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Eagle County Faces Allegations of Blocking Affordable Housing in Ski Country
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Local, Approved, The Gazette

Eagle County Faces Allegations of Blocking Affordable Housing in Ski Country

By: David O. Williams | The Gazette EDWARDS • According to its own housing assessment, Eagle County needs nearly 6,400 affordable rental and for-sale housing units over the next 10 years to address current shortages and future labor growth. Given what one developer describes as its current broken policies, the county will never get there, he said. The resort county of more than 54,000 that’s home to the Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas is made up of more than 80% federally owned public lands, meaning there’s fierce competition for a limited supply of highly desirable private land for both free-market and subsidized housing. Matt Larson of Denver-based Rediger Development has family ties to the Vail area and experience building both high-end homes and trying to build affordable hous...
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Colorado Springs District 49 Advances Facility Policy Focused on Biological Sex
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Colorado Springs District 49 Advances Facility Policy Focused on Biological Sex

By Eric Young | The Gazette School District 49’s board of education discussed a new district policy that would maintain segregation of district facilities based on biological sex during their regular meeting Thursday night. The proposed policy JBAA would establish clear guidelines to separate toilet, locker room and shower facilities between students of opposite sexes, regardless of gender identity. All previous policies or guidance allowing access based on gender identity would be rescinded. Its language goes on to state that it would prevent “a hostile environment by avoiding disproportionate burdens on students of one sex and complies with judicial precedents upholding biological-sex-based separation.” Single-use facilities would also be available at each school bu...
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Colorado Political and Civic Leaders Denounce Assassination of Charlie Kirk
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Colorado Political and Civic Leaders Denounce Assassination of Charlie Kirk

By Ernest Luning | The Gazette Colorado elected officials and political groups expressed grief, outrage and resolve against political violence in reaction to the fatal shooting of conservative organizer and nonprofit leader Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at Utah Valley University. “Today is a really hard day,” said U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican who described Kirk as her friend in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington. “I do not believe that Charlie’s life being stolen in this manner is in vain. Charlie is a pioneer,” Boebert said, adding that the word carries a weighty meaning for Christians. Kirk “personified this word,” she said. “It is one who pioneers a way, who makes a way for others to follow — maybe not the originator of the thin...
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Colorado Supreme Court Reins In Local Authority Over Noise Permits
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Colorado Supreme Court Reins In Local Authority Over Noise Permits

By Michael Karlik | The Gazette The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that the state’s noise pollution law does not allow local governments to categorically permit any entity to host events on private property that exceed the statewide decibel limits. The question had divided the state’s Court of Appeals, with one appellate panel deciding localities possess broad permitting power for private property, and another deciding months later that they do not. Breaking the tie, the Supreme Court acknowledged the language of the law is ambiguous. But taking account of lawmakers’ stated goals, the justices concluded the legislature intended to allow local governments, on property they use, to permit others to exceed statewide noise limits for cultural or entertainment events. “N...
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Colorado Ranchers Face Lasting Struggles After Lee Fire Scorches 137,000 Acres
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Colorado Ranchers Face Lasting Struggles After Lee Fire Scorches 137,000 Acres

By Jonathan Ingraham, Michael Braithwaite | The Gazette 'I've got some cattle whose feet are going to fall off, their backs so burnt that their hide is cracking and breaking,' one rancher said. Cattle feverishly mooed in the middle of the early August night, an unusual sound to hear at that hour.  Their unease was brought on by the Lee fire, which was quickly encroaching upon their enclosure at the 103-year-old Halandras family ranch, about 23 miles south of Meeker.  The wildfire that started from lightning strikes on Aug. 2 was devouring prime northwestern Colorado grazing land that the family — and other ranchers — rely on faster than emergency crews could contain a stable fire line. Regas K. Halandras recalled family members and ranch hands jumping into act...
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Polis Claims Trump Tariffs Hurt Jobs but Many See Benefits
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Polis Claims Trump Tariffs Hurt Jobs but Many See Benefits

By Marianne Goodland | The Gazette A report released Thursday by Colorado’s governor said President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy is disrupting the state’s economy and courting a recessionary scenario. State economists have, in fact, been sounding the risk of a scenario for a year — preceding both the White House’s tariffs changes and the congressional budget that Democrats blamed for Colorado’s $800 million deficit. As recently as June, analysts said the chances of a recession in the next year stood at 50% and climbing. Since Trump took office, tariffs have increased sevenfold to about 21% in Colorado, according to the report. Nationwide, it’s closer to 24%. A year ago, the tariffs averaged around 3%. The last time tariffs went that high occurred in 1910, Gov. Jar...
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Wolf Reintroduction Sparks Debate at Upcoming Colorado Town Hall
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State, Approved, The Gazette

Wolf Reintroduction Sparks Debate at Upcoming Colorado Town Hall

By The Gazette Staff | The Gazette Agriculture and outdoor recreation are considered two of Colorado’s most important industries. The outdoor recreation industry contributes over $65.8 billion and 511,000 jobs to Colorado’s economy, while the agriculture industry generates $47 billion and 195,000 jobs annually, according to the most recent data. Yet as Colorado Politics’ recent Rural Reckoning series indicated, these two powerhouses don’t always get the attention that industries do in the halls of the Capitol. A town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 9, sponsored by The Gazette and The Common Sense Institute, will dive more deeply into the importance of these industries to Colorado’s economic success, and the policies necessary to ensure they thrive. The Common Sense Institute is a non...
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Colorado Springs Teen Linked to Nearly 50 Crimes Faces Charges
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Colorado Springs Teen Linked to Nearly 50 Crimes Faces Charges

By Nick Smith | The Gazette A recently turned 18-year-old is facing charges for allegedly committing almost 50 crimes related to car theft, burglaries, assault and more across Colorado Springs, according to police. Over the past three months, investigators from the Colorado Springs Police Department have been looking into a "series" of felony and misdemeanor crimes and connected the suspect to all of them, according to a police blotter entry. The suspect's name is being withheld by authorities because most of the alleged offenses were committed when he was minor.  Of the crimes, the suspect has been tied to 13 counts of car theft, nine counts of first- and second-degree assault, eight counts of protection order violations, six counts of criminal mischief, two counts of theft ...
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President Trump: Colorado’s ballot system a “big factor” in Alabama win
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President Trump: Colorado’s ballot system a “big factor” in Alabama win

By Mary Shinn | The Gazette President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Space Command will move from Colorado Springs to Alabama, citing Colorado's mail-in elections as playing a role in the decision.  Space Command protects the country's interests in space, and its headquarters employs 1,700 troops across the service branches. It is separate from the Space Force, the youngest military service branch. https://www.youtube.com/live/I8DnGstg2-k?feature=shared "This decision will help America defend and dominate the high frontier," Trump said.  He noted that Huntsville is expected to play a large role in developing the new missile defense system called Golden Dome. Space Command will have a role in Golden Dome once it is operational because it is expected to rely on sat...
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Polis Orders $252 Million in Cuts After Years of Overspending Strain State Finances
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Polis Orders $252 Million in Cuts After Years of Overspending Strain State Finances

By Marianne Goodland | The Gazette Lawmakers balk at some cuts, particularly reductions to health care provider rates. Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed an executive order, initiating the process to cut $252.5 million in cash and general funds from this year's budget, with the most significant impact on the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which administers Medicaid. Polis also signed into law a measure from the recently concluded special session that requires him to meet with the Joint Budget Committee to review the spending reduction plan.  That meeting was often tense, with the legislators who craft the state budget indicating they aren't going along with some of his cuts, particularly for Medicaid providers. Policymakers said the actions taken durin...
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