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Colorado crime experts urge ‘misdemeanor reform’ to combat crime
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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...
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U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd ready to get to work on border security, immigration in Congress
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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...
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State Rep. Brandi Bradley is fundraising, but this time to spread Christmas cheer
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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...
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Hunting groups suing CPW commissioners over op-ed ahead of Prop. 127 election
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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...
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Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Stephanie Vigil won’t challenge Rebecca Keltie’s victory in state House District 16 race

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, who lost the House District 16 race to Republican Rep.-elect Rebecca Keltie, says she will not challenge the results. An automatic recount, ordered after the race ended in a seven-vote lead for Keltie, brought that race to a tie. But the canvassing board in El Paso County made up of one Democrat, one Republican, and the county clerk, declared that three votes cast for Vigil would not be counted, and Keltie was certified as the winner on Dec. 5. The Secretary of State's office accepted those results. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis criticized for blaming wolf reintroduction program costs on ranchers

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year. The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis' comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state's 64 counties. State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says

By Rachel Saurer | Fox 31 News Colorado State Patrol shared an encouraging look at auto theft numbers statewide. The number of cars being stolen has dropped to the lowest it has been since 2020. “In 2023, we saw a 20-plus percent reduction over 2022. And this year in 2024, we are trending for further decreases from last year. An additional 20 percent or more depending on how this last month or so goes,” said Cale Gould, public outreach coordinator, Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority with CSP. Gould said there are many factors contributing to this decrease to include owners taking accountability for their vehicles and the state passing legislation to further criminalize motor vehicle theft and provide more funding. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Colorado is 6th most regulated state in America, chamber report says
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado is 6th most regulated state in America, chamber report says

By Marissa Ventrelli and Luige del Puerto | Denver Gazette Colorado is the sixth-most regulated state in the country and nearly half of its roughly 200,000 regulations are "excessive or duplicative," a finding that poses negative ramifications on economic growth, on productivity and, ultimately, on residents, according to a new study from the state's chamber of commerce. The study commissioned by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce is the latest report to examine the state's regulatory environment and to argue that the regulations lead to job losses associated with compliance costs and lost sales. The chamber released its study following another report showing that Colorado has slipped behind other states in terms of economic strength and that its economy is proje...
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Supermarket super merger that would have impacted 105 grocery stores in Colorado collapses
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Supermarket super merger that would have impacted 105 grocery stores in Colorado collapses

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun A day after two judges in two lawsuits ruled against the proposed $24.6 billion supermarket merger, Albertsons Companies said Wednesday it would end its merger agreement with Kroger. “Given the recent federal and state court decisions to block our proposed merger with Kroger, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement. We are deeply disappointed in the courts’ decisions,” Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said. At the same time, the Idaho grocery chain, which owns 105 Safeway and Albertsons grocery stores in Colorado, said it filed a lawsuit against Kroger for breach of merger agreement accusing the larger supermarket chain “repeatedly refusing to divest assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignoring regulators’ feedbac...
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House Republicans announce committee assignments for 75th state legislative session
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House Republicans announce committee assignments for 75th state legislative session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A bench of Republicans offering diverse skill, experience and conservative values will serve Coloradans in the 75th session of the Colorado General Assembly, Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said Wednesday as she announced the party's committee assignments. “The House Republican caucus is proud to bring common-sense leadership and thoughtful solutions to the issues Coloradans care about most,” she said. “These assignments truly reflect the caucus’ commitment to increasing affordability, keeping Colorado families safe, and protecting taxpayers while providing strong leadership and expertise across all legislative areas." She joined Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter in announcing the committee assignments. “Our committee members bring a wealt...
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