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New Colorado stop sign: Buc-ee’s, the big, beloved convenience store opening its first location
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Approved, Northern Colorado, The Colorado Sun

New Colorado stop sign: Buc-ee’s, the big, beloved convenience store opening its first location

By Parker Yamasaki | The Colorado Sun JOHNSTOWN — As a kid, Randy Pauly’s favorite barbecue in Texas was served out of a window. He’d order a brisket sandwich, step back and wait for a hand to slide a plate out in front of him. He never saw what he called “the action.” The chopping, slicing, saucing and slamming it all together. When Pauly became the full-time pitmaster for Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based gas station known for its fresh-cut brisket sandwiches and buck-toothed beaver mascot, he wanted to turn the sandwich assembly into a show.  “Freeeeeeeshhhh brisket on the board!!!” a man in a red polo shirt, denim apron and fake tattered cowboy hat yells out from the Buc-ee’s butcher block. “Fresh brisket on the board!” The other deli counter employees around him echo, with va...
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Teller County declares local disaster emergency as result of power outages, snowfall
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Approved, CBS 11 KKTV, Southern Colorado

Teller County declares local disaster emergency as result of power outages, snowfall

By Lauren Watson | CBS 11 KKTV Teller County officials declared a local disaster emergency on Friday as a result of the winter storm. According to officials, the declaration was issued because “a public emergency exists in Teller County based on the severe winter storm and extremely high snow accumulation, which started on March 13, 2024, and continues, which poses an imminent threat of widespread and severe damage, injury or loss of life and property.” They added that the storm has created a strain on first responders and public services, as well as blocking travel on and preventing access to roadways. READ THE FULL STORY AND THE DISASTER DECLARATION AT CBS 11
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Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees

By Ed Sealover | Colorado Politics While state broadband officials ready their action plan to expand fiber to 99% of Colorado, a dispute over the amount of fees that telecommunications companies must pay to install lines along public rights of way has stalled dueling legislative efforts to define those fees. A bipartisan quartet of legislators introduced Senate Bill 91 just two weeks into the 2024 session on Jan. 24 at the behest of Colorado Counties Inc. and rural telecom companies. The bill lets the Colorado Department of Transportation impose a one-time permitting fee to lay broadband fiber along rights of way but prohibits it from charging annual fees — reversing a policy enacted in December by the Colorado Transportation Commission. Meanwhile, the Joint Technology Committee c...
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Thanks to TABOR, $2B in refunds likely headed back Colorado taxpayers.
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Thanks to TABOR, $2B in refunds likely headed back Colorado taxpayers.

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Colorado budget writers may be headed back to the drawing board. Slower population growth and rising fee revenue could trigger upwards of $300 million more state taxpayer refunds than expected in the current budget year, under economic forecasts presented to the Joint Budget Committee on Friday. The latest forecasts leave top lawmakers well short of what they expected to be able to spend in next year’s budget, with less than a week left to finalize the 2024-25 spending plan before it has to be submitted to the General Assembly for consideration. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Lost Canyon among ‘once-in-a-generation’ projects getting record funds by Great Outdoors Colorado
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, State

Lost Canyon among ‘once-in-a-generation’ projects getting record funds by Great Outdoors Colorado

By Seth Boster | Colorado Springs Gazette A curious, surprise canyon on the plains between Denver and Colorado Springs represents a "high-value, once-in-a-generation" opportunity for conservation and recreation. That's how Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) — the 32-year-old agency doling out lottery proceeds to lands, rivers and trails around the state — describes projects within its Centennial Program. In its largest ever wave of funding recently announced for several such projects, GOCO granted $3 million toward a collaboration aiming to put the long-sought, privately-held Lost Canyon in the public trust. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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Biden impeachment hearing to happen ‘with or without’ Hunter, Comer says
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, National

Biden impeachment hearing to happen ‘with or without’ Hunter, Comer says

By Ashley Oliver | Colorado Springs Gazette House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) told Hunter Biden he still plans to hold an impeachment inquiry hearing next week after the first son declined an invitation to appear as a witness. Comer also asked Biden, according to a letter published Friday, to reconsider his decision not to attend after Biden this week reneged on his offer to testify in a public setting. Biden had initially said he only wanted to testify publicly amid pressure from House lawmakers to appear for a closed-door deposition, but the first son eventually relented and appeared for a deposition last month. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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Feds investigating Meta for possible role in illegal drug sales on Facebook, Instagram
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Approved, National, New York Post

Feds investigating Meta for possible role in illegal drug sales on Facebook, Instagram

By Dana Kennedy | New York Post The feds are poking Facebook for possible drug dealing. US prosecutors in Virginia are investigating Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for playing a role in facilitating illegal drug sales online, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. They’ve issued subpoenas and begun questioning whether Meta’s social media platforms are enabling and profiting from illicit drug sales, sources told the Journal. Prosecutors have also asked for records related to “violative drug content on Meta’s platforms and/or the illicit sale of drugs via Meta’s platforms,” according to copies of subpoenas delivered last year that were seen by the Journal. READ THE FIULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
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Vision Collision: Cherry Creek ponders over super-sized project
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro

Vision Collision: Cherry Creek ponders over super-sized project

By Mark Samuelson | Colorado Politics Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, with a shopping district that was once known for its quirky charms, has gone through a remarkable run of commercial and residential building projects over the past two decades, with more to come. And that has residents worried. A few decades ago, the small area’s boutiques, bistros and galleries were wrapped by shaded neighborhoods, where people could find everything from custom homes to small bungalows that a schoolteacher or gardener might afford. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Sen. Joe Manchin rethinking retirement is ‘long-shot scenario’, he says
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Approved, National, THE HILL

Sen. Joe Manchin rethinking retirement is ‘long-shot scenario’, he says

By ALEXANDER BOLTON | The Hill West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) said in a new interview that he’s still planning on retiring despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) reported entreaties that he reconsider his decision not to run for reelection. “I think that’s a long, long, long-shot scenario,” Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju. “So I don’t anticipate that happening. “I don’t anticipate running.” Manchin announced in early November that he would retire from the Senate and last month ruled out the possibility of launching a third-party bid for president. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
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Biden pushing to erase voter ID requirements that are backed by 85% of voters
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Approved, National, The Washington Times

Biden pushing to erase voter ID requirements that are backed by 85% of voters

By The Washington Times Staff Recent comments from Biden administration officials have stirred a debate about the role of federal agencies in supporting citizen participation in elections and the validity of voter ID laws. Concerns have been raised by House Republicans over a lack of transparency regarding the implementation of an executive order by President Biden aimed at encouraging federal agencies to assist in voter registration efforts. This is in addition to statements made by Attorney General Merrick Garland questioning the effectiveness of voter ID laws. Rep. Claudia Tenney, New York Republican and co-chairwoman of the Election Integrity Caucus, disputes claims that voter ID laws disenfranchise voters. “The statistics don’t bear that out. It’s like 85% of people across al...
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