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In search of new child care money, more Colorado communities look to hotel guests
Chalkbeat Colorado, State

In search of new child care money, more Colorado communities look to hotel guests

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Three western Colorado communities hope to raise new dollars for child care through taxes paid by out-of-town visitors who stay in hotels or short-term rental housing. La Plata and Grand counties and the City of Montrose all have lodging tax measures on the November ballot, with at least some of the proceeds intended to help make child care easier for local residents to find and pay for. The three communities are the latest in a string of mostly mountain resort areas to ask voters for permission to spend lodging tax dollars on housing and child care. The idea is that local workers power the tourism industry, so visitors should contribute to efforts supporting a stable workforce. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
Spanish language website, multilingual hotline offers voter resources to Coloradans
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Spanish language website, multilingual hotline offers voter resources to Coloradans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Editor's note: See Spanish translation of this story below English version. All of the voter resources available to English-language speakers and readers are also available to Spanish-language speakers and readers in Colorado through VayaVotarColorado.gov, the office of Secretary of State Jena Griswold has announced. Resources include information in Spanish, such as: Voter registration, and updating voter registration Finding your election clerk Finding your closest drop box or voting center Signing up and tracking for BallotTrax Other election detail Also, starting on Friday, Oct. 11, Colorado voters will be able to call a language assistance hotline provided by the secretary of state's office to translate a ballot. Langu...
Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher
coloradopolitics.com, State

Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Over the last year, a common issue between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and ranchers is the state agency’s slow response in investigating wolves killing livestock and how a lack of training leads to incorrect determinations. Last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission rejected a staff recommendation to deny a claim for a calf killed by a wolf on a Silver Spur ranch near Walden. The commission instead voted to approve the payment, ordering CPW to reverse its original decision that is was not a wolf kill. The commission voted 5-4 to reject the staff recommendation and identically to approve the payment. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez to appear today in 4th District Town Hall in Loveland
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez to appear today in 4th District Town Hall in Loveland

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A Town Hall meeting featuring 4th District U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, R-Parker, will take place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Message of Life Ministries, 605 18th St. SW in Loveland. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Lopez was selected by voters in June, through a special vacancy election, to complete the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, by defeating Democrat Trisha Calvarese by 24% in a landslide victory of 41,082 votes. During his time in office, Lopez has sponsored four pieces of legislation. House Resolution 9761, introduced by Lopez on Sept. 23, would amend the tax code to allow an increased limit for Section 179 property placed in farming service by an individual. HR 9657, introduced by Lopez on Sept. 18 and co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Laur...
If you don’t know Danielle Jurinsky, you might after Donald Trump’s MAGA rally in Aurora
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

If you don’t know Danielle Jurinsky, you might after Donald Trump’s MAGA rally in Aurora

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When Danielle Jurinsky returned to civilian life after nine years serving in the Air Force, most of it at Buckley Air Base, and after building multiple businesses employing more than 50 residents, adding to her responsibility may not have been a consideration. But, that's just what she did, running for and being elected as a member of City Council in the town where she was raised. It would almost be unfathomable to consider anyone in Colorado hasn't heard of the Aurora city councilwoman in the past few months. She's been at the forefront of discoveries the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Araqua was active in some areas of the town, and leading in the assistance for some of the most affected residents. In a few days, the nation might also kn...
Colorado Supreme Court dismisses latest Masterpiece Cakeshop case
coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Supreme Court dismisses latest Masterpiece Cakeshop case

By Shawn Shanle | Colorado Politics The Colorado Supreme Court, by 4-3, declined on Tuesday to address the high-profile issue of a Christian baker's refusal to make a cake for a customer celebrating a gender transition, instead concluding the case was not properly filed in the first place. Previously, a trial judge and the state's Court of Appeals agreed Masterpiece Cakeshop, owned by Jack Phillips, denied service to Autumn Scardina based on her transgender status, which amounted to a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). The Supreme Court subsequently agreed to examine whether Phillips' cake-making was "speech" protected by the First Amendment, notwithstanding the anti-discrimination law. However, the Supreme Court ultimately did not reach ...
Forest Service closes Colorado caves to limit spread of bat disease that has killed millions of animals
State, The Colorado Sun

Forest Service closes Colorado caves to limit spread of bat disease that has killed millions of animals

By Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun This spring, wildlife biologists found 32 bats on the Front Range with white-nose syndrome, up from one on the Eastern Plains in 2023. This month federal wildlife officials reported the first bat in Utah infected with the syndrome that has killed millions of bats across North America in recent years. “This is definitely a surge. Imagine Colorado is a big rock sitting on a beach and the waves coming in around it are this disease,” said Daniel Neubaum, the species conservation manager dealing with bats for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “That’s what we are seeing. We are probably going to see the disease trickle down from the north and I think the western parts of the state will be the last places we detect it in Colorado.” READ ...
Colorado Supreme Court to hear case on elephants’ rights, captivity at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
CBS Colorado, State

Colorado Supreme Court to hear case on elephants’ rights, captivity at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

By Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado The Colorado Supreme Court will soon decide whether animals have bodily liberty and whether a "next friend" can file a lawsuit on their behalf. A lawsuit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project will be heard by the court on Oct. 24. "Next friend" refers to a person or organization who represents another party in court. "I was just there yesterday. It's such a small exhibit on the side of the mountain," said Courtney Fern of the NhRP. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Legislators favor lighter touch to regulating business audits contracted by cities
State, The Sum & Substance

Legislators favor lighter touch to regulating business audits contracted by cities

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Given the options of taking an aggressive or conservative approach to combatting “trigger audits,” Colorado legislators appear to have chosen the latter. The Sales and Use Tax Simplification Task Force last week unanimously approved a bill for drafting that would require any that any third-party auditors contracted by cities maintain the same confidentiality with collected data that Colorado governments would use. It also will send a letter to the Colorado Department of Revenue calling on it to convene a task force to help increase the number of businesses using the existing SUTS tax-filing system — a change that it believes would boost compliance with state law. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE SUM & SUBSTANCE
Want to attend the MAGA rally in Aurora? Here’s how to get tickets to the big event
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Want to attend the MAGA rally in Aurora? Here’s how to get tickets to the big event

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States and the Republican nominee to become the 47th President, will visit Aurora on Friday, Oct. 11, for a Make America Great Again rally. The former President has announced he will deliver remarks at 1 p.m. at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Blvd. A number of office-holders and Republican leaders could attend the rally and speak from the stage. As is typically the case with any Trump campaign rally, it will be the hottest ticket in town. So how do you get a ticket? Interested rally attendees are invited to visit the event page and provide a name and basic contact information, along with an option of one or two tickets. The tickets are free, but ...