Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

State

Colorado’s political shift meets a population reality check
No Comments
the Aspen beat, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s political shift meets a population reality check

By Glenn K. Beaton | Commentary, the Aspen beat Last year, more people moved out of Colorado to other states than vice versa. Interstate “net migration” was negative. After factoring in births, the state’s overall population increased less than half a percent. That’s the lowest since the oil and gas bust of 1989 nearly a half century ago. These figures put Colorado in the bottom half of population growth. We’re 29th of the 50 states. Neighboring Utah grew at the fifth-highest rate, so Colorado can’t blame it on the demise of the carbon-spewing, environment-wrecking, injury-causing, traffic-jamming ski industry which is mired in a record snow drought. Colorado used to be cool. It was young, vibrant, virile. Colorado often led the nation in th...
Read More
Colorado Bill Would Let Select Housing Projects Bypass Local Zoning Rules
No Comments
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Bill Would Let Select Housing Projects Bypass Local Zoning Rules

By Danielle Kreutter | Denver7 Advocates say HB26-1001 will make it easier to build affordable housing; critics warn it takes away local control. DENVER - A bill that would allow certain landowners — such as schools and affordable housing nonprofits — to bypass certain local zoning restrictions is heading to committee. HB26-1001, or the HOME Act, is heading to the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee on Tuesday. Qualifying properties can be no more than five acres and must belong to: - A nonprofit organization that historically has provided affordable housing- A nonprofit that works in public transit- A nonprofit that is in agreement with an affordable housing nonprofit- A school district- A state college or university- A housing aut...
Read More
Colorado Democrats Advance Immigration Accountability Bills After National Protests
No Comments
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Advance Immigration Accountability Bills After National Protests

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 While a handful of bills have not been introduced yet, SB26-005 advanced out of its first committee hearing on Monday afternoon. DENVER — On the heels of protests that erupted across the nation related to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, Colorado Democrats announced legislation they contend will protect civil rights. On Monday, Democratic lawmakers from both the State Senate and House of Representatives rallied alongside community members and stakeholders to unveil a new package of bills that are intertwined with immigration in America. The new bills have not been introduced yet, but legislators said they will increase "accountability" and "transparency" through the enforcement of violations when personal i...
Read More
New Colorado Bill Targets Data Center Growth Energy Use and Water Impact
No Comments
DENVER7, Approved, State

New Colorado Bill Targets Data Center Growth Energy Use and Water Impact

By: Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 DENVER — A bill has been introduced in the Colorado state legislature to propose regulations on data centers continuing to pop up around the state. It's a discussion Denver7 has been listening to with many people struggling with the amount of water and energy needed to make them function. HB26-1030 aims to hold developers accountable to meet climate goals, while also working to boost the economy. Colorado House of Representatives Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Jefferson County, and state Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver County, shared the below joint statement about the proposed regulations with Denver7: READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Read More
Red flag law expansion questioned as data shows wrongful gun seizures in Colorado
No Comments
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Red flag law expansion questioned as data shows wrongful gun seizures in Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Expanding red flag laws without fixing current problems I wanted to share David Kopel’s written testimony against the proposed expansion--the second time in two years for those keeping count--of Colorado’s Red Flag Law (aka Extreme Risk Protection Order Law). It’s linked first below.As he has done in the past, Mr. Kopel does a wonderful job of dispassionately laying out arguments against the gun control we’ve seen, often striking at the underpinnings and foundations of the law as well as the arguments made by legislators/others for it.I will leave it to you to read the op ed, but I will share a couple things that made it especially noteworthy to me.Besides the unproven (and probably unprovable) narrative tha...
Read More
Griswold blocks DOJ voter roll review while data flows elsewhere
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Griswold blocks DOJ voter roll review while data flows elsewhere

By Linda Good | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold wants the public to believe that a lawful voter-roll records request from the U.S. Department of Justice is an unprecedented threat to voter privacy. That framing is not principled. It’s strategic. When the DOJ asked Colorado to provide unredacted voter data, including full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers, Griswold didn’t offer a sober legal analysis—she offered a slogan.  In her office’s statement she said, “The DOJ can take a hike; it does not have a legal right to the information. Colorado will not help Donald Trump undermine our elections and hurt the American people.”  ...
Read More
Colorado PUC Moves to Regulate Planned Power Shutoffs After Xcel Outages
No Comments
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado PUC Moves to Regulate Planned Power Shutoffs After Xcel Outages

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado After four Xcel power shutoffs in the past nine months, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission is taking action. The director of the PUC told state lawmakers the regulatory agency is creating rules to help mitigate the impact of "Public Safety Power Shutoffs," which are meant to reduce the risk of a wildfire in high wind events. The news came during a hearing by the Colorado House and Senate energy committees, where lawmakers grilled the president of Xcel, Robert Kenney. Republic state Sen. Byron Pelton, who represents Morgan County, told Kenney, when power is cut to feed lots in rural Colorado, cattle lose access to water. Democratic state Sen. Tammy Story, who represents Jefferson County, says the shutoffs have h...
Read More
More People Are Leaving Colorado as High Costs and Regulations Take Toll
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

More People Are Leaving Colorado as High Costs and Regulations Take Toll

By Vince Bzdek | Colorado Politics It’s finally happened. Buried in all the self-congratulatory reports about Colorado reaching the 6 million mark in population last year was news that should be keeping our political leaders up at night. For the first time in 20 years, more people left Colorado to go to other states than moved here from elsewhere in the country, 12,100 more. “More outs than ins,” the state demographer’s office said in a statement. I’ve been dreading this moment for years. Colorado’s total net migration – the number of people coming here versus the number of people leaving – has dropped by over 50% from 2015 to 2025. That means Colorado’s population growth has now slowed to its lowest level since 1989, according to the state demographer...
Read More
Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies
No Comments
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Shooting deaths in Minneapolis involving Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s operations have stirred strong opinions about what to do with illegal immigration in our state and across the country. Many Coloradans are against ICE’s operations in Minneapolis and elsewhere, including here in Colorado, under President Donald Trump and find them to be unwarranted and dangerous.  Many other Coloradans are in full support of Trump and ICE, believing it’s more than reasonable for the federal government to apprehend and deport people here illegally. Especially when they have committed crimes over and above entering the country illegally in the first place. In the midst of that heated debate, advocacy...
Read More
Colorado appeals court orders new briefs after state flags statute oversight in Tina Peters case
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado appeals court orders new briefs after state flags statute oversight in Tina Peters case

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Court of Appeals has reopened briefing in Tina Peters’ criminal appeal after the state acknowledged it overlooked a key statutory issue while briefing and arguing the case. The appeal’s timeline changed on Jan. 29, when the Court of Appeals ordered a new round of briefing following a late filing from the Attorney General, a “notice of erratum” addressing the felony charge. 2026-01-29 C ORDER OF THE COURT Respond to ErratumDownload The question surfaced during oral argument earlier this month. Judges asked whether the felony conspiracy charge was tied to the correct version of Colorado law. After oral argument concluded, prosecutors revisited the statute. In a filing submitted January 23, the Attor...
Read More