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Colorado Democrats Push To Legalize Prostitution Statewide By July
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push To Legalize Prostitution Statewide By July

By The Denver Gazette | The Denver Gazette A group of Democrats is seeking to legalize prostitution in Colorado, arguing that current penalties “endanger” consenting adults. The proposal, if enacted, would decriminalize prostitution statewide and preempt local ordinances that ban it. If signed into law, it will take effect this July, making Colorado one of two states to legalize prostitution. The other state is Nevada. The bill would maintain the felony classification for pimping, though it would eliminate the word “prostitution” in the state laws and change it to “commercial sexual activity.” The bill — sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Nick Hinrichsen, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Lisa Cutter and Reps. Lorena Garcia and Rebekah Stewart — said repealing pro...
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Rural Colorado Road Concerns Gain Ground As Bipartisan Resolution Moves to full Senate
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Rural Colorado Road Concerns Gain Ground As Bipartisan Resolution Moves to full Senate

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette A Republican legislator said he was pleasantly surprised on Wednesday when the state Senate’s transportation panel advanced a resolution brought to him by county commissioners urging the Colorado Department of Transportation to invest more money to fix roads. Road maintenance is “probably the No. 1 issue” in his seven-county district, said Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling. Morgan County’s transportation infrastructure is the worst, he added. According to a 2023 CDOT assessment, 70% of the roads in the county are in the “red” for maintenance, meaning they’ll soon be undrivable. A Reason Foundation report ranked Colorado 47th in the nation for rural road conditions. Pelton mentioned a 2021 funding legislation, Sen...
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Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States

By: Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette The Trump’s administration is planning to withhold some public health and transportation money from a group of Democratic-led states, including Colorado. The other states are California, Illinois and Minnesota. Full details have not been released, including whether the states could take any steps to avoid losing the funding. Colorado has sued the White House or joined lawsuits filed by other states over similar efforts to withhold funding. The federal government cited concerns over fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services said the state learned of the potential cuts through the media and has not been formally notified by the federal agency. ...
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Denver Budget Cuts Cost City Over 1,100 Years of Experience
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Budget Cuts Cost City Over 1,100 Years of Experience

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Last summer, the city of Denver lost nearly 160 employees as part of structured layoffs to help Denver Mayor Mike Johnston close a $250 million budget gap. But the city lost much more than just its employees. It lost more than 1,158 years of combined experience, according to analysis and reporting from Axios. Along with the loss of 265 years of experience among 30 employees, the city’s transportation department took the biggest hit, followed by planning and development, which lost 128 years of experience. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies
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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...
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Memo Shows Weak Oversight and Lack of Accountability in Cherry Creek Schools
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Memo Shows Weak Oversight and Lack of Accountability in Cherry Creek Schools

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette To avoid a conflict of interest, the wife of Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith — who resigned this week amid allegations of a toxic work environment — was supposed to report to Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Perry. In the wake of Smith’s resignation Wednesday, Perry was named interim superintendent. According to a Denver7 investigation, insiders said Smith and his wife, Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith, had created a “toxic culture” — leaving employees with no recourse. A one-page memo dated May 9, 2022 from then Board President Kelly Bates outlined the arrangement. “In the event that the ability of either Christopher Smith or Brenda Smith to perform their professional duties, includin...
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Denver Enters Court Fight Over Federal Immigration Enforcement
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Enters Court Fight Over Federal Immigration Enforcement

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The City of Denver has joined dozens of U.S. cities and counties in filing an amicus brief backing Minnesota’s legal action seeking to end “Operation Metro Surge” and the deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota. The brief supports Minnesota v. Noem, filed by the State of Minnesota in federal court on Jan. 12, which argues the increased presence of ICE and other federal agencies in the Twin Cities area is not based on an “urgent need for enhanced and aggressive immigration enforcement,” but rather “to cause chaos” and as punishment for state and local policy, a violation of the 10th Amendment. An amicus brief — or friend of the court brief — is a legal document that allows a party not name...
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Federal Pressure Forces Colorado To Halt Wolf Reintroductions
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Pressure Forces Colorado To Halt Wolf Reintroductions

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado Parks and Wildlife, facing mounting criticism from the Trump administration over its management of the wolf reintroduction program, announced Wednesday they will not bring in any new wolves to the state for the 2026 winter season. CPW was turned down in November by Washington state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington residents criticized Colorado for mismanaging the program. CPW director Jeff Davis resigned in lieu of termination weeks later. The CPW announcement didn’t mention the pushback the agency is getting from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which on Dec. 18 demanded Colorado provide a complete report of all gray wolf conservation and management activities...
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State Regulators Set Hearing on El Paso County Rejection of Xcel Power Line Permits
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

State Regulators Set Hearing on El Paso County Rejection of Xcel Power Line Permits

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Proposed routing for Xcel’s Power Pathway project in eastern and southeastern Colorado (Courtesy of Xcel Energy)      Colorado regulators plan a public hearing next week on Xcel Energy’s appeal to override El Paso County’s rejection of permits for a major transmission line segment. The hearing renews debate over a statewide renewable energy project that rural residents argue threatens property rights, wildfire safety and local landscapes without delivering benefits to their communities. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission scheduled the in-person session for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Swink Hall in the El Paso County Fair and Events Center, 366 10th St., Calhan, to gather comments on Xcel’s request to build 45 mil...
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Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law

By The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday insisted that local law enforcement officers in Colorado can — and should — work with federal drug enforcement authorities to go after criminal activity. An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency earlier said Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities on illegal immigration matters, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to pursue drug cartels operating in the state. “There’s always a matter of making sure local line officers are educated in our laws and that they know that they’re able to work with our federal partners on criminal matters,” Polis told The Denver Gazette. “So, it doesn’t shock me that there are some line officers somewhere ...
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