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‘It’s a sad day in Colorado’: Sen. Pelton recalls Bill McCartney era at Colorado
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‘It’s a sad day in Colorado’: Sen. Pelton recalls Bill McCartney era at Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It wasn't an easy life growing up on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, Sen. Byron Pelton recalled Monday for the Colorado Senate. He became a fan of the Colorado Buffaloes and almost no one then was on the Eastern Plains, and still isn't today. Colorado State? Yes. Nebraska Cornhuskers? Yes. Oklahoma Sooners? Maybe. But, Colorado Buffaloes fans were few and far between, he recalled in memorializing legendary Colorado Buffaloes coach Bill McCartney, who died Friday. "It's a sad day in Colorado that we lost him," Pelton said. "I'm so thankful for having him as a part of this great state." In 13 seasons, McCartney compiled a record of 93-55-5, won three Big Eight championships and earned the co-national championship in 1990 in a split with Geor...
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Lawmakers have introduced 10 education-focused bills thus far in 75th session
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Lawmakers have introduced 10 education-focused bills thus far in 75th session

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers hit the ground running as the 75th General Assembly opened last week, introducing more than 130 bills on the first day. Ten of those bills were education-related. The bills cover diverse topics, from workforce development in natural resources to food waste reduction in schools.  Below is an overview of the education bills, their prime sponsors and some pros and cons to be considered. 1. HB25-1078: Forestry & Firefighter Workforce & Education Prime Sponsors: House: Rep. Andrew Boesenecker (D, District 53)  and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco (D, District 57)  Senate: Sen. Janice Marchman (D, District 15)  and Sen. Lisa Cutter (D, District 20)  Summary: Aims to enhance workforce developmen...
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‘You can’t win them all,’ but poll by Rep. Barron finds legislators (mostly) believe in Broncos
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‘You can’t win them all,’ but poll by Rep. Barron finds legislators (mostly) believe in Broncos

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice If ever there was a vote that should have earned 100% unity between the majority and minority in the Colorado House, this was it. Rep. Carlos Barron, a Republican from District 48 in Weld and Adams Counties, got the first full week of the 75th legislative session started by reflecting on a Denver Broncos wild card playoff loss and the team's future Monday, as he called for approval of the Colorado House journal. "As we all know, our Denver Broncos were eliminated yesterday," Barron began, with a disapproving gasp from House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat. Barron continued, "It is a bittersweet day, but as famous Mexican wrestlers say, 'You can't win them all.' " In the spirit of the Broncos having their best season in a decade behi...
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Dickerson: Fighting off the ‘Black Pill’ burnout to make a difference in legislation
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Dickerson: Fighting off the ‘Black Pill’ burnout to make a difference in legislation

By Mike Dickerson | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice On the heels of a contentious presidential election in 2024, Colorado has transitioned into a state legislative session filled to the brim with bills all but guaranteed to further the divide between the political Left and Right. Instead of addressing the near billion-dollar budget deficit, the Democrat majority began the session with Senate Bill 25-003, a draconian firearms bill by Sen. Tom Sullivan. It will not stand up to constitutional scrutiny, and whispers of later bills that will attack TABOR protections (Rep. Sean Camacho, we’re watching you). It’s no wonder many, myself included, are dealing with the dreaded Black Pill burn out. There has been no break, seemingly for ages, to the overwhelming number of governmental...
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Garbo: Senate Bill 25-003 is a blatant assault on the 2nd Amendment and small business
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Garbo: Senate Bill 25-003 is a blatant assault on the 2nd Amendment and small business

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The introduction of Colorado’s Senate Bill 25-003, which seeks to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale and purchase of "specified semiautomatic firearms" and "rapid-fire devices," is nothing short of a direct assault on the 2nd Amendment. This misguided bill not only undermines the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, but also threatens the economic livelihoods of small businesses across Colorado. At its core, this legislation represents a dangerous precedent — the government deciding which constitutionally protected items are deemed permissible for public ownership. The language in the bill is alarmingly broad, targeting semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and even gas-operated semiautomatic handg...
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Devotional: Putting on the armor of belief, truth and trust as leaders
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Devotional: Putting on the armor of belief, truth and trust as leaders

By Drake Hunter | Devotional, Rocky Mountain Voice Leadership is a calling each of us lives out, whether consciously or not. Every choice we make and every step we take reflects our internal compass and reveals what we value. Leadership isn’t about titles or offices; it’s about influence guided by belief, truth and trust. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that true leadership is rooted in spiritual readiness, equipped with the full Armor of God. Our beliefs are the foundation of leadership. They shape how we view the world and influence the decisions we make. Paul describes the Belt of Truth as an essential piece of the Armor of God, saying, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14). The Belt of Truth grounds us in God’s re...
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Gaines: A legislative directory to reach anyone in the 75th session
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Gaines: A legislative directory to reach anyone in the 75th session

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project A reader was kind enough to make a directory of legislators in an Excel Spreadsheet. It's linked below and feel free to make a local copy (and share). Sheet 1 is senators, sheet 2 is representatives. It lists phones, emails, committee memberships, party affiliation, and district. The other quite helpful thing here is that you can copy and paste the emails. I have more than once used this spreadsheet to email every. single. legislator. It's even got some "hidden tabs" with voting machine passwords!** A great big thanks to the person — what must have been a lot of time to produce this and share it! **It doesn't. I don't have the kind of political juice to avoid any sort of legal entanglement that comes with tha...
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House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’
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House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It will remain to be seen how closely Democrat Gov. Jared Polis aligns in the 75th legislative session with Colorado House Republicans on a variety of priority issues to the minority caucus. During a long address in which he noted Lord of the Rings, referenced Star Trek and Star Wars, and imitated Taylor Swift, Polis found a bit of time to borrow some of the key issues of the day from the minority party's playbook, including affordability, public safety, education and brief mentions of agriculture. “Colorado families are facing significant challenges, and I appreciate the governor’s recognition that affordability remains one of the greatest concerns for Coloradans," House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said following Polis' address to the join...
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Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate
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Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a tough time to be a Coloradan, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen summarized for the Colorado Senate as the 75th General Assembly opened this week. "In recent years, our state has been burdened with policies that are at best heavy-handed, at worst suffocating," he said. Such as, Lundeen said, regulations, fees and the hated 10-cent per-bag fee each time a Coloradan goes to the mini-mart or the grocery store. They are policies that "weigh heavily on the families we are here to serve," Lundeen said. Some have estimated the 10-cent bag fee is a $500 annual tax for the average family. The Republican warned that economic anxieties of Coloradans are real, tangible and growing. "We have passed policies that overreach," he said. "Laws th...
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Ganahl: A response to Gov. Polis’ State of the State address
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Ganahl: A response to Gov. Polis’ State of the State address

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Note: The following is a loose translation of Heidi Ganahl's response to Gov. Jared Polis' State of the State address Thursday to members of the 75th legislature. Hi there it’s  Heidi Ganahl, and today I’m here to set the record straight on Governor Polis’ rosy vision for Colorado. While his speech may sound polished, it paints a very different picture than the reality Coloradans are facing every day. Let’s talk about the challenges that weren’t mentioned — or were glossed over. 1. Economic and infrastructure failures: Governor Polis likes to tout Colorado as a land of opportunity, but for many, it’s become a land of unaffordability. Seniors on fixed incomes are being driven out, families can barely afford groceries, and vehi...
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