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Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The first of two election recounts critical to Republicans eliminating the Democratic supermajority in the Colorado House has been ordered by Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office. After the tabulation of 41,276 votes in El Paso County's state House District 16 race, Republican Rebecca Keltie was six votes ahead of Democrat Stephanie Vigil, by a margin of 2 one-hundredths of 1 percent of the vote, or 0.02%. State law requires a recount of an election with a margin of victory between two candidates of half of 1 percent or less, or a 0.5% margin. "Pursuant to Colorado law, the percentage of vote totals between the candidates requires the secretary of state to order a recount," the order from Griswold's office reads. The process calls for a ...
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Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says
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National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice President-elect Donald Trump has put Canada and Mexico on notice -- close their borders with the United States or face the penalty of tariffs on all imports into the United States. Crime and drugs "at levels never seen before" are pouring through porous borders to the north and south of the United States, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday. As one of his "many first Executive Orders," Trump pledged to charge Canada and Mexico 25% tariffs. "This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!," Trump wrote. "Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem." Until they do, Trump wrote, "it is...
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Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Springs is dealing with “a hometown Jussie Smollett situation.”  That's how Todd Watkins, vice chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, described the hate crime hoax involving Mayor Yemi Mobolade. Watkins, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection official and U.S. Army analyst, says political violence in El Paso County has risen during the last nine years. His remarks highlight the seriousness of the allegations of an alleged hate crime that may have impacted the outcome of a municipal election. Three individuals have been indicted for their roles in the hoax. But the DOJ has reportedly declined to charge Mobolade despite evidence of false statements. The FBI found that Mobolade allegedly denied contact wi...
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Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric
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Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the wake of the recent electoral landslide — a decisive repudiation of unchecked illegal immigration and the catastrophic security failures at America’s borders — one might have expected local leaders to reconsider their stances on sanctuary city policies. Yet, in Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston has chosen defiance over reason, doubling down on policies that disregard the will of his constituents and the authority of the federal government. His response to President-elect Trump’s nomination of Tom Homan as "border czar" is nothing short of insurrectionary. Mayor Johnston took to social media to unveil a bold, but deeply troubling plan to block any federal efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Denver. He went so far as to cla...
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Devotional: Wisdom and understanding are essential to living a life of celebration
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Devotional: Wisdom and understanding are essential to living a life of celebration

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Do you have the capacity to truly enjoy life? Not just parts of it, but all of it — every role and responsibility: personally, in partnership, parenting, professionally, and even planetarily (globally). Can you find joy regardless of the circumstances, situations, or people involved? The truth is, few ever tap into this full capacity for living, and fewer still know how to achieve it. But here’s the good news: there is a way (John 14:6). A reality. A lifestyle that makes this kind of celebratory living possible for anyone willing to discover its secrets. And it starts with one powerful step: Just believe — celebration! Consider a significant event like the recent U.S. Primary Election. For many, there’s celebration when their side...
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Two more elementaries to close in Western Slope district, school board unanimously decides
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Two more elementaries to close in Western Slope district, school board unanimously decides

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice A special board meeting for Mesa County Valley School District 51 on Friday evening led to a 5-0 vote to close Clifton and Scenic Elementary Schools. The vote came after a presentation by demographer Shannon Bingham, and a discussion on the declining enrollment, demographic shifts and the district's finances. Shannon Bingham, the district's demographer, presented data detailing a decline in birth rates and a shift in housing. Both factors are causing reduced enrollment. “We are not getting student growth from the neighborhood. The numbers say that [enrollment] is going to continue to go down into the upper 20s,” Bingham explained. He pointed to projections of a 15-20% drop in kindergarten enrollment over the next five years. ...
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Graham: White liberal women are ‘The Mean Girls’
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Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Graham: White liberal women are ‘The Mean Girls’

By Ellen M. Graham | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Why do other women keep telling me they’ve been unfriended for voting for Trump? Why is this a thing? Having been through it myself, my pulse quickens and suddenly I’m in junior high and there they are.  The mean girls.  Today they are white, liberal, women, living in self-reflecting vacuums and their entitlement runs deep.  They are virtuous and experts on everything. Ruthless, alone, predatory in groups, these mean girls stalk the hallways of their modern neighborhoods, children’s schools and Whole Foods looking for those who aren’t worthy.  In the world of mean girls, wearing T-shirts that say BE KIND, your kindess will be taken as a weakness.  Weakness like the maturity of being a friend who l...
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Boebert’s ZIP code bill boosting rural towns passes House Oversight Committee with unanimous support
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Boebert’s ZIP code bill boosting rural towns passes House Oversight Committee with unanimous support

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Rural America is home to nearly 60 million individuals. That's one out of every five Americans. Many argue that policymakers overlook rural America. Yet a simple bill led by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Silt) will have a big impact on small towns.  “I am thrilled to see my bipartisan Zip Code bill pass through the House Oversight Committee with unanimous bipartisan support," Boebert said this week in a statement. The introduction of ZIP codes in the 60s transformed mail delivery. They also became vital to economic growth, public safety and community identity. But many communities still face challenges without unique ZIP Codes, leading to misdirected tax revenue and delayed emergency responses. Congresswoman Boebert took action ...
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Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Matt Lewis, a former Mesa County sheriff and current Justice Services Director for the county, updated Mesa County commissioners on the status of their Pretrial Services (PTS) program and the County Community Corrections Services program on Tuesday, Nov. 19. PTS is a program for people who have been arrested to receive pretrial services in the jail, in addition to services while they are incarcerated. A pretrial assessment is completed for anyone who is booked in the Mesa County jail. This assessment is provided to the court, district attorney's office and public defender’s office to be used as a tool to inform the court as they are considering bond decisions. Setting the appropriate bond assists with maximizing releases from c...
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Western Colorado school board votes to close one elementary school, two more could shutter
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Western Colorado school board votes to close one elementary school, two more could shutter

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice It was an emotional night at the Mesa County Valley District 51 school board meeting on Nov. 19, as more than 50 public commenters packed a seven-hour session that stretched past midnight. Parents, students, teachers and community members voiced their concerns about the proposed closure of Scenic, Nisley and Clifton Elementary Schools. "No one wants to be in a situation where they are having to close schools," Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill said. "It will never feel good, but it is the situation we find ourselves in."  Hill detailed the data-driven approach used to identify schools for closure. He highlighted the Elementary Declining Enrollment Committee’s criteria, which included building adequacy, enrollment and transportatio...
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