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Rep. Gabe Evans appointed to bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in first month in Congress
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State, The Colorado Sun

Rep. Gabe Evans appointed to bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in first month in Congress

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans was named Wednesday to the congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, an appointment that means he will be part of key bipartisan policy negotiations and which blocks a prominent Colorado Democrat from campaigning against him in two years.  The Greeley Republican, who was sworn into office last week after unseating Democrat Yadira Caraveo in November, is one of four new members of Congress — two of them from Colorado — appointed to the caucus.  About 60 representatives are part of the invitation-only caucus, which was formed in 2017 and meets weekly to try to bridge partisan divides. The caucus has played a big role in negotiations on major policy initiatives in recent years on health care, COVID-19 relief and congressiona...
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How many lawmakers in 75th legislature got there through a vacancy appointment?
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State, The Colorado Sun

How many lawmakers in 75th legislature got there through a vacancy appointment?

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun There will be at least 21 members of the Colorado General Assembly this year who at some point were appointed to the House or Senate by or through a vacancy committee made up of a small number of party insiders, according to a Colorado Sun analysis. That includes 12 state representatives and nine senators. All but three are Democrats. The number — which represents about a fifth of the 100-member General Assembly — is down from last year, when 29 legislators had at some point landed a job in the General Assembly thanks to a vacancy committee. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Schools with declining enrollment brace for “gut punch” from governor’s budget
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State, The Colorado Sun

Schools with declining enrollment brace for “gut punch” from governor’s budget

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun School districts in urban, suburban and rural parts of Colorado fear serious funding cuts — amounting to as much as 30% of their total budget — that could force tough decisions next year under Gov. Jared Polis’ latest budget proposal. The prospect of less funding for those districts adds another complication to the school finance puzzle as district leaders in the upcoming months begin piecing together their budgets. Not only are districts grappling with rising costs driven by inflation, but they have also had to figure out how to sustain — or eliminate — programs, resources and staff positions they funded with federal COVID relief dollars that expired in September. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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SB3 would ban manufacture, sale of semiauto guns that accept detachable magazines
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State, The Colorado Sun

SB3 would ban manufacture, sale of semiauto guns that accept detachable magazines

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The purchase, sale and manufacture of semiautomatic guns that accept detachable ammunition magazines would be banned in Colorado under a bill introduced Wednesday by Democrats on the first day of the state legislature’s 2025 lawmaking term.  Senate Bill 3 would affect many pistols and rifles, whose manufacturers don’t appear to make versions of the weapons without removable magazines. The legislation also would outlaw rapid-fire trigger activators and bump stocks, which can make a semiautomatic firearm fire at a rate similar to that of an automatic weapon. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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As California reels, study shows Marshall fire made air in nearby homes hazardous for months
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Local, The Colorado Sun

As California reels, study shows Marshall fire made air in nearby homes hazardous for months

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Direct neighbors of houses burned in the Marshall fire suffered measurable increases in volatile organic compounds from toxic smoke in their homes, and hundreds more residents reported headaches and other health problems, according to companion University of Colorado studies published in late December.  Smoke-weary Los Angeles County residents may want to study up as they sit in limbo during evacuations from the Pacific Palisades/Malibu and Pasadena wildfires sweeping the area this week. The twin CU studies show toxins from burned homes drift into still-standing neighboring homes and create tangible health symptoms for months after fires are put out.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Homelessness among families with children in Colorado grew by 134% in 2024, according to federal report 
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State, The Colorado Sun

Homelessness among families with children in Colorado grew by 134% in 2024, according to federal report 

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Colorado saw one of the biggest increases in the nation in the number of families who were homeless in 2024 — a 134% jump from the previous year, according to a federal report that painted the state’s homelessness crisis in a harsher light than previous regional counts.  The rise put the state among four in the country, including Illinois, Wyoming and Hawaii, where the number of homeless families more than doubled. The results have advocates in Colorado calling for further investment in prevention programs to keep more families from slipping into homelessness.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez is first Democrat to launch bid for Colorado secretary of state
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State, The Colorado Sun

Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez is first Democrat to launch bid for Colorado secretary of state

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez, a Democrat, launched a bid Monday to become Colorado’s secretary of state.  Gonzalez is the first major Democrat to jump into the 2026 contest that will determine who will be the state’s top election official. A handful of other prominent Democrats are expected to run for the job, too. “Voting is the way we express hope,” Gonzalez said in a written statement announcing her candidacy. “The way we show love for our community. The way we make our voices heard. I promise to safeguard Coloradans’ access to the ballot box and to fight for secure elections that work for every Colorado voter.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Ranchers hit CPW with $580k in compensation claims for livestock impacted by wolves
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State, The Colorado Sun

Ranchers hit CPW with $580k in compensation claims for livestock impacted by wolves

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Ranchers in Grand County hit Colorado Parks and Wildlife with a $582,000 bill for wolf kills and related impacts on cattle and sheep in the first year of reintroduction, and they are hoping the sum will convince the parks and wildlife commission to pause the next phase of the program at its meeting in Denver on Jan. 8.  The claims are from three producers and center around attacks on livestock in 2024. A breakdown includes $18,411.71 for confirmed attacks resulting in injury or death of cows, calves and sheep; $173,526.63 for yearling cattle, calves and sheep reported missing from ranches with a confirmed attack or death; $216,772.20 for cattle from said ranches taken to market with a lower-than-normal weight; $172,754.64 for lower conception rat...
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Livelsberger, 37, a Colorado Springs Army sergeant, found dead inside exploded truck in Las Vegas
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National, The Colorado Sun

Livelsberger, 37, a Colorado Springs Army sergeant, found dead inside exploded truck in Las Vegas

By Olivia Prentzel | The Colorado Sun Federal authorities have reportedly identified a Colorado Springs Special Forces soldier as the man suspected of driving a Tesla Cybertruck to the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas before it exploded. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, was killed inside the futuristic electric truck after it exploded, about 70 minutes after he arrived in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reported, citing unidentified law enforcement officials.  Livelsberger, who as a master sergeant, was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and on approved leave at the time of his death, an Army spokesperson said Thursday.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Testing of drinking water suspended at state chemistry lab following allegations of falsified data
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State, The Colorado Sun

Testing of drinking water suspended at state chemistry lab following allegations of falsified data

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Monday suspended testing of drinking water at the state laboratory, the latest twist in an expanding water-testing scandal that’s been going on for a year. The scandal involves at least two chemists accused of cutting corners and falsifying data on quality-assurance tests — essentially practice tests run to make sure their machines are working correctly. The state says it has no evidence that public health was threatened through falsified data on tests of actual water samples sent into the lab for analysis. “At no time did we find levels that we knew would pose an immediate threat to public health,” Dr. Ned Calonge, CDPHE’s chief medical officer, said in an interview. READ THE FULL STO...
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