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Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping
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ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis launches economic council as Colorado businesses warn competitiveness is slipping

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com Gov. Jared Polis has launched an economic council as Colorado businesses cite rising costs, complex rules, and an unforgiving cost of living. The Denver Gazette reports that Gov. Jared Polis has rolled out a new public-private council aimed at improving Colorado’s affordability and economic competitiveness. The council is supposed to study the state’s business climate, benchmark Colorado against competitors, and recommend policy, regulatory, and legislative changes. Very serious people will gather around very serious tables and produce, one assumes, a very serious PDF. The timing is not exactly subtle. Colorado has fallen out of CNBC’s top 10 states for business, business leaders are increasingly pessimistic, and employers ar...
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Colorado Falls to Lowest Ever CNBC Business Ranking
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The Sum & Substance, Approved, State

Colorado Falls to Lowest Ever CNBC Business Ranking

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance As business leaders warn of an eroding atmosphere, Colorado has plummeted to its lowest spot in the 20-year history of CNBC’s Top States for Business rankings, placing the one-time national model now firmly in the middle of the pack among states. The financial-news network, whose rankings are widely cited by business and economic-development leaders, dropped Colorado this year from No. 11 to No. 25 on its list and noted that it’s now the second-most expensive state for living, behind only California. Though it improved its rankings in technology and innovation versus 2025, the Centennial State fell or remained even in every other category, now ranking in the bottom half of states in areas like business friendliness and infras...
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Xcel says it has no affordability crisis. Its customers and regulatory filings tell another story.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Xcel says it has no affordability crisis. Its customers and regulatory filings tell another story.

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Every week, Carlos H. sits down with his bills and works out what his family can go without. Some weeks it is dinner. “I just opt out to say, hey, okay, maybe won’t be cooking up something tonight, so we can just make ends meet,” the Denver father said. Some weeks it is gas—a quarter tank instead of a full one, and the math of whether that gets him to the next payday. He has a 14-year-old daughter and a baby due in February. His electric bill runs $120 to $150 a month. A proposed Xcel settlement could push it higher. “We don’t have an affordability crisis,” Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy Colorado, told the House Energy and Environment Committee on April 23, arguing against a proposal to give regulators more power over how util...
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New Report Finds Colorado Children Face Growing Financial and Education Challenges
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

New Report Finds Colorado Children Face Growing Financial and Education Challenges

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Despite having one of the country’s highest median incomes, Colorado families are struggling to afford essentials like food, housing, health care and child care. That’s according to the Colorado Children’s Campaign, which released its annual Kids Count report recently. It provides an overview of how the state’s infants, children and teens are faring compared to previous years. The report is broken down into four categories: economic security, health, K-12 education and early childhood. “The data remind us of what is at stake and who is relying on us to pay attention,” Heather Tritten, president and CEO of Colorado Children’s Campaign, said in the report. “This is a moment when data matter. In difficult times, c...
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High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk

By Sarah Mulholland | CPR News Colorado’s businesses are at risk of losing their competitive edge to companies in other states and it comes down to whether people can afford to live here, according to a report from the Romer Institute of Evidence-based Policy. The reasons behind the state’s economic headwinds are multifaceted, but one thing is clear. The housing crunch is making it harder to recruit workers, the report found. The analysis looks at Colorado’s economy relative to Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. The states were chosen because they overlap Colorado’s economy based on region or industry, and they compete for talent, investment and business location decisions, according to the Denver-based nonprofit policy group that bears the name ...
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The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Not long ago, the American Dream followed a familiar script. Graduate from school, find a job, buy a modest home, start a family, and gradually build a better life than the generation before you. For many young Americans today, that script increasingly feels like historical fiction. A recent survey from Rasmussen Reports reveals a striking generational divide: younger Americans are far more likely than older voters to view socialism favorably. According to the survey, 44 percent of voters under 40 believe socialism is a better system, compared with only 12 percent of older Americans. Recent election results in New York City confirm Rasmussen’s findings.  For Americans who grew up during the Cold War — or ...
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Coloradans Encouraged To Weigh In On Proposed Xcel Gas Hike
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Coloradans Encouraged To Weigh In On Proposed Xcel Gas Hike

By: Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is inviting public input on a range of matters, including a remote hearing on Xcel Energy’s natural gas rate increase proposal, as part of its monthly engagement efforts. The commission on Tuesday announced opportunities for July that include a 9-1-1 Services Enterprise Board meeting, its regular monthly public comment session and the second remote public comment hearing for Xcel Energy’s gas rate case, Proceeding No. 25AL-0538G. Xcel Energy filed its proposal on Dec. 29, 2025. If approved as filed, it would increase average residential gas bills about 11.4%, or $7.59 per month, and small business gas bills about 13%, or $36.47 per month, starting in October, according to the company an...
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Colorado Seniors Feel Heat as Xcel Seeks Double-Digit Rate Increase
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Seniors Feel Heat as Xcel Seeks Double-Digit Rate Increase

By: Maggie Bryan | Denver7 Xcel Energy is proposing electric and gas rate increases that would raise the average customer's bill by about 10% as early as August. DENVER — Some Coloradans are facing tough decisions as they try to stay cool during this week's heat wave, especially those on fixed incomes. Jimmy Cano and his wife, who live in Aurora, received a free portable air conditioning unit Tuesday night thanks to local nonprofit Bright Leaf, an organization that provides food assistance and other resources for seniors in the City and County of Denver. "Usually right at this time, I would probably be sitting here dripping sweat," Cano said. He said the portable AC unit has been a game changer for them as their home does not have a central AC system. B...
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Denver Inflation Climbs To 5% As Fuel Prices Drive Costs Higher
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Inflation Climbs To 5% As Fuel Prices Drive Costs Higher

By Bernadette Berdychowski | The Denver Gazette The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area recorded a 5% rise in prices in the last year, according to federal data released Wednesday for the month of May from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest level seen since 2023.Denver is trending higher than the national annual average of 4.2%.Denver’s inflation was the second-highest among 12 metropolitan regions in the nation after Urban Hawaii in May, according to the BLS. The federal agency tracks inflation across 23 cities. Data from the three biggest cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — are released monthly. Meanwhile, the federal agency releases data from the rest of the cities like Denver every other month. A surge in prices following the pandemic pushed inflation t...
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