Tag Archives: Colorado politics

Colorado’s Budget Deficit, Social Policy Bills, DIA Nuclear Proposal & Local Leaders’ Influence

By Kyle Dyer on August 29, 2025

Right off the top this week, I asked our Insiders to assess where Colorado stands financially after the special legislative session which was called to find a path towards correcting the state’s $800 million deficit. Lawmakers voted to roll back tax breaks for businesses. Governor Polis signed off on those (and other bills) and then announced spending cuts to the current budget. And the third part of the plan involves taking some money from the state’s reserves. With all the numbers flying around, I find it really helps to take in some extra context to make sense of what’s happening. Fortunately, we have some top-notch thinkers on this week’s Colorado Inside Out.. here’s a glimpse of our conversation.

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Colorado’s Budget Crisis, Denver Job Cuts, Immigration Standoff & Mail-In Ballot Debate

By Kyle Dyer on August 22, 2025

The Colorado State Fair is open for business… but so is the State Capitol because lawmakers are having to sweat it out (literally, there’s no AC in the capitol building) as they come up with a leaner budget. There are a lot of budgetary issues facing many Coloradans. There’s the state budget, and some programs we’re used to will be cut, and then in Denver, 169 people were laid off. These two budgetary issues are where we start this week’s Colorado Inside Out.

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Wildfires, Budget Gap, Denver Projects, and SNAP Soda Ban in Colorado

By Kyle Dyer on August 8, 2025

It’s been an eerily hazy week across Colorado as wildfires burn on the Western Slope and smoke lingers statewide. The picture is just as unclear for state finances, with a special legislative session set for August 21 to address a major budget gap. On this week’s Colorado Inside Out, our panel digs into the wildfire crisis, the $1B budget shortfall, Denver’s largest set of city projects headed to voters in November, and Governor Polis’ newly approved plan to block SNAP purchases of sugary drinks.

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August 1, 2025

By Kyle Dyer on August 1, 2025

Happy Colorado Day! On August 1st, 1876, Colorado became the 38th state in the United States. So, we are one year shy of “the big one”—our 150th birthday in 2026. Here’s a time-capsule-esque conversation about where Colorado stands in its 149th year… and a look forward at all that Colorado is focusing on to strengthen our communities so that they’re places more people can afford to live, raise families, build businesses, and feel connected to one another.

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July 18, 2025

By Kyle Dyer on July 18, 2025

The skies over Colorado have been smoky all week because of five active wildfires burning along the Western Slope. Hazy is also an appropriate word to describe the future financial situation within Colorado amidst pending tariffs with our state’s two biggest trading partners. There is continued talk about the challenges mounting for the state’s budget and for all of us who live and work here in Colorado. Our Insiders might not be top economists but they’re able to decipher what’s at stake… but first we addressed some findings in some recent polls.

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July 11, 2025

By Kyle Dyer on July 11, 2025

As we all watch with heartbreak what Texas is dealing with after the deadly Fourth of July flood, we realize that flooding is a real threat in Colorado. Yes, we’re hot and dry now, but monsoon season is right around the corner. I asked the Insider panel to weigh in on our past floods, the state of warning systems, and more. We also had to confront a new reality before state lawmakers: rewriting Colorado’s budget because of changes in the federal budget. That’s where we start this week.

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April 25, 2025 Edition

By Kyle Dyer on April 25, 2025

This week started on a somber note with the death of Pope Francis.Governor Jared Polis lowered all flags to half-staff in Colorado, which is home to an estimated 830,000 Catholics, including me. The day before, on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis said, “I would like all of us to hope anew, and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves.” To relate that to Colorado Inside Out’s mission, every week we bring together various perspectives with our Insider panel with the idea being the more we know where each other is coming from, the more of a path we have to being more connected. With connection, there’s the ability to build trust. So that’s why we do what we do.

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April 18, 2025 Edition

By Kyle Dyer on April 18, 2025

This week’s show started by acknowledging the flurry of announcements of people running for office in November 2026. All of a sudden, it’s go-time for these campaigns. From there, our Insiders took a more analytical, yet compassionate, turn for the rest of the show, tackling everything from immigration policy to cuts in Colorado’s daycare industry and the fine line between protecting free speech and protecting our kids who are online; the various perspectives this week will definitely make you think. Here’s a glimpse at what we discussed: Continue reading →

April 11, 2025 Edition

By Kyle Dyer on April 11, 2025

News never stops, right? After our Inside panel had left for the day, the political rumors that had been swirling around for a while came to be true. On a beautiful Friday morning in Colorado, Senator Michael Bennet announced in Denver’s City Park that he is running to succeed Jared Polis as Governor of Colorado. Bennet, who is in his 3rd senate term, has spoken often about the “broken-ness” of Washington. “Business as usual is simply not enough, and that’s why I’m running for governor of Colorado,” Bennet said. He will be running against CO Attorney General Phil Weiser in the Democratic primary in 2026, which will no doubt bring many candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The 44th Governor of Colorado will be sworn into office in January 2027.

Here’s what else we’re talking about on this week’s Colorado Inside Out… Continue reading →

April 4, 2025 Edition

By Kyle Dyer on April 4, 2025

Here we go again… talking about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). But wait, this is the first time to my knowledge that a Spider-Man reference has been brought into a TABOR discussion! THANK YOU, Jesse Paul!  Here’s a look at the Spidey reference and all the other facets of this week’s Colorado Inside Out Conversation: Continue reading →