Tag: colorado department of public health and environment
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Fire danger continues in the Pikes Peak region ahead of snow, 80-degree heat
Red flag warnings were issued across much of southeast Colorado on Friday amid continuing abnormally warm conditions in the region. The National Weather Service in Pueblo forecast humidity levels as low as 7% with winds gusting up to 60 mph during the warning period from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Smoke from wildfires in western…
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Ranch owner who built 8.5-foot fence in Colorado faces $66K per day fine
SAN LUIS • A Texas businessman who built an 8.5-foot-high fence partially around his ranch in Colorado’s San Luis Valley could face fines of up to $65,544 per day after state regulators determined runoff from the disturbed land could contaminate area water supplies. The Cielo Vista Ranch, which traces its origins to a Spanish land…
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Nixon Power Plant in El Paso County receives state order over drinking water treatment
The Ray D. Nixon Power Plant and Clear Spring Ranch facility are the subject of a state enforcement order that says Colorado Springs Utilities has missed a deadline for installing treatment necessary for safe drinking water. Colorado Springs Utilities, which was fined just over $1,000 by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, was…
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Colorado allocates $7.5M for food assistance program for women and children amid federal shutdown
The federal government shutdown prompted the Colorado General Assembly’s budget writers to take action on Tuesday, allocating additional funds to the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) food program. The state portion of the federal program falls under the Department of Public Health and Environment. Last week, the department requested an emergency funding addition of $7.5…
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Wildfire smoke affecting Colorado Springs air quality; how long will it last?
The familiar sight of Pikes Peak was hidden behind a hazy curtain Monday as smoke continued to drift across Colorado from several large wildfires burning in areas outside the state, including Canada. The U.S. Air Quality Index measures air breathability on a scale of 0 to 500, with readings between 0 and 50 indicating “good”…
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Coloradans can receive free gun lockboxes at educational event
Colorado gun owners in need of safe storage for their handguns are in luck — a collection of local organizations will be giving away free handgun lockboxes at an educational event later this month. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office — along with organizations and departments including the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Broomfield and Lafayette police departments…
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Healthy Kids Colorado survey again falls short in El Paso County. Does it matter?
For the second consecutive go-round, not enough public secondary students in El Paso County filled out a questionnaire about their personal health habits — ranging from substance use, sexual behavior and driving conduct to what they eat, how much they exercise and whether they have access to a gun — so a data set could not be…
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Colorado attorney general announces $350 million settlement with opioid marketing company
Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a $350 million settlement on Thursday with Publicis, a big healthcare marketing company, over its role in the opioid epidemic. The national settlement will result in almost $6 million to the state of Colorado to help address the opioid crisis, according to a news release from Weiser’s office Thursday. Publicis…
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Colorado lawmakers begin to tackle major housing bills, including occupancy limitations
Major measures on housing are starting to move at the state Capitol this week, which saw the first hearings on some of the roughly 260 bills introduced in this session so far. Colorado faces an acute housing shortage. One study puts the deficit in metro Denver region alone at 45,025 to 115,012 housing units. As…
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Mental health crisis in Colorado jails worsens despite $250 million in state spending on the problem
Acute staffing shortages at the two state-run mental health hospitals that have left nearly half the nursing positions vacant mean more individuals than ever are languishing in jails cells in Colorado while they wait for court-ordered mental health treatment to restore them to competency so they can stand trial. As of Thursday, 449 individuals incarcerated…