Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Colorado

Colorado’s THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp
The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, National

Colorado’s THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette First, it was Colorado’s majority-Democrat legislature that weighed whether to open the floodgates to dangerous, intoxicating hemp-based products. It would have compounded the damage inflicted on our kids by legalized pot. Fortunately, the lawmakers behind that reckless attempt couldn’t muster enough votes as the 2026 legislative session wound down last spring. Now, a move is afoot in the Republican-controlled Congress to stall a much-needed federal crackdown on high-potency hemp that was enacted just last fall. At the behest of the Trump administration, a delay in implementing the crackdown was inserted into a stopgap government funding bill. The move has divided ruling Republicans, some of whom mounted an unsuccessful...
Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Raises Long-Term Bracket Creep Concerns
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Raises Long-Term Bracket Creep Concerns

By Nash Herman | Complete Colorado Proponents of a progressive state income tax claim that it will give most Coloradans a break on their taxes.   Those familiar with history, inflation, and bracket creep see a much different long-term picture.   Repeating history The US adopted a federal income tax in 1913, justified by the claim that only about one percent of the population would pay the tax in its earliest years.  Does this sound familiar?   Proponents of Initiative 195, the ballot measure to switch Colorado’s 4.4 percent flat income tax rate to a progressive tax, are adamant that the measure is fair because 97 percent of filers will receive a tax cut.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COMPLETE COLORAD...
DHS Secretary Mullin Visits Colorado, Addresses Immigration Enforcement and Aurora TB Dispute
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

DHS Secretary Mullin Visits Colorado, Addresses Immigration Enforcement and Aurora TB Dispute

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado A visit to Colorado this week by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin largely flew under the radar. Mullin visited Colorado's supermax prison, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in southern Colorado before holding a private meeting with Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado's 8th Congressional District, and Hispanic faith leaders. Mullin said on Friday he wanted to address what he called "false rumors" about immigration enforcement. "Being able to talk to faith leaders who can talk to their congregation about the actual facts instead of what they say online, I think they were very thankful," Mullin said. CBS Colorado caught up wit...
After voters overturn zoning changes, Lakewood tightens rules for citizen ballot measures
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

After voters overturn zoning changes, Lakewood tightens rules for citizen ballot measures

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado LAKEWOOD – It appears that after Lakewood residents spoke at the ballot on controversial zoning changes, city council members decided they want the last word, having since created new municipal rules that will make citizen-initiated issues harder to put before voters. Lakewood — a home-rule community — borders Denver on the west. It is home to just under 160,000 residents in Jefferson County. In April, Lakewood voters took to the ballot via a special election and repealed major zoning changes that among other things, would have allowed multifamily units, such as duplexes, triplexes, or townhomes to be built city-wide on lots currently zoned for single family detached homes, as well as eliminating parking minimums in some area...
Colorado Fire Departments Sound Alarm Over Staffing and Funding Shortfalls
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Fire Departments Sound Alarm Over Staffing and Funding Shortfalls

By Veronica Acosta | Denver7 LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A new statewide assessment found two-thirds of Colorado fire departments can't fund their full operations, and nearly 80% can't afford the equipment and staffing they say they need — a gap agencies like West Metro Fire Rescue say is now pushing them toward asking voters for more money. Colorado's fire departments are being asked to do more than ever, and a new state report shows most of them don't have the money to keep up. The 2026 Colorado Fire Service Needs Assessment, released this month by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), surveyed 122 of the state's roughly 340 fire departments and found that two in three — 66.4% — say their current funding isn't enough to run all of their department's oper...
Colorado Voters Will Decide Right To Natural Gas in November
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Voters Will Decide Right To Natural Gas in November

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A citizen initiative that seeks to enshrine the right to natural gas has qualified for the November ballot, Colorado’s election office confirmed on Thursday. Petitions containing signatures for Initiative No. 177 were turned in to the Secretary of State’s Office for review in late June. On Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office said 146,165 of the 189,508 signatures collected were valid, surpassing the threshold. The initiative from Advance Colorado establishes consumers’ right to purchase natural gas for cooking and heating their homes and businesses, as well as the right of distributors and utilities to sell natural gas to homes and businesses. “Natural gas is a clean, reliable and affordable form of energy...
Hunters and Anglers Rally Behind Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Hunters and Anglers Rally Behind Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish

By Chris Dorsey | The Denver Gazette For generations, Coloradans hunted elk, caught trout and managed wildlife without consulting a constitutional attorney. That was before wildlife management became a recurring statewide election issue, replete with consultants, national pressure groups and enough political mail to denude an aspen grove.   Now comes Initiative 302, the proposed “Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish,” driven by sportsmen who have concluded that activities legal today may require constitutional protection to remain legal tomorrow. Supporters submitted more than 180,000 signatures on July 8, well above the 124,238 valid signatures required. The secretary of state has until Sept. 2 to verify them. Nothing says “settled Colorado tradition” quite li...
New Colorado Gun Restrictions Slow Sales and Frustrate Lawful Buyers
DENVER7, Approved, State

New Colorado Gun Restrictions Slow Sales and Frustrate Lawful Buyers

By: Danielle Kreutter | Denver7 Denver7's South Metro reporter Danielle Kreutter spoke to the manager at Englewood's The Shootist about the business impact of SB25-003. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Gun stores in Colorado are already seeing the impact of a new gun law that places new limits on certain semi-automatic weapons that went into effect at the beginning of this month. Business has been slow at The Shootist Gun Range in Englewood. It's a stark change compared to the record breaking sales they saw in the last few weeks. The new law makes it illegal to sell certain semi-automatic guns without the buyer first getting an eligibility card from a sheriff, then taking additional safety and education courses. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Fauci Diary Renews Questions About Colorado’s COVID Response
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Fauci Diary Renews Questions About Colorado’s COVID Response

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado We are finally getting a clearer picture of what happened during COVID. Not because the people who locked us up, masked our faces and forced unproven chemicals into our bodies have suddenly become transparent, but because Anthony Fauci’s COVID-era diary is coming into public view. This long document makes one thing painfully clear: the people who forced us to surrender our lives to their expertise did not have the expertise they claimed. At best, they were guessing. And when their guesses failed, they did not retreat. They didn’t come clean. They doubled down. Arrogance unbridled Our health, our freedoms, our bodies, our economy, our children’s education were all less important than their unchallenge...
Parasite Linked to Explosive Diarrhea Spreads Across Colorado Counties
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Parasite Linked to Explosive Diarrhea Spreads Across Colorado Counties

By: Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette Cases of the “explosive” diarrhea-causing parasite cyclosporiasis nearly tripled in Colorado over the past month, prompting renewed attention after related deaths were reported in Michigan. Twenty-nine counties in Colorado have reported cases, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Colorado has had 241 cases of cyclosporiasis since January, state data shows. Of the completed investigations, only 45 of the cases were acquired domestically. The vast majority, or 74%, reported international travel. Several factors could account for the increased number of cases, including greater awareness because of outbreaks in other states. “The case count alone does not indicate that an outbreak ...