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Donald Trump delivers on promise to visit Mile High state, announces MAGA rally Friday in Aurora
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Donald Trump delivers on promise to visit Mile High state, announces MAGA rally Friday in Aurora

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Donald J. Trump is delivering on another promise for Coloradans. The former President has announced a rally in which he will deliver remarks at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Blvd., in Aurora. Trump had repeatedly said he would visit the Front Range community during prior rallies. "Kamala's border bloodbath has made every state a border state, leaving Colorado families at the mercy of criminals," a press release from the Trump-Vance campaign announcing the appearance reads. "The only solution to stop the border crisis is to elect President Trump, who will secure the border, deport dangerous criminals, and Make America Safe Again." Trump served as the 45th President of ...
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U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert listens to Western Slope leaders on energy, water and land use 
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert listens to Western Slope leaders on energy, water and land use 

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Meet Bryce and Lisa Casto, sixth-generation ranchers on the Western Slope, who are worried that the Dolores Monument designation will close their roads and leave them unable to care for their livestock.  Bryce understands the importance of local communities managing the land around them. “When it's locally controlled, we control it better because we will harvest whatever can be harvested," he said. "It's close to home, so we want to make sure we're taken care of.”  Their livelihood depends on the very issues discussed at Colorado Mesa University on Oct. 5 with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, during a listening session in which participants were encouraged to bring their concerns — and those of many like them — to the foref...
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‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Even though it’s unlawful to increase taxes in Colorado without a vote of the people, vigilance keeps it enforced. When Northeast Coloradan residents noticed their property taxes double from 2019 to 2020, a few of them filed suit against the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District.  Unanimously, the Colorado Appellate Court ruled in March this was a violation of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  The Colorado Supreme Court affirmed this ruling and denied the defendant’s appeal on Sept. 30. With help from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s (NTUF) Taxpayer Defense Center and Advance Colorado, James Aranci and other property owners cinched this victory reaffirming TABOR: any tax increase needs voter consent, and b...
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Support Amendment 80: Constitutional right to school choice
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Support Amendment 80: Constitutional right to school choice

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution establishing the right to school choice for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, and, in connection therewith, declaring that school choice includes neighborhood, charter, and private schools; home schooling; open enrollment options; and future innovations in education? How it reached the ballot: Citizen signature petition, designated agents Michael Fields and Suzanne Taheri. Background: This measure would enshrine school choice as a "right" in the Colorado Constitution. The measure would add the following language to Section 18: "The people of the state of Colorado hereby find and declare that all children have the right to equal opportunity to ac...
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New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 24B-1001 was the solution in a whirlwind, not-quite four-day special session of the Colorado Legislature, aimed at addressing escalating property taxes. Now local governments are discovering how it may take away one of their tools in providing relief: tax credits. This could mean property owners and businesses will end up paying more in taxes. What the new law does Following the special session he called in late August, Gov. Polis signed this bill into law on Sept. 4. It will limit annual property tax increases. The goal is halting the surge in property taxes caused by factors including increased home prices, inflation, the Gallagher Amendment repeal, TABOR and politically-driven initiatives. When it takes ef...
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Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs? How it reached the ballot: Citizen signature petition, designated agents Dusti Gurule and Dani Newsum. Background: This measure seeks to add the following language to the Colorado Constitution: "The right to abortion is herby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede or discriminate ag...
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[UPDATED] Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters given 9-year sentence by judge
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

[UPDATED] Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters given 9-year sentence by judge

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Judge Matthew Barrett has sentenced Tina Peters, once the Mesa County clerk and recorder, to serve eight and a half years in prison with the Department of Corrections, and six months in the Mesa County Jail as a result of being found guilty on various election charges related to her former capacity. In a scathing rebuke of her defiant behavior after a guilty conviction, Barrett listed all the reasons that probation was not a possibility for Peters: “You are no hero… Yes, you are a charlatan… Incarceration is appropriate when a person is a danger to us all, by sword or by pen,” he said from the bench. Peters' attorney, Michael Edministor, asked the judge to consider a probated sentence, considering his client had exhibited a his...
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In Grand Junction, residents debate whether pilot project is promising solution or problem multiplier
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

In Grand Junction, residents debate whether pilot project is promising solution or problem multiplier

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice The 4th/5th Street Pilot Project in Grand Junction has sparked a public outcry. City officials call the project a step toward a friendlier downtown for pedestrians and cyclists, but many residents feel it has done more harm than good. The city of Grand Junction launched Engage GJ for community input on projects. As of this article, 286 comments are on the 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project page. A majority, 205 comments are critical of the project on three fronts: access for the elderly and disabled, safety and impact on local businesses. Many expressed concerns about the pilot project's impact on their access to vital downtown services. They argue that the changes on 4th and 5th streets are confusing. They make it harder to naviga...
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Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-002, supported by a 61-1 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: This bipartisan measure simply seeks to provide an extra week of time for the secretary of state to meet election deadlines. The bill summary cites the deadline for military and overseas ballots as reasoning for the additional time. The measure would shorten an initiative petitioner's time by a week, and shorten a referendum petitioner's time to file following a session by a week. It amends the timeline for t...
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(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-003, originally titled "Protecting the freedom to marry". This partisan legislation split upon party lines, being supported by a 46-14 vote of the Democrat-controlled House and 29-5 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: Presently, Section 31 of the Colorado Constitution regarding marriage reads: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." This measure repeals the language, currently read to restrict same-sex marriage. The summary page of SCR 24-003 correctly notes that since 2015 the U.S. Supr...
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