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Colorado families pay 19% more than the national average for groceries
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado families pay 19% more than the national average for groceries

By Spencer Kristensen | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — It is a high priority for most U.S. residents and affects the likes of every person in the country, regardless of age — grocery prices. The issue is so pressing that politicians can single-handedly run a campaign on the hot topic. Groceries are essential to single people and families alike, and have a great impact on day-to-day living, and geography can play a large part in determining prices for local goods. Lending Tree, an online lending marketplace, performed a study on how much each state is spending on groceries per year. Lending Tree said researchers compared retail prices provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the weeks ending Jan. 26, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025, for the 68 fruit and vegetable items that had pric...
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Colo. Sheriffs call SB25-003 a ‘nightmare’ for rights, businesses and public safety
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Approved, State, The Truth About Guns

Colo. Sheriffs call SB25-003 a ‘nightmare’ for rights, businesses and public safety

By Mark Chesnut | The Truth About Guns Following Gov. Jared Polis’ signing of the sweeping gun ban measure last week, some Colorado sheriffs, who have opposed the bill all along, are still speaking out against the action. The measure bans the sale of the most popular selling rifle in America—the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR)—unless Coloradans obtain from their county sheriff approval, based on subjective criteria, a permit-to-purchase semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines. Under the law, the sale of semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting a detachable magazine will be banned unless those purchasing the firearms are vetted by a local sheriff and complete a firearm certification course. Sheriff approval to apply for a permit-to-purchase is based on sub...
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Colorado’s fentanyl crisis exposes a deadly failure of leadership
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s fentanyl crisis exposes a deadly failure of leadership

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A newly released report from Advance Colorado lays bare the devastating human cost of Colorado’s fentanyl crisis—and the state policies that helped fuel it. Titled “Communities in Ruin: The Human Cost of Fentanyl in Colorado,” the report delivers a searing indictment of legislative decisions made over the past six years—starting with a 2019 law that downgraded possession of deadly narcotics like fentanyl to a misdemeanor.  That’s when possession of up to four grams—enough to kill 1,500 people—started being treated like a minor infraction. Four years later, the state’s fentanyl-related overdose deaths have exploded by 440%, jumping from 222 deaths in 2019 to over 1,200 in 2023​. “Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 t...
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Colorado legislature passes bill punting to local governments on how much restaurant servers are paid
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado legislature passes bill punting to local governments on how much restaurant servers are paid

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun A contentious bill pitting many restaurant owners against workers over how much tipped employees should earn was approved by the Colorado legislature Tuesday, with the restaurant industry feeling like it had achieved a small victory.  While the industry sought to offset tipped workers’ paychecks with more of their gratuities, therefore reducing their base pay in some scenarios, the decision has been punted to local governments.  Under House Bill 1208, which now heads to Gov. Jared Polis, relief won’t come immediately — if ever. Especially not in Denver, where dozens of restaurant owners testified that high minimum wages exacerbated their struggles to survive and keep up with rising food, rent and insurance costs. Some members on Denver...
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Enos: What rushed gender and abortion bills say about the legislature’s priorities
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Approved, Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Commentary, State

Enos: What rushed gender and abortion bills say about the legislature’s priorities

By Colleen Enos | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Transparency is not really our current General Assembly’s goal. We would like to believe that our state government works for us, but the majority party in charge is more concerned with covering its own tracks to avoid any repercussions of accountability with the voters.  They also consider any opposing views or opinions to be dissent that must be squashed at all costs, even if it means forcibly gagging their opposition by disallowing all debate. This is not exactly an overflow of reasoned debate, which we would like to encourage amongst our lawmakers. For example, HB25-1312, Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals, was introduced in the State House on Friday, March 28th, at the end of the day and assigned to the J...
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Outnumbered but not outmatched: House Minority Leader Pugliese’s grassroots push
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Outnumbered but not outmatched: House Minority Leader Pugliese’s grassroots push

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice At the Colorado Capitol, House Republicans are outnumbered two to one. But House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese is still swinging—and she’s not swinging blindly. She’s drawing from somewhere real. “My father started his life with 50 cents in his pocket and a dream to own his own restaurant.” Pugliese added, “Almost every day it feels like I’m back to having spare change and a big dream—only this time it’s at the legislature.” The daughter of Italian immigrants, Pugliese was the first woman in her family to graduate from college.  https://twitter.com/RoseforCO/status/1904928098535223618 She now juggles two jobs, the House minority leadership and single parenthood—raising two children on her own, including a ...
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Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A coalition of pastors, parents, and constitutional advocates will gather Thursday on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol to oppose HB25-1312, the controversial “Kelly Loving Act” that critics say represents a direct attack on parental rights, religious liberty, and free speech. The event—organized by Fight 1312, a Colorado-based grassroots movement—will begin with a rally and prayer walk at 1:00 PM, followed by a press conference at 2:30 PM featuring local faith leaders and conservative advocates, including former Trump appointee William Wolfe. “HB25-1312 is an attack on parental rights, free speech, and the ability of families to raise their children according to their values,” said Pastor J. Chase Davis, one of the event organizers and Lea...
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Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Colorado Governor Jared Polis wants $4 million in taxpayer money to fight off the return of Trump—literally. Under HB25-1321, Democrats in the Colorado legislature are moving to shift $4 million from the state’s infrastructure fund directly into Polis’s office, allowing him to wage legal and administrative battles against the federal government, particularly policies implemented by the Trump administration.  The bill gives Polis sweeping discretion to use the funds however he sees fit, including hiring outside legal teams, launching lawsuits, and defending state officials under federal investigation. The bill—ironically titled "Support Against Adverse Federal Action"—has raised red flags across the aisle, with critics calling it a pa...
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CHSAA pressed by over 68 school leaders to follow federal guidance on girls’ sports
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Approved, completecolorado.com, National, State

CHSAA pressed by over 68 school leaders to follow federal guidance on girls’ sports

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — A letter signed by some 60 school district administrators and school board members from across the state is calling on the Colorado High School Activities Association to come into compliance with a recent Trump administration order around biological boys competing in girls’ sports. “The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) must immediately adopt rules and practices to ensure that boys are not permitted to compete as girls in girls’ sports,” the letter reads in part. “This action is not only a matter of safety and fairness for our female athletes, but also aligns with recent federal directives that reinforce the protection of women’s sports under Title IX.” Names on the letter include board members who  have prev...
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Can the America-First movement win in Colorado? Heidi Ganahl and Rasmussen pollster break down Colorado’s GOP identity crisis
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Can the America-First movement win in Colorado? Heidi Ganahl and Rasmussen pollster break down Colorado’s GOP identity crisis

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff With Colorado’s 2026 elections on the horizon, Republicans are once again asking the question: What kind of candidate can actually win statewide? On the latest episode of Unleashed, Rocky Mountain Voice founder Heidi Ganahl sat down with Mark Mitchell, head pollster for Rasmussen Reports, to dig into exclusive polling data—and the identity crisis facing Colorado’s GOP. [Click here to listen or watch the full episode on YouTube or Rumble.] “This is one of the biggest quandaries,” Mitchell said. “How do you unpack this very particular issue in Colorado?” A Party Divided The polling, commissioned by Ganahl’s Road to Red project, looked at likely Republican primary voters in Colorado. But in a state where unaffiliated voters outnumber both parties, ...
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