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This page contains an archive of the last 100 entries posted to ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest in the Health Care and Public Safety category. They are listed from newest to oldest. You can find older entries using the search box below.

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Health Care and Public Safety Archives

February 29, 2008

Top Stories: Senate panel OKs kids health insurance bills | health, care, insurance : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/health_33655___article.html/care_insurance.html...
Two bills intended to provide health insurance for more Colorado children — the crux of Gov. Bill Ritter’s 2008 health care reform proposal — got bipartisan support Thursday in their initial steps through the Legislature. Senate Health and Human Services Committee members sent both measures to the Senate Appropriations Committee after hearing testiand pregnant women who have health care. Ritter has said that of the roughly 160,000 uninsured Colorado children, another 45,000 will get insurance under this plan. SB160 by Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, would increase the maximum income for eligibility in Medicaid or the state’s Child Health Plan Plus insurance programs. It also would presume any child applying for the programs is eligible, allowing them to sign up and receive health care immediately rather than having to wait until eligibility was verified. SB161, meanwhile, removes some of the red tape around signing up for the insurance programs. The main provision of the bill by Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, allows the state to verify income information of applicants through government databases rather than requiring parents to submit cumbersome paperwork they sometimes do not have.
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Bill allowing higher malpractice awards advances : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/bill-allowing-higher-malpracti...
The Senate on Thursday gave initial backing to a bill that would increase the amount juries can award in some medical malpractice suits, a move Republicans said could make doctors stop practicing and make health care more expensive. Democrats said the bill, backed by trial lawyers, simply returns the law to where it was under the state's original tort reform before it was changed in 2003. It's opposed by the state's largest medical malpractice insurer and many doctors, who have been flooding lawmakers with calls and e-mails. The proposal, Senate Bill 164, applies to cases where someone has been disfigured or impaired. It would allow those people to sue for up to $1 million in damages, although the judge could allow jurors to award more money. Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver, said it applies only to a small number of extreme cases such as when someone ends up in a wheelchair or becomes blind because of bad medical care. But Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Sedalia, said creative lawyers would present various kinds of cases as fitting under the disfigurement and impairment category.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - Penry, peers fail to kill malpractice measure

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/28/022908_12b_malpra...
Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and a handful of his peers Thursday unsuccessfully attempted to chop down a bill they said could result in a spike in the size of medical malpractice lawsuits. “At a time of spiraling health care costs, this legislation threatens to increase them even more,” Penry said, attacking Senate Bill 164. The measure, sponsored by Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, effectively increases the amount of money juries can award litigants in malpractice for severe disfigurement. By redefining what a “non-economic” loss is, such as a scar or other handicap caused by medical malpractice, those injuries would fall outside the state’s $300,000 damages cap for nonmonetary injuries. Those types of injuries would fall under a new damages cap of roughly $460,000.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - House panel backs Sunday alcohol sales

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204297679/13...
A ban on Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages may soon be lifted. On an 8-3 vote, a House committee Thursday gave its approval to a measure that would end that practice and allow liquor stores around the state to sell alcohol on Sundays. Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, said it used to be that no business in the state was allowed to open on Sundays. But industry after industry forced that to change over time. "This is nothing more than that," Jahn told the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. "We have an industry that does want to open on Sunday, or at least have a choice to open. That's what this bill does. It simply gives them the choice."
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Sunday liquor-sales bill wins over House panel despite corner-store opposition - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400346...
Start chilling the champagne, liquor fans, because you're three steps away from buying booze on Sundays after Thursday's vote in a House committee. Consumer demand trumped dozens of concerned convenience store owners who bellied up to the witness table to discuss how Sunday sales will drive down demand for lower-strength beer and siphon off their profits. The committee voted 8-3 to pass Senate Bill 82, which must clear a finance committee, the full House and the governor's desk before liquor storeowners can swing open their doors on Sundays. An amendment by Rep. David Balmer that would have allowed convenience stores to sell full-strength beer died before it was introduced. The committee chair refused to let it be heard. Balmer ultimately voted for the bill, though he said it was unfair to the corner stores that are not allowed to sell full-strength beer.
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Prescription costs straying from script - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400050...
Coloradans using a new state prescription program for lower-income people will end up paying more for most drugs than they would at chain pharmacies, according to a Denver Post cost comparison. Those findings have triggered questions from some retailers about the Colorado program. Colorado Cares Rx, unveiled this month by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, is aimed at helping low-income, uninsured and underinsured people afford lifesaving drugs for chronic diseases, said department spokeswoman Joanne Lindsay. The new program is a partnership with RxOutreach, the nonprofit branch of mail-order pharmacy Express Scripts Inc. in St. Louis.
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The Coloradoan - Officials: Flu vaccine not a good match for strains in circulation

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/NEWS01/802290326/1002/...
An ineffective vaccine could be one factor fueling a spike in flu cases in Larimer County, health officials say. Thirty-five people have been hospitalized in Larimer with the flu this season, 29 more than the same time last year, said Jane Viste, spokeswoman for the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.
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Saying good-bye to Capt. Shane Stewart (with video) | News | The Tribune

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080229/NEWS/324491455...
"Dispatch calling Capt. Shane Stewart..." The words of Weld County dispatcher Ron Gies echoed over the radios Thursday afternoon at the Eaton Cemetery as hundreds of people stood in absolute silence. "Dispatch calling Capt. Shane Stewart..." The words came again on the sun-drenched cemetery, as the last call for Stewart, who died Saturday in a fire truck on his way to an emergency call. It was the end of the ceremonious day for the family and friends of Stewart, who was laid to rest after an extensive funeral and procession from the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley to the Eaton Cemetery.
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Jeffco schools say bye-bye to beef that is part of largest U.S. recall : Education : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/jeffco-schools-say-bye-bye-to-...
Lunch for tens of thousands of Jefferson County schoolchildren won't include 400 cases of frozen beef, which were disposed of Thursday morning. Colorado's largest school district had bought some of the 143 million pounds of frozen beef recalled from Chino, Calif.-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. Jeffco warehouse staff threw the meat in dumpsters, said district spokeswoman Melissa Reeves. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the recall Feb. 17. Westland/Hallmark supplies meat to the federal school lunch program.
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Heart Center moves offices to Loveland - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8400221...
Heart Center of the Rockies is relocating its administrative offices to Precision Drive Business Park at Centerra, bringing 40 jobs to Loveland. The move will bring the Heart Center's accounting and finance, heart aware, research and IT departments to the business park.
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Sunny, sad salute to fire captain - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400205...
Volunteer Fire Capt. Shane Stewart was remembered in Greeley on Thursday as a fellow with an impish grin, a mischievous streak and a kind-hearted father of two who went out of his way to help others. Between laughter at some of his practical jokes and a large-screen picture of Stewart in drag, there were heartfelt words of condolence and loss. "He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him," said Scott Wagner, the chief of the Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District. "I felt honored when we moved into the new station, and he asked to have the locker next to mine." Stewart, 33, was killed early Saturday when the 1995 pumper engine he was driving ran off the road as he answered an Ault medical call.
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Dog's tale continues with reunion - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400190...
Rolo the dog trotted around a private kennel's play yard Thursday, and his owner, Laura Hagan, couldn't stop smiling. "I think he knows," said Hagan, who saw her 5-year-old German shepherd for the first time since he escaped a possible date with the executioner. An Arvada judge Wednesday spared Rolo's life but handed Hagan a 90-day suspended jail sentence, a required training regimen and other conditions for a scratch or bite that Rolo inflicted on a neighbor last summer.
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February 28, 2008

Durango Herald Online - Indian health-care act clears Senate

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
The Indian Health Care Improvement Act approved by the U.S. Senate this week closes a number of disparities in health care for American Indians, said Sen. Ken Salazar. "It's been 16 years since Congress conducted a comprehensive review of Indian health care," Salazar, D-Colo., said in a news release. "I'm proud of the bill because it funds programs and services to reduce many health disparities that persist in Native American communities, including 52,000 Native Americans who live in Colorado." The House still must approve its version of the bill.
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Summit Daily News - Scanlan passes two bills out of committee

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080227/NEWS/558581416...
State Rep. Christine Scanlan is wasting no time on Capitol Hill, as she passed two new bills on Tuesday out of the House Transportation and Energy Committee. The two new bills aim to protect passenger safety on ski lifts and school buses. The first, House Bill 1244, continues the passenger safety tramway board for the next 12 years. The board provides oversight for Colorado’s 374 tramways, most of which are ski lifts. “In just the last two years, there have been more than 25 million ski visits to our resorts, which have accounted for more than 250 million rides on our lifts,” Rep. Scanlan said. “Not once has there been a major lift failure or accident during that time. Obviously, we’re doing something right. Keeping this board going for the next 12 years ensures we keep doing it right.”
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Dog dodges death in neighbor assault -- chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-dog-on-trial-feb28,1,3839362....
Rolo the dog, who got loose last summer and bit or scratched a neighbor as she held her toddler, has dodged a death sentence for the second time. In what dog owners hailed as a victory, Arvada Municipal Judge Mike Graber on Wednesday gave the 5-year-old German shepherd a reprieve. But Graber sternly cautioned Rolo's owner that she must comply with a list of sanctions.
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Jeffco Schools' beef goes bye-bye : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/28/jeffco-schools-beef-goes-bye-b...
Lunch for tens of thousands of Jefferson County schoolchildren won't include 400 cases of frozen beef, which is being destroyed starting this morning. Colorado's largest school district bought some of the 143 million pounds of frozen beef being recalled from Chino, Calif.-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. Jeffco warehouse staff will destroy the meat at a Jeffco Schools storage warehouse on Quail Street in Lakewood.
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Judge spares Rolo; sentence gives dog's owner short leash - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8385956...
Rolo the dog, who got loose last summer and bit or scratched a neighbor as she held her toddler, has dodged a death sentence for the second time. In what dog owners hailed as a victory, Municipal Judge Mike Graber on Wednesday gave the 5-year-old German shepherd a reprieve. But Graber sternly cautioned Rolo's owner that she must comply with a list of sanctions. "I'm trying to balance your rights and interests as well as the needs of the community," Graber told Laura Hagan. "If you don't do these things, it would be very serious." Hagan received a 90-day jail sentence that is suspended for one year if Rolo stays out of trouble. Rolo and Hagan also must continue a 12- to 16-week training regimen with monthly progress reports.
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Summit Daily News - Cops, Denver Water iron out details on Dam Road closure

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080227/NEWS/68450203...
Summit County Sheriff John Minor said Tuesday’s sit-down with members of the Denver Water Board “went really well,” as the the agencies discussed communication, safety and security related to the Dillon Dam Road. “Obviously these are issues we will still need to work on as we try to develop this relationship and, like any relationship, it will take time,” said Sheriff John Minor. Denver Water and local law enforcement have recently been subjected to public scrutiny after the Denver Water closed the Dillon Dam Road for nine days in January due to a potential Homeland Security threat.
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Feisty Rolo wins reprieve : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/28/feisty-rolo-wins-reprieve/...
Rolo lives. That's what a judge decided Wednesday afternoon. Assistant Presiding Judge Mike Graber ruled that the German shepherd, in trouble for biting a neighbor, can return to his owner. Not without conditions, however. Laura Hagan, Rolo's owner, has to continue intense training with the dog and learn how to better control him. A 90-day jail sentence for Hagan, who was found guilty Tuesday of having a dog at large and keeping a dangerous animal, will be suspended if the dog stays out of trouble for a year, Graber ruled. Ten of Hagan's neighbors testified at a sentencing hearing that the dog was aggressive and they had concerns ranging from mild to extreme for their safety and the safety of their children. Hagan was found guilty Tuesday of having an at-large dog and having a dangerous animal.
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Skier, 46, dies on Eldora slopes - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8386605...
A skier died Wednesday at Eldora Mountain Resort. Officials said the 46-year-old man was found at 1:15 p.m. at the bottom of West Ridge, an intermediate trail in the Corona area. He was unresponsive and not breathing. Ski patrollers administered life support, but the skier was pronounced dead after about an hour. It was the first skier death "in quite a number of years" at Eldora Mountain Resort," said Rob Linde, resort spokesman.
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February 27, 2008

Air clears at Colorado casinos - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372657...
The air in Colorado's casinos cleared in the first month of a smoking ban, with the levels of harmful air-pollution particles dropping 92 percent, according to a new state report. "It's what we've seen in other states — pretty dramatic results once the smoke-free laws pass," said Jodi Kopke, a spokeswoman for the state health department's Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership. Colorado's smoke-free law passed in 2006, but casinos were exempt until Jan. 1, 2008. For the new study, researchers used personal air-quality monitors that measured the concentration of particles collected by a tube at neck level. "These are the small particles, which are especially dangerous because people inhale them very deeply," Kopke said.
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Metro: Since smoking ban, casino air clearing up | air, ban, smoking : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/air_33569___article.html/ban_smoking.html...
Just a few months ago Colorado casinos were home to clouds of toxic gas, where 250 poisonous chemicals in the bluish smoke threatened the health of everyone in the place. After a Jan. 1 smoking ban took effect, the people playing those slot machines might as well be hiking in the fresh Rocky Mountain air, at least when it comes to what they breathe. Less than two months after the law forced casino customers to snuff out cigarettes at the door, the indoor air quality has improved by 92 percent, according to the State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership, based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The study used a device that measured fine particles in the air before and after the smoking ban took effect. The ban was enacted to protect employees from being exposed to secondhand smoke. It took effect for bars and restaurants in 2006 and was expanded to include casinos beginning Jan. 1.
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Top Stories: Springs hospitals burdened by unpaid bills, low government reimbursements | care, health, hospital : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/care_33566___article.html/health_hospital.html...
Increasing numbers of patients who can’t pay their hospital bills, coupled with low reimbursements from the federal government, are creating unhealthy balance sheets for Colorado Springs’ two main hospital systems. Hospital officials say the rising cost of providing health care services that aren’t reimbursed is eroding profits and leading to a search for answers. “There are no funds out there to offset uncompensated care. We write those off as direct expenses born by the facility,” said Michael Scialdone, chief financial officer for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, which operates Penrose and Penrose Community hospitals. “It’s one of the largest growing expenses for a hospital, and it’s having an impact on the bottom line,” Scialdone said. “When it comes to putting funds into salary increases or new equipment, it has a huge effect.” Providing services that aren’t paid for makes it harder for hospitals to manage operations and make money, officials say.
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CU Hospital's copter site draws concern - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372666...
While the new University of Colorado Hospital has valet parking, private patient rooms and national rankings, some experts question whether the placement of its helipad puts patient care at risk. When critically injured patients are flown by medical helicopters to most hospitals, they can be wheeled on stretchers from the helipads directly into elevators or emergency rooms. However, at the hospital at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the trip to the ER isn't over when the helicopter touches down. Since the helipad is across the street from the hospital, flight medics have to load the patient into an ambulance and then drive to the hospital. "We prefer a helipad that's close to the patients' ultimate destination," said Kathleen Mayer, program director for Flight for Life Colorado. "Any time you're moving a patient in and out of a vehicle, there is the risk that you can dislodge tubes or IV lines or those kinds of things." Or that the ambulance won't be ready and waiting for the helicopter.
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Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Garfield County sees more flu cases over last season, but they’re less severe

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080227/VALLEYNEWS/209775252...
February is the heart of influenza season according to Immunization Program Coordinator for Garfield County Public Health (GCPH), Sara Harter. So far GCPH has recorded only five hospitalizations from Dec. 21, 2007, to Feb. 25, 2008, for Garfield County. That number may seem low, but it’s been a pretty productive flu season according to Harter. “There are more cases than last year, but last year was unusually low,” Harter said. “But the severity of the illnesses have not been as bad.” For the 2006-07 flu season, GCPH had six hospitalizations reported countywide, one more than this season. Hospitalization cases requiring admittance to a hospital for symptoms are the only cases reported to GCPH. But Harter said that more people diagnosed with flu-like symptoms have occurred this year.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - SLV braces for flooding from runoff

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204126358/12...
Spring runoff may be months away, but heavy snowpack in the high country surrounding the San Luis Valley has prompted officials to begin reviewing plans for flood emergencies. With snowpack levels running anywhere from 140 percent to 200 percent of normal across the region's mountains, some think the area could be facing its biggest flood threat since the mid-1980s.
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The Longmont Times-Call - Longmont High: No other MRSA cases emerging

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6835...
The Longmont High School student infected with a drug-resistant strain of staph appears to be an isolated case, principal Rick Olsen said Tuesday. Colorado health departments do not collect data on staph infections, as they do with illnesses such as West Nile virus, and Nisha Alden of Boulder County Public Health said she had not heard of any other cases.
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Vicious-dog verdict stings Rolo's owner - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372805...
It took just an hour Tuesday for jurors to look past Rolo's fuzzy belly and wet snout and see nothing but teeth. The 5-year-old German shepherd was declared dangerous after what amounted to a day of testimony about the time last year when Rolo bit, nipped or maybe just scratched a neighbor. His owner, Laura Hagan, was found guilty of allowing Rolo to run loose and of having a dangerous animal. Today, a judge will decide whether Rolo should be put to death or whether he can be saved by some training, community service by his owner or a combination of remedies. Hagan cried when the verdict was announced. "I have to be a voice for my dog," Hagan said later. "If I hadn't appealed, Rolo would be dead now." The six jurors refused to comment as they were escorted from City Hall by the bailiff and a contingent of police officers.
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February 26, 2008

Senate OKs Sunday liquor-store sales - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_8362971...
State senators on Monday took another step toward prying open the doors of Colorado's liquor stores, voting 23-8 to undo the Prohibition-era blue law banning Sunday sales. Dissenting votes came mostly from Republican stalwarts. The chamber's approval marks the closest Colorado has come in recent history to allowing the stores to open on Sunday. Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, carried the bill to no avail in 2005, when small-liquor-store owners lined up against removing their state-sanctioned day for church, family and relaxation. Senate Bill 82 now moves to the House.
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Sunday booze sales pass Senate, move on to House : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/colo-senate-oks-sunday-booze-b...
The Colorado Senate gave the final thumbs up Monday to a bill that would allow liquor stores to open Sundays, a big step toward scrapping the decades-old ban on Sunday booze sales. The measure now goes to the House, where it's expected to face tougher resistance. The bill, SB 82, cleared the Senate in a 23-8 vote. Currently, 34 states permit Sunday liquor sales. The House Business Affairs and Labor Committee is expected to take up the Sunday liquor bill as early as next week. If passed there, it would go to the Finance Committee. "At the end of the day I think we'll be able to get it out of there," said Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge. But Jahn, a sponsor of the bill, predicted "very, very tight votes" in both committees, citing some lawmakers who oppose the concept of Sunday liquor sales. "Once I get it to the full floor, I think we'll have a little more support," Jahn said.
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Ovarian cancer may offer early clues - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8362902...
Nana Zeligman Sommers was always a small woman, but four years ago, she just couldn't find small enough pants. She was losing weight, shrinking so fast that friends noticed, Sommers said. "That's when it hit me that something had to be wrong," Sommers said. "I got very scared." Two weeks later, a surgeon removed two advanced tumors from her ovaries, one 5 inches across, the other nearly 7. Sommers, now part of the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance, is working to educate post-menopausal women and primary-care doctors about a handful of vague symptoms — from easily feeling full to urinary urgency — that may indicate ovarian cancer if they persist. The list has drawn criticism from some, including Tate Thigpen, director of medical oncology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
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Durango Herald Online - Mumps emerge at the college

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
Fort Lewis College has one confirmed case of mumps and one suspected case, the San Juan Basin Health Department reported Monday. "We don't want to alarm people, but this disease is very contagious," said Patsy Ford, a registered nurse and infectious-disease nurse at the health department. "We're working with the campus health clinic to take care of the problem at the campus level." Mumps is a viral disease that can be spread by contagious droplets from a sneeze, a cough or a kiss, Ford said.
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Glenwood Springs Post Independent - CDOT takes precautions against Basalt flooding

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080225/VALLEYNEWS/849053158...
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is taking precautions to prevent flooding in Basalt in case the Roaring Fork River runs high this spring. CDOT wants to remove an estimated 1,500 cubic yards of sand and cobble stones that have accumulated upstream from the Upper Basalt Bypass Bridge on Highway 82 in the last 20 years, Pete Mertes, resident engineer in Glenwood Springs said Friday. That is roughly the equivalent of 150 loads in dual-axle dump trucks. The project is being undertaken “mainly to be prepared in case of high runoff,” Mertes said. CDOT has applied with the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers for a permit to undertake the work. CDOT wants to begin in middle to late March, Mertes said.
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The Steamboat Pilot & Today: Health care costs hit districts

http://steamboatpilot.com/news/2008/feb/26/health_care_costs_hit_districts/...
Divvying up the Steamboat Springs School District’s budget is more difficult as rising health insurance costs eat up more pieces of the pie each year, said Dale Mellor, the district’s director of finance. Mellor is beginning the 2008-09 budget process without a firm sense of how much health insurance will cost the school district, but he is sure of one thing — insurance costs are skyrocketing. The school district’s insurance provider recently submitted a proposal to increase health insurance costs by 17 percent next year, which is more than the 11 percent annual increase incurred in recent years, Mellor said. “We are currently going out to bid for health insurance because our current carrier is raising rates by 17 percent,” he said. “At a 17 percent increase, it would cost the district approximately $150,000.”
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Grand Junction Sentinel - Beef: It's not what's for school lunch

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/25/022608_1B_Beef_re...
The largest beef recall in history is still keeping meat off of local school lunch menus. “Overall, it’s concerning,” said Karen Urban, who has children at Wingate Elementary and Redlands Middle schools. “Any time there’s something like that, it’s unfortunate. I think the district reacted pretty darn quickly, though.” Urban’s children take their own lunches or alternate between having school lunches and taking lunches. For her daughter, who occasionally eats what the school serves, “beef usually isn’t on her menu.”
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Unlicensed food vendors a health risk

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204039012/16...
A few weeks ago, a woman with a cooler full of tamales walked into a building in the 100 block of North Santa Fe Avenue. She was unable to speak English so may not have known that the Pueblo City-County Health Department Annex was not the best place for an unlicensed food vendor to be peddling her goods. The cooler and a carload of more than 30 dozen more tamales were confiscated and the woman received a citation summons to municipal court.
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The Longmont Times-Call - LHS student contracts staph

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6814...
A Longmont High School student has been hospitalized with a drug-resistant infection, St. Vrain Valley School District officials announced Monday evening. Longmont United Hospital confirmed to the school district late Monday afternoon that an athlete is infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, school district spokesman John Poynton said. Longmont United Hospital spokesman Matt Hartzler did not know about the diagnosis and, because of privacy laws, could not say if the student is still hospitalized.
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Firefighter not wearing seat belt when he crashed | News | The Tribune

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080226/NEWS/953456845...
It's quiet here in the early morning, 16 miles north of Greeley. Flags are at half-staff at the fire station and the post office and at the town park on U.S. 85. Just a few hundred yards south of town, the black skid marks in the road are still there. A muddy scar in an empty corn field and a homemade cross mark the spot where Shane Stewart died. The 33-year-old Stewart died early Saturday morning when his fire truck rolled and he was thrown out. He was a captain on the Ault-Pierce Fire Department, and he left a wife and two young children. It began when a call went out to firefighters of a medical emergency in Ault. Firefighters from that station were responding, and Stewart left his home and went to the Pierce station, driving the truck south to assist the other firefighters. He never made it.
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Woman testifies that dog bit her twice - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8365506...
Rolo, a German shepherd whose life depends on the outcome of a trial that started Monday, was loose last summer when he charged and bit an Arvada woman, the alleged victim testified. Rolo and another dog "were charging full speed at me; terrified, I was screaming," Kathy Hardin told a six-member jury in Arvada Municipal Court. Hardin said she picked up her 14-month-old son during a walk near their Olde Town Arvada home. She said she turned from the charging dogs to protect her son and Rolo bit her. "I absorbed the bite (from Rolo) into my behind," Hardin said. Rolo bit her twice, she testified, leaving puncture wounds she identified in photographs and has caused her to have physical therapy for the past nine months. The owner of the 5-year-old dog, Laura Hagan, has been charged with allowing Rolo to run at large and owning a dangerous dog.
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Two skiers found safe in Pitkin County - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8358853...
Two backcountry skiers missing since Sunday survived a night outdoors in a snowy wilderness near Aspen and made their way to civilization today. Zeke Tiernan, 32, and Sean Thomas, became disoriented in a blinding snowstorm that started about 3 p.m. Sunday, said Pitkin County Undersheriff Joe DiSalvo.
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More animals seized from Larimer rescue - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8360557...
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office, veterinarians from Colorado State University, and the Larimer Humane Society have seized a calf, a sheep and three goats from the Animal Angels Horse Rescue in Fort Collins. The owner, Alesha Matchett, has 10 days to post $1500 bond to prevent the dispersal of the animals to foster facilities. Matchett already faces up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine on counts of animal cruelty for the 33 other animals seized from the horse rescue in December and January.
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February 25, 2008

Discounted drugs available to residents : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/25/discounted-drugs-available-to-...
Two lawmakers Sunday urged Coloradans to take advantage of a new program that provides generic drugs at a discount to low- and middle-income residents. An estimated 400,000 state residents are eligible for the Colorado Cares Rx Program, which started about a month ago. State officials did not have any information on the number who have signed up thus far. "As a nurse, I have seen far too many patients ask for a cheaper alternative drug when written a prescription," said Rep. Sara Gagliardi, D-Arvada, during a news conference on the west steps of the Capitol. The program, approved by the legislature last year and signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter in February 2007, allowed Colorado to join with other states to get steeper discounts on prescriptions for qualified residents.
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Bill to OK Sunday booze sales advances - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8347542...
A major change to the state's liquor laws moved a step closer to fruition Friday when the Senate passed with little opposition a bill allowing Sunday alcohol sales. Senate Bill 82, sponsored by Denver Democrat Jennifer Veiga, would eliminate the decades-old law that bars Sunday sales. Veiga said that when the old law was passed, most businesses already were closed Sunday. Now, she said, Sunday has become a day when consumers do a large amount of their shopping and businesses get a sizable amount of their revenue. "It's anticipated to be a win-win," she said.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Sunday liquor sales measure gains ground

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1203746400/1...
No one was more surprised than the bill's sponsor that no lawmaker in the Colorado Senate rose Friday to speak against a measure ending a Sunday-sales ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages. Considering how much passionate discussion the measure has had in the past, state Sen. Jennifer Veiga expected to hear more of those same objections. Regardless, though, the Denver Democrat said she was pleased the Senate gave it preliminary approval. "The only impediment to Sunday sales I think for the longest time was the fear of grocery (sales of alcohol)," Veiga said. "I think they've seen the writing on the wall, and they recognize that consumers are demanding more convenience."
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Blaze, explosion shake Durango tourist district : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/23/blaze-explosion-shake-durango-...
A fire that started in a restaurant kitchen caused a powerful explosion in Durango's downtown tourist district Friday, injuring seven firefighters and gutting three buildings. About 1:40 p.m., smoke and flames were reported visible on the roof of the Seasons restaurant, in the 700 block of Main Avenue, according to the Associated Press. The fire spread to an adjoining T-shirt shop and another restaurant, said Dave Abercrombie, public information officer for the Durango Fire and Rescue Authority. About 2:30 p.m., an explosion blew out the fronts of Seasons, Le Rendevous and Half-Price Tees, showering the street with debris, witnesses said. One firefighter who was on the roof was blown upward and almost fell off, the Durango Herald reported.
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Springs hospital on top 50 list : Health Care : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/25/springs-hospital-on-top-50-lis...
HealthGrades, the Golden-based health care ratings organization, today identified America’s 50 Best Hospitals, an elite class of top-performing facilities. The designation represents the health care industry’s only quality ranking based solely on objective clinical outcomes among U.S. hospitals. Centura Health’s Penrose St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs is the only Colorado hospital on the list, which contains nationally known facilities such as Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland.
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Volunteer firefighter killed en route to emergency - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8345654...
A member of the Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District rolled a fire truck and was killed this morning on a rural road in Weld County, authorities say. The firefighter was headed to a medical emergency in Ault today at 6:24 a.m. when the truck rolled at the intersection of Weld County roads 33 and 88, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins of the Colorado State Patrol. The volunteer firefighter's name has not been released pending notification of family members, Watkins said.
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Metro: Springs baby one of youngest to contract botulism | botulism, food, health : Gazette.com