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Small Colorado Town Turns Tragedy Into Triumph After Fire
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Small Colorado Town Turns Tragedy Into Triumph After Fire

By Russell Haythorn | Denver7 GoFundMe nears $200K as Nederland comes together in wake of Caribou Village Shopping Center fire. NEDERLAND, Colo. — It’s been a tough week for the small mountain town of Nederland, but amid the ashes, hope is taking root. The Caribou Village Shopping Center fire has destroyed more than 30% of the town’s businesses, but now, neighbors, local businesses, and volunteers are coming together to help turn heartbreak into action. Nederland is the kind of place where neighbors feel more like family, said Dan Vollmer, a local realtor with Berkshire Hathaway who launched a GoFundMe campaign for the town. “I’ve been up here a handful of years," Vollmer said. "You really start to call this place home after about two." As the fir...
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Wheat Ridge Brewery Targeted After Hosting Conservative Discussion
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, Local

Wheat Ridge Brewery Targeted After Hosting Conservative Discussion

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado In a shocking turn of events, a Wheat Ridge brewpub actually (you might want to sit down for this one) recently allowed a group of customers meeting informally to discuss conservative politics to come inside to buy food and drinks. Among the participants was Barbara Kirkmeyer, a state senator and Republican candidate for governor. Scandalous! If you restrict your media diet to conservative propaganda mouthpieces such as Westword and the Denver Post, you might think that the owner of the bar in question, Paul Porter, is just a guy who “has made a career of fixing chain restaurants and entertainment venues” and who runs an establishment that’s “ridiculously fun.” But that’s just what they want you to think. Over on...
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Progressive tax proposal targets Colorado employers while 3.5% already pay most corporate taxes
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Progressive tax proposal targets Colorado employers while 3.5% already pay most corporate taxes

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The progressive tax scheme and Colorado Business Your 2026 ballot may have a proposal on it to change Colorado’s current flat tax to graduated (aka progressive) income tax rate. That means when you earn more, you pay a higher percentage of tax.The actual ballot proposal is linked first below. I am not aware of it hitting the Secretary of State’s tracker page yet, but I know it’s on the legislature’s and that is what the link is for.This would, quoting the press release pushed by the groups supporting this measure (linked second below), “... lower taxes for 98 percent of Coloradans, while raising taxes on individuals and corporations making more than $500,000 a year.”At a later point, that same press release says the fol...
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Colorado’s new law shields renters from fees, businesses say protections should be next
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s new law shields renters from fees, businesses say protections should be next

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The Colorado legislature banned CAM fees — charges for common area maintenance — in residential leases starting Jan. 1. Without warning, Le’Toya Garland’s landlord tripled the common area maintenance fees she owed on her hip-hop dance studio in Aurora. In June 2024, the $300 to $500 a month she had paid throughout her lease jumped to $1,693. And while she managed to scrape together the funds to cover her new monthly tab — including the $2,900 she already owed in monthly rent — she couldn’t afford what came next: a $9,000 bill for back-charges she’d never been told she had to pay. “It just showed up in our account,” said Garland, who co-owns the School of Breaking. “It was the first time ever that we’ve gotten a bill like that, and it wa...
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Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting

By: Nate Belt | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Days after a shooting rocked Evergreen High School, the community is coming together to rally around the victims and students at the school. Beau Jo’s is already a popular spot for pizza, but guests over the last few days have shown up for a good cause as well, raising money for Jeffco Public Schools. Victim injured in Evergreen High School shooting identified Beau Jo’s employee Nataly Gutierrez loves Evergreen. “It’s a small mountain community, we’re all in this together,” said Gutierrez. An Evergreen High School graduate, she was devastated to hear the news of the shooting this week. “I live down in Golden and I came up here for a safer community, and it’s really sad that had to happen up here,” said Gutierrez. Not everyone ...
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Minimum wage hikes sound compassionate but close the door on opportunity
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Rasmussen Reports, Approved, Commentary, National

Minimum wage hikes sound compassionate but close the door on opportunity

By Brian Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports A new Rasmussen Reports survey reveals that 40% of Americans now believe the minimum wage should be at least $15 an hour, up from 36% a year ago. That’s a strong sentiment. After all, who doesn’t want working Americans to earn more? But compassion and sound economics are two very different things. In fact, the optimal minimum wage from an economic perspective is zero. This isn't an insult to workers but a recognition that government cannot create prosperity by decree, despite campaign promises. When wages are set by law instead of supply and demand, the first casualties are often those who need an entry point, such as teenagers, part-time workers, and adults looking for a second job to supplement their income. Contrary to...
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Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission hearings show how small business voices are shut out

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project, Substack Government regulations differentially harm small businesses AND private businesses I wrote a newsletter (see the first link below if you want the context) a bit back about testifying in front of the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) about how unelected boards are not how our state should run. I did end up testifying* and I wanted to share the testimony of a gentleman who preceded me because what he said struck me as important. The gentleman's name is Jeff Kendall and he is the CEO of Bruin Waste, a private, family-run business on the Western Slope which picks up trash and operates some landfills. His testimony starts in the recording of the hearing (linked second below) at the 1:03:55 mark. I won't...
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Colorado Officials Target Christian Bakery With Heavy-Handed Zoning Rules
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Local, Approved, The Federalist

Colorado Officials Target Christian Bakery With Heavy-Handed Zoning Rules

By Helen Raleigh | The Federalist A cherished French bakery in Jefferson County, Colorado, is facing potential closure because of the county’s harsh enforcement of exclusionary zoning regulations. This situation underscores how overly restrictive regulations create unnecessary hurdles that stifle entrepreneurship, especially when the local economy is struggling. Lookout Mountain, Colorado, is celebrated for its breathtaking views, luxurious homes, and as the final resting place of Buffalo Bill. Just 12 miles from downtown Denver, it has become a must-visit destination for hikers, mountain bikers, and tourists from all over the globe. This charming mountain community has long grappled with one significant drawback: the lack of a quality café. For many years, residents and visitors ...
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Now or Never: Colorado businesses punished for renting to conservatives
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Now or Never: Colorado businesses punished for renting to conservatives

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I was recently invited to speak at an event organized by a small grassroots Republican group in Jefferson County. The event, called Now or Never, brought together four speakers to talk about school safety, election integrity, and Colorado’s political future. Details are available at hdr.nucleuspages.com/events/now-or-never. The group rented space at a local brewery on a slow Tuesday night. They lined up a food truck and a musician. We are intentionally not naming the brewery. But once word spread that conservatives would be gathering, the brewery became the target of an online mob. A Reddit post titled “[Local Brewery] hosting a MAGA party” blew up with comments calling for boycotts: “Never going there again.”“Hit them with one...
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