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Tag: Taxpayer Accountability

A Conservative Tide in Montrose County Education, Tempered by a Disturbing Underbelly
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

A Conservative Tide in Montrose County Education, Tempered by a Disturbing Underbelly

By Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB” | Guest Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice As the dust settles on the November 4, 2025, election in Montrose County, Colorado, the unofficial results paint a clear picture of voter priorities: a resounding endorsement of conservative values in the classroom, coupled with a sharp rebuke of personality clashes and certain local measures. With a turnout of 50.50% (16,248 ballots cast out of 32,173 active registered voters), a strong showing for an off-year election, these outcomes signal a community eager for change in education but demanding accountability from its leaders. The Montrose County School Board races delivered a clean sweep for candidates championing traditional principles, while the recall of County Commissioner Scott Mijares highlights the infl...
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Education Dept Tightens Loan Forgiveness, Excludes Groups Promoting Trans Surgeries and Illegal Aid
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The Daily Caller, Approved, National

Education Dept Tightens Loan Forgiveness, Excludes Groups Promoting Trans Surgeries and Illegal Aid

By: Jaryn Crouson | The Daily Caller The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday updated a rule on public service employee eligibility for student loan forgiveness, disqualifying any who work at organizations that advocate for sex change operations for minors, or which aid illegal aliens. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program generally applies to government workers and some nonprofits that are deemed to be serving the public, but the new rule disqualifies employers who “have a substantial illegal purpose.” The disqualifications include “aiding and abetting violations of Federal immigration laws,” “supporting terrorism or engaging in violence,” “engaging in the chemical and surgical castration or mutilation of children,” “engaging in the trafficking of children to States...
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Audit Finds Serious Financial Failures at Colorado’s Health Exchange
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Audit Finds Serious Financial Failures at Colorado’s Health Exchange

By: Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Worries that the quasi-governmental agency that operates Colorado’s official state-based health insurance marketplace was spending money for political purposes turned out to be unfounded, according to a new audit. But the state audit found that Connect for Health Colorado has serious problems with its financial management, including a lack of oversight on the use of a credit card by its chief executive officer. That questionable spending included up to $13,000 on alcohol alone over an 18-month period. The audit released Monday by the Legislative Audit Committee looked into the financial management and sponsorship activity of Connect for Health Colorado. It found that the organization’s policies and oversight need major change...
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Are you racist? The Durango School Board thinks so.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Are you racist? The Durango School Board thinks so.

By Protect La Plata Kids | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Durango School District 9-R has spent heavily on a quiet plan to bring diversity, equity and inclusion policies into local classrooms. Attached to this commentary are invoices obtained through CORA requests to the district. They show the board paid Make It Plain Consulting more than $209,000 between 2021 and 2025. A combined file of the invoices can be viewed here. What the community didn’t realize is that the board’s long-term goal was to introduce Critical Race Theory under the banner of DEI. School board directors Kristen Smith, Erika Brown and Andrea Parmenter started by pushing a new resolution for the Durango 9-R Board of Education. As of July 2025, three Federal Civil Rights Complaints were filed against D...
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Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check
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Westword, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver’s $950 million bond: Taxpayers deserve full accountability before another blank check

By Erik Clarke | Commentary, Westword "Denver residents want to support good projects that improve our daily life and solve real problems. Taxpayers also want to know that their money is being managed responsibly." In 2017, Denver voters approved the $937 million Elevate Denver Bond Program to improve civic infrastructure across the city. Eight years later, while some projects have made meaningful progress, many remain delayed, over budget or not yet started. Now, the city is preparing to ask voters to approve another nearly billion dollars through the proposed Vibrant Denver package. Before we’re asked to vote this November, we deserve more than summaries and categories. We deserve transparency. We deserve details. As of today, there is no public cost breakdown ...
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Hillman: Why Coloradans can’t have good roads
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The Gazette, Approved, State

Hillman: Why Coloradans can’t have good roads

By Mark Hillman | Commentary, The Gazette ’Tis the season when Colorado highways are teeming with summer travelers, all confronted with the inescapable reality that the state government has absolutely failed in its responsibility to maintain our highways. Last month, the American Society of Civil Engineers quantified this dismal state of affairs: Barely one-third of our state roads are in “good” condition, far below the national average. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s analysis, 71% of highway miles under state maintenance have less than 10 years of “drivability” remaining, including more than 800 miles where the drivability life is completely exhausted. Drivers in my home of Kit Carson County know those “exhausted” lanes very well. Interstate 70 just i...
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Rubio pulls the plug: State Department ends decades-old payout plan for underperforming diplomats
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The Daily Caller, Approved, National

Rubio pulls the plug: State Department ends decades-old payout plan for underperforming diplomats

By Reagan Reese | Daily Caller The State Department is ending a program that for decades has given benefits and funds to low-performing diplomats rather than phasing them out of the department, according to a memo obtained by the Daily Caller. Under the Annuity Exception, Foreign Service members have been able to remain on the State Department payroll beyond their scheduled departure from the administration, the internal memo explains. The memo states that the exception violates the Foreign Service Act of 1980, which dictates who receives retirement benefits. “This program is unfortunately the perfect example of the corruption, waste, and abuse that has gone unchecked at the State Department for far too long,” a senior State Department official told the Caller. “This program had s...
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SCOTUS clears the way: States can now block abortion providers from Medicaid
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Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Approved, National

SCOTUS clears the way: States can now block abortion providers from Medicaid

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Washington, D.C. – This morning the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major win for babies and their mothers in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, clearing the way for South Carolina and other states to stop funding big abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood in their Medicaid programs. South Carolina’s victory marks a meaningful step forward in the fight to stop forced taxpayer funding of the abortion industry. It offers a glimpse of what can be achieved nationwide with congressional passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which would defund big abortion businesses in Medicaid through the budget reconciliation process. Although the Hyde Amendment and similar policies in the majority of states prevent taxpayer dollars from being s...
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