Colorado’s outgoing Speaker of the House Democrat Andrew Romanoff is backing a ballot initiative that aims to change the state constitution and set aside more money for education. Opponents say the amendment will effectively gut the Tax Payers Bill of Rights or TABOR amendment. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

Award-winning Colorado writer Kent Nelson has published nine books and has taught at Colorado College for a decade. He read October 9th, as part of the College’s Visiting Writers Series. KRCC’s Michelle Mercer sat down with him to talk about odd jobs, birdwatching, and what it takes to make it as a writer.

The two major party candidates for Colorado’s open U.S. senate seat held their second debate in two days on Tuesday. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted the debate and the questions focused on business and the economy. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

Governor Bill Ritter is putting his weight behind a ballot measure that would raise severance taxes on the oil and gas industry and use the money for higher education, wildlife and clean energy projects. It’s a costly campaign and oil and gas companies are spending millions of dollars trying to defeat the measure by attacking the Governor and his plan. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

KRCC will air NPR’s Coverage of the Second Presidential Candidate Debate Tuesday, October 7th from Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn. Tonight’s debate will be presented in a town meeting format.

NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw will moderate the debate. The debate begins at 7pm, and will be followed by a Listening Party from NPR.

Talk of the Nation’s Neal Conan will host a call-in special from 9pm-10pm MT.

We will preempt Democracy Now! and In the Groove to bring you the debate. You can listen to today’s Democracy Now! by clicking the play button.

In the wake of passing an unprecedented Wall Street rescue package, Congress is taking a closer look at what went wrong and what needs to change. A representative for Colorado public employees was in Washington Monday to say pension holders deserve a louder voice in the process. Elizabeth Wynne
Johnson reports from Capitol Hill.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and the Colorado River Compact…Coloradans for Equal Opportunity disputes a ruling keeping their ballot initiative from the general election…and, Congress passes the Wall Street Bail-Out bill.

As a battleground state, Colorado is receiving lots of attention from both presidential candidates in the weeks leading up to the election. In recent weeks Colorado College has been embroiled in an election dispute of its own. KRCC’s Michelle Mercer reports.

The U.S. House passed a financial rescue plan on Friday by a wide margin, but the majority of Colorado’s U.S. Representatives voted against the measure. The “no” votes didn’t fall along party lines…with two Republicans and two Democrats opposing the package. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

While the water cooler talk today will likely be about last night’s vice-presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, Senator John McCain reminded Coloradans on Thursday that he’s the one running for president at a campaign stop in Denver. McCain held a women’s town hall forum as part of a two day swing through the swing state. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

Author Timothy Egan is a Dust Bowl scholar visiting as part of this year’s All Pikes Peak Reads events. He’s the author of the National Book Award-winning The Worst Hard Time, a companion selection to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Egan’s book recounts the stories of those who stayed behind during the Dust Bowl. His account deals with real people in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and eastern Colorado who dealt with failing crops, years-long drought, dying livestock and ubiquitous dust. KRCC’s Aaron Retka spoke with Egan about his book, the Dust Bowl and the lessons we can learn from it. He began by asking Egan about the causes.

Colorado’s Senators split the vote on the Wall Street economics package, and businesses and unions reach an agreement.

Michelle Obama staged a massive voter registration rally at the University of Colorado Wednesday, where the campaign is targeting new, young voters. Both the Obama and John McCain campaigns are in the midst of a late hour get-out-the-vote effort in swing state Colorado, ahead of Monday’s voter registration deadline. From KUNC, Kirk Siegler reports.

As the Senate takes up the 700 billion dollar Wall Street bail-out bill tonight that previously failed to pass the House of Representatives, KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin sat down with Colorado College Political Science Professor Andrew Dunham to try and untangle the political aspects of the process. Dunham specializes in American politics, public policy and the US Congress, and says he’s following the situation closely. Here’s part of their conversation.

Full audio: [DOWNLOAD 10.4 Mb] or,
Listen:

University of Colorado Hospital is closing its in-patient psychiatric ward. Hospital officials say overwhelming demand for general beds is forcing them to convert the psychiatric ward’s 22 beds to non-psychiatric uses. Mental health advocates say there’s already a critical shortage of these services in Colorado, and that University Hospital’s decision will only make things worse. KCFR Health Reporter Eric Whitney has more.