Welcome to Briefly, Colorado Politics’ daily news briefing. Here’s what’s going on today:

Colorado launches home electrification and appliance rebate program 

To mark National Weatherization Day, Colorado is launching its Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program. 

Funded by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the HEAR Program will expand access to energy efficiency improvements and high-efficiency electric appliances for qualifying Coloradans. Colorado is the first state to integrate HEAR funding into its weatherization assistance program, which provides free home energy upgrades to low-income households. The program served nearly 4,000 Coloradans last year, reducing emissions equal to the annual energy usage of 1,800 homes.

“We are focused on saving Coloradans money on energy bills by increasing access to high-efficiency heat pumps and better insulation for homes,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “Upgrades like these save Coloradans money on utilities, make homes more comfortable year-round, and protect our clean air.

The Colorado Energy Office is also planning to launch a Home Efficiency Rebate program next near, also funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, to support energy efficiency improvements in income-qualified multifamily residences and mobile and manufactured homes. 

Winter utility bill assistance begins Nov. 1

Eligible Coloradans can apply for the Department of Human Services’ Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) starting November 1. This federally funded program offers assistance with utility bils during the winter months, when customers can use up to six times more natural gas than during the rest of the year, according to Colorado Springs Utilities. 

Individuals with incomes up to 60% of the state median income level for their household size may qualify for the program.

Colorado Springs Utilities customers may also be eligible for year-round assistance programs like Project COPE, which provides utility bill assistance for anyone struggling financially due to a personal crisis or emergency, regardless of income. 

Co Springs strip club hosting “Pole Work is Essential” party to support funding for fire district 

Deja Vu Showgirls Colorado Springs and Citizens for Stratmoor Hills Firefighters are teaming up for a “Pole Work is Essential” party on November 3 in support of a local ballot measure to increase revenue for the Stratmoor Hills Fire Department. 

A $30,000 check will be presented in support of the initiative at the event, and guests will be able to enjoy photo opportunities with a Deja Vu-branded firetruck, a complimentary taco bar, limited edition merch giveaways, and live entertainment. 

The 18+ party begins at 2 p.m. at Deja Vu Showgirls. 

Taylor Swift named most “politically influential” celebrity 

Taylor Swift was recently named the celebrity with the most potential to influence the upcoming election, based on research by bet calculator website AceOdds.com.

The study determined the most “politically influential” celebrities based on the number of political social media posts, engagement on those posts, and the number of Google searches about their political stances over the past year. 

Swift received an index score of 84.06 out of 100. While only 1.67% of her Instagram posts were political in nature, the posts averaged over 11 million likes. Information about Swift’s political views proved widely sought after by Americans; over 16,000 Google searches about her policy positions were conducted each month. 

Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in September.

Angelina Jolie was ranked the second-most politically influential celebrity, with an index score of 77.42 out of 100. Over 57% of the actress’s social media posts were identified as political, each averaging about 1.3 million likes. Searches pertaining to her political views averaged 286 per month. 

Jolie often highlights humanitarian causes like women’s rights and the crisis in Gaza on her platforms.  

Leonardo DiCaprio rounded out the top three, with an index score of 73.17. Nearly 54% of his posts were determined to be political, averaging over 100,500 likes each. Monthly Google searches about his political views averaged around 533. 

DiCaprio is known for his advocacy in conservation and fighting climate change. He officially endorsed Harris earlier this month. 

Other celebrities on the list included Bill Gates, Jennifer Aniston, and Oprah Winfrey. 

Local student journalists to be part of first-ever 24 hour election coverage by universities

A student-run media outlet is partnering with Metropolitan State University of Denver’s student newspaper and tv station to deliver live election night coverage. 

Bucket List Community Cafe, an online news platform made up of students from CU Boulder, MSU Denver, and the University of Denver, is teaming up with Met Media, Met TV, and The Metropolitan at MSU to provide local election coverage as part of a national initiative called Student News Live.

Student News Live is hosting the first-ever 24-hour news coverage of an election by 122 universities across the country. Each participating school with have a 30-minute segment on the broadcast to discuss the issues most important to their students. The live broadcast will be available on studentnewslive.com, Iheart.com, the IHeartRadio app, and YouTube. Metropolitan State and Bucket List Community Cafe’s segment will air from 5 to 5:30 p.m. MST. 

“Missing from much of the media coverage in this election so far are the voices and views of the students,” said Dr. Robert Quicke, co-founder of Student News Live. “Student News Live will bring the pulse of America’s youth directly to the audience.”

“This is my first time doing federal election coverage as editor-in-chief of The Metropolitan and I’m excited to see how our newsroom adapts to fast-paced news cycles as it happens,” said Met Media’s Editor-in-Chief, Isabel Guzman. “As student journalists, we have an advantage in our coverage. We know, firsthand, how this election impacts higher education students from all different backgrounds, ages and identities. I’m looking forward to learning how we can accurately report on this high-tension election while maintaining the importance of student voice.”

Metropolitan State is the only Colorado school participating in the Student News Live coverage. Former 9News anchor and Bucket List Community Cafe advisor Gary Shapiro will be joining the student journalists for coverage. The broadcast will also include election results from the Associated Press and insights from Bucket List Community Cafe‘s “Voter Voices” series, which involved 60 newsrooms across the state speaking with voters.