Chaffee County Residents Challenge Nestle
Chaffee County commissioners could decide tomorrow whether to allow Nestle to draw water from an aquifer near Nathrop and truck it to Denver for bottling. But as KRCC’s Eryn Gable reports, some area residents are hoping the commissioners will delay a decision until more is known about the project’s impacts.
Round-up
Remembering Columbine, Fort Carson’s leader prepares to move on, and the Four Corners….that weren’t.
Capitol Conversation: Selecting a New Senate President
Senate Democrats have selected Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer of Longmont to be the next Senate President. Three other lawmakers were originally interested in the job, but on Friday the members unanimously backed Shaffer. Current senate president Peter Groff will leave at the end of the legislative session to take a job in the Obama administration.
Budget Initially Clears House
On Thursday state lawmakers in the house found ways to fill a 300 million dollar budget shortfall without making drastic cuts to higher education or transferring money from the state’s workers compensation agency. Both Republicans and Democrats agreed on most of the changes. The budget still faces a final vote in the house.
Citizen Report: Visiting Iwo Jima
It’s time for the “Citizen Report,” a collaborative effort between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC that brings the voices of citizen journalists to the airwaves. This week, Gary Coulter talks about visiting Iwo Jima. (The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC.
Pinnacol Assurance Deal Off Table
Governor Bill Ritter said on Wednesday that transferring money from the quasi-governmental Pinnacol Assurance to fill the state’s budget shortfall is no longer an option. This comes just days after Ritter pledged no new cuts to higher education to help balance the budget. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Death Penalty Repeal
After hours of passionate debate, a bill that would get rid of the death penalty in Colorado initially cleared the House by a narrow margin on Wednesday. The measure aims to use the savings to help investigate unsolved murders and beef up the state’s budget. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Tax Day and Tea Parties
[slideshow id=15] It’s April 15th, tax day, and many cities saw antitax protests. As KRCC’s Aaron Retka reports, Colorado Springs was no exception.
Round-Up
The race to replace Colorado Senate President Peter Groff, and a state lawmaker withdraws his bid for a single-payer health care system.
Rocky Flats Legislation
The Cold-War is long over, but sick workers who built weapons at nuclear facilities across the country–including the now defunct Rocky Flats plant–are still awaiting compensation claims they say the government owes them. Many have died while waiting on the federal program that handles the claims. Now two senators with family ties are pledging reforms.
Pinnacol Transfer Passes Senate
On Monday the state senate approved a 500 million dollar transfer from a quasi-governmental workers compensation agency to fill a budget shortfall. The measure passed despite objections from business groups who staged a large rally outside the state capitol trying to block it. It’s now headed to the house for further consideration.
Capitol Conversation: Budget Negotiations
Lawmakers are in the middle of budget negotiations. It’s often a contentious and long process, but this year something kind of unusual happened. Lawmakers had a showdown against the 6-member joint budget committee that writes the budget. Bente Birkeland discusses what happened as part of our Capitol Conversation series.
Budget Initially Clears Senate
The state senate initially passed a 17.9 billion dollar budget on Thursday after debating late into the evening. The bill is paired with a controversial proposal that would require a quasi-governmental agency to shift its surplus money to the state to offset cuts to higher education. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Cell Phone Driving Ban Passes House
Colorado is on the path to joining a host of other states that ban drivers from using hand held cell phones. House bill 1094 passed the house on Wednesday and now goes to the senate for consideration. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Round-Up
Efforts to block expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site move forward in the state legislature, and the Gunnison sage grouse gets some personal protection from a landowner.
Citizen Report: Advocating for Children
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, designed to bring awareness to the issues of child abuse and neglect. A national organization that works with families, children, and courts to determine the best interests of children is CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates.
