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TOP STORIES
Effective and Ethical Government
Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability
Transportation and Infrastructure
Effective and Ethical Government
Transportation and Infrastructure
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Today’s digest archive: http://media.progressnowaction.org/digest/042007.htm
TOP STORIES
National
Dingell, NRA Working on Bill to Strengthen Background Checks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902437.html
With the Virginia Tech shootings resurrecting calls for tighter gun controls, the National Rifle Association has begun negotiations with senior Democrats over legislation to bolster the national background-check system and potentially block gun purchases by the mentally ill. Rep. John D. Dingell (Mich.), a gun-rights Democrat who once served on the NRA's board of directors, is leading talks with the powerful gun lobby in hopes of producing a deal by early next week, Democratic aides and lawmakers said. Under the bill, states would be given money to help them supply the federal government with information on mental-illness adjudications and other run-ins with the law that are supposed to disqualify individuals from firearms purchases. For the first time, states would face penalties for not keeping the National Instant Criminal Background Check System current.
RELATED: Democrats shy away from stricter gun laws
More Virginia Tech shooting news in NATIONAL/CRIME, NATIONAL/EDUCATION, NATIONAL/MEDIA, COLORADO/CRIME, COLORADO/IMMIGRATION, COLORADO/EDUCATION
Iraq Pullout Would Lead To Bloodbath, Bush Warns
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902719.html
President Bush warned Thursday that pulling out of Iraq too soon would trigger a bloodbath akin to that of the Cambodian killing fields of the 1970s, while Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid declared that it is too late to stay because the war has already been lost. On a day that reverberated with echoes of the Vietnam War era, Bush and Reid (D-Nev.) engaged in a long-distance debate over the lessons of history and the fate of the latest overseas war as part of a struggle over $100 billion in funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reid cast Iraq as another Vietnam and Bush as another Lyndon B. Johnson, while the president described dire consequences if the past repeats itself.
RELATED: Reid says war is 'lost,' drawing GOP rebuke
RELATED: Leading Democrat in Senate Tells Reporters, ‘This War Is Lost’
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/washington/20cong.html?ref=washington
RELATED: GOP Sen. Snowe sponsoring Iraq withdrawal bill
More Iraq war news in NATIONAL/ELECTION, NATIONAL/FOREIGN POLICY, NATIONAL/MILITARY, COLORADO/CIVIL LIBERTIES, COLORADO/MILITARY
New York Times
Senators Chastise Gonzales at Hearing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902935.html
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales came under withering attack from members of his own party yesterday over the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys, facing the first resignation demand from a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and doubts from others about his candor and his ability to lead the Justice Department. Gonzales appeared frustrated, weary and at times combative during a five-hour Senate panel hearing that was widely considered crucial to his bid to hold on to his job. He sought to present a careful defense of the firings, apologizing for the way they were handled but defending them as the "right decision."
RELATED: Gonzales Says He Didn't Know Why Two Were Fired
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902863.html
RELATED: Gonzales hit from both sides
RELATED: 'A heavy burden of proof'
RELATED: Gonzales gets grilling, vows to stay
Roberts Court Moves Right, But With a Measured Step
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902675.html
The Supreme Court's decision signaling a significant reversal in the way it views government restrictions on abortion may also offer a glimpse of how the court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will proceed on other controversial issues this term and in the future. The five justices in the majority came up with an opinion that delighted abortion opponents and outraged abortion rights activists -- and yet, in the view of the court, did not overturn a single precedent or seemingly contradictory ruling. "It's an interesting opinion, of course, because of what it says about abortion," said A. E. Dick Howard, a constitutional law professor at the University of Virginia. "But it also provides an interesting way of thinking about what the Roberts Court is going to look like."
More reproductive choice news in NATIONAL/CHOICE, COLORADO/CHOICE
Colorado
Ex-Chief at Qwest Found Guilty of Insider Trading
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/technology/20qwest.html?ref=business
A jury in Federal District Court deliberated six days before finding Mr. Nacchio guilty on 19 of 42 counts of insider trading. He was found not guilty of 23 counts of insider trading. The eight men and four women on the jury listened as witnesses testified during the 15-day trial that Mr. Nacchio had exaggerated financial forecasts while concealing Qwest’s growing troubles. Mr. Nacchio, 57, who was released on $2 million bond, offered a slight smile as he left the courtroom. He declined to comment as he locked arms with his wife and son and walked away. He faces up to 10 years in prison and up to $1 million per count, as well as forfeiture of assets. The judge, Edward W. Nottingham, set sentencing for July 27. Earlier, before a packed courtroom, Judge Nottingham methodically read each count. “Not guilty,” he said on Count 1, then repeated the phrase 22 times. Mr. Nacchio’s son Michael began sobbing, piercing an otherwise hushed courtroom. The defendant and his lawyers stared straight ahead; prosecutors sat stoic. On Count 24, the words and mood changed. “Guilty,” the judge said, saying it again 18 times. The younger Mr. Nacchio turned somber. A defense lawyer glanced back at the Nacchio family and shook his head.
RELATED: 'GUILTY'
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5495191,00.html
RELATED: Nacchio trial team silent after guilty verdicts, planning appeal
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5495204,00.html
RELATED: Timing of sales mattered
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5495219,00.html
RELATED: Nacchio convicted on 19 counts
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5708804
RELATED: Late decision: "So traumatic"
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5709641
RELATED: If Nacchio does time, low-security likely
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5708939
RELATED: Appeal may take up to two years
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5709757
RELATED: Special coverage: Nacchio on trial
http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/business/nacchio/
Law to keep state dollars out of Sudan
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5495036,00.html
They gaped and stared, almost unable to believe what they were seeing - a top government official signing a bill into law without fear of retribution or knowing it would be ignored. They also agreed it could never happen in their country. "It is easy to carry guns. This . . .," David Mayen said, waving his hand around the Capitol to illustrate democracy, "this is hard." Mayen, a 36-year-old from southern Sudan, arrived in Colorado just a few months ago. On Thursday he and other Sudanese went to the Colorado Capitol to watch Gov. Bill Ritter sign a bill that would divest Colorado's largest pension fund from any companies doing business with Sudan - the epicenter for a genocide that has seen more than 200,000 people killed in the Darfur region and turned 2.5 million into refugees. Sudan's government in Khartoum is accused of arming Muslims from the north and allowing them to raid the Darfur region at will. The Janjaweed, as the fighters are known, are able to terrorize the region because money is still flowing into Khartoum through companies doing business there.
RELATED: Public pension funds must sever Sudan ties
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5707581
More Darfur crisis news in NATIONAL/FOREIGN POLICY
Leaders back freeze on property tax rates
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494824,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter's plan to freeze property tax rates to fund schools won support Thursday from business, health and education leaders. Pediatrician Jim Shira, of Children's Hospital, warned that unless the state's school funding mess is resolved, money will be drained from other programs, such as health care. "Kids who depend on health insurance from Medicaid, the children's basic health plan, are all vulnerable if we can't stabilize the state's education fund," said Shira, who also represents the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Shira was among 25 community leaders who addressed a press conference called by the Colorado Children's Campaign, which also supports the governor's plan.
RELATED: GOP ex-senator backs property-tax freeze (Under the dome, 4/20)
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_5707583
RELATED: Education funding plan gains support
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/7
Wildfire season, federal cutbacks worrying Ritter
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494832,00.html
Federal cuts in the money to clear dead trees and other fire fuel from Colorado's forests have heightened Gov. Bill Ritter's concerns as wildfire season approaches. In a news media briefing Thursday on the resources available for the upcoming fire season, Ritter questioned the federal government's decision to give other parts of the nation more money for forest management while $4.3 million has been cut from the U.S. Forest Service budget for Colorado. "I want to express my concern as the governor of Colorado about the $4.3 million reduction in the United States Forest Service (funding) for forest management, especially with the pine beetle infestation and the warning signs that we are seeing that lead us to believe we could have a more active fire season," Ritter said.
RELATED: Long-term fire forecast grim
RELATED: West's forest-health funds cut
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708377
RELATED: "Active" fire season forecast
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5705063
Election
Local dollars flow to presidential hopefuls
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_1B_campaign_finance.html
Mesa County might never be a major fundraising stop for presidential candidates, but according to federal campaign-finance records, local donors are anteing up more than nine months before the Iowa caucuses. Local donors have given at least $7,850 to presidential hopefuls during the first three months of 2007, according to campaign-contribution records maintained by the Federal Election Commission. The filings revealed Mesa County donors have given to an array of candidates, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Christopher Seidman, a local attorney, said he decided to give $2,300, the maximum allowed under law, to Obama’s primary campaign because of the strength of the Illinois senator’s candidacy and the accelerating primary schedule.
Monthlong campaign cost McInnis $50K
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_1B_McInnis_Funds.html
Former Grand Junction Congressman Scott McInnis’ bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2008 was short-lived, but it was anything but cheap. According to campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission, McInnis’ one-month bid to replace outgoing Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., cost his committee $50,498, leaving him with $888,495 as of March 31. McInnis dropped out of the Senate race March 21, leaving the Republican side of the ticket a wide-open field. Democratic congressman Mark Udall, D-Colo., announced this week he will run for Allard’s seat next year. The former Grand Junction Congressman was initially considered a frontrunner because of his nearly $1 million lying dormant in his former House election committee.
Mailer with feces mistaken for bomb
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15868
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s former district director testified in a Weld County court on Wednesday that workers in her Greeley office initially believed a congressional mailer, wrapped around dog feces and stuck in the office door last year, was a bomb. B.J. Nikkel was traveling with Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, in eastern Colorado on May 31 when a staff member called to tell her that something was found in the office that could be a bomb. It turned out to be a poop-laden Musgrave mailer. Former University of Northern Colorado professor Kathleen Ensz faces a misdemeanor charge of criminal use of a noxious substance for leaving the mailer at Musgrave’s office. When Ensz was charged, Musgrave’s campaign office issued a press release trying to connect her Democrat opponent Angie Paccione to the incident during the 2006 congressional race. Musgrave won the election in November. Ensz’s defense attorneys say her depositing the mailer is protected under freedom of speech laws because Ensz was communicating her displeasure with Musgrave and her mailer, which outlined drug benefits for seniors.
Amendment bill advances
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494794,00.html
A move to make it harder for voters to amend the Colorado Constitution won a House committee's OK Thursday. Under House Resolution 1001, Coloradans would have to muster a three-fifths vote to pass a ballot measure amendment. Supporters said the goal is to stem the onslaught of measures that have "cluttered" the 130- year-old constitution with everything from bear-trap bans to murky ethics reform measures. Currently, a simple majority is needed to pass an initiative. Voters have been bamboozled into passing constitution-amending initiatives by slick campaigns funded by powerful special interest groups, said resolution sponsor Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park. And if a constitutional change is flawed, lawmakers are legally powerless to repair it unless they place the fix back on the ballot, he added.
RELATED: Stricter ballot initiative bill OK'd
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5707580
RELATED: Changing constitution may get tougher
http://www.gazette.com/articles/constitution_21436___article.html/amendment_voters.html
Voters may be asked to fix ethics measure
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494793,00.html
Amendment 41 backers filed a ballot initiative Thursday as an "insurance policy" in case lawmakers fail to clear up problems with the ethics measure. Voters would be asked in November to clarify Amendment 41 if the legislature doesn't. The move comes a month after a House-Senate compromise to clarify Amendment 41 and limit its long reach has apparently stalled, said Mark Grueskin, an attorney for Coloradans for Sensible Ethics. "We are concerned that some members of the legislative leadership did not come to that agreement in good faith," he said. Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver, said the compromise hammered out in Senate Bill 210 is moving forward. He said he's baffled by the backers' latest move to force lawmakers to clean up the "mess created" by millionaire Jared Polis, chief backer of Amendment 41. Polis is part of a group that has spent more than $150,000 to lobby lawmakers to carry out what many legislators view as a flawed ethics law. "Let me get this straight - the people who put forth a completely unworkable proposal are mad . . . because the legislature hasn't worked fast enough for them," scoffed Groff, co-sponsor of SB 210.
RELATED: Ballot proposal filed on Amendment 41
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5707579
County supports adding voting machines, centers
County officials expressed support this week for proposals to improve future Routt County elections. The Routt County Citizens Election Review Committee, led by local attorney Mark Fischer and Routt County Clerk and Recorder Kay Weinland, formally presented its recommendations to the Routt County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. Topping the list is the purchase of 20 new electronic voting machines this year, with a potential purchase of 15 more voting machines before the 2008 election. The new machines would be spread among vote centers throughout Routt County, including new vote centers at sites including Centennial Hall and the Steamboat Springs High School gymnasium.
Sides weigh in on home rule
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200064
Those who think Eagle County would be better off as a home-rule county say the government will make better decisions, have better communication among the commissioners, and will give better representation to all county residents. Opponents argue home rule is unnecessary, will make government more complicated, and has the potential to cause trouble within the county's bureaucracy. Eagle County voters are in the midst of a mail-only election campaign to determine whether the county should switch to home rule, as opposed to being governed by state statutes. It is the second time the county's voters have been asked the question; voters rejected the idea last year. Ballots are due back in the county clerk's office no later than 7 p.m. on May 1.
RELATED: Voters take another shot at Home Rule
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419002
Semrau unveils plan to meet housing goal
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200068
[Aspen] Mayoral candidate Tim Semrau introduced a plan Thursday that he claims would meet Aspen's goal of housing 60 percent of its work force upvalley within five years. Affordable housing has been a hot-button issue in the mayoral campaign, and meeting the 60 percent housing goal - adopted by the city in 1994 - has been a major push in recent years.
Victor’s mayor faces 2nd recall vote Tuesday
http://www.gazette.com/articles/justice_21422___article.html/city_bielz.html
So far, Victor’s score on recalls is: Kathy Justice 1, opponents, 0. But the first contest was close — and her foes wanted a rematch. Tuesday, the mayor faces her second recall election amid charges of malfeasance, failure to follow city ordinances and queenlike behavior. “Things are getting out of hand down there,” said Ron Robb, one of three candidates vying to replace Justice. “The time has come.”
Effective and Ethical Government
Salazar avoids ethics conflict
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5705065
The Senate ethics committee sent a strong signal Wednesday that it is digging in for a long and serious examination of Republican Sen. Pete Domenici's role in the firing of New Mexico's U.S. attorney. In a rare move, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., recused himself from the investigation into the dismissal of David Iglesias as New Mexico's federal prosecutor. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, will stand in for Salazar for this matter on the evenly divided six-senator panel. Committee spokesman Cody Wertz told WashingtonPost.com's Paul Kane that Salazar recused himself Tuesday night because he had worked on projects with Patricia Madrid, the former New Mexico attorney general who narrowly lost her challenge to Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Wilson, like Domenici, is accused of calling Iglesias in the weeks before the election to pressure him to indict state Democrats.
Legislators vote for per-diem raise
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/legislature-legislators-vote-for-per-diem-raise/
Lawmakers voted Thursday to raise their per-diem rates after the sponsor of an amendment limiting their perks said lawmakers deserved to be paid for doing their jobs. Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, said lawmakers haven't had a raise in their per diem since 1989, despite increased costs. "We're asking you for your help," she told the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. Lawmakers who live away from home during the legislative session could collect another $6,120 a year in expenses under the bill (Senate Bill 139), increasing their per diem from $99 a day to about $150 a day under a federal index. They increased per diems for metro area lawmakers from $45 to $75 a day because they have fewer expenses than rural lawmakers. Lawmakers said they had considered seeking an increase before public policy groups won voter approval for Amendment 41 banning lobbyists from buying meals or any gifts worth more than $50 for state lawmakers. The amendment also bans gifts to any state employee or their families worth more than $50. Employees of cities or counties with their own ethics guidelines are exempt.
Bill cuts cost of public records
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/704200326/1002
The price consumers pay for many public records in Colorado became dramatically cheaper Thursday. On the 100th day of the legislative session, Gov. Bill Ritter signed Senate Bill 45, which decreased the maximum amount public entities can charge for copies of public records from $1.25 per standard page to 25 cents per page.
RELATED: Cost of copying documents shrinks to two bits
http://www.gazette.com/articles/bill_21437___article.html/cost_senate.html
IT'S CALLED DEDICATION (Roll Call, April 20)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494786,00.html
"They say, 'What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.' I'm going to be one tough son of a gun." Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, who received a standing ovation in the House for pushing through seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for throat cancer while continuing his legislative work.
Partly sunny, chance of plagues (On the side, 4/20)
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_5707584
State representatives poked some fun at themselves Thursday for canceling work last Friday when it seemed a fierce snowstorm was looming. The storm ended up missing Denver entirely, the sky was sunny and lawmakers were absent. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff proposed this schedule of cancellations for next week.
County assessor: Property taxes going up
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419014
County Assessor Beverly Breakstone is expecting many locals to be surprised at news they will soon receive about large increases in property taxes. Breakstone presented a number of figures to the Summit Association of Realtors Thursday morning, explaining that the actual value of all real property in the county has increased since 2005 from $10.9 billion to $14.02 billion.
Archuleta tackles finances
Archuleta County has obtained a $500,000 line of credit from a local bank this week to help pay its expenses. The line of credit will be used as needed this year to cover payroll and other expenses, said Finance Director Bob Burchett. While the county is not broke, it has been spending more than it has been taking in, Burchett said. "It's going to be tight for this year," he said. "I don't want to blame anybody. It's just circumstances." As a result of cash-flow problems, the county has instituted a temporary hiring freeze, limited travel and training expenses, and suspended capital purchases such as vehicles and computer systems, said Bob Campbell, county administrator.
Eaton mayor wants to earmark sales taxes overages to town parks
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200120
Eaton's Mayor Keith McIntyre has an idea. He's asked town officials to peg sales tax receipts received from any given business at some level and see if there is an increase in sales above the business' average sales. A percentage of anything above those averages could be used toward parks or the town square, McIntyre has suggested.
Civil Liberties and Equality
Activists deliver message to Allard, Musgrave
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/70420001/1002/NEWS01
Six peace activists delivered empty suits to two Northern Colorado lawmakers’ Capitol Hill offices Thursday to protest their votes in support of the Iraq war. The suits — a pink one for Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and a black one for Sen. Wayne Allard — had dozens of anti-war messages from Fort Collins-area residents pinned to them. The suits represent the Republican lawmakers’ absence from a town hall meeting that Colorado Progressive Action and Strength Through Peace held in Fort Collins last week. The groups had invited the lawmakers to attend the meeting, where attendees were to speak out against the war. Musgrave spokesman Aaron Johnson said protesters didn’t attend any of the highly publicized public events Musgrave held last week in the Fort Collins area. “Congresswoman Musgrave is open to hearing all points of view, especially on an issue as critical as Iraq,” Johnson said. “She encourages all her constituents to contact her office to share their views on these important issues.” Allard’s office declined comment.
Multicultural leadership discussed at luncheon
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200113
Author Juana Bordas will feature her new book on multicultural leadership and will answer questions during the monthly Latino Luncheon in Greeley. The luncheon is from noon to 1:30 p.m. on April 27 at the Cazadores Restaurant, 2140 35th Ave. Bordas will talk about the topic of multicultural leadership in communities of color and read excerpts of her book, "Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age."
Living in the now
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_1B_women_lunch.html
At Thursday’s Luncheon Honoring Women, sponsored by the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, local lawyer and honoree Betty Bechtel accepted her recognition with humor and grace. “I didn’t have to die to get this award,” Bechtel said, jokingly comparing it with the legal profession “requirement” that awards be given to attorneys posthumously. According to the event’s planning committee, almost 400 guests attended the meeting and luncheon at Two Rivers Convention Center. Henrietta Hay, a Daily Sentinel columnist, was the last honoree at the luncheon three years ago.
Immigration
Monte Vista raid shakes Colorado's farm groups
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495185,00.html
Colorado farmers say a major immigration raid this week at a potato processing plant in the San Luis Valley will make it even harder to draw workers to the state's already labor-tight fields. Farm groups said the raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was believed to be the first in recent memory on a Colorado agricultural operation tied to a field crop. It follows a major ICE raid at the Swift & Co. meat-processing plant in Greeley in December. The ICE activity, combined with tougher new state immigration laws and a political climate in Colorado that's perceived by immigrant workers to be hostile, has major ramifications for state farms and livestock operations dependent on migrant labor, agriculture officials said.
RELATED: 3 face charges after farm raid
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708743
RELATED: Immigration sting nets three employees
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/3
Area Koreans: Massacre not a nationality issue
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708773
Korean-Americans have expressed concern that their shared heritage with Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui may subject them to a backlash. In Colorado, Korean-Americans say the news has put an uncomfortable spotlight on a traditionally low-key group that takes pride in honorable behavior. "The feeling is it's a privilege for us to be guests in this host country and for one of us to behave this way is so shameful," said Esther Cho, 34, who was born in South Korea but was raised in the United States. "There's this sense of collectively losing face." Chong Lee, a Korean immigrant who settled in Colorado in 1966, said he hopes it won't be that way.
Reproductive Choice
In your face
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/19/news/c_u_and_boulder/news2.txt
The Justice For All outdoor exhibit is anything but pretty. But the travelling display, 15 panels worth of 18-foot pictures featuring developing and aborted fetuses, isn't meant to be palatable, said Tammy Cook, director of field operations for Justice For All. Instead, the often controversial images are meant to prompt conversation on the subject of abortion, she said, the main goal of the pro-life organization that aims to save lives with its in-your-face campus campaigns. “We want to show students the truth about abortion, and we wish we didn't have to show such graphic pictures, but injustice is very rarely visually appealing,” said Cook, who has been travelling the nation with Justice For All to interact with college and university students for the past 11 years.
RELATED: Graphic abortion images upset students
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/graphic-abortion-images-upset-students/
Health Care and Public Safety
Pilot health care plan (Legislative briefs)
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/27
The Colorado House gave final approval Wednesday to a measure that would create a pilot program in Pueblo County designed to bring health care coverage to those who can't afford it. HB1022, which passed the House on a 56-9 vote, is designed to fill a gap between those can can't afford their own plans, and those who make too much money to qualify for public health care programs, such as Medicare. Under the measure, the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners would form and oversee a non-profit organization that would operate the programs.
Bill for background checks on limo drivers goes to guv
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494821,00.html
A bill to prevent another prom-night accident like the one that cost the leg of East High's Molly Bloom is headed to Gov. Bill Ritter. House Bill 1065 requires criminal background checks of limousine, taxi and other commercial drivers. It came about after Bloom, then 17, was dragged under a limousine. Only after she lost her leg did her parents learn that the limo driver had two previous DUI citations and was a registered sex offender. "Hopefully, the signing of this bill will give those going to the prom this year some peace of mind that the driver of their limousine will be of reputable character," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora.
State may snuff Aspen's Cigar Bar
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200060
Sipping scotch while smoking a cigar at Aspen's Cigar Bar would be out of the question under a proposal before the Colorado Legislature. Cigar bars were exempted when the Legislature enacted a statewide smoking ban last year, but fears that watering holes are now turning into cigar bars to skirt the ban has lawmakers considering outlawing cigar bars altogether. On Wednesday, a Senate committee backed a proposal - Senate Bill 250 - to close the loophole for bars that receive 5 percent of their income from selling tobacco. The move has not gone unnoticed by Mary Lynn Casper, owner of The Cigar Bar in Aspen. She has been in contact with the bill's sponsors, as well as lobbyist Dick Soash, who is working at the Statehouse on behalf of the Cigar Association of America.
CSU research could spare animals
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/CSUZONE01/704200323/1002/NEWS01
A Colorado State University professor has found a way to decrease the number of experiments done on animals each year, perhaps reducing the number of animals used in a controversial rabbit test that animal rights activists call outdated and cruel. Using cells that would otherwise be thrown away, veterinarian Dr. Tom Eurell, a toxicology and immunology expert, has been engineering living tissue used for testing chemicals and drugs.
Program pushes immunization
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/17
The Pueblo City-County Health Department is giving away free bibs with the words “Immunize Me!” in English and Spanish. The program, which runs while supplies last, marks National Infant Immunization Week, that runs Saturday through April 28.
Bus tour to make Craig pit stop
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/26226
In an effort to publicize programs offering free or low-cost medical prescriptions, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance group's "Help is Here Express" bus has stopped in 1,200 cities since 2005.
County readies to offer meth treatment
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_1B_Meth_facility_tour.html
In a month and a half, the first dozen residents of the county’s new meth treatment facility will be arriving. There will be no prison uniforms, no locks on the doors, no bars on the windows. “This is just like your residence,” said Dennis Berry, director of Mesa County Criminal Justice Services. “When you start putting bars up, you start sending a different message.” The new occupants will arrive in groups of 12. A dozen is a good, manageable size of people for group therapy, Berry said. As the program progresses, groups of 12 will be added over time until reaching 48 people.
Prepare those floodplain plans
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/19/news/c_u_and_boulder/news3.txt
The City of Boulder has been considered since at least the 1990s the Colorado city that is most likely to experience a catastrophic flood, according to information from a 2004 issue of the Natural Hazards Observer, a publication from CU's Natural Hazards Center. Actual occurrences of severe flooding have been relatively rare since Boulder became a city, but large portions of developed central Boulder are located within some level of the Boulder Creek floodplain. The Boulder Creek flows down the steep grades of Boulder Canyon, and the drainage channel can collect water from melting mountain snowpack and/or new precipitation falling in the canyon.
Animal abuser must pay $8,200
http://www.gazette.com/articles/horse_21438___article.html/manire_pay.html
A former El Paso County rancher who pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge for starving a horse to death was ordered to pay more than $8,000 in restitution Thursday over the objections of her lawyer. Lori Manire, who now lives in Nevada, was ordered to pay about $8,200 to the horse’s owners, the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and the veterinarian who tried to save the horse. Manire pleaded guilty to a felony cruelty to animals charge in March 2006 after Humane Society investigators found 39 sick, emaciated horses and cattle on her ranch in 2004. One horse died.
Crime and Penal Reform
BELLS TO TOLL FOR VICTIMS OF VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE (EXTRA!, April 20)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495163,00.html
In response to a nationwide invitation from Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is asking places of worship and other facilities across Colorado to toll their bells or chimes at 10 a.m. today in remembrance of the 32 people killed by a gunman at Virginia Tech on Monday. "Eight years ago, we experienced a terrible tragedy at Columbine High School. The people of Colorado will stand in solemn silence on the anniversary of that dreadful day with the people of Virginia as they grieve."
RELATED: Ritter calls for moment of silence Friday morning
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/19/ritter-calls-moment-silence-friday-morning/
Shooter's Homage Stings at Columbine
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041903005.html
Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung Hui's homage to the Columbine High School killers has made preparations for Friday's eighth anniversary of the Colorado rampage all the more devastating, survivors and victims' relatives said. In the video he mailed to NBC during a gap in Monday's fatal shootings of 32 people at Virginia Tech, Cho, 23, referred to "martyrs like Eric and Dylan" in a disjointed attempt to explain his motives for killing the others and himself. The decision by NBC and other networks to air the footage drew immediate criticism from relatives of the Virginia Tech victims. Columbine families said Cho's acknowledgment of high school shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold has made the anniversary all the more raw.
RELATED: Finding the space to breathe
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495037,00.html
RELATED: Columbine parent visits Virginia to offer support
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494847,00.html
RELATED: Changing perspective
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494844,00.html
RELATED: Columbine memories darkened
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708805
RELATED: Virginia Tech shootings might shine spotlight on gun control
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104190134
RELATED: UNC plans activities to support Virginia Tech
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200118
RELATED: CU students to don orange
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/cu-students-to-don-orange/
Nelson could face death penalty
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494787,00.html
A Weld County judge has given prosecutors 60 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty against a former dispatcher accused of gunning down the wife of her police officer lover. At the end of a court hearing Thursday afternoon, Judge Roger Klein ruled that there was sufficient evidence for prosecutors to pursue first-degree murder charges against Shawna Nelson. The 34-year-old woman was arrested Jan. 23, after Heather Garraus was gunned down outside her job at the Colorado State Employees Credit Union in Greeley.
RELATED: Hearing serves up details on murder
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708872
RELATED: Nelson could face death penalty in murder case
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104190140
Hood named to Denver bench
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5493330,00.html
William W. Hood has been appointed a judge to the Denver District Court, filling the vacancy left by Judge John N. McMullen, who retired, Gov. Bill Ritter announced today. Hood, an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Isaacson Rosenbaum, previously served as a chief deputy district attorney in the 18th Judicial District, serving Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties.
It's 4/20
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/19/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt
Break out your bongs. The annual marijuana-smoking celebration known as 4/20 is expected to draw a crowd of 1,000 to 3,000 people to CU's Norlin Quadrangle today.
Economy
Sen. Romer shelves plan to sell Lottery
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5494823,00.html
A lawmaker who wants to privatize the Colorado Lottery said Thursday he is backing off the plan for now, but said citizens groups could still try to get it placed on the ballot in November. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, floated a plan this week to sell the rights to the lottery for an estimated $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion to a private company. Some of the money would be used for veterans, college scholarships, and the acquisition of open space. But Romer said legislative lawyers have decided that it amounts to getting into debt over a period of years, which he said would erode bipartisan support for the plan.
RELATED: Legal opinion sinks sale of state lottery
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708744
Locals push for retrial in VF case
http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/04/20/news/news02.txt
Telluride and the owners of the Valley Floor want two local lawyers to
butt out of the eminent-domain case, but the lawyers said this week that they
aren't going quietly into that good night. Attorneys Robert Korn and John Steel
argue in court papers filed Monday that they have every right to intervene in
the aftermath of the trial to value the Valley Floor, a 570-acre swath of
vacant land at the west end of town. "Why does the town care if someone
seeks a fair trial?” the attorneys ask in legal arguments. “Why doesn't the
town care that it was denied a fair trial and due process?”
Phelps-Tointon wins award for business ethics
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200116
Phelps-Tointon was one of five Colorado and Wyoming businesses that was honored Thursday for outstanding business ethics by the Mountain States Better Business Bureau. The Torch Awards for Business Ethics awards in Fort Collins on Thursday honored Phelps-Tointon as well as: CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing in Fort Collins; Burns Marketing Communications in northern Colorado; NERD Gas Company LLC in Casper, Wyo., and Animal Health Clinic in Laramie, Wyo. The Torch Awards honor companies that show exemplary management practices, have high standards of relationships with customers, show honesty in marketing and advertising and give back to their communities.
First Data profit falls 59 percent in first quarter after Western Union spinoff
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/money/article/0,2777,DRMN_23908_5494454,00.html
Greenwood Village-based credit-card processor First Data Corp., which agreed this month to a $27 billion takeover, said Thursday its net income fell 59 percent in the first quarter, reflecting the September spinoff of Western Union.
Chapter 11 may help BIOTA spring back
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708871
Ouray's troubled water-bottling plant has avoided a foreclosure sale by filing for federal bankruptcy protection, giving company officials time to seek financing to restart production of bottled water. BIOTA Brands of America Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday, a day before an auction of the 3-year-old, $15 million bottling plant was scheduled. The plant had been operating sporadically since the fall when it became embroiled in a dispute with the city of Ouray over the quality of its water supply. In early March, a receiver was appointed to take custody of the property because of $7.5 million in unpaid debt.
Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability
Change at AFL-CIO attempts to heal rift
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495162,00.html
The Colorado AFL-CIO plans to cut its top two elected posts and hire an executive director who can bring unity to a labor organization fraught with internal divisions. The national AFL-CIO took charge of the state federation's daily operations this year because of internal conflicts among its top leaders. The conclusion: The organization's structure must be changed to restore peace within the splintered group. "We'll be looking for new leadership," said Rick Bender, the Washington state labor leader serving as trustee of the Colorado group. Colorado AFL-CIO President Steve Adams will continue lobbying through the end of the legislative session in May. Secretary-Treasurer Paul Mendrick has been on paid leave since the national office took control of the state organization. Both of their jobs will be cut.
Housing and Homelessness
Holly gets 50 temporary homes from FEMA
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495023,00.html
Holly residents who were left homeless by last month's tornado got some relief Thursday as 50 temporary homes arrived from Hope, Ark. "It's really great," said Marsha Wilhite, town administrator. "Every home that rolls into town is a picture of hope for people who are displaced from their homes." A count by Federal Emergency Management Agency officials found that 164 homes in Holly had been damaged by the March 28 tornado, which killed one and injured 11. Of those homes, 48 were deemed uninhabitable.
RELATED: FEMA trailers land in embattled Holly
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708371
RELATED: Mobile homes arrive in Holly
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/5
Hospital questions housing fees
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/apr/20/hospital_questions_housing_fees/?local_news
Yampa Valley Medical Center’s top executive said Thursday that [Steamboat Springs] city policies intended to fund affordable housing, if approved in their current form, would significantly limit future expansion and services at the hospital.
Media
Lookout Mountain tower OK'd
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494822,00.html
Jefferson County District Court Judge Brooke Jackson ruled this week that the county commissioners can rezone land on Lookout Mountain for a digital television tower. The county commissioners granted the rezoning to the Lake Cedar Group, a consortium of Denver broadcasters who are building the 730-foot tower. The city of Golden, Lookout Mountain homeowners and other tower opponents challenged the rezoning based on concerns about health and the risk of the tower falling.
Education
Ousted CU department head wins settlement, apology
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494789,00.html
For Dr. Robert Schrier, it wasn't about money or a job. He wanted an apology for being removed - without explanation - as chairman of the University of Colorado Department of Medicine. After four years of legal wrangling and two weeks before his lawsuit was set for trial, Schrier got some satisfaction. CU settled with him for more than $1 million for legal fees, research funds and salary concessions. The apology came in an e-mail that Dr. Richard Krugman, dean of the medical school, sent to faculty members. "The circumstances surrounding (Schrier's) removal as chair in October 2002 were unfortunate, and I regret the manner in which it was handled," he wrote. When Schrier was removed as chair, he had spent 26 years overseeing huge increases in faculty and research money for the medical school's largest department and was credited with elevating it to world-class status. But he also was a vocal critic of the school's $500 million move to the Fitzsimons campus in Aurora, which he believed would saddle it with enormous debt.
Worries over higher-ed standards
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/worries-over-higher-ed-standards/
Nearly one-third of freshmen at the University of Colorado wouldn't have qualified for admission under tougher, forthcoming state-mandated standards, according to a report given to the regents Thursday. The state's higher-education board, beginning in 2008, will require students to complete a series of pre-collegiate courses before qualifying for Colorado's colleges and universities. Admission standards for public, four-year colleges in Colorado will become even more demanding in 2010. College admissions counselors then will need to make sure high school graduates have passed four years of math and two years of the same foreign language.
Regents pick presidential search members
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/regents-pick-presidential-search-members/
The University of Colorado regents Thursday selected members to serve on the presidential search panel that will cast a nationwide net, looking for candidates to lead the school's three-campus system. CU President Hank Brown has announced he will step down in February.
DPS change in direction stirs tension
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5493698,00.html
There are hundreds of new families in northwest Denver, many of them Anglo, with young children about to enter school. And thousands of longtime Hispanic residents of the area often are frustrated by the drastic changes in their children's schools and what they say is the district's indifference to their input.
RELATED: Issue: Early education
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5493696,00.html
Students, staff welcome back beloved principal
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104190139
Though he's using a cane, Principal Ben Rainbolt walked on air Thursday. His mood, matched by that of staff and students, was upbeat after the school board early Thursday morning restored Rainbolt to his job to end a months-long leadership fracas at Valley High School. "It's a happy day here at the school," said teacher Diane Freehling. Rainbolt received a warm welcome when he stepped into Valley's halls for the first time in months. "It's been overwhelming," he said. "The students, the faculty -- I've never had so many hugs and high-fives in one day." He left in mid-January for knee surgery, and about a month later his medical leave turned into administrative leave and his building keys were taken away. Board members and Superintendent Jo Barbie have been tight-lipped, citing privacy issues in a personnel matter. That stance was reiterated when more than 100 Valley students walked out of class two weeks ago wanting answers about the status of their popular principal.
DHPH challenges state board ruling
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/15
After being rebuffed by the Colorado Board of Education, Pueblo’s Dolores Huerta Preparatory High is taking another tack in its battle to get $900,000 in construction funds it claims it’s owed by Pueblo City Schools. Lawrence Hernandez, chief executive officer of the Cesar Chavez School Network, which includes DHPH, said that the school and three parents are asking for a Denver District Court judge to rule that the state board erred in rejecting an arbiter’s ruling favoring the school.
RELATED: Dropouts target of new program
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/16
School Board to continue e-mail investigation
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/apr/20/school_board_continue_email_investigation/?local_news
The Steamboat Springs School Board will continue its investigation into how e-mails sent by John DeVincentis in 2004-05 were obtained and given to the Steamboat Pilot & Today. On Wednesday, former School Board member Pat Gleason admitted that he gave the e-mails to the Pilot & Today. Gleason asked School Board President Denise Connelly to abandon the investigation, saying it was a waste of time and money now that he has come forward as the newspaper’s source.
Superintendent ready to raise the bar; board talks goals
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15864
Setting goals for Colorado’s Superintendent of the Year might seem daunting, but for the St. Vrain Valley Board of Education, it’s just a job. In a work session Wednesday night, the seven-member board brainstormed on how to direct Randy Zila based on their vision for the school district, Zila’s previous goals and a myriad of student achievement gages. For next year, Zila will strive to increase the district’s general fund balance from roughly $3 million to $4 million, continue implementing higher standards on school counselors and help reconfigure Skyline High School into a high-perforce school focused on either technology, arts or International Baccalaureate programs.
UCCS planning new $2 million athletic center
http://www.gazette.com/articles/uccs_21427___article.html/house_field.html
A $2 million athletic center is coming to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, much to the relief of fans who were turned away from games at one of the smallest gyms in Division II. The new 45,000-square-foot field house, announced at a CU Board of Regents meeting Thursday, is scheduled to open in May 2008.
Fort Lewis College to increase tuition 5 percent
The Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees approved a 5 percent tuition increase Thursday. Tuition will rise to $2,648 for Colorado residents and $13,848 for nonresidents for the 2007-08 academic year. To help alleviate the effects of increased tuition on nonresident students, Fort Lewis will offer for the first time this fall $1,000 merit-based scholarships to all out-of-state students - except for students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program - who earn a certain score on the college's admissions index, a chart that combines GPA and ACT scores. The scholarships target solid students for whom many colleges compete but few colleges offer financial awards, said Director of Budgets Michele Peterson.
Ambassadors, every one of them
http://postindependent.com/article/20070420/VALLEYNEWS/104200060
Close to 400 students, representing 14 schools from Rifle to Aspen, were recognized for their participation in the Safe School Ambassador Program at the Hotel Colorado on Thursday. Third-grade students through seniors in high school filled the Devereux Room at the hotel to have lunch and receive a certificate from the Children's Health Foundations (CHF) that recognized students' work at making schools in the valley a safer place.
Nervous schools in session
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494846,00.html
Students at most schools are expected to be in class today, the eighth anniversary of the Columbine slayings, despite days of turmoil and threats in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre. All Boulder Valley District schools are closed for a previously scheduled teacher development day and Columbine will be shut as it has for past anniversaries. Other districts hope to conduct business as usual, but some worry that may not be easy. For yet another day, violent threats forced several schools around the metro area to go on lockdown Thursday.
RELATED: Cherry Creek High patrols beefed up
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708380
RELATED: Lockdown ends at Littleton High
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5704518
RELATED: Boulder High students stay home
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/boulder-high-students-stay-home/
RELATED: Students return to class after Max Karson's arrest
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/students-return-to-class-after-max-karsons/
RELATED: School safety is year-round focus
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_12B_Columbine_anniversary.html
RELATED: Bomb scare in Delta
http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2007/04/19/local_news/1.txt
Athletic director accused in lewd chat
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708379
Grand Junction High School's athletic director, accused of engaging in sexual Internet chat with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, turned himself in at Mesa County Jail early Thursday. Donald John Walker, 48, posted $25,000 bond and was released Thursday afternoon. Walker is on leave from his job, authorities said, and has not yet been charged. The case against Walker is based on a civilian informant who claims to have posed as a child while the two chatted.
RELATED: School District 51’s policy on paid leave may get fresh scrutiny
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_7a_Walker_status.html
Military
Army's handling of stress targeted
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5495160,00.html
Nine U.S. senators called Thursday for an investigation of the Army's handling of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental problems, citing allegations of mistreatment at Fort Carson. The senators, including members of both parties and two independents, asked the Government Accountability Office to undertake the investigation, saying that their similar request made to the Defense Department in January went unanswered. The senators want the GAO to examine the Army's practices in dealing with soldiers who may be suffering the mental effects of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
RELATED: PTSD care at Carson at issue
http://www.gazette.com/articles/fort_21418___article.html/carson_soldiers.html
Army seeks more Pinon Canyon acreage
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/2
The Army has no "long term" plans to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site beyond the 418,000 additional acres the Defense Department is seeking currently, officials told a Senate subcommittee Thursday. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., questioned Keith Eastin, assistant Army secretary, about the need to expand the Pinon Canyon training site during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. While asking Eastin to justify why the Army wants to add more acreage to the 238,000-acre training site, Allard also pressed whether the Pentagon has plans for an even larger expansion in the future. At a town meeting in Pueblo on Tuesday, Fort Carson officials acknowledged their initial planning looked at expanding Pinon Canyon by 1.4 million acres. On Feb. 14, the Defense Department authorized the Army to pursue an expansion of 418,000 acres.
Army begins to move nerve gas
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/11
Army officials say it’s cheaper to destroy the hydrolysate off-site than to go ahead with its original plan for a treatment program at Newport [IN]. The Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, which is in charge of the weapons destruction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot and the Blue Grass, Ky., Army Depot, also has argued that off-site treatment is cheaper and could consider incineration, too. Kathy DeWeese, spokeswoman for ACWA, said Monday morning, “The ACWA program is continuing to design destruction facilities for Colorado and Kentucky that reflect on-site treatment of hydrolysate. “However, the program manager has been charged to pursue all cost reduction opportunities, to include the option of off-site treatment and disposal of hydrolysate. As we continue to examine these potential cost-saving options, any new information that becomes available, such as the Newport solution for hydrolysate treatment and disposal, will be taken into consideration.” Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., sent a letter to Claude Bolton, an assistant secretary of the Army, asking for a description of how public comment was gathered on the Port Arthur option, a summary of public comments and cost analyses of both the work and possible delays from litigation by opposition groups.
RELATED: Judge orders safety review of [Oregon] weapons-destruction
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/12
Back to the BATTLEFIELD
http://www.gazette.com/articles/iraq_21416___article.html/training_brigade.html
As they go through the motions of preparing for another, longer deployment to Iraq, the soldiers of Fort Carson’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team aren’t upset about being away from family or angry about the lack of progress in the war. They’re just numb. “After the second tour, I just gave in,” said Sgt. Kevin Dodson, who like the rest of the brigade is getting ready to go to Iraq again later this year. “You can’t fight it.” An exact timeline for the brigade’s return hasn’t been set. They were originally looking at going to Iraq in August, but Pentagon leaders are aiming to delay their departure until the end of the year. The unit has spent two of the past four years overseas and, until a possible delay was announced last week, was looking at returning to war for a 15-month tour after nine months of rest.
Energy Policy
Gov. Ritter to break ground on solar park
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5494478,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter will break ground on the state's biggest solar park on Monday. The $60 million, 8-megawatt park in the San Luis Valley will be owned and operated by Baltimore-based SunEdison, and the electricity will be sold to Xcel Energy. The project, scheduled to be completed before the end of the year, would power more than 2,600 customers. Xcel, which serves 1.3 million electric ratepayers in Colorado, chose SunEdison after spending months reviewing bids from several other companies since announcing the project in March 2006. SunEdison is among the nation's largest commercial photovoltaic contractors.
Pipeline for Colo. gas gets approval
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5708047
Federal regulators gave their final approval Thursday for the western portion of a $4.4 billion natural gas pipeline project led by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP that will bring fuel from the Rocky Mountains to markets in the Eastern United States. "This is a significant investment in U.S. energy infrastructure," Suedeen Kelly, a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said before the unanimous vote at an open meeting in Washington, D.C. "It will also help to enhance the competitiveness of our natural-gas markets." The project, known as Rockies Express, consists of three segments and upon completion will be 1,678 miles long. It'll be able to send as much as 1.8 billion cubic feet of gas a day from Colorado to Ohio. The figure for the pipeline system's total mileage was increased Wednesday by 14 miles after terrain surveys, said Kinder Morgan Energy spokeswoman Emily Mir Thompson.
Drivers pay price at pump as gas costs rise
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/apr/20/drivers_pay_price_pump_gas_costs_rise/?local_news
When Michael Flanders watches the digital numbers next to the dollar sign at the gas station nearly triple the gallon numbers, he’s at a loss for words. “Unreasonable,” Flanders, who commutes to Steamboat from Craig daily for work, said to describe the current state of gas prices. “It’s a lot more expensive to go to work. Luckily, I’ve got enough to cover it.” This week marked the 11th consecutive week gas prices in Colorado have increased. The national average for a price of unleaded gasoline has gone up nearly 30 cents from a month ago. The national average of $2.86 a gallon is up 7 cents from a year a go.
Despite strong opposition, SMPA extends contract
http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/04/20/news/news01.txt
Local governments, green-power advocates and a 300-signature petition
urged them not to do it. But the San Miguel Power Authority voted Wednesday to
extend its decades-long contract with its parent power provider, Tri-State
Generation and Transmission. The 6-1 vote ties San Miguel Power and Tri-State
together for an additional decade and endorses Tri-State's energy policies and
generation plans. Now, the association will buy nearly all its electricity from
Tri-State until at least 2050, rather than 2040. Critics around Telluride urged
the SMPA board not to extend the contract. They said Tri-State's plans to build
new coal-fired power plants in Kansas and southeastern Colorado were a sign the
huge power provider cared little about carbon emissions, conservation or
renewable power.
RELATED: Nucla residents fear closure of SMPA office
http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2007/04/19/local_news/3.txt
Transportation and Infrastructure
Be creative in transportation funding, Ritter tells panel
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5494825,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter's panel that is rethinking how to fund transportation projects must come up with a package that's creative, comprehensive and understandable to capture voters' support. That's the view of some members of the transportation task force, which met for the first time Thursday. Members and advisers said that the traditional 20- and 30-year planning outlook for big highway, transit and other transportation projects can be beyond the radar screens of voters.
Chain law bill moves to Senate floor
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419007
A bill aimed at reducing wintertime interstate closures continues to chug along through the legislative process, gaining Senate committee approval Thursday and moving to the Senate floor. House Bill 1229, sponsored by Rep. Dan Gibbs, D-Silverthorne, in the House and by Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon, in the Senate, breezed through the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday with unanimous approval. Before casting their votes, committee members heard about an hour of testimony in support of the once-controversial bill, much of which came from Summit County locals who traveled to Denver to champion the legislation.
Environment and Conservation
Canyon filing an ‘affront’ to law, legislators say
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_1a_Black_Canyon_folo.html
Eight legislators on both sides of Colorado’s political and Continental divides called a recent state court filing a “direct affront” to state law. In a letter to their colleagues, the legislators said state actions in a water case involving the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park threaten interests on both sides of the state. “This is not an east/west issue,” the legislators wrote in a letter distributed Thursday. “It is an issue that should raise the ire of the entire state: The state of Colorado apparently (is) yielding to a massive federal water grab.”
State climatologist to be honored as environmental hero
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/704200322/1002
A weather-watching program spawned by a Fort Collins flood 10 years ago has garnered a national honor for its founder. Nolan Doesken, the Colorado state climatologist and director of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow, or CoCoRaHS, network, is one of 10 recipients of this year's Environmental Heroes award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Newmont backs watchdog move
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5708046
In what is believed to be a first for a U.S. mining company, Denver-based Newmont Mining is supporting a shareholder proposal asking the firm to report on its social and environmental issues. The resolution, brought by 11 institutional shareholders, will be voted on at Newmont's annual meeting Tuesday in Wilmington, Del. "This is a bold step by Newmont," said Julie Tanner, a spokeswoman for New York- based Christian Bros. Investment Services Inc., one of the Newmont shareholders. "This is a real breakthrough in that this is the first time that a mining company has agreed to urge shareholders to support a social resolution," Tanner said. "With the release of a substantive and thorough report, it will indicate that the company takes the issue seriously." Newmont, the world's second-largest gold miner, has faced community opposition at several of its mining sites in the U.S., Peru, Indonesia and Ghana. While the company says it adheres to a high standard of social and environmental responsibility, Newmont critics say mining operations have caused pollution, degradation of habitats and community resettlement.
Mine waste plan still spurring questions from some residents
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419016
A $1.8 million EPA plan to create a repository for polluted mine waste in French Gulch would generate 600 to 700 truck trips on local roads already heavily used by construction vehicles. Some residents of the Wellington Neighborhood and other nearby residential areas are not exactly thrilled by the plan. Several dozen showed up at an open house Tuesday to voice their misgivings about traffic and the apparent lack of in-depth studies disclosing the potential long-term health risks and environmental impacts of the plan. The EPA and the Forest Service want to move about 6,000 to 8,000 cubic yards of tainted rock from the Forest Service-owned Claimjumper parcel to a triangle-shaped sliver of National Forest, as well as adjacent town- and county-owned property near the Wellington Neighborhood, where it would be capped with clean rock and earth.
RELATED: The politics of the Breck mine waste plan
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419009
Western Slope water supply dwindling
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/21
Below-average snowpack on the Western Slope and the possibility of an early runoff could mean a light year for transmountain diversions. But the water could go further for farmers because of high levels of soil in the moisture, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District learned Thursday. “It’s a lot like last year. The low snow is disappearing, but it looks like there’s a lot of snow higher in the mountains,” said Tom Musgrove, Pueblo manager for the Bureau of Reclamation. Snowpack in the Colorado River basin, which provides water for imports, is only 80 percent of average. As of April 1, an estimated 51,380 acre-feet were projected to be available through the Boustead Tunnel into Turquoise Lake.
Yampa Pumpback project discussed
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/apr/20/yampa_pumpback_project_discussed/?local_news
Douglas Wellman came to the Yampa/White Basin Roundtable meeting Wednesday in part to express his opinion about the proposal to build a reservoir near Maybell and pump the water back to the eastern Colorado. “By taking that water, you dilute the political and economic ability on this side of the divide,” said Wellman, a roundtable member. “I want to see an acre-foot of water stored on this side for every acre-foot leaving the Western Slope.” The nine basin roundtables were created to facilitate discussions on water issues and encourage locally-driven solutions in each of the state’s major river basins and the Denver metropolitan area.
Authority next step for Fountain Creek?
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177078667/1
While the Fountain Creek Vision Task Force is honing areas of study to finer points, members are already looking ahead to the possibility of forming a watershed authority to translate plans into action. The problem Fountain Creek poses was clearly stated Thursday as the task force gathered at El Pueblo Museum to catch up on work during the past three months. “Fountain Creek is trying to adjust to changes and it’s having a difficult time,” Dennis Maroney, Pueblo stormwater utility director, told the group of about 60 people. “What we’ve got to do is help it calm down a little. If we keep introducing these changes and instabilities, Fountain Creek will continue to be a problem.” The solution is going to take a commitment by communities up and down the watershed, said Bob Miner, a Palmer Lake trustee.
President signs pact to go green on campus
Fort Lewis College President Brad Bartel said Thursday his signing of a climate agreement April 6 is part of a "movement" of growing environmental awareness. Bartel signed the pact, called the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, as part of a series of environmental events at the college surrounding Earth Week. As of Wednesday, 177 higher education institutions had signed the pact, said Steve Schwartz, vice president of finance and administration. As part of the pledge, Fort Lewis is working on a policy to require future construction on campus to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design "silver" standard or its equivalent. The college is also crafting a policy that would require the purchase of Energy Star-certified products where possible.
Organizers hoping to increase size of local event
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/earth-day-organizers-hoping-to-increase-size-of/
Organizers of a festival this weekend say they're attempting to grow Boulder's Earth Day celebration into the biggest on the Front Range. There's an Earth Day celebration hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as an event at the National Center for Atmospheric Research called "Wild Earth Saturday featuring Dirt Days."
RELATED: Plenty going on in town for upcoming Earth Day
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/704200324/1002/NEWS01
Do the beetles scare you?
http://postindependent.com/article/20070420/VALLEYNEWS/104200070
The forests surrounding Vail are dying, but many locals aren't grieving yet. Sure, you can see a few bare and scraggly patches on the mountainsides, but they still seem green and alive. Even with helicopters swooping in to fly away dead piles of wood, the realization that bark beetles will kill most of the forest hasn't truly sunk into the collective consciousness of Vail, a group of researchers say. "The real shock may yet be coming," said Courtney Flint, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois department of natural resources and environmental sciences. "Some people are just becoming aware of the issue. There have certainly been some dead trees, but there is a sense we are only starting to see it."
How did your trees fare the winter?
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/26224
The Extension Office has been busy with people coming in and sharing their "distressed tree" stories and samples, and wanting to learn what to do to remedy them. This time of year, as we all get outside more and begin to take a closer look at our trees, it becomes evident that a certain tree or two has had a rough winter, possibly being subjected to sub-zero temperatures, ice melt damage or a jagged break from heavy snow left on the branches.
Red rain falls on valley
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070419/NEWS/70419005
Aspenites awoke Thursday morning to find vehicles and streets covered with red dust — caused by a combination of high winds and light rain, according to the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction.
RELATED: Wind brings dirt, dust to town
http://postindependent.com/article/20070420/VALLEYNEWS/104200062
RELATED: Wednesday Winds blow short of record
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/20/4_20_wind_damage.html
RELATED: Wind gusts wreak havoc across Southern Colorado
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177080640/4
Drill rig worker gets $10,000 fine for poaching a prize deer
http://postindependent.com/article/20070420/VALLEYNEWS/104200064
An oil and gas drill rig worker was sentenced Thursday to a $10,000 fine and four years probation for poaching a trophy buck deer. Joseph Chapman, 32, also received a lifetime suspension of his hunting privileges in Colorado.
Opinion
Spencer: Horrifying deeds can inspire twisted kindred
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5708745
Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui apparently took some inspiration from Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. That's a truly depressing way to mark today, the eighth anniversary of their attack. Cho mentioned the Columbine High killers as martyrs in correspondence he sent to NBC. The letter was part of a "manifesto" that also included pictures and a DVD. Before his manifesto surfaced, Cho murdered 32 innocent people before killing himself. He mimicked Harris and Klebold. They murdered 12 students and a teacher at Columbine on April 20, 1999, then killed themselves. The poses with weapons and the paranoid rant that Cho sent to NBC looked and sounded sickeningly like the writings and images of Harris and Klebold. It seemed like enough to qualify Cho as a copycat. Or at least a kindred spirit. Cho's invocation of the Columbine killers let the pair once more kick their community from the grave. By showing Cho vamping with pistols and knives, NBC gave the Virginia Tech killer the same notoriety Harris and Klebold craved and got. It was all there - the blame-placing, the narcissism, the rage, the savagery.
RELATED: Johnson: As dark memories linger, laughter provides hope
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5494920,00.html
Freedom isn't free. Or pretty
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/19/opinion/our_take/ourtake1.txt
Sorry folks, but you can't defend Ward Churchill's right to call dead New Yorkers “Little Eichmanns” out of one side of your mouth and condemn Max Karson for saying he can identify with a mass murderer out the other. Let's get the obvious part out of the way first. Karson, the CU student who has caused uproar after uproar with his sophomoric ‘zine, “The Yeti,” picked a bad time to launch another free-speech battle. In a classroom debate Tuesday, the always-provocative Karson allegedly said he could understand how someone could be angry enough to kill 32 people, according to CU police reports. He also allegedly said, again, according to police reports, that the lighting and interiors of CU buildings were making him feel “mad enough to do something.” It's not a popular opinion these days to be sure, but was it worth arresting the guy over? Dumb? Yes. Threatening? We're not convinced.
RELATED: Student provocateur
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/student-provocateur/
Lewis: Unbridled ambition got the best of Nacchio
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5708824
Joe Nacchio looked prepared for whatever the jury would have to say. The former Qwest chief executive came to court looking composed, even optimistic. He shot me a smile from across the courtroom in the minutes before the jury was seated. He tipped his rectangular eyeglasses, the way one would tip a hat. He was jesting about the way I'd described him in a previous column as wearing "stylish" glasses. He had ribbed me about this adjective before, saying he'd take any compliment he could get from me, even if it was just one word. When he had made his initial appearance on 42 counts of insider trading in December 2005, I described him as wearing handcuffs - not exactly stylish for a former Fortune 500 executive. If Nacchio was nervous on Thursday, he wasn't showing it. During his trial, I'd watched his emotions range from anxiety to near giddiness, depending on the day. He looked good on Thursday. Confident.
A smoke-free 4/20?
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/20/a-smoke-free-420/
Today is 4/20, the day some pot smokers like to gather en masse and light up. The annual event is popular on campuses. This year, however, some hope to make the University of Colorado's more of a political rally, more political and less illegal. That's wise. Mason Tvert, leader of the pro-legalization group Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, will deliver a smoke-free speech. "We're trying to make 4/20 an event about marijuana reform rather than just marijuana use," Tvert said.
Election
Richardson Leads Race To TV Ads
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902813.html
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will take to the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire next week, making him the first Democratic candidate to run television ads in the states that will lead off the presidential caucus and primary calendar. "This is an effective way to reinforce the governor's extraordinary record," Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said of the commercials. "But the ads are just part of the strategy -- the biggest piece is campaigning town to town, meeting people and earning votes in person." The 30- and 60-second spots were produced by Murphy Putnam Media and are meant to introduce Richardson to voters in two of the most critical states in the nomination fight. The shorter ad details Richardson's rationale for running and outlines his plans for moving forward in Iraq; the 60-second spot highlights his record as governor.
Obama pushes carbon reductions
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-20-obama-energy_N.htm
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says the fuel used to power automobiles should contain less of the carbon that pollutes the air — enough to make the same impact as taking 32 million cars off the road. "This is our generation's moment to save future generations from global catastrophe by creating a market for clean-burning fuels that can stop the dangerous transformation of our climate," Obama said in prepared remarks.
McCain's little ditty about attacking Iran
Republican presidential contender John McCain, known for having a quirky sense of humor, joked about bombing Iran at a campaign appearance this week. In response to an audience question about military action against Iran, the Arizona senator briefly sang the chorus of "Barbara Ann." "That old, eh, that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran," he said in jest Wednesday, chuckling with the crowd. Then, he softly sang to the melody: "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah. ... " The audience responded with more laughter. His quip was prompted by a man in the audience who asked: "How many times do we have to prove that these people are blowing up people now, never mind if they get a nuclear weapon, when do we send 'em an airmail message to Tehran?"
Tommy Thompson's uphill journey to succeed in downhome Iowa caucuses
There's nothing complex about Tommy Thompson's road map to the White House. "I intend to win Iowa," said Thompson. His plan for winning the nation's first caucus is equally simple: Spend more time in the state than any of his competitors. "I've always been the underdog and I've always outworked," said Thompson. "That's why I've been in Iowa every single week since the first of December. People say you've been here so long you're going to have to start paying taxes."
Presidential Campaigns Spending Large Sums on Political Pros
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902684.html
On the campaign trail, presidential candidates frequently decry reliance on consultants, but a survey of their financial reports shows business continues to boom for political professionals. In the first three months of 2007, the leading White House contenders spent millions of dollars on pollsters, media consultants and advisers in early primary and caucus states as they lay the groundwork for the campaign ahead.
Democrats Grab Money Advantage in 2007's First Quarter
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902814.html
For the first time since the passage of campaign finance reform in 2002, national Democrats have outpaced their Republican rivals in the race for campaign cash in the first three months of an election cycle. Democrats collected $47.7 million through the Democratic National Committee as well as their House and Senate campaign arms, while the Republicans' three committees brought in $47.4 million, figures provided yesterday by the organizations show.
House Approves A Full D.C. Seat
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902849.html
A bill giving the District its first full seat in Congress cleared the House yesterday, marking the city's biggest legislative victory in its quest for voting rights in nearly three decades. Democrats on the House floor burst into applause, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) grabbed the arms of the District's nonvoting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, as the 241 to 177 vote was announced. "There was nothing but joy in the chamber this afternoon, because we knew we had given this bill the kind of send-off that can get it through the Senate," Norton (D) said later.
RELATED: House OKs bill to add voting seat for D.C.
RELATED: House Votes to Give the Capital a Full Voice in Congress
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/washington/20vote.html?ref=washington
Effective and Ethical Government
Rove's name pops up in Dems' questions
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-19-rove-questions_N.htm
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sat alone at the witness table Thursday, but another prominent official hovered over his Senate committee hearing: Karl Rove. The name of President Bush's longtime political guru surfaced repeatedly from Senate Democrats seeking to tie him to the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, devoted his first question to Rove, citing testimony that Rove passed along complaints about prosecutors who "were not being aggressive enough against so-called voter fraud."
Congressman Quits Panel After Raid
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902558.html
Less than a week after the FBI raided the Northern Virginia home of his wife, Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.) gave up his coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee yesterday amid concerns that he had used that post to advance the interests of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and other allies. "I understand how the most recent circumstances may lead some to question my tenure on the Appropriations Committee," the conservative nine-term congressman wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "Therefore, I feel it may be in the best interest of the House that I take a temporary leave with seniority from this Committee until this matter can be resolved." Boehner accepted the decision, saying in a statement that it "is in the best interest of the House and the American people."
RELATED: California Rep. Doolittle leaves House appropriations seat
Allowed to Break Ranks This Year, Some in GOP Vote Like Democrats
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902739.html
When his party controlled Congress, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) was a mannered backbencher, seemingly in no rush to fill the shoes of one of his predecessors in a suburban Atlanta district, the firebrand Newt Gingrich. But in the minority, the bookish physician has transformed himself into a Republican guerrilla warrior, a near-constant presence on the House floor, gumming up the works with parliamentary objections, verbal volleys and partisan maneuvering. On the flip side, Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) built his reputation as an uncompromising social conservative over 12 years of GOP rule. But since Democrats took control in November, he has been more with them than against, voting with the majority more often than any other Republican.
Civil Liberties and Equality
Justice Dept. Given 2 Weeks to Weigh Use of Classified Data in Espionage Case
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902295.html
The Justice Department yesterday was given until May 2 to determine how it wants to proceed in the controversial prosecution of two former pro-Israel lobbyists charged with violating the 1917 Espionage Act after the federal judge in the case turned down prosecutors' attempt to close from public scrutiny a substantial portion of the trial in order to protect classified information. Faced with the decision made Monday by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III and delivered in written form yesterday, the prosecutors want time to determine whether they will appeal, suggest another way to handle classified material or drop the case altogether.
Foreign Policy
Leahy puts Colombia aid on hold
A U.S. senator has frozen $55.2 million in military aid to Colombia while he discusses with the State Department accusations that Colombia's army chief colluded with illegal paramilitary groups. The move by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) came as some members of his party push for a tougher line on Colombia, which has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid to fight left-wing rebels and the illicit drug trade. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is under scrutiny as he fends off a scandal linking several of his lawmaker allies to the militias, which are accused of drug trafficking and massacres during their war with the left-wing guerrillas. Leahy is chairman of the subcommittee that oversees aid to Colombia. Leahy spokesman David Carle said the senator wanted to discuss his concerns, including those stemming from a Times report last month citing CIA documents that say Colombian army commander Gen. Mario Montoya worked with the militias.
Gates Warns Iraq Leaders That 'Clock Is Ticking' on U.S. Presence
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902312.html
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Baghdad on Thursday to convey a blunt message to Iraq's leadership three months after the United States began an increase of more than 28,000 troops in the country. "The clock is ticking," he said. Gates said he will urge Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other leaders in meetings Friday to act more quickly and boldly to achieve reconciliation between the majority Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political factions -- warning that U.S. troops will not remain in the country indefinitely.
RELATED: Army General Says Security in Baghdad Has Lost Traction
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041900520.html
U.S. walls off Baghdad neighborhood
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-20-baghdad-wall_N.htm
U.S. soldiers are building a three-mile wall to protect a Sunni Arab enclave surrounded by Shiite neighborhoods in a Baghdad area "trapped in a spiral of sectarian violence and retaliation," the military said. When the wall is finished, the minority Sunni community of Azamiyah, located on the eastern side of the Tigris River, will be completely gated, and traffic control points manned by Iraqi soldiers will provide the only means to enter it, the military said. "Shiites are coming in and hitting Sunnis, and Sunnis are retaliating across the street," said Capt. Scott McLearn, of the U.S. 407th Brigade Support Battalion, which began the project April 10 and is working "almost nightly until the wall is complete," the statement said.
RELATED: In Baghdad, U.S. troops build wall to curb violence
Iraqis turn to tattoos as indelible IDs
With violent deaths all around them, some Shiites opt for distinctive marks so loved ones could identify them.
Amnesty International Says Iraq’s Use of Death Penalty on the Rise
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iraq-amnesty.html
Iraq's use of the death penalty has risen rapidly since it was reinstated in mid-2004 and it now ranks as the country with the fourth-highest rate of executions in the world, Amnesty International said on Friday.
Gates Assures Israel on Plan to Sell Arms to Saudis
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/world/middleeast/20gates.html
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he had reassured Israel that a planned major American arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries would not threaten Israel’s military superiority and was necessary to counter a threat from Iran. Speaking to reporters here after talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other top officials on his visit to the Middle East, Mr. Gates said that he had emphasized that Iran posed a greater threat to Israel than did the Arab countries that were to receive the sophisticated weaponry.
Iran says no info on missing American
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-04-19-iran-missing_N.htm
The Iranian government has told the United States that it has no information about a former FBI agent who has been missing in Iran for more than a month, the State Department said Thursday. In a brief message passed through Swiss intermediaries, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it had no record of Robert Levinson, who was last seen on the Iranian island of Kish in early March, spokesman Sean McCormack said. "They said that they didn't have any information regarding the individual that we described" in three formal requests about Levinson's status, he told reporters.
Two dozen suspected Taliban fighters die in ambush of troops
U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces clashed with Taliban fighters who ambushed them in southern Afghanistan, killing 24 suspected militants, the coalition said. The battle in Helmand province's volatile Sangin district included an airstrike, officials said in a statement. Two coalition troops suffered minor injuries, they said. North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Afghan troops launched an offensive last month to flush out Taliban militants from the province's northern tip.
Fate of the missing shakes Pakistan
One man vanished the morning of his wedding day. Another disappeared on his way to a bus stop. Others also went missing: a poet, a mechanical engineer, a computer programmer, a homemaker. More than 400 Pakistanis have disappeared since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., allegedly picked up by the government and accused of being Islamic militants, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says. None has been charged with a crime. Few have called or written their families.
Administration Moves to Expedite Indian Nuclear Talks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902311.html
U.S. officials, frustrated by the slow pace of negotiating final agreements with India on President Bush's deal to give it access to civil nuclear technology, have informed the Indian government that they want a major push next month to complete negotiations before the deal unravels from bureaucratic inertia and increased congressional anxiety of India's dealings with Iran. Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon will visit Washington on May 1 for a couple of days of negotiations. Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns will visit India later in the month to try to wrap up the agreement.
Riot police disperse foes of [Kyrgyz] president
Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades Thursday to disperse thousands of opposition protesters who had marched to the president's office in the capital to demand his resignation. Many of the nearly 7,000 demonstrators chanted "Bakiyev go!" referring to President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. It was the ninth day of anti-government demonstrations in the Central Asian nation.
North Korea to invite U.N. inspectors
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-04-20-north-korea-inspections_N.htm
North Korea restated its commitment to a landmark nuclear disarmament deal Friday, saying it would invite U.N. atomic inspectors and discuss shutting down its bomb-making atomic reactor as soon as it confirmed the release of its funds frozen in a banking dispute. The statement appeared aimed at quelling concern that the unpredictable regime — which has a track record of reaching agreements and then scrapping them — may be dragging its feet after missing an April 14 deadline to shut down the reactor. The North's atomic agency chief, Ri Je Son, sent a message to the International Atomic Energy Agency to say that the country remained committed to the Feb. 13 agreement that set the deadline, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
Somali deaths mount, president downplays clashes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000145.html
Sporadic shelling and gunfire shook Mogadishu on Friday, but Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf downplayed this week's violence which residents say has killed at least 30 people and wounded scores more. Bloodied patients screamed and doctors struggled to tend to the wounded crammed into Mogadishu's Madina Hospital after four days of clashes between troops and insurgents. Troops blocked off roads to military bases after a suicide attacker blew himself up on Thursday at a former prison now used by the interim Somali government's Ethiopian military allies.
As Vote for New President Nears, Democracy Disappoints Nigerians
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902912.html
This was Tanko Bala's life before the arrival of democracy: He had a steady job at a factory, a predictable supply of electricity in his home and a few of life's indulgences. Milk with his morning tea. Movies in the evenings. This is his life now: The factory has closed. The electricity has all but disappeared. The television has been sold along with the VCR. And the elections that arrive every four years are, in Bala's view, so thoroughly rigged that Nigeria's government seems no more a reflection of popular will than it did during the days of military rule. He expects little more from Saturday's presidential election.
RELATED: Soldiers intercept rigged ballots in Nigeria
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000270.html
E.U. Ministers Agree on Rules Against Hate Crimes, Racism
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902518.html
European Union officials agreed Thursday to new regulations for combating hate crimes and racism at a time when xenophobia and concern over immigration have been increasing across the 27-country bloc. "It is an important political signal for the E.U.," said German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries, who with justice and interior ministers from throughout the European Union reached agreement in Luxembourg after a six-year effort.
RELATED: EU agrees it should be a crime to deny the Holocaust
Candidates make their last appeals to French voters
The four leading candidates for the French presidency held their last big campaign rallies yesterday as the most hotly contested election in decades drew to a close. The first round of elections will be held Sunday.
Bumps ahead for a toll-road push in Mexico
Many citizens, wary of past bailouts and present potholes, look askance at Calderon's steps toward privatization.
Immigration
Militant, 79, Is Released By U.S. to House Arrest
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041903020.html
Anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles, an ex-CIA operative suspected in a decades-old Cuban airliner bombing, was released from U.S. custody Thursday and flew to Miami as he awaits trial on immigration fraud charges. Posada, 79, was released from a New Mexico jail after posting bond and went to his wife's house in Miami. He was required to post a $250,000 bond and his wife, daughter and son were required to post a $100,000 bond to secure his release. A frail Posada was accompanied on the flight by U.S. marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. His daughter and lawyer helped him walk up to the second-floor apartment.
RELATED: U.S. criticized as Cuban exile is freed
RELATED: U.S. Releases Cuban Bombing Suspect
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/world/americas/20posada.html?ref=world
Reproductive Choice
New abortion bills expected
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/20/new_abortion_bills_expected/
Both sides of the abortion debate expect a new push for legislation as state lawmakers around the country digest the implications of the Supreme Court decision Wednesday upholding a federal ban on a type of abortion. The ruling is expected to revive the push for more limits for women who want to end pregnancies. But such legislation could face headwinds in states where voters in the last election sent large numbers of new Democrats — many of them abortion-rights advocates — into office for the first time. Seventeen state houses or senates shifted position on abortion following the November election — 15 toward more abortion rights and two toward greater restrictions — according to an analysis by NARAL Pro-Choice America. The group said six new governors supporting abortion rights were elected, compared with one who had voiced strong antiabortion views.
Pill That Eliminates the Period Gets Mixed Reviews
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/health/20period.html?ref=business
For many women, a birth control pill that eliminates monthly menstruation might seem a welcome milestone. But others view their periods as fundamental symbols of fertility and health, researchers have found. Rather than loathing their periods, women evidently carry on complex love-hate relationships with them. This ambivalence is one reason that a decision expected next month by the Food and Drug Administration has engendered controversy. The agency is expected to approve the first contraceptive pill that is designed to eliminate periods as long as a woman takes it. Doctors say they know of no extra risk to the new regimen, but some women are uneasy about the idea.
Marriage and Family Issues
Governor backs same-sex unions
Gov. John Lynch said Thursday he will sign legislation establishing civil unions for gay couples in New Hampshire. "I believe it is a matter of conscience, fairness and preventing discrimination," Lynch said.
RELATED: Civil unions advance in N.H.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/20/civil_unions_advance_in_nh/
Some say civil unions dropping off
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-19-civil-unions_N.htm
Fewer gay couples are choosing to enter civil unions or register as domestic partners, says Carisa Cunningham of Boston's Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. "People are waiting for marriage," she says, noting the advent of gay marriage in Massachusetts has boosted expectations. "Marriage is a universal language and civil union is not."
Health Care and Public Safety
Baby Boomers Appear to Be Less Healthy Than Parents
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902458.html
As the first wave of baby boomers edges toward retirement, a growing body of evidence suggests that they may be the first generation to enter their golden years in worse health than their parents. While not definitive, the data sketch a startlingly different picture than the popular image of health-obsessed workout fanatics who know their antioxidants from their trans fats and look 10 years younger than their age. Boomers are healthier in some important ways -- they are much less likely to smoke, for example -- but large surveys are consistently finding that they tend to describe themselves as less hale and hearty than their forebears did at the same age. They are more likely to report difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from a chair and doing other routine activities, as well as more chronic problems such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes.
Pet food chemical may be intentional
Chinese manufacturers may have intentionally added a chemical linked to pet deaths and illnesses into a protein-powder ingredient in pet foods, federal government regulators said Thursday. Stephen Sundlof, chief veterinarian for the Food and Drug Administration, said melamine, which has turned up in more than 100 brands of cat and dog food, might have been used to falsely boost the apparent nutritional content of rice protein.
RELATED: Melamine in pet food may not be accidental
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-19-pet-food-usat_N.htm
Crime and Penal Reform
Slain students to get degrees; investigative panel named
With the on-scene criminal investigation into Cho Seung Hui's deadly rampage at an end, Virginia Tech officials Thursday announced posthumous degrees will be awarded to all the slain students at commencement ceremonies next month and surviving students will choose how they want to end this tragic semester. Meanwhile, questions continued to be asked about why the university did not more aggressively confront the well-documented trail of trouble left by the 23-year-old senior before he killed 32 classmates and faculty Monday morning in the worst shooting spree in American history.
RELATED: Bush: College murders a reminder to question odd behavior
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-19-bush-virginia-tech_N.htm
Economy
Stocks and Bonds: Shares Mostly Fall on a Day of Mixed News
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/business/20stox.html
Wall Street averages closed mostly lower yesterday, as investors juggled upbeat economic data, divergent earnings reports and a pullback in Chinese stocks. Shares fell at the opening, then began to pare losses after the Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators reversed two months of declines and increased slightly in March, signaling modest growth in coming months. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 4.79 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 12,808.63, the second day it reached a closing high.
Wolfowitz Backed Friend for Iraq Contract in ’03
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/washington/20wolfowitz.html?ref=world
Paul D. Wolfowitz, while serving as deputy secretary of defense, personally recommended that his companion, Shaha Ali Riza, be awarded a contract for travel to Iraq in 2003 to advise on setting up a new government, says a previously undisclosed inquiry by the Pentagon’s inspector general. The inquiry, as described by a senior Pentagon official, concluded that there was no wrongdoing in Mr. Wolfowitz’s role in the hiring of Ms. Riza by the Science Applications International Corporation, a Pentagon contractor, because Ms. Riza had the expertise required to advise on the role of women in Islamic countries.
AFL-CIO Goes After 6 Verizon Directors
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902367.html
The AFL-CIO has launched a campaign to unseat six members of Verizon Communications' compensation committee, saying they rewarded chief executive Ivan G. Seidenberg with generous pay even as the company's stock languished. The push to organize a "no" vote at Verizon's annual meeting May 3 is among the first efforts by activist shareholders to unseat board members this year, and corporate governance experts say it is a test case for how much influence shareholders could wield in determining the composition of boards of directors at public companies.
AMD shows quarterly loss amid Intel price war
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2007-04-19-amd_N.htm
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) reported a greater-than-expected loss in the first quarter as the chipmaker continued to struggle amid a fierce price competition with larger rival Intel (INTC). AMD said Thursday it lost $611 million, or $1.11 a share, in the first three months of the year. That compares with a profit of $185 million, or 38 cents a share in the same quarter a year ago. AMD reported $1.23 billion in sales, a 7% decline from the $1.33 billion it rang up last year.
R.I.M. Offers a Reason for BlackBerry Failure
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/technology/20blackberry.html?ref=business
The installation of an insufficiently tested piece of software set off a chain reaction that eventually cut off BlackBerry service to more than five million users in North America users, the devices’ maker said late Thursday.
Financial questions tower over Spire's political win
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070419spire,1,4563307.story?coll=chi-news-hed
The political hurdles facing the developer of a proposed tower in Chicago that would be North America's tallest structure don't seem nearly as daunting as the financial ones. The Chicago Spire took another step toward becoming a 2,000-foot-high reality Thursday when the Chicago Plan Commission recommended that its current design by famed architect Santiago Calatrava be approved by the city zoning committee. But given Garrett Kelleher's reticence to reveal project cost or unit prices and the fact that he has yet to start marketing or secure the necessary loans, questions abound about the financial feasibility of a project that could cost more than $2 billion.
Housing and Homelessness
'Upside Down' Home Sellers Owe More Than They Get
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902924.html
"Five months later, I lose $100,000," Taylor, a high school teacher, said. "I don't think I can take $100,000 into the stock market and lose it faster." Such a scenario, known as a short sale, was unthinkable during the real estate boom of recent years. In the course of five months, a person could buy and sell a property and walk away with tens of thousands of dollars. Now, instead of receiving large checks at the settlement table, many sellers are writing them.
Mortgage rates drop for first time in 6 weeks
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/housing/2007-04-19-mortgage-rates_N.htm
Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down for the first time in six weeks as investors saw evidence that inflation is not getting out of hand.
Home foreclosures rise fourfold in Hub
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/04/20/home_foreclosures_rise_fourfold_in_hub/
The number of Boston residents who lost their homes in foreclosure was four times greater last year than in 2005, according to a new report, and the rate is accelerating this year.
H&R Block to sell subprime lender unit Option One
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000358.html
H&R Block Inc. (HRB.N), the largest U.S. tax preparer, agreed to sell its subprime lender Option One Mortgage Corp. to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management L.P., and said it is closing the unit's H&R Block Mortgage Corp. The cash purchase price will be the value of the tangible net assets of the business at the date of closing, less $300 million. As of January 31, the tangible net assets of Option One were $1.27 billion, the company said in a statement.
Media
NBC bashed for airing Virginia Tech killer's rants
NBC's decision to broadcast portions of Seung-hui Cho's angry rants triggered a storm of condemnation Thursday from viewers and victims' relatives, illuminating the treacherous middle ground between exposure and exploitation in a fast-moving news cycle. A day after receiving a package containing the Virginia Tech gunman's profanity-laced writings and videos, mailed shortly before his second round of shootings, NBC drastically curtailed its use of the images, as did most of its television brethren. But the rapid dissemination of the materials and subsequent backlash triggered a debate about where the line gets drawn — what constitutes news, and what goes too far. Though media ethicists generally approved of NBC's handling of the tapes, Tony Burman, editor in chief of Canada's CBC News, called NBC's airing of the footage a "mistake," warning it could lead to copycat massacres.
Abbas says British journalist is alive
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-04-19-kidnapped-journalist_N.htm
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that his intelligence services have confirmed that a British journalist kidnapped in Gaza is alive and he knows which group is holding him. Alan Johnston, 44, a BBC correspondent, was abducted by gunmen on March 12 and has not been seen or heard from since then. "Yes, I believe he is still alive," Abbas told reporters in Stockholm. "Our intelligence services have confirmed to me that he's alive." Abbas said he knew which group was holding Johnston, but would not say whether any contact had been established with the captors.
Education
Across country, copycat threats rattle schools
A flurry of threatening messages shut down colleges and high schools across the country Thursday as school administrators and law enforcement officials grappled with a string of copycat threats believed to be linked to the Virginia Tech massacre and Friday's 8th anniversary of the Columbine High School killings. A posted threat on the Internet prompted a community college in Kalamazoo, Mich., to close until next week. All public schools in the 12,000-student district in Yuba City, Calif., and neighboring Marysville locked their doors while authorities searched for a man they said had threatened a massacre.
Testimony alleges mismanagement of federal reading program
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-19-reading-first_N.htm
Federal advisors mismanaged President Bush's $1 billion-a-year reading program and profited from close ties to the Bush administration, according to testimony released Thursday — in one case repeatedly rejecting one state's funding proposal until state officials dumped a successful reading test and bought one written by a top Bush advisor. In the first of two expected hearings, scheduled for Friday, House lawmakers will probe alleged mismanagement of Bush's $1 billion-a-year Reading First program. The U.S. Education Department's inspector general found that early implementation of the program — a key part of Bush's 2002 No Child Left Behind education reform — was plagued with conflicts of interest on the part of top advisors, several of whom are authors of reading textbooks or tests; they also advised states on what materials to buy.
N.Y. College Official Got Job at Sallie Mae
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902737.html
The former director of financial aid at New York's Pace University persuaded the school to award major contracts to student loan giant Sallie Mae while she successfully lobbied the company to hire her, the New York attorney general's office said yesterday. The official, Desiree Cilmi, was negotiating for a job with the Reston lender in 2004 as she urged the university to sell graduate student loans to Sallie Mae and hire the company to operate a call center, aides to Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said. The lender got both contracts and Cilmi left soon after to work at Sallie Mae.
Military
Marine Officer Receives Immunity in Haditha Killings Case
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902862.html
The only Marine officer at the scene of the attacks on residential homes in Haditha, Iraq, that left nearly two dozen civilians dead in 2005, has received immunity in the case. The move precludes Marine officials from charging him with a crime and paves the way for his eyewitness testimony in trials related to the slayings and alleged coverup. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, who oversees the Haditha cases, approved immunity for Lt. William T. Kallop on April 3, part of an agreement that includes an order for him to "cooperate and truthfully answer all questions" posed by investigators and lawyers in the case, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Kallop became the second central player in the shootings to be granted immunity, and he is expected to testify in hearings for seven Marines and officers charged in connection to the shootings.
Killings of Afghan Civilians Recall Haditha
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/world/asia/20abuse.html?ref=world
After it became clear last year that several marines had killed 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, following an attack on their convoy of Humvees, the Marine Corps, which had initially played down the massacre, began an offensive of a different kind. Last May, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, went to Iraq to express deep concern to his marines and to reinforce what he called the “core values” that required them to respond to danger with thoughtful precision. But almost a year later, marines killed at least 10 civilians in Afghanistan in an episode that bore some striking similarities to the Haditha killings and suggested that the lesson had not taken, even in a platoon of combat veterans wearing the badge of the elite new Marine Corps Special Operations forces.
Staffing at Vet Centers lagging
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-19-vet-centers_N.htm
The number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans visiting Department of Veterans Affairs walk-in clinics has more than doubled since 2004, while the clinics' staff has increased by less than 10%, agency records show. The clinics, known as Vet Centers, are meant to make it easier for combat veterans to receive help. Last year, 21,681 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans visited the centers, up from 8,965 in 2004. The number of clinic staff members rose from 992 to 1,063 during the same period, according to the VA records. A VA survey of clinic team leaders that the agency provided to USA TODAY Thursday shows that 114 of the 209 Vet Centers need at least one extra psychologist or therapist to help with the influx of veterans. The VA is only slated to add 61 new staff.
Army Contracting Criticized
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902637.html
A Senate panel chastised the Army yesterday for not moving faster to award a new contract to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, even as the current contractor continued to receive critical reports from auditors, including allegations of overcharging. The Army has said it would end the current contract with KBR early and award a new contract this summer that would divide the work among three competitors. But Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked during a hearing yesterday: "Why didn't you do it in 2004 when we first brought this to you?"
A Warming Trend for Putting Wood Waste to Work as Fuel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902519.html
The most recognized biofuel now is ethanol, a gasoline substitute brewed from corn and other grains, which promoters say will significantly reduce the greenhouse gases pumped into the air from petroleum-based fuel. But when the energy required to grow corn is counted, the advantage of ethanol is marginal, and using a food source to power cars remains troubling to some. Researchers are looking at other methods to convert cellulose such as grass or weeds or discarded lumber into fuels. Some have focused on using enzymes for that conversion, others on chemical or mechanical treatments. "I don't think there's going to be a silver bullet," said Gregory Kats, managing director of Capital E, an energy consulting firm in Washington. "I think it's clear there is a lot of opportunity. There is going to be a lot of innovation, and this is a case where letting a thousand flowers bloom is a good idea." The plant rising in Guelph, 40 miles west of Toronto, is being built by one of at least three Canadian companies using variations of pyrolysis, an update of a technique used for years to produce charcoal. The wood debris is cleaned and ground into sawdust, then injected into a heated, airless chamber with nitrogen. In a flash, the sawdust vaporizes into three forms: oil that is drawn off and sold, gases that are re-burned, and char that can be mixed with the oil or used as a fertilizer.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Traffic Deaths a Global Scourge, Health Agency Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902409.html
Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24 around the world -- a huge, overlooked and largely preventable public health problem, the World Health Organization said yesterday. In a new report, the organization promoted a long list of suggestions to developing countries, where most of the deaths and disabling injuries occur. The improvements include safer roads and vehicles, better urban planning, helmet laws, prosecution of speeders and drunken drivers, better education of the driving and walking public, and simple interventions such as putting reflective tape on backpacks.
Growing Number of Americans See Warming as Leading Threat
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902527.html
A third of Americans say global warming ranks as the world's single largest environmental problem, double the number who gave it top ranking last year, a nationwide poll shows. In the new poll, conducted jointly by The Washington Post, ABC News and Stanford University, most of those surveyed said that climate change is real and that they want the federal government to do more about it. But the survey also shows there is little public agreement about the policies the United States should adopt to address it.
Editor’s note: the New York Times has converted to a subscription-based editorial section. We are no longer clipping their op-ed columnists.
Froomkin: Bush Challenged on Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/04/19/BL2007041901053.html
Something we're not allowed to see in public happened yesterday in the White House's Cabinet Room: President Bush was challenged and got angry. There were no pyrotechnics, but according to multiple reports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared Iraq to Vietnam at one point in a closed door meeting with Bush. Specifically, Reid suggested that Bush was pursuing a lost cause at the cost of American troops in order to protect his legacy. Bush's reaction: He was "visibly angered" says the New York Times; he "bristled" according to the Associated Press. And he "denied this forcefully, after which Mr. Reid touched his arm in a gesture of friendliness," write the Wall Street Journal. Could this have been the first time Bush has come face to face with someone willing to confront him so bluntly on the signature issue of his presidency?
Milbank: Maybe Gonzales Won't Recall His Painful Day on the Hill
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902571.html
Alberto Gonzales's tenure as attorney general was pronounced dead at 3:02 p.m. yesterday by Tom Coburn, M.D. The good doctor, who also happens to be a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made this clinical judgment after watching Gonzales suffer through four hours of painful testimony. The Oklahoman listed the cause of death as management failure and other complications of the Justice Department's firing of eight federal prosecutors. "It was handled incompetently. The communication was atrocious," Coburn told the beleaguered attorney general. "You ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered, and I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation." The hearing was billed as Gonzales's chance to explain the contradictions, omissions and falsehoods in his response to the firings. But instead of contrition, the attorney general treated the committee to a mixture of arrogance, combativeness and amnesia.
RELATED: Grilling Gonzales
RELATED: No support for either Gonzales
RELATED: Gonzales v. Gonzales
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/opinion/20fri1.html
A terrorist walks
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-posada20apr20,0,3745933.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
WITH A MISGUIDED decision upholding bail for Cuban-born terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has done more than free a frail old man facing unremarkable immigration charges. It has exposed Washington to legitimate charges of hypocrisy in the war on terror. By allowing Posada to go free before his May 11 trial, the court has released a known flight risk who previously escaped from a Venezuelan prison, a man who has boasted of helping set off deadly bombs in Havana hotels 10 years ago and the alleged mastermind of a 1976 bombing of a Cuban airplane that killed 73 people. Posada's employees confessed to the attack, and declassified FBI and CIA documents have shown that he attended planning sessions. In other words, Posada is the Zacarias Moussaoui of Havana and Caracas. Moussaoui is serving a life sentence without parole in a federal prison in Colorado for conspiracy in the 9/11 attacks; Posada is free to live in Miami.
Goodman: Trumping women's rights
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/04/20/trumping_womens_rights/
MAY I remind you what else was happening on the very day in 2003 when Congress passed the partial-birth abortion ban? In Florida, the Legislature passed a law that gave politicians the power to override Terri Schiavo's wishes and have her feeding tube reinserted.
Warming and Global Security
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/opinion/20fri2.html
People who give short shrift to environmental matters pay attention when national security becomes part of the conversation. So the debate over global warming took a useful turn this week as diplomats and retired military officers drew persuasive connections between climate change and the very real potential for regional upheavals. On Monday, 11 retired admirals and generals released a detailed 68-page report arguing that climate change could be a “threat multiplier” in already fragile parts of the world. Rising sea levels could threaten the livelihoods of more than one billion people living within 45 miles of Asia’s coastlines. In Africa, recurring heat waves could cause widespread shortages of food and water, leading to large-scale migrations and escalating tensions.
Closer to Justice for D.C.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902346.html
THE HOUSE of Representatives voted yesterday to give the people of Washington, D.C., a voting representative in Congress. It's a significant victory in the District's fight for voting rights, and the day was, as many said, truly historic. We think, though, that a better way to describe the action by 241 members of Congress is righteous.
Chartrand: Premeditated and Preventable
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902541.html
"The most frequent motive was revenge," the Secret Service concluded in a 2002 study of 37 school shootings. As part of the Safe Schools Initiative it undertook with the Education Department after the 1999 Columbine killings, agents reviewed cases and interviewed 10 school shooters. They found that school assassins send clear warnings and that "[i]nformation about these attackers' intent and planning was potentially knowable before the incident." None of this suggests that assassins deserve public sympathy or that all mentally ill people are dangerous. But many such tragedies are preventable -- assuming people take steps to prevent them. A good place to start is where young people spend most of their time: school.
RELATED: Dionne: Gun Law Pragmatism
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902548.html
RELATED: Robinson: Lost on Campus
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902552.html
RELATED: Guns for the Asking
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902351.html
RELATED: Something wrong, nothing done
Hong: Koreans Aren't to Blame
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902942.html
The actions of Cho Seung Hui are no more the fault of Korean Americans than the actions of the Washington area snipers were the fault of African Americans.
Brooks: We're not all victims
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks20apr20,0,1503941.column?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
Not everyone was connected to Virginia Tech, but you wouldn't know it by watching Americans.
Hanson: Race-baiters, heed the goddess' wrath
This month, Don Imus was fired, all charges against the Duke University lacrosse players were dropped and almost everyone has offered a sermon about the racial and class issues involved in both cases. But we need look only to the ancient Greeks for the best insight. The Greeks believed that insolence naturally leads to bullying, or hubris. This arrogance induces a mad behavior called hate. Finally, that recklessness earns well-earned destruction unleashed by the goddess Nemesis.
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