by Nicholas Bernhard

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

The birth announcement: once a small source of income for local newspapers, now a source of ‘likes’ and ‘engagement’. A few get cut out and pasted into the family scrapbook. A birth announcement in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town provided one of the play’s hidden laughs. On Instagram, a tasteful “Say hello to our new baby boy” might come across your feed. If the parents consider themselves nerds, they might hit you with a horror like “A New Challenger Has Appeared!” In print or in social media hell, the birth announcement seems doomed to ephemera.

This Father’s Day, I was thinking of a birth announcement from 1905. It was written by Lafayette, Colorado resident Harry C. Kephart. I remembered Kephart this past weekend because in his hands, the lowly birth announcement transcended into literature.

Harry C. Kephart, c. 1905

Harry Kephart was born in Iowa in 1870. He married Olive Dennis in 1895. They moved to Colorado in 1901. Like Doc Holliday before him, Kephart hoped Colorado’s dry climate would improve his health. He became the pastor at Lafayette’s Congregational Church (now the Arapaho Center Theater).

Harry C. Kephart was the pastor at Lafayette’s Congregational Church. Photo by Pen8uin, licensed under CC SA 4.0. This photo was taken when the name of the building was the Mary Miller Theater; it has since been renamed the Arapaho Center Theater.

In addition to his pastoral work, Kephart edited the News Free Press in Lafayette. He wrote editorials condemning the town’s racism. He went on to work for the Anti-Saloon League of Colorado.

The Kepharts’ house on Cannon Street in Lafayette, Colorado, where Harriet was born.

On August 20, 1905, Harry and Olive’s daughter Harriet was born. This was what Harry Kephart sent in to the Lafayette News:

Last Sunday evening between 7 and 8 o’clock there came to our home a little stranger. Her transportation reads, ‘From the house of many mansions.’ She bears the insignia of royalty. She had the light of other worlds in her eye, and upon her features the unmistakable working of divinity. We know nothing of her past, and neither by work or sign does she reveal her plans for the future. Her age is a mystery. She may be one day old. She may be older than the fixed stars. She sleeps and dreams and mutters strange and mysterious words from a language which I know to be older than the sea or winds and more difficult to interpret. We do not know how long she will be with us, another day, a week, a month, or she may be here when we are gone, and tired, oh, so tired of this round of earthly years. She will some day go out through the silent and mysterious doors of death in the arms of those who brought her here.

Olive Kephart, center, with daughters Harriet and Helen on either side, 1906. Public Domain.

That’s more than Instagram engagement, that’s the secrets of the universe. That’s holding time and space still to say, “You matter, little one. You matter to me.” I’d say Kephart deserved a pretty nice card for those words, but alas, the first Father’s Day wasn’t until 1909.

SOURCES:

– Lafayette, Colorado History: Treeless Plain to Thriving City, Lafayette Historical Society, pp. 245-246

– Colorado Historic Newspapers

The post Op-Ed: Our History Shows The Potential Of Birth Announcements appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Storyshare provided by Laura Frank and COLabs

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Former Colorado Governors and U.S. Senators from Across the Aisle Agree on Primary Voting

Op-Ed for Colorado News Media

Colorado’s Most Important Election May Be the One You’re Skipping

Every November, Colorado voters turn out in impressive numbers.

Every June, a different story unfolds.

Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans who faithfully vote in general elections never cast a ballot in the primary elections that help determine which candidates appear on the November ballot in the first place. Many of these voters are unaffiliated voters, who comprise more than half of Colorado’s electorate. Many independent voters don’t realize how much influence they have or how easy it is to participate.

This matters because primary elections shape the choices voters ultimately see in November.

Whether your priorities are housing, education, public safety, the environment, or Colorado’s economic future, it is important to recognize that many elections are effectively decided in the primary.

In many districts, the candidate who wins a party’s nomination is strongly favored to win in November. That means voters who skip the primary may miss their best opportunity to influence who ultimately represents them.

For many races, participation cannot begin in November. It starts in June.

The challenge is not that voting is difficult. Colorado has built one of the strongest, most accessible election systems in the country. Ballots are mailed directly to voters. Registration is straightforward. Election information is widely available.

The challenge is that too many voters do not believe the primary election matters.

That perception is understandable—but it is wrong. 

For unaffiliated voters, the opportunity is especially significant.

Colorado law allows unaffiliated voters to participate in either party’s primary election. Voters can choose either a Democratic or Republican primary ballot without joining either party. Casting a primary ballot does not change their unaffiliated status. It simply gives them a voice in selecting candidates from one party before the general election arrives.

Opting out of a party does not mean opting out of the primary process.

Broader participation means elections more accurately reflect the communities they serve. It means more perspectives are heard, and more Coloradans have a stake in the outcome.

This is not about supporting one party or one candidate. It is not about advancing a political agenda or influencing a particular race.

It is about putting the best Coloradans forward to represent us in elected office.

Primary elections deserve the same attention and consideration that we routinely give to general elections.

As ballots arrive this June, we encourage every eligible voter, especially those who regularly vote in November but have never voted in a primary, to take a closer look.

You do not need to know everything before you participate. You do not need to belong to a political party. You do not need to become a political expert.

You simply need to use the voice you already have.

Colorado’s future is shaped long before Election Day.

The primary election is where that process begins.

Former Colorado Governors Bill Owens (R) and Bill Ritter (D)

Former U.S. Senators Hank Brown (R) and Tim Wirth (D)

The post Op-Ed: Colorado’s Most Important Election May Be the One You’re Skipping appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

by Kevin Cheek

Those who shout loudest about freedom are often the ones quickest to suppress it.

When asked exactly what they mean by “freedom”, I imagine they will define it as what America is, what the flag stands for, and what the Marines fought and died for, without ever approaching what freedom actually is. For many, it is a jingoistic term devoid of meaning except as a symbol. What are they free to do? What are they free from? Why are those freedoms important?

They are important. They do define the USA directly in the Constitution:

Supposedly, we are free to speak our minds – except people want to silence any opinions not in line with their view.

Supposedly, we are free to worship or not worship as we see fit – except there is a massive movement to promote a particular form of Christianity above other faiths and enshrine its principles in government.

Supposedly, we are free to have a voice in the political and legal decisions that affect us – except that having one’s voice heard costs increasing millions of dollars, effectively silencing the rest of us.

Supposedly, we are free to vote our conscience – except that they want to limit access to voting, especially in any precinct where the votes are likely to go against them.

Supposedly, we are free from illegal search and seizure without just cause and due process – except that anyone who doesn’t look “American” enough for the current power in charge is subject to exactly that. Their protests of legal status are increasingly difficult to have acknowledged.

So what do they mean by freedom? Do they mean freedom to be controlled by a state whose authoritarian dictator they happen to like? Or do they merely mean freedom for themselves and no one else?

–

Originally published: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/10/800053191/community/when-freedom-isnt-for-the-free

The post Op-Ed: When Freedom Isn’t For The Free appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Guest Contributor: Bernard Douthit

I wanted to thank Mike Broemmel for posting a thoughtful commentary about Governor Jared Polis and the broader question of political leadership in Colorado. I took some time to underscore Mike’s argument with some important details.

Like John Hickenlooper before him, Jared Polis has remained personally popular for much of his time in office. But popularity and branding are not the same as transformational leadership.

On some of Colorado’s most pressing challenges — healthcare costs, tax policy, housing affordability, and environmental justice — Polis often governed like a cautious purple-state technocrat rather than the leader of a state that has repeatedly shown a willingness to embrace ambitious public policy.

Colorado is not Mississippi or Alabama. This is a state that:

• Put single-payer healthcare on the ballot — 150,000+ signatures
• Repeatedly approved large transit expansions
• Legalized marijuana early
• Rejected hosting the Olympics
• Regularly supports local tax increases for schools, parks, and infrastructure

Yet Polis governed as though bold structural reform was politically impossible.

Healthcare is perhaps the clearest example.

Colorado Democrats repeatedly described healthcare affordability as an emergency, yet avoided the kind of political confrontation that real cost containment would require.

Instead of aggressively confronting hospital monopolies and market concentration, the state often relied on commissions, task forces, transparency measures, and heavily branded “public option” reforms that produced incremental change while leaving the underlying system largely intact.

According to multiple studies, including research from the RAND Corporation, Colorado still has some of the highest hospital prices and some of the most profitable hospital systems in the country. Polis governed more like a manager of the healthcare marketplace than a reformer willing to challenge entrenched economic power.

And contrary to the claim that Colorado is too moderate for ambitious healthcare reform, more than 150,000 Coloradans signed petitions to place single-payer healthcare on the ballot through Amendment 69. The measure ultimately failed, but it was also outspent by the healthcare industry by roughly 8-to-1. That history matters.

Tax policy presents a similar story.

Polis consistently opposed more progressive approaches to taxation and largely embraced Colorado’s libertarian tax culture rather than challenging it. Yet during the same period, homeowners across Colorado experienced dramatic increases in property taxes following the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment and the rapid rise in home values.

While Polis and legislators eventually passed relief measures, many homeowners still saw property tax increases far beyond what those policies offset. The response often felt technocratic and incremental rather than structural. And many Coloradans are still asking a simple question: with property values and tax collections rising so dramatically over the last decade, where exactly did all of that additional revenue go?

The same pattern appears with Suncor.

Colorado markets itself as environmentally conscious and climate-forward, yet one of the metro area’s largest and most controversial industrial polluters continues operating near densely populated communities. For decades, residents of north Denver and Commerce City have raised concerns about emissions, odors, and public health impacts, while Suncor has repeatedly faced fines and violations.

Why was there never a truly ambitious long-term plan to relocate, phase down, or fundamentally transform one of the region’s most problematic industrial facilities?

Important things are worth fighting for. Clean air for millions of residents should have been one of them.

The contrast between Polis and other Democratic governors is striking.

Tim Walz pushed universal school meals and labor protections in Minnesota. Gavin Newsom moved California toward state-supported insulin manufacturing and aggressive climate initiatives. Gretchen Whitmer repealed right-to-work laws and advanced major infrastructure investments in Michigan. Jay Inslee built one of the country’s most ambitious state climate agendas in Washington.

Compared with many Democratic peers in similar political conditions, Polis often appeared more focused on political positioning, branding, and technocratic moderation than on pursuing defining structural reforms.

I voted for Jared Polis twice. Like many Coloradans, I hoped he would govern with more courage and ambition than he ultimately did.

Competence matters. But at a time when healthcare affordability, housing costs, environmental risks, and economic inequality are worsening, competence alone is not enough. Colorado needed leadership willing to confront entrenched interests and pursue solutions equal to the scale of the problems we face.

Jared Polis Once Sold Colorado (and the Nation) a Shimmering Emerald City

Original article by Mike Broemmel

He was the libertarian-minded tech governor. The “different kind” of Democrat. The wealthy entrepreneur who promised efficiency over ideology, innovation over inertia, and a fresh political vocabulary that supposedly transcended the stale battles of the past. For a time, many bought the performance. The curtain stayed firmly closed.

But eventually, in politics as in The Wizard of Oz, the machinery begins to sputter. The smoke thins. The booming voice loses resonance. And somewhere in the back of the chamber, Toto pulls at the curtain.

What remains is not the great and powerful wizard. What remains is merely a man frantically working levers.

The Leader Who Never Was

History is crowded with political figures who mistook branding for leadership.

There was Ron DeSantis, once marketed as the inevitable heir to Trumpism before collapsing beneath the weight of his own synthetic persona. There was Michael Dukakis, whose technocratic competence could never ignite genuine public trust. There was British Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose ideological theater imploded in real time before the world’s financial markets.

And now there is Jared Polis.

The tragedy — or perhaps the farce — of Polis is not simply that his governorship appears to be collapsing. It is that the collapse reveals something darker: there may never have been much substance there to begin with.

Polis governed like a man permanently auditioning for a future role. A presidential run. A national media identity. A carefully focus-grouped brand called “reasonable futurism.” He floated above conflict, avoided moral clarity whenever possible, and cultivated the image of being smarter than the room without ever proving capable of leading it.

Colorado increasingly became a state managed through vibes, branding campaigns, and social media aesthetics rather than coherent civic vision. And eventually, voters notice.

The Emerald City Illusion

For years, Polis benefited from Colorado’s broader economic and demographic momentum. The state grew. Wealth poured in. Tech money expanded. Denver transformed into a glossy urban postcard marketed to affluent transplants.

But underneath the emerald glow sat worsening affordability, deepening housing crises, visible urban deterioration, and growing public frustration about safety, infrastructure, and basic governmental competence. The contradiction became impossible to ignore.

Polis often seemed less interested in governing Colorado than in narrating Colorado — endlessly promoting an image of innovation while ordinary residents confronted a state increasingly unaffordable to live in.

The Wizard projected grandeur on the giant screen. Behind the curtain? Panic. Improvisation. Hollow performance. The problem with governing as branding is that eventually reality insists on participating.

The Politics of Evasion

Great leaders absorb political risk when principle demands it. Polis perfected the opposite instinct.

Again and again, he positioned himself slightly outside the emotional center of consequential debates, forever triangulating, forever calculating. During moments requiring moral force, he often defaulted to managerial language and carefully sterilized ambiguity.

That instinct has now reached its grotesque culmination in the Tina Peters clemency debacle.

The decision to commute the sentence of the former Mesa County clerk convicted in an election security breach tied to 2020 election conspiracy theories detonated across Colorado’s political landscape. Even members of Polis’s own party reacted with fury and disbelief. Critics argued the move rewarded election denialism while signaling weakness in the face of pressure from Donald Trump and his allies.

Polis defended the clemency as a response to sentencing disparity concerns after an appeals court questioned aspects of Peters’s sentencing. But politically — symbolically — the damage may already be irreversible.

Because the issue is no longer merely Tina Peters. The issue is collapse.

The Final Flame in the Inferno

Every failed governing regime has its final defining image:

For Richard Nixon, it was the helicopter departure from the White House lawn.
For Rudy Giuliani, it was Four Seasons Total Landscaping.

For Jared Polis, it may well be the moment he chose clemency for Tina Peters.

Not because the legal arguments are entirely frivolous. Reasonable debate exists over sentencing severity. But leadership is not merely legal interpretation. Leadership is moral comprehension. It is understanding the symbolic weight of decisions within historical context.

And this decision landed like gasoline on an already raging fire.

At precisely the moment democratic institutions remain under sustained assault by election conspiracists, Polis handed one of the movement’s most celebrated figures a political victory. Trumpworld rejoiced. Election deniers claimed vindication. Colorado Democrats openly revolted. The wizard’s machinery exploded in plain view.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

That line from The Wizard of Oz endures because it captures an eternal political truth: power often depends upon performance more than substance.

Jared Polis mastered performance politics. But performances cannot govern forever.

Eventually citizens ask harder questions. What did this administration actually build? What moral vision did it defend? What crises did it truly solve? What courage did it display when courage became expensive?

And increasingly, the answers feel uncomfortably thin.

The great irony is that Polis spent years cultivating the image of the pragmatic adult in the room — the sophisticated governor above partisan hysteria. Yet his governorship may ultimately be remembered for collapsing into exactly the kind of muddled opportunism he once implied he transcended.

The Emerald City flickers. The smoke machine dies. And standing behind the curtain is not a visionary statesman. Just another politician desperately pulling levers while the audience finally sees the truth.

—————————
From: Politix INK
https://mikebroemmel.com/politix-ink

The post Guest Opinion: Why Jared Polis has disappointed us appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Protecting our Public Lands

Alex Kelloff for Congress | Colorado’s 3rd District

Western and Southern Colorado (CD3) contains some of our country’s most prestigious public lands. The scenic landscapes provide some of the greatest opportunities for recreation, including hiking, rafting, biking, fishing, hunting, skiing, and much more. These lands are also home to over 900 species of wildlife, including the largest elk herd in the country. Public lands in Western and Southern Colorado not only provide enrichment but are also vital for our economy, providing over $30 billion in revenue annually. This comes from recreation, tourism, and hospitality, driving Western and Southern Colorado’s job market.

I am running to represent one of the most significant public land districts in the country because the increasing threats from the Trump administration are putting at risk the accessibility and existence of these public spaces. Pressures from development, natural resource extraction, and climate change are tremendous risks. More than 20 million acres of national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and national parks define our economy, our way of life, and our future. These lands are not just scenic; they are essential. And once they are gone, we will never get them back.

A survey conducted in Colorado by Southwick Associates in partnership with Teel and Bruyere found that economic output in relation to outdoor recreation by Colorado residents amounted to $65.8 billion in 2023, which contributed $36.5 billion to the state’s GDP and $11.2 billion in tax revenue. The outdoor recreation industry also supported more than 404,000 jobs in the state, representing 12% of Colorado’s labor force, and producing $22.2 billion in salaries and wages.

The public lands in our district are the headwaters of 25 major rivers, providing water to more than 40 million people across seven Western states. That water supports families and communities, ranchers and agricultural producers, and countless cities and industries in the Western United States. Protecting these lands means protecting the water that millions depend on every day.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Recent federal actions have created uncertainty and put pressure on public lands, risking access to recreation and hunting, the stability for ranchers and water users, long-term economic growth, and the future of our outdoor economy. The political extremes have intensified under the Trump administration, which has led to rapid resource extraction, aggressive regulatory rollbacks, and neglected public participation. We cannot implement long-term plans needed to sustain our lands and water if we have major policy swings under every new administration. My goal is to move away from policies that ignore the voices of the communities that live and work on this land. I will seek to strengthen local participation and input, while legislating to provide greater regulatory certainty and transparency.

How will we do this?
We need a new approach to protecting our public lands while supporting the people who depend on them. Decisions about our lands should not come from Washington alone. We must ensure local voices are included in federal decision-making. We also need to work directly with ranchers, sportsmen, small businesses, and community leaders to build policies that reflect real- world needs in CD3.

Water is our most critical resource. We will protect our water by safeguarding watersheds and headwaters. We will support sustainable agriculture and responsible land use, and ensure long-term water security for rural and urban communities.

Public lands should drive opportunity. I will support small businesses tied to outdoor recreation and agriculture. We will do this by building and maintaining critical infrastructure like housing, water, energy, telecommunications, and transportation to enable responsible growth and lower the cost of living. This will help fortify our communities against the risk of wildfire and drought, and create and support good local jobs in the process. We will invest in areas that allow people to live and work locally, and keep more value in our communities, like rancher-owned meat processing facilities, farming co-ops, creative arts centers, and local business incubators.

We don’t have to choose between protecting land and using it responsibly. We need to maintain access for recreation, hunting, and grazing, and protect critical habitats and ecosystems. Also, promoting responsible stewardship for future generations.

My family’s roots in this region go back generations. I understand what these lands mean, not just economically, but personally. This campaign is about making sure our public lands are protected, and our communities are heard. That our local economies remain strong and vibrant, and our way of life is preserved.

Public lands are not just a national asset; they are the foundation of life in Colorado’s Third District. With the right leadership, we will protect our natural resources, strengthen our economy, lower living costs for families, and ensure future generations can enjoy the same opportunities we have today.

Alex Kelloff for Congress

Protecting our land. Strengthening our communities. Building our future.

Congressional Public Lands Score – click to see how members of Congress vote on America’s national parks, national forests, monuments, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges

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The post Op-Ed: Congressional Candidate Alex Kelloff on Protecting Our Public Lands appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

My answer to that question is YES. Yesterday, I had a local farm tell me they don’t pay for advertising except Meta. I see local shops boosting posts and paying for ads on Meta every day.

Daggers in the heart, that one stings.

Money leaves the community when it flows upward into platforms that have no stake in the survival of local economies.

Journalism didn’t die. It’s been taken over by large and powerful forces who know that when you control the airwaves, you control the policies. Over my 40 years in media, I watched journalism slowly stop being treated as a public good and start being treated like a mechanism of control. What we are seeing now with Project 2025 didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. The consolidation of media, attacks on education, weakening of anti-trust laws, and concentration of wealth have been building for decades.

They have had a pretty successful run. Today, most major media is controlled by six mega conglomerates with enormous billionaire influence. Schools have been defunded, anti-trust laws weakened, and we are now watching concentrated power reshape democratic institutions themselves.

Yet people still read and want high-touch experiences in their lives. Eighty-five percent of books sold are in print, and local bookstores are a rapidly growing market. Zines are in, and the analog wellness revolution is taking place.

At Yellow Scene, we use social media too. We post the articles we have published in print and online. Communities absolutely form there. But over the years we learned something important: likes don’t equal recall, and advertising metrics are often mistaken for meaningful engagement. We stopped boosting three years ago and have better engagement on stories now than before. That may be why print books, zines, local bookstores, record stores, and other human-scale experiences are resurging.

Even many successful streamers and independent news voices are proving the same point. Audiences still spend hours engaging with longform conversations, reporting, podcasts, interviews, books, and communities they trust. Social media often acts more like the messenger than the destination itself. The good ones are not succeeding because people suddenly love advertising interruptions or shallow engagement. In fact, 51% of audiences actively pay to avoid digital ads, with reports showing 93% now ignoring them altogether. Independent streamers succeed because people intentionally seek them out, trust their perspectives, and feel their time is being respected.

People did not stop consuming meaningful media. They stopped trusting media that stopped respecting them.

I recently interviewed a college intern who told me they got rid of their smartphone, switched to a flip phone, and eliminated social media entirely. Apparently, this isn’t unusual anymore.

Maybe there is just too much tech now to sort through it all?

It’s true most of us are not getting rid of our smartphones, computers, or Alexa, but what people need, since the beginning of humanity, is connection. They are finding that inside local bookstores, local farms, local music venues, and yes, local print journalism, when it offers something worth reading.

Yellow Scene’s Best of the West is just one example of authentic journalism, free from influence, while still writing about local businesses.

I do not think you will find a bigger advocate for shopping locally than the last and only locally owned news media platform serving all of Boulder County. Most other media platforms are now hedge fund-owned, corporate-owned, or franchise-operated.

We do have all the recent news nonprofit platforms starting up, some strong, but many are constrained by donor expectations to remain apolitical and nonpolarizing, avoiding the deeper “why” behind the stories.

We promote shopping local hard because we believe committing to circular economies is how we all survive the corporatization of everything by the billionaire class. Today, 75% of veterinarians and dentists are corporate-owned. This is happening to all industries, from auto repair to landscaping. Half of American homes are now owned by corporations. It used to be that 70% of businesses in America were sole proprietorships or small businesses. Today, it is down to 50%.

Local economies don’t survive on transactions alone. They survive on trust, shared information, accountability, and public participation. Local journalism is part of that infrastructure too.

At Yellow Scene, we resist that takeover.

Our press remains free. With a long 40-year career in media, I did not used to have to explain that we don’t accept quid pro quo. I did indeed drink the Seymour Hersh Kool-Aid that journalism matters. Not only are we the last locally owned publication, but we are also one of the few that do not accept sponsored content. Sponsored content is paid articles. In the old days, they said PAID ADVERTISEMENT on them, but not anymore. They are simply published as if they are independent journalism. Most people figure it out, though. When you have a full-page story on an insurance broker, it becomes obvious. Where it hits the slippery slope is when political organizations buy it while it’s presented as an actual article.

I won’t do it. I will quit before I do. I am committed to local journalism more than ever, even if it is not the pathway to riches. I think we have a lot more in common with our small local businesses than giant behemoths.

Sponsored content is a disservice to everyone, and I can’t believe after 40 years that this is what I am fighting. Not who does the better journalism, but who is still doing actual journalism. I’ve been doing this too long to spend my time putting out advertorials just to survive. We are focused on making something people actually want to read and, critically, coverage that is free of monetary influence.

That does not mean advertising itself is evil. It’s only evil if you do evil things with it. But there should be a clear line between what is editorial coverage and what is advertising, and respect should be given when people say they do not want advertising tracking them everywhere they go.

We happily help local businesses design advertisements that tell their stories in authentic and creative ways. One of the benefits of print is that advertisements exist alongside the reading experience instead of constantly interrupting it. Readers know what an ad is, and good ads can still add personality, discovery, and texture to the pages. Local businesses help make up our local community, and people often appreciate their print ads. The good streamers and independent media voices understand this too. They keep advertising separate from their coverage, or their audiences support them directly so they do not have to rely heavily on ads at all.

Do local businesses and organizations get coverage in Yellow Scene? All the time, but not for money.

We think the work local-owned shops are doing is important too. If people want to fight back against the corporate takeover of everything, shop local.

But to provide a free press, we still have to pay our writers, artists, printers, mailing costs, and drivers to produce, print, distribute, and deliver 25,000 copies filled with award-winning journalism. We understand our local organizations’ plight, as we operate on slim margins too.

Maybe Meta is less the problem than the symptom of a very confusing advertising world. For the last 20 years, small businesses have been told print was dead, digital was the future, and journalism was going by the wayside. Somewhere along the line, likes and analytics became mistaken for meaningful engagement.

But journalism will never die. There will always be truth tellers in this world. Sometimes people just want to sit down and read something worth their time, and that they can trust.

If communities want independent journalism free from corporate or political influence, they have to participate in the same circular economy they advocate for when they say “shop local.”

People are searching for real connection more than ever in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, corporate consolidation, and manufactured engagement.

In today’s corporate world, finding true, honest journalism is getting harder, and that includes local news, too. From corporate takeovers to the nonprofit industry, finding reporters willing to ask the hard questions seems like a thing of the past.

Which is why Yellow Scene remains fiercely independent and never, ever accepts quid pro quo. We are only beholden to our readers, not funders.

The truth is, we really cannot do this without you. If you value our journalism, become a sustaining supporter for $8 a month. Your support keeps honest reporting alive and gets the hard copy delivered to your home.

The post Is local media part of the circular economy eco-system? appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

On January 30th, 2026, thousands of students and teachers across the Denver metro area walked out in solidarity with Minnesota, forcing two school districts to close for the day and several others to operate on reduced schedules. I joined these students at La Alma Lincoln Park in Denver, where some 3,500 people gathered to hear stories about the students, people, and communities being impacted by ICE. This event, planned in less than 4 days, was the result of coordinated efforts by a group of under-25s, including me. It also represented the culmination of mounting frustration with our government, driven by a growing feeling that voting no longer seems to make an impact on the state representatives who continue to fail us, alongside watching America become more and more expensive and less livable.

Thousands of young people across the country marched and organized to make sure their voices are heard. That may come as a surprise to many. Time and time again, I hear people decry young people for their laziness or remark, “All they care about is TikTok.”  And, to be fair, to someone who did not grow up with TikTok or Instagram, it may appear this way from the outside.  However, the reality is that the world has changed: it’s not as small as it was for kids growing up in the 80s, 90s, or 2000s. Most young people report they do not have a third space – a place separate from school and home – to find comfort in. It is no wonder we have retreated to social media; even if it’s arguably harmful to our health, it is one of the few places we have to socialize and find connection. Beyond that, people miss that platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and others have created opportunities for forms of civic engagement unheard of in the past. 

Students marching in La Alma

It is through these social media avenues that actionable items spread like wildfire: the moment Minnesota University students called for the aforementioned strike,  thousands joined them. And a feat like that would not be possible without the rapid community organizing and awareness that social media provides a basis for. When I open my personal Instagram account, nearly every other story my peers post is about climate change, ICE, or protests. Exposure like this led me to get involved in community organizing with groups in the Denver area, and I fundamentally believe that this dynamic contributes to civic engagement as students transition into adulthood. 

There is, of course, the counterargument that social media creates echo chambers. And, it’s true. Living in a liberal area like Denver, naturally, most of my peers lean this way – and they and the algorithms push out dissenting voices. This happens, and it is, unfortunately, the major downside of constantly using social media. It is also undoubtedly one of the greatest contributors to the increase in political division in our country – polarizing communities that once stood strong together. But the reality is that

Social media is not going away, and now more than ever, we must embrace it as a way to lead young people into civic engagement. 

It is indeed unfortunate, but one of the most successful digital candidacy campaigns was conducted by Donald Trump and the far right. Trump, along with his lackeys at Turning Point USA and other organizations, successfully created a movement that brought a tidal wave of young, mostly white, men to the right. Trump’s victory in this demographic proves that a group of young people can still be engaged in political action – Trump was just one of the first to do so. 

More recently, another successful social media campaign was Zohran Mamdani’s. His sweeping victory in New York City in 2025 proved that tactics similar to those Trump used can work on the left as well. In fact, nearly one in ten Trump voters in New York City also voted for Mamdani. There are two consistent patterns between these two 

candidates: an online appeal and a diversion from the norm. I can tell you concretely that people of all ages, but particularly those under 30, are ready for something different. This is why Trump and Mamdani won; they were different. Both Mamdani and Trump spoke to voters through these new digital avenues and played not only into social media engagement but also into the struggles that young people are facing. 

Young student protestors in La Alma

Here is my advice to anyone trying to understand the youth perspective: stop looking at it through your eyes and start looking at it through theirs. The way we socialize is wildly different from how it ever has been, and the issues we face are different. Youth are less focused on voting – often because we see no purpose in voting for candidates who bring more of the “same.” The engagement I see from the youth is one rooted in a different type of organizing – one within our communities, focused on direct action, as opposed to electoral politics. Don’t get me wrong – I believe electoral politics are very important. But the generations that have come before us need to start championing solutions to our battles before we see youth return to the voting booths. It is our job to lead the way into the future, but we need your support. 

The next time you talk to your teenage granddaughter, your 20-year-old nephew, or your own kid, ask them: What is your perspective? Lead with curiosity, understanding, and avoid defensiveness. Tell them you believe them. Then, do your absolute best to champion and advocate for the youth in your life – because this is our future that older generations are playing with, and we have to come together to make it better. When other generations stop leading with attacks and start embracing contemporary forms of civic engagement, like social media, the dynamic completely alters. Youth ARE engaged, but it looks different, and if we, as a society, strive to adapt to this new world, we can create real, progressive change.

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The post Coming From a 17-year-old: Young People Are More Engaged Than You Think  appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Featured Photo by Jamie Lammers: a pile of trees, April 2026, removed after a windstorm in March

My parents and I have heard stories of people leaving Colorado because they couldn’t take the wind anymore. We’ve always been able to keep our heads in heavy winds, but we’ve never seen anything like this.

Yes, we’ve seen intense winds. Yes, they’ve shaken the house and knocked down trees. Yes, they’ve cut power for hours on end. This winter felt far different.

In mid-December, Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutdown during intense winds. In the foothills of Coal Creek, my parents and I, United Power consumers, huddled outside the outage zone.

However, the winds ultimately hit us, too, resulting in a full power outage that lasted through the night. Our service and internet stayed down into the next day.

Already living somewhat isolated from larger Colorado towns, we had to ride out the storm with no connection to the outside world. My parents have owned this house since 1987. They’ve never experienced a power outage longer than a few hours, and we’ve never had service and internet down at the same time.

On March 12th and 13th, harsh winds hitting speeds above 60 mph took our power down again. It uprooted trees in our yard and beyond, crushed our mailboxes, and killed our power for over 24 hours. The previous record-breaking power outage in December lasted 19 hours.

Taken by Jamie Lammers: a tree knocked over by the wind outside his home in March.

We were more prepared this time, making sure we had a spare supply of water as the winds picked up. Once again, we had to ride it out, cloistered together in the mountains.

Somehow, we got lucky with the wind speed. Buckeye, Rocky Flats, and Nederland (my home away from home) experienced winds whipping at speeds as high as 94 mph.

Outside of my mountain home, the winds delayed hundreds of flights and shut down several highways. Soon after, Xcel announced that up to 18,000 customers had been left without power from 4 p.m. on March 14th.

The dry winter Colorado is experiencing has only made these even more problematic. Wind supplies oxygen and carries heat to already dry places, removing even more moisture and increasing fire danger.

The City of Boulder temporarily closed trails and open space west of U.S. 36 following March’s power shutdown. A couple of weeks into spring, red flag warnings and weather warnings are still being placed in Colorado.

As a lifelong Colorado resident, I’m concerned about the lack of snow this winter. Our average snowpack continues to decrease, and the days sprinkled with snowfall this year are vastly outnumbered by the days when not a single snowflake landed.

Xcel has said they do not implement shutoffs lightly, considering them a last resort. Given that they implemented two this winter, in a span of four months, we should recognize the concerns raised by our current conditions. Next winter, which will matter more for our community: power or protection?

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The post Op-Ed: The Changing Winds of Colorado appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

By Rep. Junie Joseph

I never imagined I would say this, but sometimes it feels as though we Democrats are fighting harder with one another than we are fighting for the people who sent us to serve.

The Democratic Party’s mission is clear. We are here to deliver real solutions to the greatest challenges facing working families. We fight for a living wage and lower costs of living. We support small businesses while holding irresponsible corporations accountable. We defend the freedom to marry who you love and to access the health care you need. We commit to confronting climate change and protecting our public lands.

Those are not abstract principles. They are promises.

Yet recently, a bill I carried to strengthen renter protections (HB26-1047) failed in the House Judiciary Committee when Democrats joined Republicans to defeat it. The measure was straightforward. It sought to modernize and humanize Colorado’s eviction process by improving transparency, protecting privacy, and limiting the long-term damage caused by eviction records in non-serious cases.

For the past four years, I have worked consistently to strengthen housing stability in Colorado. One of the first bills I worked on was HB23-1120, Eviction Protections for Residential Tenants on SNAP and other government benefits. Since then, I have advanced housing-related protections every year, including the Equal Justice Fund Authority, HB24-1286, which provides legal aid funding for low-income renters, and Protections for Tenants with Housing Subsidies (HB25-1240).

I work on these bills because of my lived experience. I know what it means to grow up in low-income, substandard housing. I know the insecurity of not knowing whether stability will last. I also represent a district that includes a major university and faces intense housing pressures. In Boulder, renters are not statistics. They are students, seniors, service workers, young families, and longtime residents struggling to stay in the community they love.

The bill that failed would have required landlords filing eviction complaints to attach the basic documents that give rise to the dispute so that tenants and courts can understand the claim from the start. It would have required eviction notices to clearly cite the legal basis for the action and redact sensitive personal information to protect privacy. It would have ensured that eviction records in non-serious cases remain suppressed so that a temporary hardship does not become a lifelong barrier to housing. It would have allowed courts to publish anonymized opinions to strengthen legal clarity while protecting both tenants and landlords.

This was not radical. It was balanced, careful, and rooted in due process.

During the hearing, more than 40 landlords testified in opposition. Fourteen community members testified in support. One member of the committee observed that the bill did not appear to have enough support. Another said we must listen to the majority.

But who is the majority?

The majority in our communities are working families who cannot leave work on a weekday afternoon to testify at the Capitol. The majority are single parents juggling two jobs. They are college students working part-time to afford books and rent. They are families deciding whether to pay medical debt or save for college. They are people living on the margins who rarely have the luxury of spending hours in a committee room.

They are the invisible majority.

When we measure support only by who can show up in the middle of the day, we distort reality. Power has always had the resources to organize and testify. Struggle rarely does.

There is a caucus within our party that speaks often about protecting the middle class. I share that goal wholeheartedly. But we cannot grow and protect the middle class if we ignore the working class. We do not build stability by allowing wages to stagnate while housing costs rise. We do not strengthen communities by weakening renter protections and expanding the power imbalance in eviction court.

If we are serious about opportunity, it must include those who are barely holding on.

As we approach the 2026 election, at a time when the federal government feels increasingly detached from the lived realities of everyday Americans, Democrats must decide who we are. Are we united in fighting for working people in all their complexity, or will we fracture into subgroups that collaborate with Republicans to block reforms designed to protect vulnerable families?

Our values cannot simply be words on a platform. They must be visible in our votes.

I remain proud to be a Democrat. I believe deeply in what our party stands for. But belief requires courage. It requires us to stand with the people who cannot always stand in the room. It requires us to remember that economic security is not a privilege but a foundation for dignity.

If we forget that, we risk forgetting who we are.

Colorado families deserve better. And I will continue fighting for them.

Junie Joseph

House District 10 Representative

Democratic House Majority Caucus Co-Chair

Secretary of the Democratic Black Caucus

Aerospace and Defense Caucus Co-Chair

Member of House Environment & Energy Committee

Member of the House Appropriations Committee

Junie4colorado.com

Twitter: Junie4colorado

Facebook: Junieforcolorado

The post Op-Ed: When Democrats Forget Who They Are Fighting For appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

Guest Contributor, James K of Boulder, CO

In this age of AI technology, shock media, and divisive narratives, we must view reality through a lens of caution. We are subjected to a never-ending cycle of rapid-fire news lines on TV and social media. Through it all, we must not allow ourselves to become desensitized to the harsh realities affecting our fellow humans.

Although there are topics that can be emotionally overwhelming and exhausting, we must speak! Exhaustion and pain can indeed be felt just by learning of these atrocities, but we must be strong and take action for those without a voice.

Genocide can be defined as any act with the intent to destroy, in part or in whole, national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups. Sadly, as I type this, multiple genocides are occurring around the world, and unfortunately, your tax dollars are contributing to these atrocities. Therefore, it is our responsibility to call for an end to the U.S. government’s support of Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Demand a halt to support financially, diplomatically, and otherwise until the violence stops.

Over the last eighty years, Democrats and Republicans have provided bilateral support to the tune of 174 billion dollars to Israel. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of funds from the US government since World War II. These statistics can be reviewed at congress.gov. Examples of both parties funding military actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) include a 38 billion dollar funding package approved by the Obama administration to be paid out over the course of a ten year period, with supplemental packages authorized by the Biden administration in April of 2024 for an additional 8.7 billion dollars, and at least 12 billion dollars from Trump’s administration in 2025 alone. The US has also secured defense deals with the UAE for the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9B drones, as well as munition sales. These ‘deals’ come in the form of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and are paid for with American taxpayer dollars. Funds are then used to buy weapons from US companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin. 

Now, we can see the implications of these FMF deals when the UAE has been shown to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have taken over El Fasher in Northern Darfur, Sudan. Unverified reports indicate over 100,000 people may have been killed in the last 4 months alone. The UN calls the city of El Fasher “a crime scene.” The daily deaths are only similar to the numbers seen during the Rwandan genocide, the highest in recent history, potentially reaching or surpassing 1,700 people a day. It is impossible to know the exact numbers since this conflict is ongoing. 

The Gaza Health Ministry indicates that over 71,000 deaths have occurred since October 2023, and a peer-reviewed study in The Lancet details that nearly 60% of these deaths, potentially more, are from children, women, and the elderly. 

To ignore or allow ourselves to be ignorant of these atrocities is a moral shortcoming and must be overcome. How people look, how far away they are from us, or how different their culture is does not matter. These are mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, and their lives have the same value as each of our own. We should show the same concern for Palestine and Sudan as we do for Ukraine. Even though the war between Russia and Ukraine is an awful tragedy in its own right, it is a war between two nations. What is occurring in Palestine and Sudan is a genocidal extermination.

Sadly, as we are seeing state-inflicted violence in American cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago, and Los Angeles, we understand, what imperialists are allowed to get away with abroad, will be seen as permission for what they can do to us here.

Also, it is not only government contracts contributing to this violence. There are private companies, such as Capital One, that are providing lines of credit of up to $100 million to companies like Elbit Defense Systems, an Israeli-owned company that is very active in providing arms to the IDF.

Choose wisely where you spend your money and advocate for how your tax dollars are used; we are accessories in these atrocities until then. 

It is within this insidious, deep pit of ongoing tragedies that we get lost and become overwhelmed. We must not give up! Rest, be strong, and take action! Demand that financial and diplomatic aid be immediately discontinued as long as violence continues in Palestine and El Fasher, Sudan! 

Please contact your state and national representatives and call for sanctions and an end to financial and diplomatic support to any government complicit in or supporting genocide. Those responsible must be held to account! 

Using the tool in the following link, you can easily contact your congressional representatives in the House and Senate.

In addition to making your voice heard, take action by joining Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

The post Op-Ed: A Call to Action for Palestine and Darfur appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

By Jacob Stevens

As a resident of Thornton, I have grown increasingly concerned with the decisions made by my Congressman, Gabe Evans, which seem misaligned with the needs of his constituents. My concern deepened when, despite protests and public opposition, it appeared Evans would vote to approve a House budget that would eliminate Medicaid benefits for millions of Americans—including 125,900 in his district—many of whom are disabled, elderly, or children.

This vote marked a turning point for me. Until then, I had been a passive participant, only voting during elections. I now find myself deeply concerned for the future of our community. I called Evans’ office to express my concerns, but my call was never returned. He then voted to approve the budget. In response, I joined the ongoing protests outside his office.

At my first protest, another resident invited me to join a District 8 chat, where we discussed the possibility of organizing a town hall for Mr. Evans—an event he had failed to hold. In conjunction with the town hall, we also organized a mutual aid resource fair and food drive to support those most affected by the policies Evans supports, such as cuts to health care and food assistance programs.

It was only after our first in-person meeting that we realized we should reach out to established organizations like Progress Now Colorado and Indivisible to see if they were already planning an event during the recess, as we could volunteer with them rather than have our inexperienced group plan the event. To our surprise, they offered their support in making our town hall vision a reality.

Let there be no question, Mr. Evans: though we received material support from other dedicated and concerned groups, this town hall began just three weeks ago when a business analyst, a public service worker, a non-profit event organizer, a human resources officer, and an art teacher—who had never met before—agreed that you were not representing them.

On March 12th, we personally delivered an invitation to Evans’ office for a town hall at the church next door on March 22nd. The day before the town hall, a representative from Evans’ office claimed no one had informed them of the event and that he could not attend with less than 24 hours notice. However, we received a handwritten receipt acknowledging the invitation from his staff at the time of delivery on March 12th at 2:50 PM.

Despite less notice than Mr. Evans, 350 community members attended the town hall. Our representative was not one of them. He may never fully understand the opportunity he missed. He could have heard the powerful stories of the people he is supposed to serve—stories filled with fear, frustration, and hope for a better future. These are the voices of the people you represent in Congress, Mr. Evans. You cannot represent them if you refuse to listen to them. They deserve to be heard.

We will not accept anything less than a genuine, in-person town hall open to the public, with no restrictions on who can speak. A virtual town hall (which has been promised but not delivered) with pre-screened participants does not meet the needs of the people.

Jacob Stevens
Community Advocate and Resident of Thornton, Colorado

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The post Where Was Gabe? A Town Hall Without a Congressman: Op-Ed appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.