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Three-term Republican state Rep. Rod Bockenfeld has died
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Three-term Republican state Rep. Rod Bockenfeld has died

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Rod Bockenfeld, who served Colorado's House District 56 for three terms, has died, Sen. Rod Pelton announced Thursday to the Colorado Senate. "He was my representative for two years," Pelton said. "We sat next to each other in the House chamber, and we became really close. He was a great man." Bockenfeld moved to Colorado in 1978 and began a career as a financial crimes investigator. He earned a bachelor's in law enforcement administration and a graduate degree in banking. In 2004, Bockenfeld was elected as an Arapahoe County commissioner, a position in which he served for 12 years. In 2018, he was elected to serve in the Colorado House and was sworn into office in 2019. He represented Adams, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, El Paso, Elbert, Kit Carson...
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In shift from ‘system of choice to coercion,’ Senate Republicans outnumbered in fight on SB 5
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In shift from ‘system of choice to coercion,’ Senate Republicans outnumbered in fight on SB 5

'There's no company that doesn't care about worker safety, that doesn't care about productivity.' — Minority Leader Paul Lundeen By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A series of seven amendments were all lost Thursday as Colorado Senate Republicans were powerless to improve upon a partisan Democrat bill they say is in search of a problem. Senate Bill 25-005, by Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez and Democrat Sen. Jessie Danielson, which would undo significant portions of an 81-year-old labor relations law, was adopted by voice vote on second reading by the Democrat-dominated Senate. That 1943 policy set Colorado apart and should continue, Minority Leader Paul Lundeen said. "It represents middle ground between right-to-work states and union states," he said. "The act aimed to...
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Pedestrian fatalities have surged in Colorado, AAA report finds
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DENVER7, State

Pedestrian fatalities have surged in Colorado, AAA report finds

By Sam Peña | Denver7 News After reaching a record low number of pedestrian deaths in 2009, a AAA study found that pedestrian deaths increased by over 80% across the United States. Colorado reached a record number of crash deaths in 2022, with 764 reported and 115 involving a pedestrian, according to CDOT. The number of fatal crashes was lower in 2024, with only 684 reported deaths, but 120 of those deadly crashes involved a pedestrian. While cars have become safer than ever — equipped with advanced features like collision avoidance systems — Skyler McKinley, the Regional Director of Public Affairs for AAA, argued that pedestrians are facing more dangers on the road. Pedestrian fatalities in Colorado increased by a staggering 161% over the last decade, prompting AAA to investigate...
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‘Top 10’ are now in ICE custody for drug trafficking, other violent crimes
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CBS Colorado, State

‘Top 10’ are now in ICE custody for drug trafficking, other violent crimes

By Tori Mason | CBS Colorado The Drug Enforcement Administration is working with other federal agencies on immigration enforcement in Colorado. In the last 2.5 weeks, the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division has made over 90 arrests. Some of the suspects were involved in trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, while others had committed violent offenses both in the U.S. and in their home countries. The DEA provided a list of "Top Ten" arrested suspects who are now in ICE custody. They're from several countries including Honduras, Cuba, El Salvador and Venezuela. Special Agent Jonathan Pullen with the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division provided an update on Operation Return to Sender. He says the collaborative effort with federal agencies has allowed the DEA and other agencies to m...
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Douglas Co. leaders weigh which three Highlands Ranch schools to close while prioritizing safety, continuity
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State, The Colorado Sun

Douglas Co. leaders weigh which three Highlands Ranch schools to close while prioritizing safety, continuity

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun As Douglas County School District leaders and board members weigh closing three schools in Highlands Ranch, they’ll prioritize keeping together groups of students and staff from individual schools, ensuring student safety in traffic zones and analyzing current and future enrollment projections. Those are among the parameters the board approved Tuesday to guide them in determining which schools to close beginning in the 2026-27 school year from a list of 16 schools. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Rep. Bottoms’ HB 1145, prohibiting trafficking of minors into state for reproductive services, killed in committee
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Bottoms’ HB 1145, prohibiting trafficking of minors into state for reproductive services, killed in committee

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Scott Bottoms may have learned Tuesday that perception is indeed reality. Despite multiple attempts to position his House Bill 25-1145 as another attempt to hold accountable child traffickers he has witnessed operating over two decades, his bill was shredded in the House's Judiciary Committee for surface concerns it was rather an anti-abortion, anti-transgender bill. "This is a bill trying to stop trafficking and the abuse of our children," said Bottoms, a Colorado Springs pastor. "This is another shot at just trying to put these people in jail." The bill would prohibit the taking, or trafficking, of a minor across state lines into Colorado for the purpose of reproductive health-care services. It was postponed indefinitely by a 7-4 pa...
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HB 1098, the crime victim alert system bill, advances, but without Republican committee support. Here’s why.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1098, the crime victim alert system bill, advances, but without Republican committee support. Here’s why.

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It would be difficult to say what turned Republican support against a bipartisan bill Tuesday in the House's Judiciary Committee — the considerable expenditure required in a down fiscal year or the potential raised of harm to gun owners. House Bill 25-1098, by Delta Republican Rep. Matt Soper and Democrat Rep. Rebekah Stewart, aimed at establishing an automated system to alert crime victims to changes in their cases, lost all but Soper's support from the minority caucus. "I'm a huge advocate for victim's rights," said Republican Rep. Rebecca Keltie, a member of the committee. "The fiscal note is a concern." Implementation and maintenance of a notification system by a third-party vendor would require a $500,000 investment this fiscal year a...
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Liquor and grocery stores are feuding again over who should get to sell what products
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State, The Sum & Substance

Liquor and grocery stores are feuding again over who should get to sell what products

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Much like a bar regular returning for happy hour, Colorado’s liquor wars are back at the Capitol, beginning this year with another attempt to limit the growth of grocery stores selling a full portfolio of beer, wine and spirits. Senate Bill 33, which cleared its first committee on Feb. 6 and awaits a hearing Friday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the first bill this session to pit varying interests in the alcohol-sales sector against each other, but it may not be the last. And while it got bipartisan support in its first vote, it has a long road ahead of it, much like two liquor-focused bills in 2024 that received early backing only to die late in the session despite numerous attempts to amend them to a consensus satisfaction. ...
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Rep. Evans, the grandson of immigrants, joins U.S. House’s Hispanic Conference
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Evans, the grandson of immigrants, joins U.S. House’s Hispanic Conference

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, has joined the U.S. House's Congressional Hispanic Conference, his office announced Wednesday. The first-term congressman represents Colorado's 8th District, including most of Adams and Weld Counties. “I'm proud to celebrate the values and contributions of Hispanic Americans and their stories — like my Abuelito Chavez who earned his citizenship fighting for our country in World War II," Evans said in a statement for the announcement by the conference's chairman Tony Gonzales. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to lower inflation, strengthen public safety and make the American Dream more attainable." Evans spent 12 years in the U.S Army, rising to the rank of captain, and ...
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It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a déjà vu moment in the Colorado Senate. Senate Bill 25-003 will be up for a second reading Thursday, Feb. 13, for the third time in three weeks. The bill, which some have said would make Colorado the most anti-gun state in the country, has been laid over twice — in a Democrat-controlled Senate — almost assuredly because the majority party does not have the votes to pass the measure. Without a second reading the bill is frozen in the Senate and may not be taken up by the Colorado House. The Senate convenes at 9 a.m. Thursday. SB 3 is a wildly unpopular bill among conservatives and among vulnerable Democrats, many of whom believe it is unconstitutional. If passed, the bill, led by Democrat Sens. Tom Sullivan and Julie Gonzales and spon...
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