State

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado

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Late last year, five wolves were airlifted from Oregon to Colorado under a plan voters narrowly approved—but few knew one of them came from a pack with a history of livestock attacks. 

Fewer still knew the move may have violated federal law.

At the center of the controversy is a growing belief that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction bypassed environmental law and public transparency. 

And a federal lawsuit now threatens to unravel the entire plan.

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado Read More »

Colorado judges made campaign contributions despite rules prohibiting the practice

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More than a half dozen judges in Colorado — each of them specially appointed and paid to oversee a divorce case since 2019 — has made at least one political campaign contribution while serving in that capacity despite a prohibition against the practice and an affirmation to uphold it, The Denver Gazette has found.

Colorado judges made campaign contributions despite rules prohibiting the practice Read More »

NRA joins El Paso County man in suing to stop voter-approved Colorado excise tax on guns, ammo

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The National Rifle Association (NRA) is joining a number of gun rights organizations and an El Paso County resident in filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality a 6.5% excise tax on guns and ammo sold in Colorado, set to go into effect today, April 1.

NRA joins El Paso County man in suing to stop voter-approved Colorado excise tax on guns, ammo Read More »

Federal charges filed in Loveland Tesla firebombing: AG Bondi says ‘Justice is coming’

Fox News, Approved, State / / , ,

A man accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership in Colorado is facing federal charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday. 

Cooper Jo Fredrick, 24, was arrested in Plano, Texas, on suspicion of attacking a Tesla dealership on March 7 in Loveland, Colo., Bondi said. 

“Let this be a warning. You can run, but you cannot hide,” Bondi said in a video message. “Justice is coming.”

Frederick, a resident of Fort Collins, Colo., allegedly ignited an incendiary device and hurled it at the dealership, narrowly missing several parked vehicles. The device landed between two cars, and created a fire, Loveland police said.

Federal charges filed in Loveland Tesla firebombing: AG Bondi says ‘Justice is coming’ Read More »

Colorado lawmakers propose budget full of cuts and cash sweeps

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Lawmakers on Monday introduced in the state Senate the legislation setting up the 2025-26 budget, which contains hundreds of millions of dollars in funding cuts, transfers and sweeps.  

The spending plan comes in at $43.9 billion.

The plan includes $16.7 billion in general fund dollars. That is the discretionary money that comes from corporate and individual income taxes, as well as sales and use taxes. Lawmakers use that money to fund new programs, although it will be in short supply in a year when the Joint Budget Committee will have to find ways to cover a $1.2 billion shortfall.

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Cole: Colorado’s gender bills sideline parents and rush kids into harm

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On Friday, March 28, Colorado legislators introduced House Bill 25-1309 and House Bill 25-1312, proposals crafted to safeguard transgender youth. Their aims are well-meaning: one mandates insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries, while the other anchors gender identity within custody law to protect vulnerable children. 

Yet, beneath these noble intentions lies a troubling prospect—lasting harm to the very youth they seek to shield, coupled with an alarming shift of authority from parents to the state.

Cole: Colorado’s gender bills sideline parents and rush kids into harm Read More »

A shepherd in the trenches: Rep. Scott Bottoms answers the call to fight for Colorado

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El Paso County Republican Rep. Scott Bottoms walked the quiet State Capitol halls with his wife, prayers filling the empty space. They spent hours there—no fanfare, just a pastor seeking God’s will on a new path after years of preaching in Colorado Springs. 

Several lawmakers asked him to run for office. “I’m a pastor,” he told them. One replied, “Pray about it.” That stuck. “I almost said no,” Bottoms said. “I was scared God might say yes.” 

“I didn’t choose this,” Bottoms said. “I felt God say ‘This is your battlefield.’”

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Lawmakers propose risky PERA maneuver for voter-approved police funding amid budget shortfall

Approved, State, The Colorado Sun / / , ,

Something’s missing from the Colorado state budget proposal — and it’s a biggie. The Joint Budget Committee last week finalized its budget package without deciding what to do about Proposition 130: the voter-approved requirement that the state spend $350 million to support law enforcement.

Lawmakers propose risky PERA maneuver for voter-approved police funding amid budget shortfall Read More »