Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Mental health

Evergreen High School Sets Gradual Reopening After Tragic Shooting
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Evergreen High School Sets Gradual Reopening After Tragic Shooting

By Spencer Kristensen | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Jefferson County Public Schools announced plans for staff and students to return to Evergreen High School in the upcoming week, following a break in response to the shooting that took place at the school. “Thank you for your patience as we took time last week to listen and learn about what our students, staff and families need as we move forward. After hearing from our EHS community, the Evergreen High School staff had a productive meeting on Friday; I continue to be grateful for the ongoing courage and commitment from our staff,” said the district in a press release. The return will operate as follows: Monday, Sept. 22 to Wednesday, Sept. 24 Staff will prepare for the return of the students, who will show up later ...
Colorado’s laws put parents on the sidelines — and kids at risk
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s laws put parents on the sidelines — and kids at risk

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado politicians have been busy passing laws that put government between parents and kids. From mental health and gender identity to abortion and what’s taught in the classroom, the message is clear — parents don’t get a say. Families across our state are raising the alarm, sharing stories of confusion, heartbreak, and harm.  It’s time we take a hard look at what these laws are doing to our children. Mental health without parents HB19-1120 opened a door most parents didn’t know existed. Kids 12 and up can start therapy without a parent’s consent and often without a heads-up. Picture a seventh grader talking through depression or identity questions while mom and dad are kept out until there’s a crisis. The only guara...
Rasmussen poll reveals why so many young voters are turning radical
Rasmussen Reports, Approved, Commentary, National

Rasmussen poll reveals why so many young voters are turning radical

By Brian Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Report’s new survey of voters under 40 paints a stark picture. Most believe the economy is unfair to them, and a majority would even support a law to confiscate Americans’ “excess wealth” (second homes, luxury cars, boats) to help young people buy a first home. Fifty-five percent endorse that idea, but just 38% oppose it. Only 29% of individuals under 40 are homeowners, and many feel “stuck,” lonely, or in crisis.  Why the sudden shift? Start with COVID’s totalitarian backlash. Youth mental health was declining before 2020, but the pandemic, especially school closures and extended isolation, made it worse. CDC’s latest Youth Risk Behavior data show four in ten high school students reported persistent...
New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

New Colorado program shifts defendants from jail to treatment on competency grounds

By Michael Braithwaite | The Denver Gazette In an attempt to reduce wait times for inpatient defendant competency restoration, Colorado courts are launching a new program to divert eligible people into a separate community care process. The near-$1.5 million program, which uses money from the general fund and was spurred by the passage of House Bill 24-1355 last June, will create a process in each judicial district to identify certain individuals who are not competent enough to proceed in a trial process and refer them to a wraparound program that will connect them with external care, according to a news release from the Colorado Judicial Branch and the bill itself. “This work is the result of years of collaboration, deep listening, and versatility,” said Gene Klivansky,...
Student Shares Harrowing Story From Evergreen High Shooting
Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Student Shares Harrowing Story From Evergreen High Shooting

By Heather Willard | KDVR FOX 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of students were impacted Wednesday when one of their classmates brought a gun to campus and shot two students and himself at Evergreen High School. Freshman Sam Fisher was in the school’s band room when the lockdown began, just days into his first year of high school. “So we all kind of hid in a corner,” Fisher told FOX31’s Courtney Fromm. “We heard like the first gunshot, we were one of the first rooms that they went to. So it was the first gunshot that went, and everybody kind of freaked out a bit, and then there was a second, and I sort of blanked out at that point, but I think I felt some kind of debris hit my forehead.” The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the hospital hours after the shooting, acc...
Prayer works: Science confirms what believers have always known
The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Prayer works: Science confirms what believers have always known

By Andrew Fowler | Commentary, The Daily Signal The role of prayer in civil society has emerged in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, and this may be a blessing of sorts amidst the tragedy. This is because scientific research has shown time and again that religious faith and the practice of prayer check pathologies and improve quality of life on almost every level.  However, politicians and commentators belittled “thoughts and prayers” as ineffective in preventing other mass killings. Others, from Vice President JD Vance to Bishop Robert Barron to Franciscan University, were quick to emphasize prayer’s importance in moments of anguish and darkness. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security even&nbs...
Tragedy at Catholic school linked to shooter’s personal torments
New York Post, Approved, National

Tragedy at Catholic school linked to shooter’s personal torments

By: Emily Crane | New York Post Deranged transgender Minnesota shooter Robin Westman had recently dumped his longtime girlfriend, raging about her “blue hair and pronouns” — and complaining about not being able to murder her because it “would really f–k up” his plans to massacre kids. The 23-year-old maniac, who slaughtered two children and injured 18 other people at a Minneapolis Catholic school, had only recently called it quits with his partner of several years before last week’s bloodshed, his dad previously revealed. The ex has been identified by the Daily Mail as 22-year-old Abigail Bodick, who the outlet called a “furry.” Bodick was previously pictured on social media wearing cat ears and whiskers at an anime convention earlier this year. In the serie...
Parents push back: A town unites to give kids a phone-free childhood
TIME, Approved, National

Parents push back: A town unites to give kids a phone-free childhood

By Charlotte Alter | TIME Molly Moscatiello, age 7, started riding her bike to first grade last year. There’s a crosswalk with no crossing guard, “and I had to look both ways like five times,” she says, two grown-up teeth peeking through the gap in the front of her smile. Sometimes her parents’ friends would drive past and ask if Molly needed a ride, but she’d always wave them off. “I felt a little nervous at first,” she says. “But then after a while I felt comfortable by myself.” Soon, other kids began asking to ride their bikes to school. By the end of first grade, Molly was leading a small cohort of five or six, riding to school together in Little Silver, N.J. Twenty years ago, this would be as unremarkable as kids eating ice cream or playing soccer. But these days, when only...
Transgenderism, Firearms, and the Conservative Dilemma
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Transgenderism, Firearms, and the Conservative Dilemma

By C.J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Rumors are circulating across social media that a future Trump administration might consider restricting firearm ownership for individuals who identify as transgender. These claims, unverified as of now, have sparked sharp reactions on both sides of the aisle. It is worth addressing them not just on the surface, but in depth (philosophically, constitutionally, and morally) because the core issues involved go far beyond gun rights or gender identity. They reach into what it means to be a free people governed by law, not emotion or political fear. The Conservative Tension: Rights vs. Reality Conservatives are rightfully proud defenders of the Second Amendment. We assert that the right to bear arms is a fundamental protection aga...
When biology meets ideology: Why transgenderism is rooted in magical thinking
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

When biology meets ideology: Why transgenderism is rooted in magical thinking

By Brian C. Joondeph, M.D. | Commentary, American Thinker Magical thinking, according to Google’s AI overview, “is a cognitive distortion where a person believes their thoughts, wishes, or actions can directly influence external events, often without a logical connection.” It’s also known as superstitious thinking. We all see it in children when they knock on wood to invite good luck or when they worry about stepping on a crack. Athletes wear the same socks during games because they believe it helps them win. For kids, magical thinking is a way to handle a complicated and confusing world. But when it continues into adulthood, clinicians classify it as a psychiatric disorder. Schizophrenia, for example, is defined by the ICD-10 medical codebook as a disorder ...