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Property taxes up, TABOR refunds nearly gone: El Paso County data reveals the real cost of Colorado’s tax system
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Property taxes up, TABOR refunds nearly gone: El Paso County data reveals the real cost of Colorado’s tax system

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The first-half property tax payment is due every year by the end of February. The number on the front has gone up again. Somewhere near the bottom, a small credit appears: "TABOR credit."  El Paso County Assessor Mark Flutcher provided RMV with six years of certified tax data for two El Paso County properties: one in downtown Colorado Springs, one in Lorson Ranch, a newer subdivision south of the city.  The numbers show what has happened to Colorado homeowners.  The property tax bill for the downtown home rose from $1,165.61 in 2022 to $1,472.82 in 2025. The Lorson Ranch bill went from $3,369.39 to $4,933.31 over the same period.  The TABOR credit on both statements, which peaked a...
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If Polis vetoed it, maybe Colorado should take a closer look
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

If Polis vetoed it, maybe Colorado should take a closer look

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I guess we can’t say Polis never vetoes, it’s just rare. I wanted to share a couple of articles (one by Complete Colorado linked first below and the second by CPR) detailing some vetoes from Governor Polis this legislative session. I’ll leave it to you to poke around in either or both articles, but there are a couple of notable things I wanted to mention. There are some non-surprises such as modifications to the Labor Peace Act. No one figured he’d sign it; he’s been a vocal opponent of such efforts. The legislative Democrats are just biding their time for the next governor anyway. There was one that is an update to an earlier post. HB26-1418 would have put a fee on video game transactions to provide m...
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Polis Adds Big Game Hunters and Agricultural Leaders to Colorado Wildlife Commission
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Sky-Hi News, Approved, State

Polis Adds Big Game Hunters and Agricultural Leaders to Colorado Wildlife Commission

By Ali Longwell | Sky-Hi News After Colorado Senators raised concerns with Gov. Jared Polis’ previous nominations for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, the governor has named three new appointees to the volunteer board tasked with guiding the state agency’s policies and regulations.  Polis announced the three appointments — in addition to reappointments for current commissioners, Gabriel Otero and Richard Reading — on Wednesday, June 3.  This included Dr. Peter Maguire, a veterinary neurologist in Grand Junction; Rebecca Niemiec, a tenured associate professor at Colorado State University’s Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources in Fort Collins; and Johnny Le Coq, who owns and lives on a ranch north of Silverthorne.  One of t...
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Colorado Prison Visitation Suspended After Two Inmates Die At Bent County Facility
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Prison Visitation Suspended After Two Inmates Die At Bent County Facility

By: Robert Garrison | Denver7 DENVER — The Colorado Department of Corrections announced Sunday an immediate suspension of prison visitation at all locations following a Friday night incident at one of its facilities that left two inmates dead. The CDOC said two inmates died and a third was hospitalized at the Bent County Correctional Facility. No staff was hurt, and officials say there is no threat to nearby communities. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
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Rep. Gabe Evans Presses DHS Chief on Sanctuary Policies and Colorado Public Safety
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Rep. Gabe Evans Presses DHS Chief on Sanctuary Policies and Colorado Public Safety

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado WASHINGTON D.C. – Colorado’s 8th Congressional District Rep. Gabe Evans on Wednesday took an opportunity during House Homeland Security Committee hearings to question Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin over how his department handles issues of sanctuary cities, public safety, backlogs and constitutional protections during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Evans’ questions came just days after he joined House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio and GOP Rep. Tom McClintock in letters to Denver’s elected district attorney, chief of police, and sheriff demanding information on their offices’ compliance with local sanctuary policies that, according to Evans “prioritize criminal ...
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Five candidates agreed Colorado has problems. Voters must decide who owns them
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Five candidates agreed Colorado has problems. Voters must decide who owns them

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Colorado has become so expensive that starter homes are starting to sound less like milestones and more like bucket-list items. Businesses are beginning to treat Colorado the way some retirees treat winter: nice place to visit, not entirely sure about staying. The surprising part isn't that Republicans said so. It's that Democrats did too. During this week's Republican and Democrat gubernatorial debates, candidates from both parties described a Colorado that is becoming harder to afford, harder to build in and harder to keep businesses in. Nobody on either stage stood up to argue that things are going great. A recent RMV report on Common Sense Institute data found Colorado lost a net 3,934 business establishments in 2024, ran...
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Colorado’s Second Amendment deserts: Long drives and fewer gun dealers reshape access
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Second Amendment deserts: Long drives and fewer gun dealers reshape access

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Colorado’s Second Amendment Deserts -- a two part look If you read as much news as I do, it doesn’t take long to note that Colorado is the land of deserts. There is the desert (the literal one) out where I live on the Eastern Plains, but that’s not all. There are food deserts. There are childcare deserts. There are maternal care deserts. Abortion and transgender care deserts. I don’t know that I have ever read about any Second Amendment deserts here in Colorado, however. A natural question is whether there are any. If a [fill in the blank] desert is a geographical region where something is unduly or unnaturally absent, then a Second Amendment desert would be a region in Colorado where people face either...
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Colorado Pushes Constitutional Protection for Hunting and Fishing Traditions
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All Outdoor, Approved, State

Colorado Pushes Constitutional Protection for Hunting and Fishing Traditions

By Keith Lusher | All Outdoor A campaign is underway to place a constitutional amendment before Colorado voters this November that would permanently protect the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife in the state. Backers say the measure is urgently needed to shield long-standing traditions and the wildlife management system that funds them from shifting political winds. The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance announced the launch of Initiative 302, which would add a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife across all species managed by the state. The initiative received unanimous approval from the state’s Title Board, and supporters have until August 28 to gather the required signatures to qualify for the ballot. The measure preserves the f...
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Signature Gathering Intensifies As Colorado Ballot Battles Take Shape
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Signature Gathering Intensifies As Colorado Ballot Battles Take Shape

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER– A large-scale signature gathering effort is underway in Colorado as proponents rush to get numerous citizen-initiated ballot measures qualified for the November statewide election, with issues ranging from from a right to hunt and fish to capping the stat income tax rate. The conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado, for example, is hip-deep in the effort, with two measures already on the ballot and at least three others are in the signature gathering phase. Already on the ballot is “Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes,” a statutory change that reinstates certain penalties related to fentanyl that the Democrat-controlled legislature has weakened or removed over the years. A second measure, “Law Enforcement Reporting Requ...
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Polis Activates Emergency Drought Measures As Reservoirs Feel Growing Strain
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Activates Emergency Drought Measures As Reservoirs Feel Growing Strain

By Luige Del Puerto and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday declared a statewide drought emergency, citing the record-low snowpack and prolonged warmer temperatures across Colorado. He also activated the next phase of the state’s drought response plan. Polis had placed Colorado under Phase 2 in March. “Today, I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers and ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the face of one of the most severe droughts in Colorado’s recorded history. With every county in the state experiencing drought conditions, activating Phase 3 of our Drought Response Plan allows us to better coordinate agencies, prepare for worsening conditions, and support Colorado communities, agriculture...
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