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August 31, 2007
Locals Serving in Iraq: Captain Josh Silver
August 31, 2007 5:21 PM
Earlier this week, we brought you an interview from Iraq with Colorado Springs resident Susan Pardo. Pardo is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force in Iraq for six months helping the Iraqi government set up a data network.
Today, we talk with Army Captain Josh Silver, a reservist who works for a local defense contractor. The Army sent him to Iraq in May. We hope to give listeners a little insight into the lives of local people who are sent to war.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:21 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Military , Politics
August 30, 2007
Judge: Pueblo Can't Sue C. Springs Over Sewage Spills
August 30, 2007 5:24 PM
A federal judge says Pueblo's district attorney can't sue Colorado Springs over wastewater spills, but the Sierra Club can. On Wednesday the judge tossed out the suit Pueblo DA Bill Theibaut filed in 2005, after a pair of spills sent some 340,000 gallons of raw sewage down Fountain Creek. Fountain Creek enters the Arkansas River at Pueblo. Theibaut argued that the spills violated the federal Clean Water Act, and asked for monetary penalties. The Judge said the DA didn't demonstrate that he had jurisdiction to file suit. Theibaut says he disagrees with the ruling and that he is considering an appeal. The Clean Water Act was written to give ordinary citizens the power to call for enforcement of pollution violations. So the Sierra Club's lawsuit, which is very similar to the one Theibaut filed, is being allowed to go forward. It's scheduled for a 10-day trial starting September 17th. Colorado Springs utilities Spokesman Steve Berry says the city is ready for its day in court.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:24 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Colorado Springs , Environment , Legal Affairs , Pueblo , Utilities
Local News Round-up, Aug. 30, 2007
August 30, 2007 5:14 PM
Pinon Canyon expansion opponents win withheld Army documents.
The state Housing Division reports that home foreclosure filings in Colorado are on track to rise 25 percent this year.
Two Indiana women are believed to be the first to adopt children under a new Colorado law that allows same-sex couples to adopt jointly.
Uranium mine near Gateway to reopen.
Summit County pays homeowners to reduce fire danger.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Agriculture/Ranching , Business , Colorado , Energy , Environment , Forest Plans , Ft. Carson , Gay & Lesbian , Poverty , Regional , Wildfires
August 29, 2007
Springs Leaders Lobby Sen. Salazar on Pinon Canyon Expansion
August 29, 2007 5:27 PM
Military, economic and political heavyweights from Colorado Springs met with Senator Ken Salazar Aug. 29 to lobby for expansion of the Pinon Canyon Army training site in southeastern Colorado. Ft. Carson wants to nearly triple the size of the site to some 650 square miles. That would mean buying or condemning more than 400,000 acres of private land, something landowners and local governments in southeastern Colorado vehemently oppose. That sentiment was made evident three weeks ago when Senator Salazar visited Trinidad. He got very different opinion in the Springs.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:27 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Agriculture/Ranching , Business , Colorado Springs , Environment , Ft. Carson , Military , Pueblo , Regional
McFadyen: Supermax Staffing Still Dangerously Low 1 Year After Promised Reforms
August 29, 2007 5:23 PM
It's been one year since a federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to improve security at the Supermax prison in Florence. And the state representative for that area says it hasn't happened yet. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:23 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Crime , Prisons
August 28, 2007
Locals Serving in Iraq; Lt. Col. Susan Pardo
August 28, 2007 3:58 PM
Recently, KRCC News had the chance to talk to a couple of Colorado Springs residents serving in the military in Iraq. We asked them for their assessments of how the Iraqi military and police are progressing towards being able to operate without U.S. help, and for their impressions of life in the combat zone in general. We'll have an interview with a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve later this week.
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Read More -->Posted by Eric Whitney at 3:58 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Interview , Military , Slideshow
Source of Gas in Huerfano County Wells Remains Mysterious
August 28, 2007 3:17 PM
The prime suspects in what's causing high levels of methane gas in some water wells in Huerfano County have been crossed off the list.
A few weeks ago we reported that some water wells in the River Ridge Ranch subdivision near the town of La Veta tested positive for dangerously high levels of methane, a form of natural gas. Some suspected that recent drilling of new natural gas wells was to blame, and the company drilling them, Idaho-based Petroglyph Energy, voluntarily shut down all of its wells just in case.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 3:17 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Energy , Health , Regional
Local News Round-Up, Aug. 27, 2007
August 28, 2007 3:05 PM
A freshman at the University of Colorado's Boulder campus is recovering following surgery after he was slashed in the throat by a man school officials called incoherent.
A Fort Carson soldier is behind bars and another man is in critical condition after a weekend shooting in Colorado Springs. Police say 23-year-old Private First Class Matthew Kyle Moore was arrested Saturday evening, a few hours after he allegedly shot Leo Garcia twice in the chest.
Congressman Doug Lamborn doesn't want to talk about the 2008 election. In an interview with the Canon Daily Record Newspaper in Canon City, 5th District Rep. Lamborn said he's "busy concentrating (his) efforts on serving" his constituents and hasn't even officially declared as a candidate for a year from November. "At this point, I'm not concerned about any potential candidate," Lamborn said.
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[CS SHOOTING LISTEN]
[LAMBORN LISTEN]
Posted by Eric Whitney at 3:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Children & Youth , Colorado , Colorado Springs , Crime , Education , Elections , Ft. Carson , Military , Politics
The Cost of Universal Coverage in Colorado
August 28, 2007 2:50 PM
Everyone in Colorado would be required to get health insurance under a preliminary proposal from the state healthcare reform commission. It's one of several plans the commission is examining before it issues a final recommendation this fall. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 2:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Health , Politics
Sunny Skies for State Fair, Trinidaddio Fest
August 28, 2007 1:58 PM
The Colorado State Fair opened this weekend in Pueblo. Good weather helped boost attendance. The same was true for the Trinidaddio Blues Fest in Trinidad. In recent years, crowds have had to weather storms to attend these events. Colorado College student Johanna Kasimow has more.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 1:58 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Arts & Culture , Business , Colorado , Entertainment , Pueblo , Regional
August 24, 2007
Mistrial Declared for St. Paddy's Day 7
August 24, 2007 6:29 PM
After deliberating for about two-and-a-half hours a jury in Colorado Springs municipal court said they had differences that weren't going to be resolved. City Judge Robert Warren then declared a mistrial. It's now up to the city whether to re-file charges and bring the case again. Scott Patlin, the lead prosecutor for the city at the trial says he expects the city will re-file. The mistrial came after a day and a half of testimony and arguments in the city's case against seven people it says intentionally obstructed the St. Patrick's day parade last March.
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Read More -->The city says peace activists deliberately stopped the parade in order to further their political, anti-war message. The defendants said they did want to convey a pro-peace message during the parade, but that they had no intent to stop the event in order to do so. Just the opposite, they said, - they wanted to march in the parade. The obstruction happened, their lawyer argued, when parade organizers and police unexpectedly tried to remove them from the parade that they said they'd been approved to enter after paying a fee, completing an application and having their entry reviewed by parade officials. The defendants faced one charge each, misdemeanor obstruction of a public right of way, punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or 90 days in jail. Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the trial came about two hours after closing arguments, when the jury of four women and two men asked for additional instructions from the judge. They were unclear about whether they had to find the defendants guilty of both intending to obstruct the parade and actually causing an obstruction. With the jury out of the room, the judge ruled that the defendants could be found guilty if the jury concluded they had intent to obstruct, whether or not obstruction actually occurred. Defense Attorney Greg Walta objected strenuously, but Judge Warren overruled him. The jury were then given the instructions, and after they left the room to resume deliberations, Mr. Walta turned to his clients and said, "I don't see how we can win with those instructions." He said the judge had just negated the elements of the case and almost the entire statute they were being charged under. Judge Warren disagreed. About 30 minutes later the jury returned and their foreman said he didn't think they'd be able to resolve their differences if given more time to deliberate. Judge Warren then declared a mistrail The city called more than 15 witnesses over two days. The defense decided to put only one defendant on the stand, Elizabeth Finneron. Photos of Miss Finneron, an elderly woman, were widely published, showing a large abrasion she sustained from being dragged off the street by police. Miss Finneron testified that, due to two artificial knees and hips and other medical conditions, she couldn't have deliberately sat in the street to obstruct the parade as the city said she did. She did not dispute that she asked several police officers to arrest her after others in her group had been arrested. Finneron says she wanted to have her day in court. Prosecutor Scott Patlin charged that she, and the others arrested all wanted to be taken into custody because that would help them further a controversial social message of the type that parade organizers specifically forbade from their event. Patlin asserted and Judge Warren agreed that the supreme court has ruled definitively that parade organizers have the right to control what messages are expressed in their events, and can remove parade participants at any time if they choose to do so. After the trial, defendant Frank Cardaro said he feels like the mistrial was a victory because a jury in such a pro-war, pro-military town didn't hang them. Prosecuting attorney Scott Patlin said he sees it as a case of a group of people who were unable to come to a decision. Again, Patlin says he expects the city to re-file charges againss the seven. Defense attorney Greg Walta says the city has to decide if it wants the bad publicity of the incident to continue.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:29 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Crime , Holiday , Legal , Military , Politics
Local News Round-up, Aug. 24
August 24, 2007 12:05 PM
Bill for universal health insurance in Colorado: $26 billion.
Pueblo County Commissioner resigns for job with John Salazar.
Copper wire thieves cost the Colorado Springs Utilities $658,000.
Power consumption in Colorado Springs sets new record, again.
Klansman to be sentenced in case Springs man helped re-open.
Marilyn Musgrave asks feds for more time to comment on a proposed uranium mine in Weld County.
Feds take control of the state's eighth-largest credit union.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 12:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Crime , El Paso County , Energy , Environment , Health , Legal , Politics , Pueblo , Regional , Utilities
August 23, 2007
St. Paddy's Day 7 Trial Begins
August 23, 2007 6:42 PM
The City of Colorado Springs called 13 witnesses in municipal court Thursday to try and prove that seven people deliberately obstructed the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the city last March. The defense says that's simply not true. The City says it was just trying to maintain public safety, the defendants say their first amendment rights were stepped on.
The trial continues Friday, two more witnesses are scheduled to testify before closing arguments. It will then be up to a jury of four women and two men to decide the guilt or innocence of the so-called St. Paddy's Day 7.
Read More -->The eight-hour day in court Thursday began with jury selection, several potential jurors were dismissed after they said they'd have a hard time being impartial because they already feel that the defendants were wrong for their actions last March.
On March 17 a group of about 30 people marching in a parade entry near the Bookman Bookstore's green van was proceeding down Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs when parade organizers asked them to leave the parade. Several of the group insisted they had every right to be there, organizers asked for police assistance and when it was all over seven people had been arrested for obstructing the parade.
Those are the handful of facts that the prosecution and defense agree on in the case. The defendants insist they had a permit from parade organizer John O'Donnell to march as the Bookman entry. But one of O'Donnell's volunteer parade marshals testified that some in the group told him they were with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Coalition, he says he relayed that information to O'Donnell, who said the Coalition was not permitted to march. The volunteer marshal, Doug Hague, says that's when he asked Springs police for assistance in removing the marchers from the parade.
Defense attorney Greg Walta, working for free under the auspices of the American Civil Liberties Union, says O'Donnell and his volunteers knew good and well who the Bookman group was, because it was led by Eric Verlo, who led a very similar entry in the 2006 parade. O'Donnell affirmed that he invited Verlo to march in this year's parade, and that he issued a permit to Verlo to participate, just like he did in 2006. Verlo owns the Bookman bookstore and is also one of the most vocal anti-war activists in Colorado Springs. In 2006, marching as the Bookman group, Verlo and others participated in the parade wearing distinctive lime green t-shirts adorned with large peace symbols, and carried pro-peace banners. Walta, their attorney, argued that they wore the same t-shirts and carried the same signs this year, and, because there were no incidents in 2006, they had no reason to expect any trouble.
But parade organizer O'Donnell says he didn't recall any pro-peace or anti-war banners from the event in 2006 - the defense showed photos of that event that clearly showed such banners. O'Donnell also says he didn't see the Bookman entry this year until his volunteer marshals told him about it over a cell phone after the parade had already started. He says he told them to ask the group to leave because he believed they were the Justice and Peace Coalition, who didn't have a permit. O'Donnell says his main concern was public safety, as the crowd this year was two- to three- times larger than in years past, and because this year's new downtown parade route passed several bars where he'd seen people drinking. He said the thought that the mix of anti-war banners in a military town where people were drinking was going to result in a beer bottle being thrown.
City prosecuting attorneys Scott Patlin and Brett Johnson argued that when Verlo signed the permit or contract with O'Donnell to be in the parade this year, he knew that it stated in two places that "social messages" were not allowed in the parade. Defense attorney Walta countered that the term "social messages" is vague, and that Verlo had signed the same contract in 2006. He had O'Donnell confirm that he had never contacted Verlo after the 2006 event to tell him his entry's message was inappropriate, or that any rules had changed, and therefore, it was reasonable for Verlo to assume that he could march this year with the same message and not have any problems.
Furthermore, Walta argued, O'Donnell and his staff had ample time to review Verlo's entry while it was in the parade's staging area north of down town, and should have asked them to exit prior to the event actually starting. O'Donnell said that in a perfect world that would have happened and that, 'every day since this happened I wish I was in the staging area and would have done that."
Beyond the arguing over what constitutes an appropriate social message, the Defense also appeared to be trying to convince the jury that the parade itself wasn't really obstructed. Relying heavily on large color photos and a map of downtown, Walta said again and again that most of the activity that resulted in arrests happened in the east lane of the parade route, and that even as the arrests were happening, the rest of the parade entries were able to proceed past the melee in the west lane.
Among the witnesses called today were four Colorado Springs Police officers involved in the incident. None of the defendants are required to testify if they don't want to, and at this point none are, but their attorney Greg Walta says he's reserving the right to call one or more if he needs to.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:42 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Crime , Legal , Military , Politics
August 22, 2007
Gov. Ritter Talks Bridges and Roan Plateau
August 22, 2007 6:13 PM
Once a month we bring listeners an extended interview with Governor Bill Ritter, courtesy of KCFR - Colorado Public Radio in Denver.
This month Gov. Ritter talks about Colorado's response to the Minnneapolis highway bridge collapse, and winning more time to comment on federal plans for drilling for natural gas on the Roan Plateau in western Colorado.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Energy , Politics
Governor Declares Wheat Emergency
August 22, 2007 5:17 PM
Governor Bill Ritter has issued a disaster emergency order letting more trucks haul wheat because there aren't enough commercial transports to handle this year's bumper crop. The order, issued today, allows vehicles with farm license plates to enter commercial service hauling wheat to elevators, railroad sidings or markets. Colorado law says farmers can only use vehicles with farm license plates for hauling their own crops, for farming purposes or for personal transportation. Ritter's order expands that to include commercial hauling for 45 days. Ritter said that without the order, millions of dollars worth of wheat could be damaged or lost while sitting on the ground awaiting transport. State officials said Colorado's 87-million-bushel wheat harvest is the largest in nearly 10 years, and double last year's. Good snow cover protected the crop and provided the moisture it needed. But many truck and rail carriers that once hauled wheat have gone out of business because of the drought, low wheat prices and high fuel prices, officials said.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:17 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Agriculture/Ranching , Colorado , Transportation
St. Paddy's Day 7 Go On Trial
August 22, 2007 5:05 PM
In our news reports of 8.22 and 8.23 we incorrectly identified Tony Abdo as a defendant in the city's case against the "St. Paddy's Day 7," Mr. Abdo marched in the parade but is not a defendant in the case. We regret the error and apologize.
The seven peace activists arrested in Colorado Springs' St. Patrick's Day parade last March go on trial Thursday morning.
The seven were arrested after the organizer of the privately-sponsored parade, John O'Donnell, asked police to remove them. He said some of those marching under the permit of The Bookman bookstore were carrying signs that violated a signed agreement between himself and The Bookman that parade entries would not espouse social messages.
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Energy Tax Reforms Sought
August 22, 2007 10:45 AM
When it comes to offsetting the impacts of energy development in Colorado, places near coal mines are getting shortchanged compared to communities that are home to a lot of oil and gas workers. That's according to a new state audit of severance tax money earmarked to offset negative energy impacts. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 10:45 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business/Labor , Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Energy , Politics , Regional
August 20, 2007
Colorado News Round-up, Aug. 20, 2007
August 20, 2007 6:20 PM
The number of Court-approved wiretaps are rising dramatically in Colorado, resulting in more drug arrests but raising privacy concerns.
Forest Service contractors have begun thinning stands of ponderosa pine in a 200-acre tract of the Rio Grande National Forest to reduce fire danger and improve big-game habitat.
Tom Tancredo says the parents of the New Jersey schoolyard slaying victims should sue the city for negligence.
No institution of higher learning in Colorado has made the Princeton Review's annual list of top 10 party schools for 2008, but the U.S. Air Force Academy ranks number 7 on it's list of schools that are, "stone, cold sober."
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:20 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Crime , Drug Use , Elections , Environment , Forest Plans , Immigration , Latino/a , Legal Affairs , Politics , Regional
Critic Cautiously Optimistic About Changes In Army Medical Care
August 20, 2007 5:42 PM
Andrew Pogany, an investigator with the national non-profit group Veterans For America, has vocally and persistently complained that soldiers with combat-related mental health problems at Ft. Carson have been mistreated and received sub-standard care. Some, he says, have been kicked out of the army on trumped up charges when what they really needed was behavior health treatment.
But he says recent changes at Ft. Carson have good potential to help rectify the situation.
"I think it's probably one of the best things that has come up out of this entire dilemma and all these problematic issues that have surfaced over the past 4 years," says Pogany.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:42 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Colorado Springs , Ft. Carson , Health , Military
August 17, 2007
Nurse Takes Command of Ft. Carson's Hospital
August 17, 2007 2:14 PM
Col. Kelly Wolgast took command of Evans Army Community Hospital at Ft. Carson in June. She takes the reins at a time when Army health care has been taking a beating in the media. Col. Wolgast talks to KRCC about the challenges she faces.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 2:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Ft. Carson , Health , Military
Teaching Nurses to Teach Nursing
August 17, 2007 2:11 PM
The next time you are waiting for a nurse to take care of you in doctor's office consider this: recent studies show by 2020 there will be a shortage of 340,000 registered nurses in the US. Colorado is projected to have 31 percent fewer nurses than needed unless steps are taken to remedy the situation. One of the main factors contributing to this problem is a shortage of faculty to teach in nursing programs. During the last few years colleges, hospitals and other organizations in Colorado have begun to collaborate to address this issue. Shanna Lewis reports.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 2:11 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Education , Health , Regional
August 15, 2007
State Petroleum Industry Says Natural Gas Fights Global Warming
August 15, 2007 4:19 PM
Colorado's oil and gas industry is holding its annual conference in Denver this week. This year's theme is promoting natural gas as a way to reduce human caused global warming. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 4:19 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Denver , Energy , Environment , Science , Utilities
August 14, 2007
Ft. Carson Stands-up "Warrior Transition Unit"
August 14, 2007 5:13 PM
The Army is trying out a new way of taking care of wounded soldiers.It comes in the wake of the scandal earlier this year at Walter Reed Army hospital, where soldiers were found languishing in substandard housing and mired in paperwork and mismanagement that made it difficult for them to get the care they needed. Now, returning soldiers are being assigned to what are being called "Warrior Transition Units."
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SLIDESHOW: Spc. Crystal Witte is a soldier in Ft. Carson's Warrior Transition Unit. Col. Kelly Wolgast is the commander of Evans Hospital at Ft. Carson. Col. John Hort commands Ft. Carson's 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Colorado Springs , Ft. Carson , Health , Military
State Computer System Failing
August 14, 2007 4:33 PM
Lawmakers say Colorado's outdated computer system for registering cars and issuing driver's licenses is reaching a breaking point. So far the state's efforts to modernize the system have failed, despite spending millions of dollars trying to fix the problem. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 4:33 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Science , Transportation
CSU launches "Peace Corps MBA"
August 14, 2007 3:39 PM
Starting this month, graduate business students at Colorado State University will have a new option. It's informally called "the Peace Corps MBA." The idea is to give people filled with the save-the-world enthusiasm that Peace Corps volunteers have in spades with practical management experience they sometimes lack. Nancy Greenleese reports.
SLIDESHOW: Mechanical engineering students Sachin Joshi and Dan Mastbergen test clean-burning cook stoves in homes in India and Nicaragua.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 3:39 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Colorado , Education , Energy , Entertainment , Health , Poverty , Regional , Science
August 13, 2007
Uranium Mine to Open on Front Range?
August 13, 2007 2:07 PM
The folks at Springs Culture Cast reserved a special treat for their 50th segment! Producer Craig Richardson interviews legendary filmmaker JOHN WATERS at the "Extremely Grand Opening" of the Fine Arts Center.
