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Tina Peters Launches Legal Fight for Freedom in Colorado Courtroom
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Local, Approved, National File

Tina Peters Launches Legal Fight for Freedom in Colorado Courtroom

By Ally Rose | National File Tina Peters’ Latest Bid For Freedom Began in Colorado Courthouse Last Week. Last Tuesday, the Tina Peters saga continued in a Colorado courthouse as lawyers went before the United States Tenth Circuit District Court of Colorado Chief Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak. In front of a packed courtroom, the lawyers for the former Mesa County Clerk were poised to argue for the release of Ms. Peters at the habeas corpus hearing. Readers will remember that last year, Tina Peters was convicted of seven of the ten charges she faced, with the most serious convictions being three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. Her sentence by District Judge Matthew Barrett raised eyebrows thr...
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State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents
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Fox News, Approved, State

State Targets Law Enforcement for Cooperating with Federal Immigration Agents

By Landon Mion | Fox News Mesa County deputies Alexander Zwinck and Erik Olson were placed on unpaid leave after sharing information with ICE following traffic stops. Two Colorado deputies have been disciplined for sharing information with federal immigration agents, which is a violation of state law enacted a few months ago. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck last week after his cooperation with federal immigration agents on a drug task force was exposed during a Brazilian college student's arrest for an expired visa, according to The Associated Press. While addressing the incident on Thursday, Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old nursing student, was pulled over by Zwinck for a traffi...
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Daniel: Colorado’s Budget Crisis Wasn’t an Accident — It Was a Choice
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Daniel: Colorado’s Budget Crisis Wasn’t an Accident — It Was a Choice

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s budget isn’t just strained — it’s revealing the true priorities of our state’s leadership. While seniors and disabled veterans wait to see if Colorado will uphold a constitutionally guaranteed property tax exemption, Governor Polis was busy polling Coloradans about spending $28 million on a pedestrian bridge in downtown Denver. The result? Over 87,000 people participated in just five days — 93.9% voted “no” and only 3.8% said yes. That kind of public input is rare in state spending these days. If more of our budget decisions had that level of transparency, we might not be staring at another billion-dollar deficit. The crisis we’re in today wasn’t caused by bad luck or global economics. It was the result of del...
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Mesa County Sheriff Blasts Phil Weiser for Politicized Lawsuit Against Deputy
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Local, Approved, denvergazette.com

Mesa County Sheriff Blasts Phil Weiser for Politicized Lawsuit Against Deputy

By Luige del Puerto and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The decision by the Colorado Attorney General's Office to sue a deputy is "demoralizing," Mesa County's sheriff said on Wednesday, arguing it sends the message that the state's top law enforcement office is selectively enforcing a state law barring cooperation with federal immigration agents — and for "maximum political effect." Sheriff Todd Rowell said Attorney General Phil Weiser knew of officers from another law enforcement agency who also shared information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced no consequences, while his deputy is the subject of a lawsuit from Weiser's office. "As it stands, the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office sends a demoralizing message to law enforcemen...
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Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”
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Top Stories, Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Daniel: The state’s mandates, your money—and why counties are saying “Enough”

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Imagine walking into a restaurant, and before you even look at the menu, someone else orders for the whole table. They choose the most expensive items, add dessert, and go for top-shelf drinks—and when the check comes, they quietly slide it over to you.  That, in a nutshell, is what the State of Colorado is doing to counties.  Every year, new laws and regulations roll out of the Capitol with noble names and lofty goals. But when it comes time to pay for them, the state shrugs and walks away—leaving counties, and local taxpayers, to foot the bill. It’s called an unfunded mandate, and it’s become one of the biggest threats to responsible government in Colorado.  In Mesa County, we’ve always believed in balan...
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Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Anderson: The Union Isn’t Fighting for Kids Anymore—It’s Fighting for Control

By Christy Anderson | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Contracts. Impasse. Mediation. Oh my!  We’ve all seen the headlines, the crowd of red shirts, and the talking points about “fighting for teachers and students.” But as a teacher—and a former union member—I’m here to tell you: what’s happening with the Mesa Valley Education Association (MVEA) isn’t about students. It’s political theatre, and it’s about control.  Let’s start with a bit of history.  Teacher unions were initially formed to give educators a voice in working conditions. In the early 20th century, teachers—primarily women—were underpaid, lacked job security, and had no influence in how schools were run. The National Education Association (NEA), founded in 1857, and the American Federation of T...
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Colorado AG Weiser sues Mesa County deputy for helping ICE make arrest
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado AG Weiser sues Mesa County deputy for helping ICE make arrest

By Colleen Slevin | Fox31 DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s Democratic attorney general on Tuesday sued a sheriff’s deputy for allegedly helping federal immigration agents find and arrest a college student who had an expired visa. Attorney General Phil Weiser also disclosed that his office is investigating whether other law enforcement officers on a regional drug task force the deputy worked on have been sharing information to help federal agents make immigration arrests in violation of state law limiting cooperation in immigration enforcement. The federal government has sued Colorado over such laws. On June 5, Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck allegedly shared the driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance information of the 19-year-old nursing student in a Signal chat us...
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30,000 Acres and Counting: Western Colorado Faces Worst Fire Season Yet
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State, Approved, denvergazette.com

30,000 Acres and Counting: Western Colorado Faces Worst Fire Season Yet

Grace Brajkovich | The Denver Gazette Several wildfires continue to eat their way through western Colorado's mountainous terrain, with one growing more than 6,000 acres overnight and another crossing over from Utah, according to emergency officials. The four major wildfires on the western half of the state, including the one coming from Utah, have burned over 35,000 acres of land, according to Inciweb, a government wildfire tracker.  The scorching weather and "extreme" drought conditions still fan the blazes' flames as firefighters try to navigate steep, jagged terrain and fight back the four wildfires that prompted Gov. Jared Polis to issue a disaster declaration Sunday.  Here's a roundup from fire officials Wednesday. Turner Gulch and Wright Draw firesM...
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Congressman Jeff Hurd backs ICE enforcement: “We need to follow the law”
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Approved, KJCT-TV ABC 8, National

Congressman Jeff Hurd backs ICE enforcement: “We need to follow the law”

By Wylee Mitchell | KJCT8 News GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - “I don’t think this is a republican issue or democratic issue. This is an issue of economic security, national security, and we need to follow the law,” Congressman Jeff Hurd said. Despite ongoing ICE protests across the country, the Department of Homeland Security said they will continue to crack on illegal immigration. Congressman Hurd represents the 3rd District in Colorado, which includes Mesa County. He said removing criminals who are in the country illegally should be a top priority. “Being here in the United States illegally is a is a violation of federal law. But I think what we’ve seen is certainly a focus on the individuals that are here illegally, that have committed additional crimes.” While we may not...
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A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A crisis of cradle and classroom: How Colorado’s baby bust is closing schools

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s classrooms are getting quieter – not because kids are learning, but because there are fewer of them. Across the state, dropping birth rates and shrinking enrollment are forcing schools to close, merge – or sit half-empty. And the trend isn’t slowing down. In May, the Common Sense Institute released a report warning that Colorado’s birth rate has been declining since 2005 and has fallen faster than the national average since 2011. The report projects the state will lose more than 15,000 children under age 18 by 2030 – roughly the equivalent of the entire Thompson R2-J school district. Denver Public Schools is already deep into closures. According to CSI’s analysis, DPS has approved the closure of seven schools and partial restructur...
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