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Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Says Colorado Police Can Work With DEA Despite Sanctuary Law

By The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday insisted that local law enforcement officers in Colorado can — and should — work with federal drug enforcement authorities to go after criminal activity. An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency earlier said Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities on illegal immigration matters, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to pursue drug cartels operating in the state. “There’s always a matter of making sure local line officers are educated in our laws and that they know that they’re able to work with our federal partners on criminal matters,” Polis told The Denver Gazette. “So, it doesn’t shock me that there are some line officers somewhere ...
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SB26-005: Colorado Bill Opens State Suits for ICE-Related Rights Violations—Even Against Private Actors
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

SB26-005: Colorado Bill Opens State Suits for ICE-Related Rights Violations—Even Against Private Actors

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 26-005—legislation that would allow lawsuits in state court when an individual claims their rights under federal law have been violated as a result of civil immigration law enforcement. This bill creates a new state-level cause of action tied specifically to immigration enforcement activity. Its reach is broad. The text applies to “any person whether or not under color of law,” language pulled directly from the bill as introduced. The prime sponsors of the bill are Sen. Mike Weissman, Sen. Julie Gonzales, Rep. Javier Mabrey, and Rep. Yara Zokaie. It has been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee—which Weissman chairs. That matters. He will be able to control how f...
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Colorado’s prisons are on the verge of total collapse. 
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s prisons are on the verge of total collapse. 

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado's prisons are on the verge of total collapse. As of late 2025, state facilities are operating at nearly 98% capacity, while being severely understaffed. Men's prisons alone are projected to run out of beds entirely in the next fiscal year unless drastic measures are taken to reduce the population or add capacity. Inmates are backing up into county jails which were never designed or funded for long-term state housing, while prison staff face mandatory overtime, burnout, and reduced security and rehabilitation programs. And yet, amid this crisis, the Colorado Department of Corrections has found it in its budget to staff a full-time, taxpayer-funded practitioner of "gender-affirming care" for prison inmates. ...
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Copper Theft Blamed for Weeklong Phone Outages in Southeast Denver
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Copper Theft Blamed for Weeklong Phone Outages in Southeast Denver

By Jasmine Arenas | CBS Colorado Some residents and businesses in southeast Denver were without landline phone service for more than a week, leaving many frustrated by what they described as a lack of communication from service provider CenturyLink. CBS Colorado reached out to CenturyLink and a company representative said the outage was the result of being targeted by copper thieves. Phone service was restored Friday morning at Bonnie Brae Flowers, a longtime flower shop on Evans Avenue. Owner Bell Mendenhall said the business was without landline service for more than 10 days. "It's nice to have phones again when you do a lot of business over the phone," Mendenhall said. "People call when they want to send flowers." READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Arrest Made After Explosions Damage High Line Canal Trail Near Denver
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Arrest Made After Explosions Damage High Line Canal Trail Near Denver

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado An 18-year-old Colorado man has been arrested and now faces multiple charges related to recent explosions that damaged the High Line Canal Trail near Denver. The man, who was not identified by police, is accused of setting off multiple homemade explosive devices along the canal, mostly between October and December. Cherry Hills Village Police, however, said they observed a suspicious person on the trail through police cameras on Jan. 6. The suspect who was described by police in a public alert in December was seen riding a "higher wattage" e-bike with a dark frame, wide tires, and handlebar mittens, and the department said the person they saw on Jan. 6 had "clothing and mode of transportation" that matched previous descriptions...
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When Rhetoric Escalates: How Polarizing Language Shapes Public Conflict
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

When Rhetoric Escalates: How Polarizing Language Shapes Public Conflict

By Shaina Cole | Commentary, Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Political speech extends well beyond the moment it’s expressed. Words travel. They settle into public discourse and shape how authority, disagreement, and risk are understood over time.  Research shows that rhetoric does more than mirror tension. In certain conditions, it redirects it—especially when government leaders frame conflict in threatening or moral terms. That context helps explain why the White House published an article titled “57 Times Sick, Unhinged Democrats Declared War on Law Enforcement.” The article quotes Democrat state governors, congressmen, and other public figures whose statements the administration has characterized as contributing to a hostile environment for federal la...
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New Colorado Nonprofit Targets Judges and DAs Accused of Being Soft on Crime
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

New Colorado Nonprofit Targets Judges and DAs Accused of Being Soft on Crime

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Two elected officials representing a hefty swath of the Front Range are teaming up with a Colorado radio host because they say they have had enough of rogue judges releasing violent criminals onto the streets, only to repeat offend. Their desire to change that trajectory led them to form a new non-profit educational group aimed at shining a light on those they believe need to move on from the bench. Conservative talk show host Jeff Hunt, State Rep. Dan Woog (R-Frederick), and 4th Congressional District CU Regent Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch), have joined forces to form Law and Order Action, which they say is “dedicated to holding pro-crime judges, district attorneys and lawmakers accountable.” Woog’s legislat...
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Colorado Homeland Security Probes AI-Generated Hoax Threats To Schools
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Homeland Security Probes AI-Generated Hoax Threats To Schools

By Jennifer McRae | CBS Colorado The Colorado Division of Homeland Security investigated threats at nearly a dozen schools across Colorado on Wednesday. According to investigators, at least 11 schools received threats by phone and email, including schools in the Douglas County School District, Littleton Public Schools, Frisco, Alamosa, and Buena Vista. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Parents Outraged After Child Sex Assault Case Dismissed Under Colorado Competency Law
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Parents Outraged After Child Sex Assault Case Dismissed Under Colorado Competency Law

By: Natalie Chuck, Joe Vaccarelli | Denver7 Denver7 Investigates continues uncovering cases involving violent crimes being dismissed after suspects are found permanently incompetent JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A 71-year-old man is walking free after he was found incompetent to stand trial and not restorable, forcing a Jefferson County judge to drop charges of sexual assault on a child that had been pending for several years. Robert Dixson was accused of sexually assaulting a child, who was his relative, over the course of three years when the child was between the ages of 7 and 10. Dixson was in his 60s at the time of the alleged crime and faced multiple felony charges. After his arrest, he was evaluated six times and hundreds of attempts were made to improve hi...
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Police Arrest Aurora Man in Massive Denver Construction Site Arson
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Police Arrest Aurora Man in Massive Denver Construction Site Arson

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado An arrest has been made in connection with the five-alarm fire at a Denver construction site earlier this month, according to the Denver Fire Department. It was the largest fire in Colorado's capital city in decades, covering an area roughly the size of four football fields.  Tony BercerraAurora Police Investigators allegedly found that 37-year-old Tony Bercerra was caught on surveillance images entering and leaving the scene off Leetsdale Drive and Forest Street before the Harker Heights complex caught fire on Jan. 2. He will face arson charges. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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