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American Rights Alliance files amicus brief, backs Tina Peters’ habeas petition over political targeting
Approved, Local, National, State, yourNEWS

American Rights Alliance files amicus brief, backs Tina Peters’ habeas petition over political targeting

By yourNEWS | yournews.com Denver, CO — Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is seeking release from detention through a federal habeas corpus petition, alleging that her prosecution and incarceration violate federal law and her constitutional rights. The case, Tina Peters v. John Feyen and Philip J. Weiser, Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-00425-STV, is currently before U.S. District Court Judge Scott T. Varholak in the District of Colorado. Peters, convicted at the state level for actions taken while serving as the chief election official for Mesa County during the 2020 election, is now challenging the legitimacy of her prosecution. Her legal team argues that her actions were not only lawful but mandated by her duties under federal law to preserve election records. The America...
Trump issues national flag-lowering order to honor fallen firefighters, Polis follows suit
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Trump issues national flag-lowering order to honor fallen firefighters, Polis follows suit

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Flags in Colorado will fly at half-staff on Sunday to honor firefighters who risked their lives to protect fellow citizens as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. The annual event is held in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and commemorates the lives of volunteer and professional firefighters who have died in the line of duty over the past year and beyond. “Across the country, brave men and women demonstrate heroism each day, willingly placing themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others,” reads a proclamation made by President Donald Trump on May 1. “We are indebted to every American who chooses this noble profession — this solemn calling — in spite of the inherent risks.” The proclamation went on to note the heroic e...
Final week at the Capitol: Democrats target TABOR, transparency and immigration enforcement
Approved, DENVER7, State

Final week at the Capitol: Democrats target TABOR, transparency and immigration enforcement

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 DENVER — With under a week to go before they adjourn this year’s legislative session, Colorado lawmakers still have a lot of work ahead of them. Dozens of bills are still under consideration, including several controversial proposals. “It feels like 80% of the work happens in the last two weeks,” said State Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood. “Our budget was pretty late in being finalized, and so, nothing can really move until we know how much money we're working with, or in this case, how much money we're not working with.” Froelich is one of the primary sponsors of Senate Bill 25-161, which would reform the Regional Transportation District (RTD). The bill cleared its second-to-last vote in the Colorado House of Representatives on Thursday. “Th...
The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days
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The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board This second installment of RMV’s COvid Chronicles runs longer than usual – for good reason. In just two weeks, civic trust collapsed, state control deepened and neighbors turned on each other. The details matter—because memory fades, because memory fades, but the impact endures. If the first two weeks of April 2020 made it clear to Coloradans their state was forever changed and would not be going back to the way it was any time soon, the later part of the month crystalized just how difficult earning back any God-given constitutional rights and freedoms would prove to be. Much of that had to do with the heavy-handedness of Gov. Jared Polis, elected officials and unelected bureaucrats who weren't keen on relinquishing their newfound regal powe...
Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg named head of Farm Service Agency for Colorado by President Trump
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Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg named head of Farm Service Agency for Colorado by President Trump

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg has been named executive director of the Farm Service Agency for Colorado by the Trump administration. Sonnenberg served as a Logan County commissioner beginning in 2023. He resigned that seat on April 16. He starts as executive director on May 5. The Farm Services Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers farm commodity, disaster, and conservation programs for farmers and ranchers; and it makes and guarantees farm emergency, ownership, and operating loans through a network of state and county offices. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
O’Donnell: It’s costly to live in Colorado—and now we top the charts in personal debt
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O’Donnell: It’s costly to live in Colorado—and now we top the charts in personal debt

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Since 2021, inflation has been higher in Colorado than in any other state, mostly because of the cost of owning or renting a home. But this is also because the state legislature enjoys imposing new fees (you aren’t allowed to call them taxes) on seemingly anything they can think of. Colorado residents may not, however, realize that because it is now so expensive to live in the state, Coloradans owe more money in mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans and other consumer obligations than residents of ANY other state. The latest data from the Consumer Credit Panel at the New York Federal Reserve indicates that during the fourth quarter of 2024, the 4,983,560 households in Colorado EACH owed an average of $90,540 i...
Cooper: The biggest identity theft in Colorado history? Victims may have no idea
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Cooper: The biggest identity theft in Colorado history? Victims may have no idea

By Bob Cooper | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Thousands of Coloradans may unknowingly appear in federal campaign finance records—raising major questions about identity theft and political money laundering. Up to 4,000 Coloradans may have had their identities stolen – and none of them know it. That’s because the theft may be part of a massive political money laundering scheme involving groups like ActBlue. ActBlue, a political fundraising platform that has facilitated $3.7 billion in contributions to Democrat campaigns, is under federal investigation. Multiple directors have resigned in recent months, according to reporting from the New York Times. Now, thanks to a searchable tool created by The America Project, it’s possible to investigate suspicious political contribu...
Colorado has the 8th biggest drug problem in US
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Colorado has the 8th biggest drug problem in US

By Brooke Williams | Fox31 News DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has worse drug problems than most of the U.S., according to a recent WalletHub study. The finance website conducted the study on all states and the District of Columbia, examining multiple factors like drug-related arrest and overdose rates, opioid prescriptions, employee drug testing laws, rehabilitation and treatment options and more. According to the report, Colorado has the 8th biggest drug problem in the country overall. Neighboring states like Utah and Nebraska reportedly had the least problematic drug use. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX31 NEWS
Federal mandates, real costs: EPA’s gas policy hits Coloradans at the pump
Approved, Local, National, State, The Colorado Sun

Federal mandates, real costs: EPA’s gas policy hits Coloradans at the pump

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun The future of Colorado’s ozone-fighting reformulated gasoline is getting a lot more complicated this spring.  To recap:  The Front Range creates so much toxic ozone that we blew through EPA limits a long time ago. One sanction the EPA gave us for these “severe” violations is that in summer months, we must buy “reformulated gas,” or RFG, that creates less ozone-causing vapor.  Oil companies and Gov. Jared Polis say the benefits of RFG in fighting ozone are minimal, and the refining process costs consumers up to 50 cents more a gallon.  The EPA said no, the extra cost is only a few cents a gallon. Plus, the EPA said, while Suncor controls 40% of the gasoline market here, other gasoline companies would expand their RFG pipelines and ...
Gregory: Colorado’s highest court has lost credibility
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Gregory: Colorado’s highest court has lost credibility

By  Christopher Gregory | Colorado Politics, Commentary Colorado is haunted by the ghosts of Watergate. Through his preemptive pardon of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford blunted the rule of law by preventing our country from ever directly addressing the wrongfulness of Nixon's conduct and having public discourse as to what accountability was appropriate. The evolution of Colorado's judicial scandal has been very similar to the chronology of Watergate. In it I have found my own spiritual camaraderie with Justice Melissa Hart's grandfather, Archibald Cox. Like me, Cox was retaliated against and fired just as his investigation of Nixon discovered critical evidence. The greatest danger to the American republic is not who voters choose to represent them but rather the selective enforcement or n...