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Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Ballot Measure 95 Gives Colorado Voters A Say on Sanctuary State Policies

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Shooting deaths in Minneapolis involving Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s operations have stirred strong opinions about what to do with illegal immigration in our state and across the country. Many Coloradans are against ICE’s operations in Minneapolis and elsewhere, including here in Colorado, under President Donald Trump and find them to be unwarranted and dangerous.  Many other Coloradans are in full support of Trump and ICE, believing it’s more than reasonable for the federal government to apprehend and deport people here illegally. Especially when they have committed crimes over and above entering the country illegally in the first place. In the midst of that heated debate, advocacy...
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Former Colorado Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis Convicted of Forging Documents
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Former Colorado Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis Convicted of Forging Documents

By Jacob Factor | KDVR DENVER (KDVR) — A former Colorado state senator who was at the center of an ethics investigation over treatment of her staff has been convicted of forging documents in the investigation. A Denver jury on Wednesday convicted Sonya Jaquez Lewis, who represented parts of Boulder County as a Democrat until she resigned in February last year, of one count of attempting to influence a public servant and three counts of forgery. “The public expects that governments operate honestly and transparently and that elected officials be held to a high standard,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement posted on Facebook after the conviction. “Sonya Jaquez Lewis has now been convicted by a Denver jury of fabricating documents during a l...
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Virginia Democrats Abandon Affordability Promises With Massive Tax and Policy Push
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The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Virginia Democrats Abandon Affordability Promises With Massive Tax and Policy Push

By Jarrett Stepman | Commentary, The Daily Signal Remember when Democrats spent an entire election cycle talking about “affordability” as if that’s all they care about now? Well, if you bought that, then there’s a socialist mayor in New York who’s got a bridge to sell you. But New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani isn’t actually the one completely blowing up the affordability farce, it’s assumedly “moderate” Virginia Democrats. Much of the media touted Abigail Spanberger as the moderate Democrat gubernatorial candidate who could lead the party back to power. The Wall Street Journal even called her the “anti-Mamdani.” “Abigail Spanberger is seen as a potential moderate face for her struggling party,” read The Wall Street Journal’s subheadline. ...
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Colorado Budget Panel Rejects Prison Expansion Funding Until Plan Is Presented
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Panel Rejects Prison Expansion Funding Until Plan Is Presented

By Bente Birkeland | The Colorado Sun In a 4-2 vote, the Democrats on the JBC voted in a bloc to deny the dollars, complaining that the DOC lacked a plan to address the state’s growing prison population. Democratic members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee denied a request Wednesday from the Colorado Department of Corrections for money to pay for additional prison beds.  In a 4-2 vote, the Democrats on the JBC voted in a bloc to deny the dollars, complaining that the DOC lacked a plan to address the state’s growing prison population, despite repeated requests for Gov. Jared Polis’ administration to do so. The two Republicans on the panel voted to approve the ask. “The frustration is that we are just at this point where it’s been repeated asks, y...
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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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Mark Baisley Launches U.S. Senate Bid, Shifts Focus From Statehouse to Washington
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Mark Baisley Launches U.S. Senate Bid, Shifts Focus From Statehouse to Washington

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado State Senator Mark Baisley has entered the race for U.S. Senate, ending his bid for governor and refocusing his campaign on federal policy decisions he says are driving affordability pressures and limiting Colorado’s ability to chart its own course. Baisley described the shift as a move from state-level problem solving to addressing issues he believes now originate in Washington. “I’m moving from being a state senator to a bigger stage in the United States Senate,” he said. He said his earlier campaign sharpened his view of where decisions affecting daily life are increasingly being made — and where he believes Colorado needs stronger representation. Cost of Living and Affordability ...
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Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Remember during COVID, when the people screaming the loudest for government-mandated jabs were the very same people chanting “my body, my choice” when it came to abortion — I mean, “women’s health care”? They’re also the folks who insist a 12-year-old is far too young to get a tattoo, but perfectly mature enough to make irreversible “gender-affirming” medical decisions. The technical term for this is cognitive dissonance. In Colorado, we just call it public policy. Fighting tyranny by ending elections Now, as the new year dawns and another legislative session lurches to life, prepare yourself for the mother of all contradictions: “I will fight Trump’s assault on democracy,” followed immediately by, “and on an...
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State Leaders Should Pause Colorado Wolf Effort After Series of Blunders
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

State Leaders Should Pause Colorado Wolf Effort After Series of Blunders

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette Five years after Coloradans voted by a razor-thin margin to reintroduce wolves to Colorado, they are right to look at the job state officials and agencies have done and ponder whether this a dog that just doesn’t hunt. Amid criticism from pro-wolf advocates and anti-reintroduction ranchers alike, is it past time for a moratorium? The latest bungled bit in the state’s fumbling reintroduction saga is the “stepping down” — demotion, reassignment, whatever public-relations-friendly term you prefer — of former Colorado Parks & Wildlife Director Jeff Davis. Before the end of last month, and amid the holiday news haze preceding Thanksgiving, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced Davis “stepped down” and wa...
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Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette Six mountain communities across Colorado voted on Tuesday to raise their lodging taxes after the state legislature passed a bill allowing counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare and housing for workers.  Lodging tax increases passed in Eagle, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Ouray, Routt and Park but failed in Chaffee and Custer counties. Rural mountain communities have struggled for years under the pressures of increased tourism. Supporters said the new state law would allow those communities to pass along some of their increased costs to visitors. Before the new law’s adoption, the tax revenue could be used only for tourism marketing and some worker housing. Some of...
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Colorado Ethics Watch Alleges Misconduct by Democratic Legislators at Vail Retreat
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Ethics Watch Alleges Misconduct by Democratic Legislators at Vail Retreat

By: Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado Common Cause filed complaints Wednesday with the state ethics commission against 12 Democratic state lawmakers, alleging they accepted funding from the “dark money” group One Main Street Colorado for a three-day retreat at a luxury hotel in Vail last October. The complaints said the lawmakers accepted illegal gifts from One Main Street that violate Amendment 41, the state’s ethics amendment, also known as Article 29 of the state Constitution. Under that amendment, lawmakers are not allowed to accept gifts exceeding $75 per person per year. But the cost of the rooms at the Sonnenalp Vail came in at about $25,000 for the lawmakers. The complaint claimed the hotel charges $316 to $500 per night. Common Cause also said th...
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