By Quentin Young | editor
“It is ironic that the administration would threaten the one thing that inspired me most as a high school student — the one thing I truly thought Grand Junction High School did better than any other school.”
– Alek Purser, former student journalist at Grand Junction High School
Eli Shultz, left, and Alek Purser, right, former student journalists with Grand Junction High School’s Orange & Black student newspaper, pose outside the school Monday. (Photo by Sharon Sullivan/Colorado Newsline)
By Sharon Sullivan
The staff advisor to the Orange & Black, Grand Junction High School’s student newspaper, was reassigned less than two weeks after another teacher complained about a student-penned column about the Israel-Gaza conflict. The Grand Junction High School administration had attempted on numerous occasions to block the newspaper from publishing various content, and the column about Gaza may have been the final straw, said Steve Fox, who served as the newspaper’s advisor for five years. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national free speech nonprofit based in Philadelphia, has become involved in the case.
An American flag and a Colorado flag fly at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)
By Chase Woodruff
More than two-thirds of Coloradans say they’ve heard “nothing” or “not much” about the Centennial State’s upcoming 150th statehood anniversary, a poll found. Colorado’s natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities and “political and social progressiveness” topped the list of what respondents said was the best thing about Coloradan today. Eighty-four percent said they were proud to be a Coloradan, compared to 75% who said they were proud to be an American.
Democrats in Congress are raising questions about a draft rule proposed by the Trump administration that would change the way grants, such as those by the National Institutes of Health, are administered. Shown is an NIH Pediatric Oncology Branch researcher’s lab jacket, embroidered with the NIH logo. (Photo courtesy NIH)
By Amelia Twyman
Democrats in Congress are pushing back against a proposed Trump administration rule introduced by the Office of Management and Budget that would substantially change the way federal grants are reviewed and distributed. Over the past few weeks, several groups of lawmakers have written public comment letters to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought expressing strong opposition to the new draft rule, which would give political appointees the power to decide what institutions receive grant funding, among other revisions. U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper of Colorado signed on to a letter that expresses “strong opposition” to the proposed rule.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Colorado Connector unveils multi-phase plan for Front Range passenger rail | By Chase Woodruff
Democratic nominees for Congress in Colorado outraise Republican rivals | By Chase Woodruff
Commentary: Is the Colorado River in a climate doom loop? | By Gary Wockner
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