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How Durango’s school board kept a charter school out by prioritizing DEI over parents
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

How Durango’s school board kept a charter school out by prioritizing DEI over parents

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Ascent Classical Academy seemed to have the community support, the resources and the experience to launch another successful charter school in Colorado. Parents in Durango seemed to want the option. More than 600 families signed letters of intent, but the Durango School Board said no in 2022. This wasn’t a decision based on academic concerns, some say. The school board, backed by a mobilized teachers’ union, rejected Ascent on ideological grounds, blocking an alternative educational model that didn’t align with its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) priorities. The Durango school board rejected Ascent twice, despite the Colorado State Board of Education’s original ruling in the charter school’s favor. The official r...
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Editorial: HB 1055 fixes a $3 million mistake and protects small business, taxpayers
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Editorial: HB 1055 fixes a $3 million mistake and protects small business, taxpayers

By Editorial Board | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As House Bill 25-1055, by Republican Rep. Max Brooks, approaches a committee hearing on Thursday, Feb. 6, stakeholders are emphasizing its significant implications for the state's business environment. The bill seeks to repeal the Democrat-led House Bill 24-1353, which mandates that firearm dealers obtain a state permit to operate. Critics argue that maintaining HB 1353 could impose substantial financial and regulatory burdens on Colorado small business owners. According to the Joint Budget Committee's fiscal analysis, HB 1353 requires an initial general fund expenditure of $618,973 in fiscal year 2024-25 to set up the program, with ongoing costs projected of nearly $3.1 million annually in subsequent years. Additionally, imple...
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Colorado House committees to tackle school lunch waste, NIL deals; Senate to hear 911 obstruction bill
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Colorado House committees to tackle school lunch waste, NIL deals; Senate to hear 911 obstruction bill

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice In schools across Colorado, the waste during a lunch period might be astounding — on average a school-age child throws away 67 pounds of food annually. One bill in the Colorado House aims to limit it. House Bill 25-1059, by Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg and sponsored in the Senate by Democrat Sen. Janice Marchman and Republican Sen. Janice Rich, asks school officials to establish policies by which it can reduce waste in school cafeterias and food preparation facilities. The bill will be heard Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the House Education Committee upon adjournment of the House in Room 0107. School policies may address "food waste diversion and aversion initiatives, including composting and share tables," which the bill indicates would permit st...
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Boll: In a transition from principles to compromise, Douglas County School Board’s CRT conundrum
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Boll: In a transition from principles to compromise, Douglas County School Board’s CRT conundrum

By Laureen Boll | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As a long-term resident of Douglas County — and a parent who watched my children navigate K-12 education in Douglas County School District (DCSD) — I’ve witnessed the shift from community engagement to ideological battles. I was always an engaged parent, volunteering at my kids’ schools, knowing most teachers on a first-name basis, and voting in school board elections. However, my perspective on school governance dramatically changed with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. As public schools remained closed, despite evidence suggesting low risk for children — while private schools just a few blocks away were re-opening — I began attending virtual school board meetings. The decisions made by the school board to keep the schools ...
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Ganahl: What is the significance of Republican organizational meetings?
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Ganahl: What is the significance of Republican organizational meetings?

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It is essential for every Republican to recognize the importance of the upcoming organizational meetings. These gatherings, held in odd-numbered years, play a pivotal role in shaping the party's direction at both county and state levels. The election of new leadership during these meetings will significantly influence the party's effectiveness, adherence to conservative principles and overall success in future elections. Key dates and objectives County-level organizational meetings are scheduled between Feb. 1-15, followed by the state party meeting, which occurs between Feb. 15 to April 1 and has been set for March 29. The primary objective of these meetings is to elect new party leaders — including the chair, vice-chair an...
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Property squatters would face stiff $1,000-a-day fines in HB 1104, slated to be heard Feb. 4
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Property squatters would face stiff $1,000-a-day fines in HB 1104, slated to be heard Feb. 4

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado solution to a national problem of squatters occupying a property without consent or ownership and with few remedies to remove them will be considered Tuesday during the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 25-1104, by Rep. Rebecca Keltie, is slated to be heard at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in HCR 0107. It will mark the first hearing of a bill written and sponsored by the freshman Republican representing District 16 in El Paso County. "A person who occupies a premises without the consent of the landowner commits the new crime of squatting," the bill reads, with a first offense resulting in an unclassified misdemeanor and a $2,000 fine per offense. Upon conviction, the court shall fine the offender $1,000 per day the property was ...
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Boebert leads legislation to delist wolves from federal protection
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Boebert leads legislation to delist wolves from federal protection

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado 4th, and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wisc. 7th, have introduced the Pet and Livestock Protection Act to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species list and prioritize the safety and success of America's agriculture community. The bill would also remove the ability of a judge to rule against science, and allow states to set their own rules and regulations for the management of grey wolves. Ranchers, hunters and many people across the west who want to protect their livelihoods of their neighbors are finally feeling heard.  There is no place more than Colorado’s West Slope that supports this measure. In response to the proposed bill, Laurie J. from New Mexico said on social media,...
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Gun owners, 2A advocates asked to ‘stand up and fight’ during first caucus event
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Gun owners, 2A advocates asked to ‘stand up and fight’ during first caucus event

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice LOVELAND — A collection of state legislators, advocates and gun dealers gathered here Saturday at The Gallery Range & Restaurant in an effort to unify the state's 2nd Amendment supporters. "This is the first step we are a taking as a caucus," said state Rep. Ryan Armagost, who with Rep. Scott Bottoms chair the newly-formed 2nd Amendment Caucus in the Colorado House. "We're trying to get the word out on a lot of levels," Bottoms added. "What does it mean to be a firearms owner in Colorado?" They were joined by freshmen Reps. Rebecca Keltie, in El Paso County's District 16, and Larry Don Suckla, from the eight-county District 58 on the Western Slope. "I'm not just a gun advocate," Keltie said. "I support the 2nd Amendment. I believe i...
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Moms for Liberty leader targeted after El Paso Democratic Party vice chair’s call to ‘choose violence’
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Moms for Liberty leader targeted after El Paso Democratic Party vice chair’s call to ‘choose violence’

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Kristy Davis woke up to an email that made her stomach drop. "Where you live, worthless c$#!? I have a sharp blade to stick in your worthless neck." Less than 24 hours earlier, El Paso County Democratic Party First Vice Chair Rob Rogers had posted online: "Being nice is overrated. Just find a good lawyer and choose violence." Davis, the El Paso County chapter president for Moms for Liberty (M4L), doesn’t believe it was a coincidence. "While I cannot definitely tie the death threat to the vice chair, the timing is just really suspect," Davis said. The Colorado Springs Police Department provided Davis with a case number. But beyond that, no action has been taken. "Law enforcement provided me with a case ...
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CPW has kept wolf parasites causing Hydatid disease, which can be lethal to humans, secret from public
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

CPW has kept wolf parasites causing Hydatid disease, which can be lethal to humans, secret from public

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer. Rocky Mountain Voice As if there aren’t enough controversies around the consequences of wolf reintroduction in Colorado — impacts to livestock growers, impacts to deer, elk and other ungulate herds — there is another danger that has gone mostly unspoken by wildlife officials. This danger is to humans, predominantly children, transferred to them by their beloved pets, after being exposed to the parasite. Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic tapeworm that transfers to deer, domestic cattle, domestic sheep, elk and moose, along with domestic cattle, sheep, domestic pets and humans. Interestingly, infestations of the parasites are relatively benign to wolves, but for the ungulates wild and domestic, and pets, the risk of transfer to humans in...
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