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In cash-strapped Colorado, lawmakers tap an unorthodox pot of money for priorities. But is it too risky?

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In cash-strapped Colorado, lawmakers tap an unorthodox pot of money for priorities. But is it too risky?


Facing a $1.2 billion budget gap this year, Colorado lawmakers turned to a source of money they had mostly ignored for the past several years to pay for some priorities: the unclaimed property trust fund.

The legislature looks poised to tap the fund for two bills in the waning days of the legislative session, even as critics — chief among them Treasurer Dave Young — argue against drawing from a fund made up of lost money, not taxes, to cover the cost of government services.

The trust fund holds money from Coloradans’ old savings accounts, unpaid wages, insurance payouts and other cash lost on the way to its rightful owners. The treasurer’s office has a long-running program to return that money called the Great Colorado Payback.

The fund accounts for some $2 billion that doesn’t belong to the state, but it nonetheless has proven a tempting a source for a constantly cash-strapped legislature. Over the past two decades, lawmakers have pulled more than $660 million from the trust fund to pay for programs, according to the treasurer’s office, and not a single penny has been paid back.

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That’s left it with about $1.3 billion in cash and about $2 billion in liabilities.

That deficit could grow. A bill that would give safety-net health care facilities a lifeline following the pandemic and another supporting fire departments across the state could add some $140 million to that debt if lawmakers pass them by the end of the legislative session on Wednesday. (A third bill also sought to tap into the fund, but it died in committee Monday.)

“It’s not a tax fund. It’s a trust fund,” said Young, a Democrat. “There actually aren’t any taxes in this, though there might be some tax refunds that have gotten trapped in there.”

The importance of the programs justifies the unorthodox budget move, backers of the bills said, especially when lawmakers spent the year making deep cuts to state spending.

“It’s a tight budget year, so we’re looking everywhere to fund things,” said Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a sponsor of the health care bill and a member of the Joint Budget Committee. “… There are certain services we have to provide as a government, and that’s things people can’t do for themselves. We have to look into it.”

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Helping safety-net hospitals

Senate Bill 290 would use the trust fund loan to seed an account to help keep safety-net hospitals afloat throughout Colorado, with matching money provided by state hospitals and the federal government. The bill aims to backstop critical health care infrastructure, while saving Medicaid money by treating people before their ailments progress into costlier hospital stays.

That helps put the proposal in a class of its own, in the view of Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican. She also emphasized that the bill taps the money as a loan, not as a simple cash grab.

The proposal might be well intentioned, but it still creates unnecessary risk, Young said. The general fund will have to repay the loans if the trust fund ever falters, and, more existentially, tapping it could disincentivize companies from depositing lost money to the state.

They, too, could argue they’re investing the money in critical programs while holding onto it for its rightful owners, he said.

Loans from the fund often don’t “pass the smell test” because of the terms written into law, Young said. The loans tend to be interest-free, with a single bulk repayment when they’re due decades from now — and no repayment plan.

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“I don’t think anyone could go to a bank and get a deal like that,” Young said. “I don’t think anyone could get a mortgage and say ‘We’ll pay it back in 40 years, in one lump sum, with zero interest.’ ”

Sen. Jeff Bridges, the chair of the budget committee, said the use of the fund for loans instead of direct spending made him “somewhat less uncomfortable, though still deeply uncomfortable,” given the state’s budget situation.

Still, he said, people should assume the loans will be forgiven instead of paid back by future lawmakers.

‘We have to be cautious’

The fund generally collects more money every year than it doles out, said Bridges, a Greenwood Village Democrat, even as he praised Young for the campaign to connect people with lost money. Given the state’s fiscal problems, the bills tapping the fund this year didn’t bother him, though he warned that “this can’t be a pattern that continues.”

“We have to be thoughtful, we have to be cautious,” Bridges, who is running for treasurer in 2026, said. “But for what’s running this year, I think the fund can handle those expenditures.”

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Young cautioned that new ways of reuniting people with money, along with a more proactive approach to finding folks who have lost cash in the fund, make it hard to calculate how much money the state could deem truly lost and unclaimable.

“The really assertive way the team has gone about using tools and finding people has made it hard to judge. We really want to get people those claims,” Young said.

Pulling money from the lost property trust fund has caused some breaks in the Democratic caucus. Rep. Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat, has railed against bills looking to tap into the fund and supported pushing one bill back to committee to change it.

She, like Bridges, is running for treasurer next year.

“There are arguments on both sides, (including) that the money is just sitting there,” Titone said. “But I don’t view it that way. I view this as other people’s property, and we should be treating it as such.”

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The debate also shows the complexity of state funding. Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat, is sponsoring House Bill 1078. The bill would tap into the trust fund to create a revolving loan fund for local fire departments.

Those entities are now bearing the brunt of recent property tax cuts approved by the legislature — moves that, in turn, put other types of property at risk.

“We obviously have an obligation to protect people, keep property safe wherever we can,” Boesenecker said. “But that comes at a cost, and so many of our fire prevention districts are already strapped — so that revolving loan fund and zero-interest loan fund are critical there.”

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Colorado-based coffee shop opening new West Michigan location soon

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Colorado-based coffee shop opening new West Michigan location soon


OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – A new coffee shop is planned for a Hudsonville neighborhood this month.

Ziggi’s Coffee is set to open a new location at 3830 32nd St., Suite 100, starting Dec. 30, just before locals pencil in their New Year’s Eve plans.

A Colorado-based chain, local franchisees operate locations across Michigan. There’s one in Zeeland, which opened in 2022, and another near Ann Arbor, which opened in 2024.

Each coffeehouse offers a wide range of coffee and other beverages, from cold brews and lattes to energy infusions and smoothies. Ziggi’s also offers sandwiches, breakfast items and pastries.

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For the new Hudsonville location, customers can expect the same offerings, right down to the decor.

The 1,500-square-foot space will mimic the franchise’s other spaces, complete with an urban industrial decor and a cozy rustic atmosphere.

The solid dark wood tables and padded vinyl seats set the tone for an in-house lunch, combined with pops of earthy tones and black-and-white photos for a retro touch.

As for the menu, the top orders across the company’s 100-plus locations are the dirty sodas.

The customizable beverage features a soda base, such as Mountain Dew or Coke, mixed with flavored syrups such as coconut milk, and toppings including gummy candies or cold foam.

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The seasonal feature is the “Sleighin’ Dirty” soda. It comes with Dr. Pepper mixed with a splash of eggnog and cinnamon syrup, finished with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Prices start at $4.29 for a 20-ounce drink.

Another favorite is the “kidZone” for children too young for coffee or Ziggi’s Red Bull infusions. This part of the menu offers blenders, which are similar to milkshakes, along with fizzy drinks with customizable flavors.

The store hours for Hudsonville will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Customers can sign up online for rewards to receive a free drink. To learn more, visit the coffeehouse’s Facebook page.

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Colorado mom accused of killing 2 kids, fleeing to UK arrives back in US to face murder charges: ‘Momentous day’

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Colorado mom accused of killing 2 kids, fleeing to UK arrives back in US to face murder charges: ‘Momentous day’


A Colorado mom who is accused of stabbing her two young children to death and then fleeing the country after trying to frame her ex-husband finally arrived back in the US on Tuesday — almost two years after she was arrested in the UK.

Colorado District Attorney Michael Allen announced Kimberlee Singler’s return to the US during a somber press conference Tuesday afternoon. The 36-year-old faces two counts of first-degree murder and life behind bars if convicted.

“It’s a momentous day today,” Allen said, adding that her return “marks the first step in the criminal justice process.”

Colorado mom Kimberlee Singler was extradited back to the US this week. COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE

Singler is accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son and slashing her 11-year-old daughter amidst a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband on Dec. 18, 2023.

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Her ex had recently been awarded more parenting time and his sister had been due to pick the three children up for the holidays two days before the slayings — but Singler refused to hand the kids over.

The husband’s lawyer then got a court order on Dec. 18, the day of the gruesome stabbings, for her to exchange the children two days later.

The mom called cops just after midnight on Dec. 19, claiming someone had burglarized the family’s Colorado Springs apartment. When police arrived, they said they found her two youngest children dead and her eldest injured.

Singler allegedly killed her daughter, 9-year-old Elianna “Ellie” Wentz. Law Office of Jennifer Darby, LLC

Singler then told police that her ex-husband “had previously dreamt about killing his family” and that he was “always trying to ‘frame her’ and ‘get her arrested’ and to have the kids taken away from her,” Judge John Zani at Westminster Magistrates’ Court said in his January ruling when he rejected the challenge to her extradition to face murder charges.

A warrant was issued for her arrest mere days after the slaying, but she’d fled the country by then.

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Singler’s extradition from the UK had repeatedly been stalled due to challenges ever since she was arrested in London on Dec. 30, 2023, less than two weeks after she allegedly killed her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

She tried to argue that her extradition would violate the European human rights protections on the basis that a potential first-degree murder conviction would slap her with an automatic life-without-parole sentence, per Colorado law.

Singler is also accused of murdering her 7-year-old son Aden Wentz. Law Office of Jennifer Darby, LLC

An eleventh-hour appeal was rejected in November, clearing her long-awaited extradition.

Allen, meanwhile, reiterated the importance of granting her eldest daughter, now 13, and her distraught family the privacy they desperately need.

The sole survivor previously recounted the moment her disturbed mother led her and her siblings to their bedrooms while muttering that “God was telling her to do it or their father was going to take them away.”

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Singler faces seven first-degree charges for murder, attempted murder, and first-degree assault, Allen said.



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Where did Colorado’s wolves spend time in December? 

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Where did Colorado’s wolves spend time in December? 


While some of the wolves are part of Colorado’s four packs establishing territories in Pitkin, Jackson, Routt and Rio Blanco counties, others continue to search the landscape for mates and suitable food sources and habitat. 

Largely, however, wolf exploration of Colorado remains within similar northern counties in December, according to the latest wolf activity map shared by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Dec. 23. 

The map — which shows the watersheds where the state’s collared gray wolves were located between Nov. 25 and Dec. 19 — shows that wolves continue to be most active in the northwest, while  also pushing into watersheds to the south and east. 



While the map continues to show activity in some Front Range area watersheds within Larimer, Denver, Boulder and Jefferson counties, the agency reported that “no wolves have crossed I-25 or spent time near urban centers.” 

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If a watershed is highlighted, it means that at least one GPS point from one wolf was recorded in that watershed during the 30 days. GPS points are recorded every four hours or so. The latest map also shows activity in Routt, Rio Blanco, Eagle, Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Summit, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Park, Lake, Chaffee, Gunnison, Garfield, Saguache, Rio Grande and Conejos counties.   



While wolves have been exploring southern watersheds for months, Colorado saw its first wolf enter New Mexico and be returned by the southwestern state’s wildlife agency in December. Colorado has an agreement with Utah, New Mexico and Arizona in which any gray wolves from Colorado that enter these three states can be captured and returned to Parks and Wildlife. 

According to Parks and Wildlife, the male gray wolf was among those born to the Copper Creek pack in 2024 and dispersed from the pack in the fall. Dispersal is common for young wolves as they leave their birth pack, attempt to make it on their own and search for a mate. The animal was released in Grand County — a decision that sparked concerns from state and local elected officials as well as some wildlife advocates — in a location reportedly distanced from livestock and near to an unpaired female wolf as well as prey populations.  

The watershed map shows that there was wolf activity in Conejos County along the New Mexico state border. It also shows wolf activity brushing up against the Wyoming border. Parks and Wildlife does not have an agreement with its northern neighbor. Instead, wolves that enter Wyoming lose their protections as an endangered species and can be hunted in the vast majority of the state. Three of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves have died after going north. 

Colorado is nearly two years into its reintroduction of gray wolves, releasing a total of 25 wolves. Four packs had pups this year, but Parks and Wildlife has not released minimum counts of new wolf pups for all the packs. It says it will release the count in its annual wolf report, released each spring. Eleven wolf deaths have been confirmed. 
While the agency was looking to conduct its third year of wolf releases in the southwest this winter, Parks and Wildlife has yet to secure a source of wolves. The agency had planned to return to British Columbia; however, the federal government, under a new director, said it could no longer import the wolves from outside the country.

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