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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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Boebert Forcefully Denies Allegations of Improper Relationships With Staffers
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Daily Wire, Approved, National

Boebert Forcefully Denies Allegations of Improper Relationships With Staffers

By Thomas English | The Daily Wire "I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff." Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Saturday denied a sworn ethics complaint accusing her of sexual relationships with three congressional aides, conduct that would breach House rules if substantiated. “Well, I’m not a lesbian or bisexual, and I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff,” Boebert told Sources Say News. David Wheeler, head of American Muckrakers, a political action committee that has pursued Boebert for years, filed the complaint with the House Ethics Committee on Thursday. Its central claim involves Clarice Navarro ...
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Colorado Redistricting Measure Attracts $250K From National GOP PAC
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Redistricting Measure Attracts $250K From National GOP PAC

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Dark money groups are financially backing Amendment 86, which aims to make it harder to redraw congressional districts outside of the normal census-driven process. A federal political action committee created by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is bankrolling a Colorado ballot measure this year that would make it more difficult to redraw the boundaries of the state’s congressional districts outside of the process already laid out in the state constitution. The American Revival PAC gave $250,000 in August to the Fair Redistricting Colorado issue committee, which is working to pass Amendment 86 in November. The leadership PAC was created by Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, in 2017. It’s funded by other political action commi...
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Colorado Lawmaker Alleges Secret Proceedings Denied Her Due Process Rights
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmaker Alleges Secret Proceedings Denied Her Due Process Rights

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics State Rep. Brandi Bradley has sued a workplace harassment panel, alleging its proceedings against her were retaliatory and that the panel exceeded its authority in finding violations and recommending sanctions against her. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 17 in Denver District Court, names the House Workplace Harassment Committee as a governmental body as the sole defendant. The panel is comprised of Reps. Jennifer Bacon, Matt Soper, Mary Bradfield, Matthew Martinez, Chris Richardson and Rebekah Stewart. Bradley is seeking an injunction and judicial review of the committee’s actions, alleging she may have been punished for protected legislative speech and that the committee violated the Open Meetings Law because its deliberation...
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Foreign Hackers Breach Colorado Water Systems and Manipulate Critical Controls
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Fox News, Approved, State

Foreign Hackers Breach Colorado Water Systems and Manipulate Critical Controls

By Morgan Phillips | Fox News Foreign actors hacked two Colorado water utilities' computer systems last month, changing pumping cycles, disabling alarms and altering equipment settings before operators regained control, state officials said Thursday. The intrusions did not affect drinking water quality or treatment processes, according to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' office. But the incidents add Colorado to a widening series of breaches in U.S. water and wastewater infrastructure. High-profile cyberattacks have targeted more than 100 drinking water and wastewater systems across 12 states this year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, expanding the footprint of a threat that federal authorities warned this summer was disrupting water operations ac...
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Prop 137 funds the right forest work and the wrong grant programs
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Prop 137 funds the right forest work and the wrong grant programs

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project A look at Prop 137, and why I'm opposed.  Prop 137, at least to me, has flown under the radar. I've not heard of it (perhaps I'm not looking in the right spots, but I don't think I've seen much in the mainstream media), and haven't thought to go and look through all the ballot initiatives either. A reader recently sent me a message and it had the opposition website which I link to first below. You are welcome to go and paw through it. It's clear that both the reader and whoever is running that site are firmly against Prop 137. I don't think that I entirely agree in that opposition, more on that soon.The second link below is to the Legislative page for the ballot measure. If you scroll down all the way to...
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