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Ganahl: The Politics of Pets in Colorado, Part 1
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Ganahl: The Politics of Pets in Colorado, Part 1

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor's note: This is the first in a commentary series. Please check back for more in the series. Last week, our family added a new furry member: 7-month-old “Bruce”, a bull terrier pup rescued out of a domestic violence situation, through my dear friend Lynn Gerber’s rescue organization, Pawsitive Pathways.  Most folks know I founded and built the pet care franchise Camp Bow Wow, but the thing I’m most proud of in my career was building the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, it’s sister charity.  Working with our franchisees across the country, we were able to rehome over 10,000 dogs over a decade.  Pet rescue is near and dear to me, and it’s a huge problem. Approximately 6.3 million dogs, cats, and other household pe...
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Hardin: Understanding Colorado House Bill 24-1174, a shift in concealed carry training
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Hardin: Understanding Colorado House Bill 24-1174, a shift in concealed carry training

By Amanda Hardin | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado's landscape for concealed carry permits is set for a significant transformation with the introduction and passage of House Bill 24-1174. This legislation, effective July 1, 2025, emphasizes more stringent and uniform training standards for applicants and renewals of concealed handgun permits. Let's delve into what this means for current and prospective permit holders. Stricter training requirements Under HB 24-1174, those wanting to obtain their concealed handgun permit must now complete an in-depth training class meeting specific criteria. The new regulations mandate that the training class must: Be a law enforcement training course or a course taught by an instructor verified by a county sheriff. Include at l...
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The University of Denver is joining the STARS College Network to recruit more rural students
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

The University of Denver is joining the STARS College Network to recruit more rural students

By Jason Gonzales | Chalkbeat Colorado Rural students may graduate high school at higher rates than their peers, but they’re also less likely to end up on a college campus. The University of Denver wants to change that statistic through a partnership that’s brought together 32 prominent public and private universities to help rural students learn about their college options, help them enroll, and support them to graduation. Last week, the Denver private university announced its participation in the Small Town and Rural Students College Network, or the STARS College Network, now in its second year. Participating schools include private institutions like Yale, Vanderbilt, and Duke, historically Black university Spelman College, and public flagships such as the University o...
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Big Lots shuttering more than half of Colorado locations among 300 nationwide
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Approved, BizWest, State

Big Lots shuttering more than half of Colorado locations among 300 nationwide

By Christopher Wood | BizWest Discount retailer Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) will close more than half of its remaining Colorado stores, including locations in Greeley and Longmont. The Columbus, Ohio-based company is closing almost 300 stores nationwide, including at least eight of its 14 locations in Colorado. The closures come a year and a half after Big Lots shuttered locations in Fort Collins, Arvada, Denver and Englewood. READ THE FULL STORY AT BIZWEST
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Families of officers lost in the line of duty would get $1M benefit if ‘Back The Blue’ initiative passes
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Families of officers lost in the line of duty would get $1M benefit if ‘Back The Blue’ initiative passes

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics Proponents of a measure that would create a $1 million death benefit for the families of officers killed in the line of duty submitted 199,067 signatures to the office of the Secretary of State in hopes of garnering a place on the November ballot. Initiative 157, also known as the “Back The Blue” initiative would require the state to appropriate $350 million in funds already collected from taxpayers to the newly created Peace Officer Training and Support Fund within the Colorado Department of Public Safety. The funding would not only enhance the recruiting, training, retention and compensation of law enforcement and peace officers across the state, but would also provide a death benefit of $1 million to surviving spouses, children, or estate ...
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Senate approves bill to give Colorado two more federal judges
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Senate approves bill to give Colorado two more federal judges

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill on Thursday that would add judgeships to Colorado's federal trial court for the first time in 40 years. The bipartisan JUDGES Act would expand the size of district courts across the country in two-year increments over the next decade. Colorado's U.S. District Court currently has seven presidentially appointed judges, and the number under the bill would increase to nine by 2033. The Judicial Conference of the United States, which is the governing body for the federal courts, has repeatedly recommended Congress give two additional judgeships to Colorado based on caseloads. Data from 2022 showed 558 cases filed per judge on Colorado's federal trial court, a higher number than neighbo...
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Students on Colorado’s Youth Advisory Council come with ideas for state lawmakers
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Students on Colorado’s Youth Advisory Council come with ideas for state lawmakers

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Help schools install solar panels to cut fossil fuel use. Reduce cafeteria food waste by creating “share” tables and composting programs. Stock opioid overdose remedies in school AED cabinets. These are a few of ideas that Colorado teens proposed to state lawmakers on Thursday as part of a program that seeks to include young people in the legislative process. It’s possible some of the ideas could eventually become law. Most of the eight proposals presented Thursday by students on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council touched on environmental or health issues. Others addressed the shortage of school bus transportation and the difficulty that students with disabilities face in navigating school buildings. The advisory council consists of 40 students...
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Republican campaigns say Colorado GOP turmoil means they are going it alone heading into November
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Republican campaigns say Colorado GOP turmoil means they are going it alone heading into November

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Republicans running in tight races across the state this year don’t expect to get the kind of help from the Colorado GOP that the party has offered in the past, a big deficit as conservatives try to claw their way back to political relevance.  They have good reasons for that assumption. Fourteen of the 18 candidates the party endorsed this year in contested Republican primaries lost. Chairman Dave Williams used the party’s limited funds to pay for mailers to benefit his own failed congressional primary bid. And Williams hasn’t been seen much since his primary loss even as a movement to remove him as chair is underway.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Cats Aren’t Trophies group advances mountain lion hunting ban to ballot
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Cats Aren’t Trophies group advances mountain lion hunting ban to ballot

By Jason Blevins | Colorado Sun Colorado voters will get a chance to ban mountain lion hunting in November.  The Colorado Secretary of State on Wednesday confirmed that the campaign to end mountain lion hunting in Colorado had gathered enough signatures to get Proposition 91 on the November ballot. The initiative asks voters to declare that “any trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats or lynx is inhumane, serves no socially acceptable or ecologically beneficial purpose, and fails to further public safety.” The measure would ban any shooting or trapping of wildcats but allows killing cats that are threatening livestock or people. Representatives with the Cats Aren’t Trophies group submitted 147,529 valid signatures, more than the 124,238 that were required for ball...
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‘I voted’ sticker art contest open to Colorado high school students
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘I voted’ sticker art contest open to Colorado high school students

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice High school students throughout Colorado are encouraged to participate in a contest being offered by the secretary of state's office to create an "I Voted" digital sticker. “The digital ‘I Voted’ sticker is a great opportunity for students to engage with our democracy,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. “I’m already looking forward to seeing the designs Colorado high schoolers come up with to encourage Coloradans to vote!” A selected sticket design will be sent to voters via BallotTrax once they have voted in the upcoming general election, a press release from Griswold's office reads. It will also be featured on the Secretary of State’s website, media channels, press releases, in media coverage and as part of digital effort to encour...
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