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Ganahl: Kroger-Albertsons merger preserves competition, protects jobs and retains price points
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Ganahl: Kroger-Albertsons merger preserves competition, protects jobs and retains price points

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger has become a critical issue in Colorado, where both companies maintain a significant presence. Kroger operates 148 King Soopers and City Market stores, while Albertsons operates 105 Safeway and Albertsons locations.  To address concerns about reduced competition, Kroger and Albertsons have proposed selling 91 stores, including Safeway and Albertsons locations, to C&S Wholesale Grocers. C&S is a national distributor and operator of grocery chains such as Piggly Wiggly. The companies have committed to ensuring no store closures or layoffs of frontline workers as part of this divestiture plan, and C&S has committed to honoring collective bargaining agreements in the acquired stor...
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Gov. Polis submits state budget suggesting millions go to education, safety
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kdvr.com, State

Gov. Polis submits state budget suggesting millions go to education, safety

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox 31 News Colorado Gov. Jared Polis submitted the proposed state budget for 2025 to 2026, which suggests putting millions into education and safety. Every year, the governor, elected officials and state agencies submit annual budget requests to the legislature to fund specific state services. This can include health care, human services, education and Colorado roads. In April, Polis signed the 2024-25 state budget with measures that fully funded Colorado schools, created investments into public safety and created new housing. Now, the next state budget is on its way to be determined. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration
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gazette.com, State

Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette The oil and gas industry sees an opening to reverse "heavy handed mandates" with the incoming Trump administration, arguing that last week's elections showed that Americans want the widest possible portfolio of energy sources — not "government mandates and restrictions." Meanwhile, environmentalists are gearing up for a fight.  In Colorado, oil and gas industry leaders said the state's stringent regulations would adequately protect public health.    READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Colorado wildlife officials meet with Western Slope commissioners over wolf reintroduction
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado wildlife officials meet with Western Slope commissioners over wolf reintroduction

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which faces sharp criticism over its plans to release more wolves on the Western Slope in the coming months, met with county commissioners last week from the counties where the next reintroductions are slated to take place. Those counties are Pitkin (Aspen), Rio Blanco, Eagle and Garfield, according to the agency. The idea of more wolves on the Western Slope didn't sit well with county commissioners — except for Pitkin County. And Pitkin County doesn't have state lands, so dropping wolves into that county would require a private landowner to grant Colorado Parks and Wildlife permission to do so. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Schumann: Polis position as ‘protector of democracy’ at odds with his actions as governor
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Schumann: Polis position as ‘protector of democracy’ at odds with his actions as governor

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has positioned himself as a defender of state autonomy. He launched the Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD) Coalition with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The coalition aims to fight federal overreach under a second Trump administration. Polis seeks to be seen as a champion of democracy.  "In this moment, protecting democracy has never been more relevant or important, and doing so demands strong leadership at the state level," Polis said in his press release announcing the coalition. A closer look at Polis's tenure reveals a different story. He has used his authority as governor to enforce contentious policies. Critics say these policies mirror the federal overreach he opposes. With rising crime a...
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‘We only needed to flip three seats’: In House District 16, Keltie leads and is working to keep it that way
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We only needed to flip three seats’: In House District 16, Keltie leads and is working to keep it that way

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice The final act of a mother’s life has come to symbolize the stakes in Colorado’s House District 16 race. A late mother's son ensured his mother's ballot was cured, honoring her final wish to participate in the electoral process. “She saw herself as a patriotic American,” said Rebecca Keltie, the House District 16 Republican candidate. “That was her last act on Earth, and it touches my heart to know she voted for me. It’s humbling.” In one of the last two uncalled Colorado House races, the story highlights the weight of every vote. As of today, Keltie leads incumbent Democrat Steph Vigil by 21 votes. The razor-thin margin triggers an automatic recount per state law. With a midnight Wednesday, Nov. 13, deadline to cure ballots...
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Just elected, Dist. 31 Sen. Chris Hansen to resign Jan. 9 from legislature to start new job as utility CEO
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State, The Colorado Sun

Just elected, Dist. 31 Sen. Chris Hansen to resign Jan. 9 from legislature to start new job as utility CEO

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen plans to resign from the legislature Jan. 9, the day after Colorado’s 2025 lawmaking term begins, as he takes on a new role as the chief executive officer of the La Plata Electric Association. Hansen, who lives in Denver, told The Colorado Sun that he will submit a letter of resignation to Capitol leadership in the coming days.  The La Plata Electric Association on Tuesday announced that it had selected Hansen as its CEO, a week after Hansen was reelected to a second four-year term in the Colorado Senate representing District 31. He didn’t make his plans to resign from the legislature known until Wednesday when he spoke with The Sun.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program
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State, thefencepost.com

Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program

By Rachel Gabel | The Fence Post Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president Tim Ritschard is on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission agenda on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 11:10 a.m. with a request for citizen petition for rulemaking. The petition is signed by 26 of the state’s agriculture organizations, including Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20, and Colorado Wool Growers Association as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers associations. The petition seeks to delay any further introductions of gray wolves into the state until Colorado’s wolf management program can adequately address the conflicts between wolves and livestock producers. CPW has announced its intention to introduce wolves this coming winter in the same northwest Colorado...
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Update: Republican Dan Woog expands lead in tight House District 19 overnight
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Update: Republican Dan Woog expands lead in tight House District 19 overnight

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice In a race Republican Dan Woog once trailed, he is beginning to look like a winner by continuing to add votes to a tight margin. His lead grew by 21 votes as of Wednesday morning to a margin of 228 votes over Democrat Jillaire McMillan in House District 19, which includes electorate in Boulder and Weld counties. On Tuesday evening, a Colorado House Republican strategist termed the race still too close to call. Woog holds 50.2% of 55,686 votes. He added 0.02%, or two-hundredths of a percent, to his margin since late Tuesday. In the other race of interest, Republican Rebecca Keltie continues to lead Democrat Steph Vigil by 21 votes in House District 16. There was no change overnight in that race as of early Wednesday. The El Paso County House...
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Kalam: How Denver became a city of plywood and hollow plinths
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Kalam: How Denver became a city of plywood and hollow plinths

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the heart of Denver, what once stood as a mosaic of statuesque history and pride has become a city of empty plinths, iron bolts and plywood cover-ups—monuments, not to the past, but to a peculiar present. The city, known for the quiet dignity of its Pioneer Monument, Civil War memorials and an enduring homage to figures of historic Colorado, has found itself sacrificing the aesthetic that once conveyed its cultural soul. In a surge of post-George Floyd “anti-racism,” Denver’s leaders have erased long-standing symbols, replacing artful bronzework with exposed screws and fenced-off pedestals. Denver, it seems, has become a city obsessed with forgetting. In the summer of 2020, the removal of Kit Carson’s statue at the Pioneer...
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