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National

Failures at FBI Acknowledged
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032700471.html
Angry senators accused FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III yesterday of management failures that resulted in the dispatch of hundreds of national security letters and intelligence surveillance warrants containing erroneous information, and Mueller said he accepted that characterization. Both Republicans and Democrats at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing said the abuses have undermined the FBI's reputation and its authority to continue using such letters and warrants under conditions that Congress eased in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The letters allow the FBI to request information from businesses without a warrant, subpoena or judicial review. "We're going to be reexamining the broad authorities we've granted to the FBI under the Patriot Act," the committee chairman, Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), said after decrying what he described as "widespread illegal and improper use" of the national security letters. "It seems to me the FBI is again at a crossroads."
RELATED: FBI Provided Inaccurate Data for Surveillance Warrants (3/27)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032602073.html
RELATED: FBI has some explaining to do
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mueller28mar28,1,7307018.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
RELATED: Senators Cite F.B.I. Failures as Chief Promises Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28fbi.html?ref=washington
RELATED: FBI chief lobbies for national security letters
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-fbi-senate_N.htm

More DOJ scandal news in NATIONAL/GOVERNMENT

Senate Backs Pullout Proposal
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032700463.html
Senate Democrats scored a surprise victory yesterday in their bid to force President Bush to end the Iraq war, turning back a Republican amendment that would have struck a troop withdrawal plan from emergency military funding legislation. The defection of a prominent Republican war critic, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, sealed the Democrats' win. Hagel, who opposed identical withdrawal language two weeks ago, walked onto the Senate floor an hour before the late-afternoon vote and announced that he would "not support sustaining a flawed and failing policy," adding: "It's now time for the Congress to step forward and establish responsible boundaries and conditions for our continued military involvement in Iraq."
RELATED: Foreign Relations at Center Stage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701956.html
RELATED: Senate retains Iraq war timeline
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warvote28mar28,1,4873002.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
RELATED: Senate Supports a Pullout Date in Iraq War Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28cong.html

More Iraq war news in NATIONAL/FOREIGN POLICY, NATIONAL/MILITARY

Blair Prepares to Show Iran Broke Law in Seizing 15 Britons
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032700535.html
Barring a surprise early release, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to go public in Parliament as soon as Wednesday with concrete evidence that Iran violated international law in seizing 15 British military personnel, after behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts failed, according to British and U.S. officials. Tensions over the incident escalated Tuesday, with oil prices hitting a six-month high following suggestions by officials in Tehran that the 15 sailors and marines captured Friday by Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval units might be put on trial. Adding to the atmospherics, two U.S. aircraft-carrier battle groups began two days of military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.
RELATED: Latest talks fail in Iran-Britain standoff
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sailors28mar28,0,7539336.story?coll=la-home-headlines
RELATED: U.S. Is Open to a Deeper Iran Dialogue, Gates Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702224.html
RELATED: Britain Escalates Dispute With Iran Over Seized Sailors
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/europe/28cnd-britain.html

Edwardses' News Brings Flood of Online Support
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701917.html
The emotional news conference Democrat John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, held last week to share word that her cancer has returned brought them an outpouring of more than 24,000 e-mails in 24 hours. It also appears to have unleashed a torrent of online contributions to his presidential campaign. In the past five days, the campaign received more than 5,000 donations totaling half a million dollars -- about 50 percent of the total it raised online in the previous three months, according to postings on ActBlue.com, the Web site that tracks Edwards's Internet fundraising.
RELATED: Edwards moves in 'uncharted territory'
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-edwards28mar28,1,3576055.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

More 2008 presidential race news in NATIONAL/ELECTION, COLORADO/IMMIGRATION

Top

Colorado

Ritter signs solar, wind, biomass energy bill
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/energy/article/0,2777,DRMN_23914_5446747,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill into law Tuesday that requires Colorado utilities to get more electricity from the sun, wind, or plant and animal waste. House Bill 1281 sailed smoothly through the state legislature, clearing the House and Senate, both with Democratic majorities, in about five weeks before landing on Ritter's desk last month. He promised during his election campaign to promote the generation of more electricity from renewable sources and reduce the use of fossil fuel such as coal or natural gas, an agenda supported by environmental activists, utilities and rural electric co-operatives except Intermountain Rural Electric Association.
RELATED: Using Mother Nature's power
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534704
RELATED: Energy double play
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/03/27/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt
RELATED: Ritter signs renewable energy bills
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/11

More energy policy news in NATIONAL/ENERGY, COLORADO/ENERGY

Senate to debate bill expanding stem-cell studies
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534705
Legislation to lift limits on federal embryonic stem-cell research is headed back to the Senate floor, and possibly back to President Bush. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday said senators will debate stem-cell legislation in early April. They'll consider a bill similar to the one sponsored by Denver Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, which passed the House in January. Senate backers say they have enough votes for passage. That would send the bill to Bush for the second time. The president has promised to veto it again, as he did last summer after it passed Congress. "The American people in the last election overwhelmingly supported expanding embryonic stem-cell research," DeGette spokesman Brandon MacGillis said, referring to the success of candidates backing the science.

Coloradan takes union plea to Congress
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534264
A Colorado man who says he was fired after trying to form a labor union urged Congress on Tuesday to pass legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize. Appearing at a U.S. Senate hearing, Errol Hohrein, a 57-year-old Greeley boilermaker, testified in support of the bill. "What the Employee Free Choice Act does is restore the choice to bargain for a better life for people like me who have been robbed of that choice," he testified. The bill would allow a majority of workers at a company to form a labor union by signing cards. Under current law, employers can force workers to hold a secret-ballot election. Hohrein said his employer, Front Range Energy, fired him after he prodded co-workers to unionize in December. He alleges there were dangerous working conditions and inadequate wages at the company. In a statement, Front Range Energy company manager Dan Sanders Jr. said Hohrein is offering an "inaccurate" story and litigating the matter "in the press."

Bureau deal for Aurora irks Udall
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/1
A Colorado congressmen is upset with a decision to issue a contract to Aurora to store and exchange water in Lake Pueblo without a full environmental impact statement. U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., Tuesday criticized a decision by the Bureau of Reclamation to issue a 40-year contract to Aurora that would allow the city of 300,000 east of Denver to move Arkansas Valley water to the South Platte basin. The water would come from water rights Aurora purchased on the Rocky Ford Ditch and Colorado Canal, as well as from future leases. Aurora would use an excess capacity account in Lake Pueblo to physically exchange water and make paper trades of water to Turquoise and Twin Lakes, where it pumps water out of the basin through the Otero Pumping Station and Homestake Pipeline. “I’m more than just disappointed,” said Udall, who called for a full environmental impact statement just days before Reclamation released a “finding of no significant impact” on the Aurora deal.
RELATED: Aurora report relies on old information
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/2
RELATED: Rejected ideas: Paths not taken in Bureau’s decision
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/9

COLORADO NEWS

Top

Election

Voters' list idles 100,000
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534745
The Denver Election Commission has scrubbed more than 100,000 residents from the active voter list since November, creating one of the smallest such lists in recent years. The move was in compliance with state regulations, officials said, but it is significant as the city heads into its first municipal all-mail-ballot election. The change does not purge registered voters. However, only "active" voters will automatically receive ballots when the city sends them out early next month. Active voters are people who voted in the last general election - in other words, last November. Councilman Doug Linkhart took issue with the move Tuesday, given what he called "extreme problems" during the November election.

Bill lowering the age for lawmakers goes to the House next for debate
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/103270071
A measure that would ask voters to lower the age to serve in the Legislature from 25 to 21 won approval in a House committee on Tuesday. The bill (House Concurrent Resolution 1002) would need a two-thirds vote in each house before it can appear on the 2008 ballot. The bill now goes to the full House for debate. Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, said many young adults still in their teens do not have the maturity to serve in the Legislature.
RELATED: Bill could lower required age to serve in state Legislature
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070328_7.htm

Political reform returns to voters
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/70327020
Voters beware: If you did not vote in the November General Election, you may not receive a home rule election ballot in your mail box this April. Only those who voted in the last election are still considered “active voters” and will receive ballots, but all other registered voters — about 5,000 of them — need to contact the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office to participate in this special election, said Teak Simonton, county clerk. “Anybody who did not vote in the general election has an inactive voter status, but they should have received confirmation cards in the mail to become active again,” Simonton said. “It’s not that they are not eligible to vote, they just need to take some steps to take themselves off the inactive list.”

2 candidates talk about justice
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20620&template=article.html
Closer oversight of city police and the judicial system would help ensure minorities are treated fairly, two candidates for the Colorado Springs City Council said Tuesday. The candidates were Mike Coletta, who’s running for mayor, and Bob Null, who’s seeking an at-large seat on the nine-member council. Voters are returning mail-in ballots now in advance of an April 3 deadline. Coletta and Null spoke to about 14 people at a meeting of People For Justice, a group that promotes civil rights. Eight other at-large candidates and three mayoral hopefuls did not attend.

City weighs in on election politics
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280042
Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Director Tom McCabe was out of line when he criticized an affordable housing proposal by mayoral candidate Tim Semrau, according to a press release from the city of Aspen. In a March 15 story in The Aspen Times, McCabe — a former city councilman — took issue with Semrau's proposal to raise appreciation caps on affordable housing units. A statement from Assistant City Manager Bentley Henderson on Tuesday said McCabe misstated certain facts and should not have weighed in on a political campaign issue.

Circulators attempt to remove Dinosaur mayor from office
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/25921
Circulators seeking to remove Dinosaur Mayor Freda Powell from office are getting closer to the required number of signatures on a recall petition, organizer Dorothy Slaugh said Tuesday.

Top

Effective and Ethical Government

Not one dime for Flats worker
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447643,00.html
Rocky Flats engineer Jim Stone lost his career in 1986 after he blew the whistle on plutonium pollution at the nuclear-weapons plant on the outskirts of Denver. But even though he helped spark an FBI raid that eventually led to plant closure and a $7 billion cleanup, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that he won't get a dime of the damages collected by the government. The high court voted 6-2, with the majority saying Stone didn't meet the requirement that whistle-blowers be the "original source" of the specific act that the government collected damages on. Eighteen years after filing suit, Stone is now 82 and suffering from Alzheimer's in a Denver nursing home. His memories are fragmented when it comes to the days when he warned his bosses at Rockwell International that their sloppy practices in running Rocky Flats were allowing deadly plutonium leaks into the environment.
RELATED: Flats whistleblower gets nothing
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535028

Beauprez reassures Capitol Republicans
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5447060,00.html
Ex-gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez dropped by the Capitol on Tuesday to say that rumors of his political death have been greatly exaggerated. Beauprez joked with House Republicans that after losing a lopsided election to Democrat Bill Ritter in November some people made him feel "a little like the corpse in the coffin." "But we did not die. The sun did come up the next day . . . and we're going to live to fight another day," Beauprez said, drawing applause and knowing laughter from the House Republicans Caucus. "We get the same thing in our caucus, Bob. We understand," said Caucus Chairman Rep. Bill Cadman R-Colorado Springs. Statehouse Republicans, after a long stretch as the party in power, are also biding their time as a feisty minority and plotting their own political resurrection. Beauprez said he is about to unveil a new free-market and traditional-values-friendly charitable foundation, and is blogging on his new "common-sense" public policy Web site (alineofsight.com). He won't rule out a run for the U.S. Senate in 2008.

Citizen Legislator: John Kefalas
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5446968,00.html
Rep. John Kefalas gardens in what little spare time he has. Much of the 52-year-old's varied career has been spent helping the less fortunate. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, a migrant health-care outreach worker in Larimer County and a public policy advocate for Catholic Charities. "It's been quite a journey," he said. The Fort Collins Democrat is serving his first term in the House, where he is focused on health care and poverty. Kefalas and his wife, Beth Helmers, have two sons and two grandkids.

PUSHING HIS BUTTONS (Roll Call, March 28)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5446972,00.html
"I'm so used to hitting red." Gardner after repeatedly hitting the red or "off" button on his committee microphone, instead of green, which turns it on. Red buttons on the House floor signify a "no" vote.

Ritter's office to be closed May through December during construction project
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5447059,00.html
Five months after being sworn in as Colorado's governor, Democrat Bill Ritter is leaving office. Republicans, don't rejoice just yet.

Rivera: Head of telecom panel ousted over ethics breach
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20618&template=article.html
Mike Schmidt was removed Tuesday as chairman of the city’s Telecommunications Policy Advisory Committee after questions were raised about violations of Colorado Springs’ ethics rules. The City Council voted 6-1 to oust him after Schmidt twice refused Mayor Lionel Rivera’s request that he resign, most recently at a meeting late last week. The sole dissenter was Tom Gallagher; Darryl Glenn was absent, and Randy Purvis said he hadn’t had time to “read all the materials” and left the meeting. Gallagher said he voted against removing Schmidt because the matter wasn’t on the council’s formal agenda. Rivera, however, said during Monday’s meeting that he was adding an item to remove Schmidt from the committee. Gallagher did not attend the Monday meeting.

Olathe mayor decides to quit during meeting
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/28/3_28_1B_Olathe_resignations.html
Olathe Mayor Wayne Blair quit his job Monday night, following seven other town employees who resigned during the past year. Blair, who made his announcement at the end of an Olathe Town Board of Trustees meeting, said he didn’t decide to resign until after the meeting was under way. Blair said several issues that led to his resignation, including going to college part-time and having Meniere’s Disease, which affects his inner ear. But mostly, it was a contentious relationship with the town’s board of trustees, he said, and he cited the other resignations.
RELATED: Blair is the eighth town loss in past year
http://montrosepress.com/articles/2007/03/27/breaking_news/bn1.txt

Fansler resigns as mayor of MV
http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/03/28/news/news02.txt
Saying that he needed to take better care of his own health, Davis Fansler resigned yesterday as the mayor of Mountain Village. Fansler suffers from heart trouble, and was hospitalized in January with a “cardiac incident.”

Fire district unlikely to recover $1M debt
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/28/3_28_1a_fire_district.html
The president of the Grand Junction Rural Fire Protection District said Tuesday he doubts the district will be able to recoup the roughly $1 million lost in bad investments, as potential routes for recovering the money have dried up.

Dialogue Before Decision: Statewide solutions
http://www2.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/mar/28/dialogue_decision_statewide_solutions/?local_news
Steamboat Springs is not the first town in Colorado to look at whether it needed or could fund a recreation center. Leadership Steamboat chose three different mountain communities and took an in-depth look at the recreation centers those communities built. Information was gathered from key personnel at each of the centers.

Top

Civil Liberties and Equality

Civil rights activist urges students to work for equal rights
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280116
If the country is going to survive, more women are needed to fill positions of power, said civil rights activist Dolores Huerta in a speech to more than 300 people Tuesday night at the University of Northern Colorado. "If we're good enough to take care of the children in our country then we're good enough to take care of the country," Huerta said during her speech titled, "Sharing 50 years of activism." Huerta is president of her own California-based foundation, which organizes and provides leaderships skills for women and youth. She also serves on the board of the Fund for the Feminist Majority, which advocates equal rights for women. Citing the success of the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Huerta said it's important for women to continue to take roles traditionally filled by men and to support equal rights for women.
RELATED: State's rate for woman IT execs beats average
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5534262

Suit blasts bus firms over aid to passengers in wheelchairs
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446836,00.html
Greyhound and three other bus companies have not done enough to help passengers in wheelchairs, a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Denver U.S. District Court alleges. The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition and three individuals are asking a federal judge to grant an injunction against the bus companies, ordering them to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. Greyhound spokeswoman Anna Folmnsbee said she could not comment on the specific litigation but said that the company has several programs to aid disabled passengers. At issue is the treatment the three individuals allegedly received while riding or waiting for bus transportation.

Little Hispanic input during uproar over Rifle High fight
http://postindependent.com/article/20070328/VALLEYNEWS/103280030
Approximately 20 people - students, parents and Re-2 faculty - spoke at the Garfield School District Re-2 meeting on March 20 at Wamsley Elementary school in Rifle, all in agreement that the community needs to support the school district and its staff. However, the majority of the audience that night was Anglo, and none of the students who spoke were Hispanic. Community members and Rifle High School students voiced their opinions that night to show support for the school district after the previous school board meeting brought up concerns about school policies and safety issues. The RHS student body is approximately 14 percent Hispanic, according to data compiled by Colorado School Tree's Web site, schooltree.org. Re-2 Superintendent Gary Pack said he hasn't personally received any input, in writing or at the school board meetings, from any Hispanic students or parents regarding this particular incident.

Protesters claim bias by Town Center mall
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447647,00.html
Fifteen protesters gathered on the steps of city hall Tuesday to try to bring pressure on government officials to hold public hearings on how the operators of the Town Center mall treat young minority customers. Four of the protesters, who were black, described how they believed they either were victims of racial profiling or witnessed minorities being harassed by security guards at Town Center at Aurora, East Alameda Avenue and Interstate 225. The protesters carried signs denouncing the treatment they alleged is being carried out by the mall's manager, Simon Property Group Inc., which is considered the nation's largest developer of shopping malls.
RELATED: Groups allege profiling at mall in Aurora
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534656

Top

Immigration

Iraqi immigrant sues from jail, claims Tancredo defamed him
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446915,00.html
A jailed Iraqi immigrant has sued Rep. Tom Tancredo for $5 million, saying that the congressman defamed him during a controversy over so-called catch- and-release immigration enforcement last year. The immigrant, Gavan Alkadi, 46, reportedly emigrated to the U.S. at age 15, but has been in legal limbo for the past several years. He faces deportation proceedings prompted by his various brushes with the law. Colorado Bureau of Investigation records show he has been arrested more than 30 times in Colorado since 1981 on suspicion of offenses that include DUI and assault. Many of those charges were dismissed.

Top

Health Care and Public Safety

Dems: Medicaid cuts could hurt hospitals
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5447084,00.html
Democrats warned Tuesday that the federal government's plan to cut billions in Medicaid funding next year could cost Colorado's public hospitals $128 million, hurting their operations and the state's budget. The cuts could affect 24 hospitals statewide, with the hardest- hit being Denver Health Medical Center and University of Colorado Hospital. Both would be forced to drastically scale back care to the poor and some 780,000 uninsured Coloradans, lawmakers and hospital officials said Tuesday. The burden would fall to the state to make up the shortfall.

Mother campaigns for malpractice disclosure
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446974,00.html
The loss of her only son still a sharp wound, Patty Skolnik is determined to make Colorado the 16th state to publicize malpractice judgments against doctors. Skolnik, of Centennial, appeared at a news conference Tuesday where Health Grades announced it has gone online with the first national data base with information on malpractice settlements against doctors. Information on malpractice judgments, settlements and arbitration awards against doctors from 15 states is available at www.healthgrades.com. Health Grades, which bills itself as the nation's largest independent health-care rating company, can only make available the information if the states don't shield it, said Sara Loughran, executive vice president. The Colorado legislature is working on the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act, which would require all doctors to report final malpractice judgments, settlements or arbitrations against them.

Victims call fake address key to safety
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534744
A Westminster woman who believes her abusive, soon-to-be-ex-husband crept into her last house to crank up the heat and turn on all the faucets is desperately hoping he doesn't find out where she moved. Marie, who does not want her full name published because she fears for her safety, is among those who would sign up for a fake address under a proposed program state lawmakers debated Tuesday. "He turned from Dr. Jekyll (to) Mr. Hyde after we got married and stayed there," she said in an interview. "He is harassing me and he won't leave me alone." Victims of rape, domestic violence or stalking could use a fake address, with the actual address known only to the secretary of state's office, under the proposal. The legislation, House Bill 1350, is intended to protect people from abusers who could track them down online within minutes through public records.

Health-care forum probes solutions
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070328_1.htm
Concern was evident in the words and on the faces of participants in a wide-ranging health-care discussion at the Durango Community Recreation Center on Tuesday. The word "crisis" was spoken repeatedly at the forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of La Plata County. That is exactly what the community faces since Valley-Wide Health Systems closed its Durango clinic and voters rejected an initiative to fund a health-service district, participants said. Low Medicare reimbursement rates got much of the blame for what participants described as a lack of access to primary-care physicians.

Social service agencies strained
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/NEWS01/703280329/1002
It wasn't too long ago that Tara Eckhardt needed a helping hand. In 2004, the mother of three young children had just left a troubled marriage and faced the prospect of starting a new life without much assistance or help. "I knew that after the divorce was finalized, my financial situation was going to be grim," Eckhardt said. "I knew that things were going to get tough." Eckhardt is representative of a growing population of single mothers in Larimer County who struggle to make ends meet. Census figures released last summer showed that Fort Collins had 3,938 households headed by single mothers with children at home in 2005, a 63 percent increase in five years. Countywide, the increase was 48 percent.

Local vets treating pets in wake of food recall
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/6
Members of Pueblo's veterinary community say they have treated a few sick animals with symptoms similar to those caused by contaminated recalled food products. Toxins in the bad pet food attack the animal's kidneys. Vet clinics, however, are struggling to determine whether the animals are suffering from natural kidney problems, or problems precipitated from bad food. "This is where part of the problem lies," Keith Lorensen, a vet with Pueblo Small Animal Clinic said Tuesday. "Kidney problems have already been a problem in dogs and cats, so weeding out what was caused by the food or what is natural is a difficult task."

Top

Crime and Penal Reform

Officers recall fallen friend
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447885,00.html
Officer Doug -Byrne knew when to give a boost to his buddies on the police force. He was the first to shake hands with a newcomer. He encouraged another to keep at it in golf. He shared his dreams with yet another. Byrne died Monday after he crashed his police cruiser on the way to a medical call. Three officers shared their good memories of Byrne on Tuesday at a news conference in front of the police department.
RELATED: Humor was part of Byrne's job
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534655

Murder case against sheriff deputy's wife takes another turn
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280102
One of Greeley's most curious cases -- the murder of a Greeley police officer's wife, apparently by a sheriff deputy's wife -- took another odd step this week when court files were sealed, and no one will say why.

Eagle Valley mourns one of its own
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446973,00.html
Jake Brock could put "10 pounds of fun in a 5-pound bag," his dad said in a eulogy Tuesday as Eagle Valley mourned the young man with a wide smile and a love of mischief. "He was always in a hurry," Vern Brock said of his strapping, athletic son, who was killed along with his girlfriend last week near Grand Junction by a suspected drunken driver fleeing from police. "That red hair and smile got him more pardons than anyone else - and he knew it," Brock said. Brock said that he and his wife, Marilyn, will fight for stronger laws addressing drunk driving and high-speed chases.
RELATED: Brock family wants DUI, chase rules to change
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/28/3_28_8a_legislation.html

Magistrate censured for phone calls to woman
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446969,00.html
A Denver magistrate was steaming Tuesday after being publicly censured for calling a woman with a case before his court four times on her cell phone. "I can't believe those b-------," Robert E. Gilbert said Tuesday, of the ruling issued this week by a three-judge panel of the state Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, which monitors misconduct. "Yeah, I'm p----- off," he said, lashing out at the censure. "I didn't do a damn thing wrong." And this was after the disciplinary panel, citing insufficient evidence, cleared Gilbert of allegations that he used a Post-it note to ask the woman in court for a date. The decision means that the incident will be reflected in Gilbert's disciplinary record as long as he is an attorney.
RELATED: Supreme Court panel censures magistrate
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534426

Top

Economy

Rising revenue goals outraged executive VP
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5447192,00.html
The former head of Qwest's wholesale department had just one word for the aggressive revenue goals handed down to him in 2001: "Bull----." That was the one-word reply Gregory Casey sent to then-CEO Joe Nacchio and other Qwest executives in a December 2000 e-mail, Casey told jurors as the message was shown on a large monitor during Nacchio's insider trading trial Tuesday. Testifying under an immunity deal with prosecutors, the former executive vice president said he was "outraged" that the target was raised to a number he didn't think was attainable.
RELATED: Ex-Qwest limo driver says Nacchio abrupt on phone
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5447242,00.html
RELATED: Exec objected to higher targets
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5534830
RELATED: Ex-Qwest CFO recalls secret deals
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5534378
RELATED: Nacchio's goals were too high
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5531297
RELATED: Special coverage: Nacchio on trial
http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/business/nacchio/

Hay situation improving in SE Colorado
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1175091501/3
Ranchers in blizzard-stricken areas of Southeastern Colorado who were facing dire hay shortages last month are beginning to see better days, area ranchers and farm officials said Tuesday. The storm-swept high plains were slammed by back-to-back blizzards in late December as frigid winds and snowdrifts as high as a horse's shoulder shut down daily life across Southeastern Colorado. Cattle that survived the 3-to-5 feet of snow that fell couldn't graze, and hay from across the country was needed to keep the animals alive.

Landowners appeal Valley Floor case
http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/03/28/news/news01.txt
Even though the owners of the Valley Floor won the battle to value their land at $50 million, they always threatened to appeal the case, arguing that Telluride never had the right to pursue the land in the first place. Yesterday, those landowners, the San Miguel Valley Corporation, made good on their threats. They appealed the condemnation case to the Colorado Supreme Court, saying it should have been dismissed long ago. The appeal is based on a 2004 Colorado law that would have stripped Telluride’s right to buy the Valley Floor in an eminent-domain taking. A judge rule the law, the so-called Telluride Amendment, unconstitutional.

Third Longmont Wal-Mart approved
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/mar/28/third-longmont-wal-mart-approved/
Wal-Mart proposals drew heated debate Tuesday, as leaders in Longmont and Broomfield discussed late into the night whether to move forward with big-box plans. The Longmont City Council approved the construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a Sam's Club and a gas station at the southeast corner of Colo. 119 and County Line Road after several hours of discussion on the environmental and traffic impacts of the development. The council also discussed whether the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club match the vision of the city's master plan.

Rockmount's chief turns 106
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5534379
Jack A. Weil, the founder and chief executive of Denver-based Rockmount Ranch Wear, is believed to be the nation's oldest CEO. He turns 106 today. Credited with introducing snap buttons on Western shirts, Weil's slim-fitting shirts have been worn by luminaries including Ronald Reagan, Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton. "We hit on something that interested people," said Weil, speaking from the company's retail outlet and offices at 1626 Wazee St. in downtown Denver. "It was the attraction of the Rocky Mountains."

Top

Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability

Bill to protect personal information of casino workers clears committee
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5446970,00.html
Casino dealers worried about revenge from angry gamblers would be protected under a bill that won approval Tuesday in a House committee. House Bill 1353 would allow the state to keep confidential the personal information required for license applications filed with the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission. "By making this information easily accessible to the public, we are putting these workers in danger. What happens if someone has a bad night at a casino, wants revenge on an employer that fired them, or even wants to find a casino worker who rejected a sexual advance? These are potentially dangerous situations that need to be addressed," said House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker.

Colorado slips to 8th in income
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5446876,00.html
Coloradans slipped one spot in the U.S. rankings of income levels and fell behind their Wyoming neighbors but still sit comfortably in the top 10. "The bad news is that Colorado dropped from seventh place," said Jeff Thredgold, the Vectra Bank Colorado economist. "The good news is that eighth ain't bad." Per capita personal income in Colorado last year rose to $39,186, making the state No. 8, trailing New Hampshire and ahead of Virginia, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis statistics released Tuesday.
RELATED: State slips on income listing
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5534377
RELATED: Average income rises across state
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/28/3_28_7b_Personal_Income.html

Percentage of older workers in county rises
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20634&template=article.html
El Paso County’s work force has not quite entered the geriatric set, but it’s getting older, and fast. Workers age 45 to 54 account for about 25 percent of the county’s work force, according to government figures. That’s up from 16 percent in the early 1990s. Workers age 55 and older are also gaining, while young employees are losing ground. A decline in young workers raises concern for economists and business leaders because it could lead to a labor shortage. Some experts worry it represents the drain of a “creative class” that offers innovative ideas leading to greater prosperity. El Paso County had 47,709 workers age 25 to 34 at the beginning of 2006, the latest figures available from the state Department of Labor and Employment. The number is down from a high of 53,076 at the end of 2000.

Top

Housing and Homelessness

Lawmakers apt to raise roof over lousy-homes bill
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5447085,00.html
A controversial construction-defects bill that created political drama at the Capitol in recent weeks is scheduled for debate today on the House floor. "This is going to be one heck of a fight," predicted Rep. Alice Borodkin, D-Denver. The intrigue involves automated phone calls to senior citizens that infuriated Democratic lawmakers, including Borodkin, and a Republican lawmaker at odds with her own caucus and the home-building industry. Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora, said she was told by a fellow House Republican that she would be targeted by a home-builders association in future elections if she supported the bill. On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said Stafford has an ax to grind because home builders worked to kill an unrelated bill of hers this session. He said her version of events "never happened." "I stick by my story," Stafford shot back. "I think it's time we stick by the people of Colorado, and they are being stuck with shoddily built homes and no recourse."

Greeley planners foresee grim year for new home construction
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280105
Greeley planning officials expect new home construction in Greeley to cool off even more in 2007 than it has in the past few years. In a presentation to city council on Tuesday, senior planner Greg Flebbe said his department expects a new construction growth rate of only .78 percent this year. That figure includes homes brought in by annexation. The growth rate last year was 1 percent. "We're facing a greater slow down than we have (in the past few years)," said Becky Safarik, community development director. At the end of last year, there were 35,399 homes in Greeley. A good amount of them are vacant, which may account for some of the slow down if people are moving into existing homes instead of purchasing new ones, Safarik said.

[Steamboat] City Council gets an earful
http://www2.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/mar/28/working_vacations/?local_news
More than three hours of emotional public comment Tuesday night stalled action on a controversial city ordinance that impacts scores of local homeowners. In a meeting that drew more than 50 people to Centennial Hall, the Steamboat Springs City Council made no revisions to the city’s vacation home rental ordinance because of a flood of public debate that City Council President Susan Dellinger said got the council “bogged down in the past” on an issue that arose more than six years ago. Tuesday’s inaction means next week the council will consider extending the city’s temporary ban on new vacation home rental permits — a potential blow to property owners hoping to rent their homes to summer vacationers in coming months.

Top

Education

Legacies, beware
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/03/27/news/c_u_and_boulder/news3.txt
Students whose family legacy at a college helped them gain admission tend to perform worse than non-legacy students, a recent study declared. The study, released Monday in sociology journal Social Problems, surveyed the grades and dropout rates of 4,000 students at 28 U.S. colleges and universities. The study's authors were testing the “mismatch hypothesis” - the idea that if affirmative action helps a student get through the door, that student will do more poorly than a non-affirmative action admit. The two Princeton University researchers broadly defined “affirmative action,” tracking the success rates of three “affirmative action” groups: minorities, athletes and legacies. Many colleges consider an applicants' membership in these groups when making admission decisions. Researchers did not find strong evidence to apply the “mismatch hypothesis” to minorities and athletes, but did find students whose application was boosted by their legacy status received lower grades.

CSAP participation on record clip in District 6
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103270117
Student participation in the Colorado Student Assessment Program is at a record rate this spring in Greeley-Evans School District 6. Nine students have not taken the tests, Superintendent Renae Dreier said at Monday's school board meeting. In 2006, parents of 12 students turned in CSAP refusal forms.

School Board to evaluate budget cuts
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/25903
The Moffat County School District Board of Education will get a glimpse of possible staff and program cuts in the 2007-08 budget at its meeting Thursday. As the lowest-funded district per pupil in the state, Moffat County administrators have been evaluating ways to cut expenditures and increase revenue.

A rush to PCC brings in the numbers
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=6522
The annual rite of spring began Monday when seniors rushed to the campus to take a variety of classes. The 22nd annual Senior Mini College will continue throughout the week at the Fremont Campus — Pueblo Community Campus. This year, the college has 293 registered students, which does not include others who will register during the week. “That’s the most we’ve ever had,” said Jennifer Pierceall Herman, Fremont Campus dean.

Report says support high for current grade setup
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/NEWS01/703280332/1002
Support is high for keeping Poudre School District's current grade configuration, according to an analysis released Tuesday. The report, by Martin Carcasson at Colorado State University's Center for Public Deliberation, chronicles the responses of people who attended a series of district meetings since February about reconfiguration options.

Debunking Darwin
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15426
A science teacher who’s spent 10 years with the St. Vrain Valley School District is retiring this spring to write more books on creationism and the dangers of Darwinism. Ken Poppe, 58, made national news last week after his sixth-grade paleontology class debated global warming and decided humans aren’t causing it. A Daily Times-Call story on the debate was featured on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show Friday and appeared on The Drudge Report’s Web site. Though his students were free to choose as they pleased, Poppe said he too disagrees with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which declared Feb. 2 that it’s 90 percent certain human-generated greenhouse gases are to blame for global warming. Poppe said he’s received about 85 e-mails from around the country since his class’ debate, more than 95 percent of them thanking him for letting the kids come to their own conclusions. But science blog Web sites have attacked his views. One site even featured racist and derogatory comments falsely attributed to him.

Music teacher charged following child abuse allegation
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/70327007
A music teacher at Silverthorne Elementary School faces a misdemeanor charge of child abuse after allegedly grabbing and bruising a student’s arm, according to a report by the Silverthorne Police Department.

Two incidents spur lockdown of several schools in Loveland
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/NEWS01/703280341/1002/NEWS01
Two separate incidents in Loveland - a bank robbery in the morning and a report of a man with a gun in the vicinity of three schools in the afternoon - resulted in five schools being locked down Tuesday.

'I'm tired of living,' killer told siblings
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447883,00.html
By the time he walked into Platte Canyon High School and took seven girls hostage Sept. 27, Duane Morrison had decided to die.
RELATED: Officers' response well done
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535041
RELATED: Last letter cited fear of father
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535040
RELATED: CBI sheds light on dark day
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535027

Top

Religion

Judge clears path for sexual-abuse lawsuits
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446833,00.html
Three clergy sex-abuse cases against the Archdiocese of Denver are free to go forward, and two new cases may lie ahead. Denver District Judge John McMullen on Monday denied the church's motions to dismiss three lawsuits, accusing the archdiocese of "negligent supervision" of the alleged abuser, the late Rev. Harold Robert White. McMullen's ruling said the cases could go forward even though they involved alleged incidents that happened more than 40 years ago, and therefore exceeded the statute of limitations. The archdiocese called the ruling disappointing and said it would continue to "vigorously defend itself."
RELATED: Judge lets suits against archdiocese go forward
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534427

Showdown on Palm Sunday at parish pulpit
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447016,00.html
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado is threatening to sue the Rev. Don Armstrong and his parish's governing board if they don't relinquish control of one of the largest and most venerable churches, Grace and St. Stephen's in Colorado Springs. The showdown looms on Palm Sunday as Episcopal Bishop Rob O'Neill or a representative and Armstrong, his longtime nemesis, both plan to take control of the parish pulpit at the 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. services. By then, O'Neill, who may or may not be there himself, intends to have a new priest and a new vestry board in place at the 2,000-member church, communications director Beckett Stokes said Tuesday.
RELATED: Breakaway parishioners get notice of eviction
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535114
RELATED: Question of authority
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20628&template=article.html

Top

Energy Policy

Uranium Ignites ‘Gold Rush’ in the West
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/business/28uranium.html?ref=business
Given its connotations, Pandora is an oddly inappropriate name for an uranium mine. But that does not seem to bother Denison Mines, the company from Vancouver, British Columbia, that owns it. Denison recently reopened this mine about 30 miles southeast of Moab, along with several others in nearby western Colorado, after it lay dormant during the years when the nation shunned nuclear power. The revival of uranium mining in the West, though, has less to do with the renewed interest in nuclear power as an alternative to greenhouse-gas-belching coal plants than to the convoluted economics and intense speculation surrounding the metal that has pushed up the price of uranium to levels not seen since the heyday of the industry in the mid-1970s.

‘In the best interest of the state'
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/25904
While the boom in oil and gas exploration is working its way across Colorado, a number of elected officials on the Western Slope think things might be moving too quickly. A comprehensive Energy Blueprint for Colorado is what Marianna Raftopoulos, with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, would like to see. A draft of a letter to Gov. Bill Ritter was presented to the Moffat County commissioners at Tuesday's meeting. "We're asking the governor to step back and take a look at the impact on the Western Slope," Raftopoulos said. "We would like to get local people on these groups making the decisions." The letter asks Ritter to consider the impact of proposed energy legislation on the economy, schools and tax structure on western Colorado counties.

Biomass study concludes: project probably not viable
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/103270074
After more than two years of extensive study looking into an ambitious, renewable energy biomass plant to heat local county buildings, it seems the numbers just aren't adding up for the project. County commissioners heard some disappointing data at their regular Tuesday work session about the feasibility of construction of a large wood-fired boiler, once envisioned to heat buildings at the County Commons, the Medical Office Building, and even the newer St. Anthony Summit Medical Center.

Solar panels slated for courthouse
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/mar/28/solar-panels-slated-for-courthouse/
Boulder County plans to install about 40 solar panels on top of the west wing of the county courthouse on Pearl Street this summer in an effort to generate electricity to power, in part, four future hybrid-electric vehicles in its fleet. County officials say they would also like to place several working photovoltaic panels on the courthouse lawn to demonstrate to the public how solar-energy generation works.

Energy plan for city library taxes budget
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070328_3.htm
City Council members Tuesday weighed the value of changes that would increase the new library's sustainability classification as they kept a wary eye on the building's growing projected bottom line. Bruce Flynn, a principal of library designers Barker Rinker Seacat, told a council study session the library's projected bottom line was running nearly $600,000 beyond the projected available funding of $18.8 million. In addition, the $18.8 million includes a projected $500,000 state energy impact grant city officials said was far from guaranteed and $750,000 in fundraising not yet under way.

Xcel's Zuni power plant near downtown leaks oil into river
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446967,00.html
Oil leaked into the South Platte River from an Xcel Energy power plant in Denver, the utility said Tuesday. Xcel said it did not know how much oil leaked but that booms were placed into the river to catch it. The utility said the leak occurred Monday night at the Zuni Generating Station, but it said the nature of the malfunction was not known. Xcel said its environmental experts do not believe the leak presents a public health risk and that no dangerous vapors were released.

Top

Transportation and Infrastructure

Frisco town manager appointed to state transportation panel
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070328/NEWS/70328001
Gov. Bill Ritter announced Monday that the 30 members of his newly established Colorado Transportation Finance and Implementation Panel will include Frisco Town Manager Michael Penny. According to the Governor’s office, the transportation panel is a blue ribbon task force that will lead a statewide conversation about the future of Colorado’s transportation system. “I am honored to represent municipalities and the I-70 Coalition on this prestigious panel," Penny said. "Gov. Ritter has presented a great opportunity and challenge for the panel to strategize the future of transportation in Colorado. We have not seen this kind of undertaking related to transportation at the state level in the past. The Governor’s appointment of Carla Perez, senior policy analyst for transportation, and the appointment of the three highly respected co-chairs of the panel was unprecedented and paves the way for unique solutions to Colorado’s transportation issues.”

House approves $12M for Hwy. 160
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070328_8.htm
The U.S. House of Representatives has authorized an additional $12 million for improvements on U.S. Highway 160 between the Florida River and Colorado Highway 3. The extra money is in addition to $4.8 million approved for the Durango area through the 2005 federal highway bill. The Senate still must pass the additional funding. "Rural Colorado faces unique challenges when it comes to highway and road funding," Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, who helped secure passage of the funding Monday, said in a statement. "Our area is competing with bigger cities to improve our highways. We need to put real resources into improving infrastructure in rural Colorado. The expansion and improvement of Highway 160 east of Durango is a priority for the community."

Feds use DIA near-collision in call for safety
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447117,00.html
Federal safety officials Tuesday used a chilling animation of a near-collision at Denver International Airport to boost calls for tougher ways to prevent potentially deadly runway incursions. The National Transportation Safety Board focused on a Jan. 5 incident on a runway at DIA as part of a safety hearing on the 30th anniversary of the deadliest accident in aviation history. On March 27, 1977, two 747s collided on a runway in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. The co-pilot of one of the planes involved in the crash, Capt. Robert Bragg, described in painful detail what happened that day when a KLM passenger jet taking off struck a Pan Am plane on the same runway, shearing off the cockpit where Bragg was sitting.

RTD vote eyes FasTracks funding options
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5535737
RTD directors passed a proposal Tuesday night to explore various financing options for the FasTracks project that could include private partnerships. The board approved, by a 14-1 vote, a plan to issue an application to take part in a Federal Transit Administration pilot program that examines the role of public and private dollars. "We're trying new things," RTD board chairman Christopher Martinez said. Before voting, board members were quick to get assurances from RTD general manager Cal Marsella that the application would not lock them into the program.

BLM, citizens want to protect turf from off-road vehicles
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/03/28/3_28_1B_BLM_Travel_Plan.html
Watch your rock crawlers, folks. The Bureau of Land Management and many Western Slopers who care about public land want to keep the Jeeps from trashing sensitive areas. The BLM’s Uncompahgre Resource Area is seeing more people using public land for motorized-vehicle use than ever before, and damage done by some irresponsible off-roaders is beginning to show, particularly in the Dry Creek area west of Montrose, BLM officials say.

City: dump the truck trips
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280049
Noise. Dust. Parking. Traffic. They're the major complaints [Aspen] neighbors have about construction projects in their neighborhoods, and the city is in the midst of tightening regulations to keep them under control. Last year, the city hired Aaron Reed as its first construction mitigation officer - the go-to guy when residents have complaints about a project.

Deputy asked to remove 13 preschoolers from bus
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5446197,00.html
High gas prices, congestion and global warming have made bus service in the environmentally conscious Roaring Fork Valley more popular — maybe too popular. Thirteen preschoolers unknowingly got caught in policies aimed at accommodating more commuters when a driver asked a sheriff's deputy to kick the kids off her bus last week. The driver wouldn't move for 20 minutes until Deputy Rob Lawson arrived, Lawson felt uncomfortable asking the kids to leave, and he ended up giving the kids stickers to make them feel better. The trouble began when the 13 preschoolers and their three teachers got on the bus to go from Basalt to El Jebel before noon March 20. The driver told Lawson the children hadn't paid fares, Eagle County sheriff's officials said. Usually, children 5 and under ride free, making the buses popular with preschools taking summer and spring outings. Last summer, partly to limit buses from being overtaken by preschoolers during the busy rush hour, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority started requiring those under 5 to pay $1 for rides if they were in groups of more than 10, CEO Dan Blankenship said.

Fueling hybrid frenzy
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5447058,00.html
The new cars are making their annual trek to Denver, and this time a few will be up for a test drive. The Denver Auto Show opens to the public at 5 p.m. today at the Colorado Convention Center. Denver's is one of 93 yearly U.S. shows, a season that culminates with the show in New York next month, said Bill Barrow, general manager of Denver's show. "People love them," he said. The show gives the 180,000 or so attendees a chance to sit in, climb on and look under the newest of the new, including "concept" cars that aren't even in dealer showrooms yet. This year, in an effort to spread the news and dispel myths about hybrids, Toyota is offering test drives in three of its hybrid cars, including the new Camry Hybrid, said Mary Nickerson, Toyota's national marketing manager.

RTD won't ditch video-game ads
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5447818,00.html
Regional Transportation District directors Tuesday rejected a campaign to keep advertisements for mature- and adult-rated video games off agency buses and trains. The Parents Television Council and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood asked the board in February to prohibit ads for games rated M for mature or AO for adults only, saying such promotions expose young riders to graphic violence and explicit sexual content. The groups cited ads for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories - which appeared on light-rail trains last fall - as evidence that the agency should change its advertising standards, which specifically exclude only tobacco products.

Top

Environment and Conservation

'We may not have a ski season'
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/103260057
Some U.S. ski resorts have been blessed with abundant snowfall this season, especially in states such as Colorado. And spurred by snowboarding and a renewed interest in extreme skiing, numbers remain high, with a record 59 million people skiing or snowboarding in the U.S. last season, according to industry estimates. But many scientists say the conditions that some resorts are seeing are consistent with the effects of global warming. Over all, 10 of the warmest winters globally since 1880 have occurred since 1995, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. No one knows for sure whether these milder winters are from climate change or natural weather cycles.

Warm spell takes toll on snowpack
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070328/NEWS/103280044
March came in like a lamb and could very well go out like one and that does not bode well for spring runoff this year. Historically the snowiest month of the year, March has been a bust so far. Warm temperatures and frost-free nights in the last week have made for a quickly melting snowpack. Snow runoff accounts for most of the state's surface water supply. "We're drying out awfully fast," said Dennis Davidson, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Glenwood Springs.

Study: Green Mountain Reservoir pumpback feasible
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070327/NEWS/103270072
A recently completed $200,000 study shows that pumping water from Green Mountain Reservoir back upstream to Dillon Reservoir is technically feasible and could yield as much as 50,000 acre feet of water, at a cost of about $10,000 to $12,000 per acre foot. "We're talking about a project on the order of several hundred million dollars," said Dan Birch, and planner with Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD). Birch said the cost per acre-foot (about 326,000 gallons) of the so-called pumpback is comparable to other water development scenarios, including new or expanded reservoirs.

Top

Opinion

State budget favors roads over education
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_5532631
A strong economy requires a good higher-education system and a strong transportation network. Colorado is failing on both of these fronts.
RELATED: Roads to ruin
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/mar/28/roads-to-ruin/

Colorado getting serious about renewable energy
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Opinion-story.asp?ID=6524
When Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter campaigned last year on a theme to diversify the state’s energy economy and make it a leader in alternative energy, it could have been easy to dismiss the goal as too optimistic or far-fetched. A pair of developments this week, however, shows that the state is making progress in setting itself up as a hub for alternative energy. The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels was announced this week as a cooperative effort among the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The goal of the new project: to convert the abundant crops grown by Colorado farmers into fuel that can be used to power cars and other machines used in the modern world. Initial funding for the project is $2 million, but organizers hope that energy companies will pay into the research ventures from the lab and universities.

Stick with panel reform plan
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_5532629
Colorado legislators need to resist pressures to stall a bill that would broaden the membership of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The agency, which regulates the activities of the energy industry, now is made up largely of industry representatives who are - for all intents and purposes - in charge of regulating themselves. It's time to reform the commission, broaden its scope and make it more responsive to the health and safety of the public and the environment. Efforts to broaden the panel's mission have failed in the past. But now that we have a new governor who is receptive to reform, lawmakers should not hesitate to make the needed changes.

Calkins: Consumer access to low-cost gas
http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/speakout/2007/03/consumer_access_to_lowcost_gas.html
For over 35 years we at Bradley Petroleum have prided ourselves on being the leading low-cost gas retailer in the Rocky Mountain region. Currently, House Bill 1208, which has passed through the legislature on its way to the governor's desk, would repeal a portion of the Colorado Unfair Practices Act, specifically relating to below-cost fuel sales. If this bill is signed, it will jeopardize many retailers' futures and more importantly Colorado consumers' access to low-cost gas. The lobbyists representing the large grocery chains and hypermarts, Wal-Mart and Costco, have been actively deceiving the public into believing that this legislation will promote competition and lead to cheaper gasoline prices when, in fact, these changes will have the absolute opposite effect, leading to a net loss for the consumer in both the short, and more importantly, long term.

Spencer: High-risk mortgages a low blow
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5534748
Utah financial entrepreneur Rich Ferguson considers it a kick-start to the American Dream of homeownership and a boon to the whole U.S. economy. Boulder lawyer Bill Robinson calls it a "kick-forward" that, like a kickback, creates artificially high real estate prices and contributes to foreclosures. Companies that give financially strapped buyers tens of thousands of dollars before they buy houses they might not otherwise afford are a blessing or a curse. It depends on whom you talk to. That's because home sellers - not homebuyers - pay back the front money, along with commissions to the companies providing it. Meanwhile, investors backing the resulting risky mortgages usually remain clueless.

Johnson: Churchill Bar hangs fire as smoke police close in
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5447057,00.html
So now they are coming for the cigar bars. Perhaps it is only right. It is seemingly impossible to know - should the legislature have its way - what will become of them, particularly places like Churchill Bar, the stately, red-leather-clad enclave tucked in a corner of the Brown Palace Hotel.

Green: Mexico ready to send fleets on our roads
http://pueblochieftain.com/editorial/1175091501/3
The United States is about to allow thousands of cargo trucks from Mexico to have full access to American highways and urban streets - without having to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation trucking regulations. The program, authorized by President George Bush under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has all the earmarks of a disaster.

Guantanamo should be closed
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_5532630
The first "War on Terror" case went before the newly minted military commission system in the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Monday, again bringing into focus the reasons why the prison ought to be shuttered.

'Open skies' could be boon to travelers
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/editorials/article/0,2777,DRMN_23964_5446776,00.html
It took more than four years and there are still some details to be worked out, but the United States and the European Union have finally approved an "open skies" agreement that should make trans-Atlantic air travel cheaper and more convenient.

NATIONAL NEWS

Top

Election

Report: NOW to endorse Clinton's WH bid
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-now-clinton_N.htm
The political arm of NOW, the National Organization for Women, will endorse Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid on Wednesday, according to Democratic officials familiar with the plan. Clinton will join NOW president Kim Gandy to accept the endorsement, which will take place at Washington's Sewell-Belmont House, the historic home of the National Women's Party. "The NOW PAC is excited to close out Women's History Month with news that's sure to energize women's rights supporters across the country," Gandy said in an e-mail statement.

Democratic Candidates Praise Value of Organized Labor
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701383.html
As they addressed the Communication Workers of America this morning, the three leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination praised the value of organized labor, called for greater college affordability and cheered the importance of universal health care. But as Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), former senator John Edwards (N.C.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) appealed for the union's support at the Hyatt on Capitol Hill, they also put on full display their differing styles of oratory while trying to mix personal narratives with policy prescriptions. Obama referenced the story of a specific man in Illinois who couldn't afford to pay for his son's liver transplant. Edwards spoke of theoretical Americans who can't afford healthcare or lose loved ones in Iraq. Clinton related the efforts of communication workers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Each received multiple standing ovations.

Top

Effective and Ethical Government

Gonzales TV Appearance Sheds No Light on Firings
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701920.html
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales sat down for a television interview this week in an attempt, he said, to "be more precise about my involvement" in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. He said he had heard complaints about some prosecutors over the years but "was not involved in the deliberations over whether or not United States attorneys should resign." He approved the list of prosecutors to be fired but let others choose them. He said he was certain that "nothing improper happened" -- but vowed "swift and decisive action" if any wrongdoing is found.
RELATED: Gonzales bolts Chicago briefing
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270672mar28,1,1851061.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
RELATED: Mueller: Attorney firings didn't affect cases
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-firings-cases_N.htm

Kerry targets ambassadorial bid of Swift Boat benefactor
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/03/28/kerry_targets_ambassadorial_bid_of_swift_boat_benefactor/
Senator John F. Kerry is seeking to stop a major donor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth -- the conservative group that attacked his war record in the 2004 presidential race -- from becoming ambassador to Belgium, and the senator has enlisted the help of the "band of brothers" who came to his defense. With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee set today to consider whether to confirm Sam Fox, the nominee, 11 of Kerry's former comrades from Vietnam sent a letter yesterday to committee leaders urging them to defeat Fox's nomination. "Those who finance smears and lies of combat veterans don't deserve to represent America on the world stage," read the letter to Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Delaware Democrat who chairs the committee , and the committee's ranking Republican, Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana. "We think too highly of the country we defended in combat to trust America in the hands of someone who would so casually bankroll lies about our combat records," the letter continued.

Webb Is Vague About Gun Incident
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701179.html
U.S. Sen. James Webb expressed support yesterday for a top aide caught with a handgun in a Senate office building but shed little light on his role in what he described as an "unfortunate" situation. Webb (D-Va.) declined to confirm what the aide, Phillip Thompson, told authorities after he was taken into custody on Monday: that the gun belongs to the senator and that he was "safekeeping" it for him. Webb said that a mix-up was to blame for the episode but that he could not provide details because Thompson faces criminal charges. "I think this is one of those very unfortunate situations where, completely inadvertently, he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday," Webb said. Beyond that, Webb provided little information, never saying whether the gun is his.
RELATED: In backing aide, senator defends gun rights
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-webb28mar28,1,2026197.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

The Entourage Is Gone. The Jet Is Gone. But for the Ex-Speaker, the Work Goes On.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28hastert.html?ref=washington
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert usually trundles through the Capitol’s hallways alone these days, his head down, chin buried in his chest, without the coterie of aides who trailed him just a few months ago when he was second in line to the presidency.

No Shortage Of Names for Smithsonian Successor
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702138.html
A day after Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence M. Small's resignation, the names of possible successors began to circulate. Cristián Samper, 41, a respected biologist and the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, was named acting secretary on Monday, and though it was purely water cooler talk, his stock seemed to be up. After Samper was chosen, his former boss resigned yesterday. David Evans, the Smithsonian's undersecretary for science and an oceanographer, said he was leaving "to adequately chart my own course."

White House Spokesman's Colon Cancer Has Returned
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032700828.html
White House press secretary Tony Snow has often said he "felt that cancer was stalking me." Yesterday it caught up with him again. Snow, 51, who beat colon cancer two years ago, disclosed that it has returned and spread to his liver, delivering a brutal blow to his family and friends and to a White House already reeling under a relentless barrage of bad news. The development shattered some of his colleagues. Snow's deputy, Dana Perino, broke into tears as she announced the news at an off-camera briefing yesterday morning. President Bush later told reporters in the Rose Garden that he was praying for his spokesman. White House telephones rang all day with messages of concern.
RELATED: Snow Has Treatment Options
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701918.html

Patrick aide accused of meddling in labor cases
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/03/28/patrick_aide_accused_of_meddling_in_labor_cases/
Two commissioners on [Massachusetts'] quasi judicial labor relations board are accusing Governor Deval Patrick's chief labor aide of interfering with the agency on cases involving two unions that endorsed Patrick and donated heavily to his gubernatorial campaign. The two commissioners, Paul T. O'Neill and Hugh L. Reilly, asserted in interviews with the Globe that Suzanne M. Bump made an inappropriate call about a case involving the Boston Teachers Union and pressured the commission to approve a pending petition by Service Employees International Union, Local 1199.

Lawmaker charged with perjury over gun
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-27-lawmaker-charged_N.htm
A [PA] state senator was charged Tuesday with improperly storing a handgun and then lying about it to authorities after a 14-year-old neighbor used the gun to kill himself. Louis Farrell was found shot to death with state Sen. Robert Regola's 9 mm handgun on July 22 near the two families' homes.

Top

Civil Liberties and Equality

Judge dismisses suit against Rumsfeld
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-rumsfeld-lawsuit_N.htm
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cannot be tried on allegations of torture in overseas military prisons, a federal judge said Tuesday.

Mixed reaction to Hicks' plea bargain
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gitmo28mar28,1,6527443.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
As a military judge Tuesday reviewed the specific crimes to which Australian terrorism suspect David Hicks had pleaded guilty, proponents of the Bush administration's war crimes tribunal here hailed the plea deal as a successful start in bringing America's enemies to justice. In the first trial to be convened under the Military Commissions Act passed by Congress last year, Hicks decided after setbacks in the opening hours to cut a deal that would allow him to serve any additional prison time in his homeland. The military judge hearing Hicks' case, Marine Col. Ralph H. Kohlmann, asked the defense and prosecution for a detailed account of what actions in support of a terrorist organization Hicks was admitting to.
RELATED: Result of Military Trial Is Familiar to Civilians
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28gitmo.html?ref=washington
RELATED: Australian Detainee’s Life of Wandering Ends With Plea Deal
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28hicks.html?ref=washington

New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702357.html
Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures. The amendment, which came three states short of enactment in 1982, has been introduced in five state legislatures since January. Yesterday, House and Senate Democrats reintroduced the measure under a new name -- the Women's Equality Amendment -- and vowed to bring it to a vote in both chambers by the end of the session. The renewed push to pass the ERA, which passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly in 1972 and was ratified by 35 states before skidding to a halt, highlights liberals' renewed sense of power since November's midterm elections. From Capitol Hill to Arkansas, legislators said they are seizing a political opportunity to enshrine women's rights in the Constitution.

Top

Foreign Policy

Arab Summit Contoured by Regional Crises
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702306.html
Arab heads of state began gathering Tuesday to relaunch a five-year-old peace initiative that was initially rejected by Israel, ignored by the United States and left dormant by Arab leaders after it was introduced in 2002. A changed Middle East -- marked by the violence in Iraq, the crisis in Lebanon and Iran's ascendance -- is spurring renewed interest in the plan, analysts said.

Dozens Die In 2 Truck Bombings In the North
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702094.html
Twin truck bombings killed dozens of people in the northern Iraqi city of Tall Afar, in the deadliest of several attacks across the country on Tuesday, officials said. At least 63 people were killed in Tall Afar, news services reported. The first blast in the Shiite-dominated city ripped through a parking lot after a bomber lured people to his truck by shouting that he had wheat for sale, said the mayor, Brig. Najim Abdullah. The second bomb exploded in a busy shopping district, crumbling nearby buildings. Insurgents tried to block ambulances carrying victims to hospitals but fled when police opened fire, news services reported.
RELATED: Baghdad security crackdown overloads detention facilities
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/03/28/baghdad_security_crackdown_overloads_detention_facilities/

Iraq needs money to spend money, official says
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-spend28mar28,1,1558266.story?coll=la-headlines-world
Iraq's government has left about $12.5 billion in rebuilding funds from its 2006 budget unspent because it lacks the tools and expertise to allocate the money, the State Department's Iraq coordinator, David Satterfield, said Tuesday. Satterfield argued that a recent request to Congress for an additional $4 billion in U.S. funding would help address the problem. Lawmakers from the House Foreign Affairs Committee rejected the suggestion that Iraqis did not have the know-how to execute their own budget.

Rice secures deal: Abbas, Olmert to meet regularly
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270744mar28,1,1785525.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
After three days of intensive diplomacy in the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced Tuesday that the Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to meet every two weeks to discuss day-to-day issues and "a political horizon." The agreement steps up the pace of face-to-face discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but it falls well short of starting substantive negotiations on the core issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
RELATED: Mideast Leaders to Hold Talks Twice a Month
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/middleeast/28diplo.html?ref=world
RELATED: Israeli Police Begin Evacuating West Bank Settlement
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-israel-settlement.html

Sewage Flood Kills 4 In Gaza
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701100.html
The earthen wall of a sewage pond in the northern Gaza Strip ruptured Tuesday, flooding a nearby village and killing at least four Palestinians. The dead in the village of Um el-Nasser included a 70-year-old woman, a teenage girl, a 5-year-old boy, and 2-year-old Jamal Abu Safra, whose mother watched him sink beneath the foul brown water as she struggled to remain afloat. "I can't swim, and I started swallowing sewage," said Amal Abu Safra, 30, who held her youngest son aloft for several minutes before she lost the strength to do so. "I wanted to go under instead of him. But then he disappeared."
RELATED: Sewage floods Gaza village, kills 5
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270745mar28,1,2178742.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Pakistan signs deal with border tribes
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/03/28/pakistan_signs_deal_with_border_tribes/
Tribal elders signed a deal with the government to deny sanctuary to foreign militants in a remote Pakistani border region where Al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahri escaped a US airstrike last year, the two sides said yesterday. The accord signed Monday was the third of its kind and underlines President Pervez Musharraf's insistence that tribal leaders, not the army, take the lead in taming the frontier zone despite signs that Taliban fighters continue to use it as a launching pad for attacks into Afghanistan.

Charges of Vote Rigging as Egypt Approves Constitution Changes
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/africa/28egypt.html
Egyptian officials said Tuesday that the public overwhelmingly approved changes to the Constitution in a vote on Monday, while opposition groups and human rights organizations dismissed the results as the product of widespread vote rigging. The constitutional changes, which take effect immediately, empower the president to dissolve Parliament without holding a referendum, to suspend civil protections in cases the president deems associated with terrorism, and to limit the role of judges in monitoring future elections.

No crime too small in Tokyo
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bike28mar28,1,445262.story?coll=la-headlines-world
Officers there take policing to an extreme, which is both comforting and unsettling to a reporter whose unlocked bicycle gets stolen.

Day-care provider hijacks 32 students
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-phil28mar28,1,4372839.story?coll=la-headlines-world
A day-care center owner hijacked a busload of his students and teachers and drove them to Manila's City Hall early today to demand better housing and education for the children, police said. Jun Ducat and at least one other hostage-taker scribbled in large letters on a sheet of paper, taped to the bus windshield, that they were holding 32 children and two teachers and were armed with two grenades, an assault rifle and a pistol, Officer Mark Andal said.

Many Paisley Supporters Back Joint Ulster Government
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/europe/28irish.html?ref=world
Mr. Paisley, 80, built a career spanning six decades on rejecting any form of self-rule in Northern Ireland with Catholic nationalists who sought a united Ireland. Starting in Ballymena, he honed his skills as a preacher and orator, denouncing Catholicism as “popery” and “superstition.” But the agreement reached Monday, if carried out, will mean that Britain will formally hand back responsibility for running many of Northern Ireland’s internal affairs to an administration composed of Protestants and Roman Catholics. Mr. Paisley will serve as first minister and Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator, will be deputy first minister, a post with equal power.

In Rio's Slums, Militias Fuel Violence They Seek to Quell
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702337.html
A decorated police officer was sitting behind the wheel of his Toyota pickup truck here last month when a group of men surrounded the vehicle and pumped more than 40 bullets into him. Such execution-style killings are not unusual in a city where police and gang members routinely battle for turf in the shantytowns, but this one sent ripples through Rio. The slain officer, Felix dos Santos Tostes, had been moonlighting as the leader of a militia unit -- one of the well-armed groups that have multiplied throughout the city's slums in recent months, complicating an urban conflict that has defied solution for decades.

Transit fiasco wounds Chile's leader
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-chile28mar28,1,1174231.story?coll=la-headlines-world
Barely more than a year in office, President Michelle Bachelet is suffering a sharp slide in voter confidence as her administration scrambles to salvage a botched public transport overhaul that has wreaked havoc in this capital. The Transantiago plan, designed to improve the city's chaotic system of buses and reduce pollution from the transit vehicles' exhaust, has instead stranded passengers, generated marathon waits and overtaxed the city subway.

Top

Health Care and Public Safety

Annual Breast MRIs Urged For Women at Cancer Risk
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702326.html
A major medical group is recommending for the first time that women at greatest risk of breast cancer undergo MRI exams every year to try to catch more tumors at their earliest, most treatable stages. The American Cancer Society is issuing new guidelines today that urge annual MRIs for women at high risk because of a strong family history of the disease, a genetic predisposition or other reasons. As many as 1.6 million women in the United States fall into this high-risk category.
RELATED: MRI scan for breast cancer is urged
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/28/mri_scan_for_breast_cancer_is_urged/

Officials to resume sending virus to WHO
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703280026mar28,1,6639784.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Indonesia will resume sending bird flu virus specimens to the World Health Organization immediately, the health minister said Tuesday, ending a four-month standoff that health officials feared could put the world at risk.

Top

Crime and Penal Reform

Atlanta police reforms rein in no-knock searches
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-atlanta28mar28,1,2265330.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
The police chief announced a wave of policy changes Tuesday, including closer supervision of no-knock warrants, in response to the shooting death of an elderly woman in a drug raid last fall. Narcotics operations and no-knock warrants will require the approval of a rank higher than sergeant, Chief Richard J. Pennington said. The department also will increase the number of narcotics officers and rotate them off narcotics duty every few years to prevent complacency, he said.
RELATED: Atlanta tightens rules for drug unit
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/03/28/0328metcops.html

4 resort police officers charged in assault
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-27-resort-police-charged_N.htm
The acting police chief and three officers in a small resort town on Fire Island [New York] were indicted Tuesday on charges that they beat a vacationer accused of littering, injuring him so severely he was hospitalized for 10 days.

Top

Economy

Break Seen in Logjam Over Trade
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/business/28trade.html
Prospects for Congressional approval of several pending trade pacts received a surprising lift on Tuesday when Democrats in the House proposed a series of revisions that won guarded praise from both organized labor and the Bush administration. The Democratic proposals would require that the trade accords include provisions protecting the rights of workers, the environment and the right of trading partners to make cheap generic pharmaceuticals for use in their countries, all of which had previously been resisted by the administration.

Consumer Confidence Inches Up This Week
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701477.html
Consumer confidence inched up this week as Americans' assessments of the current buying climate improved. The improvements in the confidence levels came after the index last week showed its biggest one-week drop in more than three years. The Washington Post-ABC News Consumer Comfort Index (CCI) stands at -2 on a scale of -100 to +100, a three-point improvement over last week.
RELATED: Consumer confidence slips in March on rising gas prices, market turmoil
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-03-27-consumer-conf_N.htm

U.S. muffs chance to recoup in tax case
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270670mar28,1,1064627.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Poorly written Justice Department documents cost the federal government more than $100 million in the biggest tax prosecution ever. Walter Anderson, the telecommunications entrepreneur who admitted hiding hundreds of millions of dollars from the IRS and District of Columbia tax collectors, was sentenced Tuesday to 9 years in prison and ordered to repay about $23 million to the city. But U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said he couldn't order Anderson to repay the federal government $100 million to $175 million because the Justice Department's binding plea agreement with Anderson listed the wrong statute. Friedman said he could have worked around that problem by ordering Anderson to repay the money as part of his probation. But prosecutors omitted discussion of probation -- a common element of plea deals -- from Anderson's paperwork.

A Businessman Who Keeps the Books
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701987.html
For thousands of investors and executives at publicly traded companies, Conrad W. Hewitt may be one of the most important Washington civil servants they've never heard of. The chief accounting guru at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hewitt stands at the center of numerous burning policy debates -- from how far to cut back on corporate reforms imposed after the Enron debacle to which executives are to get punished for manipulating their companies' numbers.

Backdating Case Is Settled
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/technology/28monster.html
The former general counsel at Monster Worldwide Inc., Myron F. Olesnyckyj, was permanently banned yesterday from working as a director or officer of a public company, settling a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit for backdating stock options. Mr. Olesnyckyj, 45, of New Providence, N.J., helped backdate options at Monster, owner of the Internet’s biggest job listing site, from 1997 to 2003, then faked documents and hid the misconduct, the S.E.C. said yesterday in a statement. The backdating led Monster to overstate net income by $340 million from 1997 to 2005, the S.E.C. said.

H.P. Accuses Acer of Infringing Patents
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/technology/28patent.html
Hewlett-Packard has sued Acer, a rival computer maker, accusing it of illegally using patented H.P. technology in a variety of desktop and laptop computers and displays sold in the United States. The federal lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Eastern District of Texas, accused Acer, of Taipei, Taiwan, of infringing five patents that H.P. said it registered from 1997 to 2003. The patents cover computer technologies involving DVD editing, processing ability, and power consumption and efficiency.

Goldman Sachs to Start Private-Equity Fund
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702034.html
Goldman Sachs Group, the world's largest investment bank, plans to raise about $20 billion for a new private-equity fund, the company's chief executive said Tuesday. Lloyd Blankfein, who is also Goldman's chairman, said at the company's annual meeting that the amount could be "a little more, it might be a little less." Either way, the New York-based financial services firm is aggressively expanding into private equity as a way to boost earnings.

Top

Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability

Kerry seeks business loans for veterans
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/03/28/kerry_seeks_business_loans_for_veterans/
Senator John F. Kerry today plans to submit legislation that would expand federal business loans and other assistance to help reduce the unemployment rate among recently discharged service members, which government statistics indicate is as high as 18 percent for younger Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The Massachusetts Democrat, who chairs the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, is scheduled to unveil the bill along with a report on the economic difficulties facing returning veterans, especially members of the Reserve and National Guard who have put their civilian jobs on hold for repeated deployments.

Autoworkers Ready for a Fight
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701977.html
United Auto Workers President Ronald A. Gettelfinger warned U.S. automakers Tuesday not to push too hard in contract talks this year or risk confronting a union prepared for a fight. Gettelfinger spoke at the UAW's collective-bargaining convention, where he presides over an angry and uneasy membership. Restructuring by Detroit automakers has meant the loss of 70,000 jobs, waves of retirements and the closing of dozens of assembly plants and facilities. The UAW convention is a prelude to contract negotiations with the automakers scheduled to begin in July. "Collective bargaining is not collective begging," Gettelfinger said. "It would be a grave mistake to equate our actions to capitulations."

Top

Housing and Homelessness

Single-family home prices plummet in January, worst drop in 13 years
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-03-27-home-prices-index_N.htm
Prices of single-family homes across the nation fell in January compared with a year ago, posting the worst results in more than 13 years, a housing index released Tuesday by Standard & Poor's showed. The figures underscored the disappointing new-home sales figures that were released by the government on Monday.

Fed Cautiously Considers Writing Rules on Lending
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702104.html
The Federal Reserve, accused last week of failing to head off a crisis in home mortgages, said yesterday that it is studying whether to write new rules against predatory lending. But a Fed official told lawmakers that such an effort could backfire by making even sound loans harder to get. "Constricting the market and returning to a situation where some borrowers have very limited access to credit is not an ideal solution," Sandra F. Braunstein, director of consumer and community affairs at the Fed, said in congressional testimony. A loosening of lending terms over the past several years has left many borrowers overextended, spurring defaults, foreclosures and allegations of deceptive marketing.

Beazer Homes shares drop after FBI confirms investigation for possible fraud
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-03-28-beazer-probe_N.htm
Shares of Beazer Homes USA (BZH) fell more than 17% in premarket trading Wednesday after the FBI said it is among agencies investigating possible fraud in the company's mortgage lending and other financial transactions. The home builder said it is cooperating with a federal prosecutor's request for documents. The Atlanta-based company, which has suffered hefty losses amid a downturn in the housing market, is the subject of an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Charlotte, along with the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FBI agent Ken Lucas said Tuesday.

Lender Said to Be Weighing a Bankruptcy Filing Soon
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/business/28lend.html?ref=business
New Century Financial, the troubled subprime mortgage company, could file for bankruptcy protection as early as the end of this week, people briefed on the company’s plans said yesterday. The company, which stopped making loans this month after federal prosecutors and regulators began investigating it, is trying to tie up financing that would allow it to reorganize or sell itself through a prepackaged bankruptcy, rather than be forced to liquidate itself

Top

Media

F.C.C. Approves $12 Billion Sale of Univision Communications
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/business/media/28univision.html
The Federal Communications Commission has approved the $12.3 billion buyout of Univision Communications after the company agreed to pay a record $24 million fine and improve the quality of its children’s programming. Univision, based in Los Angeles, entered into a consent decree to resolve concerns that its children’s programming consisted of adult soap operas called telenovelas, the F.C.C. chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said yesterday in a statement.

Top

Education

State uses test loophole
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270868mar28,1,4800188.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
More than 13 percent of the math and reading tests taken by Illinois students last year were not counted under the No Child Left Behind law, more than three times the percentage exempted the previous year, according to a Tribune analysis of state data. The federal reform is based on the premise that every child can pass state math and reading exams if given access to a good school. But more than 283,000 exams were discounted. Low-income and minority students, whom the law was designed to help, were the most likely to see their scores negated, according to the analysis of recently released 2006 school report card data.

Parents Want Military Recruiting Limits
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701996.html
Montgomery County parents are asking the county school board to consider new rules that would forbid military recruiters to set up tables at school cafeterias, in hallways or at sporting events. On Monday night, parents presented board members with a list of proposals. They include barring military recruitment vehicles such as the Army Adventure Van, with its simulations and promotional materials, from high school campuses and allowing opponents of Army recruitment the same access to students as the military.

Top

Military

McCaffrey Paints Gloomy Picture of Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701923.html
An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders. "The population is in despair," retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in an eight-page document compiled in his capacity as a professor at West Point. "Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate." McCaffrey is widely respected in the military, having fought in the Vietnam War, commanded a division in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and later served as the commander for U.S. military operations in Central America and South America. After retiring, he became President Bill Clinton's director of drug policy.

Army officer: Long-term morale a concern
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-troop-morale_N.htm
The Army's new acting surgeon general said Tuesday she is concerned about long-term morale because the military lacks money to hire enough nurses and mental health specialists to treat thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Problems Still Hampering Veterans’ Care, Senators Say
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28veterans.html?ref=washington
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense continue to have problems collecting and sharing medical data, hampering treatment for wounded soldiers, lawmakers said Tuesday at a Congressional hearing. The hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee was a follow-up to a January hearing where officials of the two departments said significant progress had been made in collecting and sharing data on wounded soldiers. But it also comes a little more than a month after V.A. officials complained bitterly to Congress that the Pentagon was blocking their access to medical information. Witnesses told lawmakers on Tuesday of frustrations with lost medical records, a lack of communication between federal and state V.A. offices and a medical system that still has not adjusted to the demands of younger veterans. L. Tammy Duckworth, an Army major who lost both her legs in Iraq, said the V.A. had not kept up with the latest technology in prosthetics.

Tillman's family takes on Pentagon
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tillman28mar28,1,5209861.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
The family of U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman has angrily rejected the Pentagon's latest explanation of his 2004 death in Afghanistan from friendly fire as a "travesty," accusing the military of "a conspiracy to deceive" and of exploiting Tillman to bolster recruiting efforts. "Once again, we are being used as props in a Pentagon public relations exercise," the Tillman family said in a statement released Tuesday, one day after military officials met with them to discuss the most recent review of the case. Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, told National Public Radio in an interview that officials on Monday accused the family of being "abusive" toward the military — which she did not deny. "We got to the point where we were extremely rude to them, but they … were just lying," she said. She said she told the military: "You know, lying is a form of abuse, and we've been lied to for three years."
RELATED: Family Criticizes Query Into Tillman’s Death
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28tillman.html

National Guard ill-equipped at home, commander says
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guard28mar28,1,7908287.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
The head of the National Guard warned Tuesday that units nationwide have less than half the equipment they need to deal with natural disasters, terrorist attacks and other threats at home. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum told members of the House armed services subcommittee on readiness that guardsmen being deployed to Iraq and other foreign hot spots are adequately equipped but that Army National Guard units stateside have, on average, just 40% of their required equipment on hand. That deficit cuts into the Guard's ability to respond to national emergencies and keep its "citizen soldiers" adequately trained for rapid deployment, he said.
RELATED: Marines, others clamor for new armored trucks
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-27-mrap-military_N.htm

Military beefs up Internet arsenal
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-28-cyber-war_N.htm
The U.S. military is quietly expanding capabilities to attack terrorist computer networks, including websites that glorify insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, military officials and experts say. The move comes as al-Qaeda and other groups fighting in Iraq and elsewhere have expanded their activities on the Internet and increased the sophistication and volume of their videos and messages. Much of the material is designed to raise money and recruit fighters for Iraq. "You should not let them operate uncontested" on the Internet and elsewhere in cyberspace, said Marine Brig. Gen. John Davis, who heads a military command located at the National Security Agency. The command was established to develop ways to attack computer networks.

ITT to Pay $100 Million Export Fine
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702105.html
ITT Corp. agreed to plead guilty to illegally exporting night-vision technology to China and other countries and pay a $100 million fine, one of the largest penalties in a U.S. criminal prosecution, the Justice Department said yesterday. In announcing the plea agreement, the Justice Department said ITT would be the first major U.S. defense contractor convicted of a criminal violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Many individuals and small companies have been convicted of violating the law. Department spokesman Dean Boyd also said the penalty is believed to be the largest fine of a U.S. defense contractor involving an export violation.

Academy reviews spring break cruise
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703270655mar28,1,2113206.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
The Naval Academy said Tuesday that it is investigating allegations of lewd behavior and heavy drinking by midshipmen on a spring break Caribbean cruise. "The Naval Academy is reviewing allegations of possible misconduct involving midshipmen aboard a cruise ship" March 10-18, the academy said Tuesday in a statement.

Top

Religion

Catholic-Muslim turf war still resonates at Cordoba cathedral
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cordoba28mar28,1,5351248.story?coll=la-headlines-world
The scuffle over La Mezquita is echoed throughout Spain these days as members of each faith tests the other's tolerance.

Top

Energy Policy

Oil Prices Trading Above $64 a Barrel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032800231.html
Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel by midday Wednesday in Europe, easing back after spiking more than $5 on rumors denied by the U.S. military that Iran had fired a missile at a U.S. ship in the Persian Gulf. Rumors about a military confrontation spurred panic buying in after-hours trading Tuesday, sending oil prices above $68 a barrel in a matter of minutes. Rising tensions between Iran, a major oil producer, and the West have created a potentially dangerous situation in the Gulf and the oil markets are jumpy.

Top

Environment and Conservation

Endangered Species Act changes in the works
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-endangered28mar28,1,2959812.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Bush administration officials said Tuesday that they were reviewing proposed changes to the way the 34-year-old Endangered Species Act is enforced, a move that critics say would weaken the law in ways that a Republican majority in Congress was unable to do. A draft of suggested changes, which was leaked Tuesday, would reduce protection for wildlife habitat and transfer some authority over vulnerable species to states. Acting under orders from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who has long fought for changes in the law, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall said he had asked his senior field staff to evaluate proposals in the draft by policy advisors in the Departments of Interior and Commerce, which oversee almost 1,300 imperiled species. "What we're attempting to do is to update our implementation of the existing law," said Hall, who said any changes would not need to be approved by Congress and would be signed by Kempthorne or a representative.
RELATED: Proposed Changes Would Shift Duties in Protecting Species
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28habitat.html

San Francisco votes to sack plastic bags
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-27-sf-plastic-bags_N.htm
This city that touts its environmental credentials got a little "greener" on Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to require about 100 of the city's largest grocery stores and pharmacies to use only biodegradable plastic bags or recyclable paper bags. That means San Francisco is likely to become the first major city in the USA to ban the conventional plastic bags, which are made from petroleum, at large stores. Environmentalists say those bags litter the landscape, threaten sea life, clog recycling machines and take up landfill space. "We applaud them because they're setting a new standard and being a leader in this movement," said Stephanie Barger, executive director of Earth Resource Foundation, which advocates responsible environmental choices.

Top

Opinion

Editor’s note: the New York Times has converted to a subscription-based editorial section. We are no longer clipping their op-ed columnists.

Meyerson: The Republican Mystery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701722.html
The truly astonishing thing about the latest scandals besetting the Bush administration is that they stem from actions the administration took after the November elections, when Democratic control of Congress was a fait accompli.

Snoops out of control
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/03/27/0328edfbi.html
Members of Congress — Republicans and Democrats alike — have professed shock at discovering that the Justice Department seriously abused powers granted in the Patriot Act to gather information on American citizens without going to court to get subpoenas. "From the attorney general on down, you should be ashamed of yourselves," U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican and one of the more conservative members of Congress, lectured Justice Department officials in a recent hearing. "We stretched to try to give you the tools necessary to make America safe, and it is very, very clear that you've abused that trust." Oh please. Spare us the sanctimony. When Congress expanded the power of the FBI and other federal agencies to use "national security letters" as substitutes for court-approved subpoenas, what happened next was just what our Founding Fathers would have feared. After all, there's a reason they adopted the Fourth Amendment, guaranteeing "the rights of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects" unless government officials can go to court and justify a warrant. The drafters of the Bill of Rights understood that without judicial oversight, government police power will grow and grow until it threatens liberty and endangers that delicate balance of power between the governed and their governors. Given the lessons of history, some of it pretty recent, Congress should have known it, too.

Froomkin: Bush's Monica Problem
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/03/27/BL2007032701000.html
Will another presidency be tripped up by another Monica? As suspicions about the White House role in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year continue to deepen, one of the people who could shed light on what happened -- Monica Goodling, the Justice Department's White House liaison -- has suddenly decided to clam up, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
RELATED: Gonzales is on a thin branch
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0703260632mar27,0,5523.story?coll=chi-newsopinion-hed

Brownstein: Bush and Democrats: Enemies who need each other
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brownstein28mar28,0,2175578.column?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
THE TRAGEDY in the escalating confrontation between President Bush and the Democratic Congress over Iraq is that each has something the other needs. Bush has the authority to engineer a change of direction in the war. But he lacks the credibility with the public to reestablish consent for his course. Congressional Democrats, even after their seismic Senate victory Tuesday, ultimately lack the leverage to mandate a new course in Iraq. But they offer Bush his only possibility of rebuilding a public consensus over America's role in the war.

Hoagland: Bush's Royal Trouble
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701761.html
President Bush enjoys hosting formal state dinners about as much as having a root canal. Or proposing tax increases. So his decision to schedule a mid-April White House gala for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah signified the president's high regard for an Arab monarch who is also a Bush family friend. Now the White House ponders what Abdullah's sudden and sparsely explained cancellation of the dinner signifies. Nothing good -- especially for Condoleezza Rice's most important Middle East initiatives -- is the clearest available answer.

Viorst: Richard Nixon's Mideast blunder
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-viorst28mar28,0,6344439.story?coll=la-opinion-center
What might have been if Nixon had supported his secretary of State's efforts to secure Israel-Palestine peace?

Truth: a friendly fire victim
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/03/28/truth_a_friendly_fire_victim/
ON THE fourth try, the military seems to have gotten the facts right on the friendly-fire killing of Army Corporal Pat Tillman, a onetime safety for the Arizona Cardinals, in Afghanistan. In April 2004, members of his own platoon accidentally shot Tillman and an allied Afghan soldier. The newest investigations, one by the Army's Criminal Investigation Command and the other by the inspector general of the Department of Defense, confirm that. But the second report goes on to paint a picture of ranking Army officers more interested in concealing the way Tillman died than pursuing the kind of investigation that could lead to better training for soldiers fighting insurgents.
RELATED: A Death Embellished
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/opinion/28wed2.html

Quorum Call
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701935.html
Electronic filing for Senate candidates won't pass if committee members don't show up.

Still Trying to House Katrina’s Victims
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/opinion/28wed4.html
The victims of Hurricane Katrina should not have to keep paying the price for the Bush administration’s misplaced animosity toward low-income housing.

Samuelson: Beyond the Subprime Debacle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701721.html
The subprime mortgage mess could be the first chapter in a larger horror story.

Some chief execs build on sand
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/03/27/0328edhomes.html
Corporate executives who live in lavish homes tend to perform poorly for company shareholders, two university researchers have concluded. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Son of No Child Left Behind
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nclb28mar28,0,4232200.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
CREDIT THE No Child Left Behind Act for this: It helped to reveal how little learning was going on in many classrooms, especially those with poor and minority students. As a result, educators are working to change that. This is no small accomplishment. Still, the law has not yet achieved its key goals: improvement in student scores and a narrowing of the achievement gap between white, middle-class children and their poor, minority counterparts. Flaws in the law have held back real educational progress and unfairly placed blame on public-school teachers for everything but the weather. The law has labeled many good schools as failures, which has led to a bipartisan uprising against legislation that once had true bipartisan support. While its basic tenets should remain intact, and even be strengthened, the law needs an overhaul to deserve reauthorization this year.

Milbank: Defender of the Second Amendment, if Not of His Aide
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701447.html
"Duck!" The cry -- from a member of the Capitol Hill press corps -- rang out as Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) rounded a corner at high noon and strode toward reporters waiting outside the Senate chamber. Webb had called the news conference to talk about his aide, who was caught walking into a Senate office building Monday with a loaded pistol and extra ammo that, the aide said, belonged to the senator. Webb -- Vietnam veteran, former Navy secretary and all-around tough guy -- couldn't suppress a smile as he approached the microphones.

Jackson: Boy Scout values for president
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/03/28/boy_scout_values_for_president/
Clinton and Bush are a 14-year, bipartisan failure in knowing what is right and wrong. The best thing that can come out of the 2008 election is a president who does.

Marcus: Family Matters
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701720.html
Elizabeth Edwards won me over when she announced that she looked like a bag lady. It was a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses in 2004, and Edwards and I were on the same flight from Des Moines to Washington. Edwards offered that self-deprecating assessment when I admired the woolen shawl she had wrapped around her.
RELATED: Edwards justified in staying in race
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/03/27/0328ededwards.html

PAPERS REVIEWED TODAY

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Rocky Mountain News

Denver Post

Boulder Daily Camera

Colorado Daily

Greeley Tribune

Fort Collins Coloradoan

Colorado Springs Gazette

Pueblo Chieftain

Grand Junction Sentinel

Craig Daily Press

Aspen Times

Glenwood Springs Post-Independent

Vail Daily

Steamboat Pilot

Montrose Press

Durango Herald

Cortez Journal

Telluride Daily Planet

Canon City Daily Record

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Boston Globe

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