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Colorado News Miner 147
Silas Soule, Rutinel on animals, FIRE in Grand Junction, Victor Marx and demons and money, and more.
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2026
Scheme of Party Trickery: Happy Birthday Colorado! ("Trickery" and all.)
John Fryar RIP: He was a great reporter and a nice guy.
Simpson on Soule: Read Kevin Simpson's May story on Silas Soule and his July 26 follow-up about the reading of Soule's letters at his gravesite. A little detail I hadn't known: Soule originally was buried in what is now Cheesman Park before his remains were moved to Riverside. I attended the reading and also a panel discussion (moderated by Simpson) that evening. At the discussion a couple people mentioned that Soule once had a larger monument at his original gravesite that has been lost. Several people who attended the panel discussion said that they likely owe their existence to Soule's refusal to participate in the massacre. Hearing these testimonials was a deeply moving experience. See also NPR's interview with Nancy Niero, author of Witness at Sand Creek. Also: Denver Water is working with the cemetery to plant native grasses and low-water flowers.
The Happy Warrior: To get a sense of Phil Weiser watch his interview with Get More Smarter.
Rutinel and Animals: Thanks to Michael Huemer, I take animal welfare much more seriously than I once did. I'm not a vegan, but I see room for regulations improving animal welfare. Manny Rutinel, the Democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional, has radical animal-welfare views, as detailed by Jesse Paul (one and two). Maybe anti-Trump sentiments will propel Rutinel to a "blue wave" victory regardless. But it seems to me that Democrats took a seat that should have been easy for them to pick off and turned it into a dream scenario for creators of attack ads. What were primary voters thinking?
Congressional Swing? Right now, astonishingly, Republicans hold half of Colorado's Congressional seats. But three of those seats are in play. Gabe Evans never has had a strong hold on the seat (although he may survive for reasons discussed above). Jeff Crank and Jeff Hurd may be in trouble.
More on Elizabeth Books: Logan Davis recorded a short video summarizing my article.
"Egregious Use of Lethal Force:" I tend to agree with that characterization from a neighbor after reading the 9News report. Yes, the man was holding a knife and was in mental distress. But he was not an active threat at the time that Broomfield police officers shot him to death. Officers had no good reason that I can see to rush to use lethal force.
Polis vs. Socialism: He spoke with Hannity and Newsmax, among other outlets.
FIRE in Grand Junction: FIRE: "FIRE's Student Press Freedom Initiative is concerned about reports that Grand Junction High School's former Orange & Black Newspaper adviser Steve Fox was removed because of the paper's coverage. We are also disappointed that the school failed to respond to our open records request. . . . Student leaders at the Orange & Black raised concerns that [school leaders] were reassigning Fox in response to the newspaper's content. Specifically, students pointed to three controversial pieces of content published under Fox's leadership that created tension between the publication and administration: an opinion piece on Gaza and Palestine, coverage of a lawsuit against the school," and a photo. See also the Daily Sentinel, a student editorial, the op-ed about Gaza, and Sharon Sullivan's update.
Delivery Fees: Those ridiculous delivery taxes ("fees" to bypass TABOR) have gone up from 28 to 31 cents.
Marx's Campaign Violations: Jimmy Sengenberger speculates that Griswold's office slow-rolled the investigation of Marx's campaign violations in order to help Marx politically. I have no idea if that's true. But it definitely helps Democrats that Marx is the candidate! Related: 9News has out a new report on Marx's demon hunting. Sheesh. Every Coloradan should be embarrassed by this. Marx picked retired Marine colonel George Markert for LG; that was a prudent pick, as Markert (unlike Marx) has real qualifications and will appeal to the MAGA base. This might become a problem for Marx: "Victor Marx soliciting unlimited donations despite campaign finance limits," with video (9News). See also Mark Barabak, Dave Perry, and Patricia Calhoun on Marx.
Remember When Republicans Won? Dick Wadhams does.
Two Religious-Right Candidates Lost: Steve Rabey: "Primary voters also rejected primary candidates affiliated with Ryan Dobson, son of James Dobson [namely Troy Vanderhule], and health-and-wealth preacher Andrew Wommack [Jamie Koch]."
Government Costs to Housing: Common Sense Institute: "Denver's combined development fees per new residential unit exceed $40,000."
Detransition: Antoinette De La Cruz says she made a mistake in seeking to medically transition to a man. I think much of what she says is exaggerated, unproved, or just plain wrong. Nevertheless, I'm sympathetic to the idea that people should be very hesitant to alter their bodies through hormones and surgeries and more open to accepting the bodies they were born with. That said, adults have the right to control their own bodies.
Sierra Space: CPR: "Colorado-based Sierra Space awarded $798M defense contract."
CPR Tax Credit: CPR: "State gives Colorado Public Radio $1.5 million tax credit for its new headquarters in Denver." As tempting as one-off tax breaks are, I still think the best course is to reduce taxes across the board and not allow tax discrimination.
Lobbyist Development: Joe Lancaster: "Economic Development Subsidies Create a Lot of Jobs—Mostly for Lobbyists."