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Like vampires, much of the media fails to reflect
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Like vampires, much of the media fails to reflect

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Like vampires, many in the media fail to reflect. Somehow or another I ended up on the mailing list for the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). I guess I should take it as a compliment. Thing is, I'm not a pro. This is more avocation than vocation.I got an email recently outlining a program the group intends to undertake to try and improve trust in the media. It's a collaboration between the Colorado SPJ, the Colorado Broadcasters Association, and the Colorado Press Association which they're calling their "Journalism Awareness Curriculum".I'll let them explain it in their own words by quoting from the email."The goal is to train Colorado journalists to deliver presentations to non-journalists about wh...
Colorado Congressman Accuses Polis Administration Of Mismanaging Road Funds
kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Congressman Accuses Polis Administration Of Mismanaging Road Funds

By: Hanna Powers | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado congressman is accusing the state of mismanaging transportation dollars, arguing that despite record funding, roads across Colorado are in worse shape than ever. Rep. Gabe Evans, who represents Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, shared an exclusive letter with FOX31 that he is sending directly to Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew. In the letter, Evans raises concerns about roadway safety, crumbling infrastructure, and what he describes as a failure to prioritize basic road maintenance over mass transit and climate-focused projects. “This stretch of I-25 is one of the busiest highways in the state,” Evans told FOX31, pointing to the corridor that ...
Colorado Risks $24M in Federal Funds as thousands of Commercial Driver’s Licenses Were Issued Illegally
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Risks $24M in Federal Funds as thousands of Commercial Driver’s Licenses Were Issued Illegally

By: The Associated Press | Denver7 DENVER (AP) — The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation threatened Monday to withhold $24 million in federal funding from the state of Colorado for what he described as a slow response to a major violation of federal commercial driver's license regulations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pointed to a nationwide audit conducted in October that found about 22% of the commercial licenses doled out by Colorado to immigrants were done so illegally, many to Mexican nationals — a practice that's prohibited under federal law. Duffy accused Colorado of “slow walking” the required purge of these licenses. He said the state has failed to complete a full audit, provide a complete accounting of affected drivers, or revoke the inv...
Colorado Law Shields Xcel From Most Legal Claims Over Power Outages
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Law Shields Xcel From Most Legal Claims Over Power Outages

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Xcel Energy customers who lost refrigerated or frozen goods during the utility’s public safety power shutoffs face steep hurdles in recovering damages through lawsuits, given the limits on liabilities approved by state regulators. Colorado law and utility rate rules issued by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates commercial energy companies, limit liability for service interruptions, even when outages result from proactive de-energization to prevent wildfires. Xcel Energy’s rate rules, issued by the PUC and largely upheld by Colorado courts, contain clauses that shield the utility from claims for power interruptions. Jack Luellen, senior counsel at Buchalter, said these rules mean the company is not liable...
Colorado River Report Warns Water Crisis Nears Point Of No Return
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado River Report Warns Water Crisis Nears Point Of No Return

By Alan Gionet | CBS Colorado A new report compiled by the University of Colorado's Colorado River Research Group warns that threats to the river's water supply are now so severe that they pose a significant risk to the water supply in seven Western states and tribal areas, potentially impacting the economy and governance. The report is titled "Colorado River Insights 2025: Dancing with Deadpool." It is a compilation of reports by a variety of experts looking at different aspects of high demand and supply shortages that have led to low water levels in places like Lake Powell and Lake Mead. These issues threaten both power generation and supply. "What's missing is urgency. The window for decisive, collaborative action is closing fast," said Douglas Kenney, director...
Report Confirms Sen. Faith Winter Was Driving Drunk When Fatal I-25 Crash Occurred
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Report Confirms Sen. Faith Winter Was Driving Drunk When Fatal I-25 Crash Occurred

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The Broomfield Democrat was driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and rear ended a Ford F-350 flatbed truck stopped in the left lane of traffic, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said. Her blood alcohol level was 0.185%. tate Sen. Faith Winter was legally drunk when she caused the car crash that killed her last month on Interstate 25 south of Denver, authorities in Arapahoe County said Friday. Winter’s blood alcohol level was 0.185%, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office, which is well above the 0.08% threshold to be cited with driving under the influence in Colorado. Drivers with a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.05% can be cited with the lesser offense of driving while ability impaired. The Arapahoe County Sher...
The warning before SPEED: How an ongoing Colorado wolf dispute shaped the permitting debate
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The warning before SPEED: How an ongoing Colorado wolf dispute shaped the permitting debate

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Before Congress voted to overhaul the nation’s permitting process, a Colorado lawmaker had already issued a formal warning that federal law was being set aside in the rush to move forward. On December 13, 2024, Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a detailed letter to then–Interior Secretary Deb Haaland arguing that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction plan triggered federal jurisdiction and could not legally proceed without updated federal Resource Management Plans and a proper National Environmental Policy Act review. She asked the Department of the Interior to press pause on any additional wolf imports until those federal duties were met. More than a year later, the House passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic De...
Federal audit finds housing benefits paid to 221 deceased recipients in Colorado
New York Post, Approved, State

Federal audit finds housing benefits paid to 221 deceased recipients in Colorado

By Ryan King | New York Post The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating whether Colorado providers helped nearly 3,000 people swindle taxpayer money from Uncle Sam, The Post has learned. The investigation comes after an internal HUD audit found that benefits were granted to 221 dead people, while another 87 were otherwise ineligible. The department also said that another 2,519 beneficiaries will need to undergo additional verification. “From deceased tenants to individuals receiving HUD housing benefits who were never supposed to, the Department has questions for HUD-supported housing providers in Colorado, and we expect prompt answers and enforcement action,” a HUD spokesperson told The Post. READ THE FULL STORY AT T...
Colorado Justices Question Whether Cities Can Withhold Key Facts To Beat Lawsuits
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Justices Question Whether Cities Can Withhold Key Facts To Beat Lawsuits

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed to be on different pages when they considered on Tuesday whether a woman injured by a sidewalk defect in Manitou Springs was forever barred from suing the actual entity responsible because she did not learn until it was too late that Colorado Springs was the proper defendant. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of Jaimi J. Mostellar after a judge on the state’s second-highest court suggested lawmakers revise the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act to prevent public entities from torpedoing lawsuits by withholding the identity of the actual party responsible for an injury. The immunity law, with limited exceptions, shields public entities from lawsuits over injuries they cause. Its...