Rocky Mountain Voice

State

Congressman Gabe Evans Calls for Energy Freedom as Colorado Expands Regulations
The Washington Times, Approved, Commentary, State

Congressman Gabe Evans Calls for Energy Freedom as Colorado Expands Regulations

By U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo. | Commentary, The Washington Times OPINION: Colorado’s Eighth District has an energy advantage most states envy. Weld County, in the northern part of my district, is the fourth-largest energy-producing county in the nation, producing 82% of Colorado’s oil and 56% of its natural gas. We are also home to major wind, solar and emerging technologies. We have the resources and workforce to produce more American energy than ever before. Yet Denver Democrats are determined to squander that advantage. For years, one-party rule at the State Capitol has pursued an energy agenda designed to force Colorado away from oil and natural gas — regardless of what it costs consumers or means for the reliability of our grid. Now, state ...
Federal Government Commits $250 Million to Colorado Power Grid Project
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Government Commits $250 Million to Colorado Power Grid Project

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $250 million in a transmission connection between Colorado and Texas, which it says will improve grid reliability and meet growing electricity demand. One connection will move from Lamar to the higher-capacity May Valley substation in Brandon. That connects it directly to the Colorado Power Pathway transmission network. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Gabe Evans on his record, his opponent and a race inside the margin
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Gabe Evans on his record, his opponent and a race inside the margin

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Gabe Evans still tells the story of his first annual review as a cop. His sergeant sat him down and said he'd had a great year. Forty-one arrests, putting him in the top half of the shift. More than 1,800 calls for service. "If you do the math, that means less than 2% of the time I'm there to actually criminally charge someone as a cop," Evans told RMV. "98% of the time, I'm involving non-criminal issues in the community. I'm de-escalating a problem or connecting someone to resources." Evans said that job shaped how he works in Washington, along with growing up around cattle and 12 years in the military. He said service runs in the family. His mother's father, he said, "was born in Mexico, came to the United States,...
Colorado Health Insurance Rates Rise 10% Statewide and 15.5% in Mesa County
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Health Insurance Rates Rise 10% Statewide and 15.5% in Mesa County

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun State and federal subsidies, though, will blunt the price increases for people with lower incomes. If you buy health insurance on your own without help from an employer — and without receiving subsidies from the state or federal government — this will come as unwelcome news: Prices for coverage next year will increase by an average of 10% across the state and by even more if you live in the mountains or on the Western Slope. The state Division of Insurance announced the price increases Tuesday, pinning blame for the rising rates in part on Congress’ refusal to extend some price subsidies last year. Rising healthcare and prescription drug costs are also to blame. Colorado somewhat made up for the loss of the enhanc...
Colorado Receives $10.5 Million in FEMA Grants Days After Disaster Aid Denial
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Receives $10.5 Million in FEMA Grants Days After Disaster Aid Denial

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 The funds come less than a week after FEMA denied portions of Colorado’s disaster declaration request for victims of the Aspen Acres Fire. DENVER — Colorado is getting more than $10 million in pre-disaster mitigation grants that Trump administration officials says will empower states and local officials to manage their own disaster preparedness. The grants, announced Wednesday, come less than a week after FEMA denied portions of Colorado’s disaster declaration request for victims of the 102,004-acre Aspen Acres Fire. The fire, which destroyed more than 850 structures, including 350 homes, ranked among the most destructive wildfires by homes destroyed in Colorado. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
Amendment 83 would enshrine Colorado hunting and fishing after 17 attempts to change the law
GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Amendment 83 would enshrine Colorado hunting and fishing after 17 attempts to change the law

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com The Common Sense Institute (CSI) just published an analysis of the economic impact of hunting and fishing in Colorado, to help inform debate on a November ballot measure called Amendment 83. It would enshrine in the state constitution the right of the people to hunt and fish. As one of the report’s co-authors, I attended a forum where we were asked, “Why not just eliminate hunting and fishing and let nature take over?” Many Coloradans may not fully understand what the absence of hunting and fishing might look like. It is a scenario they do not want. Amendment 83 appears simply to restate existing laws and processes. It would amend the Colorado constitution to make hunting and fishing a right for Colorado’s 874,000 fishing licen...
Michael Allen Calls for Colorado First Approach to Attorney General’s Office
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Michael Allen Calls for Colorado First Approach to Attorney General’s Office

By Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette Republican argues Colorado officials have been too focused fighting Trump. Michael Allen said his campaign for Colorado attorney general is rooted in a simple premise: the state’s top lawyer should focus on Colorado, regardless of who occupies the White House. The Republican candidate, a Colorado native and the elected district attorney for the 4th Judicial District, is vying for the position against Democrat Jena Griswold, the state’s current secretary of state. During the primary, Griswold has repeatedly told voters that she will focus on fighting the Trump administration as attorney general. That messaging permeates her campaign against Allen. Allen, who grew up in Thornton and Arvada and...
Poll Shows Evans And Rutinel Locked In Tight Race For Colorado’s 8th District
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Poll Shows Evans And Rutinel Locked In Tight Race For Colorado’s 8th District

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The poll was conducted by a Republican firm on behalf of a conservative political nonprofit that doesn’t reveal its donors and is backing Evans, the district’s Republican incumbent. The race between Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans and his Democratic challenger, former state Rep. Manny Rutinel, is essentially tied with just a few weeks before voters in Colorado’s toss-up 8th Congressional District start receiving ballots, according to a recent poll. The poll was conducted by a Republican firm — McLaughlin and Associates — on behalf of Enhancing American Competitiveness, a conservative political nonprofit that doesn’t reveal its donors and is backing Evans. The poll was conducted on Sept. 16 and 17 among 400 likely 8th ...
Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Peters Bid to Overturn Convictions
KREX, Approved, State

Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Peters Bid to Overturn Convictions

By Andrew Kiser | KREX MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) – The Colorado Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters regarding her conviction on charges related to election tampering. Peters was originally sentenced to roughly nine years in prison for her role in allowing unauthorized access to voting equipment. Authorities said she allowed access while attempting to demonstrate unproven claims of corruption in voting systems. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KREX
Colorado budget improves 9.5 percent while spending, not revenue, drives the shortfall
State, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Colorado budget improves 9.5 percent while spending, not revenue, drives the shortfall

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice State economists brought the Joint Budget Committee a number that sounds like relief. General Fund revenue is projected to grow 9.5 percent this fiscal year. Then came the rest of the September forecast.  The same document that promises 9.5 percent growth also shows Colorado's labor force shrinking at a pace the state's own analysts say normally shows up only in a recession.  It shows the state keeping money it used to send back to taxpayers.  And it shows spending that Legislative Council Staff, the legislature's nonpartisan forecasters, say is the real reason the budget keeps breaking. Read past the headline and the improvement is less about a growing economy than about the state holding onto ...