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Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets

By Colleen Slevin | The Colorado Sun High cost of getting a measure on the ballot has given wealthy interests more power to push their agendas. Colorado loves its ballot questions, ranking among the top states for the most on the ballot. But voters also like to say no — a lot. In the over 100 years that Colorado voters have been able to petition to put questions on the state’s ballot, only 36% of the 256 questions that made it on the ballot have passed, according to a tally by the state legislature. Questions referred to the ballot by state lawmakers have done better, passing nearly 60% of the time. Between 1960 and 2024, Colorado had the third highest number of voter-initiated ballot measures, behind California and Oregon, according to John Mat...
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Lake Mead And Lake Powell Hit Historic Lows As Colorado River Crisis Deepens
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Lake Mead And Lake Powell Hit Historic Lows As Colorado River Crisis Deepens

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette In the past 10 days, both Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border and Lake Powell roughly 300 miles northeast on the Utah-Arizona line have recorded their lowest water levels since the reservoirs were first filled. Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir and which supplies water to Nevada, Arizona and California, measured 1,040.4 feet above sea level on Aug. 7. The level has continued to drop since then. On Monday, the reservoir measured 1,039.83 feet above sea level, nearly 190 feet below full and down about 2 feet over the past 30 days. A year ago, Lake Mead stood at roughly 1,054 feet. Hoover Dam, which created Lake Mead, was built in 1935. The reservoir was last at full in 1983. If the reservoir loses an...
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One-party rule, one-way press access in Colorado
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

One-party rule, one-way press access in Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Complete Colorado Republicans in Colorado have, at best, a ”fraught” relationship with liberal local news media. Given this history, it’s probably not surprising that when Republicans refuse to talk to the progressive press, they enthusiastically spill ink over it. To wit, journalism professor Corey Hutchins, in a recent edition of his media newsletter, noted how Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx denied some media outlets access on the night of the GOP primary, saying that his campaign chose not to rely on legacy media to tell its story. Think what you will about the maturity of Republicans or the news media, their squabbles hide something more important, especially given Colorado is run almost entirely by Democrats. Many Dem...
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Jade’s escape: From a government-assigned school to a Jesuit work-study education
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Wayne's Word, Approved, Commentary, State

Jade’s escape: From a government-assigned school to a Jesuit work-study education

By Wayne Laugesen | Commentary, Wayne's Word A quiet war rages in Colorado classrooms. The casualties are almost always the children of the poor, ethnic and racial minorities. For decades, defenders of our state’s public education monopoly have built a fortress around zip-code budgeting. They tell low-income parents to wait for the next tax hike or bureaucratic restructuring. But a young Denver girl named Jade didn’t have time to wait. Her childhood—her prime learning years—was ticking away. Trapped by GeographyJade grew up in a low-income household where ambition ran high but financial options ran dry. In her government-assigned school, she faced a system designed for uniformity rather than excellence.Wealthy families simply write a check for private tuition. For Jade’...
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Did illegal immigration drive up housing prices? A cautious yes with caveats
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, National

Did illegal immigration drive up housing prices? A cautious yes with caveats

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Does an influx of immigrants (illegal or otherwise) drive up house prices? The answer to that question, as with many things in life, is complicated. A guarded, and cautious “yes” with plenty of caveats would be how I’d characterize it; if you introduce millions of people into a place, how can their presence not up demand? This is all the more so for a commodity like housing which has much higher connections to regulation and government than, say, cellphones. Simply looking at the spike in immigration post-COVID ought to convince any reasonable person that demand for housing would increase. See screenshot 1 (from the first link below) for a time series graph. In order to look into this question myself, I di...
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Prescription Drug Prices Post Sharpest Decline in More Than 60 Years
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The Washington Post, Approved, National

Prescription Drug Prices Post Sharpest Decline in More Than 60 Years

By Steve Thompson, Federica Cocco and Christopher Rowland | The Washington Post While overall medical costs continued to rise, prescription drug prices fell by 3.1 percent in the year ending in July, the steepest annual decline since 1963. Prescription drug prices recorded the biggest year-over-year drop in more than 60 years in July, a startling reduction experts chalked up to an array of factors, including more generics and discount GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. While overall costs for medical services continued to rise, prices for medicinal drugs fell 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending in July, the largest annual drop on record, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. Prescription drugs, part of the medicinal drug category, fell by 3.1 perce...
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New Analysis Ties Net Zero Policies To Higher Household Energy Costs
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Just The News, Approved, National

New Analysis Ties Net Zero Policies To Higher Household Energy Costs

By Kevin Killough | Just the News “Blue States, High Rates” study analyzes climate and net-zero policies in each state and shows that the common factor when it comes to high electricity rates is whether a state has these policies in place. And those are primarily blue states. Polls consistently show that affordability is a top concern for voters, and that includes the cost of their utility bills. An Ipsos poll released in May showed that 79% of respondents would support a political candidate who promises to lower their utility bill. The poll also found that 58% of American bill payers don’t understand what drives their utility costs. Always On Energy Research and the Institute for Energy Research have been attempting to analyze the relationsh...
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New Study Finds Government Taxes and Fees Add Tens Of Thousands To Colorado Home Prices
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

New Study Finds Government Taxes and Fees Add Tens Of Thousands To Colorado Home Prices

By Peter Lifari | Commentary, The Denver Gazette Colorado’s economic competitiveness is slipping, and housing affordability is one of the most important reasons why. Policymakers have more control over this than they might think.   A new report from the Common Sense Institute details tens of thousands of dollars in housing-construction costs created not by land or water scarcity, labor costs, materials costs, market conditions or interest rates — but by nothing more than policy.  Housing affordability is as much an economic development and competitiveness issue as it is a social one. That matters in a state tracking business establishment losses and domestic migration losses.  This is a relatively new development for Colorado. For years, the ...
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Supreme Court Sets Date for Colorado Religious Liberty Showdown
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THE HILL, Approved, State

Supreme Court Sets Date for Colorado Religious Liberty Showdown

By Zach Schonfeld | The Hill The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Nov. 3 in its major case asking whether Colorado can force Catholic preschools to enroll children of same-sex couples to receive public funds.  The justices previously agreed to take up the case, which provides a pathway for the high court to narrow a major religious precedent.  On Tuesday, the court released its November argument calendar, setting the stage for the case to be heard on the same day as the midterm elections.  It’s the latest First Amendment challenge to Colorado’s LGBTQ protections to arrive at the Supreme Court.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE HILL
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Denver Minimum Wage Increase Raises Questions Over Prices, Jobs, and Affordability
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Denver Minimum Wage Increase Raises Questions Over Prices, Jobs, and Affordability

By Sophia Villalba | Denver7 DENVER — Denver's minimum wage will rise to $19.84 an hour on Jan. 1, renewing debate over how higher labor costs affect workers and businesses. Some say the increase is necessary, while others say the higher wages could impact business operations. Every business owner implements cost-cutting methods however they can. At Elemental Bakery and Coffeehouse, owner Cindy Wright chooses to take on more work herself to save some money. “Instead of hiring a dish person, we all do the dishes. We're not looking to raise prices or anything right now,” Elemental Bakery & Coffeehouse owner Cindy Wright said. Spending is top of mind, especially with another minimum wage increase on the horizon. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVE...
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