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Daily News Digest for 01/24/2008

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Top Stories

National News

Senate Opens Debate On Wiretap Measure - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/23/AR2008012302179....
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) wrote in a letter to President Bush that Congress needs another month to agree on a replacement for a temporary surveillance law, which lawmakers approved as a stopgap measure last August and is to expire on Feb. 1. "The legislative process on this critical issue should neither be rushed, nor tainted by political gamesmanship," Reid wrote. But Vice President Cheney said in a speech yesterday that Congress "must act now" to renew the expiring surveillance law and provide telecommunications companies with protection from lawsuits alleging they violated personal privacy rights while helping the government after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Those who assist the government in tracking terrorists should not be punished with lawsuits," Cheney said at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The temporary surveillance law -- approved under heavy White House pressure -- gives the government broad powers to eavesdrop on the communications of terrorism suspects without warrants. It effectively legalized many of the practices employed by the National Security Agency as part of a secret program approved by Bush in late 2001.
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A Fear That the Cure Could Be Poison - New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/business/24fed.html?ref=business...
Even as the Federal Reserve grapples with the collapse of a speculative bubble in housing — the second speculative bust in less than a decade — is it at risk of repeating recent mistakes? One day after the Fed slashed its benchmark interest rate to head off a possible recession, a small minority of economists warned on Wednesday that the central bank was in danger of invoking the same remedies that it did after the bubble in dot-com stocks burst seven years ago. Though most experts agree that the economy is on the brink of a recession, and some even contend the recession has already begun, critics say the Fed’s attempted rescue looks uncomfortably similar to the aggressive rate reductions that aggravated the speculative bubble in housing.
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EPA staff finds emissions threat - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-endanger24jan24,1,887919.st...
The Environmental Protection Agency's staff concluded last month that greenhouse gases pose a threat to the nation's welfare, which would require federal regulations to rein in emissions from vehicles, factories, power plants and other industrial polluters under the Clean Air Act, sources in the agency told The Times. The conclusion, known as an "endangerment" finding, has been sent to the White House for review, and comes as the agency is under a Supreme Court order to examine risks from greenhouse gases. The agency also faces a lawsuit from at least 16 state governments over their attempts to regulate vehicle gas emissions. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, who had promised to propose regulations of vehicle emissions by the end of last year, has been summoned to testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today to answer questions about why he refused to allow California to enact its own law, despite clear signals from his staff that the state's request was justified.
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As Gazans pour across, a region alters - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza24jan24,1,1952583.story...
The collapse of Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday altered the region's political and security landscape as suddenly as it changed the fortunes of Palestinians who poured out of the enclave to stock up on goods made scarce by an Israeli blockade. After masked gunmen used land mines to blast through a 7-mile-long border wall, tens of thousands of jubilant Gazans went on an Egyptian spree, buying gasoline, heating oil, rice, sugar, milk, cheese, cigarettes, tires, cement, television sets and cellphones. But the breach triggered alarm in Israel over the prospect that Palestinian militants could return with weapons, slipping into crowds of shoppers lugging household merchandise to the impoverished territory run by the Islamic movement Hamas. Israeli leaders were stunned by the sudden turn of events, which gave Hamas at least a temporary victory over the government's effort, backed by the United States and Egypt, to keep Gaza isolated. Hamas planned, or at least tolerated, the barrier's demolition, and its policemen directed the cross-border traffic.
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Colorado News

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Allard, Salazar promise to tackle economic woes

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1201187288/13...
How quickly the debate changes. When the Senate recessed last month, Democratic and Republican lawmakers were still sparring over the Iraq war and President Bush's strategy of vetoing every budget bill that Democrats approved that exceeded his spending goals. Then came the stock market roller coaster in January and a bipartisan fire drill has broken out in Washington, D.C., as the president, as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers, are promising to fashion a quick legislative bandage to keep the economy from lurching into a broader recession. Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard, a retiring Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, joined in on the bandage discussion this week. Allard called for a package of tax cuts to stimulate new spending. He has been a steady supporter of making the Bush administration's tax cuts permanent and said that strategy is the route to putting money in consumer's pockets and encouraging new business spending.
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The Tribune - Health care commission ready to report to the legislature

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080124/NEWS/126392798...
Yellow dots blanket a small, bluish map of Greeley in Mark Wallace's hands. A member of Gov. Bill Ritter's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Reform, Wallace pulls that map out often to illustrate the problem of Colorado's uninsured: Health care is not just a poor-person's problem. Each dot on the map, reminiscent of those old population maps in high school geography, represents a person who has sought health care assistance -- and a plethora of dots cover the map in all Greeley zip codes. "My neighborhood is on here," said Wallace, president of the Northern Colorado Health Alliance and also the executive director of the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment. "There are people here whose neighborhoods have values that are extremely high. "It's not all about people living in the red zone and who have the highest poverty. There are people in Colorado who make $75,000 and don't have health insurance."
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Ritter plan promotes paper ballots as 'tried-and-true' : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/ritter-proposes-paper-ballots-...
Gov. Bill Ritter and legislative leaders announced a plan Wednesday to have voters statewide cast paper ballots at polling sites for this year's primary and general elections. The proposal would dramatically change how elections are conducted and was intended to put Colorado on firm footing after more than a month of election planning chaos. Voter activist groups called the plan a major step toward trustworthy elections in Colorado. But county clerks who have been pushing for all-mail elections said Ritter's proposal will cause long lines on Election Day, require counties to spend millions on machines to count paper ballots, and create potentially insurmountable administrative hurdles. Mesa County Clerk Janice Rich called it a "train wreck."
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Grand Junction Sentinel - Energy industry: Maybe we'll leave

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/01/23/012408_1aEnergyIn...
Colorado’s oil and gas industry is hopping mad about new energy development regulations being written by the state, so much so that industry members say it could force them to look outside Colorado for business. “This rulemaking is so critical to us, our whole focus is on this rulemaking,” Colorado Oil and Gas Association President Meg Collins told The Daily Sentinel’s editorial board Wednesday. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is in the process of writing regulations under two new laws passed last year mandating that energy companies consult with state health, environment and wildlife officials before drilling permits are granted. A draft of the new rules, which would require a new level of permitting, is due in March. Officials from COGA, Williams Production and EnCana Oil and Gas USA told The Daily Sentinel they are vehemently opposed to the rulemaking because they feel the Oil and Gas Commission is overstepping what the laws require, and industry hasn’t been adequately represented in the rulemaking process.
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Colorado News

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Civil Liberties and Equality

Colorado mountain town urges Iraq exit | Politics West

http://www.politicswest.com/local_western_politics/17979/colorado_mountain_town_...
Anti-Iraq war activists have found Nederland. Saying the war is “draining enormous resources,” the board of trustees of the Colorado town adopted a resolution last night urging the federal government to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. “Nederland’s young people serving in the military may be killed in pursuing this war,” said the resolution, which passed 5-2. “Nederland residents are directly impacted by the $452 (billion) that has been removed from our national coffers.” But a spokesperson for the leader of the free world, Blair Jones, said the president’s strategy already is “allowing us to begin bringing troops home.” “We are making progress in Iraq, and withdrawing before we have completed our mission would have dire consequences for the region and our national security. If we were to leave before the job is done, chaos could ensue,” said Jones, speaking for the White House. The town’s clerk, Christi Icenogle said the measure passed at the initiative of Mountain Forum for Peace, a group of activists who gathered about 200 signatures from the community to present the resolution.
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The Denver Post - Water workers quit in noose case

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8060942...
Two Aurora Water employees have resigned over an allegation they left a noose for a black employee to find. "We were in the process of terminating based on our investigation when they chose to resign," city spokeswoman Kim Stuart said. The two had been on paid leave since the noose was found by a black employee in an Aurora Water work shed in Douglas County in November. Stuart said she could not name the employees or elaborate on the internal investigation, citing rules governing personnel.
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Parade organizer critical of low fines : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/parade-organizer-critical-of-l...
The organizer of the 2007 Columbus Day parade is glad protesters were found guilty of blocking the event, but he's not happy with the low fines they received. "How many times could I break the law before I got severely punished?" George Vendegnia, a Denver businessman who organized the parade, asked Wednesday. The parade has been stopped by protesters every year since 2000, when the celebration was revived. Until Tuesday, however, no protester had been convicted. A Denver County Court jury convicted protest organizer Glenn Morris of disrupting a lawful assembly. The Rev. Julie Todd was convicted of obstructing passage on a street, and Koreena Montoya, of Denver, was found guilty of resisting arrest and interfering with police.
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The Tribune - Mayor, DA don't want rapper to perform in city venue

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080124/NEWS/475560768...
Mayor Ed Clark and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck are pressuring a promoter who plans to bring a rap concert to an Island Grove Regional Park building to pull the plug. Buck and Clark say that the headliner, Mr. Capone-E, will be glorifying gangs in a city that is still struggling with a gang problem. "This guy coming here is the exact opposite of what we're trying to do," Clark said. One of the main issues, Clark and Buck say, is the fact that Mr. Capone-E would perform at a city facility, so it's almost as if the city is promoting the show. The show, in fact, has already been booked, and though Buck said he may explore breaking the contract if he can find a clause about security issues, it appears the show may go on if the promoter, Mark Hedin, chooses to put it on.
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Crime and Penal Reform

The Denver Post - Special prosecutor: DA didn't withhold Masters evidence

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8054032...
Adams County District Attorney Don Quick wanted to make his role in the Tim Masters case clear: He was asked to find out whether Masters had a fair trial, not whether Masters was innocent. Quick and his team were on the case for 9 months, at the request of the Larimer County district attorney, who sought a special prosecutor to examine the case because he had a conflict of interest since his office prosecuted Masters originally. Masters was convicted by jurors in March 1999 of the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick. She was found in a field in Fort Collins after being stabbed in the back and sexually mutilated. Quick said Tuesday in his office that his investigation determined that Masters did not get a fair trial. He would not say whether he believes Masters is innocent, in part, because the case could be reopened against him. "The question is," Quick said, " 'Did he have a fair trial?' No."
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The Denver Post - Ft. Collins police to continue Hettrick probe

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8056867...
Fort Collins police say detectives will continue their investigation to find Peggy Hettrick's killer, a day after Tim Masters — the man convicted in her 1987 slaying — was set free because of new DNA evidence. The Masters matter will be "thoroughly and objectively investigated" with due regard for the rights of everyone involved, Fort Collins Police Chief Dennis Harrison said in a press release. "This case has been, and continues to be, about justice for Peggy Hettrick and all involved."
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Masters juror angry, sorry : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/id-like-to-tell-him-im-sorry/...
One day, Tom Turner hopes, he will sit down face-to-face with Tim Masters and apologize for being part of the system that broke down. A member of the jury that convicted Masters of murder, Turner first experienced a trickle of doubt after seeing a 2000 television documentary about Peggy Hettrick's killing that included evidence he never saw in the courtroom. And then, over the past few months, he experienced anger and other emotions as he concluded that the jury was "manipulated" by the police officers and prosecutors who presented the case against Masters. "Someday, maybe if he would be willing, I'd like to tell him I'm sorry - I'm sorry that you lost 10 years of your life," Turner said Wednesday, a day after he and his wife sat in a Fort Collins courtroom and watched as a judge tossed out Masters' murder conviction. That move came after recently completed tests linked skin-cell DNA on Hettrick's clothing to a former boyfriend of hers - a stunning twist in a vexing case that began with the discovery of her body in a south Fort Collins field the morning of Feb. 11, 1987.
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The Coloradoan - Masters case may have long reach

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/NEWS01/801240375/1002/...
While local police and prosecutors say they are committed to ensuring that accused criminals are treated fairly, a well-known local legal expert said Tim Masters' release on Tuesday may ultimately give local jurors pause when deciding future cases. "I don't see this as in a major way shaking our confidence, but people are going to be more skeptical. And I would argue that's a good thing," said Prabha Unnithan, a Colorado State University professor of sociology who specializes in criminal justice issues.
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Attorneys begin work on transition back into world : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/masters-out-real-world/...
A day after watching Tim Masters walk out of court a free man, his attorneys began working in earnest to help his transition back into the world. "I've got to take him out and show him how to buy a sandwich," attorney David Wymore said Wednesday morning, only half joking. Masters' attorneys were making arrangements to assess his physical well-being, and were working to get him counseling. They also were trying to keep him away from "the entertainment industry," Wymore said.
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Expert: Case shows need to save evidence : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/new-clues-old-evidence/...
The science that led to the freeing of Tim Masters is evolving quickly, allowing the discovery of DNA in places where it couldn't be found just a few years ago. "You swab the inside of a gun and you get skin cells from the last person who loaded it," said Barry Scheck, one of the country's leading forensic experts. "You find blood that seeped into the handle of a knife." Scheck, an attorney best known for his work in the O.J. Simpson murder case, said the Masters case illustrates that even old evidence can yield new clues and underscores the importance of preserving it.
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Top Stories: SUNRISE: Medicinal marijuana plants taken (for tokin'?) | creek, marijuana, colorado - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/creek_32320___article.html/marijuana_colorado.ht...
Move over car stereos, bicycles and iPods. There’s a new item on the Colorado Springs Police Department’s list of stolen goods ... marijuana. Police officers responded to a burglary shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the 4800 block of Gatewood Drive, in southeast Colorado Springs, according to a police report. When they arrived, officers found eight marijuana plants had been taken. The owner, they learned, had a license to grow the marijuana for medicinal purposes. Witnesses reported seeing two suspects, including one who was “seen leaving the residence carrying what appeared to be a large plant.” No arrests have been made.
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The Denver Post - Ex-city worker gets 29 years in assault on boy

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8060945...
A former city employee was sentenced to 29 years in prison Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. Jermaine Vaden's sentence will be followed by 20 years of sex offender intensive probation, 18th Judicial District Court spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said in a news release. Vaden was hired in May as a seasonal worker for the city parks department. He was working at the city-sponsored KidSpree event July 16 when he met the boy whom he is accused of assaulting.
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Denver cop cited in fatal crash with SUV : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/denver-cop-cited-in-fatal-cras...
Denver police have issued a summons for careless driving to an officer who crashed his patrol car into a sport utility vehicle on Oct. 7 while responding to another officer's call for help. A passenger in the SUV died. Ronald Helm was cited for one count of careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of careless driving resulting in death. Both charges are misdemeanors. Helm is off patrol duty pending the outcome of the case.
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Economy

Durango Herald Online - State might pull out of stocks linked to Iran

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
Colorado's retirement fund might sell its stocks in two of the world's biggest oil companies to punish the government of Iran. Gov. Bill Ritter and leaders of the Public Employees Retirement Association announced the plan Tuesday. "Iran is a destabilizing force in a very serious way. Continued investment in companies that promote the Iranian economy allow that destabilization to continue to happen," Ritter said. The country sponsors terrorism and sends weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ritter said. PERA might have "several hundred million dollars" invested in Iran-linked companies, said PERA chief Meredith Williams, but those numbers are somewhat dated. PERA's investments include Netherlands-based Shell and France-based Total. Shell operates oil and gas wells in Colorado and is considering a major oil-shale development near Rifle. The PERA plan would not prevent the companies from operating in Colorado. PERA will research companies with alleged ties to Iran. Its board will then vote on actions that could include divestment, according to a summary of the plan.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Allard, Salazar promise to tackle economic woes

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1201187288/13...
How quickly the debate changes. When the Senate recessed last month, Democratic and Republican lawmakers were still sparring over the Iraq war and President Bush's strategy of vetoing every budget bill that Democrats approved that exceeded his spending goals. Then came the stock market roller coaster in January and a bipartisan fire drill has broken out in Washington, D.C., as the president, as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers, are promising to fashion a quick legislative bandage to keep the economy from lurching into a broader recession. Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard, a retiring Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, joined in on the bandage discussion this week. Allard called for a package of tax cuts to stimulate new spending. He has been a steady supporter of making the Bush administration's tax cuts permanent and said that strategy is the route to putting money in consumer's pockets and encouraging new business spending.
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The Denver Post - Wrestling with an economic fix

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8059273...
Tax rebates and interest-rate cuts like the kind being called for by government leaders won't be enough to revive the U.S. economy, a tiny but growing number of voices is arguing. Some financial experts say something more radical is needed, possibly similar to the savings-and-loan bailout, which had the government selling off troubled properties in the early 1990s. "If we wind up with a recession, it will have less to do with housing and energy than the credit crunch that began in the first week of August," said Lou Barnes, president of mortgage lender Boulder West Financial Services. Barnes argued for radical intervention when the credit crisis first broke last summer. The deepening slowdown, manifesting in sharp declines in stock values this month, has brought others around. Benn Steil, director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, broached the idea in a Financial Times editorial in late December with Mark Fisch, a managing partner at Continental Properties.
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The Denver Post - Colo. leaders to phase out Iran investments

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8055052...
Colorado leaders announced plans Tuesday to phase out state investments tied to Iran, denouncing the regime for smuggling explosives into Iraq and Afghanistan that are killing American soldiers. "Iran is a destabilizing force in a very serious way," said Gov. Bill Ritter, surrounded by Jewish leaders, lawmakers and the head of the pension fund for state workers. "Most of the funerals that I've been to for Colorado soldiers — they've been killed by IEDs." Iran isn't the only nation selling so-called improvised explosive devices, but U.S. leaders believe it is smuggling them into Iraq and across the western border of Afghanistan. The divestment policy for the state Public Employees' Retirement Association — which has about $38 billion in investments for 400,000 current and former workers — requires the board to single out corporations that have invested at least $20 million in Iranian energy companies. It's up to trustees, though, to decide whether to divest. Also, the board vowed not to seek any new investments with Iranian ties.
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The Denver Post - Season-ticket resale bill advances

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8058713...
A bill that would allow season-ticket holders for the Denver Broncos and other sports teams to sell their tickets for a profit made it out of a Senate committee Wednesday. After the committee's 4-1 vote in favor of the bill, Broncos officials said the team plans to send out letters to fans to whip up opposition. "It sounds like they're against ticket scalping but they're for certain people selling their tickets for a profit," said Joe Ellis of the Broncos. "We're trying to figure out the difference."
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Aspen Times News - Aspen tourism not immune to recession

http://aspentimes.com/article/20080124/NEWS/494929964...
If fears that the U.S. is heading into a recession prove true, history shows that Aspen will pay a price. Lift ticket sales for the Aspen Skiing Co. fell 6 percent during the 2001-02 winter, after recession and the 9/11 terrorist attacks delivered a one-two punch. Taxable retail sales plummeted by $26 million in 2001 from the prior year. Sales fell from $401 million in 2000 to $374 million in 2001. They fell another $7 million while bottoming out in 2002, city sales tax records show. It took through 2004 for taxable retail sales to climb back to 2000 levels. The statistics indicate that Aspen’s reputation for being recession-proof is a myth.
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The Denver Post - Spire work starts again

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8060631...
After four months of sitting idle, construction is scheduled to start back up today on developer Randy Nichols' 41-story Spire condominium tower downtown. Nichols had to halt work on the project at 14th and Champa streets after the New York lender that originally agreed to finance the project pulled out. "We're back amongst the living," Nichols said Wednesday. Real-estate brokers cheered news that the stalled project is back on track, but one expert cautioned that the new deal with a different lender is not necessarily a sign that credit markets are suddenly loosening up.
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United Launch gets deal worth $505 million : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/united-launch-gets-deal-worth-...
Centennial-based United Launch Alliance won a Pentagon contract worth as much as $505.3 million to provide rocket launch services for the federal agency in charge of the nation's spy satellites. ULA is the joint rocket-launch venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. ULA will provide three satellite launches for the the National Reconnaissance Office using Boeing's Delta IV rocket, the Pentagon said on its Web site. Currently, $253.7 million has been obligated to the contract.
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Telco buys fiber-optic networks : Tech & Telecom : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/telco-buys-fiber-optic-network...
Dan Caruso's prolific BearonBusiness.com blog opines about the telecommunications industry, pays homage to Warren Buffett, relishes riddles and chronicles the careers of the "MFS mafia." That's the three dozen or so people from old MFS Communications who have gone on to become executives at their own telcos. James Crowe and Kevin O'Hara of Broomfield-based Level 3 Communications are prime examples. So are Caruso and John Scarano, co-founders of Louisville- based Zayo Group. These aren't exactly heady days for the telecommunications industry, given the housing crisis and jitters over a likely recession. But Caruso and Scarano are finding market conditions ripe to buy up small fiber-optic networks across the country and sell chunks of bandwidth to communications carriers, Internet providers and other Web-centric companies.
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The Denver Post - Qwest to move 200 jobs as part of consolidation

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8059296...
Qwest on Wednesday notified about 200 directory-assistance and operator workers, including 36 in Colorado Springs, that their jobs will be moved to other locations as part of a consolidation. The workers can accept the transfer, apply for a new position or receive a compensation package based on terms of their employment, said spokeswoman Jennifer Barton. The 36 Colorado Springs jobs will be moved to Pueblo. The rest of the affected operator workers will be transferred from New Mexico, South Dakota and North Dakota to Minnesota, Utah and Iowa.
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Education

The Denver Post - Survey to gauge higher ed's stature

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8060948...
Coloradans will be surveyed this year on how much they like the state's higher-education system and what it would take for them to give it more money, the state's higher-education chief told the University of Colorado Board of Regents on Wednesday. Higher-education leaders will probably seek a ballot measure in 2009 to secure the state's 27 public colleges and universities more money. A study released this year found that Colorado's public schools were collectively down $750 million compared with peer institutions. David Skaggs, the executive director for the Colorado Department of Higher Education, warned CU's elected officials that the public colleges and universities needed to get along this budget cycle in order to gain goodwill among voters.
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Colorado Daily News - Colleges short on cash

http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2008/01/24/news/c_u_and_boulder/news2.txt...
It was business as usual at the CU Board of Regents meeting on Wednesday, as higher education leaders across the state got together to discuss their pervasive dilemma: a drastic shortfall in funding. One idea: take the case for more funding to the public on the 2009 ballot. That's at least the tactic the state's higher education director, David Skaggs, wants to pursue, but the path to the ballot is fraught with question marks - namely, can the public be sold on the idea of increasing their support for higher education, and can the various colleges and universities keep from clawing at each other as they clamor for a piece of the funding pie?
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CU may get lucky with funding : CU News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/24/cu-may-get-lucky-with-funding/...
Colorado higher-education leaders are considering a pitch that would funnel some profits generated by electronic gambling machines at race tracks to the state's colleges and universities. David Skaggs -- executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education -- said Wednesday that the state's public schools are being asked by a political strategist working with race tracks whether they would want to be "beneficiaries" of some of the revenue brought in from proposed casino-style gambling machines.
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Randolph teachers displeased by union : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/bruce-randolph-teachers-reject...
Teachers at Bruce Randolph School on Wednesday called their union's response to their autonomy request "unacceptable" and said they'll consider other options to run the north Denver school their way. Those options could include applying to become a charter school, which would give the Randolph staff the greater freedoms they sought in hiring, time in school and budgeting. But it's an idea that Randolph teacher Greg Ahrnsbrak is reluctant to discuss. "We feel we're being pushed to look at that," he said. "We want some of those advantages that charter schools have . . . but we want to serve the neighborhood children, and we're not going to deviate from that."
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The Denver Post - School rebuffs union offer

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8060938...
Teachers at a school in northeast Denver seeking freedom from union and district rules will move forward with their autonomy plan, despite failing to get wholesale approval from their union. Teachers and administrators at Bruce Randolph School want control over the school's budget, teacher time, incentives and hiring decisions and to be free from union and district red tape that they say is impeding student progress. Denver's school board last month agreed to the Bruce Randolph autonomy proposal, but the teachers union balked Tuesday at permitting much of the school's request — which sought waivers from 18 articles of the union contract and parts of six other articles.
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CU provides more aid than many schools : CU News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/24/cu-more-aid-to-the-masses/...
The University of Colorado provides more financial aid for its students than other schools nationwide, according to a report reviewed by the Board of Regents on Wednesday. Fifty-five percent of the CU system's $138.4 million of financial aid awarded -- excluding student loans -- came from the school itself. That compares to a 41-percent rate nationally.
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Top Stories: Falcon campus in works | school, campus, ppcc - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/school_32305___article.html/campus_ppcc.html...
Pikes Peak Community College plans to open a full-service campus in Falcon as early as this August. The campus would be housed in what was formerly Falcon Middle School on U.S. Highway 24 in Falcon School District 49. It would be the fourth campus for PPCC and the first new site in a decade. Currently, anyone in eastern El Paso County, from the booming suburbs of Falcon and northeast Colorado Springs to the rural plains, must drive to one of three Colorado Springs campuses or take online community college courses. The nearest PPCC campus, northern Colorado Springs’ Rampart Range, is more than 13 miles from Falcon and much farther for people in such places as Peyton, El- licott and Calhan. “Bottom line is it’s more opportunities. That’s what we’re giving,” said Falcon School District 49 board member Dave Martin. The district plans to lease part of the middle school to PPCC.
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The Denver Post - Gannett talk about CSU newspaper alarms its staff

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8056845...
The editor of Colorado State University's newspaper is asking students to protest a possible partnership between the student-run newspaper and media giant Gannett. Executives from a Gannett newspaper in Fort Collins, The Coloradoan, have met with university officials about the possibility of a strategic partnership with CSU's Rocky Mountain Collegian. "This is a takeover," Rocky Mountain Collegian Editor David McSwain said today. "Students would lose their salary. The next thing you know, we are volunteering for big media. This has never been the mission statement of this newspaper." McSwain has been in touch with student groups and others on the campus seeking their support to fight the deal.
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The Tribune - UNC to receive $1 million grant from Department of Education

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080124/NEWS/237232288...
The University of Northern Colorado will have $1 million to use in a program to help guide low-income and first-generation students into college. The U.S. Department of Education announced UNC was the recipient of a $1 million, four-year grant to implement a new Classic Upward Bound Program, the university announced this week. The money will be used for a federally funded program that would serve 50 low-income and first-generation students from Greeley Central High School and will emphasize literacy and language development. Students will attend on-campus classes six to eight hours a week and participate in activities as well as receive advising, tutoring and mentioning through high school graduation. A six-week non-residential, on-campus summer program will emphasize the expressive arts.
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Damages limited in CU hazing suit : CU News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/24/damages-limited-in-cu-hazing-suit/...
The Colorado Supreme Court this week capped the amount of money the mother of a University of Colorado freshman who died of alcohol poisoning may recover in her lawsuit against the fraternities and students she alleges are responsible for her son's 2004 death. Leslie Lanahan filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Chi Psi fraternity, the Alpha Psi Delta corporation and seven fraternity members in April 2006, alleging they were responsible for fatally hazing Lynn Gordon "Gordie" Bailey, 18, who had received a bid to join CU's Chi Psi chapter. Lanahan argued that, if she were to win in court, she should be able to receive a maximum of $250,000 in non-economic damages -- covering pain and suffering -- from each defendant listed in the lawsuit. Because nine different organizations and people are named as defendants, Lanahan argued she should be allowed to recover as much as $2.25 million. But the state's highest court ruled this week that the $250,000 cap applies per lawsuit, not per defendant.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - Principal won't return

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/01/23/012408_1B_Redland...
Parents of students at Redlands Middle School received letters from School District 51 this week saying the school’s principal, Kimberly Heutzenroeder, is on leave and will not return to the job. District 51 officials confirmed Wednesday that Heutzenroeder, 43, will not return to her duties as principal but did not provide a reason. “It’s strictly a personnel matter between the district and Kimberly Heutzenroeder,” District 51 spokesman Jeff Kirtland said.
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Effective and Ethical Government

The Denver Post - Bruce censure vote slated

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8058714...
Rep. Douglas Bruce's colleagues are expected to vote today on whether to censure him for behaving "inappropriately and in a manner incompatible with the high standards and dignity" of the House. Bruce — who kicked a news photographer snapping his picture during prayer — could become the first lawmaker ever censured in Colorado. The censure resolution says nothing of forcing Bruce to apologize, which an investigative panel suggested. Speaker Andrew Romanoff will decide whether Bruce must be present in the House if punished.
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Polis wants answers on ed panel expenses : Elections : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/polis-wants-answers-on-ed-pane...
Jared Polis has asked state education officials to explain how he racked up nearly $1,000 in expenses while serving on its board. Polis said Wednesday he never submitted expenses during his six-year stint on the state Board of Education. The Boulder multimillionaire said his policy from Day 1 was not to seek reimbursement for mileage, meals or other expenses. Polis' term expired in January 2007. He now is one of three Democrats running in the 2nd Congressional District for U.S. Rep. Mark Udall's seat. A state lawmaker this week requested a formal audit of state school board expenses, which included dinners for the entire board and reimbursements to one board member for nearly $26,000. Records for the last fiscal year show Polis was reimbursed $997. Polis said he has no idea for what, but if it's true he plans to reimburse the state. The records also show that Polis received a $212 clock as a going-away gift from his colleagues. The clock appears to have been bought with taxpayer money, which Polis said he wasn't aware of.
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Censure vote on tap; no apology : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/censure-vote-on-tap-no-apolo