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Daily News Digest for 08/06/2007

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Top Stories

National News

New law expands power to wiretap - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/08/06/new_law_expands...
President Bush signed a new law yesterday that expands the government's power to wiretap phone calls and e-mails on American soil without court oversight, capping a sudden victory for the White House despite loud criticism from advocates of civil liberties and privacy rights.
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Law widens government's right to listen in - USATODAY.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-08-05-FISA_N.htm

Senate Votes To Expand Warrantless Surveillance - washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080302296.html

Bush Signs Law to Expand Eavesdropping - washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501404.html

More Civil Liberties and Equality clips in:
Colorado News/Civil Liberties and Equality, National News/Civil Liberties and Equality

Democratic hopefuls try to woo bloggers - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-dems5aug05,1,7904624.story?coll=la-po...
The Democratic presidential candidates appeared together Saturday before a major gathering of the "net roots" — online political activists who hope to remake American politics — in a debate that produced a sharp exchange over donations from lobbyists. Front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton took barbs from two of her opponents and boos and hisses from some of the audience of 1,500 bloggers and Internet stalwarts at the second Yearly Kos Convention when she refused to reject contributions from individuals who lobby the federal government. Clinton said she had to raise money to be competitive and that her 35 years of public service proved she would fight for ordinary Americans. "I have stayed true to my core principles," Clinton said. "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans" such as nurses, teachers and others who need a voice in the halls of government, she added. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards jumped on Clinton for that position in what was the sharpest exchange of the 90-minute debate in an auditorium at the sprawling McCormick Place Convention Center.
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A Diversity of Opinion, if Not Opinionators - washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501580.html

Bloggers Give Clinton a Mixed Reception - washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/04/AR2007080401324.html

More Election clips in:
Colorado News/Election, National News/Election

Mortgage Woes Send Stocks Lower - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080302516....
U.S. stocks ended lower in a volatile week of trading as investors worried that mortgage losses will curb bank earnings and reduce the pace of takeovers. "The market's walking on eggshells," said Ryan Larson, senior equity trader at Voyageur Asset Management in Chicago. "It doesn't have all the subprime and credit news yet. It's the great unknown."
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Mortgage Maze May Increase Foreclosures - New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/06home.html?ref=us

Mortgage crisis: Home loans are harder to get - USATODAY.com
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-08-05-mortgage-lenders_N.htm

No Money Down Disappearing as Mortgage Option - washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/04/AR2007080401418.html

More Economy clips in:
Colorado News/Economy, National News/Economy

House Approves Pentagon Budget Minus the President's War Funding - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501422....
The House early yesterday approved modest changes to President Bush's record Pentagon budget proposal, but Democrats signaled plans to resume a more contentious debate over the Iraq war after the August recess. The House's $459.6 billion version of the defense budget, approved on a 395 to 13 vote, would add money for equipment for the National Guard and Reserve, provide for 12,000 additional soldiers and Marines, and increase spending for defense health care and military housing. Minutes after the vote, the chamber adjourned until after Labor Day.
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More Effective and Ethical Government clips in:
Colorado News/Effective and Ethical Government, National News/Effective and Ethical Government

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Colorado News

Summit Daily News: State headed for lead role on climate change

http://summitdaily.com/article/20070805/NEWS/108050069...
Colorado's water managers need to assess the vulnerability of their supplies stressed by potential global warming impacts and adopt a "no-regret" policy, a blue ribbon climate change panel recommended last week. Meeting in Golden to unveil its initial suggestions on reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions, the Colorado Climate Project explained that climate change is expected to cause reduced snowpack and streamflows, more drought, earlier snowmelt, increased water needs and degraded water quality. Along with impacts to water supplies, climate change could also drastically affect the state's tourism sector, so crucial to Summit County's economy, a draft report from the panel suggests. Acting soon to reduce Colorado's contribution to climate change is critical, said Rocky Mountain Climate Organization president Stephen Saunders. The ambitious plan being developed by the climate project would bring the state into the front ranks of the fight against climate change. Perhaps only California has adopted a more aggressive stance, Saunders said.
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More Environment and Conservation clips in:
Colorado News/Environment and Conservation, National News/Environment and Conservation

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Ranchers hope for Salazar's support on Pinon Canyon

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1186207200/6...
Like Daniel in the Old Testament, Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar is going into the lion's den next week. The first-term Democrat is scheduled to meet with county commissioners from Las Animas, Huerfano, Otero and Baca counties next Tuesday in Trinidad in his quest to find a "win-win" solution between the Army's plan to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site and the strong opposition from area ranchers. The meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Las Animas County Courthouse, after Salazar has viewed the region by air. Ranchers opposed to the expansion also expect to meet with him during the day. "This is going to be an opportunity for Sen. Salazar to listen to the local officials and see if there is any way to find a win-win solution," a Salazar spokesman said Friday.
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Panel opposes Pinon expansion | party, adopted, pinon - Gazette.com
http://www.gazette.com/articles/party_25682___article.html/adopted_pi%F1on.html

More Military clips in:
Colorado News/Military, National News/Military

Energy bill which bans drilling on Roan passes House: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/05/8_5_1A__Roan_prot...
A massive energy bill with an amendment to prohibit drilling on public lands atop the Roan Plateau passed Saturday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 786-page 2007 Energy Independence Act, with components focused on improving technology and modernizing infrastructure to produce energy, now heads to the Senate for approval. On Monday, Colorado Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall made amendments to the bill that included language to prohibit surface occupancy on the Roan. Gas leases would still be allowed but would have to be made by directional drilling from drill pads on private property. “This will allow BLM to receive royalty and bonus bids, and will allow the industry to extract the minerals, but will not allow any drilling on the federal lands atop the Roan Plateau,” according to a statement from Salazar’s office. On Friday, Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne agreed to give Colorado 120 days to review and comment on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to drill on the Roan. The decision followed more than a month of letters and conversations Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., had with Kempthorne.
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Related:

Bill's fate 'touch and go' : County News : Boulder Daily Camera
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/04/bills-fate-touch-and-go/

More Energy Policy clips in:
Colorado News/Energy Policy, National News/Energy Policy

The Denver Post - GOP rivals already aiming for Lamborn

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552324...
Freshman Rep. Doug Lamborn is on only his eighth month in office, but some in his own party are working vigorously to oust him from his House seat. Republican activists in the 5th Congressional District are pushing Jeff Crank, who lost to Lamborn by 892 votes in the 2006 primary, to challenge Lamborn in 2008. Crank said he's considering it. He's not the only potential competitor. Third-place finisher in 2006 Bentley Rayburn said he's "thinking seriously about it." Chatter about a challenger to Lamborn is the buzz filling Colorado Springs parties and political events, several in political circles said. "There is a great deal of unrest and a great deal of talk about people running in the primary against him," said former Rep. Joel Hefley, a Republican who retired last year after representing the 5th District for 20 years. "I would be very surprised if he did not have a very substantial primary (challenge)." Lamborn and his campaign say they're ready to take on any challenger and run on his conservative record. "I have a tremendous number of people who love what I'm doing," Lamborn said. "I am confident that the rank-and-file Republicans know that I am standing up for what they believe in."
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More Election clips in:
Colorado News/Election, National News/Election

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Colorado News

(Top)

Crime and Penal Reform

The Coloradoan - Players could feel fallout of new trial

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070805/NEWS01/708050360/1002/...
Attorneys for a man some believe was wrongly convicted must first determine where the system broke down before they can request a new trial. Timothy Masters' 1999 conviction for the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick has been upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals and state Supreme Court, but his attorneys argue that that conviction was a result of a breakdown in the system that included a lackluster police investigation and evidence not making its way to defense attorneys. Masters, who was 15 at the time of the killing, is serving a life sentence in the Buena Vista Correctional Facility.
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The Denver Post - Inmates, executives join Masters' fight
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6546142

Aspen Times News: Sheriff’s letter surprises feds

http://aspentimes.com/article/20070805/NEWS/70805005...
Even though federal authorities say Bert Fingerhut cheated bank investors out of millions of dollars, many in the Aspen community have shown support for him. Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis is among them. Braudis, who had never met Fingerhut until recently, wrote a letter to the federal judge who sentenced Fingerhut to two years in federal prison Friday. Braudis’ letter spoke highly of Fingerhut. It also surprised federal authorities. “That struck us that a sheriff would write a letter supporting a criminal,” said Assistant U. S. Attorney Karl Buch. “And he wrote it on his professional letterhead.”
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Rocky Mountain News - Gunman: 'No police are going to stop me'

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5659090,00.ht...
State Trooper Jay Hemphill hustled the tuxedo-clad man from the governor's office as the man claimed to be the emperor and vowed to save the "unborn children" from the governor's office. Hemphill grabbed a pen and a notepad to show Aaron Snyder he was listening to his concerns. Minutes later, Snyder opened his tuxedo jacket to reveal a large gun in his right pants pocket, Hemphill told investigators. "No police are going to stop me," he said. Hemphill dropped the pen and pad. He drew his gun. He issued a loud command. "Stop or I'll kill you."
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The Denver Post - Capitol gunman's notes bizarre
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6537192

City faces father's lawsuit in Taser death : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/04/city-faces-fathers-lawsuit-taser-deaths/...
The father of a man who died after being shot with a Taser stun-gun by a Lafayette police officer is suing the city and gun manufacturer. Jack Wilson, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Boulder County District Court, seeks an unspecified amount of money for economic and non-economic damages, attorney fees and interest following the death nearly a year ago of his son, Ryan Wilson. Wilson, 22, was fatally shot by Officer John Harris in a field north of 2000 W. South Boulder Road as he ran from police, who were investigating a report of marijuana plants growing in the area. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office ruled that Wilson died of an irregular heartbeat caused by a combination of the exertion from running from police, the Taser shock and a heart condition present since birth.
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Rocky Mountain News - Panel to evaluate DNA proposals

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5658586,00.ht...
A team of Colorado's top prosecutors, law enforcement officers, defense lawyers and the governor will examine how DNA is being collected and preserved in the state. Gov. Bill Ritter and the Colorado District Attorney's Council, which is composed of the 22 elected prosecutors in the state, announced Friday that they will put together a team of legal and forensics experts who will study how law enforcement agencies around the country collect and store DNA evidence to see if similar policies could be adopted in Colorado. The group is expected to present its findings and make recommendations to the governor in the fall.
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The Denver Post - Task force to study evidence preservation
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6546388

Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Looking for a few good officers

http://postindependent.com/article/20070805/VALLEYNEWS/108050032...
The Glenwood Springs Police Department, like many other employers in the area, is having trouble hiring and retaining staff. Right now, the department is four officers below what's in the budget, Lieutenant Bill Kimminau said. Staffing has always been an issue for the 22 years he's been with the department, although it seems to have gotten worse lately. "It's a constant battle," he said. "I think there was once since I've been here, for a day or two, we were at full staff." When he applied for the job, there were about 30 or 40 people trying for one position. Now there are about five or six people applying for four open positions. The standard in recent years has been to be about two or three officers short staffed at any given time, Kimminau said.
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The Denver Post - High living costs, low pay sapping Western Slope deputy ranks
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552820

Rocky Mountain News - New boss for Denver FBI office

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5660469,00.ht...
Robert J. Garrity Jr., a counterintelligence and information security expert with 30 years of experience, has been named special agent in charge of the Denver FBI office. The Baltimore native takes over for Richard C. Powers, who left in June to become assistant director of the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs. Beginning next month, Garrity will oversee the operations of about 150 agents in 11 field offices in Colorado and Wyoming.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Federal prosecutor targets local gangs, violent crime

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1186293600/2...
The top federal prosecutor in Colorado wants to do more to help fight violent crime and gang crime in Pueblo. "I'm real concerned about it," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said. He disclosed he is committing more federal resources to aid local law enforcement authorities in Pueblo and elsewhere in the fight. "They'll be welcomed resources," said Pueblo County's top prosecutor, District Attorney Bill Thiebaut. The main resource Eid is committing is to use his option to prosecute more cases in U.S. District Court when the federal penalty is greater than the state penalty in Pueblo District Court. He described that approach as creating more tools for the district attorney's staff.
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The Denver Post - Probe faults deputies in jail death

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6541727...
Two deputies at the Denver jail failed to make required visits to the jail wing where Emily Rae Rice died and then falsified reports, according to an internal affairs investigation. The results of the investigation are still under review by the city's top safety official. Two people familiar with the investigation described the findings to The Denver Post on condition of anonymity. Police reports have described a chaotic scene the night of Rice's death. Inmates told investigators that their fellow prisoner, Rice, who had been booked for suspicion of drunken driving, cried for help for hours in her jail cell before she died. Rice, 24, was booked into the jail on Feb. 18, 2006, after a car crash. She was taken by ambulance to Denver Health Medical Center, where she was examined and ultimately sent to jail. Rice bled to death internally and died early Feb. 19, about 20 hours after she was booked. An autopsy showed she had a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver.
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The Denver Post - Injuries to man who resisted arrest probed

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6545885...
Internal Affairs detectives are investigating a possible police brutality case after witnesses say several Denver officers pummeled a man in the face with their fists and kicked him in the side, breaking a rib while he was handcuffed and lying face down in an asphalt alley. "I saw them hitting him in the back of the head. They were hitting him in the face and kneeing him in the side. That's how dirty it was," said Jeannie Ruiz, 49, a neighbor. "That was the worst thing I've ever seen, ever." Other neighbors say police force was justified because the man, Ignacio Zepeda, 22, was fighting officers. Two officers were taken to Denver Health Medical Center for treatment following the arrest; one was kicked in the knee and the other hit in the face. Denver police spokesman John White said he could not comment about the arrest or the brutality allegations because Internal Affairs is investigating. He declined to release Zepeda's mug shot.
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The Denver Post - 2 arrested in Glenwood cop shooting

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6555152...
Two men sought for the shooting of a Glenwood Springs police officer a week ago were arrested over the weekend. Anthony Villegas, 19, was arrested Saturday on an outstanding warrant for a drug-related felony, Garfield County sheriff's officials said. Sergio Estebon Ramirez, 20, was arrested Sunday, the same day a warrant for his arrest was issued on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, sheriff's officials said. Authorities said an officer, whose name wasn't released, was checking a storage area near the Glenwood Springs airport July 29 when he saw two men walking away from him.
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Fake ID busts on the rise : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/06/fake-id-busts-on-the-rise-grant-puts-bou...
Boulder police have been writing more tickets to would-be underage drinkers using fake IDs, thanks partly to new grants that put plainclothes officers in bars. In 2002, the year Boulder passed its own municipal "fraudulent identification" ordinance, police cited 40 people for breaking the law. Last year, police wrote 87 tickets for the same offense. But on Tuesday night, the City Council will be asked to make a slight change to the ordinance after it faced a challenge in municipal court. State law also prohibits using fake IDs. Boulder police spokeswoman Julie Brooks said much of the credit for the stepped-up enforcement is due to a $52,000 state grant that police and the University of Colorado received last year to fight underage drinking, along with another $43,300 grant from the Liquor Enforcement Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue this year.
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Economy

Bad loans surprise Heritage Bank buyer : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/05/bad-loans-surprise-heritage-bank-buyer/...
When New Mexico's First Community Bank paid $72 million for Louisville-based Heritage Bank this year, it got 13 offices and a big boost in its Colorado presence. And the bank's founder, former Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, got $16.5 million in the sale. Something else changed hands: a portfolio that had considerably more problem loans than first disclosed. In announcing late last month it was selling off part of the Heritage Bank portfolio, First Community Bank's parent company said $23.6 million of Heritage's loans were either to borrowers who are now 90 days or more late with payments, or are "potential problem loans." Those numbers are way beyond what Heritage ever suggested. In the bank's final report to regulators before the acquisition, Heritage said it had $4.2 million "noncurrent" loans in a portfolio of $310 million.
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The Denver Post - Buyout of First Data approved

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6541379...
Shareholders at First Data Corp. overwhelmingly approved a $29 billion buyout offer from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. last week. The unanswered question is whether bond investors will back KKR's purchase of the Greenwood Village credit-card processor. "You hear about all of this (bond) supply - $200 billion - that has to get done. It is not going to get done," said Sandy Rufenacht, owner of Three Peaks Capital Management, a Greenwood Village money manager that specializes in high-yield bonds.
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The Denver Post - GSA conference to feature bidders on Networx plans

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6551830...
Qwest, Level 3 Communications and other winners in the coveted Networx program will be showing off their products in Denver beginning today at the U.S. General Services Administration 2007 Network Services Conference. The four-day conference is designed to help federal government employees plan for Networx, which will upgrade video, phone, wireless, data and other communications systems for as many as 135 agencies. Denver-based Qwest, AT&T and Verizon were selected in March to bid on Networx Universal, which is worth up to $48 billion over 10 years. Those three companies, Broomfield-based Level 3 and Sprint Nextel were selected to bid on Networx Enterprise, which is worth up to $20 billion over 10 years. Companies competing for Universal are required to offer more telecommunications services and must be able to reach more building locations, nationally and internationally.
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The Denver Post - Boulder mall missing a throng

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6551827...
When the Twenty Ninth Street retail development opened here last fall, its new tenants had high hopes. The outdoor shopping center, which replaced the former Crossroads Mall, attracted owners like Robin Laurel, whose FIX hair salon was part of its October 2006 grand opening. Today there are eight empty spaces between FIX's second-level location and the nearest occupied store. "I just thought, 'What a great opportunity - a new mall,"' Laurel said. "So it was a little bit of a surprise to not have it take off as much as I had anticipated." Lower-than-expected foot traffic, unforeseen delays and a perceived lack of marketing by the management have some store owners and managers at Twenty Ninth Jesela Denim boutique owners Micaela Cooper, left, and Jessica Poxson, right, say they are paying too much in rent and not receiving the promotion for their store that they expected from the Twenty Ninth Street mall management. Tenants at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall are concerned that the shopping area isn't receiving the amount of visitors they were expecting. (Post / Karl Gehring) Street worried about their survival.
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The Denver Post - Retiree displays feelings for Nacchio

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6541393...
Colleen McBride-Wells is celebrating and letting everybody know what she thinks of former Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio. She retired from US West after 30 years just before it merged with Qwest in June 2000. But she kept her retirement funds in Qwest stock and lost a big chunk of her nest egg when the stock nosedived under Nacchio. After Nacchio was found guilty of 19 counts of illegal insider trading in April, McBride-Wells, 59, felt some relief. And when U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham decided July 27 to lock up Nacchio for six years, she just had to share her joy with neighbors. "I'm just saying, 'Hallelujah, thank God somebody else thought that he was wrong.' I was so scared I'd be out in left field and no one would think he should be punished," McBride-Wells said.
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The Denver Post - Colorado's peach harvest the pits

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6541382...
Front Range grocery shoppers struggling to find that perfect Colorado peach might just need to wait another week or two. Some growers have been plucking their peaches early, resulting in a smaller size and less sweet taste, to avoid losing the fruit to a problem caused by spring freezing called soft suture. The ailment - in which part of the peach ripens before the rest - plagued much of the state's early harvest. "This is the worst I've ever seen it. I've never seen some people walk away from some blocks and some varieties," said Bruce Talbott, co-owner of Talbott Farms in Palisade.
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Education

The Tribune - UNC students launch robot for NASA in space program

http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070806/NEWS/108050162...
While NASA engineers ran through final preparations for Tuesday's Endeavour launch, a group of physics students from the University of Northern Colorado tested the airborne capabilities of their latest robotic creation. The students flighted the robot via weather balloon over the eastern plains near Strasburg as a final test before they demonstrate the project to NASA this week at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Friday, the students planned to send the robot in a box up 100,000 feet, where the balloon popped, dropping the box to earth under a parachute. If all went to plan, the robot, upon landing, would emerge from the box and began to collect data. UNC joins the six-Colorado college contingent -- as well as other colleges nationwide -- taking part in the NASA-funded program.
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Rocky Mountain News - New era for CU diversity

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5658477,...
Sallye McKee wants minority students and alumni to help dispel the image that the University of Colorado is hostile to people of color. McKee, 58, was named vice chancellor for diversity, equity and community engagement Friday. The impression is widespread in minority communities that CU does not welcome blacks, Hispanics and Indians, McKee said. She hears that from students at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she now holds a similar position. She also heard it a decade ago, when she previously worked at CU in a program to recruit minorities to the College of Arts and Sciences. "At the last minute, they'd get cold feet (about enrolling)," and it took extra effort to convince them that CU was going to be a good experience, McKee said.
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Rocky Mountain News - Tuition idea irks Tancredo

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5658661,...
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo has entered the dispute over how much college tuition students should pay if they are U.S. citizens but their parents are here illegally. Tancredo said Friday that state higher education director David Skaggs "wants to give lawbreakers special preference over legal residents and citizens when it comes to a college education." In remarks Thursday, Skaggs said he wants the attorney general to clarify state law as to whether Colorado residents who were born in the U.S. and are citizens should pay in-state tuition, even though their parents entered the country illegally. Skaggs said that an otherwise eligible student shouldn't have to pay the more expensive non-resident tuition because his or her parents are here illegally.
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CU picks new diversity chief : CU News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/04/cu-picks-new-diversity-chief/...
The University of Colorado announced Friday that Sallye McKee will become the first vice chancellor for diversity, equity and community engagement. After a decade's absence, McKee will be returning to the Boulder campus, where she directed the Minority Arts and Sciences Program from 1993 to 1996. In the interim, McKee has worked in student support and multicultural affairs at Bowling Green State University, the University of Denver and, most recently, as associate to the president for institutional diversity at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.
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Craig Daily Press / Latin American students learn about land management

http://craigdailypress.com/news/2007/aug/04/latin_american_students_learn_about_...
The trip for Estuardo Secaira from Guatemala to Craig began when he learned the Nature Conservancy was helping to send a group of Central and South American students to the U.S. to learn about land management. Secaira works for a nongovernmental organization as well as the government of Guatemala in that area. He was in Craig on Wednesday to learn about management at the federal level. “It’s very interesting to learn by contrast,” he said. “We’re learning how agencies manage land and learning from the people we meet.”
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Summer camp pushes college, engineering : Schools : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/04/summer-camp-pushes-college-engineering/...
About 30 high school students spent the past few days at the University of Colorado in a boot camp preparing them for applying to college and encouraging them to consider engineering, math or science. Most at the four-day science, math and engineering camp, which ends today, are minority students who are incoming sophomores at high schools in the Denver metro area. To attend, students submitted an application that included a teacher recommendation. They also needed at least a 2.5 grade-point average.
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The Denver Post - School reform effort begins

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552423...
Colorado high school students could choose from three routes to graduation: a "governor's" diploma for the college-bound, a workforce-ready distinction or a diploma with certification in plumbing or mechanics. That's one of the options Gov. Bill Ritter's office is proposing as his task force on education reform meets today for the first time. Ritter has some gigantic education goals: Cut the dropout rate and the achievement gap between whites and minority students in half within 10 years; double the number of degrees and certificates handed out in Colorado each year by 2017. But until now, the first-term Democrat has been vague on how to get there.
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The Denver Post - Digging in for Manual's reopening

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6546387...
Fred Jackson gingerly limped down Manual High School's halls Saturday on his way to tape plastic to a wall. Two Wednesdays ago he woke up with a sciatic nerve problem that left him unable to move for hours. But nothing could keep the 1963 graduate from helping to get the school ready for its reopening this month. "It dampened my spirits when they shut it down," the Denver resident said. Jackson, 62, joined more than 100 volunteers who sanded, dug and painted Saturday to breathe life into the embattled school.
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Rocky Mountain News - Witness: 'No, I did not' stab punter

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5658662,00.ht...
A witness in the trial of a college football player accused of stabbing a teammate took the stand Friday and denied a defense lawyer's allegation that it was the witness, not Mitch Cozad, who was the attacker. Asked by the prosecutor if he stabbed University of Northern Colorado punter Rafael Mendoza, Kevin Aussprung said loudly, "No, I did not." Aussprung testified in the trial of Cozad, a former backup punter at UNC who is charged with attempted first-degree murder and second-degree assault in a Sept. 11, 2006 knife attack on Mendoza.
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Effective and Ethical Government

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Leaders share community vision with Ritter

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1186293600/1...
Call it, "The Pueblo Promise." Gov. Bill Ritter didn't mind the wordplay off his version that came first, "The Colorado Promise," a 52-page blueprint or "road map for Colorado's future in the 21st Century." In fact, his promise and the vision shared by community leaders Saturday were one and the same. "Call it ‘The Pueblo Promise,’ . . . We can talk about copyright infringement later," joked the Governor, drawing a round of laughter from the crowd of 50 gathered at the Pueblo Convention Center. In mid-July, 40 leaders from city and county government, Pueblo's school districts, higher education communities, and the economic development arena, took a two-day retreat in Breckenridge. The retreat - spawned from a conversation between Pueblo City Schools board member Stephanie Garcia and City Councilman Michael Occhiato - was to bring together elected bodies and craft a vision for a better Pueblo.
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Colorado Daily News: Charter change drafts drafted

http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/08/05/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt...
Warning: Tuesday's Boulder City Council meeting will probably include wordsmithing. The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing for its first reading of a list of City Charter amendment proposals that could appear on the November 2007 ballot. The Charter is basically similar to a city Constitution, and city voters must approve Charter amendments. The council will need to decide if it will refer any or all of the proposals to the voters in 2007, and it could decide to change the language found in the current draft amendments. Three of the current proposals pertain to the city's process of filling a vacant council seat. The Charter requires the city to hold a special election if a vacancy occurs outside of a period of between 121 and 75 days before a regularly scheduled council election, and the city held special elections in March 2005 and July 2007.
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The Denver Post - New development chief to take reins on Monday

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6545883...
Denver Public Schools' former chief operating officer is Denver's new director of economic development. Andre Pettigrew will take over Monday as the city's top business liaison. Pettigrew replaces former director John Huggins, who announced in January that he was leaving the city.
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City charter changes could be on way : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/06/local-charter-changes-could-be-on-way/...
Boulder's charter is up for a few edits, and City Council members on Tuesday night will decide which of those changes they should ask voters to approve. They'll hold a public hearing at the meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway.
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Telluride Daily Planet - Round two for impeachment ordinance

http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/08/06/news/news01.txt...
Three weeks ago, the Telluride Town Council passed the ordinance on first reading by a 6-to-1 vote. The council’s other option was to put the initiative on the November ballot. A group of Telluride citizens had gathered the necessary signatures to get the process rolling. However, in the wake of the decision, Telluride has garnered attention from visitors, potential visitors, far-flung former locals and others from all over the United States and beyond. The town’s Web site has been inundated with e-mails both accusatory and complimentary, and letters to the editor have been streaming into the office of the Daily Planet. Some threaten never to bring their tourist dollars back, others say they will travel here just to show their support. The town council will decide whether to finalize its decision or buck it tomorrow, as it revisits the ordinance for a second reading. Several council members have said they will stick to their original vote on the petition. At least two others said they’ll listen to the public comments. The ordinance accuses Bush and Cheney of illegal wiretapping, torture, detaining people without due process, taking powers that don’t belong to them and other offenses. The discussion takes place at 11:55 a.m.
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Election

Aspen Times News: Newt Gingrich calls for change

http://aspentimes.com/article/20070804/NEWS/108040069...
On Friday, Newt Gingrich told an audience at Aspen Institute's McCloskey Speaker Series that the status quo in America is just plain crazy. And, by quoting Albert Einstein, who said insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," the former U.S. representative from Georgia called for change. Gingrich, the author of "Contract with America" led the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, becoming speaker after 40 years of Democratic control of the House. And since leaving office, Gingrich has authored many other books, including his recent alternate-history title, "Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8th." He also works as an analyst and consultant on various projects. "Let's talk about reality," Gingrich told the audience, which filled the Doerr-Hosier Center to capacity.
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Rocky Mountain News - Gingrich critical of government efforts
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5658735,00.html

The Tribune - Big bucks didn't buy this election

http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070805/NEWS/108040116/-1/NEWS...
A new report about state political spending sheds new light on a cardinal rule of politics: Big money buys elections. Last year in Colorado, that wasn't necessarily the case. By far, Republican candidates received the majority of the money contributed by private committees and individuals in 2006, but those candidates lost. The money from individuals was dwarfed by candidates' individual fundraising efforts, but the report, released last week by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, shows the growing influence of private contributions in elections -- even at a time when states and the federal government are trying to stem that influence. Nine committees and five individuals spent $383,535 on independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates in Colorado, the report says. Almost three-fourths of that money came from two Republican groups, the National Rifle Association Political Action Fund and the Colorado Leadership Fund. And most of the money -- 82 percent -- was spent on television ads.
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TimesCall.com - Prosecutor weighs run at DA post

http://www.timescall.com/Local-Story.asp?id=2772...
Veteran prosecutor Ingrid Bakke said she will weigh potential stresses on her co-workers before she decides whether she will run for Boulder County District Attorney in 2008 — especially in light of her boss’s endorsement of a candidate outside of the office. All involved say they’ll keep politics from affecting the office’s work prosecuting criminal cases even as whispers in courtrooms at the Boulder County Justice Center are already focusing on the 2008 election, term-limited Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy, Bakke’s ambitions to replace Lacy, and Lacy’s endorsement of Stan Garnett.
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Rocky Mountain News - Tancredo stands ground on Mecca

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5660547,00.ht...
Fellow Republicans repudiated Rep. Tom Tancredo on Sunday over his controversial comments threatening to target Muslim holy sites as a deterrent to Islamic terrorism. During a Republican presidential debate from Drake University in Des Moines, Tancredo, R-Colorado, stood behind his two-year-old deterrent strategy, which created another international uproar this week when he raised it during an Iowa campaign stop. Tancredo has said he sees no other way to deter a potential nuclear attack by Islamic terrorists except to threaten to destroy the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina. Debate moderator George Stephanopoulos of ABC News' This Week program asked Tancredo to respond to the U.S. State Department's statement last week calling Tancredo's strategy "reprehensible" and "absolutely crazy." "Yes, the State Department - boy, when they start complaining about things I say, 'I feel a lot better about the things I say,' I'll tell you right now," Tancredo responded.
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The Denver Post - GOP planting seeds in Iowa
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552122

Rocky Mountain News - Hickenlooper plans to get foot in door for bond package

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5660880,00.ht...
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper knows how to make a sale, even when the odds might seem against him. Before he ran for office, Hickenlooper made a fortune by persuading people to venture into LoDo, then a slummy part of town, to taste his freshly brewed beer. When he campaigned for mayor the first time in 2003, the novice politician earned the trust of voters, leaving several bureaucrats with longer resumes in the dust. After he was elected, he convinced Denverites to invest in a new jail and courthouse when others before him had failed. The $378 million justice center project is just one of several initiatives that Hickenlooper has successfully sold to the public. In coming months, the mayor will have to put his salesmanship to the test when he asks voters to tax themselves again, this time to pay for decades of deferred maintenance and $550 million worth of infrastructure projects.
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Peace may make appearance on '08 ballot: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/06/8_6_1a_Peace.html...
Denver resident Page Penk thinks peace is possible. To stress his message to the state of Colorado, the 43-year-old is taking the unusual step of asking that his sentiment be added to the Colorado Constitution. One Western Slope lawmaker argues Penk’s “ludicrous” idea exemplifies why it should be more difficult for citizens to amend the state constitution. According to papers filed Wednesday with Colorado Legislative Council, Penk is hoping to place the phrase “peace is possible” in the venerable document. Penk, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Denver, said he thinks the phrase will help provide a way for voters in 2008 to “say something hopeful.”
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TimesCall.com - City Council and mayoral candidates gear up for elections

http://www.timescall.com/Local-Story.asp?id=2801...
Let the races begin. Tuesday is the first day Longmont City Council and mayoral candidates can start collecting signatures on petitions to land their names on the November ballot. Several candidates already have announced their plans to run for open City Council seats, and three current City Council members will vie to be the city’s next mayor.
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Energy Policy

Durango Herald Online: Salazars request delay of Desert Rock

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and U.S. Rep. John Salazar want the public to have additional time to comment on Desert Rock - the proposed coal-fired power plant near Farmington - but a project spokesman said the time sought by the Salazars is a mere delay tactic. In a letter sent Friday to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, the brothers, both Democrats from Colorado, wrote that a draft environmental analysis of the power plant is too complex to be dealt with in the comment period slated to end Aug. 20. Additionally, many of their constituents did not receive the document until the comment period was almost half over, they wrote to Kempthorne. The Salazars want the comment period extended for "at least another 60 days." The draft environmental document was released in mid-May. "Many of our constituents and local elected officials have expressed concern about the proposed plant's impact on air and water quality," they wrote. "A thorough process is needed and (we) feel that the 60-day public comment period is insufficient given the length and extreme technical complexity of the 1,600 page document."
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Illegal roads to be closed on Roan Plateau: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/05/8_5_3A_Roan_roads...
While Washington politicians argue whether and when natural-gas leasing should proceed on top of the Roan Plateau, the first on-ground changes to the plateau are planned this fall. The transportation management portion of the Bureau of Land Management’s Roan Plateau resource management plan calls for the closure of 28 miles of illegal motorized routes, 19 of which are on top. Another 68 miles of such routes would be designated for administrative use only, 52 of those on top. Administrative uses include livestock grazing, fence repair along borders with private property, and gas development, BLM spokesman David Boyd said. Gas companies will have to gain specific permission to use an administrative road, he said, and they must reclaim any improvements. The plan also designated 163 miles as open to motorized use, 86 of those on top.
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Questions bubble up about county's ability to regulate drilling

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/06/8_6_1A_Energy_Pla...
Grand Junction can issue a cease-and-desist order to an energy company drilling in its municipal watershed if it violates its agreement with the city. It can require the company to get a permit from the city before it starts moving dirt in the watershed. And, the company must submit alternate plans just in case its original development scheme is met with city disapproval. Such are some of the provisions of the watershed protection regulations the Grand Junction City Council approved July 30. The council wrote those regulations to implement the watershed ordinance it passed last year, Council member Teresa Coons said. As proponents of reining in the energy industry in Mesa County suggested last week at three public meetings, Grand Junction’s watershed regulations “have teeth.” That means the city believes it has the power to enforce its rules.
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Rocky Mountain News - Salazar wins delay in Roan Plateau plan

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5658962,00.ht...
Federal land managers agreed Friday to put off oil and gas leasing on the Roan Plateau for at least four months, acceding to demands from top Colorado Democrats for more time to study drilling plans. The turnabout by the Bureau of Land Management translates to a victory for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar who stared down the agency when he put a hold on confirmation of its incoming director unless it gave Colorado more time to review and comment on the Roan plan. Gov. Bill Ritter had sought more time for his new administration to familiarize itself with the proposal in June but was rebuffed when the BLM moved ahead to open the area to drilling. The Roan Plateau in northwest Colorado has become the focal point of an increasingly volatile debate between industry interests that covet its enormous stores of natural gas, and environmentalists and outdoor groups that want to see some parts of the state - including the wildlife-rich Roan - protected from the ongoing boom in fossil fuel extraction.
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The Denver Post - State gets time to review Roan plan
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6538119

The Denver Post - Energy talks in Denver to center on global issues

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6551826...
Global warming takes center stage next week in Denver at one of the nation's top energy- industry forums. Natural-gas producers and Gov. Bill Ritter's chief adviser on climate change are set to discuss the role of the gas industry at the Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference & Investment Forum. Industry officials say using natural gas to generate electricity will help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions - a leading contributor to global warming - compared to burning coal for power. "We recognize that climate change is so important, and natural gas is so important," said Fred Julander, a conference organizer and Denver-based oil and natural-gas producer. "In order to solve climate change, we're going to need a lot of natural gas for power generation." The gas industry's position is not supported by some environmentalists and renewable-energy activists who maintain that all fossil-fueled power generation - natural gas, coal and oil - should be reduced or eliminated in favor of renewables such as wind and solar power, and increased energy conservation.
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Methane well gets green light from BLM: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/04/8_4_Coal_Bed_Meth...
Pioneer Resources Inc., which owns many natural gas leases in Colorado, is trying to solidify its hold on a block of leases in Utah with a coal bed methane exploration project within two miles of the Garfield County line. The Bureau of Land Management gave Pioneer a green light Thursday to drill one coal bed methane well in Tent Canyon, a small gorge straddling the state line just north of the Bookcliffs in far eastern Uintah County.
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Water test OK after gas well problem: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/06/8_6_3A_Gas_well_p...
A damaged natural-gas well being drilled north of De Beque released water and methane gas to the surface, but no contamination resulted, a state regulator said. The incident may have led to rumors of contaminated water supplies in the De Beque area, said Brian Macke, director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The July 11 incident occurred in the Cascade Creek area, approximately 10 miles north of De Beque and 24 miles west of Rifle, Macke said. A casing ruptured in the bore hole of a well being fractured for Occidental Oil and Gas. Water and methane bubbled to the surface approximately 200 yards from the well, he said.
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Environment and Conservation

Vail Daily News: Ride on the pine beetle time machine

http://vaildaily.com/article/20070805/NEWS/70803043...
A trip to Grand County is like an eerie, five-year glimpse into Vail’s future forests. Taking the roads past Wolcott, State Bridge then Kremmling, you’re likely to pass a dozen logging trucks filled with wood. As you pass into Grand County, you’ll start seeing red forests in the distance, peaking out over the hills. The trees don’t seem so bad, or at least no worse than Vail’s trees, until you drive through Granby, circle the lake, walk the dam at Shadow Mountain Reservoir and travel south to the Williams Fork area. This is where Grand County should be renamed “Brown County,” said Staniel Juranek, 79, who’s been selling produce with his wife near Lake Granby for 15 years.
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The Denver Post - Asian beetles defeat tamarisk, naturally
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552427

The Steamboat Pilot & Today: Officials stress compliance as bear problem grows

http://steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/aug/05/officials_stress_compliance_bear_prob...
A mother black bear was euthanized Monday after she was caught in a trap on the side of a Steamboat Springs lawn after breaking into at least four homes. Two bears were put down in Grand Junction this week, as were two in Aspen — one that reportedly broke into a school and one that broke into a home through a closed window. A bear was killed by a motorist as it was crossing U.S. Highway 40 at the base of Rabbit Ears Pass on Thursday night. A bicyclist hit a bear after it darted in front of him on Fish Creek Falls Road on Friday. A bear reportedly killed several sheep in the Flat Tops Wilderness area south of Hayden.
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Officials blame public sloth for bear deaths : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/05/officials-blame-public-sloth-for-bear-deaths/

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - House panel OKs repair bill for dam

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1186207200/15...
A House committee has approved legislation from Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., to authorize $200 million for repairing publicly owned dams across the nation. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the measure Thursday and would require states to provide 35 percent of the cost of dam repairs. Salazar, the only Colorado lawmaker on the panel, said there are 1,800 publicly owned dams in Colorado, including 741 in his 3rd Congressional District. The legislation authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide $200 million for repairs over the next five years. "There are 340 Colorado dams classified as high-hazard dams - which means they are near people and can potentially endanger life," Salazar said in a statement after the committee vote.
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The Coloradoan - Neither county nor city will seek assistance

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/NEWS01/708040342/1002/...
The city of Fort Collins and Larimer County will not seek state or federal assistance to help offset the cleanup costs associated with heavy rainfall that flooded many areas of Fort Collins on Thursday night. Officials from both governmental agencies confirmed Friday that the damages left in the storm's wake don't warrant a request for state or federal funds.
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TimesCall.com - Activists trying to cut back logging

http://www.timescall.com/Local-Story.asp?id=2786...
Firefighters in [Frisco] love to tell the story of the couple from Texas who wanted to know where they could buy one of those beautiful red evergreens that surround Lake Dillon. They offered the couple a chain saw and told them to take as many as they wanted. The trees aren’t red, they’re dead. The stately green lodgepole pines that once provided million-dollar views high in the Rockies are turning red and then brown in waves as tiny bark beetles eat their way across the Continental Divide. But environmentalists say that’s no reason to chop them down. “There’s a lot of heartache about what’s going on. What can we do? Precious little. We can’t cut our way ahead of the beetle,” said Tom Fry, national fire program coordinator for the Wilderness Society. That doesn’t mollify Starlyn First of Silverthorne, an area resident who said the dead trees are not only an eyesore, they’re a fire hazard. First remembers the Storm King fire that roared up a mountain in 1994 in Glenwood Springs, another resort town, killing 14 firefighters and threatening homes that were built too close to flammable timber.
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Rocky Mountain News - Endangered state parks

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5658967,00.ht...
Some of Colorado's 41 state parks may have to close unless money is found to start making an estimated $150 million in backlogged repairs, officials say. The parks, crown jewels in Colorado's tourism landscape, need money to fix rotting boat docks, crumbling asphalt trails, and restrooms and water systems that no longer work. "What bothers me the most is that these parks have always been ranked really high by the public," said Larry Kramer, deputy director of the parks system. "Restrooms are clean. Buildings are in good shape. Rangers are always there. But these resources get loved to death. They're overused and beat down. "If we can't maintain them, we will have to close facilities," Kramer said. "We are not going to let the whole system get run down." Some of the most tattered parks - and most popular - are in the metro area.
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Conservation in the Valley: Importance of water in Uncompahgre Valley often goes unnoticed (Montrose, CO)

http://montrosepress.com/articles/2007/08/06/news/doc46b55521b05ef222367369.txt...
Water. The fact that it covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface should be enough of a persuasion that it’s not going to run out anytime soon. Most likely, that’s the reason why people seldom consider the most valuable and necessary natural resource. The process that brings the water from lakes and rivers to your kitchen sink is a process known by very few. Water hasn’t always been such a readily available commodity. It didn’t always run right to your faucet, and for that reason, many people used to value every drop.
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CSU forecaster lowers hurricane estimate : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/aug/04/csu-forecaster-lowers-hurricane-estimate...
Hurricane researcher William Gray lowered his 2007 forecast slightly Friday, citing cooler water in the Pacific and more atmospheric dust from Africa in predicting 15 named storms and eight hurricanes off the East and Gulf coasts of the U.S. Gray's forecast also calls for four of the hurricanes to be intense.
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Aspen Times News: Going green part of the fun

http://aspentimes.com/article/20070805/NEWS/70805002...
Given the Roaring Fork Valley’s reputation as a center for alternative technologies and conservation ideologies, it is not surprising that among the initiatives here is the greening of fun in the valley. Several of the biggest festivals in the valley each year, from Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs and the Food & Wine Classic in early June to the upcoming Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day concerts, sport recycling programs to reduce the amount of trash the events send to landfills. And, in the case of the Carbondale Mountain Fair at the end of July, organizers have gone a step further, requiring that their food vendors use compostible forks, knives and spoons, as well as beverage cups.
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Landowners, state preserve home of endangered plant: GJ Sentinel

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/06/8_6_3A_Endangered...
The only area in the world where the clay-loving wild buckwheat grows is in Delta and Montrose counties, and the plant just got a boost to help it survive. Harold and Kathleen Wacker sold 43 acres of their ranch in Montrose County to be used exclusively for the habitat of clay-loving buckwheat, a low-growing, endangered shrub with creamy pink flowers and the scientific name of eriogonum pelinophilum. Brian Kurzel, the natural areas coordinator for the Colorado Natural Areas Program, said designating part of the ranch to the endangered plant will help it survive. “It’s one of the most threatened parcels with clay-loving buckwheat,” he said. Private landowners worked with state agencies to secure $160,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to buy the land, Kurzel said. The Natural Areas Program works with private landowners all over the state in addition to federally and state-owned land.
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Durango Herald Online: Forest Service measures impact on backcountry

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
The U.S. Forest Service is taking its broadest look yet at the impact of grazing on public lands, including the San Juan National Forest.
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The Steamboat Pilot & Today: Routt National Forest a valuable resource for livestock owners
http://steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/aug/05/routt_national_forest_valuable_resource_livestock_/?local_news

Craig Daily Press / Wildlife officials urge caution after possible mountain lion sightings

http://craigdailypress.com/news/2007/aug/06/wildlife_officials_urge_caution_afte...
During a summer in which city, county and state officials have fielded dozens of calls a day about bears, another animal may visit area homes — mountain lions. Multiple sightings of a mountain lion and her cub have been reported at the Promontory Condominiums near the intersection of Ski Trail Lane and Apres Ski Way. Steamboat Springs resident Kathy Connell reported the lion sightings twice this week to the Steamboat Division of Wildlife office and the Steamboat Springs Police Department, while a third sighting also was reported.
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The Denver Post - High-country deal opens trails

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6552326...
The most popular path to three of the state's 14,000-foot peaks near Telluride will reopen to hikers under a deal between a conservation group and a Texas developer. The Trust for Public Land has reached a tentative agreement with Rusty Nichols, owner of 220 acres of mining claims, to buy his property, which would provide access to the Silver Pick Trail that leads to Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak and Wilson Peak. There has been only limited access for the past three years. "We really have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here," said Jason Corzine, senior project manager for the nonprofit conservation group.
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(Top)

Health Care and Public Safety

Group on mission to insure eligible kids | county, state, children - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/county_25707___article.html/state_children.html...
Senate Bill 211, an ambitious piece of legislation that sought to provide Colorado’s 180,000 uninsured kids with health care by 2010, was pared to a shell of itself this year because of concerns that it would cost too much. Rather than wait for legislators to craft a cheaper solution, though, a private nonprofit has taken on what officials did not want the state government to do. The Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved is working with volunteers to go into poor communities, find children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Colorado Child Health Plan and sign them up for the government-run plans. Molly Markert, the coalition executive director who is also in charge of the KidzBlitz program, acknowledges that volunteers are not likely to find every uninsured child in the state. But two pilot programs through Arapahoe County churches netted a surprising 100 enrollees earlier this summer, and Markert plans to expand the drive throughout the state later this year, putting special emphasis on El Paso County. Her idea is to work through faith-based organizations, believing they have some of the best contacts with the needy.
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The Coloradoan - Mosquito numbers will rise after rains, but county optimistic

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070806/NEWS01/708060326/1002...
The mosquito population in Fort Collins - including those that carry West Nile virus - could see a spike in coming weeks following Thursday's heavy rain, which left pools of standing water across the city, experts said Friday. "It's pretty cut and dry," said Jessica Schurich, spokeswoman for Colorado Mosquito Control in Loveland. "We anticipate the recent rainfall on Thursday evening will have a substantial impact on floodwater and possibly on the West Nile virus (mosquito) populations. The numbers of mosquitoes are definitely going to go up, but as far as a percentage, it's too early to say."
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The Tribune - Doctors work for care reform

http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070806/NEWS/70806003...
Dr. Cory Carroll has patients with insurance and without. He’s had a patient whose insurance was canceled after she became ill, forcing her to pay the $20,000 bill for her procedures. He’s had a patient who had to file for bankruptcy after paying for his melanoma treatment. That’s a few of several reasons why Carroll supports health care reform, pushing for a national single-payer system. That’s why he spends evenings speaking to groups of people, hoping to teach them that the current health care system has drastic effects on the economy, jobs and education. That’s why he hopes politicians will rally