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Tag: Jared Polis

Colorado Strengthens Criminal Investigations With New Social Media Warrant Law
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Strengthens Criminal Investigations With New Social Media Warrant Law

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A law requiring social media platforms to respond to search warrants within 72 hours goes into effect on Aug. 12. Senate Bill 011 also requires platforms to create a staffed hotline for Colorado law enforcement agencies to contact regarding pending search warrants. The bill is a pared-down version of last year’sSenate Bill 086, which also included provisions related to violations of social media policies and minor users. While the bill passed through both the House and the Senate, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed the legislation, expressing worries about requiring social media companies to enforce state laws and about the measure’s data-collection requirements. The Senate voted to override the veto, but efforts sta...
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What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wrote recently (see the first link below) about how a political agenda has hijacked the CPW Commission and they're really not bothering to hide the ball anymore. I mentioned to someone in the comments on that post that I'd heard Commissioner Jay Tutchton had remarked about the nature of the commission's votes and democracy. The second link below is to a Yahoo reprint of a 9News article which has the quote I couldn't find for the commenter. Quoting from that piece: "Yesterday was 6-5, today was 6-5. I'm happy with democracy working," said James Tutchton, the commission's chair." Said another way, Mr. Tutchton, somewhat resignedly, commented that the vote going the way he wanted on the day prior vs. the da...
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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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Polis Celebrates Education Gains But Healthcare Access, Crime And Budget Challenges Remain
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Celebrates Education Gains But Healthcare Access, Crime And Budget Challenges Remain

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado officials said they have something to celebrate this week, in addition to the state’s sesquicentennial birthday on Saturday. U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday gave Colorado its top ranking for education efforts from pre-K to postsecondary, though it didn’t fare well in other areas, such as health access and crime. Gov. Jared Polis celebrated the announcement with a trip to the Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School in east Denver.  U.S. News & World Report issued its annual best states rankings on Tuesday. Colorado earned its first place in education based on “increases in associate degree completion and attainment rates, as well as substantial growth in preschool enrollment enabled by the Colorado...
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Colorado’s New Semiautomatic Firearm Law Takes Effect Aug. 1
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado’s New Semiautomatic Firearm Law Takes Effect Aug. 1

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette A Colorado law passed in 2025 established new requirements for individuals planning to purchase semiautomatic weapons. Here’s what residents should know before Senate Bill 003 goes into effect on Aug. 1. From a ban to a training course For decades, advocates have been pushing for a ban on semiautomatic weapons with detachable magazines, which they have described as “assault weapons,” though efforts escalated following the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. After the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, the Colorado legislature passed House Bill 1224, which prohibited the sale, transfer and possession of ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds. However, some advocates wanted mor...
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Polis Warns Socialism Could Destroy Colorado
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Warns Socialism Could Destroy Colorado

By: The Denver Gazette | The Denver Gazette The ideological divide within the Colorado Democratic Party once more burst into the open on Wednesday when Gov. Jared Polis responded to a legislator’s criticism by referencing Zimbabwe’s socialist experiment. “Thanks to socialism, the average Zimbabwean became a trillionaire,” the governor posted on X, using his personal account, referring to the oft-repeated sarcastic jab at the African nation, which experienced one of the worst inflationary arcs in history under Robert Mugabe. Polis was responding to Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, who said the governor is scared of socialists because of his wealth. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Colorado Offers Tax Relief for Residents and Businesses Hit by Wildfires
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Offers Tax Relief for Residents and Businesses Hit by Wildfires

By: Breana Sinclair | KDVR MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) — Due to multiple wildfires burning throughout the state, including the Gold Mountain, Elk and Snyder Fires, Governor Jared Polis and the Department of Revenue (DOR) announced extended deadlines and state tax relief options for affected individuals and businesses. Since Polis declared an emergency for the Aspen Acres, Ferris, Gold Mountain, Willow, Sharpe, Poitrey Canyon, Snyder, Green Ridge and Big Sheep Fires, the residents in the following counties are eligible: Dolores, Montezuma, Lake, Mesa, Pueblo, Custer, Ouray, Las Animas, Baca, Routt, San Miguel and Huerfano counties. The list of eligibility may expand based on any new emergency declarations. With the announcement, DOR extende...
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Polis’s auto insurance roadmap is working. It’s also avoiding the hard part.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis’s auto insurance roadmap is working. It’s also avoiding the hard part.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Last November, Governor Jared Polis stood before cameras and announced a Roadmap to Reduce Auto Insurance Premiums. Colorado had the fifth-highest auto insurance rates in the nation. His administration had a plan. Eight months later, the state has hit most of its targets — and Colorado is still fifth. Polis built the roadmap around enforcement, education and infrastructure — plus legislation he had already signed. What it doesn't do is ask the legislature for anything new. There would be a public dashboard so Coloradans could watch it happen. Most targets were met. The ranking hasn't moved. What the roadmap doesn't address is a separate question, one that insurance industry analysts say explains why Colorado pays more ...
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Firefighting Pilot Nicholas Dale Remembered After Fatal Colorado Helicopter Crash
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Firefighting Pilot Nicholas Dale Remembered After Fatal Colorado Helicopter Crash

By: Christa Swanson, Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado A 56-year-old Canadian pilot who crashed into a Colorado reservoir in a firefighting helicopter and died over the weekend has been identified. Nicholas Dale, a frontline federal contracted fire aviation pilot from Sooke, British Columbia, was killed on Sunday when his aircraft crashed into the Silver Jack Reservoir in western Colorado. He was involved in the battle against the Gold Mountain Fire. His body was later recovered from the aircraft, a K-MAX helicopter. The Gunnison Sheriff's Office says the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash. The sheriff's office said in a news release it "offers its deepest condolences to Mr. Dale's family, friends, and fellow wildfir...
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Disaster Declaration Issued as Routt County Wildfires Threaten Communities
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Disaster Declaration Issued as Routt County Wildfires Threaten Communities

By: Eugene Buchanan | The Denver Gazette Kris and Jenn Shea of Steamboat Springs were lucky. When the evacuation orders came for their home near the new “Green Ridge Fire” — which erupted near Stagecoach Reservoir, about 15 miles south of Steamboat, on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. and quickly spread to 94.3 acres by that evening — they were both out of town. Jenn was in Buena Vista, and Kris was fishing in Florida. But their friends were there to rally support and grab their belongings.  Fortunately, it didn’t come to that as the order was soon rescinded. But for Kris, it was touch-and-go with the fire spotting just a mile or two away.  “It was pretty surreal,” said Kris, who owns Cruiser’s Sub Shop. “I was in the middle of the Gulf and felt a little handcuffed. My wi...
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