Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Blog

Colorado’s growing fentanyl crisis calls for stronger laws and border security
No Comments
Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado’s growing fentanyl crisis calls for stronger laws and border security

By The Lobby The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division has reported an explosion in the seizure of fentanyl pills in 2023, surpassing previous years. This alarming trend demands immediate action to protect Coloradans from the dangers of this deadly drug. The DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division provided the following breakdown of fentanyl seizures in their region: Colorado: 425.60 kilograms of fentanyl seized, equivalent to approximately 2.61 million pills. Utah: 119.30 kilograms of fentanyl seized, equivalent to approximately 664,200 pills. "Fentanyl continues to be the deadliest drug threat facing our nation," stated David Olesky, Acting Special Agent in Charge for DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division. Olesky emphasized the collabora...
Read More
In April, discounted internet will end for 250,000 low-income households if Congress doesn’t act
No Comments
Approved, National, The Colorado Sun

In April, discounted internet will end for 250,000 low-income households if Congress doesn’t act

The Affordable Connectivity Program will stop accepting newcomers Feb. 7. Advocates hope Congress will extend funding. By Tamara Chuang | Colorado Sun The federal subsidy to reduce internet bills for nearly 250,000 Colorado households is winding down and funding is set to run out by April. But the first deadline is Wednesday at 10 p.m. when local internet providers must stop accepting new customers. “We will take applications to the very end,” said Brieana Reed-Harmel, broadband manager at Loveland Pulse, the city’s municipal internet service. “They are still trickling in little by little every day.” Loveland Pulse currently has about 500 low-income customers enrolled in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, a $14.2 billion program that launched two years ago to ...
Read More
Colorado lawmakers seek to boost condo development by reducing lawsuits over construction errors
No Comments
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado lawmakers seek to boost condo development by reducing lawsuits over construction errors

Condos are seen as a key way to ease Colorado’s housing affordability crisis, but changing the state’s so-called construction defects laws has been a political third rail By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun In a bid to spur condominium construction in Colorado, a group of state lawmakers introduced a bill Monday aimed at reducing lawsuits over construction errors by narrowing when they can be filed and by giving builders and homeowners an avenue to make repairs faster and without going to court.  Senate Bill 106, the so-called construction defects measure, is a major part of the affordable housing debate at the Colorado Capitol this year.  Proponents of easing Colorado’s construction defects laws, including Gov. Jared Polis, see the change as a way to persuade...
Read More
Wildlife officials sued for skipping NEPA regs to release wolves in Colorado
No Comments
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, State

Wildlife officials sued for skipping NEPA regs to release wolves in Colorado

By Colorado Peak Politics Radical big city environmentalists have been using federal red tape against westerners for decades to kick us off the public lands in our backyard and deprive us of every livelihood it provides, from natural resources to recreation. It’s past time for some payback. So thank you Colorado Conservation Alliance for filing a lawsuit against the state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to follow those same rules and regulations in their zealous pursuit of turning loose apex predators loose in the high country. The Fence Post reports from the lawsuit: The defendants did not conduct the environmental review process under NEPA for the action of taking an apex predator (the gray wolf) from a population hundreds of miles away and introducing...
Read More
Arapahoe Basin set to be sold to new owners before end of 2024
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Arapahoe Basin set to be sold to new owners before end of 2024

By Spencer McKee | Denver Gazette In breaking news that was released on the morning of February 5, it was announced that Colorado's Arapahoe Basin Ski Area is set to be sold after 27 years of ownership under Dream Unlimited Corporation. Alterra Mountain Company, known for their popular 'Ikon Pass,' will purchase the popular slopesport destination, with the deal set to close later in 2024. The deal is subject to closing conditions, which include regulatory approvals. According to a press release on the matter, COO of Arapahoe Basin Al Henceroth will continue his role at the ski area. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Read More
No Comments
denvergazette.com, El Paso County, Local

Mayor says government must care for migrants arriving in Colorado Springs

By Breeanna Jent | The Gazette Mayor Yemi Mobolade on Friday called on President Joe Biden and federal partners to help ensure a surge of undocumented immigrants crossing the country's southern border does not become a 'crisis' in Colorado Springs. "Immigration is a federal responsibility. It's not in the city's purview but because we have not taken care of the crisis at our southern border, it's meeting our city. I do call on the president of the United States and federal partners to help us to ensure that this crisis doesn't impact our city," Mobolade said from his downtown office during an afternoon broadcast on Facebook Live. Mobolade took to social media on Friday to reiterate Colorado Springs is not a designated sanctuary community and reassured viewers there is not currentl...
Read More
Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston
No Comments
denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Ordinance banning homeless encampment sweeps during frigid weather vetoed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston

By Noah Festenstein | The Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Friday vetoed an ordinance approved by the City Council that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps during frigid temperatures, arguing it contravenes the city's camping ban.   Already, the councilmembers who sponsored the ordinance intend to bring it back before the council on Feb. 12, a move that signaled their attention to override the mayor's veto.  In Johnston's first veto since taking office in July, the mayor's office said the proposal "would make it more difficult for the city to help people experiencing homelessness get inside during cold, unsafe conditions." "Though well-intentioned, this legislation would restrict the city’s ability to do this life-saving work for approximately four ...
Read More
Colorado Speaker faces criticism for turning away families of Hamas victims, while Senate welcomes them
No Comments
Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado Speaker faces criticism for turning away families of Hamas victims, while Senate welcomes them

By The Lobby The Speaker of the Colorado House has come under fire for refusing to allow families of hostages and victims, who had family members kidnapped by Hamas, into the House chamber. It is alleged that pressure from radical pro-Hamas Democrats influenced this decision, while the Colorado Senate welcomed these families with open arms. Seven families, who had flown all the way from Israel to share their heartbreaking stories with lawmakers, visited the Colorado Capitol on Monday. They came seeking support and assistance to bring their loved ones back home from Gaza. Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Loveland Republican and end Dafna Michaelson Jenet, a Commerce City Democrat speaking before the Colorado Senate February 5, 2024. Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Loveland Republican and end Dafna...
Read More
Reagan biographer: President hated the ‘Swamp,’ ‘didn’t like what it represented’
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Reagan biographer: President hated the ‘Swamp,’ ‘didn’t like what it represented’

By Paul Bedard | Denver Gazette Former President Donald Trump made no secret that he hated Washington, D.C., when he first ran for president. He even nicknamed it the “Swamp.” But no modern president more than Ronald Reagan meant it as much and showed the city his backside as often. Here’s how Reagan biographer Craig Shirley, the author of the forthcoming book The Search for Reagan: The Appealing Intellectual Conservatism of Ronald Reagan, described the Gipper’s disdain. “Reagan left town whenever he could. He was at his California ranch for one year out of his presidency.  He and Nancy went to Camp David almost every weekend. They got out of Dodge whenever they could. He didn't like Washington. He didn't like what it represente...
Read More
State lawmakers weighing bill to allow law enforcement to cooperate with ICE
No Comments
Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

State lawmakers weighing bill to allow law enforcement to cooperate with ICE

By The Lobby Republican lawmakers in Colorado are making efforts to overturn a controversial piece of immigration policy in the state. House Bill 24-1128 would reinstate a 2006 law that allowed peace officers to communicate with federal immigration enforcement officers if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a detainee is violating federal immigration laws. In 2013, Colorado lawmakers repealed Senate Bill 06-090, which resulted in local law enforcement being prohibited from providing personal information about suspected illegal immigrants to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), among other restrictions on collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE officers. This law, along with others like it passed by Democrats, prevents ICE officers from r...
Read More