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When “affordable housing” means government-funded housing in Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State

When “affordable housing” means government-funded housing in Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Volker Housing, Part 1 During one of my public notice crawls for Logan County/Sterling, there was a notice about a developer applying for a grant from the state to turn an empty parcel of land into an affordable housing development. That notice in full can be found in the first link below, but the pertinent bit is quoted here: “Volker Housing Partners, LLC will submit an application to the Colorado Division of Housing (DOH). The purpose of this application is to request up to $2,000,000 in funding to develop 54 rental homes at 777 N 4th Street in Sterling, CO. “ A reader sent me an email and suggested that I look in on this company a little, and I agreed. If they’re pulling down $2 million, wha...
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Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses

By: Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002. On Thursday night, four candidates offered competing visions for how the party can reverse its 20-plus years of failing to secure the seat. The discussion hosted by the Women of Weld County touched on electability, affordability, housing, and how a Republican governor would work with the Trump administration. While 20 candidates are vying to win their party’s primary contest, only four attended the debate: Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, Joshua Griffin, Joe Oltmann and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. Colorado’s last Republican governor was Bill Owens. The state is now considered by many to be solidly blue. Gov. Jared Polis, the current governor, won reelection i...
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Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State, Uncategorized

Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda

By Mark Hillman | Complete Colorado The Colorado General Assembly returns for its annual 120-day session on Jan. 14, evoking a four-month visceral cringe from Coloradans who dread the next round of legislative fiats certain to be imposed upon us. Coloradans are in a restless mood lately.  It’s no secret a majority of Colorado voters has little affection for President Trump, but they’re not exactly cheerleaders for Democrats either. A December poll by Keating Research, which often works with Democrat clients, found disapproval of the Colorado Democratic Party at 55% – only slightly better than the 58% disapproval of Colorado Republicans. A majority said Colorado is headed in the wrong direction and expressed little confidence in the state legislature, w...
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Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds

State lawmakers will gavel in the 2026 legislative session Wednesday and the budget will once again dominate debate. By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The general fund is $850 million in the hole and it could get worse as the Trump Administration threatens to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Colorado. Despite the dire fiscal outlook, Democratic leadership made it clear they won't cave to pressure from the federal government. "It is going to be a powerful session. We will be standing up to Washington," said Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie.By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen Announces Run for Colorado Attorney General

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice District Attorney of El Paso County Michael J. Allen has declared his intention to run for attorney general in Colorado. Allen served in the Navy and is in his second term as district attorney for Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District. His announcement comes as the state grapples with rising auto theft, higher insurance costs, and continued overdose deaths.Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. Allen framed the decision as a gradual one. “It was a long time coming to make the decision,” Allen said. “I’ve had people reaching out to me really starting January of 2025 — both statewide, local folks, and then even national folks — trying to talk me into running.” For Allen, the question was not simp...
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Xcel Files $546 Million in Rate Hikes Amid Massive Colorado Spending on Clean Energy Transition
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Xcel Files $546 Million in Rate Hikes Amid Massive Colorado Spending on Clean Energy Transition

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette Colorado’s largest utility filed for major increases in both electric and natural gas rates within weeks of each other, a move that could add roughly $17 a month to the average household bill serving both services. Xcel Energy submitted a natural gas rate case to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 29, 2025, seeking $190 million in additional annual revenue — an 11.4% jump that would raise average residential gas bills by $7.59 a month. That follows a November filing for a $356 million electric rate boost, adding about $9.94 monthly bill for residential electric customers. If regulators approve both as requested, the combined hit for dual-service households would be around $17.53 a month, with increases likely ta...
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Behind AG Weiser’s taxpayer-funded lawsuits against President Trump: Big claims, bigger costs
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Behind AG Weiser’s taxpayer-funded lawsuits against President Trump: Big claims, bigger costs

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Is AG Weiser’s taxpayer-funded Trump Resistance (TM) campaign not as successful as he’d like you to think? ****EDIT as of 1/7/2025. I had some readers on FB mention the link didn’t work. Just in case I added a link that should work below the original Progressive Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has gobbled up lots of our money to fund his Trump Resistance (TM) campaign. Gotta make sure to show those bona fides to his progressive Democratic base. Makes one wonder what his pivot will look like if he wins the primary. Hell, I wonder if he’ll even bother. I remember thinking that surely Jena Griswold would lose to Pam Anderson last Secretary of State election, but Griswold’s handy win clearly ...
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Mark Baisley Launches U.S. Senate Bid, Shifts Focus From Statehouse to Washington
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Mark Baisley Launches U.S. Senate Bid, Shifts Focus From Statehouse to Washington

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado State Senator Mark Baisley has entered the race for U.S. Senate, ending his bid for governor and refocusing his campaign on federal policy decisions he says are driving affordability pressures and limiting Colorado’s ability to chart its own course. Baisley described the shift as a move from state-level problem solving to addressing issues he believes now originate in Washington. “I’m moving from being a state senator to a bigger stage in the United States Senate,” he said. He said his earlier campaign sharpened his view of where decisions affecting daily life are increasingly being made — and where he believes Colorado needs stronger representation. Cost of Living and Affordability ...
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Colorado ratepayers foot the bill for the “Just Transition”
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado ratepayers foot the bill for the “Just Transition”

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Who gets stuck with the bill for the “Just Transition”? You. There’s a lot of detail in the Sun article linked below about various communities and how they feel as if Colorado’s “Just Transition” for coal-fired power plants isn’t too just for them.I don’t blame them. With a vote and the swipe of a pen, Colorado Democrats have hamstrung communities that were built around coal-fired power plants in the name of their arbitrary climate mandates. Quoting the article:“Colorado’s push to close all its coal-fired power plants by 2031 — to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — is creating a major economic threat to communities that have relied on jobs and taxes from those plants and the mines that feed them.”*I will leav...
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New Colorado Law Limits Childcare Waitlist Fees and Requires Refunds
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

New Colorado Law Limits Childcare Waitlist Fees and Requires Refunds

By Gabriela Vidal | CBS Colorado For new parents in the Denver metro area, finding the right child care facility can be challenging and expensive. However, a new state law beginning this year can help ease some of the financial strain. "I became pregnant in November 2023, and I started calling around in January 2024," said Emily Rinkel. "The last thing that I should have to worry about is where I'm going to get my childcare from." Yet that is exactly the struggle Rinkel faced when she began searching for childcare facilities for her newborn. "I put my name on the waitlist on one of the corporate facilities," she said. "It was $150, and non-refundable, and I had to pay it whether my child got into the center or didn't get into the center."By Gabriela Vidal | CBS ...
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