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Trump-era tax cuts becoming important 2024 election year issue
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Approved, National, The Center Square

Trump-era tax cuts becoming important 2024 election year issue

By Casey Harper | The Center Square The sweeping Trump-era tax cuts in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are set to expire next year, setting up the tax debate as a potentially key political issue this election year. While illegal immigration and inflation top Americans’ list of concerns, both parties are increasingly talking about the Trump-era tax cuts, which President Joe Biden has said he will allow to expire next year. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has promised more tax cuts if elected. “You’re all getting the biggest tax cuts because we’re doing additional cuts and a brand new Trump economic boom like you’ve never seen before,” Trump told supporters at a South Carolina rally in February. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
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Denver teachers bear the brunt of layoffs amid declining enrollment
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver teachers bear the brunt of layoffs amid declining enrollment

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Faced with declining enrollment and tight campus budgets, school leaders across Denver Public Schools have laid off more than 900 teachers since 2022, The Denver Gazette has learned. Over the same period, school leaders cut just 16 assistant principals, district data obtained under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) shows. Although teachers account for roughly 40% of district employees, they comprise — on average — 65% of the annual staff reductions. This suggests teachers are bearing the brunt of district layoffs. And parents have cried foul. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Colorado Republicans celebrate policy wins in 2024 legislative session
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Republicans celebrate policy wins in 2024 legislative session

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics House and Senate Republicans celebrated big policy wins during the 2024 legislative session, in particular focusing on property taxes and an income tax rate reduction. "I'm very happy at what our caucus was able to do," said House Minority Leader Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, who added that Republicans accomplished much in the 2024 session. Pugliese cited housing measures with Republican sponsorship, including include House Bill 1152, the accessory dwelling unit bill, and House Bill 1308, which would push the state's Division of Housing to move a little faster in releasing resources for affordable housing development. Pugliese also pointed to the income tax rate reduction in Senate Bill 228, which will lower the rate from 4.4% ...
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Southwest Airlines makes a huge change to its loyalty program
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Approved, National, The Street

Southwest Airlines makes a huge change to its loyalty program

By Daniel Kline | The Street Southwest Airlines does not offer some of the perks that other airlines offer.  The airline does not offer business- or first-class seating, so it can't reward its most loyal passengers by bumping them up to better seats. In fact, the airline has built its entire system around a fairly democratic seating policy, where everyone gets treated mostly the same. Nobody gets an assigned seat and most passengers get their places in the three-tiered regular boarding system when they check in 24 hours before their flights. Top-tier members of Rapid Rewards, the airline's loyalty program, do get checked in earlier than other passengers. And if an A-List or higher member does not get an A group boarding position, they can board after the As and before the ...
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Fentanyl coming to U.S. becoming more deadly, DEA says
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, National

Fentanyl coming to U.S. becoming more deadly, DEA says

By Brett Rowland | Colorado Springs Gazette The illicit fentanyl coming from Mexican cartels is becoming more dangerous, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The purity level of illicit fentanyl in the U.S. drug market has increased and the amount of fentanyl found in counterfeit prescription pills has increased, making the nation's top drug threat even more dangerous, according to the DEA's most recent National Drug Threat Assessment. A lethal dose of the potent opioid is about 2 milligrams, depending on the opioid tolerance of the user. In 2022, the average fentanyl pill contained 2.4 milligrams of fentanyl, according to analysis by DEA forensic chemists who test random samples of the fentanyl seized in the U.S. Overall, the tested samples ranged from a low of .0...
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Terrorist watch list apprehensions at northern border continue to break records
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Approved, National, The Center Square

Terrorist watch list apprehensions at northern border continue to break records

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square The number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern border in the first six months of fiscal 2024 continue to outpace those apprehended at the southwest border. There have been 143 KSTs apprehended at the northern border through the first six months of this fiscal year compared to 92 at the southwest border, according to the most recent CBP data. Those apprehended are known to law enforcement and in the national Terrorist Screening Dataset, a federal database that contains sensitive information on terrorist identities. It originated as a consolidated terrorist watchlist “to house information on known or suspected terrorists but evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a pote...
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Gaines: Getting back from the state what we’re owed under TABOR
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Approved, Commentary, completecolorado.com

Gaines: Getting back from the state what we’re owed under TABOR

By Cory Gaines | Complete Colorado (via Colorado Accountability Project) Pretend that your employer accidentally overpaid you, say $20 extra a month for a couple years.  Neither of you notice until one day you get an email telling you about the mistake.  The mistake has been fixed and your pay will be $20 less going forward.  Also, you now owe your employer $240.  Not a pleasant thing to consider. Fresh on the heels of Governor Polis signing the state budget, we got similar bad news.  Due to an accounting error there’s a $67 million “oops” in the budget. The mistake stretches all the way back to the hurried 2020 legislative session and a bill rushed through for Polis’ signature.  SB20-215 created the Health Insurance Affordability Enter...
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Numerous citizen-led initiatives working for a spot on Colorado’s November ballot
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Numerous citizen-led initiatives working for a spot on Colorado’s November ballot

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado  Colorado is one of just 21 states that allow citizens’ ballot initiatives to change state statute or amend the state Constitution, and one of just 14 states that allow for direct initiatives, meaning the state’s legislature does not have to confirm the statute. Nearly every election year there are a handful of measures for voters to decide, while other efforts never make it to the ballot. This year is no exception, with a huge number of initiatives at various stages of the process, including many being challenged to the Colorado Supreme Court. There are measures to guarantee abortion rights in the state’s Constitution (while another, that did not gather enough signatures would have banned abortion entirely). Other measures would reduce property...
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Chicago officials seek to shield Biden from protesters at Democratic convention by denying permits
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Approved, National, The Washington Times

Chicago officials seek to shield Biden from protesters at Democratic convention by denying permits

By Jeff Mordock  | The Washington Times Chicago’s Democratic mayor is moving to keep protesters miles away from the Democratic National Convention in the city in August, blocking pro-Palestinian protesters’ requests for permits to help insulate President Biden. A lawyer representing one of the planned protests calls the city’s actions a heavy-handed, unconstitutional restriction of free speech. College campuses across the U.S. have erupted into chaotic protests over the Israel-Hamas war, and other demonstrators have interrupted Mr. Biden’s speeches, taking over his events and drowning out his remarks with chants of “Genocide Joe.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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Here’s when Miller moths will start to swarm in Colorado this year
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Here’s when Miller moths will start to swarm in Colorado this year

By Spencer McKee | Denver Gazette This past weekend, I made the mistake of leaving the door open while I was heading in and out of my backyard with the pup – and sure enough, I noticed an intruder had snuck its way inside as I locked up for the night. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the neighborhood bears or a local bobcat – but an old familiar friend. High on my wall was a Miller moth. And just like that, I was reminded that the season when Colorado gets swarmed by hoards of the winged species is soon to be underway. According to Colorado State University, Miller moths tend to appear along the state's Front Range region sometime between mid-May and early June, hatching in the Eastern Plains and starting a migration to higher elevation parts of the state over the next two to three we...
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