Welcome to Briefly, Colorado Politics’ daily news briefing. Here’s what’s happening today:

Colorado Launches Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program

To mark National Weatherization Day, Colorado is launching its Discounts on home electrification and household appliances (HEAR).

Funded by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the HEAR program will expand access to energy efficiency improvements and high-efficiency electrical appliances for eligible Coloradans. Colorado is the first state to integrate HEAR funding into its weatherization assistance programwhich provides free energy upgrades to low-income households. The program served nearly 4,000 Coloradans last year, reducing emissions equal to the annual energy consumption of 1,800 homes.

“We are working to save Coloradans money on energy bills by increasing access to high-efficiency heat pumps and better home insulation,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “Improvements like these save Coloradans money on utilities, make homes more comfortable year-round and protect our clean air.

The Colorado Energy Office also plans to soon launch a Home Efficiency Rebate Program, also funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, to support energy efficiency improvements in multi-family residences and mobile homes and income-eligible prefabs.

Winter Utility Bill Assistance Begins November 1

Eligible Coloradans can apply for Department of Human Services Low-income energy assistance program (LEAP) from November 1. This federally funded program provides help with utility bills during the winter months, when customers may use up to six times more natural gas than during the rest of the year, according to Colorado Springs Utilities .

Individuals with incomes up to 60% of the state median income level for their household size may be eligible for the program.

Colorado Springs Utilities customers may also be eligible for year-round assistance programs, such as COPE Projectwhich provides utility bill assistance to anyone in financial difficulty due to a personal crisis or emergency, regardless of income.

Co Springs strip club hosts ‘Pole Work is Essential’ party to support fire district funding

Firefighters from Deja Vu Showgirls of Colorado Springs and Citizens for Stratmoor Hills are teaming up for a “Pole Work is Essential” party Nov. 3 in support of a local ballot measure to increase fire department revenue of Stratmoor Hills.

A check for $30,000 will be presented in support of the initiative at the event, and guests will enjoy photo ops with a Deja Vu-branded fire truck, a free taco bar, giveaways limited edition and live shows.

The 18+ evening starts at 2 p.m. at Deja Vu Showgirls.

Taylor Swift named most ‘politically influential’ celebrity

Taylor Swift was recently named the celebrity with the most potential to influence the upcoming election, based on research by the Betting Calculator website. AceOdds.com.

The study determined the most “politically influential” celebrities based on the number of political posts on social media, their engagement on those posts, and the number of Google searches for their political positions over the past year.

Swift received a rating of 84.06 out of 100. While only 1.67% of her Instagram posts were political in nature, the posts received an average of over 11 million likes. Information about Swift’s political views proved highly sought after by Americans; more than 16,000 Google searches on his political positions were performed each month.

Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in September.

Angelina Jolie was ranked as the second politically influential celebrity, with an index of 77.42 out of 100. Over 57% of the actress’s social media posts were tagged as political, with each post receiving an average of around 1 .3 million likes. Searches regarding his political views averaged 286 per month.

Jolie often highlights humanitarian causes such as women’s rights and the Gaza crisis on her platforms.

Leonardo DiCaprio completes the top three, with an index of 73.17. Nearly 54% of his posts were deemed political, with an average of more than 100,500 likes each. Monthly Google searches for his political views averaged around 533.

DiCaprio is known for his advocacy for conservation and the fight against climate change. He officially endorsed Harris earlier this month.

Other celebrities on the list included Bill Gates, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey.

Local student journalists to participate in first-ever 24-hour university election coverage

A student-run media outlet is partnering with Metropolitan State University Denver’s student newspaper and television station to provide live election night coverage.

Community Coffee Bucket List, an online news platform made up of students from CU Boulder, MSU Denver and the University of Denver, partners with Met Media, Met TV, And The Metropolitan at MSU to provide coverage of local elections as part of a national initiative called Live Student News.

Student News Live brings the first-ever 24-hour news coverage of an election to 122 universities across the country. Each participating school has a 30-minute segment on the show to discuss the issues most important to their students. The live stream will be available on studentnewslive.com, Iheart.comthe IHeartRadio app and YouTube. metropolitan state and Bucket List Community Cafés the segment will be broadcast from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. MST.

“So far, student voices and opinions have been absent from media coverage of this election,” said Dr. Robert Quicke, co-founder of Live Student News. “Live Student News will bring the pulse of America’s youth directly to the public. »

“This is my first time covering the federal election as editor-in-chief of The Metropolitan and I’m excited to see how our newsroom adapts to rapid news cycles as they occur,” said Met the media Editor-in-chief, Isabel Guzman. “As student journalists, we have an advantage in our coverage. We know firsthand the impact of this election on higher education students of all backgrounds, ages, and identities. I look forward to learning how we can accurately report on this high-voltage election while keeping student voices important.

Metropolitan State is the only Colorado school participating in the Live Student News blanket. Former presenter of 9News and Community Coffee Bucket List advisor Gary Shapiro will join student journalists for coverage. The broadcast will also include the results of the elections of Associated Press and the ideas of Community Coffee Bucket List‘s “Voter Voices” series, which involved 60 newsrooms across the state speaking with voters.