CO legislative session ends tonight; Ballot issue weighs TABOR refunds against funding for CO schools; U.S. Forest proposes Pitkin County manage Maroon Bells

Headlines Wednesday, May 13, 2026

  • cover play_arrow

    CO legislative session ends tonight; Ballot issue weighs TABOR refunds against funding for CO schools; U.S. Forest proposes Pitkin County manage Maroon Bells KGNU News

CO legislative session ends tonight

Today is the last day of Colorado’s 2026 legislative session. As of yesterday, state lawmakers had more than a hundred bills still pending.

One of the most significant is intended to counter the impacts of a proposed November ballot initiative. If approved by voters, that measure would enshrine transportation funding in the Colorado constitution and direct the state to spend more money on maintaining roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Democrats argue it would take a lot of funding away from core services like education and healthcare as the state faces repeated budget deficits.

Lawmakers have until the end of the day to finish their legislative work for the year. They’ve passed over a hundred and eighty bills since the session began in January.

READ MORE

 

Ballot issue weighs TABOR refunds against funding for CO schools

This November Colorado voters will be asked to weigh school funding against TABOR refunds, after state lawmakers passed a bill this week to put a question on the ballot. Backers say Colorado schools are starved for money and have been for decades.

Democratic Representative Jennifer Bacon of Denver said  “We are woefully underfunded. We cannot provide our students and our educators and therefore our communities the education that they deserve.”

Bacon is one of the main sponsors of the proposal asking voters to let the state keep more tax money instead of giving it back to taxpayers as TABOR refunds. It’s expected to increase K-12 spending by roughly half a billion dollars over the next two years.

Bacon wants it to be used to hire more educators to reduce class sizes and to provide students with 21st century resources.

Opponents say the money belongs to taxpayers and the proposed ballot language is misleading because it doesn’t spell out that it would cut into TABOR refunds. Historically, TABOR has been popular with voters.

READ MORE

 

U.S. Forest proposes Pitkin County manage Maroon Bells

The U.S. Forest Service says it can no longer manage a popular recreation area in Western Colorado, near Aspen.

As Caroline Llanes reports, it’s hoping the local county will take over management of the area starting next summer.

The Maroon Bells Scenic Area draws over a hundred thousand visitors to the White River National Forest each year.

The Forest Service says there’s an almost 300-thousand dollar gap between what it costs to manage the Bells and the revenue they bring in, and it’s not sustainable for the agency.

They’re encouraging Pitkin County to manage the area for five years under a special use permit.

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Director Gary Tennenbaum said, I know a lot of people are talking about, like, ‘oh, the Forest Service is getting cut, cut, cut.’ But one day, maybe, they’ll magically get some money and they’ll be able to do this. Well, if the county does this, we can give it back.

The move comes amid concerns over the Trump administration privatizing public lands, and a massive reorganization of the Forest Service.

The White River says it’s doing better than some other national forests in its staffing levels, especially compared to last summer, but it’s still not fully staffed.

This story was reported by Caroline Llanes for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

READ MORE

 

Two of Laura Gonzalez’s charges dismissed

Last Thursday, a Boulder County District Court judge dismissed two charges against prominent Boulder activist Laura Gonzalez.

Gonzalez still faces a misdemeanor charge. The case was supposed to go to trial in June.

The charges stem from when Gonzalez was protesting outside the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building and lobbed insults at Rachel Amaru, the organizer for the group Boulder Run for Their Lives, the target of the antisemitic firebombing attack on the Pearl Street Mall. Then, more charges came from an incident at the Boulder Farmer’s Market weeks after the first incident.

Gonzalez’s attorney, Cameron Bedard, said there will likely be a trial for the remaining misdemeanor charge.

READ MORE

 

You can hear daily headlines on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show, with coverage of local and regional public affairs and news with headlines and commentary. Click here to listen to full episodes of the Morning Magazine.

Picture of KGNU News

KGNU News

Search

Now Playing

play_arrow

Live Broadcast

Recent Stories

Upcoming Events

KGNU PARTNERS

Want to help us build a better radio station?

We’re conducting a survey to help us understand how our listeners are using new technology. Please spend 15 minutes to let us know what you think.

Public media moves forward because you listen, watch, share and support. Thank you for being part of this community — and for helping us continue the journey during Public Media Giving Days.