staging.rockymountainvoice.com

Menu

gazette.com

GUEST COLUMN: The child care workforce needs support
No Comments
gazette.com, National

GUEST COLUMN: The child care workforce needs support

By Gregory Martin | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE As we start this new year, I am taking the time to reflect on the selfless and dedicated people I have had the privilege of working alongside as a United States Air Force General. From the front lines to the halls of the Pentagon, I have witnessed the impact of thousands of individuals who serve with unwavering commitment. This group of individuals includes the service members who have volunteered to serve our nation, but it also includes the people who work tirelessly to ensure that the parents in the service are able to accomplish their missions with the knowledge that their children are in the best of hands — child care providers and early educators. In the military, we understand the importance of having a quality, qualified child care work...
Read More
EDITORIAL: Pot stores close as problems mount
No Comments
El Paso County, gazette.com, Local

EDITORIAL: Pot stores close as problems mount

By Wayne Laugesen | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Colorado Springs’ elected leaders and voters have been wise to reject marijuana, an increasingly unpopular “recreation” option. They did not fall for the false buzz of Big Marijuana, which promised reductions in crime, less illicit drug use and tax manna for the common good. Consequently, Colorado Springs appears progressive and alive as so many other large cities go to pot with homelessness, crime and open-air drug use. By rejecting recreational sales, Springs voters put themselves ahead of the curve. Pot is no longer the next big thing. It could become the next bad fad of the past, lingering in the margins with gangsta rap and skinny jeans. Springs voters most recently said “no” to commercial drug sales in November 2022 by a margin of n...
Read More
Anti-abortion groups eye the long game to achieve political and cultural wins
No Comments
gazette.com, National

Anti-abortion groups eye the long game to achieve political and cultural wins

By Breccan F. Thies and Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE As supporters from across the country gather in the nation’s capital for the 51st annual March for Life on Friday, abortion is becoming a more powerful force in politics than it has been in a generation. This year’s march, with the theme of "with every woman, for every child," will take place against the backdrop of a presidential election in which abortion will play a major role, several abortion initiatives on state ballots this year after recent losses for the anti-abortion side — and the question of how supporters of the movement can advance their goal of protecting the unborn. Several abortion-related cases are also set to be decided by the Supreme Court. Sin...
Read More
Annual count of Colorado Springs-area homeless population expands hiring street people to assist
No Comments
El Paso County, gazette.com, Local

Annual count of Colorado Springs-area homeless population expands hiring street people to assist

By Debbie Kelley | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE For the second time, a yearly census to determine how many homeless people are living in El Paso County on a given night will hire helpers who are familiar with life on the streets to do the counting. Debra Stilen will be among those conducting the Point in Time survey that begins on Monday, a process required by the United States Department of Urban Housing and Development for communities to receive federal funding for programs and services for homeless people. After 20 years of homelessness, Stilen entered transitional housing last year. She was ready. But many of her friends are not. “What I find is a lot of them want to be counted, but people who are homeless are so used to being abused or bullied or negative aspects when it comes to a...
Read More
US court will reconsider forcing Texas to remove Rio Grande migrant barrier
No Comments
gazette.com, National

US court will reconsider forcing Texas to remove Rio Grande migrant barrier

By Daniel Wiessner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said it would reconsider a recent decision requiring Texas to remove a 1,000-foot-long (305-meter) floating barrier it had placed in the Rio Grande river to deter migrants from illegally crossing the border with Mexico. The decision by the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sets aside a divided three-judge panel's December ruling, which had sided with the Biden administration and said that the state could not install the string of buoys without permission from the federal government. That ruling was a setback for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who has strongly criticized Democratic President Joe Biden's handling of record numbers of migrants crossing the border ille...
Read More
Blackburn questions Veterans Affairs over illegal immigrant use of agency resources
No Comments
gazette.com, National

Blackburn questions Veterans Affairs over illegal immigrant use of agency resources

By Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter Wednesday to the Department of Veterans Affairs pressing the agency on its use of resources for the healthcare of illegal immigrants. Veterans Affairs has an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in which it processes medical claims on the agency's behalf, but the VA emphasizes it does not provide illegal immigrants healthcare. ICE covers the cost of those claims. The letter, addressed to Secretary Denis McDonough, expresses skepticism at that statement, asking if the agency checks citizenship status before approving veteran healthcare benefits and whether the Biden administration has given any directive on medical care for t...
Read More
New Hampshire voters grill GOP hopefuls on problem they want treated as ‘top’ priority
No Comments
gazette.com, National

New Hampshire voters grill GOP hopefuls on problem they want treated as ‘top’ priority

By Peyton Sorosinski, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE As GOP candidates shift their sights to New Hampshire, its residents are demanding more answers to the opioid crisis, which they say is plaguing the prominent swing state. Many New Hampshire voters, such as recovered addict Kristina Amyot, say they are frustrated with how Republican candidates have prioritized border security and law enforcement over treatment and recovery efforts, the Associated Press reported.  “I feel like every four years it gets talked about, and then it gets lost. We don’t really do much with it, and that’s something that needs to change because this should be one of the top priorities,” Amyot told the outlet. “To think that these people don’t care about us is reall...
Read More
Trump attends NYC Carroll defamation trial and slams ‘attempted extortion’
No Comments
gazette.com, National

Trump attends NYC Carroll defamation trial and slams ‘attempted extortion’

By Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Former President Donald Trump arrived at a snow-covered Manhattan federal courthouse on Tuesday for the start of the penalty phase of his defamation lawsuit brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.  Fresh off his big win in the Iowa caucuses the night before, Trump could be forced to pay Carroll more than $10 million in damages for allegedly dragging her name and reputation through the mud after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1995.  Trump vehemently denied the allegations, claiming he had "never met this person in my life" and that she was "not my type," and accused Carroll of using his name to sell her book...
Read More
Congressional primaries will define Colorado’s GOP | Dick Wadhams
No Comments
gazette.com, State

Congressional primaries will define Colorado’s GOP | Dick Wadhams

By Dick Wadhams | SOURCE: GAZETTE After three devastating elections that rendered Colorado Republicans irrelevant throughout state government, three congressional primaries can begin to turn that tide — or dig the hole even deeper in 2024. All three congressional seats held by Republicans will have competitive primaries after two longtime incumbents, U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn of El Paso County and Ken Buck of Weld County, announced they will not seek reelection. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert will attempt to make an unprecedented switch from the 3rd Congressional District to the 4th Congressional District. The 5th CD and 4th CD are strongly Republican and the eventual nominees are virtually assured to win the general elections. The 3rd CD has a nine-point Republican performance advantage ...
Read More