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Garfield County commissioners deny Carbondale’s funding request to assist in migrant response
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Approved, Local, Post Independent, Western Slope

Garfield County commissioners deny Carbondale’s funding request to assist in migrant response

By Taylor Cramer  | Post Independent In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, Garfield County Commissioners denied the town of Carbondale’s request for $50,000 in aid to support groups of recently arrived immigrants who have been relying on the town for temporary shelter since November.  Approximately 150 immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, arrived in Carbondale seeking shelter and employment. These newcomers, discovered living under the Carbondale entrance bridge and in various precarious situations on Nov. 4, were part of a larger group migration in search for stability in the face of economic and legal uncertainties. The town of Carbondale previously received $223,800 from a Department of Local Affairs grant and has been actively responding to the needs of these newcomers. This fun...
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Colorado Democrats’ attempt to reduce gun violence is colliding with their criminal justice reform ethos
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Democrats’ attempt to reduce gun violence is colliding with their criminal justice reform ethos

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun When it comes to preventing gun violence in Colorado, there’s not much Democrats and Republicans agree on.  Getting gun rights and pro-gun regulation groups on the same page? That’s unheard of.  So when a bill was introduced in the legislature this year to increase penalties for stealing guns that brought those groups together, it seemed like a slam dunk. But the measure, House Bill 1162, was rejected in the House Judiciary Committee last week in a collision of two priorities for the Democratic majority at the Capitol: its desire to curb gun violence and its push to reduce the number of people being sent to prison. “We’re not going to incarcerate ourselves out of this,” said state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat and one of the leg...
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Cory Gardner reenters Colorado political conversation to make endorsement in crowded 4th Congressional District race
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Cory Gardner reenters Colorado political conversation to make endorsement in crowded 4th Congressional District race

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Cory Gardner reentered Colorado’s political conversation Wednesday to endorse former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg in the crowded Republican primary in the state’s 4th Congressional District, a race that includes U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.  “Jerry Sonnenberg is the conservative conscience of the 4th Congressional District,” Gardner, a former U.S. senator from eastern Colorado who lost his reelection bid in 2020, said in a written statement. “He will be a passionate and dedicated warrior for our nation and our shared conservative values.” Gardner represented the 4th District from 2011 to 2015 before he was elected to the Senate. He’s mostly shied away from the public spotlight since leaving Congress in early 2021, making his endorsement more notable. ...
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Mesa County is not illegal immigrant sanctuary, commissioners declare in letter, resolution
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

Mesa County is not illegal immigrant sanctuary, commissioners declare in letter, resolution

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The solution to Denver’s illegal immigrant crisis cannot be transferring responsibility to other municipalities and governments, Mesa County commissioners said Tuesday. Commissioners have passed a resolution and written a letter to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, clarifying Mesa County as a non-sanctuary county. “We appreciate Denver's efforts to address the complex and sensitive immigration issues, but we must be clear and communicate Mesa County's inability to extend aid,” the letter reads. “Our decision stems not from a lack of empathy or understanding, but from fiscal responsibility and the constraints and challenges we face within our jurisdiction.” Mesa County’s resources are strained by an estimated population of 2,300 homeless, a popul...
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Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Colorado office tasked with taking care of some of the state's most vulnerable citizens is once more facing questions about its management, notably after resignations have left it with just a few staffers to care for more than 80 clients. The Office of Public Guardianship is down to two remote guardians, who may live four to six hours away from their wards and who aren't tasked with in-person visits, and it has no in-person guardian for its Denver-based district, Colorado Politics has learned. The remote guardians are responsible for the office's 82 clients, who are primarily based in mental health facilities in Denver and Pueblo. "We can no longer sit back and watch this office be set up to fail," seven former guardians who have ...
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Colorado National Guard training with Jordanians as conflict persists in the Middle East
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, National, State

Colorado National Guard training with Jordanians as conflict persists in the Middle East

By Mary Shinn | Colorado Springs Gazette As conflict persists in the Middle East, the Colorado National Guard is playing a key role in maintaining America's partnership with Jordan, a U.S. ally in the region.  Colorado National Guard members were in Jordan last week training with Jordanian units, during one of the 35 annual training events organized between the local guard and Jordan, said Brig. Gen. Michael Bruno, who oversees the partnership. About half of the weeklong training events take place in Colorado and half in Jordan.  The partnership, now in its 20th year, has helped lay the groundwork for the U.S. to more easily work with Jordan if needed and trained Jordanians to be more capable, he said.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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DNC left out Jimmy Carter in deleted post celebrating Democratic presidents
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National

DNC left out Jimmy Carter in deleted post celebrating Democratic presidents

By Asher Notheis | Colorado Springs Gazette The Democratic National Committee has deleted a social media post made to honor recent Democratic presidents. The post left out former President Jimmy Carter. The post had been made to commemorate Presidents Day, and showed President Joe Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in the photo. Carter, 99, was not included in the photo. The absence of Carter caught the attention of conservative radio host and former presidential candidate Larry Elder, writing "OOPS!" regarding the post's omission. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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Colorado Springs cracks down on homeless camping in hopes of pushing people toward shelter, services
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Approved, El Paso County, Local, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Springs cracks down on homeless camping in hopes of pushing people toward shelter, services

By Jennifer Brown and Hugh Carey | Colorado Sun Jeremy Krause has a simple code for making it on the streets of Colorado Springs: “Stay dry and avoid the cops.”  To keep warm, he burns hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol. To steer clear of the police, he and his dog move often.  But avoiding them is not working as well anymore.  “It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but the last two years they’ve been really irrational,” said Krause, who has been homeless for about eight years. “They’ve stolen my things like six times. They take your tent, your blankets, your heat, everything you need to survive. That’s to force us into the shelter.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Republican Nathan Butler will seek to unseat Rep. Lukens in Colorado House’s 26th District
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Approved, State, STEAMBOAT PILOT

Republican Nathan Butler will seek to unseat Rep. Lukens in Colorado House’s 26th District

By Elliott Wenzler  | Steamboat Pilot A Republican candidate has filed to oppose Democratic state Rep. Meghan Lukens as she runs for re-election to represent the competitive 26th district of the Colorado House, which covers the northwest corner of the state and narrowly favors Democrats.  Nathan Butler, who is an Army veteran, was elected to the Craig City Council in November.  House District 26 encompasses Rio Blanco, Moffat and Routt counties and most of Eagle County. Its population is about 28% registered Republicans and 23% registered Democrats. The largest voting block, like in many parts of the state, is the 48% of the population that is unaffiliated with either party.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE STEAMBOAT PILOT
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NASA searching for ‘Martians’ on Earth as yearlong simulation approaches
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, National

NASA searching for ‘Martians’ on Earth as yearlong simulation approaches

By Luke Gentile | Colorado Springs Gazette NASA is calling all "Martians" on Earth to apply to be part of a yearlong simulation set to help educate the agency on humanity's exploration of the Red Planet. The simulation will be the second of three planned Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog ground-based missions, according to a release from NASA. "Each CHAPEA mission involves a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston," according to the release. "The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stre...
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