Rocky Mountain Voice

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From ethics complaint to felony conviction: How forged letters ended a Colorado lawmaker’s career
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From ethics complaint to felony conviction: How forged letters ended a Colorado lawmaker’s career

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The investigation that ended former Colorado Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis’ political career did not begin with police or prosecutors. It began inside her own office. It ended in a Denver courtroom. There, jurors found the former lawmaker guilty on four felony counts tied to letters submitted during a legislative ethics investigation. The workplace dispute had become a criminal case. No prison sentence followed. The judge handed down two years’ probation, 150 hours of community service and a $3,000 fine. Months earlier, aides had begun raising complaints about how Jaquez Lewis ran her office. They accused her of mistreating staff and assigning work unrelated to legislative duties. Those complaints quickly reached S...
Colorado’s most valuable company leaves—Weeks after protests outside its Denver office
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s most valuable company leaves—Weeks after protests outside its Denver office

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice On February 17, Palantir Technologies posted a single sentence on X: “We have moved our headquarters to Miami, Florida.” There was no press conference and no detailed explanation. https://twitter.com/PalantirTech/status/2023780511051809010 At the time of the move, Palantir was the most valuable publicly traded company headquartered in Colorado, with a market capitalization in the tens of billions of dollars. And just like that, the state’s highest-valued corporate name had a new address. The announcement was brief. The consequences may not be. What the Economic Modeling Shows A February 2026 report from the Common Sense Institute examined what Palantir’s departure could mean for Colora...
Heated Debate Over Furbearer Hunting Prompts Increased Security At Colorado Wildlife Meeting
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Heated Debate Over Furbearer Hunting Prompts Increased Security At Colorado Wildlife Meeting

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun A CPW official cited large turnout and “detailed information about public testimony” as reasons for checking people for weapons at the door at the Wednesday meeting. Tension over furbearer regulations has prompted increased security for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission meeting Wednesday, when commissioners will vote on petitions from opposing groups focused on hunting and trapping of animals for their fur, including fox, coyote, beaver, bobcat, pine marten and otters.  CPW has encouraged attendees to arrive early to the meeting at the Double Tree Inn in Westminster where the agency will enforce the hotel’s ban on firearms and weapons by conducting security checks prior to entry.  CPW is taking the ...
Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home
The Fence Post, Approved, Commentary, State

Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home

By: Wade Allnutt | Commentary, The Fence Post I write this letter as a taxpayer, livestock producer and, most importantly, as a father of two young children. I am not writing to point fingers, but to give a first-hand account of what was voted on and what we in rural western Colorado are now living with as a consequence. The recent confirmed wolf depredation of a dog in Jackson County on Feb. 7, 2026, hits close to home for me. However, it is no more important than the depredations and mounting stress others have faced across western Colorado since this process began as a result of Proposition 114. This was also not the first depredation event for this ranch; they have had five other confirmed depredations of cattle in the last two years. Colorado is not an untouched w...
Grassroots-backed election amendments fall short as House advances HB26-1113
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Grassroots-backed election amendments fall short as House advances HB26-1113

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers approved a sweeping update to the state’s election laws Tuesday after rejecting several amendments that would have added voter roll verification requirements and expanded cybersecurity standards for election infrastructure. The vote followed a second-reading debate on HB26-1113 the previous legislative day that centered on election security proposals and questions about the accuracy of Colorado’s voter rolls. Sponsors describe bill as routine election law update Rep. Jenny Willford (Adams County) rose first to present HB26-1113 to the chamber. “The house bill that you have in front of you today is a cleanup bill for elections and voting,” Willford said. She told colleagues Colorado’s electio...
Former Judicial Discipline Director Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging Colorado Supreme Court Oversight
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Former Judicial Discipline Director Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging Colorado Supreme Court Oversight

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A former top official inside Colorado’s judicial discipline system is accusing the state’s highest court of protecting itself — and says he was fired after trying to hold it accountable. Christopher S.P. Gregory’s federal lawsuit names an unusually broad group of defendants: the Colorado Judicial Discipline Rulemaking Committee, the Colorado Supreme Court, Governor Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, current and former justices, senior judicial administrators, and other state officials. The breadth of the case is intentional. He is not just accusing individuals of wrongdoing. He is challenging the framework that he says allowed those individuals to influence — and ultimately suppress — the very pr...
Colorado Precinct Caucuses Begin As Parties Launch 2026 Election Cycle
KSUT, Approved, State

Colorado Precinct Caucuses Begin As Parties Launch 2026 Election Cycle

By Maeve Conran | KSUT The Democratic and Republican parties in Colorado are holding precinct caucuses between March 3 and March 7. These are small, neighborhood-level meetings where party members gather in-person or on zoom. The Democratic and Republican parties in Colorado are holding precinct caucuses between March 3 and March 7. These are small, neighborhood-level meetings where party members gather in person or on Zoom. At the caucus, party members discuss candidates and party platforms and select delegates to advance to the county assemblies. Party members also elect precinct organizers for the next two years and help recruit election judges and poll watchers. Delegates chosen at precinct caucuses advance to county assemblies, held between March 3 and Ma...
Colorado Lawmakers Split on Iran
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Split on Iran

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado’s congressional delegation split sharply along party lines Saturday after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a fresh debate in America over presidential war powers. Trump announced early Saturday morning that U.S and Israeli forces had begun “Operation Epic Fury” after multiple explosions were reported around Iran. Later in the day, the president said that Iran’s leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. Iranian state media also confirmed Khamenei’s death. Both sides of the political aisle agree that Iran — one official called the country a “terrorist state” — should never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. But Democrats and Republicans clashed over the latest operations, just ...
Rural Lawmakers Reject Polis Backed Pesticide Restrictions
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Rural Lawmakers Reject Polis Backed Pesticide Restrictions

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A proposal to limit the use of neonicotinoid-coated crop seeds collapsed in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee last week, as rural lawmakers, including two Democrats, joined Republicans to reject what they called an expensive, impractical mandate on farmers. Senate Bill 65 would have required farmers to obtain permission from third-party evaluators before using crop seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides, also known as neonics. But the committee’s rural lawmakers, including two Democrats, weren’t persuaded that the program sponsored by Democratic Sens. Katie Wallace of Longmont and Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins was the right step, killing the bill in a 2-5 vote last week. Wallace claimed farmers are p...
Federal Audit Finds Colorado Misspent $78 Million On Autism Therapy
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Federal Audit Finds Colorado Misspent $78 Million On Autism Therapy

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun The state must repay the federal government $42.6 million after “questionable billing patterns.” Colorado made at least $77.8 million in improper payments for Medicaid services for children with autism and must refund the federal government $42.6 million, federal officials said Monday.  Auditors at the federal Office of the Inspector General found the state Medicaid program has been improperly covering care by uncredentialed behavioral technicians for children with autism, among other billing discrepancies.  The audit released Monday comes as the state is already dealing with a $1 billion budget shortfall and cuts to Medicaid benefits that have affected multiple programs for people with low incomes and disabi...

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