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On the Road Again... A Colorado State Open Thread, September 15, 2025 [1]

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Date: 2025-09-15

This week has mostly been spent in Kansas. I came here on Wednesday and I will return to Colorado tomorrow. I came to visit my sister who had received a bad illness designation but as I was driving east she was able to call me and tell me the doctor had called and said it had been discovered early enough that she will not have to go through chemo and that it can be monitored every few months while she lives a normal life. It is the “Smoldering” level of the disease. Another friend has that level of the same disease and he has supposedly been living for years with that, so here’s hoping…

While I was driving east, I took I-70 and I decided to detour into Limon. I wasn’t going to take a picture of either of the truck and fast food stops just off I-70. People have seen those and probably become tired of that same view. I wanted to see the real downtown. The heartbeat of Limon. Those of you who have been around Colorado long enough might remember that a tornado went through Limon back in 1990, so 35 years ago. It devastated the town, and it was one of my first memories when I came to Colorado. It looks like they’ve rebuilt the town completely since that time. Honestly, I didn’t take more pictures because it seems like many small Colorado towns. If you have any other small towns along my I-70 route back that you’d like me to stop in for a picture postcard, let me know in the comments.

The latest rules for Covid shots (free link to Denver Post)

Anyone 6 months and older who wants a COVID-19 shot in Colorado can now get one, but the vaccine will only be free for those with the right insurance — at least for now. Initially, pharmacies couldn’t administer the updated shots in Colorado unless a patient had a prescription. The state allows pharmacists to administer vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee, but not other shots. … The Colorado Division of Insurance issued a draft rule last week that would require state-regulated plans to cover COVID-19 vaccines without out-of-pocket costs for people of any age, assuming the division passes it as written. Insurance cards from state-regulated plans typically have CO-DOI printed in the lower left corner. The state’s rule doesn’t apply to federally regulated plans, which account for about 30% of employer-sponsored insurance plans in Colorado, Calonge said. Typically, however, those plans try to offer competitive benefits, since they mostly serve large employers, he said.

There are additional details at the link

Congresswoman (US 7th Dist) Brittany Petterson in an editorial in the Denver Post

Pettersen: The Evergreen High School shooting feels overwhelming, but gun violence is a policy choice I was sitting in my congressional office before heading to the House floor for votes when my phone lit up. Charlie Kirk – right-wing activist and podcaster – has been shot in the neck at a rally on a college campus in Utah. The growing political violence we’ve seen recently has been gut-wrenching and terrifying. I’m not only scared for the safety of friends and colleagues but fearful for the future of our country. Then my phone lit up again. I received additional horrifying news: there was, at that very moment, an active shooter at Evergreen High School. I was stunned sitting on the couch thinking about the parents receiving word that there was an active shooter and that they were warned not to go to the school for their safety. The helplessness and not knowing if they’d ever see their kids again. My heart breaks for the students who continue to fight for their lives in the hospital, the parents who are at their bedsides not knowing if they will ever come home, and for the kids and educators who will carry the trauma of this day forever. ...

From the Colorado Sun: Top Republican in Colorado House resigns in wake of special session clash with Democrats

House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, the top Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives, announced her resignation from the legislature effective Monday, saying she was stepping down to be more present for her kids. “I have spent the months reflecting on my life choices, especially in relation to my children,” she said in a letter Sunday to friends and supporters. “As a single mom, I raise my two children on my own. I am all that they have. There is nothing more important in my life than them. They have made so many sacrifices for me to be able to represent you. But they also need their mom right now, and I need to keep them safe.” Pugliese’s decision comes after she had a high-profile clash with Democrats on the House floor last month at the end of a special legislative session. She cited that situation, as well as the assassination last week of conservative political influencer Charlie Kirk, in her letter. … Pugliese is the second top Republican at the Capitol to depart in the past few months. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, resigned in June to pursue a job leading a national conservative organization.

From the Durango Herald:

7 Colorado counties plan to ask voters to double or triple lodging taxes to pay for roads, police

I could have posted this from multiple papers — this comes from the Colorado Sun as well:

At least seven counties will ask voters this November to double or triple the local lodging tax outside cities and towns to pay for roads, police, housing and early child care. These are the first counties to deploy a law passed this year – Senate Bill 1247 – that allows voters to raise county lodging taxes to 6%, up from 2%, to pay for infrastructure, conservation, emergency services and sustainable tourism policies. Commissioners in Chaffee, Custer, Gilpin, Routt and Park counties have recently finalized plans for November ballot questions seeking voter approval to triple the local lodging tax to 6%. Eagle County voters will decide whether to double the lodging tax to 4% and Ouray County voters will weigh a first-ever lodging tax of 6%. The diversity of the counties pursuing the lodging tax increases – with commissioners who are both Democratic and Republican – “reflects an urgent need to fund critical services that benefit both locals and visitors,” said Colorado Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat from Frisco who sponsored Senate Bill 1247. “Our bipartisan work at the legislature to give more flexibility to lodging tax revenue allows every county to focus on their individual needs from housing and child care for their workforce to supporting law enforcement and wildfire mitigation – all of which are necessary for thriving communities where working families can live and tourists can enjoy,” he said in an email to The Colorado Sun.

I’ll be back tomorrow, enjoying whatever weather and bugling Mother Nature will have ready for me. Even a day away makes me miss my two dogs and two cats. Please continue to think about covering for the days I’ll miss in October — the 20th and 27th, and let me know who will cover for it. Thanks. In the meantime, the floor is yours...

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