The Pueblo Chieftain: What gives on 1A projects?
Pueblo County commissioners have announced plans for their 2018 budget, including projects to be funded by marijuana taxes, but nothing yet about the community projects promised in issue 1A on the 2016 ballot.
Issue 1A had two main parts: (1) A permanent exemption of county revenues from Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights limits and (2) a list of 20 capital projects to receive $45 million of the $66 million increase in tax revenues once previous tax abatements expire for the GCC cement plant, Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy.
Well, the county benefits from the TABOR exemption, for sure. But the county should have fully apprised the voters that the capital projects won’t be funded until the previous tax incentives expire – in 2021 for GCC, in 2022 for Xcel and 2023 for Black Hills.
New Jersey signs legislation banning cellphones in schools
Molly Parks, Washington Examiner
molly.parks.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 10 hours ago
K-12 students in New Jersey will no longer be allowed to use their cellphones in school starting in the fall of 2026. Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed a bill into law on Thursday establishing “phone-free” schools in the Garden State....
Gov. Jared Polis ‘frustrated, surprised’ at efforts to revive vetoed union bill
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
Gov. Jared Polis was surprised that Democratic lawmakers and labor groups are seeking to revive a union-backed legislation less than a year after he vetoed the bill due to concerns about its impact on businesses and mandatory dues. Elected officials...
Red Carpet Reception proves new home’s a winner for Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale | NONPROFIT REGISTER
Joanne Davidson Special to Colorado Politics
joanne-davidson-special-to-colorado-politics@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 10 hours ago
NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW News: It wasn’t just the art that people were talking about at Thursday night’s Red Carpet Reception for the 34th Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale. A good number of the 1,000-plus guests were on their first visit to the show’s spacious new location on the...
Colorado candidates switch parties, races as midterm election year looms | TRAIL MIX
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
The final days of 2025 saw an unusually high number of Colorado candidates switch parties and races, reshaping at least a few primaries ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The state has seen its share of switchers over the years,...
Denver Auditor: Office of Social Equity and Innovation risks mismanaging or losing taxpayer money
Deborah Grigsby
deborah.smith@denvergazette.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Denver’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation has yet to implement half of the 14 recommendations made by auditors in 2024, leaving the city and the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum Program at risk of misusing small-dollar funds. A follow-up report...
New Aurora councilmembers to host meetings about creating civilian oversight of police
Kyla Pearce
kyla.pearce@gazette.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Two of Aurora’s new councilmembers plan to hold listening sessions with community members to talk about establishing an independent civilian oversight committee for Aurora police. Gianina Horton and Amy Wiles, who were both elected to the Aurora City Council in...
Final Lap: Gov. Jared Polis outlines his 2026 agenda for Colorado as he nears the end of his term
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
A year from now, Gov. Jared Polis will wrap up eight years as the state’s chief executive officer, take off the governor’s mantle and go back to private life. The governor recently reflected on what remains to do in his...
Ski patrollers end strike against Telluride
RACHAEL WRIGHT Special to The Gazette
rachael-wright-special-to-the-gazette@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
After 13 days, the longest ski patrol strike in U.S. history has come to an end. On Dec. 27, the 72-member Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association voted to go on strike after approaching Telluride Ski Resort (Telski) owner Chuck Horning...
Appeals judge urges restraint in labeling new offenses serious across board
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 hours ago
A member of the state’s second-highest court urged his colleagues on Thursday to pump the brakes before declaring new offenses “grave or serious” in every possible scenario. The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment means sentences cannot be...
Federal judge opens new front in effort to increase magistrate judge handling of civil cases
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
One of Colorado’s federal judges rang in the new year with a new effort to spread out the U.S. District Court’s civil caseload among its roster of magistrate judges. “NOTICE ENCOURAGING CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT,” Judge S. Kato Crews has written...
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The Colorado Springs Gazette: Let's all do our part on homelessness
As we sit around the fireplace, surrounded by holiday cheer, the homeless prepare for another subfreezing night in one of the community’s shanty villages of cardboard boxes and drop-cloth tents. A sad Gazette story on Christmas led with the headline “A year after homeless shelter opening, Springs back at square one.” The Springs Rescue Mission […]
The Denver Post: An insulting promotion at Veterans Affairs
For years, Coloradans have endured shame and embarrassment over the enormous cost overruns and the continued delayed opening of the new veterans hospital in Aurora. Comprehensive investigative reports from The Denver Post and documented findings of shortcomings by federal watchdogs have offered details meant to explain the many lapses that swelled the hospital’s expected cost […]