Rocky Mountain Voice

State

Aerospace company chooses Colorado over Utah for expansion
The Center Square, Approved, State

Aerospace company chooses Colorado over Utah for expansion

By Tom Joyce | The Center Square A micro-satellite systems and infrastructure developer is expanding its operations into Littleton, Colorado. Astro Digital, a company founded in California nearly a decade ago, is building out in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced Thursday morning. Astro Digital "provides end-to-end satellite mission support, including comprehensive satellite technology development and flight operations support for applications such as earth observation and communications," according to an OEDIT press release. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
Business leaders say they’re deflated by preliminary state rules on carbon management
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Business leaders say they’re deflated by preliminary state rules on carbon management

By Ed Sealover | Colorado Politics Colorado regulators gave preliminary approval on Dec. 5 to the state’s first comprehensive rules on carbon capture and sequestration — rules that business leaders warn could scare off projects that are needed to meet statewide emissions-reduction goals. The rules that Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission leaders are set to give final approval will be included in the state’s application to take regulatory primacy for the growing sector from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They would establish safeguards that ensure the safety of Class VI injection wells and limit the impact they can have on surrounding communities. Operators of such wells sequester carbon coming from industrial sites — typically oil-and-gas drilling pads or o...
Company that owns three apartment complexes at heart of Aurora TdA gang concerns sues state AG
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Company that owns three apartment complexes at heart of Aurora TdA gang concerns sues state AG

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette vis Colorado Politics The owners of the troubled apartment complexes in Aurora have filed a lawsuit against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser to block a subpoena for the company’s records in a civil investigation. Filed in Denver District Court last week by Brooklyn-based CBZ Management and its affiliated companies, the lawsuit also seeks a protective order to block the release of personal or financial information obtained in the subpoenas. Weiser declined comment. CBZ Management owns 11 properties in Colorado, including three apartment complexes in Aurora that nabbed national headlines for claims that a Venezuelan gang had taken over the buildings. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Colorado to expand health care to illegals, leading to $17 million expense overage
Approved, DENVER7, State

Colorado to expand health care to illegals, leading to $17 million expense overage

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 News A Colorado program launching on Jan. 1 will provide health care coverage to thousands of undocumented immigrants who currently lack it. The program, known as Cover All Coloradans, will expand Medicaid coverage to low-income pregnant women and children regardless of their immigration status. It was created through the passage of House Bill 22-1289 in 2022. “I think what we know is everybody deserves access to health care,” said Adam Fox with Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, which helped push for the passage of the law. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7 NEWS
Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Second Democrat to seek Colorado Senate District 29 seat to be vacated by Janet Buckner

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Maya Wheeler, a community activist and business owner from Aurora, has announced she will be running for the vacant Senate seat in District 29. The seat is currently held by Democratic Sen. Janet Buckner, who recently announced she would be resigning next month after running unopposed in the 2024 election.  Buckner started her legislative career in the House in 2015 through the vacancy process, following the death of her husband, Rep. John Buckner. She was elected to the state Senate in 2020.  Wheeler is not the only candidate seeking the vacated seat. Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, announced her intention to run for the seat last month. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Copper Creek wolf pack to return to wild as Colorado set to release 15 wolves
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Copper Creek wolf pack to return to wild as Colorado set to release 15 wolves

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News Colorado Parks and Wildlife planned to release 15 wolves in Colorado by January, and now a few more wolves will join the release. The wolves from Canada will be released in Colorado in January. Originally, this amounted to 15 wolves. However, CPW confirmed with FOX31 that five wolves (a female and four pups) from the Copper Creek wolf pack will also be part of the release. The Copper Creek wolf pack, originally introduced into the state in December 2023, was captured over the summer with plans to relocate after livestock depredations, although critics say it goes against parts of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics via Denver Gazette A panel of experts on Tuesday argued that certain crimes should be a felony, instead of a misdemeanor, and Colorado's policymakers should give law enforcement the right tools to go after criminals. That approach might entail pushing back on policies throughout the state and in municipalities, according to the panelists at the Common Sense Institute’s (CSI) annual summit. Moderated by Executive Editor of The Gazette, Vince Bzdek, three panelists discussed tackling crime through data-driven strategies. The Panelists included 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner, Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams and CSI criminal justice expert and fellow Mitch Morrissey, a former Denver District Attorney. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLO...
U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd ready to get to work on border security, immigration in Congress
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd ready to get to work on border security, immigration in Congress

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Since the moment Jeff Hurd was declared the winner of Colorado's 3rd District election to the U.S. House, he has been working on putting a finer point on the details of the campaign promises to the people in Southern and Western Colorado who elected him. He is actively thinking about legislation he can write and support, and bad legislation and bureaucratic systems that he can help eliminate that get in the way of prosperity and success for the people in the district, he says. During his campaign, Hurd promised he would work with other members of the Republican Caucus to secure the border. To that end, he has been reviewing legislative measures he could write and support that would promote border security. In additio...
State Rep. Brandi Bradley is fundraising, but this time to spread Christmas cheer
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

State Rep. Brandi Bradley is fundraising, but this time to spread Christmas cheer

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice  It’s a scene no parent wants to imagine: children sleeping on floors, wearing shoes three sizes too small or going without a warm coat during the winter.  Yet, for hundreds of children in Douglas County, this is a stark reality.  “We had more than 300 homeless or displaced kids in Douglas County last year,” state Rep. Brandi Bradley shares. “This isn’t because people are wasting money. It’s because they can’t afford the cost of living. The economy we’ve created through state-level decisions has put people in impossible situations.” Bradley, who represents District 39 in Douglas County, is driven to change that in ways that surpass her fight at the capitol. And she’s calling on her community to join her in sp...
Hunting groups suing CPW commissioners over op-ed ahead of Prop. 127 election
State, The Colorado Sun

Hunting groups suing CPW commissioners over op-ed ahead of Prop. 127 election

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Two influential hunting organizations are suing members of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission saying they violated Colorado Open Meetings Law and spread false information about mountain lion hunting prior to last month’s vote on Proposition 127, which would have banned the hunting and trapping of mountain lions, lynx and bobcats.   When the proposition failed by a margin of less than 5 percentage points, it marked the first time since 1992 that Colorado voters rejected a wildlife ballot proposal and stirred hope among some of a bridging of Colorado’s urban-rural divide.  But Safari Club International and The Sportsmens Alliance Foundation sued commissioners Jessica Beaulieu and Jack Murphy as well as former com...