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Congressman Gabe Evans Calls for Energy Freedom as Colorado Expands Regulations
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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 ...
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Gabe Evans on his record, his opponent and a race inside the margin
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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,...
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Colorado Health Insurance Rates Rise 10% Statewide and 15.5% in Mesa County
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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...
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Colorado budget improves 9.5 percent while spending, not revenue, drives the shortfall
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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 ...
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A three-vote district, a 30-year teacher, and the case Jill Haffley is making to HD16
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A three-vote district, a 30-year teacher, and the case Jill Haffley is making to HD16

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Jill Haffley knocks on thousands of doors, and she has noticed that almost nobody wants to argue about politics on their own porch. "Most people aren't interested in having a partisan argument on their front porch," she said. "They want to know whether they can afford groceries, utilities, insurance, and housing. They want safe neighborhoods and good schools. They want government to make sense with minimal interference in their daily lives." That is the pitch Haffley, a Republican and a retired 30-year classroom teacher, is carrying into one of the most closely divided legislative districts in Colorado. House District 16, which includes part of Colorado Springs, was decided by three votes in 2024, when Republican Rebec...
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Colorado doctors shouldn’t be conscripted into gender transition surgery
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Wayne's Word, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado doctors shouldn’t be conscripted into gender transition surgery

By Wayne Laugesen | Commentary, Wayne's Word Colorado will not let a counselor talk. It will force a surgeon to cut. A group of doctors and dentists just filed suit against Colorado in federal court because the state is trying to conscript them. That we need this lawsuit explains how far Colorado has transitioned from obeying federal civil rights protections to thumbing its nose at them. Wayne's Word is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations and Button Family Practice in Cañon City say the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act requires medical offices that perform certain surgeries — mastectomies, hysterectomies, and other works of real medicine — to perform those same sur...
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Prop NN asks homeschool families to keep footing the bill for schools they don’t use
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Colorado Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Prop NN asks homeschool families to keep footing the bill for schools they don’t use

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado As Colorado home-educating families tighten their belts, the state relentlessly demands more of their money to fund a public school system that they are not a part of. The kicker is that Colorado also wants to keep their Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds forever. Frequently, when we are trying to solve a problem, the easiest “solution” is to throw more money at it. Then, we all feel good that we have done something and supposedly solved the problem. The issue, however, is that increased funding does not equal excellent or improved student outcomes. The Independence Institute reports that Colorado’s per-pupil funding has risen 27% since 2021, even while student enrollment has declined. But gettin...
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Prop NN supporters say the money is guaranteed and K-12 only. The law says otherwise.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Prop NN supporters say the money is guaranteed and K-12 only. The law says otherwise.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The official campaign for Proposition NN tells Colorado voters the measure "requires a minimum 2% annual funding increase" for local school districts. The Yes on NN campaign tells voters the measure "requires a minimum 2% annual funding increase directly to local school districts." Source: Yes for Colorado Kids The state's largest teachers union goes further. On its campaign page, the Colorado Education Association says the money "is limited to K-12 only and cannot be used for anything else." The Colorado Education Association's Prop NN campaign page, captured Sept. 20, 2026. Source: Colorado Education Association Neither statement matches the law voters will be asked to approve. Prop...
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Colorado Lawmaker Alleges Secret Proceedings Denied Her Due Process Rights
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmaker Alleges Secret Proceedings Denied Her Due Process Rights

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics State Rep. Brandi Bradley has sued a workplace harassment panel, alleging its proceedings against her were retaliatory and that the panel exceeded its authority in finding violations and recommending sanctions against her. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 17 in Denver District Court, names the House Workplace Harassment Committee as a governmental body as the sole defendant. The panel is comprised of Reps. Jennifer Bacon, Matt Soper, Mary Bradfield, Matthew Martinez, Chris Richardson and Rebekah Stewart. Bradley is seeking an injunction and judicial review of the committee’s actions, alleging she may have been punished for protected legislative speech and that the committee violated the Open Meetings Law because its deliberation...
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Pueblo Takes Center Stage in Battle for Colorado Senate Control
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Pueblo Takes Center Stage in Battle for Colorado Senate Control

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Of the roughly two dozen state Senate seats up for election this year, one race in Southern Colorado is drawing particular attention. The outcome of this race could decide the contours of power at the state Capitol, with ramifications for what major policies get adopted next year. Just as importantly, this area called the “last purple” district in Colorado offers an interesting inflection point for a state that has become considerably bluer in each election cycle. Indeed, Pueblo presents a kind of political enigma — a union town that has voted for Pesident Donald Trump at the same time it had sent Democrats to the state Capitol. Mix in a fire that has devastated parts of the district, the debate over energ...
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