The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: How we can STEM the tide of brain drain
Two distinct “brain” indexes compiled recently by Bloomberg L.P. – a research service which provides data and analytics to financial companies – get to the heart of the economic divide in Colorado.
Boulder, Fort Collins and Denver all ranked nationally in the top 10 of Bloomberg’s Brain Concentration Index, which tracks business formation as well as employment and education in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Grand Junction, on the other hand, ranked 16th in a separate measurement – Bloomberg’s Brain Drain Index, which ranks cities with waning white-collar jobs and declining salaries for STEM jobs.
On the heels of Peter Hessler’s unflattering snapshot of the cultural forces shaping the Grand Valley’s political climate, Bloomberg’s assessment is hardly an ego boost. But it does note the effort underway to turn things around.
Merv Bennett, former member of Colorado Springs City Council and longtime YMCA leader, has died
O'Dell Isaac
odell.isaac@gazette.com
Updated 2 minutes ago
Merv Bennett, a former member of Colorado Springs City Council and a major force behind the growth of the local YMCA, died Saturday after a long illness, former Mayor John Suthers said. Bennett was 77. “Our city has lost one...
US rejects bid to buy tons of coal on public lands for less than a penny per ton | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
The Associated Press
the-associated-press@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 days ago
MONTANA Lowball coal bid rejected BILLINGS — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S....
Calendar Oct. 27-Nov.2
Rachael Wright
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Colorado Campaign finance commission convenes to address rising PACs, make other reforms | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 days ago
Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: Gov. Roy Romer convened the first meeting of the Colorado Campaign Finance Reform Commission, which was led by Dr. Gene Nichols, dean of the University of Colorado Law School. The Campaign Finance Commission was made...
Federal judge ‘dumbfounded’ at government’s rejection of enforceable order holding ICE to its own policy
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A federal judge on Friday grilled the government over its position that an internal policy defining the ability of immigration agents to make warrantless arrests should not be enforceable through a court order. “As a citizen of Colorado and of...
Arapahoe County proposes $670 million 2026 budget
Kyla Pearce
kyla.pearce@gazette.com
Updated 17 minutes ago
Arapahoe County officials presented a proposed 2026 budget of $670 million to commissioners on Tuesday, a significant increase from the previous year during which the county faced and recovered from a budget shortfall. Officials invited the public to weight in...
Downtown Denver sees tepid signs of absorption in empty office space
Mark Samuelson Special to The Denver Gazette
mark.samuelson@denvergazette.com
Updated 9 minutes ago
Denver’s newly remodeled 16th Street is open at its full expanse, beckoning workers and employers back into a downtown that was partially vacated during the pandemic, when office vacancies climbed past 30%, then 35%. Now analysts are seeing a glimmer...
Colorado justices field questions about values, disagreement at East High School
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court fielded probing — and in some instances, tough — questions from East High School students on Thursday, including how the court balances existing law with “evolving social values.” “Often what we’re looking at is...
Officers cleared in Broomfield hostage standoff shooting
Sage Kelley
sage.kelley@denvergazette.com
Updated 20 minutes ago
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office determined the actions of multiple Broomfield SWAT officers who shot and injured a man during a hostage standoff were justified as reasonable use of force. District Attorney Brian Mason wrote a decision letter to...
Colorado hospitals are operating on ‘unsustainable’ margins, report finds
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Nearly 70% of Colorado hospitals ended 2024 with “unsustainable” margins, according to a new financial report from the Colorado Hospital Association. Tom Rennell, the group’s senior vice president of financial policy and data analytics, said hospitals’ expenses are outpacing their...