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As primary draws to a close, candidates are making final pitch to voters, asking for turnout
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

As primary draws to a close, candidates are making final pitch to voters, asking for turnout

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice From the far stretches of the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and all places in between, candidates up and down the ballot have spent the past six months attempting to woo voters. At one time earlier this year, a dozen candidates were vying for the Republican nomination in the 4th District to replace U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, and others in less ballyhooed races worked no less hard to earn support for their party nomination. All the miles, chicken dinners, speeches, videos and ads culminate Tuesday in the election of party nominees to various offices - nominees Republicans hope can win in the general election this fall. So what is the final message candidates hope to leave with voters? What efforts did candidates make to get voters to cast ba...
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Colorado employers may finally have found enough workers, but 1.7 open jobs remain for every unemployed worker
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado employers may finally have found enough workers, but 1.7 open jobs remain for every unemployed worker

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun Colorado received some notable mentions in the latest national job-openings report. The state had the largest one-month increases in both workers who quit jobs or left involuntarily. That helped the state rank as the second highest in the nation for workers who quit jobs and third highest for those who lost them in April, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, or JOLTS. The last time the state hit a 3.5% quit rate was in the summer of 2021, when the Great Resignation took hold and employers faced the worst labor shortage in years. But the frustrations employers felt with getting ghosted by new hires back then doesn’t appear to be happening today, at least from what Tony Gagliardi is hearing. As state dire...
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Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The latest revenue forecast for Colorado's state government reflected the effects of some of the 30 laws approved this year that changed tax policy, resulting in less revenue for state operations and decreased Taxpayer's Bill of Rights refunds to residents.  The overarching message is the 2024-25 budget was tight — and 2025-26 is going to be even tighter. And that doesn't yet include the potential effects to the state budget from two ballot measures that could require the state to backfill up to $3 billion to cover lost property tax revenue for school districts and local governments. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado tribes want to get into lucrative online sports betting. A dispute with the state is getting in the way.
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado tribes want to get into lucrative online sports betting. A dispute with the state is getting in the way.

By Jerd Smith | The Colorado Sun Colorado tribes want to offer online sports betting. But their tax status, and other issues, has some people worried that allowing the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain tribes to offer remote wagering on professional sports might siphon valuable revenue away from Colorado water projects. The Colorado Department of Revenue declined to comment on the specifics of the dispute, while tribal representatives say they are frustrated with the state’s refusal to allow them to offer it. In November, a proposition referred to the ballot by lawmakers in House Bill 1436, will ask voters to allow the state to keep more of the revenue generated by sports gaming. Taxes collected on those bets, which were authorized in 2019, are projected to generate $34.2 million in t...
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Colorado wildlife officials confirm Grand County wolves have reproduced
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado wildlife officials confirm Grand County wolves have reproduced

By The Colorado Sun At least one pup has been born to a pair of wolves transplanted to Colorado from Oregon in December. Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Thursday evening said a gray wolf pup was spotted on June 18 in Grand County but said it is likely as many as five more were born. Biologists tracking location data noted in early April that a female’s collar had stopped uploading GPS coordinates, but then resumed sending data later in the month. This led the biologists to believe she was likely in a den. Though CPW did not release a photo or video footage of the pup, a news release said biologists had observed the area where the female’s collar was transmitting from the air and ground, using remote cameras and public reports. The biologists will continue to observe the denning ...
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In low-turnout primary election, 4th District outperforming others with 17.1% of all ballots cast
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In low-turnout primary election, 4th District outperforming others with 17.1% of all ballots cast

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It may not be a historically-low turnout as many candidates from all corners of Colorado fear, but the primary election certainly doesn't appear to be shattering any records. With the weekend, Monday and Tuesday left in the primary election for both major parties and candidates, there have been 533,659 ballots cast. Registered voters cast 608,318 ballots in 2022, an upward trend from 2020. Another almost 75,000 ballots must be cast statewide in order to eclipse 2022. There has not been a downward swing in total ballots cast in at least the past four even-year primary elections. Election Day is Tuesday, June 25. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day at voting centers throughout the state. Ballots may also be cast through the clo...
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Are attack ads for contentious primaries effective?
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Are attack ads for contentious primaries effective?

By Sara Bichler | Fox 31 News More advertisements are coming out ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, and while some are meant to help a candidate, others are looking to make political opponents appear worse. In the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional Seat on the Western Slope, six Republican candidates are vying for a spot on November’s ballot to take over the seat U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is leaving behind. Now, a national GOP Super PAC is trying to turn voters against one of the candidates. The Congressional Leadership Fund is hoping to convince voters that Ron Hans will lose in November if he wins the primary. This is despite Hanks being endorsed by the Colorado Republican Party. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Colorado ethics panel finds probable cause to investigate lawmaker accused of intoxication
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado ethics panel finds probable cause to investigate lawmaker accused of intoxication

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A Senate panel on Thursday decided to investigate the actions of a legislator accused of showing up intoxicated at a city council meeting in her district.  The panel unanimously agreed that a probable cause exists to look into an ethics complaint filed by the Northglenn City Council against Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, for her behavior during the April meeting.  Northglenn's councilmembers alleged that Winter failed to uphold her duties as a senator when she appeared to be intoxicated on April 3, in which the city council and residents discussed a proposal to locate a behavioral center in Northglenn. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado ends budget year $164M in the red with potential tax cuts looming on November ballot
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado ends budget year $164M in the red with potential tax cuts looming on November ballot

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The state of Colorado will end its budget year June 30 with a deficit of as much as $164 million, forcing it to dip into its reserves as it heads into an election cycle fraught with financial uncertainty. And the budget picture only deteriorates from there, according to revenue forecasts provided to the Joint Budget Committee on Thursday. Next fiscal year, which starts July 1, the state will start in a $35 million to $86 million hole that budget writers would have to close during midyear budget adjustments, which take place each year in January. That leaves little wriggle room if something unexpected happens in the meantime, like an uptick in health care costs or a slowdown in tax collections. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Flora heads up panel addressing ‘complex problem’ of illegal immigration, HB 19-1124 and sanctuaries
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Flora heads up panel addressing ‘complex problem’ of illegal immigration, HB 19-1124 and sanctuaries

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice LONE TREE -- It might be a complex problem but the solution could be quite simple, participants in an immigration forum told a large audience gathered here Wednesday in Douglas County. "We can secure the border, and then the work begins," said Deborah Flora. A candidate in the 4th District U.S. House race, Flora has pledged that, if elected, immigration will top her list of priorities. She organized a forum here with local law enforcement officials, including a sheriff, district attorney and former ICE director. "The State of Colorado has made it essentially against the law to participate with our federal partners," said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. He and other sheriffs have complained the Democrat-led House Bill 19-1124 is to...
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