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December 25, 2007
Lawmakers Preview the Session
December 25, 2007 4:17 AM
Renewable energy was the Governor's top priority last legislative session, But it appears a slate of issues will top his agenda next year. Ritter recently joined legislative leaders at the Denver Press Club to talk about priorities for the coming months. Bente Birkeland reports.
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Posted by Delaney Utterback at 4:17 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Environment
Capitol Conversation- Legislative Agenda
December 25, 2007 4:14 AM
Education, transportation and healthcare are just a few of the issues legislative leaders briefed reporters on at a recent meeting. Lawmakers listed their priorities for the upcoming session which starts in January. Rocky Mountain Community Radio's Bente Birkeland spoke with fellow reporters about the event.
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Posted by Delaney Utterback at 4:14 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage
Capitol Conversation- New Lawmakers
December 25, 2007 4:10 AM
Several new lawmakers are coming to the capitol this January for their first legislative session and the senate has a new president. Rocky Mountain Community Radio's Bente Birkeland spoke with fellow reporters about how this could change the dynamic inside the capitol.
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Posted by Delaney Utterback at 4:10 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage
December 21, 2007
Roan Plateau Decision
December 21, 2007 12:16 AM
Governor Bill Ritter is asking the federal government to protect additional wildlife areas on the Roan plateau. The Bureau of Land Management plans to allow oil and gas drilling on the Roan over the objections of some environmental groups and Colorado politicians. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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December 19, 2007
The "Greenest Subdivision Ever"
December 19, 2007 6:42 PM
The Lindauer earthship home.
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Posted by Delaney Utterback at 6:42 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Energy , Environment , Regional
Electronic Voting Machines Decertified
December 19, 2007 7:24 AM
Colorado has decertified two electronic voting systems for failing to pass security tests. The ruling has county officials wondering how they'll run the 2008 elections, since they say there's not enough time to buy new equipment and train poll workers before the August primary. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Delaney Utterback at 7:24 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Denver , Elections
December 12, 2007
Local News Roundup, Wed., Dec. 12, 2007
December 12, 2007 5:43 PM
Murray's Parents Speak
Ritter Visits Colorado Troops in Iraq
Salazar: No Renewable Mandate in Federal Energy Bill
Spud Pests in Colorado?
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:43 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Agriculture/Ranching , Colorado , Colorado Springs , Crime , Environment , Health , Military , Religion
Statement From Killer's Parents
December 12, 2007 12:04 PM
Text of a statement issued Wednesday by Ronald and Loretta Murray, parents of Matthew Murray, the gunman who killed four people at a Colorado church and youth mission center on Sunday:
Out of respect for the grieving families of the victims of this unthinkable tragedy, our family will not be making any statements to the press until funeral services for all the victims have concluded. Our thoughts and constant prayers are with the families of Stephanie and Rachel Works, Phillip Crouse and Tiffany Johnson as well as those who were injured in the shootings.
Read More -->We also are praying for the congregations at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, the Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, home of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and all of the dedicated young people at YWAM. We are lost in grief as we prepare to bury our beloved son, Matthew. We loved Matthew with all our hearts, and we are groping for answers as we try in vain to understand the events of last Sunday. We pray that God will be with our family through the days and weeks ahead and that He will also be with the families of those who have died and those who were injured. Our deepest gratitude goes out to those who have offered their love and support through this very difficult time, particularly our fellow parishioners at His Love Fellowship Church and the leadership at New Life Church and YWAM. The congregation at His Love Fellowship Church held a prayer service for all the victims last night. We were deeply moved by that. More than 100 people gathered to pray for the victims. We asked that the service be opened with the following scripture passage and it was read by Philip Abeyta, pastor at His Love Fellowship Church and Loretta's brother-in-law: First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1-13: If I can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but am destitute of Love, I have but become a loud-sounding trumpet or a clanging cymbal. If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, I am nothing. And if I distribute all my possessions to the poor, and give up my body to be burned, but am destitute of Love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited. She does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs. She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but sides with the truth. She knows how to be silent. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance. Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if there are languages, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end. For our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying; But when the perfect state of things is come, all that is imperfect will be brought to an end. When I was a child, I talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when I became a man, I put from me childish ways. For the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see them face to face. For the present the knowledge I gain is imperfect; but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And so there remain Faith, Hope, Love _ these three; and of these the greatest is Love. Services for our son, Matthew, will be held later this week and will be private services for family and close friends.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 12:04 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Children & Youth , Colorado , Colorado Springs , Crime , Denver , Memorial
December 11, 2007
Ft. Carson Continues Preparing to Care for Wounded Troops
December 11, 2007 6:11 PM
Col. Kelly Wolgast is the chief medical officer at Ft. Carson
As Fort Carson prepares to welcome home about 4,000 soldiers from a 15 month tour in Iraq, it continues to ramp up it ability to care for those wounded in action.The Mountain Post on Tuesday formally formally activated a special battalion for battle-injured soldiers only. The so-called "Warrior Transition Unit" was launched four months ago.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:11 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Ft. Carson , Health , Military , Regional
Latest Details on New Life Shootings
December 11, 2007 5:28 PM
Colorado Springs police say the man who killed four people at New Life Church in Colorado Springs and the Youth With a Mission training center in Arvada on Sunday died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:28 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado Springs , Crime , Religion
December 10, 2007
Jeanne Assam, "Hero" of New Life Shooting Speaks to the Press
December 10, 2007 6:02 PM
After keeping her identity secret for 24 hours, New Life Church and Colorado Springs police announced that the volunteer security guard who stopped the killing spree at the church Sunday is 42-year-old Jeanne Assam. Assam then took questions from the media at a press conference at the Colorado Springs police operations center downtown for about 10 minutes. Here is the press conference in its entirety.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:02 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Colorado Springs , Crime , Religion
December 9, 2007
New Life Church Shootings - UPDATE - Shooter Identified
December 9, 2007 4:24 PM
Brady Boyd, head pastor at New Life Church addresses the media Monday morning, Dec. 10, 2007
3 p.m. update, Dec. 10, 2007 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A law enforcement official says the deadly rampages at a megachurch and a missionary training school were believed to have been carried out by the same person - Matthew Murray, a 24-year-old suburban Denver man who "hated Christians."
Text below updated at 1pm:
The two people killed in a shooting spree at New Life Church in Colorado Springs are being identified today as teenage sisters. Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Works and 16-year-old Rachael Works were killed when the gunman opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said ``our hearts are grieving this morning for them.'' One of the three people who were injured in the attack was the girls' father, 51-year-old David Works, who's in fair condition with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and groin area. Also injured were 40-year-old Judy Purcell, who suffered a gunshot wound to her right shoulder, and 59-year-old Larry Bourbannais, who had a gunshot wound in his left forearm. Both were treated and released. Boyd says ``the others that were wounded yesterday are doing well. All of them should recover. They don't have life-threatening injuries.''
Boyd said the gunman had no connection to the church, and called the incident a ``senseless random attack.'' He said the New Life security guard who shot and killed the gunman was a volunteer but he did not release her name. ``She's a real hero'' says Boyd this morning outside the church, "She probably saved 100 lives,'' because the gunman ``had a lot of ammunition to do a lot of damage.'' Boyd says the guard is a member of the church with a law enforcement background, but said she is not currently a law enforcement officer. He did say security was increased at the church after the earlier shootings in Arvada. Two people were killed on the Youth With a Mission campus after a staffer told a man he could not spend the night there.
Witnesses to yesterday's shooting spree at New Life described a horrific scene as a gunman opened fire there following a church service. Jessie Gingrich had left New Life and was in the parking lot getting into her car when she saw the gunman get a rifle from his trunk and open fire on a van full of people. She says she then cowered in her car, fumbling with the ignition key. She told ABC's ``Good Morning America'' today that she was expecting the next gunshot to come through her car, but ``by the grace of God, it did not.'' Ashley Gibbs was getting into a car when she heard the gunshots, which she said sounded like someone was kicking ice from the side of a car. She told NBC's ``Today'' show that she prayed God would bring him peace.
We will keep you posted as we learn more.
Here is a link to an AP story at NPR's website: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17060196
Posted by Delaney Utterback at 4:24 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Crime , Religion
December 6, 2007
Local News Roundup, Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007
December 6, 2007 5:06 PM
Arrest in Soldier's Shooting Death
Workplace Deaths Rise Again
19 Illegal Immigrants Arrested on I-70
Frontier Cutting Staff
Dems Hire "Greening" Director for '08 Convention
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:06 PM| Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business/Labor , Colorado , Crime , Elections , Environment , Immigration , Politics , Regional
December 5, 2007
Local News Roundup, Wed., Dec. 5, 2007
December 5, 2007 5:41 PM
CU Settles Rape Lawsuits for $2.85 Million
Colorado Provisions Dropped From Federal Energy Bill
Greeley Goes Smokeless-less
Tancredo's Controversial New Campaign Ad
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:41 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Colorado , Education , Elections , Energy , Health , Immigration , Politics , Regional , Sports
Single-Payer Healthcare for Colorado?
December 5, 2007 5:16 PM
Photo from Michael Moore's Sicko
There's a proposal to implement a single-payer health plan in Colorado. That would mean that instead of paying premiums to insurance companies, we'd pay higher taxes. That money would be combined with public dollars to create a single fund to pay doctors and hospitals. The state wouldn't adminster the program, it would be a separate non-profit. Advocates of single payer say it would lower administrative costs, guarantee coverage for everyone in the state, and still offer plenty of choice. Colorado Public Radio's Andrea Dukakis has more:
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:16 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Business/Labor , Colorado , Health
Rising Price for Molly Means Uncertain Future for Mountain Towns
December 5, 2007 10:51 AM
KRCC's Michelle Mercer interviews Rico Mayor Joe Croke
One of the world's biggest copper mining companies says it will spend half-a-billon dollars to reopen the historic Climax molybdenum mine southwest of Denver. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. says it will hire from 150 to 500 workers between now and next spring. After the initial construction phase, the work force will level off at about 350 when production begins in 2010. The decision to re-open the mine comes as international demand has grown for molybdenum, which is used primarily for strengthening steel. There are at least two other potential molybdenum mines that could open in Colorado in the near future. One, near Crested Butte, faces lots of local opposition. The other could open near the little town of Rico, in the far southwestern corner of the state. KRCC's Michelle Mercer reports on how the town is reacting.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 10:51 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business/Labor , Colorado , Environment , Regional
December 4, 2007
Should Health Insurance Be Mandatory?
December 4, 2007 6:02 PM
We're continuing our look at some of the proposed Health Care reforms that could be enacted in the upcoming legislative session. This time, we'll hear about the so-called "individual mandate," that's where everyone in Colorado would be required to have health insurance, or face some kind of penalty, probably on their taxes. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio talks the concept over with Len Nichols, Health policy director at the Washington, D.C. - based New America foundation, and Kelly Shanahan, policy director at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:02 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business/Labor , Colorado , History , Interview , Politics , Regional
Plans for Spring's New Skate Park
December 4, 2007 5:46 PM
Trinidad, Colorado, population 10,000, has a world renowned skate park, rated in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk's top ten. So why, many skaters wonder, does Colorado Springs, with over 35 times as many people, lack a professionally built skate park? Well, that's set to change. The city is planning a new 40,000 sq foot skate park, and this one will be built by people who know what they're doing. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has this report on what people want.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:46 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Children & Youth , Colorado Springs , Indoor/Outdoor Recreation , Sports
Open Space Grants
December 4, 2007 5:09 PM
The state announced it's latest round of GO_CO grants this week. This time nearly 60 million dollars is being awarded to counties, cities and trusts across Colorado. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:09 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Environment , Forest Plans , Regional
December 3, 2007
Health Insurance: Mandatory for Businesses?
December 3, 2007 5:52 PM
With the state legislative session just around the corner we're looking at some of the health care reform proposals that state lawmakers are likely to grapple with. One that was studied by the bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Panel on Healthcare Reform is a so-called employer mandate. That means businesses would be required to offer health insurance to their employees, or face a penalty. This so-called "pay or play" system for businesses is not being recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel, but could still end up on the table. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio recently spoke with the Blue Ribbon Panel's chairman, Bill Lindsay.
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Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:52 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Colorado , Health
