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Mental health and politics: Does how we interpret adversity shape both?
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Rasmussen Reports, Approved, Commentary, National

Mental health and politics: Does how we interpret adversity shape both?

By Brian C. Joondeph, M.D. | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports Baby boomers grew up in a different mental-health culture. Anxiety, depression, and emotional struggles certainly existed, but they weren’t routine topics of conversation. The prevailing advice was often some variation of “suck it up and keep moving.” That wasn’t necessarily healthy. Genuine psychiatric illness went untreated, and stigma kept many people from seeking help. Fortunately, much of that stigma has disappeared. But has the pendulum swung too far? Today, mental health is everywhere. There are therapists, medications, support groups, Reddit communities, and social-media influencers devoted to virtually every psychiatric diagnosis imaginable. Mental-health terminology has even become part of how some people pub...
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A three-vote district, a 30-year teacher, and the case Jill Haffley is making to HD16
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A three-vote district, a 30-year teacher, and the case Jill Haffley is making to HD16

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Jill Haffley knocks on thousands of doors, and she has noticed that almost nobody wants to argue about politics on their own porch. "Most people aren't interested in having a partisan argument on their front porch," she said. "They want to know whether they can afford groceries, utilities, insurance, and housing. They want safe neighborhoods and good schools. They want government to make sense with minimal interference in their daily lives." That is the pitch Haffley, a Republican and a retired 30-year classroom teacher, is carrying into one of the most closely divided legislative districts in Colorado. House District 16, which includes part of Colorado Springs, was decided by three votes in 2024, when Republican Rebec...
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MAHA Coalition Pressures Trump and Kennedy Over mRNA Policy
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Just The News, Approved, National

MAHA Coalition Pressures Trump and Kennedy Over mRNA Policy

By Greg Piper | Just the News Signatories including politicians Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, media personality Tucker Carlson, mRNA pioneer Robert Malone, Louisiana deputy surgeon general and doctors punished for COVID heterodoxy. When the second Trump administration refused to settle a lawsuit to reinstate in-person prescribing requirements for an abortion pill — instead launching a safety review with no end date — pro-life activists warned it would depress GOP voter turnout this fall. The old guard of the Make America Healthy Again movement, focused on reducing the power of the pharmaceutical industry and subjecting vaccines to far higher scrutiny, delivered an even more blunt message to President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary...
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Colorado doctors shouldn’t be conscripted into gender transition surgery
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Wayne's Word, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado doctors shouldn’t be conscripted into gender transition surgery

By Wayne Laugesen | Commentary, Wayne's Word Colorado will not let a counselor talk. It will force a surgeon to cut. A group of doctors and dentists just filed suit against Colorado in federal court because the state is trying to conscript them. That we need this lawsuit explains how far Colorado has transitioned from obeying federal civil rights protections to thumbing its nose at them. Wayne's Word is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations and Button Family Practice in Cañon City say the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act requires medical offices that perform certain surgeries — mastectomies, hysterectomies, and other works of real medicine — to perform those same sur...
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Commerce City Weighs Six-Month Pause on Data Center Development
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Commerce City Weighs Six-Month Pause on Data Center Development

By Alex Dowd | Denver7 COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Commerce City leaders are deciding Monday night if the city should hit pause on data center development. At their regularly scheduled meeting, city council will consider a six-month moratorium on approving data center development plans or zoning applications. Council communications say the city’s land development code doesn’t address some of the “unique characteristics of data center facilities.” The draft ordinance says data centers can have significant impacts on city infrastructure like power and water supply, neighborhood character and surrounding land use. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
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Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November
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Axios, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November

By Esteban L. Hernandez | Axios Voters will decide this November whether to make possession of any fentanyl amount a felony. Why it matters: Advocates say doing so will help reduce fatal overdoses, but critics warn it'll only worsen the crisis. State of play: Proposition 132 functions as a public referendum that could shape how the criminal justice system deals with a drug killing hundreds statewide. What they're saying: The measure balances accountability with compassion, says Kristi Brown, vice president at Advance Colorado, the conservative-leaning policy organization that sponsored the proposal. Zoom in: Prop 132 aims to combat current state laws that Brown says don't go far enough in penalizing fentanyl possession. ...
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Denver Voters Face Xcel Decision but 3% Utility Fee May Remain Either Way
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Denver Voters Face Xcel Decision but 3% Utility Fee May Remain Either Way

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics Xcel Energy’s slogan makes this promise: “Our energy. Your power.” Denver voters will have the power in November when they decide whether to approve a new 20-year franchise agreement with the utility. But even if they say no, they will continue paying the 3% franchise fee on their electric and natural gas bills. The reason? A provision on page 22 of Denver’s existing 20-year agreement with Xcel says that, if the franchise is not renewed, the utility must continue paying the city an amount equal to the franchise fee as long as Xcel continues using Denver’s public rights-of-way to provide service. The agreement expires Dec. 31. Colorado law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to order utilities to recover muni...
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Prop NN asks homeschool families to keep footing the bill for schools they don’t use
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Colorado Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Prop NN asks homeschool families to keep footing the bill for schools they don’t use

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado As Colorado home-educating families tighten their belts, the state relentlessly demands more of their money to fund a public school system that they are not a part of. The kicker is that Colorado also wants to keep their Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds forever. Frequently, when we are trying to solve a problem, the easiest “solution” is to throw more money at it. Then, we all feel good that we have done something and supposedly solved the problem. The issue, however, is that increased funding does not equal excellent or improved student outcomes. The Independence Institute reports that Colorado’s per-pupil funding has risen 27% since 2021, even while student enrollment has declined. But gettin...
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Denver Mayor Talks Childcare and Housing With Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor Talks Childcare and Housing With Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston this weekend shared a conversation with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on how to make housing, childcare and transit more affordable. That’s according to a post from Johnston’s Instagram that showed Denver’s mayor riding alongside Mamdani in an open-air bus ride in New York City at the Urban20 Summit, a gathering of mayors from major cities. Mamdani, a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America, made free childcare for children 5 and under one of his signature policy priorities during his successful run for New York mayor. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Prop NN supporters say the money is guaranteed and K-12 only. The law says otherwise.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Prop NN supporters say the money is guaranteed and K-12 only. The law says otherwise.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The official campaign for Proposition NN tells Colorado voters the measure "requires a minimum 2% annual funding increase" for local school districts. The Yes on NN campaign tells voters the measure "requires a minimum 2% annual funding increase directly to local school districts." Source: Yes for Colorado Kids The state's largest teachers union goes further. On its campaign page, the Colorado Education Association says the money "is limited to K-12 only and cannot be used for anything else." The Colorado Education Association's Prop NN campaign page, captured Sept. 20, 2026. Source: Colorado Education Association Neither statement matches the law voters will be asked to approve. Prop...
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