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Panel of Colorado lawmakers schedule meeting amid talk of property tax compromise, special session
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Panel of Colorado lawmakers schedule meeting amid talk of property tax compromise, special session

By Deborah Grigsby | Colorado Politics A panel of Colorado lawmakers tasked with crafting long-term property tax policy is meeting on Monday, potentially laying down the groundwork for a special session amid speculation that parties are negotiating a potential compromise that would pull two initiatives from the November ballot in exchange for deeper reductions to people's tax liabilities. The agenda posted on the state’s legislative website stated that the 19-member Commission on Property Tax will convene to discuss potential changes to legislation that Democrats and Republicans passed just this last session. That measure, the product of a deal reached by Democrats and Republicans, reduced commercial property tax assessment rates and decreased property valuations. The pr...
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There are 2.5 million acres of ag land in Colorado owned by foreign interests, but will lawmakers pass a bill to stop it?
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denvergazette.com, State

There are 2.5 million acres of ag land in Colorado owned by foreign interests, but will lawmakers pass a bill to stop it?

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette State Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, introduced House Bill 23-1152 more than a year ago, aiming to ban foreign ownership of agricultural land in Colorado. Although the bill did not make it out of committee, discussions during Wednesday's Water Resources and Agricultural Review Committee meeting indicate renewed interest in the topic, and a new bill is expected to be introduced. Some 2.5 million acres of Colorado farmland are owned by foreign entities, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. This makes Colorado home to the third most foreign-held agricultural land in the nation, followed only by Texas (5,435,906 acres) and Maine (3,489,957 acres). Ashley House, Colorado Farm Bureau vice president of stra...
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Democrat Jillaire McMillan will face Republican Dan Woog in HD19 general election
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Democrat Jillaire McMillan will face Republican Dan Woog in HD19 general election

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A vacancy committee has selected Jillaire McMillan as the new Democratic candidate for the House District 19 election after the incumbent candidate, Rep. Jennifer Parenti, announced she was dropping out of the race last month.  McMillan, a small business owner, will face former state Rep. Dan Woog in the November election. “I’m a first-time candidate who’s been considering public office for a long time," said McMillan. "While I believe my combination of public service, community relationships, and nonpartisan advocacy have uniquely prepared me to be the candidate and legislator HD19 needs, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for the experience of being a candidate. This condensed process packed so much work and emotion into a shor...
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In Tina Peters trial, an advocate for election integrity is found
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In Tina Peters trial, an advocate for election integrity is found

By Jason Bias | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- In this Western Slope courtroom, Tina Peters, the Mesa County Clerk, has been courageously standing up for election transparency and integrity. Her trial has become a focal point for those advocating for secure and transparent electoral processes. Peters faces charges related to election security breaches she allegedly allowed to demonstrate election fraud during the 2020 elections. These charges include tampering with election equipment and official misconduct. Peters has maintained that her actions were necessary to ensure the integrity of the voting process. Peters' supporters here argue the state's evidence fails to demonstrate any malicious intent or actual tampering with votes. Peters’ defense team ...
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Tina Peters trial has seen Dominion, former clerk’s staff testify
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Tina Peters trial has seen Dominion, former clerk’s staff testify

By Rocky Mountain Voice staff | Commentary Previously-elected Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is facing seven felony charges and several misdemeanors in a trial happening this week on the Western Slope.  She is accused of orchestrating a breach to prove election theft. Peters has pleaded not guilty, claiming to be a victim of lawfare. The Colorado secretary of state’s office has refuted her claims summarized in three reports Peters has published, called the “Mesa [County] Reports.”  State prosecutors allege that Peters enlisted software engineer Gerald “Jerry” Wood for IT contract work. Wood passed a background check, received his security badge, and allegedly returned it the same day. However, prosecutors claim his badge was used twice in May 2021 to access secure election f...
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Parents are pushing for better Colorado playgrounds for kids with disabilities, and even small towns are getting in on it
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State, The Colorado Sun

Parents are pushing for better Colorado playgrounds for kids with disabilities, and even small towns are getting in on it

By Dan England | The Colorado Sun Parents everywhere hear the call of the wild, especially in the summer months, and one of the most common refrains is, “Can we go to the park?” For many parents it might be a relief, a chance to shoo them out of the house like a miller moth. Yes! Go to the park! But for Lauren Bowling, that refrain is anything but a chance to unwind. It means work. It means nearly two hours in the car. It means a whole afternoon.  Lauren and her husband, Richard, have twin boys they call walking miracles. Miles and Mack had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and were week-to-week starting about 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Lauren said, until they were delivered by emergency cesarean section at 28 weeks. The babies scrapped and survived, and the boys are now ag...
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Gaines: How the legislature performed magic to make your TABOR refund disappear
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Commentary, State

Gaines: How the legislature performed magic to make your TABOR refund disappear

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project They take your TABOR refund, not by removing it from your hand, but by taking away the possibility there will be one in the first place.When I've written in the past about gas stoves or internal combustion cars, one thing I've noted is that the government doesn't necessarily outright ban those things, they merely take away your ability to find them and/or buy them.Something similar happened this last legislative session.  The state (depending on the estimates) either took your TABOR refunds for the future or it took a huge chunk of them.And like with what I said about the stoves, they didn't take them by direct action, that is, but taking the check out of your hand.  No, they took them by taking away your ability to ...
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Zornio: Hickenlooper, age 74, is the Joe Biden of Colorado. But, will he step aside, too?
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Commentary, State, The Colorado Sun

Zornio: Hickenlooper, age 74, is the Joe Biden of Colorado. But, will he step aside, too?

By Trish Zornio | Commentary, The Colorado Sun On Friday morning, Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper tweeted, “Ecstatic to cast my vote to nominate @KamalaHarris as the Democratic candidate for president 2024.” Hickenlooper’s enthusiasm is right on cue. Vice President Kamala Harris has dominated as the party’s likely new nominee, shattering fundraising records and generating momentum not seen for years. So it’s not surprising Hickenlooper would get on board. But it is surprising when you consider that Hickenlooper has already announced his plans to run for reelection at age 74 in 2026. If reelected, this would make him 80 years old by the end of his second term, only one year shy of President Biden. It’s an age a vast majority of voters have been clear is too old for higher office, r...
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Dog lover marshals animal welfare community to save four-legged friends
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CBS Colorado, State

Dog lover marshals animal welfare community to save four-legged friends

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The high cost of living in Colorado is impacting not only families but their beloved pets. Dog surrenders are up and adoptions are down at shelters across the state and the cost of pet care is one of the many reasons.     According to the National Canine Advocacy Group, about 55,000 dogs were brought into Colorado shelters last year -- nearly 20,000 of them were surrendered by their owners. Not only are shelters taking in more dogs, but they're also putting down more dogs; 5,000 dogs were euthanized last year in Colorado. While many shelters have "no-kill" policies, they don't cover dogs that are unhealthy or unsafe. Elizabeth Coalson, founder of the nonprofit National Canine Advocacy Group, says many of the dogs that were euthanized ...
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