Daily news digest 6/23-25/2007
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TOP STORIES
Filmmaker Moore presides at Colorado health care rally
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601416,00.html
Sonji Wilkes worries about how she will continue to pay for her young son's medical bills, which are approaching $1 million a year. Thomas, now 3, was diagnosed at birth with a severe type of hemophilia that has required up to $750,000 annually in treatment. Already, Thomas has been kicked off of their private insurance company's policy after reaching the $1 million lifetime limit, his mother said. He has since been approved for CoverColorado, a last-resort insurance plan from the state for people who do not qualify for private insurance. However, CoverColorado has a $1 million limit as well - a figure Thomas likely will reach in a year. On Sunday evening, Wilkes, along with her husband and three children, were at the state Capitol with hundreds of others to spread the word about health care reform and hear more about Michael Moore's new film Sicko. The movie, due to be released Friday, is an examination of the country's health insurance industry and Moore's view of what should be done to change it.
RELATED: Michael Moore, nurses to tout film 'Sicko' at state Capitol
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599710,00.html
RELATED: Moore urges universal health care
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221485
RELATED: Rally for "Sicko" may give a healthy PR boost to film
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6214483
More Michael Moore news in NATIONAL/MEDIA
National
Angler: Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/pushing_the_envelope_on_presi/index.html
Shortly after the first accused terrorists reached the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 11, 2002, a delegation from CIA headquarters arrived in the Situation Room. The agency presented a delicate problem to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales, a man with next to no experience on the subject. Vice President Cheney's lawyer, who had a great deal of experience, sat nearby. The meeting marked "the first time that the issue of interrogations comes up" among top-ranking White House officials, recalled John C. Yoo, who represented the Justice Department. "The CIA guys said, 'We're going to have some real difficulties getting actionable intelligence from detainees'" if interrogators confined themselves to humane techniques allowed by the Geneva Conventions. From that moment, well before previous accounts have suggested, Cheney turned his attention to the practical business of crushing a captive's will to resist. The vice president's office played a central role in shattering limits on coercion in U.S. custody, commissioning and defending legal opinions that the Bush administration has since portrayed as the initiatives, months later, of lower-ranking officials.
RELATED: 'A Different Understanding With the President'
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/chapter_1/
More Cheney news in NATIONAL/GOVERNMENT
More detainee policy news in NATIONAL/CIVIL LIBERTIES
Ex-Surveillance Judge Criticizes Warrantless Taps
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/23/AR2007062301125.html
A federal judge who used to authorize wiretaps in terrorism and espionage cases criticized yesterday President Bush's decision to order warrantless surveillance after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "We have to understand you can fight the war [on terrorism] and lose everything if you have no civil liberties left when you get through fighting the war," said Royce C. Lamberth, a U.S. District Court judge in Washington and a former presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, speaking at the American Library Association's annual convention. Lamberth, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan, expressed his opposition to letting the executive branch decide on its own which people to spy on in national security cases.
More domestic surveillance news in NATIONAL/CIVIL LIBERTIES
Iraq Push Revives Criticism of Force Size
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062202013.html
The major U.S. offensive launched last weekend against insurgents in and around Baghdad has significantly expanded the military's battleground in Iraq -- "a surge of operations," and no longer just of troops, as the second-ranking U.S. commander there said yesterday -- but it has renewed concerns about whether even the bigger U.S. troop presence there is large enough. As the U.S. offensive, code-named Phantom Thunder, has been greeted with a week of intensified fighting in areas outside the capital -- areas that the U.S. military has largely left untouched for as long as three years -- the push raised fears from security experts and officers in the field that the new attacks might simply propel the enemy from one area to another where there are not as many U.S. troops.
RELATED: Ten U.S. Deaths in Iraq Bring June Toll to 80
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/23/AR2007062300427.html
More Iraq war news in NATIONAL/GOVERNMENT, NATIONAL/FOREIGN POLICY, NATIONAL/MILITARY, COLORADO/CIVIL LIBERTIES, COLORADO/MILITARY
Fundraising Gap Likely to Persist For Campaigns
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062202190.html
Twelve weeks ago, after raising less money than two other Republican candidates in the first three months of 2007, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the early favorite for his party's presidential nomination, declared that it was his fault, said he hoped "to get better" at it and reorganized his finance team. This week he said it hasn't worked out too well, acknowledging that raising money is "very tough" and allowing that "we weren't going to win this campaign on money anyway." On the Democratic side, former senator John Edwards of North Carolina had vowed that he, too, would improve on a weak first-quarter showing. But this week, Joe Trippi, a senior aide, e-mailed supporters with news that the campaign is only two-thirds of the way to its relatively modest fundraising goal.
RELATED: New presidential fundraising reports due soon
More 2008 presidential race news in NATIONAL/ELECTION, COLORADO/ELECTION
Colorado
Ex-Interior chief urges light sentence for aide
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_6220538
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton is urging a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to show leniency in sentencing her former top deputy, but leaders of Indian and environmental organizations want J. Steven Griles to be given a stiff sentence for his crimes. Once described by Jack Abramoff as "our guy" at the Interior Department, Griles pleaded guilty in March to lying to Senate investigators as they looked into the scandal surrounding Abramoff, the convicted Republican lobbyist. Griles, who had been a coal- mining executive before serving as Norton's chief deputy from 2001 to 2005, admitted that he lied when he told Senate investigators and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2005 that Abramoff had no special access to his office. In reality, after being introduced to Griles, Abramoff had "instant and continued access to Griles," according to court documents, and forcefully sought assistance from the Interior Department for the tribes he represented. Griles also admitted he failed to fully disclose his romantic relationship with Italia Federici, a Republican environmental lobbyist who worked for Abramoff and introduced him to Griles. The 59-year-old Virginia resident is to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle on Tuesday and faces a maximum term of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
State GOP plots revival, but in 2010
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221081
Nearly three years after losing both chambers of the legislature to the Democrats, Colorado Republicans are plotting a comeback - but not until 2010. Divisive primaries, campaign-finance reform and the inability to financially keep pace with Democrats have seriously weakened the party's muscle, GOP leaders say. And that can't be fixed in time for next year's election. "It's a challenge to win back either the House or Senate next year," state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams said. "We hope to make inroads in 2008, but we've been on a four-year plan." Still, Wadhams confidently predicted that Bob Schaffer, currently the only Republican running for U.S. Senate, would win against Democrat Mark Udall, and that the eventual Republican presidential nominee will carry the state. Both Udall and the Democrats' nominee will be "too liberal" to win Colorado, he said. Wadhams' crystal ball gazing amused Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak, who said that voters on both sides of the aisle are continually disillusioned by events in Iraq and blame Republicans.
Income from Roan Plateau oil, gas leases uncertain
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601237,00.html
Supporters of oil and gas leasing on the scenic Roan Plateau say the leases could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars needed to deal with impacts already being felt from the industry's expansion. "If that gets dropped in our lap, it could solve a lot of problems," said Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park, of the revenues. He said if current lease rates were paid, up to $1 billion could be generated. But the industry says that does not seem likely. And Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, said the projections are not a sure thing. "The dollar numbers are coming from the industry and are based on a fairly high number per acre, so the dollar amounts aren't really known," she told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Curry added that even if the dollar amount hit $1 billion, it probably would not change her views on Roan leasing.
RELATED: Roan could net state up to $1 billion from leases
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/24/6_24_1A_Roan_Windfall.html
RELATED: New dirt road to plateau's top cuts time, costs
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/25/6_25_1a_Gas_roads.html
More energy policy news in NATIONAL/ENERGY, COLORADO/HOUSING, COLORADO/ENERGY, COLORADO/ENVIRONMENT
Media, DA decried in Manzanares death
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601527,00.html
The death of Larry Manzanares has raised several sharp ethical questions about the news media and prosecutors for the way the case against the former Denver judge and city attorney was filed and covered. Several friends and colleagues of Manzanares blamed the media in general, and the Rocky Mountain News in particular, for what they felt was sensational treatment of the fact that pornography was discovered on a stolen state court laptop computer found in his possession. Others were critical of Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey, special prosecutor in the case, for including the pornography allegations in an affidavit filed to support charges of theft, embezzlement, evidence tampering, computer crime and official misconduct against Manzanares.
RELATED: Colleagues decry actions of prosecution
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6214602
RELATED: Family, friends mourn lawyer
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221084
RELATED: Judge's death rocks colleagues
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6214432
RELATED: Ex-city attorney kills himself
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6210627
Election
Buoyed by humor, resume, Richardson keeps looking up
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599383,00.html
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is a man in motion. His hands never stop moving when he makes a point about Iraq. His body sways as he talks about energy policy. His face contorts with each mention of President Bush. Now Richardson is trying to move in a different direction: up - as in up from fourth place in most of the Democratic polls. Richardson is trying to do that by taking the toughest stand for withdrawing troops from Iraq, by pitching his international résumé, by touting his environmental record and by running humorous ads. "I'm moving up," he tells reporters as he leaves an event in Des Moines on Friday. "You'll hear about it. I'm moving up." For now, Richardson is still behind front-runners Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards in most national surveys. But he has broken into double-digits in the first caucus state, Iowa, where Edwards leads, and a new survey shows him gaining on Edwards in the first primary state, New Hampshire.
Campaign yard signs discarded: Several candidates going for recycled alternatives
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/23/campaign-yard-signs-discarded/
Campaign season in Boulder typically brings a bumper crop of colorful signs sprouting from medians, front lawns and any other surface where they'll stick. But during this summer's race, a six-week mail ballot vacancy election that concludes July 10, signs have been few and far between, especially considering 14 candidates are vying for a seat. Charlie Peterson, who owns the Boulder SignCo., said of candidates coming into his business, he "hasn't seen a one." "I would have to say it's definitely less than campaigns in the past," he said. Several candidates said it's not worth the time and expense to get signs made, particularly given the unusually short campaign season. Instead, they're using cardboard, recycled paper and their artist friends to get their names out.
Court to settle Mountain Village vote
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/25/6_25_3a_MV_vote_controversy.html
When Mountain Village residents cast their votes May 22 to approve or reject a new 500,000-square-foot building to house condominiums and a public recreation center, it was a tie: 293 to 293. A recount a few days later gave those in favor of the project an edge of 294-292, Town Clerk Bernadette Ervin said, but now votes cast by 18 nonresidents are being challenged by Telluride residents Richard Child and Brian Eaton. Mayor Rube Felicelli explained that second homeowners can vote in Mountain Village elections provided they have real property in their name and own at least 50 percent of it.
Alamosa ponders jail expansion
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182780601/9
Alamosa County may soon ask voters to help expand the county's jail, thanks to a bill signed by the governor last month. Alamosa County Commissioners pulled out of talks with the city of Alamosa earlier this week over a proposal that would have had the city collecting sales tax on the county's behalf. Now the county intends to take advantage of HB1344, which allows counties to seek an additional 2 percent sales tax so long as the revenues are put toward public safety. The county's existing sales tax rate is 2 percent. The county has yet to settle on the final figures for a proposal and is waiting to hear back from its architect.
Effective and Ethical Government
Musgrave announces earmarks in 2007
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070624/NEWS/106230097/-1/NEWS
Greeley and Weld County received several million dollars this year from special funding requests by U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo. Musgrave's office released a list Friday of all Musgrave's spending requests this year, which are commonly called earmarks. Such appropriations have come under fire from critics who say Congress spends too much money on individual lawmakers' pet projects. Recently, less than 40 members of the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives disclosed their funding requests. Musgrave and U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., were among those who released their earmarks. Musgrave said she was proud to announce her requests for Weld County. "The secrecy of this process has allowed too many lawmakers to fleece taxpayers and funnel large sums of money to a special few," she said in a press release.
Legislative focus again on revenue woes, Ref C
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182780601/8
Referendum C stopped the bleeding, but it didn't heal the state's financial wounds. But that's only because the 2005 ballot question that temporarily suspended some of the provisions of the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights never was meant to fix all the state's financial woes, state legislators said. As a result, many of those same lawmakers who supported the five-year time-out are talking again about making other changes to the way the state's finances are handled, and, in one case, they've already made a change: Gov. Bill Ritter and the Legislature approved freezing property tax mill rates statewide during this year's session as a way to shore up funding for K-12 education.
Lesiglators want scrutiny of campaign finance
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070624/NEWS/70622032
Legislators are hoping one of the toughest laws in the nation requiring political organizations to disclose their contributions and spending will cut down on some of the anonymous bombast in campaign ads, but they’re not under any illusions. “When you build a better mousetrap, they build a better mouse,” said Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, who sponsored the Clean Campaign Act of 2007. The law is one of dozens that go into effect in Colorado on July 1. Others include a law requiring juveniles on motorcycles to wear helmets and another that requires schools offering sex education to teach courses based on scientific research and include instruction on the health benefits and possible side effects of contraception. Tupa said campaign finance reform was high on his list of priorities this year because of questionable and misleading campaign ads last year by so-called 527 groups that do not have to identify their sponsors.
The revolution will be televised
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070624/NEWS/106230099/-1/NEWS
In a country that seems to vote more consistently for "American Idol" contestants than elected officials, government on television may not be a ratings grabber. I'm talking about real government TV, the actual gavel-banging and speechifying, not the punditocracy that dissects it on the popular cable news shows. Boring or not, some political wonks deeply interested in state government action are often in the dark about what's going on in Denver. The Internet is useful, but it's difficult, if not impossible, to really grasp what happens in the House of Representatives unless you're there. So Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff wants to put it on TV. Romanoff last week proposed a live telecast of Colorado House of Representatives floor action starting in January, when the next session of the Legislature begins.
From policy to preparedness: Rep. Gibbs - wildland firefighter
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070624/NEWS/106240062
Despite the 45-pound black vest hanging from their shoulders, they made the fast paced three-mile trek along the bike path by Dillon Dam Road appear effortless. Rep. Dan Gibbs and Brandon Williams, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue public information officer, took the lead with long strides under the beating sun to complete the test in less than 45 minutes. It was the final piece they needed to receive a Red Card, certifying them in wildland firefighting. "I've always thought I'm only as effective as I know the issues locally," said Gibbs, D-Silverthorne. "I can champion the need if I have practical experience."
Commissioner claims he’s target of e-mail 'fishing’ probe
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/24/6_24_3A_Commissioner_e_mails.html
San Miguel County Commissioner Art Goodtimes says he’s the target of a “fishing expedition” into his e-mails by a Republican group. A letter from Republican Study Committee of Colorado Director Lucius O’Dell, asking for more than five years of Goodtimes’ e-mails, was sent to San Miguel County earlier this month, he said. Gunnison and Garfield counties received similar letters from O’Dell, requesting commissioners’ e-mails, which is unprecedented, they all said, and screening thousands of e-mails has cost hundreds of hours of work. “It’s taking a huge amount of time and cost and money that the county citizens are having to pay for,” Goodtimes said. O’Dell asked for three years of e-mails from Gunnison County’s three Democratic commissioners, said Gunnison County attorney David Baumgarten. And O’Dell requested Garfield County Commissioner Tresi Houpt’s e-mails from the last three years as well as county financial records, Houpt said. Goodtimes, a member of the Green Party, suspects O’Dell’s requests may be related to oil and gas interests.
County crisis taxes its workers
The financial downturn in Archuleta County, whose county seat is Pagosa Springs, has dozens of workers on edge, fearing for their jobs every day. So far, 35 employees have been laid off, and four more are expected to lose their jobs this week. Archuleta County has overspent every year since 1999 except for one. It was facing a $2.6 million deficit this year, but the problems run deeper. Accounting irregularities have left county officials uncertain as to how much money they have and how much money they can expect from property taxes and sales taxes. A forensic audit set to begin in a couple of weeks is expected to provide some answers. For Archuleta County residents, the budget crisis has not affected their daily lives, but it has raised questions about where their tax dollars went.
RELATED: State limited in its ability to offer help
Crowded field for county vacancy
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/25/showing-interest-crowded-field-for-county/
Five Democrats — a mayor, a city council member, a pair of county officials and a Superior resident — have expressed interest in the Boulder County commissioner seat held by Tom Mayer, who died Friday after an eight-month fight with cancer. Deb Gardner, chairwoman of the Boulder County Democratic Party, said Sunday she has received inquiries from Boulder County Assessor Cindy Domenico, Boulder County Planning Commissioner Barbara Connors, Lafayette Mayor Chris Berry, Louisville City Councilman Don Brown and Superior resident Gladys Forshee about the seat. According to Colorado statutes, the political party the departing commissioner belongs to has 10 days to choose a replacement once the seat is vacated. That means county Democrats will need to name someone to the seat by July 2.
RELATED: County commissioner succumbs to cancer
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/24/county-commissioner-succumbs-to-cancer/
RELATED: Dems face July 2 deadline for naming Mayer’s successor
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=17077
A full plate for City Council
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070625/NEWS/106250042
With only a few hours of experience in the public review process, the newly-elected Aspen City Council members certainly will have their work cut out for them Monday evening. And how the council eventually votes on a few development proposals could change the makeup of Aspen for decades to come.
RELATED: Kronberg's residency still an issue
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070623/NEWS/106230048
A town on the edge
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=7322
“This town is hopeless.” That inauspicious statement was made by a Williamsburg resident during a March 28 Town Hall meeting during which the town’s mayor at the time, Oscar Turley, was reprimanded by the board of trustees for recent unruly behavior. Turley had said to a municipal judge, “Bite me,” after the judge had found him to be in violation of disregarding a subpoena and ordered to pay a fine. Turley, appointed mayor by the board in April 2005, resigned in a meeting that followed. But, Turley’s departure was just the beginning — or, perhaps latest — in a series of problems the town has had in keeping its officials in office.
Fruita City Council asks for raise for its members
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/24/6_24_8B_Fruita_council.html
The Fruita City Council is asking for a double-digit percentage pay raise for its members, effective in 2008. The ordinance, which would go into effect after the next City Council election, was approved on first reading last week. A final version of the ordinance will be discussed and voted on by the City Council during a public meeting July 17. The last pay increase for Fruita’s elected officials was in 2002. According to Clint Kinney, Fruita city manager, the proposed raise would boost Fruita City Council members’ pay by 20 percent, from $250 a month to $300. The mayor pro tem’s pay would increase by almost 17 percent, from $300 a month to $350; and the mayor’s monthly pay would increase by nearly 19 percent, from $400 a month to $475.
Civil Liberties and Equality
Thousands show colors at PrideFest
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601551,00.html
It was a good day to be gay. Thousands of people came to Civic Center on Sunday for the 32nd Denver PrideFest. They came to socialize, to dance, to eat, to become more politically active, to learn. But mostly, they came to be part of something bigger than themselves. "It's the one day for everybody to get together and represent numbers and show support," said Lori McNeill, 26, of Colorado Springs, who is engaged to her partner. Organizers were expecting an increase over last year's crowd of 200,000, but the numbers for the two-day festival had not been tallied as of Sunday night. Saturday featured family entertainment, including a first-ever children's parade that drew about 40 kids, festival spokeswoman Debra Pollock said. The main event featured a new youth zone for teens. Pollock said a record number of 240 business vendors set up tents. In Sunday's PrideFest parade, the Denver City Council served as the grand marshal. As always, the parade became a vehicle for politicians and businesses trying to drum up voters and consumers.
Area churches display their pride
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221042
Three people stood in the shade along Colfax Avenue during Denver's gay-pride parade Sunday, holding plain white signs with the message, "Forgive us." On a day when many Christians were in church, the three of them were deep in the heart of this year's PrideFest, trying to undo damage they say has been done by members of their own faith. "We think the way that the church has treated (gays and lesbians) is just wrong," said Mandy Scheller of Northglenn, whose hand-drawn sign, in full, read: "Forgive us for judging you." Scheller and the other two, Jeff Mullis and Jill McClaine, are straight and members of Hope Chapel in Northglenn. They were among dozens of Christians and members of other faiths who took part in the weekend festival.
Peace march marches on
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/27141
Two teenagers, traveling by foot across the country in opposition of global violence, arrived in Craig on Saturday afternoon, bringing with them a message of peace. Michael Israel, 18, of Jackson, Calif., and Ashley Casale, 19, of Connecticut, began the approximately 3,000-mile "March for Peace" journey May 21 in San Francisco. The trip is scheduled to conclude Sept. 11 in Washington, D.C. The two student marchers are both pacifists, they said, and are making the journey in protest to the war in Iraq specifically, and to all war efforts globally in general.
Juneteenth festival canceled
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6209511
Denver's Juneteenth festival scheduled for [Saturday] in City Park was canceled by event organizers. Juneteenth annually honors June 19, 1865, the day Texas slaves were freed by President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which he signed two years earlier. Last year, Juneteenth celebrations were held in the Five Points neighborhood and at the nearby Kingdom of Glory Church. Turnout was reported lighter than it had been in previous years, when it had grown into one of the country's largest African-American celebrations.
Immigration
Two-state sweep nets 38
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599396,00.html
Federal immigration agents in Colorado and Wyoming this week captured 38 immigrants who were fugitives and convicted criminals. The operation began Wednesday in Summit County when agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 17 wanted immigrants. On Thursday and Friday, agents arrested 11 more in Summit County and five in Moffat and Routt counties. Authorities caught five more in Sweetwater and Carbon counties in Wyoming, an ICE spokesman said. The immigrants, who hailed from five countries, were arrested at their homes or places of work.
RELATED: Illegal immigrants detained in Hayden
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/27135
RELATED: 28 arrested in recent Summit County immigration sweep
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070623/NEWS/106230076
ICE uses jail visits as part of citizen checks
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/NEWS01/706240353/1002/NEWS17
There might be agreement by parties on both sides of the immigration debate that reform is needed, but there is disagreement over whether increased monitoring of inmates at the Larimer County Detention Center is the way to go. Since May 22, 2006, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been making almost daily trips to the jail to check the citizenship status of inmates. If inmates are found to be in the country illegally, a hold is placed on them and they are sent to deportation proceedings once they complete their jail sentence or criminal case. Through June 11, immigration holds had been placed on 261 inmates at the jail since the program started, said Sheriff's Maj. Gary Darling. Of those, 90 holds had been placed this year and 26 current inmates have immigration holds.
Convicted felon sent to prison for re-entry into country
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182578400/14
A Mexican citizen with a criminal record in Pueblo has been sent to federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported.
Resort makes use of J1 Visa program
http://postindependent.com/article/20070624/VALLEYNEWS/106240032
Ken Murphy's Irish accent pops out every so often. Like when he says his last name. "It's a good old Irish name," he says with a grin. Nearly 20 years ago, Murphy, the general manager at Glenwood Canyon Resort, came to America from Ireland as part of the J1 Visa work program. With a seasonal workforce of around 60, the resort and its rafting business, Rock Gardens Rafting, needed to find workers who would stay with them throughout the summer. Murphy said the Irish workforce that started this year at the resort is the perfect fit. The resort offers affordable housing on site, they get a stable group of workers for more than three months and the foreign students get a slice of American culture.
Health Care and Public Safety
Transit safety a job for Pueblo
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221069
The rail industry and federal security officials hope to construct an above-ground tunnel complex at the Transportation Technology Center here to test ways of protecting trains and subway stations from terrorist attacks and accidents. Top scientists and engineers from the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies toured the center last week to assess the technical challenges of developing full-scale rail safety and security tests. "I'm concerned about trains and tunnels; I'm concerned about bridges; I'm concerned about the cars and the people," said Mary Ellen Hynes, director of research for Homeland Security's infrastructure geophysical division in Washington, D.C., as she visited the site.
Morrison works to insure more Coloradans
http://www.gazette.com/articles/insurance_24046___article.html/morrison_division.html
When Gov. Bill Ritter asked Marcy Morrison to head the Division of Insurance after promising to concentrate on health care reform, the 71-year-old former head of the Consumer Insurance Council was speechless. Once she considered the position — for which she never applied — she felt she could make a difference. Now, 5½ months later, the only El Paso County resident appointed by Ritter to head a state division is focusing on two goals. One is carrying out directives of legislators looking for ways to insure more Coloradans; the other is simply to let more people know that the Division of Insurance is there to help them.
Families in Mesa getting fire help
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599397,00.html
Residents of a small western Colorado town pulled together Friday to help three families who lost their homes to a wind-driven wildfire. One woman had so little time before fleeing that she could only grab her purse and one of her two cats, said Matt Guedes, pastor at Mesa View Bible Church, which is collecting donations for the families. She wasn't sure what happened to the other cat, he said. The fire broke out Thursday night in Mesa, 175 miles west of Denver, and was extinguished by Friday afternoon. Residents of about 45 homes that had been evacuated were allowed to return.
Mental-health push in jail
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6214106
Efforts are underway to find ways to keep the mentally ill from stacking up in Denver's jails, and the reverberations could affect surrounding communities as well. The initiatives range from hiring treatment specialists to help the mentally ill in the jails to the creation of a specialized mental health docket at Denver's courthouse. Another effort to create crisis centers in Denver and surrounding suburbs that would intervene and stabilize the mentally ill before they commit a crime has attracted the support of Colorado's first lady Jeannie Ritter, the wife of Gov. Bill Ritter.
RELATED: New [Weld County] program could ease jail crowding, get treatment for addicts and mental health patients
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070624/NEWS/106230100/-1/NEWS
Colorado travelers want to know how to protect against disease
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=17078
Since Atlanta attorney Andrew Speaker arrived at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver for treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis two weeks ago, phones have been ringing nonstop at the local office of Passport Health. “Questions specifically about TB are up 50 percent. People are anxious about TB, especially if they’re traveling to Third World countries where they can be more exposed to it,” said owner Jamie Reesman. Nurses at the travel medicine clinic that Reesman and his wife, Michelle, opened in Colorado Springs in October have the answers to TB questions and anything else business and leisure travelers want to know about protecting themselves from diseases.
RELATED: Disease sleuths try to stop spread of infection
http://www.gazette.com/articles/health_24045___article.html/people_disease.html
Pueblo hospitals get high marks in fed report
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182578400/2
The federal Department of Health and Human Services has resumed its controversial practice of publishing report cards on the nation's hospitals, based on federal Medicare information and each hospital's own patient information. Pueblo's two hospitals - St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center and Parkview Medical Center - performed well in the report released this week, based on statistics from 2005-06.
Pitco still without its own social services
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070625/NEWS/106250043
For the next six months, Pitkin County residents seeking welfare and food stamps or the help of a social worker will look to neighboring Eagle County, and the change might be permanent. After the loss of its three staff members, social services in Pitkin County was temporarily absorbed by Eagle County, according to Nan Sundeen, director of Health and Human Services. And according to Sundeen it might be a good move and one that sticks.
Businesses rely on phase value
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6209345
After years of work on a promising cancer drug, Allos Therapeutics learned last week that the drug didn't extend survival rates as much as it hoped and canceled its development. A final clinical study, known as Phase 3 testing, revealed that Efaproxyn extended survival rates in women who had developed brain cancer as a result of having breast cancer only by one month. "In our quest to address some of the more pressing health concerns, we don't always have success," said Allos spokeswoman Jennifer Nei man. Westminster-based Allos was one of at least three metro-area biopharmaceutical companies working on Phase 3 trials, which test a drug's effectiveness in the condition it aims to treat and measure the drug's overall safety in patients.
Medical pot user, 47, with AIDS sues state
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599402,00.html
An AIDS patient who says he needs to smoke marijuana every day to ease nausea from his medications is suing the state of Colorado to expand access to marijuana providers. "My medicines are really devastating. The only thing that soothes the nausea is medical marijuana," said Damien LaGoy, 47, of Denver, who is suing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 and hepatitis C a decade later. LaGoy said his cocktail of 11 medications triggers nausea that is as bad as "the worst case of the flu or food poisoning." LaGoy is one of 1,350 users of medical marijuana registered with the state, according to Brian Vicente, head of Sensible Colorado, a group that promotes medical marijuana. But LaGoy says it's a struggle to get it. He and Vicente say Colorado health department leaders met secretly in 2004 and decided to limit providers of medical marijuana to five patients at a time. LaGoy said he found a registered provider, also called a caretaker, only to be turned away because the provider already had a full slate of patients.
RELATED: Medical marijuana user sues over policy
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/24/medical-marijuana-user-sues-over-policy/
Dust-up over free chew at Greeley Stampede
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599858,00.html
Chewing tobacco and rodeos go together like spurs and boots. So when Weld County Health Department officials tried to break them up, they got busted. Health workers planned to distribute tobacco-education literature outside the gates of the Greeley Independence Stampede, which started Friday. But they scrapped those plans this week. "There was a concern with the activities we had planned," said county health department spokeswoman Gaye Morrison. "With the way it could be perceived, we didn't want to appear to do anything detrimental to the community." One of the rodeo's sponsors is the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company.
Elitch's closes Tower of Doom after accident in Ky.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599245,00.html
Elitch Gardens has closed its Tower of Doom ride following an accident at a Kentucky amusement park in which a 13-year-old girl's feet were severed. The girl was on the Superman Tower of Power, a ride on which passengers are raised into the air and dropped. Officials think a cable broke loose and hit the girl above her ankles. Her condition was not released Friday. Bill Clary, a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which inspects amusement park rides, said inspectors don't know what caused the cable to break.
RELATED: Ky. accident won't delay Lakeside's new drop ride
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6214105
Crime and Penal Reform
House leader names Roberts to commission
State Rep. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, was appointed this week to serve on the newly formed Criminal and Juvenile Justice Commission. The commission, formed earlier this year under the Department of Public Safety, is charged with rehabilitating Colorado's criminal and juvenile justice system. The commission became effective earlier this month when Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 07-1538, of which Roberts was a co-sponsor. It will report its findings to the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the Senate, and the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Roberts was named to the commission by House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker. In a prepared statement, May said, "During her time in the Legislature, Ellen has developed a reputation as one who can generate creative solutions to complex problems. I am certain that this talent, coupled with her legal background, will make her an invaluable member of this commission."
Family of woman who died in Denver jail plan to sue city
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601576,00.html
The family of a woman who died last year while in the care of Denver sheriff's deputies plans to announce the filing of a lawsuit against the city today. Emily Rae Rice, 24, died in jail on Feb. 19, 2006, of internal injuries suffered in a car accident the day before. The woman's family contends that doctors who treated her before sending her to jail, as well as jail guards and employees, are responsible for her death because they failed to provide her with appropriate medical attention. The family and its lawyers will appear at 11 a.m. at the City and County Building to announce the lawsuit. Doctors treated Rice at Denver Health Medical Center after the accident and then sent her to jail on suspicion of drunken driving. She died 20 hours later after complaining for hours and asking for medical attention, her family said. Her pleas were ignored, they said.
Rise in gang clashes feared
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5599400,00.html
The Rev. Leon Kelly, Denver's veteran gang opponent, anticipates an increase in violence that could affect this weekend's jazz concert in City Park. Violence erupted at a concert two weeks ago when rival gang members attacked one another, threatening to undermine Denver's popular summer jazz series. Last Sunday, Father's Day, police and concertgoers filled the park, and no gang violence occurred. But Kelly warned the respite might not last. He said gang members never planned to go to City Park on Father's Day. Instead, Kelly said he saw suspected gang members at a Stapleton park and fears many may migrate back to City Park.
State high court to rule on Lincoln
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/23/6_23_1B_Lincoln_decision.html
The Colorado Supreme Court will rule Monday whether the Mesa County District Attorney’s office can prosecute suspected attempted murderer Samuel Lincoln, according to a court spokesman. Rob McCallum, spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Branch, said Friday the justices plan to issue their opinion Monday. The question of whether prosecutors Rich Tuttle and Tammy Eret could try the Lincoln case due to competing ethical obligations wound its way to the state high court following a March decision by Judge Thomas Deister.
Security expert calls for police efficiency
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/24/security-expert-calls-for-police-efficiency/
Homemade explosives — like those a Longmont man is suspected of making — could be "the wave of the future" in the United States, meaning authorities must become better prepared, according to a Homeland Security expert. "We are going to see more and more improvised explosive devices," said Edward Clark, who served as director of the Homeland Security Threats Office and conducts national vulnerability assessments. "So police have to be more efficient in their response." Longmont police have defended their handling last weekend of a raid at 2404 Sunset Drive, where they discovered a cache of about 400 chemicals and weapons and eventually arrested the man who lived there, Ronald Swerlein. But many neighbors — who report-ed hearing explosions for more than a year before the house was searched — said they're concerned nothing was done earlier.
RELATED: Swerlein armory baffles neighbors
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/24/swerlein-armory-baffles-neighbors/
Economy
Worth their weight?
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/money/article/0,2777,DRMN_23908_5599681,00.html
First Data's Henry 'Ric' Duques took home $98 million in 2006 -an astonishing number given his company's underwhelming year. Did the other 49 top-paid CEOs earn their millions? The titans of Colorado industry move markets and can make millions for people who own stock in their companies. For this, they take home supersized paychecks - in salary, stock options and perks. Most Colorado companies saw their stock prices rise yet again in 2006. So did executive compensation. It sounds exactly like pay for performance. Yet even those whose companies are missing the mark are highly paid.
RELATED: Execs get fit selling options
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/money/article/0,2777,DRMN_23908_5599685,00.html
Exec: Store compelled to speak out against FTC
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5599588,00.html
Whole Foods' decision to publicly counterattack federal regulators might spoil chances for a settlement, but it was a risk the nation's largest natural foods store had to take, the company's co-president said Friday. "The (Federal Trade Commission) was selectively pulling things out of context to show a case that's not there," said Walter Robb, Whole Foods' co-president and chief operating officer. "You have to tell your own side." If those statements went unexplained, it could "undermine customers' trust in our company," he said.
RELATED: Whole Foods chief still has faith in merger
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/jun/23/organic-conference-whole-foods-chief-still-has/
In region, only Denver permits increase
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6221067
Denver is the only county in the metropolitan area that has seen an increase in the number of building permits issued in the first four months of the year, compared with last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Permits were issued for 1,649 residential units in Denver through April, up more than 20 percent compared with the same period last year. "There's still fairly strong demand for that higher-priced, higher-density product downtown," said Jeff Willis, president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver.
Moosehead taps Boulder for U.S. headquarters
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5599586,00.html
Moosehead Breweries Ltd., Canada's No. 3 brewer, has chosen Boulder as the headquarters for its new U.S. operations. "We are opening an office the first week of July," said Glenn McDonald, president of Moosehead USA. "We'll be running the national operations out of Boulder." Moosehead USA has a sales and marketing staff of about 20 in the United States, with a half-dozen in Boulder. McDonald said he wants to add staffers as the company ramps up its U.S. sales and perhaps distributes beer on behalf of other brewers.
Briefs: NASA contract awarded to Colo. Springs company
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6209362
NASA announced its launch services program awarded a contract to Spaceport Systems International in Colorado Springs for payload processing facilities for NASA missions launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Spaceport Systems contract and a similar one awarded to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., are worth up to $35 million over four years combined, including two one-year options. Spaceport Systems is in partnership with ITT Corp.
Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability
Mine workers remember Ludlow victims
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182780601/2
Members of the United Mine Workers of America gathered Sunday with family, friends and supporters at the Ludlow Massacre Memorial, as they have every year since the memorial was erected in 1918, to pay tribute to those who died while fighting for basic rights for American laborers. State Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, spoke tearfully to the crowd of 125 about the historical event that paved the way for workers rights in the United States, highlighting the need to keep up the fight for safe conditions for modern workers. “In 2005 in the U.S., 16 workers were fatally injured every day. That’s 16 families who sent a husband, wife, or father off to work in the morning, never to return.” McFadyen blamed softer regulations for the increase in worker deaths in recent years. She told the crowd that deaths for miners doubled in 2006.
Good Fridays for some employees
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6221066
At the end of every other week, Lockheed Martin systems engineer Cindy Schulz is especially thankful it's Friday. Instead of sitting in the office all day, she's out running personal errands, getting an early start on a weekend trip to the mountains or otherwise taking a day off. It's a perk called a 9/80 workweek that's standard at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, which has its headquarters at Waterton Canyon facilities in Jefferson County and employs about 3,800 in the Denver area. Employees get every other Friday off, working 80 hours over nine days in a two-week period. Aerospace executives say this alternate work schedule helps in recruiting and retention, particularly when competition for the best employees is fierce.
800 Intel workers unlikely to get aid
http://www.gazette.com/articles/intel_23986___article.html/workers_help.html
About 800 Intel Corp. workers about to lose their jobs in Colorado Springs aren’t likely to get retraining, job hunting or moving help from the U.S. Labor Department. Intel officials told the plant’s remaining employees Thursday that the department had rejected Intel’s request for aid. Company officials plan to appeal the decision, said Judy Cara, a local Intel spokeswoman. But officials also told employees Thursday they don’t expect an appeal to be successful.
Housing and Homelessness
State probe irks area appraisers
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182578400/1
Southern Colorado real estate appraisers weren't at all happy to learn the state agency that oversees them is planning a full-scale investigation of how their work has impacted Pueblo foreclosure rates. The appraisers say that while some in their profession may be overvaluing residential property in the city, that isn't why Pueblo continues to have one of the highest foreclosure rates in the state. "There is another reason, and it's not the appraisers," said Mike Garrett, president of the Colorado Association of Real Estate Appraisers. "I think most of that foreclosure problem is the result of lenders making sub-prime loans without any regard to the person's credit, with no requirements for down payments. When they do that, what happens is the person gets into a property that they have no equity. So they have no compunction about walking."
County asked to merge green and size requirements
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=17059
County officials alarmed at the potential environmental impact of huge homes in unincorporated Boulder County should focus on promoting “green” building standards rather than trying to restrict house sizes. That was one of the arguments from several of the people at this week’s Planning Commission hearing to criticize a proposal to require applicants to buy development rights before building houses that would exceed structure-size thresholds.
RELATED: Planning Commision favors tiered system for house sizes
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=17060
Media
Rocky columnists No. 1 and 2 in nation
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5601239,00.html
The Rocky Mountain News' Bill Johnson and Tina Griego were named top and second- best columnist in national awards announced over the weekend. The National Society of Newspaper Columnists honored Johnson and Griego in the general-interest category for newspapers with more than 100,000 circulation. That the two top winners came from the same paper, when there were about 150 entrants nationwide, was "quite a feat," one conference official said. Johnson's winning column was written about the bittersweet homecoming of a Fort Carson combat squadron.
20 and counting for urban newspaper
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6220173
Rosalind "Bee" Harris, publisher of Denver Urban Spectrum, had a simple goal when she started the free monthly newspaper in 1987: to fill a need. For 20 years, the Spectrum has catered to the local African-American community, focusing on events and issues that Harris says are overlooked at larger newspapers. "It was something new," Harris said. "We had a vision, and we hang in there every year because the readers keep coming back." The Spectrum will mark its anniversary with a three-day celebration in August. The Spectrum's seventh annual youth journalism workshop began earlier this month.
Education
Former District 70 board member named to CCHE
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182578400/7
A former District 70 school board member has been appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to serve on the Colorado Commission of Higher Education. Jill Brake, a Democrat, was appointed last week to fill the position that had been held by Judy Weaver, a former District 60 school board member and now president of the Pueblo City Council. Weaver was appointed to the commission in 2002 to represent the 3rd Congressional District. Weaver's term expires this month. Brake will begin serving her four-year term on the board in July. Her appointment must be approved by the Colorado Senate when it returns to session in January.
RELATED: Western State official named to governor’s education panel
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/06/24/6_24_3A_Western_appointee.html
Pension debt huge threat to DPS budget
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5601577,00.html
Savings from the expected closure of dozens of Denver schools could be consumed by the district's failure to deal with its escalating debt to the teacher retirement fund. That means the ongoing and painful process of deciding which city schools should be shuttered could, ultimately, do little to resolve DPS' precarious financial state. A citizens' group studying the district budget repeats this warning four times in a little-seen 10-page report: "Failure to address the . . . pension plan presents significant risks to the budget; further substantial losses could eliminate all savings created through school closures." Ten years ago, DPS made Wall Street history by using a unique financing tool to fully pay off its then $375 million pension fund shortfall. Today, however, the debt is back up to $395 million and rising.
Manual may host DPS staff
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6221040
A tentative plan to move about 300 Denver Public Schools administrators to space in Manual High School has been put on hold to gather community input. School board member Kevin Patterson, who represents the Manual neighborhood in northeastern Denver, said plans to sell the administration building and plans to move to the historic high school should be separate conversations. "There's the issue of selling 900 Grant St., and the issue of what happens with Manual," said Patterson, who has been talking to neighborhood residents about what they think of the idea. "I think there's a conversation about what happens with two of those things, but it may not happen together." After being closed for a year, Manual High School will reopen this fall as a small school with only ninth-graders. It will add a grade each year. Principal Rob Stein said he prefers a cozier environment and wants fewer than 1,000 students in the building - even with all four grades.
On to a new challenge: UNC Provost will leave Greeley to become president of a college
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20070625/NEWS/106240144
For Allen Huang, nothing beats being on the front lines of "the silent revolution." That's his term for education -- the springboard to a better life for all. Huang, 64, jumped into the revolution early on. In 1971 he left his home country of Taiwan. He'd been a middle-school teacher for five years, but he wanted to learn more about special education, and the best programs were in the United States. He came to the University of Northern Colorado in 1978 as a one-year term assistant professor in the school of special education.
CSU labors to make minorities welcome
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/CSUZONE01/706240354/1002/NEWS17
Jesse Ramirez graduated from a diverse Catholic high school in Denver, so when he hit the grounds of Colorado State University as a freshman six years ago, it came as a shock to see that he was often one of the only minorities in his classes. Like other minority students, Ramirez said he often experienced subtle discrimination and occasionally even overt racism at the campus, though perhaps the hardest part was the isolation of being one of a small number of minority students at a predominately white university.
CSU considers online degrees
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070625/NEWS01/706250336/1002
The Colorado State University Board of Governors is reviewing plans to create a distance learning program that would help bring in dollars while offering college degrees to those who otherwise might miss out. If approved, the system would provide undergraduate and professional graduate degrees through online classes to Coloradans who can't get to or afford the cost of on-campus education, said Lou Swanson, vice president for outreach and strategic partnerships.
CSU-Pueblo looks for enrollment growth in 2008
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1182578400/6
Colorado State University-Pueblo officials are predicting little, if any, enrollment gains this fall. But they expect that to change next year, as a result of increased efforts to help recruit, retain and graduate students from the university. "We are projecting flat enrollment for this fall," CSU-Pueblo Provost Russ Meyer told members of the Board of Governors of the CSU System at a meeting earlier this week. "Given the ambitious stretch goals that we have, it doesn't seem like flat enrollment should be good," Meyer said. "But most of what we are doing is trying to correct that flat enrollment."
Mapleton schools splinter in move for choice
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6209747
A story of sweeping education reform is partly told in tall letters covering a brick wall of what was once Skyview High School. Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts. Skyview Academy. Highland Montessori School. Where one big high school with some 1,400 students once stood, three small schools coexist. Another 14 schools in the Mapleton School District also are recent creations, all now small schools with different missions and different ways of teaching. The educators and families who founded them call it a "Reinvention Campaign." Education experts call it one of the most radical reforms in public-school choice in the nation.
Salary workshop planned
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/jun/25/salary_workshop_planned/
The Steamboat Springs School Board will review the salaries and benefits of the district’s administrators during a special meeting Wednesday. School Board President Denise Connelly said the board has gathered data on administrative salaries and benefits from 11 other school districts to compare with Steamboat. “What we need to do as an employer, we need to attract quality, good people and part of that is supply and demand,” she said. “Part of that is looking at what other people are paying.”