Today is Oct. 25, 2023, and here’s what you need to know:

A federal judge has blocked the state from “expelling, punishing, withholding funds from, or otherwise disciplining” a Christian preschool in Chaffee County, even though its policies appear to violate the non-discrimination requirements of Colorado’s universal pre-K program.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico last week granted Darren Patterson Christian Academy a preliminary injunction based on a fear of future consequences, rather than any current threat. The school is actively participating in the pre-K program, the state has given it more than $30,000 and there have been no complaints that Darren Patterson Christian Academy is discriminating against staff or students.

Nonetheless, Domenico slammed the state for failing to say outright whether the school’s policies on hiring, bathroom usage and personal pronouns are violations of the pre-K program’s non-discrimination rules. He also observed Gov. Jared Polis had made comments outside of court suggesting the state would move to ensure preschool providers do not discriminate.

Editor’s note: This series explores the unique complexities and similarities of the homeless challenge in Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs. Part 3 focuses on Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who won the seat in June, also thinks the city and county are “doing really well,” and the numbers are “trending in the right direction.”

Over the last several years, El Paso County’s decreasing homeless population has represented a different trajectory than most other communities along the Front Range, according to a study released in February by the Common Sense Institute, a Denver-based fiscal and economic research organization.

But Colorado Springs leaders say they realize homelessness isn’t close to being solved or eradicated.

A new poll shows that Coloradans largely want to see their local governments do more on the issue of affordable housing and believe the state is not the right entity for handling those issues.

David Flaherty of Magellan said the poll, which surveyed 779 registered voters last month, looked at many of the housing and land use policies debated in the legislature’s 2023 session. 

Those included the land use legislation supported by Gov. Jared Polis, which, as introduced, would have stripped local governments of their authority on land use policies, such as density and zoning. 

Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday reversed a man’s organized crime conviction in Douglas County in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent directive about how a criminal “enterprise” must be proven.

At the same time, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals rejected Chauncey Price’s argument that his dual convictions for child pimping and patronizing a prostituted child violated his constitutional rights because they prohibit “essentially the same conduct.”

Price is serving a 304-year sentence after a jury convicted him in 2019 of multiple offenses related to prostitution and forgery. Price facilitated the prostitution of multiple victims, provided them with security and transportation in exchange for money, and manufactured counterfeit bills to use in purchases.

A majority of health insurers are poised to reduce premiums next year, but that doesn’t mean insurance costs are going down.

In fact, those who buy their health insurance on the individual market will pay about 9.7% more in 2024, according to the state Division of Insurance, which finalized its rate review for health insurance premiums for next year.

In the small group market, which applies to businesses with fewer than 100 employees, premiums are expected to increase by 8%.

Despite the anticipated increases, Colorado officials immediately pointed to a state insurance program – and their own actions – as reasons for the savings they insisted residents will see next year.