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Colorado’s Cannabis Market Faces Lowest Sales Since 2015, Leaving Some to Wonder If Coloradans Have Moved On
Approved, State, thelobby-co.com

Colorado’s Cannabis Market Faces Lowest Sales Since 2015, Leaving Some to Wonder If Coloradans Have Moved On

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM Colorado's cannabis market experienced a significant decline in November 2023, reaching its lowest sales level since February 2015. This downward trend has continued for several months, according to data from the state's Department of Revenue. In November, both recreational and medical cannabis sales amounted to $110.3 million, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline. The adult-use market, which constitutes approximately 87% of total sales, saw a year-on-year decrease of around 16% to $95.8 million. Additionally, medical cannabis sales fell by 11.5% to $14.5 million. The decline in sales can be attributed to a decrease in the number of growers and manufacturers operating in the state. This reduction in supply has had a direct impact on the overa...
Trump attends NYC Carroll defamation trial and slams ‘attempted extortion’
Approved, gazette.com, National

Trump attends NYC Carroll defamation trial and slams ‘attempted extortion’

By Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Former President Donald Trump arrived at a snow-covered Manhattan federal courthouse on Tuesday for the start of the penalty phase of his defamation lawsuit brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.  Fresh off his big win in the Iowa caucuses the night before, Trump could be forced to pay Carroll more than $10 million in damages for allegedly dragging her name and reputation through the mud after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1995.  Trump vehemently denied the allegations, claiming he had "never met this person in my life" and that she was "not my type," and accused Carroll of using his name to sell her book...
100 bison headed to NWSS this week
Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thefencepost.com

100 bison headed to NWSS this week

By Hagstrom Report | SOURCE: THE FENCE POST DENVER — Nearly 100 American bison are headed to Denver this week for the National Bison Association’s 44th annual Gold Trophy Show and Sale at the National Western Stock Show. The NBA will host a corresponding conference in nearby Westminster in which over 500 of today’s bison stewards will gather for a few days of bison-specific education, networking, feasting and fun.  Over 20 bison producers, from the U.S. and Canada, will bring their top bison breeding stock to the annual auction, in which the animals are cared for in the bison pens at the NWSS Stockyard Event Center. Animals are judged on Thursday and Friday, culminating with a live animal auction at Denver’s National Western Livestock Auction Arena starting at 10 a.m., Satu...
Should Denver ban homeless camp sweeps in frigid weather? City Council will decide tonight
Approved, denvergazette.com, Downtown Denver, Local

Should Denver ban homeless camp sweeps in frigid weather? City Council will decide tonight

By Noah Festenstein | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE Denver's councilmembers will decide tonight whether to ban homeless encampment sweeps when temperatures fall below 32 degrees, a move that Mayor Mike Johnston opposes. The council gave the proposal preliminary approval last week, when a few councilmembers voted against advancing it and others showed hesitation to move it forward. The vote is happening as a cold snap, which plunged temperatures to subzero in the last several days, is expected to leave metro Denver today.  READ FULL STORY ON GAZETTE.COM
Vilsack to travel to National Western Stock show in Denver
Approved, Downtown Denver, Local, thefencepost.com

Vilsack to travel to National Western Stock show in Denver

SOURCE: THEFENCEPOST.COM Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will hold a panel discussion with farmers and ranchers at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Friday, USDA said in a media advisory. Vilsack will focus on “rancher and farmer-focused programs that spur economic activity by supporting on-farm conservation, bolstering new markets, expanding independent meat processing options, and keeping farming viable for the next generation,” USDA said. READ FULL ARTICLE ON THEFENCEPOST.COM
Congresswoman’s husband paid with tax dollars for campaign to hike taxes
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, State

Congresswoman’s husband paid with tax dollars for campaign to hike taxes

SOURCE: COLORADO PEAK POLITICS Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen has been in office less than a year but already her family is cashing in on the public’s dime. Joe Biden would be so proud. Pettersen’s husband, Ian Silverii, is the former director of ProgressNow, whose consulting firm landed a $340,000 contract with Jefferson County under a questionable bidding process, reports Page Two over at Complete Colorado. Silverii’s personal consulting fee is $180,000, while JeffCo taxpayers pay Silverii’s firm for political campaign services to raise their taxes. Jefferson County is paying Rep. Brittany Petterson's husband $180K in taxpayer money for a consulting fee to help the county persuade taxpayers to give up their TABOR refunds.Something doesn't smell right here.https:/...
Jan. 6 defense lawyer slams Justice ‘overreach’ trying misdemeanor cases
Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Jan. 6 defense lawyer slams Justice ‘overreach’ trying misdemeanor cases

By Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE A top defense lawyer involved in over 50 cases stemming from the January 6 Capitol riots said the Justice Department is overreaching in its prosecution of some 1,300 cases on Tuesday, many against bystanders. Kira Anne West, who volunteered to defend dozens of suspects, said in an interview that cases Justice would typically handle as misdemeanors are being turned into felonies and Washington juries are throwing the book at those convicted in the riots. In a C-SPAN Booknotes podcast just posted, West said, “There is quite a bit of government overreach as far as who they're prosecuting and what they're charging them with.” READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM
Nikki Haley to skip DeSantis debate unless Trump attends
Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Nikki Haley to skip DeSantis debate unless Trump attends

By Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley will skip a New Hampshire Republican primary debate unless former President Donald Trump attends. Haley's campaign announced her decision on Tuesday morning following the Iowa caucuses, in which she finished third. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) already confirmed his intention to attend a Thursday debate hosted by WMUR-TV and ABC News at Saint Anselm College. “We’ve had five great debates in this campaign,” Haley said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them. He has nowhere left to hide. READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM
Single vote blocks Trump from clean sweep of Iowa caucuses
Approved, denvergazette.com, National

Single vote blocks Trump from clean sweep of Iowa caucuses

By Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Former President Donald Trump won all but one of Iowa's 99 counties during Monday night's caucuses, with a single vote in Johnson County blocking Trump from a clean sweep of the Hawkeye State. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley won Johnson County by 1,271 votes, just one more than Trump's 1,270, according to results from the Republican Party of Iowa. It was the only county that Haley or any other GOP primary rival won during the caucuses as Trump walked away with a resounding win in the first contest of the 2024 nominating calendar. READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM
Armstrong: A modest proposal for school choice in Colorado
Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Armstrong: A modest proposal for school choice in Colorado

By Ari Armstrong | SOURCE: COMPLETE COLORADO PAGE TWO I’ll begin with my proposal: Parents who do not send their school-age children to public schools do not have to pay taxes to help support those schools. Whatever proportion of property, income, and other taxes go to schools, those parents either do not have to pay in the first place (I propose), or else they get the money back during tax season, up to the average per-pupil expenditure. I mean to include here property taxes paid indirectly through rent. It’s hard to object to that proposal on moral grounds. It says simply that parents should not have to pay for these government services that they do not use. There is no subsidy involved; we are talking only about a family’s own money. Families still would be required to provide ...