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McConnell joins 45 GOP senators backing Trump in Colorado ballot fight
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National, State

McConnell joins 45 GOP senators backing Trump in Colorado ballot fight

By Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE The fate of former President Donald Trump's primary ballot access in Colorado got a boost Thursday from 46 Republican senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), calling on the Supreme Court to keep him on the ballot. More than two dozen amicus briefs have been filed to the public docket for the Supreme Court case over whether Trump, the Republican front-runner for the 2024 presidential election, is disqualified from appearing on the Centennial State's primary ballot under a 14th Amendment provision barring anyone who engaged in insurrection from holding office again. In the latest brief, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), 177 Rep...
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Adams County Democrats to pick successor to former Rep. Said Sharbini
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local, State

Adams County Democrats to pick successor to former Rep. Said Sharbini

By Marianne Goodland | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS A Democratic Adams County House District 31 vacancy committee will meet Thursday evening to choose a successor to Rep. Said Sharbini, D-Adams County. Sharbini, who served one year in the House after being elected to his first term in 2022, resigned in December, citing financial pressures and the toxic environment of the state House. The vacancy committee will meet at 5:45 p.m. for a candidates' forum and then at 6:30 p.m. for the election. The election is expected to conclude by 7 p.m. due to other party business on the agenda. There are at least two candidates in the running: Julia Marvin and Jacqueline Phillips. Both have filed to run for the seat in the 2024 primary election. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS....
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Colorado Democrat Lawmakers’ Excessive Legal Defense of Secret Ballot System Costs Taxpayers Over $54,000
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Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado Democrat Lawmakers’ Excessive Legal Defense of Secret Ballot System Costs Taxpayers Over $54,000

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM Colorado Democrat lawmakers have spent over $54,000 in taxpayer funds to defend their secret ballot system in court, only to be ordered by a judge to cease its use due to violations of the Open Meetings Law. According to documents obtained by KUNC News through an open records request, the total cost of the case is not final, as there is an expected additional invoice from the attorneys hired by the lawmakers. Suzanne Taheri, the lawyer representing the plaintiff who prevailed in the lawsuit, plans to seek court costs from the legislature as well. Despite the ruling on January 5, it remains unclear whether lawmakers, including Sen. President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, plan to appeal the decision, as their spokesperson did not respond to inquiries fro...
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Colorado State Legislature Introduces Seven Bills with Implications for the Business Community
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Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado State Legislature Introduces Seven Bills with Implications for the Business Community

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM As the Colorado state legislature enters its third week, lawmakers have already introduced several bills that could have a significant impact on the business community. Here are seven that were introduced on the first day of the 2024 Colorado General Assembly: Senate Bill 24-020: Alcohol Beverage Delivery and Takeout by Sen. Dylan Roberts, Rep. William Lindstedt, and Rep. Rose Pugliese, this bill aims to allow businesses to continue offering alcoholic beverages for takeout and delivery beyond the current sunset date of July 1, 2025. House Bill 24-1008: Wage Claims Construction Industry Contractors proposed legislation, sponsored by House Majority Leader Monica Duran, Rep. Meg Froelich, Sen. Jessie Danielson, and S...
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Student enrollment down statewide, up in Denver because of newly arriving immigrants
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local, State

Student enrollment down statewide, up in Denver because of newly arriving immigrants

By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: THE DENVER GAZETTE Student enrollment statewide declined for a second year with new data from the Colorado Department of Education showing a loss of about 1,800 students on what’s called the October count, which is used to determine funding levels for school districts. “On a percentage basis, it’s a fairly small change,” said Jennifer Okes, chief school operations officer for the Colorado Department of Education. Statewide enrollment remains relatively stable. Those 1,800 Colorado students equate to a roughly 0.20% decrease, down from 883,264 in 2022 to 881,464 last fall, state data shows. Colorado’s enrollment was last this low in 2013, when 876,999 pupils were counted, after gaining 13,438 students. What the Oct. 2 count doesn’t show is t...
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Colorado House GOP leader Mike Lynch, a congressional candidate, was arrested in 2022 on DUI, gun charges
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House GOP leader Mike Lynch, a congressional candidate, was arrested in 2022 on DUI, gun charges

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS State House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, a Republican candidate in Colorado's open 4th Congressional District, was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of drunken driving and being in possession of a gun while intoxicated, law enforcement records show. The Wellington lawmaker is one of 11 Republicans running for the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a Windsor Republican serving his fifth term. The crowded primary field also includes U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who announced in late December that she will run this year in the heavily Republican 4th CD rather than seek reelection in the more competitive district she represents. Lynch, serving his second term, was elected to lead House Republicans about six weeks after the arrest, ...
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State Rep. Epps pushes bill for lethal drug injection centers across Colorado
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

State Rep. Epps pushes bill for lethal drug injection centers across Colorado

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS Insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results, which explains why Democrats are once again trying to legalize drug dens across Colorado for hardcore substances like fentanyl, heroin, and meth. The issue was first introduced to the state legislature five years ago by then state Sen. Brittany Pettersen, now Congresswoman Pettersen, who wanted to open a drug injection site across the street from the state Capitol. The idea failed miserably then, and nearly every year since as progressive Democrats intent on dragging the state further into the shitter have tried to legalize lethal drugs using this same backdoor method. This year, it’s state Rep. Elisabeth Epps and Republican-turned-Democrat Kevin Priola who just days a...
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Caldara: Stage is set for the ‘Colorado Rebound’
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Stage is set for the ‘Colorado Rebound’

By Jon Caldara | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Never since the passage of our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in 1992 have I been more optimistic about the possibility of Coloradans winning back the lost personal and economic freedoms stolen by the government leviathan. And no, I have not been ingesting the state’s newly deregulated psychedelic mushrooms. I make this observation after taking an inventory of the political condition of our state as I have worked in Colorado politics for well more than three decades. As I wrote last week, the Colorado GOP is a lost cause for the next several years. This is a painful but necessary process, like an addict going through the hell of withdrawal, to realign candidates to the new political truths of the state. Though difficult to swallow, conservativ...
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Liberal Democrats Push Failed Drug Policy in Colorado, Ignoring Public Concerns
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Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Liberal Democrats Push Failed Drug Policy in Colorado, Ignoring Public Concerns

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM Once again, Denver progressives are pushing for the legalization and funding of "drug shooting galleries" in Colorado. Rep. Elisabeth Epps and Sen. Kevin Priola are making their second attempt to pass legislation that would establish "safe injection sites" for illegal drug users. However, this ultra-liberal program has proven to be a complete failure in other cities and was overwhelmingly rejected by the Democrat majority during the previous legislative session. Epps and Priola were the prime sponsors of a similar effort in 2023, which ultimately failed to gain support in a Democrat-controlled Senate committee after passing in the House. Interestingly, the current 2024 effort only includes the names of Epps and Priola, in contrast to the previous bill t...
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‘All-time’ temperature record falls in Colorado on sub-zero day
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

‘All-time’ temperature record falls in Colorado on sub-zero day

By Spencer McKee | SOURCE: THE DENVER GAZETTE Another temperature record has been set in Colorado during recent days of frigid weather. According to the National Weather Service, a temperature of -30 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded at their Limon station on January 16. This is the lowest all-time temperature that has been recorded at the station, with the previous record being -28 degrees. That prior record was first set on February 14, 2021 and tied last Monday. That being said, -30 degrees has never been recorded by the station since records began in 1948. This new record is a bit different than other records that have fallen in recent days, as other records that have been addressed were records based on the singular date, not 'all-time.' READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.CO...
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