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Cole: Colorado lawmakers scrolled while your safety was debated
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Cole: Colorado lawmakers scrolled while your safety was debated

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a state where crime surges and citizens rely on their Second Amendment rights for protection, you’d hope lawmakers would take their duties seriously. Yet, during debates on Senate Bill 25-003—a measure slashing Coloradans’ ability to defend themselves—several representatives checked out.  Rep. Meghan Lukens (D) played Tetris, Rep. Sheila Stewart (D) and Rep. Javier Mauro (D) scrolled TikTok, Rep. Tisha Mauro (D) browsed Instagram, and Rep. Matthew Clifford (D) surfed Facebook—all while colleagues argued over a bill that could leave Coloradans defenseless.  Their minds seemed made up, uninterested in the arguments put forth by their colleagues.  And on March 24, 2025, with Lukens casting the deciding vote,...
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Hillman: Fiscal tailgating put Colorado in the ditch
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Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Hillman: Fiscal tailgating put Colorado in the ditch

By Mark Hillman | Denver Gazette Headlines from the state Capitol might cause a reader to believe Colorado is in a deep recession. Legislators say they must cut more than $1 billion in spending to balance the 2025-26 budget. Still, state government has $687 million more to spend than last year in a $19 billion budget. So why all the histrionics about a budget “crisis”? Because Colorado lawmakers practice fiscal tailgating. Tailgating on the highway is dangerous because when drivers travel too fast and follow too close to the car ahead, the tailgating driver doesn’t have time to react if the lead driver unexpectedly brakes or swerves. Fiscal tailgating is much the same. Lawmakers spend money as fast as it comes in, then when the economy slows, they face much harder choices th...
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Rural Colorado school districts that once served students online could see brunt of major state budget cuts
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Rural Colorado school districts that once served students online could see brunt of major state budget cuts

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun As Colorado lawmakers try to solve a state budget crisis, Gov. Jared Polis’ office is advocating for a new set of changes to student averaging that would significantly impact a handful of rural school districts and charter schools that found a lifeline for their budgets by enrolling online homeschool students. Vilas School District RE-5, in far southeastern Colorado, along with Plainview School District Re-2, about 100 miles to the north, and three Colorado Early Colleges campuses in recent years ran online enrichment programs for homeschool students with help from an outside vendor. Those programs — which the districts and charter schools no longer operate — emerged during the pandemic, when the Colorado Department of Education relaxed rules a...
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Colorado’s gray wolves edge closer to Denver metro area: CPW map
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado’s gray wolves edge closer to Denver metro area: CPW map

By Jacob Factor | Fox 31 News DENVER (KDVR) — At least one of Colorado’s gray wolves in March entered a new Denver area county and new watersheds in northern Park County, some of the closest areas to the Denver metro they have been tracked since their initial reintroduction. Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday released a new map for collared wolf activity between Feb. 25 and March 25, showing wolf activity in Clear Creek County and in watersheds that extend into northern Park County toward the Jefferson County border.USDA confirms wolf relocated to Colorado killed by Wildlife Services in Wyoming CPW tracks the wolves based on watersheds they enter at some point in the month-long span, but they do not report exact locations within those watersheds. This map shows...
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Colorado ranchers and commissioners urge halt on wolf ballot measure, seek better management plan from state
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado ranchers and commissioners urge halt on wolf ballot measure, seek better management plan from state

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics While they might agree on the problem, a group of Western Slope county commissioners and agricultural groups are asking proponents of a ballot measure to repeal Proposition 114, which allowed the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado, to back off. A March 17 letter was sent to Patrick Davis, who heads Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy, which is supporting the repeal ballot measure. The signatories are county commissioners from Garfield, Grand, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose and Rio Blanco counties and four county-based wool growers associations. The letter indicates that ranchers and county officials opposed to the reintroduction program are willing to work within the system, utilizing the state's wolf management plan as a means of addressing...
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Colorado Republicans call on Polis to block police officer’s killer from early-parole program
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Republicans call on Polis to block police officer’s killer from early-parole program

By Ernest Luning | Denver Gazette The four Republican members of Colorado's congressional delegation are calling on Gov. Jared Polis to prevent a man convicted of killing a Denver police officer in 2005 from joining a program that could lead to his early release. Polis' office, however, said the governor has no role in the process and accused the GOP lawmakers of grandstanding around a "heinous crime." In a letter dated March 21 led by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a former state lawmaker and Arvada police officer, Evans and U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank and Jeff Hurd asked Polis to join them in urging the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections to reject an application by Raul Gomez-Garcia to participate in a program that allows certain inmates to l...
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Holistic health practitioners fight back against HB25-1220’s threat to medical freedom
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Holistic health practitioners fight back against HB25-1220’s threat to medical freedom

By Tori Ganahl, Rocky Mountain Voice A new bill moving through the Colorado General Assembly, HB25-1220, is drawing sharp criticism from holistic health practitioners and nutritionists, who argue it amounts to government overreach that could criminalize alternative health practices and limit consumer choice. Proponents say the bill is necessary to protect public health by ensuring only qualified professionals provide medical nutrition therapy (MNT). The legislation would create the State Board of Dietetics and Nutrition, with the authority to license, regulate, and discipline professionals practicing medical nutrition therapy. Under the bill, individuals offering nutrition services must obtain a state license by September 1, 2026, or face penalties, including a class two misdemean...
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Major gun-control proposals close in on passage in Colorado
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Approved, NPR, State

Major gun-control proposals close in on passage in Colorado

By Lucas Brady Woods | NPR Colorado gun owners and sellers could soon have to contend with sweeping new restrictions as three gun-control proposals approach final passage in the Colorado legislature. The most significant measure, Senate Bill 25-003, would create some of the strictest gun-ownership rules in the country. It would make it illegal to buy, sell and manufacture most guns that use detachable magazines, unless a person has a special permit. A wide range of rifles, shotguns, pistols and some handguns would be affected by the bill. To obtain a permit, they would have to go through up to 12 hours of safety training and get approval from their local sheriff. READ THE FULL STORY AT NPR
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‘Not medically necessary:’ Colorado family fights back after $94K air ambulance bill
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Approved, DENVER7, State

‘Not medically necessary:’ Colorado family fights back after $94K air ambulance bill

By  Jaclyn Allen | Denver7 PUEBLO, Colo. — Bob Taylor woke up in a panic on July 7, 2022. He was having severe chest pains and worried it was another heart attack. He and his wife, Marjean, were staying at a friend's cabin about an hour's drive from the nearest hospital in Alamosa. After Marjean drove him to the San Luis Valley Health Hospital, Bob was told he was having his second heart attack in four months. Doctors said he needed a higher level care than they could provide and that they would transport him by helicopter to the nearest facility. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7
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Trump order sparks backlash from Colorado election officials over proof of citizenship rule
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Trump order sparks backlash from Colorado election officials over proof of citizenship rule

By Heather Willard | Fox31 News DENVER (KDVR) — President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Tuesday that would overhaul U.S. elections. The order includes requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, among other measures. Colorado elections officials called the order “unlawful.” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told FOX31 that her office is still reviewing the entire order in conjunction with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, but said the order would, in some states, “effectively become a poll tax.” The executive order is called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” with a stated goal of cultivating free, fair and honest elections. The order requires proof of citizenship on national...
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