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Colorado Newsline

Colorado state budget shortfall expands to $1.5 billion
The Colorado Capitol is pictured on the opening day of the Colorado Legislature, Jan. 14, 2026. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
News

Colorado state budget shortfall expands to $1.5 billion

Colorado lawmakers face a growing $1.5 billion budget shortfall, forcing difficult decisions ahead of the 2026–2027 budget. With revenue projections down and TABOR limits in place, cuts to programs like Medicaid and other essential services are increasingly likely.
By Colorado Newsline • 3 min read
Colorado Residents See Higher Electric Bills as U.S. Energy Costs Climb in 2025
State-by-state figures from monthly utility bill data show, on average, American households paid roughly 6.4%, more for electricity in 2025, compared to 2024. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) 
Local Economy

Colorado Residents See Higher Electric Bills as U.S. Energy Costs Climb in 2025

Colorado households saw electricity costs rise 6.6% in 2025 as rates increased nationwide. A new report highlights rising energy prices across most states, adding pressure on families already facing higher fuel and utility costs.
By Colorado Newsline • 3 min read
Colorado bill would require safety plans to protect workers from extreme temperatures
 Alex Sanchez (left), Rep. Elizabeth Velasco (center) and Sen. Lisa Cutter (right) spoke at a press conference for a worker protection bill at the Colorado Capitol on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
Lifestyle

Colorado bill would require safety plans to protect workers from extreme temperatures

Colorado lawmakers are weighing a bill that would require employers to develop safety plans for workers exposed to extreme heat and cold. The proposal would begin with state data collection in 2027 and could lead to workplace prevention plans and training standards.
By Colorado Newsline • 3 min read
Affordability for Colorado families would see boost from Democrats’ tax package
Colorado state Rep. Emily Sirota on the House floor on Feb. 11, 2026, at the Colorado Capitol. (Photo by Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
Lifestyle

Affordability for Colorado families would see boost from Democrats’ tax package

A package of Colorado bills advancing in the state House would roll back certain corporate tax breaks to fund a new tax credit for low- and middle-income families after the Family Affordability Tax Credit is expected to lapse this year.
By Colorado Newsline • 4 min read
Colorado constitutional debates foreshadowed a populist backlash against Gilded Age railroad barons
A train on the Denver & South Park Railway is pictured in this photograph dated between 1886 and 1901. (Courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections, H-345)
Government

Colorado constitutional debates foreshadowed a populist backlash against Gilded Age railroad barons

by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline March 6, 2026 Pueblo’s grand celebration of the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway began promptly at dawn on March 7, 1876, with a 38-gun salute from an artillery piece loaned from Fort Lyon — “37 for the states admitted, and one
By Colorado Newsline • 6 min read
Trump’s cuts to Medicaid threaten services that help disabled people live at home
Medicaid participant Sam Walker, right, sorts clothing at a Goodwill store in Ottumwa, Iowa, with Andy Koettel, a caregiver paid through a Medicaid waiver program that helps people with disabilities. The assistance of such workers helps people like Walker live in their own homes and participate in their communities rather than be sent to institutions. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)
Health and Wellness

Trump’s cuts to Medicaid threaten services that help disabled people live at home

An Iowa family is fighting proposed Medicaid waiver cuts that would slash in-home caregiver support for their adult son with severe autism. Advocates warn similar reductions could push people with disabilities into costly institutional care nationwide.
By Colorado Newsline • 7 min read
Bipartisan majorities in Western states oppose Trump rollback of public lands protections
A view from the Grand View Overlook at Colorado National Monument in Mesa County, Colorado. (Thomlinson/NPS/Public domain)
News

Bipartisan majorities in Western states oppose Trump rollback of public lands protections

by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline February 19, 2026 Large, bipartisan majorities of voters across eight Western states remain concerned about the impacts of climate change and opposed to efforts by the Trump administration to weaken environmental rules and public lands protections. Eighty-four percent of Western voters say that “rollbacks of
By Colorado Newsline • 3 min read
Colorado Democrats propose tax tweaks to help working families amid federal policy fallout
Lelia Hobley of Denver speaks about the family affordability tax credit at the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
Government

Colorado Democrats propose tax tweaks to help working families amid federal policy fallout

Colorado Democrats are proposing tax changes to shield working families from the fallout of recent federal policy shifts. The plan would fund a new family affordability credit by limiting certain corporate tax breaks and modernizing parts of the state tax code.
By Colorado Newsline • 3 min read