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Western Slope river channel tests positive for invasive and ‘devastating’ zebra mussels—again
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, Local

Western Slope river channel tests positive for invasive and ‘devastating’ zebra mussels—again

By Michael Booth | Colorado Sun New rounds of samples for the voracious creatures keep turning up positive, complicating containment The Colorado River is now officially “positive” for invasive zebra mussels in the latest failure of containment for the voracious species, after three new samples came up with larvae July 3, from between Glenwood Springs and Silt. The main stem Colorado River discoveries piled on top of a confirmed “large number” of adult zebra mussels in a private body of water in western Eagle County, and two more positive larvae tests, at Highline Lake and Mack Mesa Lake, both near the Utah border, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said Wednesday. Sampling was redoubled throughout June after tests found a single zebra mussel larvae, or veliger, in the Colorado...
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Ranchers Beg for Relief as Colorado Wolf Attacks Mount
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State, Approved, The Colorado Sun

Ranchers Beg for Relief as Colorado Wolf Attacks Mount

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Only a few ranchers were expected to come to the meeting held in Chris Collins’ shop on the McCabe Ranch in Old Snowmass, which smelled of the smoked venison sausages cooking on the grill, horses on jeans, and a mixture of sweat and anxiety. They’d come on the evening of June 11, after the first day of the monthly Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Glenwood Springs, where wolves were not on the agenda. The omission shocked everyone, because of what had recently happened. Over on the Lost Marbles Ranch, which borders the McCabe Ranch in a wide valley where the price of sprawling, remote ranches reflects their proximity to Aspen, the first wolf pack to form following the start of Colorado’s reintroduction program in December 2023 had e...
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State board to hear Front Range concerns over Western Slope’s $99M Shoshone river deal
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

State board to hear Front Range concerns over Western Slope’s $99M Shoshone river deal

By Shannon Mullane | Colorado Sun Front Range providers and others will voice their concerns in September about the Western Slope’s plan to purchase the historic and highly coveted water rights tied to Shoshone Power Plant Colorado’s top water board unanimously agreed Tuesday to hear out Front Range water operators’ concerns about a Western Slope plan to purchase historic Colorado River water rights. The Colorado River Water Conservation District, which represents 15 Western Slope counties, negotiated a $99 million deal to purchase water rights tied to the century-old Shoshone Power Plant, owned by a subsidiary of Xcel Energy.  The River District and the Front Range groups — Aurora Water, Denver Water, Colorado Springs Utilities and Northern Water — all want to maintain th...
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Study finds 70% of Colorado land zoned for housing prohibits affordable housing options
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Study finds 70% of Colorado land zoned for housing prohibits affordable housing options

By Brian Eason | Colorado Sun In the first comprehensive review of Colorado land use laws, the National Zoning Atlas found that you can build single-family homes almost anywhere. But apartments, condos and townhomes are widely prohibited. You can build a house almost anywhere in Colorado. You just can’t build one that most people can afford. That’s the stark takeaway from a landmark zoning report released last month by the National Zoning Atlas, a group of researchers who have spent the last two years conducting a first-of-its-kind study of land use codes across 334 Colorado cities, towns and unincorporated areas. The group found that on the vast majority of land, in the vast majority of Colorado communities, it’s not just difficult to build housing the average hou...
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Colorado River Basin states inch toward fragile water compromise as federal deadlines approach
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, National

Colorado River Basin states inch toward fragile water compromise as federal deadlines approach

By Shannon Mullane | Colorado Sun The federal government laid out firm deadlines for the process to decide how to manage the river’s future. As the negotiations continue, environmental conditions in the basin worsen. Colorado River Basin states are almost, sort of, close to a small compromise in their negotiations that focuses on matching reservoir releases more closely to the river’s actual flow. Colorado water watchers seem to be rolling with it — so far.  Top negotiators in Colorado and six basin states offered a glimpse into the high-stakes talks for the first time in months during several water meetings this week. The states are negotiating how to manage the future water supply for 40 million people once the existing rules expire in 2026.  The opposing sides in the ne...
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Trump administration investigating Colorado’s Medicaid spending on illegal immigrants
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Trump administration investigating Colorado’s Medicaid spending on illegal immigrants

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid requested detailed information from the state Medicaid program as it investigates “fiscal integrity” The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Colorado Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants, an extensive data request from federal officials reveals.  The 11 pages of requested information, which The Colorado Sun obtained through the state open records act, asks about Colorado spending and policies, and seeks personal information about Medicaid claims during the past three months, including patients’ immigration status.  In an email accompanying the data request, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it intends to review claims that Colorado submitted ...
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Colorado’s Green Tax Credits to be Slashed Due to Dismal Economic Forcast
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado’s Green Tax Credits to be Slashed Due to Dismal Economic Forcast

By Taylor Dolven | The Colorado Sun State discounts for purchasing heat pumps, e-bikes, and electric cars and trucks will be cut in half next year, Colorado economists announced Wednesday. The tax credits, some made available just last year, will be slashed in 2026 because of a dismal state revenue forecast, said Emily Dohrman, senior economist for nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff, at the Joint Budget Committee’s quarterly meeting. Lawmakers enacted the green tax credits in 2023 to make electric transportation and heating and cooling more appealing to Coloradans. But the availability of the credits hinges on state economic forecasts showing at least 4% projected revenue growth in the next fiscal year, or else they are cut by 50%. Up until recently, it looked like the state...
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As seniors try to downsize, Colorado’s housing market shuts them out
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The Colorado Sun, State

As seniors try to downsize, Colorado’s housing market shuts them out

By Brian Eason | Colorado Sun Most older residents want to age in place. But experts say Colorado’s housing stock wasn’t built with their needs in mind. Pat Malone moved to Arvada with her husband in the early 2010s for a more affordable retirement than they could have found in California. “Or so we thought,” she said wryly. The empty-nesters rented at first, then bought a single-family home. When the stairs became more daunting for her husband, it took them a long time to find what they needed. A single-floor condominium, with no stairs and no garden to maintain is a unicorn in Colorado. “We couldn’t find anything like that when we were (first) looking for a property,” said Malone, 76. “We really had no choice but to buy a house.” Seniors like Malone make up Colo...
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With 12 new laws, Colorado Democrats treat gun ownership like a public threat
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

With 12 new laws, Colorado Democrats treat gun ownership like a public threat

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun From limiting who can purchase most semiautomatic rifles on the market today to raising the minimum age to buy ammunition, Democrats in the legislature were busy this year imposing new gun regulations Democrats in the Colorado legislature this year passed a dozen bills imposing new gun regulations, all of which were signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. They included measures limiting who can purchase most semiautomatic rifles on the market today, raising the minimum age to buy ammunition and aiming to improve Colorado’s response to mass shootings. While some don’t go into effect until next year, and a few are sure to draw legal challenges from gun rights groups, they represent some of the most wide-reaching changes to Colorado’s firearms laws ever a...
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Paul Lundeen resigns from Colorado Senate to lead American Excellence Foundation
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Paul Lundeen resigns from Colorado Senate to lead American Excellence Foundation

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, is resigning effective Monday to become president and CEO of the American Excellence Foundation The top Republican in the Colorado Senate announced Monday that he is resigning from the legislature to take a job in the private sector. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, is resigning effective Monday.  “Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,” Lundeen said in a written statement. “I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity and common-sense c...
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