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With wolf pup(s) on the ground, state’s wildlife director insists on non-lethal response to livestock killings
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coloradopolitics.com, State

With wolf pup(s) on the ground, state’s wildlife director insists on non-lethal response to livestock killings

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics The chief of Colorado Parks & Wildlife insisted that "non-lethal" means of managing wolves that kill livestock is crucial especially now that the two wolves brought to Colorado have a pup.  "And we believe that there are more pups within the recently named pack," Jeff Davis said in a round of letters in June with Sen. Janice Rich, who questioned whether he is taking the concerns of citizens who are being “impacted by wolf depredation seriously.” "Again," Davis said, "deployment of non-lethal actions will be critical in avoiding and minimizing future interactions between wolves and livestock as well as people." The round of letters confirmed the familiar points of contention between Davis and state policymakers who have criticized th...
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Study: Fentanyl-related deaths cost Colorado estimated $16 billion last year
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Study: Fentanyl-related deaths cost Colorado estimated $16 billion last year

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics It only takes 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be fatal. A record 425.6 kilograms of fentanyl — enough to kill the state’s population between 16* and 26 times over, depending on the purity of the drugs — was seized in Colorado in 2023 by the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division. That year, Colorado saw a staggering $16 billion in costs associated with fentanyl-related overdose deaths, according to a recent study by the Common Sense Institute. “Colorado’s fentanyl problem is growing, and it is increasingly costly,” the group said. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Wolves on the move in Colorado, but still haven’t crossed I-70
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Wolves on the move in Colorado, but still haven’t crossed I-70

By Spencer McKee | Colorado Politics Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released their monthly account of where the state's wolves have been detected, with the data coming from tracking collars on eight animals. Their recently published map shows what watershed areas wolves have been in at some point between May 21 and June 25. Overall, the range of the wolves over the past month was mostly similar to that of the month prior. Two key changes are that wolves appear to have moved to the northern side of Granby opposed to being closer to Winter Park and that wolves appear to be moving closer to a wider stretch of Interstate 70. With that I-70-related shift in mind, it's crucial to note that wolves have yet to cross I-70 to the south, despite some of the watershed areas displayed on t...
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Pueblo County GOP ‘closing things down’ at its HQ after bullet hole discovered in window
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Pueblo County GOP ‘closing things down’ at its HQ after bullet hole discovered in window

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics The Pueblo County Republican Party chair said Tuesday the party is temporarily uprooting from its downtown headquarters in the southern Colorado city after volunteers discovered a bullet hole in a plate glass window days before ballots were due in the state's primary election. "We're closing things down now until we know we have a safe space for volunteers," county GOP chair Michelle Gray told Colorado Politics. Gray said she had no evidence the bullet was intentionally fired at the political party's headquarters in the 600 block of North Main Street and declined to speculate as to motive. "It can’t be the first window on Main Street that’s been shot out," she said. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado Supreme Court bars proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Supreme Court bars proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a proposed ballot initiative to ban gender-affirming care for children will not appear on the November ballot, while another measure that would revamp the state's primary elections and implement ranked-choice voting remains eligible. The justices reached their conclusions on narrow procedural grounds, revolving around the deadline for seeking Supreme Court review and the limited types of challenges the court may hear under existing law. Both initiatives arrived at the Supreme Court after consideration by the Title Board, the three-member body that screens citizen-initiated ballot measures. The board's responsibility is to determine whether a proposed initiative contains a single subject, as the st...
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White buffalo born in Yellowstone Park might predict better times according to Lakota lore
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coloradopolitics.com, National

White buffalo born in Yellowstone Park might predict better times according to Lakota lore

By The Associated Press (via Colorado Politics) The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe who cautioned that it's also a signal that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals. "The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning. We must do more," said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and the Nakota Oyate in South Dakota, and the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Bundle. Erin Braaten of Kalispell took several photos of the calf shortly after it was born on June 4 in the Lamar Valley in the northeastern corner of the park, while her family was visiting the park. Traffic...
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Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The latest revenue forecast for Colorado's state government reflected the effects of some of the 30 laws approved this year that changed tax policy, resulting in less revenue for state operations and decreased Taxpayer's Bill of Rights refunds to residents.  The overarching message is the 2024-25 budget was tight — and 2025-26 is going to be even tighter. And that doesn't yet include the potential effects to the state budget from two ballot measures that could require the state to backfill up to $3 billion to cover lost property tax revenue for school districts and local governments. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado ethics panel finds probable cause to investigate lawmaker accused of intoxication
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado ethics panel finds probable cause to investigate lawmaker accused of intoxication

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A Senate panel on Thursday decided to investigate the actions of a legislator accused of showing up intoxicated at a city council meeting in her district.  The panel unanimously agreed that a probable cause exists to look into an ethics complaint filed by the Northglenn City Council against Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, for her behavior during the April meeting.  Northglenn's councilmembers alleged that Winter failed to uphold her duties as a senator when she appeared to be intoxicated on April 3, in which the city council and residents discussed a proposal to locate a behavioral center in Northglenn. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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RTD candidate has lengthy criminal record spanning two states since the 1990s
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coloradopolitics.com, State

RTD candidate has lengthy criminal record spanning two states since the 1990s

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics A candidate for the Regional Transportation District board of directors has a criminal record spanning two states that includes multiple financial charges and accusations of animal cruelty. Robert Dinegar, a former RTD operator and candidate for District A, has been charged with a number of crimes, according to records shared by his opponent and independently confirmed by Colorado Politics.    Among those charges is a 1992 indictment for theft of over $400 but less than $1,500 in Boulder County, for which Dinegar was sentenced to two years in jail, as well as two DUIs that same year and a restraining order against his ex-wife. Dinegar also faced financial charges in Travis County, Texas, in the early 1990s. In August of 2...
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Colorado Dems applaud Biden’s latest immigration order, while Republicans call it ‘madness’
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Dems applaud Biden’s latest immigration order, while Republicans call it ‘madness’

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado Democrats on Tuesday applauded President Joe Biden's executive order to shield from deportation hundreds of thousands of individuals who are living in the country illegally and are married to American citizens.   Some Republicans, meanwhile, denounced the move as "madness."   The new policy would provide a path to citizenship to some 500,000 people, as well as the ability to legally work in the country. The Biden administration characterized the latest move — one of the most sweeping actions in several years — as aiming to help some immigrant families to stay together. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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