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10th Circuit: Attorney cannot deduct $300K racecar ‘advertising’ as business expense
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coloradopolitics.com, State

10th Circuit: Attorney cannot deduct $300K racecar ‘advertising’ as business expense

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed on Monday that a Colorado attorney could not claim more than $300,000 in car racing expenditures as "ordinary and necessary" business expenses to be deducted from his taxes. The Internal Revenue Service began looking into the tax filings and non-filings of James W. Avery between 2008 and 2013. Avery had been licensed to practice law in Colorado since the early 1980s and worked as a personal injury attorney, but he lived in Indiana from 2003 to 2010. Once there, he became interested in car shows and car racing. During the tax proceedings, Avery said he affixed a decal for his law firm on the back of the car, which he considered "advertising." He believed racing would enable him to meet lawyers or...
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife vows to do better job at Rd. 2 of wolf reintroduction starting in January
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Parks & Wildlife vows to do better job at Rd. 2 of wolf reintroduction starting in January

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Colorado Parks and Wildlife is vowing to do a better job at wolf reintroduction ahead of the planned release of 15 gray wolves from British Columbia starting in January.  That’s according to a joint news release by CPW and the Colorado Department of Agriculture in which CPW director Jeff Davis said “staff and partners have been working hard, learning and adapting through the first year of restoration in Colorado” and that they’re “coming back with a stronger conflict minimization program” for the well-being of ranchers, their livestock and wolves.  The assurance comes during a time of pushback on the Colorado wolf program and the agency in charge of managing not only wolves but hundreds of other wildlife species in the state.  READ THE...
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Hegseth, Trump’s Sec. of Defense pick, is ‘good man, committed to America’, U.S. Rep.-elect Crank says
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Hegseth, Trump’s Sec. of Defense pick, is ‘good man, committed to America’, U.S. Rep.-elect Crank says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice While half of the eight Coloradans in the U.S. House are Republican, when it comes down to a vote on confirming President Donald J. Trump's nominees, it is unlikely anyone can depend on one from Colorado senators. "There are lots of Republicans who voted to confirm all or most of Joe Biden's cabinet, and that's the way it should work," said new U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Crank, a Republican, of Colorado Springs' 5th District during an appearance on the Dan Caplis Show. https://twitter.com/jeffcrank/status/1864718732997841189 He is joined in the U.S. House by Republican U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert (4th District), Gabe Evans (8th District) and Jeff Hurd (3rd District). The U.S. Senate holds the advise and consent approval power over nominees, mean...
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Democrats reject audit of Colorado Secretary of State’s password breach
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Democrats reject audit of Colorado Secretary of State’s password breach

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Just hours after a third party investigation found the Secretary of State's Office "unintentionally" violated policy in posting a spreadsheet with election equipment passwords, Democrats on the Colorado General Assembly's Legislative Audit Committee rejected calls for an audit of that breach. The committee is evenly between Democrats and Republicans; hence, the potential for a tie vote. And the panel killed the proposal along party lines, with Democrats balking at the request and Republicans supporting it. The committee voted, 4-4, dooming the audit request.   READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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‘You are here to serve’: As Colorado’s pension costs grow, some PERA members say its board isn’t listening
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State, The Colorado Sun

‘You are here to serve’: As Colorado’s pension costs grow, some PERA members say its board isn’t listening

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Months before five Colorado school districts took the drastic step of suing the state pension plan, their elected representative tried to bring their concerns to the Public Employees’ Retirement Association Board of Trustees. “We (the Board) rarely hear from people in the field about how PERA staff decisions affect their organizations,” Scott Smith — a PERA board trustee at the time — wrote in a November 2023 email to school administrators. “If you have issues or concerns with any recent PERA staff decisions, I would encourage you to sign up for public comment.” The exercise got the board’s attention — just not the way Smith intended. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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‘There are still a lot of unanswered questions’: Clerks react to investigative report on BIOS password exposure
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘There are still a lot of unanswered questions’: Clerks react to investigative report on BIOS password exposure

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice  A report detailing the findings of an investigation into the activities of the Colorado secretary of state's office during the public exposure of BIOS passwords, in the days leading up to the 2024 election, was released Monday. It drew mixed reactions from clerks on both sides of the Continental Divide. "I’m glad that they did an independent investigation," said Mesa County Clerk Bobbie Gross. "The secretary of state should be accountable and responsible for her actions.” Similarly, El Paso County Clerk Steve Schleiker praised the action. "The investigation demonstrated a commitment to accountability by addressing the serious error and trying to ensure public trust in the election processes," he said. The compl...
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Colorado lawmakers debate $150M in education cuts, impact on school budgets
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CBS Colorado, State

Colorado lawmakers debate $150M in education cuts, impact on school budgets

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado The Colorado Joint Budget Committee is addressing K-12 education funding, with several members expressing concerns about what they say amounts to $150 million in cuts to public schools. Adams 12 Five Star Schools is one of the districts worried about the proposed budget, which officials say could disproportionately affect districts experiencing declining enrollment or limited property tax revenues. At the center of the debate is the state's approach to managing student counts. Some educators argue that the governor's proposed funding formula could significantly impact districts facing unique financial challenges. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Disciplined judges, after stepping down, show up in municipal courts
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gazette.com, State

Disciplined judges, after stepping down, show up in municipal courts

By DAVID MIGOYA | The Gazette via Denver Gazette Not long after 18th Judicial District Judge Natalie Chase resigned over a series of inappropriate racial remarks, she was back on the bench — as a municipal judge in tiny Deer Trail and as a traffic referee in Fort Collins. Despite a public censure by the state’s judicial discipline commission and her resignation in April 2021, Chase landed the part-time jobs within a few months and held them simultaneously for the next three years, according to payroll records from both locations obtained by The Denver Gazette. Chase is one of at least a half-dozen jurists who resigned or retired in the past decade over discipline issues they faced, nearly all of them private sanctions the public never knew about, then reappeared in another lower-l...
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Colorado Democrats to hold vacancy elections to fill two Senate seats
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Democrats to hold vacancy elections to fill two Senate seats

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics With the state's new legislative session slated to get under way on Jan. 8, Democrats currently have to vacancy seats to fill in Senate Districts 29 and 31. Respective vacancy committees have scheduled elections to be held in early January. Denver Democrats on Monday announced they will hold a vacancy election on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to choose a replacement for Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver. Hansen announced he would resign his Senate District 31 seat, effective Jan. 9, the day after the start of the 2025 General Assembly. He's taken a job as CEO of La Plata Electric in Durango. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado drivers must put down cellphones starting January 1
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CBS Colorado, State

Colorado drivers must put down cellphones starting January 1

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado Colorado is taking a step toward reducing distracted driving with a new law that prohibits the use of hand-held mobile devices behind the wheel. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, drivers will be required to use hands-free accessories, such as Bluetooth devices, speakerphones, or dashboard mounts. The Colorado Department of Transportation says 77% of Colorado drivers admitted to using their phones while driving. Texting and driving is already illegal. Skyler McKinley, Regional Director of Public Affairs for AAA, says technology and smartphone addiction have made distracted driving more prevalent than ever. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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