Economy
Colorado artists and arts organizations urged to apply for state relief funds
Thanks to a state grant, contemporary ballet company Wonderbound will be able to refurbish its new location in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood. Lawmakers hope more arts organizations and artists will follow its lead and apply for the funding that’s still available. The warehouse space — previously the artist studio of Denver-based sculptor Ed Dwight — will […]
The costs of not spending $3.5 trillion
For weeks there’s been intense debate regarding a proposed $3.5 trillion-dollar budget plan facing the U.S. Senate. Some Democrats say we should spend more. Others say we should spend less. For the most part, Republicans say no to the whole darn thing. Politics are fun, are they not? Surely, dollars matter. Anyone making the case […]
Democrats’ vision for free community college would boost undocumented students
WASHINGTON — The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was included […]
Farmworker advocates, industry groups sharply divided on labor standards
Men dressed in jeans and hoodies line the rows of a bus while someone asks them questions in Spanish and films their answers. “Do you like working long hours?” the person asks, in Spanish. “Yes,” the farmworkers say back. When asked what they would do if they could only work at the vegetable farm for […]
Colorado’s economic growth to continue at slower pace, says state forecast
For the most part, Colorado’s economy bounced back quickly following the pandemic-induced recession in March 2020. The state’s coffers are expected to keep growing next year — albeit at a slower rate. On Tuesday, nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff and fiscal analysts with the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting presented their respective economic forecasts for […]
Coloradans rank housing, cost of living among top concerns, survey finds
When faced with a list of societal ills, ranging from COVID-19 to political divisions, Coloradans who responded to a recent survey ranked the cost of housing as the most worrying. According to the Colorado Health Foundation’s annual Pulse poll, 82% of respondents thought housing costs represented an “extremely serious” or “very serious” problem. The cost […]
Boulder agrees on the problems. Scholars agree on a simple solution.
Nearly everyone in Boulder agrees: Our open space is amazing but not if we can’t go outside because of the air quality; the University of Colorado has done a terrible job providing enough affordable student and faculty housing; the city, too, has a dearth of affordable housing and housing prices are out of control; we […]
Billions of dollars in federal rental aid remains stalled in slow-moving states, localities
WASHINGTON — Make it simpler to apply for rental assistance money. Allow landlords to apply on behalf of unresponsive tenants. And consolidate two overlapping federal programs aimed at getting financial help to struggling renters. Those were among the proposals that U.S. House members weighed during a hearing Friday on how to better help states and localities […]
Communities across Colorado awarded Main Street program grants
Seventy-one communities across Colorado are benefiting from the state’s Main Street program, according to a Sept. 8 press release. The program was developed to guide local efforts to improve downtowns. In addition, the Colorado Department of Transportation developed the Revitalizing Main Streets grant program in 2020 as a way to support infrastructure projects that “provide […]
States that borrowed from feds to cover unemployment comp checks are about to owe interest
WASHINGTON — Ten states that struggled to pay the mounting costs of rising unemployment compensation claims during the COVID-19 pandemic will face yet another challenge starting Monday: interest accruing on federal loans they relied on to cover payments to the unemployed. Collectively, those states — which include Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — owe the federal […]
Coloradans to receive TABOR tax refund, income tax cut
Colorado taxpayers are due for a refund from the government, thanks to a constitutional restriction on how much state revenue can increase each year. State taxpayers who filed single returns will receive a sales tax refund of approximately $69 on average, while those filing joint returns can expect an average refund of $166, according to […]
Last-minute law shrinks property tax cut measure to a fraction of original size
Last-minute tax legislation passed by the Colorado General Assembly earlier this year would likely reduce by more than 90% the impact of a billion-dollar tax cut measure on the 2021 ballot, a Newsline analysis of state property valuation data shows. Initiative 27, backed by conservative group Colorado Rising State Action, was officially certified to appear […]