Vizguerra Speaks After ICE Detention Release; CPW Wants to Boost Beavers; Campaign Finance Complaint Against Weinberg

Headlines Wednesday, December 24, 2025

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    Vizguerra Speaks After ICE Detention Release; CPW Wants to Boost Beavers; Campaign Finance Complaint Against Weinberg KGNU News

 

Jeanette Vizguerra Speaks After Release from ICE Detention

Colorado immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra spoke to supporters at a celebration rally yesterday, a day after she was released from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.

The mother and grandmother spent nine months at the GEO detention facility in Aurora. A judge ruled Sunday that she could be released on a $5,000 bond.

Speaking with KGNU’s Verity Mathews at the celebration rally on Tuesday, she said she was relieved to be back with her community.

Vizguerra first came to national attention during the first Trump administration when she took sanctuary in a Denver church to avoid deportation.

In 2017, TIME magazine named her one of the most influential people of the year.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it will continue efforts to deport Vizguerra.

You can hear all of Verity Mathews’ reporting from the celebration rally on Tuesday on KGNU.org.

 

CPW Wants to Boost Beaver Population

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) wants to boost the state’s beaver population. As Aspen Public Radio’s Michael Fanelli reports, for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, that’s because beaver dams are increasingly important for people and other wildlife in a changing climate.

Sometimes called ecosystem engineers, beavers are considered a keystone species because of the way they alter landscapes. Their dams can prevent erosion, build drought resistance, and slow the spread of invasive species. Beaver conservation, as a result, has become a bigger priority nationwide and at CPW.

Joey Livingston is a public information officer with the agency. He says beaver dams filter pollutants, hold sediment upstream, and act like a sponge of moisture for surrounding plants. “Building a dam blocks up the water that’s running downstream so that it can improve the, just the overall water that’s in the area to help prevent wildfires.”

Many other species also rely on the wetlands that beavers create. The agency hasn’t decided where to focus beaver conservation yet, but it will likely be congregated in the Western Slope. CPW expects to complete the draft plan sometime next spring.

 

Campaign Finance Complaint Filed Against Weinberg

Colorado election officials have filed a formal complaint against Republican State Representative Ron Weinberg for allegedly violating campaign finance laws. The Secretary of State’s Office says Weinberg used campaign funds for personal expenses, including restaurant bills, political donations, and spending at a casino resort.

The office opened its investigation last month after an initial complaint from a fellow House Republican was filed in August. Weinberg denies wrongdoing and says the timing of the case “seems suspicious.”

This story was reported by the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.

 

Colorado Suing Trump Admin Over Defunding of CFPB 

Colorado is suing the Trump administration over efforts to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Attorney General Phil Weiser joined about two dozen states in filing the lawsuit Monday.

It targets the bureau’s acting director Russell Vought for refusing to request funding from the Federal Reserve, which finances the agency. The attorneys general say the move is unlawful and could force the Bureau to shut down in January.

It’s the 48th lawsuit Colorado has filed against the Trump administration this year.

This story was reported by the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.

 

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.

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