State, Approved, IW Features

Veteran Colorado Teacher Opts Out Unions, Champions Educator Choice

By Jordan Jantz | IW Features When she started taking education courses in college, Jill Cullis thought teaching was just her backup career plan. She never imagined she’d be an educator, let alone spend more than three decades working in Colorado’s public schools, teaching students while helping colleagues find freedom from the teachers union. And she never imagined her workplace would become so politically hostile that she would be forced to retire. “I remember my mom saying, I just kind of came alive when I would talk about teaching,” Cullis told IW Features. “It was sort of a plan B, but in reality, it was God’s plan A for me.” Cullis was raised in a conservative household, and in high school, she read Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose, which cemented the freedom-focused values ...
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Republicans Offered Libertarian Guarantee Against Spoiler Candidates
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State, Approved, coloradopolitics.com

Republicans Offered Libertarian Guarantee Against Spoiler Candidates

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Colorado Libertarians on Tuesday released an updated set of pledges that Republican candidates can sign if they want to discourage the right-leaning minor political party from running potential spoiler nominees in next year’s midterm elections. The lengthy lists of policy statements — dubbed the “Liberty Pledge” — resemble similar pledges produced ahead of last year’s election as part of an unprecedented agreement between state Libertarians and the Colorado Republican Party aimed at loosening the Democrats’ grip on the state legislature and the state’s congressional delegation. If Republicans sign on, state Libertarian Party officials say they’ll do their best to prevent the party from fielding candidates in competitive races where a conservati...
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Air-quality politics put Denver first and rural Colorado last
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Air-quality politics put Denver first and rural Colorado last

By Tony Olivero | Commentary, Colorado Politics  As former rural lawmakers, we’re no strangers to the state trying to squeeze us into the same box as the Front Range. But Colorado’s latest regulations take things to a new level: not only are they completely unworkable for our communities, but the rules also reveal a hypocritical double standard that puts rural Colorado last. Starting on Wednesday, Colorado’s air quality commission is holding hearings on their roll out of Regulation 31, a mandate that forces even the smallest landfills to install costly methane capture systems, regardless of whether those systems make scientific, environmental, or economic sense.   The process to get here was rushed and the new rules lack clear written implementation procedures and ignore...
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Heidi Ganahl Rallies Conservatives at Northeastern Colorado Women’s Event
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

Heidi Ganahl Rallies Conservatives at Northeastern Colorado Women’s Event

By Drake Hunter | RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice The Greeley Republican Women (GRW) hosted a packed event at Ben’s Brick Oven Pizza in Hudson, Weld County, where former 2022 candidate for Colorado governor and Rocky Mountain Voice founder Heidi Ganahl delivered the keynote address. Stacey Casteel of GRW led the gathering and drew notable attendees, including Weld County Commissioner Perry Buck and State Senator Scott Bright. The venue itself, owned by Ben Skoglund and family, was highlighted by Ganahl as an example of businesses willing to stand firm in their values despite cultural and political pressures. Ganahl opened with humor, but quickly pivoted to the challenges facing Colorado. “Colorado’s kind of a mess right now,” she said, stressing that Weld County remain...
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Colorado’s budget hole: How Democrats’ spending spree forced a special session
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s budget hole: How Democrats’ spending spree forced a special session

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) Just Stop Digging! You can almost smell the school supplies in the air as all families with school-age children or university students start scheduling their year and make the annual trek back to campus or begin rearranging and assigning their homeschool curriculum. Fall is in the air, but for the Colorado State Legislature, another budget session begins on August 21st to plug the self-induced hole in the 2025-2026 state budget.  The session will last a minimum of three days but can continue as long as it takes the General Assembly to complete its work. Since Colorado law requires a balanced budget, Governor Polis announced a Special Session to resolve the issue. The Governor’s announcement was entit...
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