Author: Dean Toda
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No common ground at health care rallies in Denver
DENVER • Supporters and opponents of a health care overhaul making its way through Congress rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday. For peace and public order, it was lucky that the rallies happened at different times of day. About 400 showed up around lunchtime for the conservative rally, wearing “Hands Off My Healthcare” T-shirts and…
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Commissioners refuse to let county boundaries hem in comments
On Jan. 20, a day after the nation observed Martin Luther King Day and minutes before President Barack Obama took his oath of office, Wayne Williams leaned into his microphone at a meeting of the El Paso County Commission to protest that “the media and political pundits and politicians” preferred to use labels to describe…
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Funeral company fined $1.2 million after price-inflation claim
The state has levied a $1.2 million fine against a company that offered prepaid cremation services, settling claims that the company inflated charges for funeral expenses at the time of use so it could reduce the up-front price. By law, 75 percent of the price for preneed funeral services, including cremation, must be placed in…
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Udall, Bennet want Army to consider alcohol program for Carson
Colorado’s U.S. senators asked the Army on Tuesday to consider adding Fort Carson to a pilot program designed to reduce the stigma soldiers face when seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. The request by Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet came in response to a report that drug or alcohol abuse problems may have been a…
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Colorado, California taking different roads to ruin
California is broke. Staggering under a $26 billion budget deficit, the state government last week began issuing IOUs in place of state checks. Its bond rating is BBB, two notches above junk status. Its economy is in the toilet. Colorado is not broke. Its economy is weak in the current recession, but performing better than…
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State budget to be slashed by $437M
Raising the bar for state budget cuts, Gov. Bill Ritter’s office has called on state agencies to trim $437 million from their spending in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which began July 1.When the state Legislature’s economists issued their quarterly economic forecast on June 22, they predicted a budget shortfall of $384 million in the 2009-10…
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State cutting $437 million in ‘tidal wave’ of red ink
Raising the bar for state budget cuts, Gov. Bill Ritter’s office has called on state agencies to trim $437 million from their spending in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which began July 1. When the state Legislature’s economists issued their quarterly economic forecast on June 22, they predicted a budget shortfall of $384 million in the…
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Springs gets state’s first Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Colorado Springs will be the site of the state’s first office to help small businesses land federal contracts, Gov. Bill Ritter’s office announced Thursday. Federal regulations require that nearly a quarter of its procurement contracts go to small businesses, but many of them don’t have the expertise or manpower to tackle the mountain of required…
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New fees will pay for controversial DNA program
Debate still simmers over the proper limits of forensic DNA testing in Colorado, and a controversial program to expand it is a long way from launch. But on Wednesday, the collection of fees to pay for the program becomes a done deal. Among a handful of new fees that kick in July 1, the beginning…
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Revenue estimate big headache for Ritter, assembly
A weak Colorado economy punched another hole in the state budget Monday as state forecasters issued forecasts showing continued budget shortfalls. The state Legislative Council, which prepares the quarterly forecasts, estimated Monday that state general-fund revenues will total $7.25 billion for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which ends June 30. That figure is $249 million less…