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TOP STORIES

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National

'Gated Communities' For the War-Ravaged
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201419.html
The U.S. military is walling off at least 10 of Baghdad's most violent neighborhoods and using biometric technology to track some of their residents, creating what officers call "gated communities" in an attempt to carve out oases of safety in this war-ravaged city. The plan drew widespread condemnation in Iraq this past week. On Sunday night, Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki told news services that he would work to halt construction of a wall around the Sunni district of Adhamiyah, which residents said would aggravate sectarian tensions by segregating them from Shiite neighbors. The U.S. military says the walls are meant to protect people, not further divide them in a city that is increasingly a patchwork of sectarian enclaves. The military sees a simple virtue in the barriers.
RELATED: 70 Iraqis killed; Maliki halts barrier
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-22-iraq_N.htm

More Iraq war news in NATIONAL/ELECTION, NATIONAL/GOVERNMENT, NATIONAL/FOREIGN POLICY, NATIONAL/MILITARY, COLORADO/CIVIL LIBERTIES, COLORADO/MILITARY

Specter Says Gonzales Is Hurting Justice Department
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201133.html
Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales is hurting the Justice Department and the Bush administration by not resigning. Gonzales testified before the committee last week, addressing questions about whether the Justice Department dismissed federal prosecutors for partisan purposes. Specter did not call directly for the attorney general to step down, but said Gonzales's testimony "was very, very damaging to his own credibility. It has been damaging to the administration." Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the Judiciary Committee chairman, upped the stakes on the White House by saying on CBS that it is not enough for Gonzales to resign; he must be replaced by someone more independent.
RELATED: Bush Rebuffs GOP Pressure For Gonzales to Step Down
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002020.html
RELATED: Gonzales testimony damaged White House, Specter says
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704220308apr23,1,4608164.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
RELATED: Gonzales seeks GOP support
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-20-gonzales-prosecutors_N.htm

Electric deregulation fails to live up to promises as bills soar
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-04-21-electricity_N.htm
This wasn't supposed to happen with deregulation. Electric bills were supposed to go down. Instead, Ellie Dorchincez can almost see the dollars evaporating every time she turns on the lights or opens the freezer at her small Farm Fresh grocery store. Her electric bill, which used to be about $800 a month, has jumped to $1,800. She's shut down a large freezer of frozen treats and now closes the store an hour early to cut costs but fears she still may have to raise prices and lay off some workers. "I'm just trying to figure any way that I can right now to keep my business afloat," Dorchincez said. "My life is at stake here." The cause of her distress is a common problem: the failure of deregulation to deliver its promise of lower electricity prices. In many states, it's had the opposite effect with sharply higher rates — 72% in Maryland, up to 50% in Illinois. Not one of the 16 states — plus the District of Columbia — that have pushed forward with deregulation since the late 1990s can call it a success. In fact, consumers in those states fared worse than residents in states that stuck with a policy of regulating their power industries.

More energy policy news in NATIONAL/ENERGY, NATIONAL/ENVIRONMENT, COLORADO/TOP STORIES, COLORADO/ENERGY, COLORADO/ENVIRONMENT

Medicaid Programs 'Severely Challenged,' Report Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042101019.html
State Medicaid programs, which provide health care to some of the nation's poor, vary wildly in their eligibility criteria, the scope and quality of their care, and the amount they reimburse physicians providing it, according to an independent assessment published last week. Overall, the programs are "severely challenged," with the best scoring the equivalent of a low D and the worst way below an F. "This evaluation demonstrates a bleak picture for millions of people in many states," wrote the authors of the 143-page evaluation, produced by Public Citizen's Health Research Group. The top five programs, in order of rank, were in Massachusetts, Nebraska, Vermont, Alaska and Wisconsin. The bottom five, with lowest-ranked last, were in South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho and Mississippi. Maryland ranked 15, the District 27, and Virginia 37.

More Medicaid news in COLORADO/HEALTH

Top

Colorado

U.S. gun culture back in spotlight
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728141
Across Denver, it was a week of painful memories and unanswered questions about America's gun culture.

More school violence news in NATIONAL/CRIME, COLORADO/CRIME, COLORADO/EDUCATION

Ex-official slams BLM's energy plans
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/23/4_23_1a_BLM_approach.html
When Ann Morgan was serving as Colorado state director of the Bureau of Land Management between 1997 and 2002, she saw firsthand, she said, how President George W. Bush’s administration immediately ordered the agency to make energy development top priority on public land when Bush took office in 2001. The change was swift and dramatic, Morgan said last week in her ninth-floor Wynkoop Street office in downtown Denver. She serves as the Wilderness Society’s vice president of public lands. Before becoming the state BLM director in Colorado, she served in the same role in Nevada for three years. She testified Tuesday before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources to send one message to a Congress scrambling to deal with the long-range effects of America’s energy boom: The Bush administration’s bias toward widespread energy extraction on our public lands is wreaking ecological havoc throughout the Rockies.

House OKs creation of ethics commission
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5496868,00.html
The House approved a plan Friday to create an ethics commission to decide what gifts to lawmakers and state employees are legal, along with a companion measure that asks the Supreme Court to rule on whether the plan is legal. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, added an amendment that would delete any portion of the new law if it is found to be unconstitutional, then voted with the House to ask the state Supreme Court for a ruling on whether the proposal is legal.
The plan itself now goes back to the Senate to consider the amendment.
RELATED: Amend. 41 endgame may be in sight
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5714924

Report bashes Ritter's school funding plan
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5496865,00.html
Legislators should alter the state's school funding requirements instead of trying to raise more money for education, the head of a free-market think tank said Friday. "They're avoiding the problem," said Jon Caldara, the director of the Golden-based Independence Institute. "It's like an alcoholic who wants to blame everything else except the booze." Budget analysts say the state education fund will be in the red by the 2011-12 school year at current spending rates. Gov. Bill Ritter proposes to cancel scheduled reductions in property tax rates to keep the fund solvent. A report released Thursday by Caldara's group calls Ritter's proposal a tax increase because businesses and homeowners would pay more than if current law is not altered. The report also takes issue with attorneys for the legislature, who have said in two opinions that Ritter's plan does not violate the tax limitation amendment passed by voters in 1992, called the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. That measure requires a referendum on all tax increases. Ritter's proposal "clearly violates the spirit of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights," the report says.
RELATED: Panel to hear education plan
http://www.gazette.com/articles/plan_21513___article.html/tax_fund.html
RELATED: School tax proposal heads to Legislature
http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070421_10.htm

COLORADO NEWS

Top

Election

Region rises as giving force
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728871
Fueled by donors in states with a high concentration of Mormons, Republican Mitt Romney has raised more money in the interior West than any other presidential candidate, an analysis of federal election records shows. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, collected nearly $4.5 million from the region in the first quarter of 2007. While Salt Lake City not surprisingly topped the list, Romney also raised a considerable amount of money in towns such as Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Mesa, Ariz. The $241,000 he collected in Idaho, which has an established and growing Mormon population, is one-fourth of the amount Idaho residents gave to all presidential candidates in the entire 2004 election cycle. "The Mormon community is a network, with tight-knit relationships, and he is tapped into that," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political-science professor at the University of Idaho. "It has a cascading effect. I think the fundraising within those communities will continue to grow as things heat up." Trailing closely behind Romney was New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who raised $3 million collectively in the region's eight states - Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. Richardson, a Democrat, raised 90 percent of the money from his home state.
RELATED: Politicians work to win with laughs
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728870
RELATED: Telluride donors show Obama the money
http://telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/04/23/news/news01.txt

Dems to pay $105,000 fine
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5714578
The Colorado Democratic Party misreported its finances in 2001-02 and accepted a prohibited $10,000 contribution, federal officials said today. The party agreed to pay a $105,000 civil fine for the violations, the Federal Election Commission said in a news release. The FEC said the party misreported its finances by a total of more than $2 million, including a combination of overstated cash on hand and understated income and payments.

House approves plan making it harder to change constitution
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/21/house-approves-plan-making-it-harder-to-change/
The House tentatively approved a plan Friday that would ask voters to make it harder to change the state constitution by popular vote. Opponents had asked for more time to make their case and to consider alternatives.
RELATED: Changing constitution may get tougher
http://www.gazette.com/articles/constitution_21436___article.html/amendment_voters.html

Rep wants 21-year-olds eligible to be lawmakers
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5499376,00.html
Rep. Michael Garcia believes if that 21-year-olds can serve in the military and pay taxes, they should be allowed to serve in the legislature and vote on those issues. Garcia, a Democrat from Aurora, has introduced a measure, House Concurrent Resolution 1002, that would ask voters to lower the age to be a state lawmaker from 25 to 21. The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee will take up the proposal today. "All adults pay taxes equally, yet we say to one group of adults they can serve in the General Assembly and to another group they can't serve and make public policy. I think that's unfair because they can join the National Guard, but they can't come down and vote on the National Guard," Garcia said.

Weld Democrats reflect on politics, numbers in county
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070423/NEWS/104220177
David Delgado's word processing class sits attentively, listening to "Mr. Delgado" explain one of the big assignments for the semester. "I want you to write a letter to someone," Delgado tells his students. "Maybe to a congressman about something you care about." Later that night, Delgado takes his own advice. By day he is a Greeley Central High School teacher, but by night he runs a political party. Delgado tells his peers at a Weld Democrats executive committee meeting about a letter he wrote to a Colorado House representative about something he cares about: elections. The letter asks State Rep. Jim Riesberg (D-Greeley) to introduce legislation that would change the way absentee ballots are reported after elections in Colorado.

Aspen mayor contest on fire
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728435
In a city where politics run as extreme as the price of purses in the Prada store, the upcoming mayoral election is proving to be no exception. Four candidates - divergent characters who would make a colorful cast on MTVs "Real World" - are tussling for a title that falls well beyond the traditional ribbon-cutting and gavel-banging duties of most municipal leaders. Aspen mayors, as former office- holders attest, hobnob with world leaders and celebrities. They turn up on CNN and at parties hosted by The Donald as well as tackling pressing problems such as undoing Aspen's worsening traffic congestion and helping struggling businesses. "You meet someone, and they are very impressed you are the mayor of Aspen," said Helen Klanderud, who will be vacating the post after three terms.
RELATED: Aspen's mayoral candidates enter the world of the online campaign
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070423/NEWS/104230054
RELATED: Ireland disputes Semrau's numbers
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070423/NEWS/104230050

Black Forest voters get their chance on Tuesday
http://www.gazette.com/articles/forest_21491___article.html/black_city.html
After months of debate, Black Forest voters on Tuesday will decide whether to form a city. Supporters say it would give residents control over how the area develops and protect its natural resources. Opponents say the city would cost too much and create an unnecessary layer of government, providing services locals already receive.

Incorporation foes are FAROUT
http://www.gazette.com/articles/incorporation_21519___article.html/town_opponents.html
Falcon incorporation opponents are mobilizing. Falcon Area Residents Operating Under Truth, or FAROUT, is urging locals to vote against forming a town with an estimated population of 2,500 to 3,200. The election is May 29. Incorporation advocates say the town would be funded by a 1.6 percent sales tax. The area has seen many retail chains spring up, including Wal-Mart. But opponents say the sales tax would affect many more people than just the town residents.

Top

Effective and Ethical Government

Senate OKs bill to take money from roads, put it toward seniors
http://www.gazette.com/articles/said_21474___article.html/money_seniors.html
A bill that would inject an extra $2 million a year into the Older Coloradans Cash Fund, including an expected $200,000 for the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging, received final Senate approval Friday. The money to pay for the increase will come from a pot of cash reserved for transportation and capital construction needs, however, costing House Bill 1100 the support of all four Republican senators in the El Paso County delegation. Sen. John Morse of Colorado Springs, the lone Democrat from the Pikes Peak region, sponsored the measure and said trading highway money for senior citizens’ help is a swap he’s willing to make. The fund for the entire state now receives only $3 million a year, and increasing it to $5 million would benefit a lot of people older than 60 in need of transportation, meals and social services, he said. “We have limited resources and very difficult choices. Am I happy that I have to choose roads or seniors? Absolutely not,” said Morse, director of Silver Key Senior Services in Colorado Springs before being elected. “But to me it comes down to: I value seniors over roads for two million a year.”

Ex-Rep. Stengel jumps into another ethics brouhaha
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5723127
The man at the center of one of last year's biggest legislative ethics scandals has landed in another - this time voluntarily. Former House Minority Leader Joe Stengel is representing ccAdvertising, a Virginia company that produced the robo-calls at the heart of a complaint against lobbyist William Mutch. Mutch, who represents the homebuilders group Colorado Concern, is accused by Democratic Reps. Alice Borodkin of Denver and Nancy Todd of Aurora of orchestrating calls to constituents that said the lawmakers were backing a bill that would raise taxes on their homes. Documents filed with the legislative ethics committee investigating the complaints indicate Mutch and Colorado Concern have complied with the panel's request for communications related to their lobbying efforts - including scripts of the telephone calls. But a letter from Stengel - now an attorney for Benson and Case - says simply: "Our client, ccAdvertising is not at liberty to provide the materials you have requested."
RELATED: Lobbyist files response to ethics complaint
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5496863,00.html

Assault count for Aurora city leader
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497439,00.html
A city councilwoman reportedly has called the whole ordeal "stupid." But the police department she oversees thought otherwise. And Friday, Arapahoe County prosecutors charged Molly Markert with third-degree assault, harassment and interference with school staff after she allegedly shoved her way into a meeting at her daughter's high school. "The evidence supports the charges," Arapahoe County Court spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said.
RELATED: Charges detailed against Markert
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_5714566

Aurora fire chief reserved tee times
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496706,00.html
Aurora Fire Chief Casey Jones scheduled and paid for 15 tee times at Aurora golf courses during a nine-month period last year, all during normal working hours, according to documents. The records obtained by CBS 4 News show that Jones reserved tee times at five Aurora golf courses between March and November 2006: Murphy Creek, Aurora Hills, Fitzsimons, Meadow Hills and Saddle Rock. He made some of the reservations for twosomes and some for foursomes. Most of the tee times were for the middle of the work day. The records do not show if Jones actually played the rounds. His personnel records indicate the chief did not use leave time, personal time or vacation time on those 15 work days.

Former assessor back on the job in Eagle County
http://postindependent.com/article/20070422/VALLEYNEWS/104220041
It didn't take long for Shannon Hurst to confirm that she's not the retiring type. "I don't want to retire. I had a few weeks, a couple of months of that and I was going crazy," said the former Garfield County assessor. Hurst, a Republican, lost to Democratic challenger John Gorman in November's election. In early March, she went to work as the supervisor of residential appraisers in the Eagle County Assessor's Office. "I'm glad to be back at work, that's for sure," Hurst said.
RELATED: Gorman is busy learning the ropes
http://postindependent.com/article/20070422/VALLEYNEWS/104220042

Fast-growing county has to take out bank loan
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070421/NEWS/104210079
Archuleta County, one of the fastest-growing areas in the state, has had to take out a $500,000 line of credit from a bank to help pay bills. The county isn't broke but is spending more than it is bringing in, said Finance Director Bob Burchett. "It's going to be tight for this year," he told the Durango Herald. "I don't want to blame anybody. It's just circumstances." The county has already imposed a temporary hiring freeze, limited travel and training, and suspended capital purchases. "It's an issue of concern, not a crisis. There is no reduction of services to the public. We are not cutting back on our services," said Bob Campbell, county administrator.

Top

Civil Liberties and Equality

Safe Day is postponed until autumn
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499542,00.html
A [Boulder] citywide Safe Day initially planned for late April has been pushed back to the fall, when organizers think they'll have a better chance of raising awareness of "bias-motivated" crimes with returning students.

Gathering at UCCS aimed at differences
http://www.gazette.com/articles/conference_21481___article.html/people_fields.html
Talking about discrimination raises some of the most sensitive issues around, such as interracial marriage, religion and illegal immigration. The payoff makes uncomfortable talks worthwhile, said Harold Fields, who has run a discussion group in Denver since 1997. “I guess I’m used to dealing with third rails and tough topics,” Fields said Saturday during a conference in Colorado Springs. The Denver group’s 35 to 50 monthly participants have built more respect for different experiences, Fields said. They’ve learned to listen to other viewpoints and become less afraid of differences among people.

Students learn first hand about the Holocaust
http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2007/04/22/local_news/2.txt
Columbine Middle School students closed their history books Friday and listened instead to a man recall his experiences of the Holocaust. Rudolph Jacobson was born in Insterbur, East Prussia, Germany on May 11, 1933, only months after Hitler gained power in Germany. “I believe this is a once in a lifetime experience due to ages of the remaining Holocaust survivors,” seventh-grade Social Studies teacher Roman Hassell said.

Utes protest flying American flag atop crane
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499841,00.html
Southern Ute Indian Tribe leaders have asked a construction company to stop flying the American flag atop a crane being used to build a casino on the reservation, the Durango Herald reported in Sunday editions. The reasons for the Tribal Council's decision in late February or early March have not been disclosed. The seven council members did not return phone calls last week seeking comment. American flags have been flying as usual elsewhere on the reservation. Tribe member Sage Remington told the Herald that the tribe is a sovereign nation whose members can request what flags are flown. Remington said a representative of Arviso-Okland Construction, the company hired to build the casino, asked the Council to be able to fly the American flag together with the tribe's flag.
RELATED: Tribe: No U.S. flag on crane
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070422_2.htm
RELATED: Vets take exception with ruling
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070422_3.htm

Rally for troops going on six years strong
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/NEWS01/704220347/1002/NEWS17
It's been six years since Harry Campbell started standing on the corner of Mulberry Street and College Avenue in all kinds of weather and circumstances to support U.S. troops. What keeps Campbell, a Vietnam Veteran and commander of the Fort Collins Veterans of Foreign Wars, coming back almost every Saturday? "Troops and their family members come by here and thank us," said Campbell. "It's appreciated by everybody." Campbell, along with about 50 other people, most with American flags, stood on the northeast corner of College Avenue and Mulberry Street on Saturday afternoon to commemorate six years of rallying support for the U.S. military. Many in the group say their motivations are not political - they just want to see soldiers come home safely.

Top

Immigration

Police officer is saving grace
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5723226
Late last summer, when the Grace Apartments on the city's eastern edge blistered into a crime "hot spot," Denver Officer Phil Epple wanted to know why. He found that the numbers didn't lie about the two white-brick structures in the East Montclair neighborhood. But they didn't begin to tell the whole story. The four-level buildings, run by nonprofit Mercy Housing, contain 53 apartments that serve 205 people from more than a dozen nations or ethnic groups - 65 percent of them political refugees from Africa. Ingrained elements of some residents' cultures - like physical force in the home - had crashed head-on into local law. "For example, hit the woman and hit the kids," says Adam Dagir, 50, a Sudanese refugee who, like many residents at the complex, can only estimate his age. "It's a custom of the people there. But police and others give us training about things that are against the law.

Top

Marriage and Family Issues

Child abuse, neglect cases on the rise in Larimer County
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230333/1002
The recent economic downturn and lack of access to mental-health and substance-abuse treatment for families struggling to make ends meet could help explain why the number of child abuse and neglect cases has been increasing. In 2006, Larimer County saw 569 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, up from 439 in 2005 and 302 in 2002, according to numbers from the Larimer County Department of Human Services.
RELATED: Paying a price: Addicted mom lets children go
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230323/1002
RELATED: Program offers a way out
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230334/1002
RELATED: [Summit] County focusing on children, abuse prevention
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070422/NEWS/104220072

Top

Health Care and Public Safety

Colorado Medicaid program one of worst in nation
http://blogs.denverpost.com/washington/2007/04/20/report-colorado-medicaid-program-one-of-worst-in-nation/
Colorado’s Medicaid program for the poor, elderly and disabled is among the worst in the nation, according to a nationwide assessment. The state-by-state comparison - conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen - looked at eligibility, the scope and quality of care, and provider reimbursement. Colorado, which ranks 43rd, is the only one in the bottom 10 whose household income isn’t well below the 2005 national median. Colorado’s median household income ranks 13th in the nation at $50,652. The 2005 national median was $46,242, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “It is less excusable for a state with higher income to short shrift those who most need health care,” said Sidney Wolfe, a co-author of the study. Wolfe said Medicaid should be standardized nationwide to eliminate differences among states.

Lawmakers offer compromise on casino-smoking ban
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/21/legislature-2007-lawmakers-offer-compromise-on/
State lawmakers are considering banning smoking in casinos starting Jan. 1 — giving casinos six more months to prepare for the change. Negotiators for the House and Senate agreed Friday on the compromise date to extend the statewide smoking ban to cover casinos. It still must be approved by the full House and Senate. The House voted earlier to include casinos in the ban starting July 1, but the Senate wanted to delay the start for another year.

Snowmobilers half of all avalanche victims
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070421/NEWS/104210075
The number of snowmobilers being killed in avalanches is rising. The Denver Post reports that from January through March, when most fatalities occur, half of the 26 avalanche deaths recorded in the United States and Canada were snowmobilers. That equals the number of skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and climbers combined.

TSA to screen DIA passengers' behavior
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499375,00.html
A Transportation Security Administration effort to screen air travelers for suspicious behavior is on track to come to Denver International Airport this year, subjecting passengers to observation and small talk from agents looking for signs of deception. The SPOT program - short for "screening passengers by observation technique" - is modeled after Israeli security measures that pick up on facial expressions, body language and other involuntary reactions that occur when people lie. TSA officials won't list which behaviors raise concerns or say how many screeners are involved, citing security concerns.

Myths of sexual assault
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?id=6761
Myth: Sexual assault is not a problem in Cañon City.

Husband of woman who killed sons, self sues Springs hospital
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497396,00.html
The husband of a woman who killed her two sons and then herself sued a Colorado Springs hospital Friday where she had been treated and released nearly two days before the tragedy. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court by Donald Rifkin, accuses the Memorial Hospital of failing to take the proper steps to protect Julie Rifkin and their sons when she was taken to the emergency room after making threats. Also named in the suit were Dr. Clinton Fouss, who treated Julie Rifkin in Memorial's emergency room, and clinical social worker Yvette Sletta, who also evaluated her. "Dr. Fouss, Ms. Sletta and Memorial Hospital knew and should have known that the lives of the minor children, Nathan Rifkin and Gabriel Rifkin, were at risk and needed to be protected," attorney James J. Murphy wrote in the lawsuit.

Bipolar a serious disease
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230336/1002
It's been more than a week since Sherri Manning's husband, Chris, took his own life in public, but she wants people to remember him for the person he was in life, not death.

Public alerted to the dangers of kids falling from windows
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499541,00.html
As the mercury rises, so do the windows. But one area fire department wants to remind parents about the dangers of open windows. North Metro Fire Rescue launched their Kids Can't Fly summer-long campaign Sunday as part of a weeklong national window safety campaign.
RELATED: Briefs: 2nd-story screen breaks 1-year-old's fall
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728908

Top

Crime and Penal Reform

Columbine parent offers suggestion on gunman
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499840,00.html
Tom Mauser, whose son was killed in the Columbine High School shootings, made a suggestion Sunday on how to minimize the attention paid to -Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 of his fellow students last Monday at Virginia Tech. Just don't name him. Don't refer to him by his name or his nationality, Mauser recommended in an opinion column published Sunday in The Washington Post. "We know we're going to be hearing his name," Mauser said Sunday in a telephone interview. "But one way of dealing with that, you just simply try not to promote him. He's the 'Virginia Tech killer.' "
RELATED: Virginia Tech victims remembered at CU
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499824,00.html
RELATED: "A sense of shame, guilt"
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5729007

Columbine dads ask for release
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497070,00.html
A father who has quarrelled with public officials since his son was killed at Columbine High School renewed his call Friday for the release of records that he believes could have prevented the shootings this week at Virginia Tech.
RELATED: Balloons, flowers and prayer for pain that 'never goes away'
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497071,00.html
RELATED: 8th anniversary brings tears, anger
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5719059

JBC aims for lower prison costs
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177335384/11
Sen. Abel Tapia and the rest of the Joint Budget Committee want to find a way to lower prison costs to the state, but still give judges the flexibility they need to keep bad people behind bars. That's why the six-member JBC plans to introduce a new measure this week to lower punishments for non-violent offenses, such as petty thefts and technical parole violations. Doing so could save the state millions of dollars a year by not having to spend more money on keeping them in prison. "We're not going to see these savings for probably years out, but they'll escalate as we go down the line," the Pueblo Democrat said. "But we're in the tens of millions of dollars in savings once we get there."

Aurora mayor lauds police as crime dips
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496861,00.html
The mayor was so exuberant Friday when the annual crime numbers came out that he colorfully described how the police force was responsible for drops in six of seven major crime categories, including murder. "They're kicking a--," Mayor Ed Tauer said.
RELATED: Murder, other major crimes drop in Aurora
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5718865

Hudson debating prison plan
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728438
Hope for this small prairie town may lie in a proposed women's prison, supporters say. But other residents say a prison could ruin the town. A 1,250-bed facility could bring in enough jobs and revenue so Hudson could pave its streets, hire its own police force and become a growing hub like its neighbors. "I sit here and watch Fort Lupton and I watch Keenesburg and even Lochbuie do well and grow and I cannot figure out why our community is anti-growth," said Ed Rossi, ex-mayor of the community of 1,500. "Somewhere along the way someone has to help this town move forward." But some say a prison doesn't mean progress. They have launched an anti-prison campaign like the successful one in Ault - another struggling Weld County town. There a private prison was touted as an antidote for a dreary economy but was attacked as a blight on the community.

Who's on probation here?
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070423/NEWS/104230051
To Daniel Ramirez, who's on probation for driving under the influence, it wouldn't be fair if his probation officer was going through the criminal legal system at the same time he is. "They are human beings and they can make a mistake," said Ramirez, 25, of Avon. "But they have to take responsibility for what they've done, just as they make me take responsibility." Apparently, that hasn't been the case in the 5th Judicial District probation department - counties of Eagle, Lake, Summit and Clear Creek.

Nucla mayor decries town's lawlessness
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/23/4_23_1A_Nucla_cop.html
It’s been a long time coming, but the town of Nucla may get a law enforcement officer to patrol its streets. Montrose County Sheriff Rick Dunlap said a draft contract was sent to the town last week to hire a deputy to work within town limits, which had seen virtually no law enforcement since the last town marshal resigned two years ago.

Pot smokers, Denver cops converge at Civic Center
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497409,00.html
In Denver, droves of pot- smoking teenagers and other revelers converged on Civic Center Park, the site of the annual ritual. At 4:20 p.m., clouds of smoke wafted over hundreds of people, including kids in strollers, crowded into the Greek Amphitheater. The rally drew high school and college students and others, mostly in their 20s. "It's a weed smoking festival," said Joe Smith, 18, who recently moved to Denver from Nevada. "I believe in the medicinal benefits of marijuana." "Everyone came together to smoke marijuana and chill," said G.K. Hoovers, 20, of Aurora. "It's been cool. There were no problems." The rally also drew about 100 Denver Police, including the SWAT team, the mounted patrol, undercover members of the vice and narcotics bureau, the gang unit and other departments, said police spokeswoman Virginia Quinones. "Even though marijuana smoking isn't illegal in Denver, it's still illegal in Colorado," she said.
RELATED: Thousands take pot protest to heart - and light up at CU
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496973,00.html
RELATED: Big turnout for 420 Smokeout
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5715537
RELATED: 4/20 draws 3,000 revelers
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/21/policing-420/
RELATED: Blaze of glory
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/22/news/c_u_and_boulder/news2.txt

Top

Economy

Guv is accused of derailing bill
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5496867,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter torpedoed a plan to sell the state lottery because it competed with his own fundraising idea, a Republican lawmaker alleged Friday. "There is no question that the lottery . . . issue is dead this year because the governor put tremendous pressure on Democrats to kill it in its infancy," said Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, co-sponsor of the lottery plan. "There was bipartisan support for this 24 hours before the measure was pulled," Penry said. "There was a reason the life was sucked out of it." Democrats shot back that Republicans were just as responsible for the bill's demise. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, recently floated the idea of selling the lottery to a private contractor, a move he says could raise millions for public schools, scholarships, open-space projects and veteran's services. Meanwhile, the United Veterans Committee of Colorado filed four ballot titles Friday asking to place the lottery question on the November ballot.
RELATED: Accusations over lottery plan
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5714724
RELATED: Colorado Lottery won't be privatized -- at least not this year
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070422/NEWS/104210160
RELATED: GOP, Dems differ on sale of lottery
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/15

42 counts gave jury room to maneuver
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5497011,00.html
Most legal and journalistic observers during Joe Nacchio's insider trading trial thought the government's case was relatively thin. I thought so too. Herb Stern and his defense team apparently believed it as well; they essentially put on no case, relying instead on making their stand with a long closing argument. In hindsight, the defense may now believe that they misanalyzed that part of the trial.
RELATED: Possible Qwest recovery of legal costs
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5728223
RELATED: Prison life could jolt Nacchio
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5719045
RELATED: Feds won't tolerate a rigged game
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5719017

Venture capital cools in state
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5499515,00.html
Venture capital activity in Colorado in the latest quarter cooled off from the comparable period of 2006 as the amount of money flowing to state companies and the number of deals dropped, a new report shows. Colorado companies attracted $106.1 million in financing in the first quarter of 2007, down 6 percent from $113.1 million a year earlier, according to the findings to be released today by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young. State companies struck eight separate venture capital transactions, down from 18 in the 2006 quarter and 12 in the 2005 period.
RELATED: Venture capital slips but still "healthy"
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5728224

Top

Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability

Union leader to fight ouster
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5496719,00.html
Colorado AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Paul Mendrick vowed to fight a decision by national labor leaders at "the mother of all unions" to force him out, a move he says "flies in the face of everything" unions stand for. In a letter e-mailed Friday to AFL-CIO officials overseeing the Colorado federation, Mendrick questioned his removal from office, saying he has yet to receive anything in writing about the matter. "To terminate employees at will, without due process and a fair hearing, is what we, true unionists fight (against) every day of our lives," Mendrick wrote in his letter. "To relieve the two elected officers in this manner is gutless and shameful." The national AFL-CIO seized control of the state AFL-CIO in late January in a move aimed largely at resolving conflicts between its top leaders. The trustees who took over concluded recently that both of the elected leaders had to go. Colorado AFL-CIO President Steve Adams, whose post has also been eliminated, had sought help from the national office in resolving internal disputes.

Whistle-blower's attorneys want high court to revisit case
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496705,00.html
Attorneys for Rocky Flats whistle-blower Jim Stone are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to admit that it was wrong. They are asking the high court to make a rare reconsideration of its March 27 decision. The court denied Stone a $1 million share in fraud damages paid to the U.S. government by a former operator of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. Stone attorney Hartley Alley, who filed the rehearing petition Friday, said the Supreme Court has not granted one for many years, and may take months to decide whether to take it up. A court spokeswoman said such petitions are filed only three or four times a year. Court rules say a majority must agree to the rehearing.
RELATED: Lawyer fees mount in legal wrangling over Flats
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496703,00.html
RELATED: Court asked to revisit Flats ruling
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5714583

Union guidelines in place: County OKs bargaining rules for employees
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/23/union-guidelines-in-place/
Boulder County employees looking to unionize now have a roadmap to get there. Last week, county commissioners passed a resolution establishing a formal process for recognizing a labor union should county employees choose to form one.

Employment numbers up across area
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_21_Unemployment.html
Powered by a mining and construction sector that continues to add jobs at a brisk pace, the jobless rate in the Grand Junction market eased to 3.4 percent in March from 3.6 percent in February, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported Friday.

Top

Housing and Homelessness

'Homeowner Protection' measure becomes law
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5496866,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter on Friday signed into law a bill that is intended to protect home buyers from shoddy construction. "At the end of the day, Gov. Ritter felt the bill struck the right balance and provided necessary protections," Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said. The measure was tucked into a package of bills signed by the governor. Under House Bill 1338, by Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, home buyers cannot be forced to sign builder warranties that strip away their legal rights to have home defects fixed. The signing of the "Homeowner Protection Act" punctuates weeks of high drama at the state Capitol that prompted a formal ethics complaint about heavy-handed lobbying tactics against the bill by home builders and business groups. "This is a good measure," Pommer said. "It restores (for) homeowners some legal rights." Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, called Ritter's support for the measure a "gift to the trial lawyers" and "a slap in the face of voters" who overwhelmingly defeated a 2004 ballot measure that would have made it easier to sue for poor home construction. Business leaders said the bill will invite a flood of lawsuits and drive up the cost of new homes.

Hundreds of homeless connect with city services at DU campus
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496927,00.html
The homeless were brought to the DU campus from shelters throughout the metro area. Once there, they were assigned to a DU volunteer, who assisted them in finding the help they were looking for. A special session of the Denver Homeless Court was held in the field house, and people with citations for petty offenses could sign up to have their cases heard. Many homeless people have been cited for infractions such as sleeping on the sidewalk; they often miss court dates and wind up with warrants out for their arrest. By clearing up their legal situation at Homeless Court, they can more easily find an apartment or apply for a job. More than two dozen people had their cases heard Friday.

New tools put in hands of public officials
http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2007/04/22/local_news/3.txt
Public officials put down their pens and picked up a hammer for a good cause on Saturday. “It’s varied groups of people with different experience. It’s a good representation of the community,” Montrose Fire Protection District board member Jim Haugsness said. More than 40 people showed up for the Habitat for Humanity of Montrose County build day. Habitat Builds Colorado Day, organized by Habitat for Humanity of Colorado, is a statewide project to bring awareness and be a part of a solution for the affordable housing crisis.

Understanding sprawl
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5718956
Far from being evil conspirators, developers are more like visionary dreamers satisfying a public need, according to architecture critic Witold Rybczynski's account of how a cornfield became a town.

Some question Bair Chase rezoning
http://postindependent.com/article/20070423/VALLEYNEWS/104230018
Some people are questioning the Garfield County commissioners' decision to rezone the controversial Bair Chase ranch for high density housing. But county planner Fred Jarman defended the move, saying it makes the land conform to the county's comprehensive land use plan. Last week the commissioners terminated the planned unit development and imposed new zoning, which opens the door to a new development plan.

Top

Media

'The Rock' keeps rolling along
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499555,00.html
Backpacks litter the floor, a table is loaded with cameras and a half-eaten salad, and about a dozen teenagers sit focused in front of computers. It's Wednesday afternoon and the staff of The Rock is getting ready to put out its eighth newspaper of the year. Deadline is still hours away. By midnight, though, the only thing thicker than the tension will be the layers upon layers of food. "Those center tables will be like a giant buffet," said The Rock's adviser, Jack Kennedy, 57. "Kids are actually reluctant to go home."

Top

Education

Higher ed to get $52 million boost
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/21/higher-ed-to-get-52-million-boost/
Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to approve a nearly 8 percent, or $52 million, increase in next year's general fund for the state's universities and colleges. Lawmakers have approved budget legislation that doles out money for all the state's agencies, but it still needs to be signed by Ritter. Evan Dreyer, the governor's spokesman, said Ritter is poised to approve the higher-education increase next week. The governor has the authority to veto sections and footnotes of the lengthy bill.

Admissions squeeze not so tight in Colorado
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5499820,00.html
Colorado's most selective schools aren't part of the admissions squeeze at the nation's most prestigious colleges.
The University of Colorado at Boulder has sent acceptance letters to nearly 80 percent of applicants who applied for fall.
At Colorado State University, the number is just under 79 percent. CSU is still accepting applications for fall. That doesn't mean the Colorado schools aren't selective, said CU admissions director Kevin MacLennan. Because admissions criteria are posted on the Internet, many students who wouldn't be accepted are steered elsewhere by high school counselors, he said.
RELATED: It's harder than ever to get into top colleges
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5499819,00.html

CSU not affected by loan scandal
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/CSUZONE01/704210358/1002/NEWS17
Colorado State University years ago blocked private lenders from most of the university's financial aid, a step that helped CSU stay out of a national student loan scandal that continues to enlarge. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office began suing lenders and schools for deceptive practices in March and has expanded the investigation to include 60 colleges and universities throughout the country, according to news releases from his office.

Policy on college programs questioned
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728385
State education officials are considering ditching a decade- old policy of putting poorly attended state college programs on a "discontinuance" list because most of those programs are in science, math and engineering. "The policy tends to surface things we really can't seriously consider eliminating," said David Skaggs, Department of Higher Education executive director. Among those often on the list, for example, are master's degree programs in math and physics. "The state's and the country's competitiveness is going to be determined by how well we train our young people in these key areas, which are the drivers of new products and services," Skaggs said.

Western civilization center to grow
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/23/university-of-colorado-western-civilization-to/
A University of Colorado center that focuses on Western civilization has plans to grow next year, bringing more prominent speakers to the campus, training educators across the state and awarding certificates — which are like minors — to students. The expansion of the center partly will be possible by an unprecedented funding decision made by the regents and support from top CU leaders. Academic centers on CU's campus — and at higher-education institutions nationwide — are commonly paid for by donors or foundations that support their missions. CU's own Center for Western Civilization receives $5,000 a year from the College of Arts and Sciences where it is housed and has secured $23,000 in donations.

Bennet responds to parents' complaints
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5499342,00.html
In recent interviews and community forums, parents voiced common concerns. These are the most frequently cited, along with a response from DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet.
RELATED: DPS chief runs race to revitalize
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5499359,00.html

Issue: All-choice schools
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5499345,00.html
Howell, which opened last fall, is DPS' first all-choice school, other than independently run charters. That means no students or neighborhoods are assigned to the public school. Instead, any interested family can apply.

Hispanics get serious on choice
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5495505,00.html
Most Hispanic families still attend Denver's traditional neighborhood schools — even when those schools are failing or underperforming. Hispanic students, who account for 57 percent of DPS enrollment, are the least likely to leave their neighborhood schools for a charter, magnet or other DPS school, according to a Rocky Mountain News analysis of DPS data. About 80 percent of DPS' Hispanic students are low-income. Still, among Hispanic DPS students, a hefty 37 percent chose a school other than their assigned neighborhood school in 2005-2006. The figure was more than 50 percent for Anglo and black students.
RELATED: Issue: New choices for Hispanics
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5495469,00.html

Aims offers early retirements to 86 employees
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070421/NEWS/104200149
In a move to promote efficiency and focus on instruction, the Aims Community College Board of Trustees on Friday approved 4-1 a plan to offer early retirement packages to 86 employees. Eligible employees will learn about the buyouts immediately. Marsi Liddell, Aims president, said the packages are voluntary for employees.

PCC president candidates to visit campuses
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/6
The finalists for the president's position at Pueblo Community College will visit the Pueblo and Fremont campuses on Thursday and Friday.

Early interventions pay off: Program gets students extra help before they fall too far behind
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/23/education-early-interventions-pay-off/
The Boulder Valley School District is crediting a new focus on early intervention for shrinking its biggest group of special-education students, those with learning disabilities. Special education director Andrea Kutinsky said schools are identifying students who need extra help sooner, giving them extra support before they fall so far behind that they need a learning disability label. "We're seeing huge progress," she said. In 2002, the district identified about 1,474 students, or 43 percent of all special-education students, with learning disability. In 2005, that number was down to 1,216, or 38 percent.

D-11’s bond projects proceed on target
http://www.gazette.com/articles/maloney_21514___article.html/projects_million.html
So far, so good. The Colorado Springs School District 11 bond program is running smoothly, officials say, although some projects are over budget. Higher costs have been offset with savings on other projects and interest from bond money that hasn’t been spent yet, said Mike Maloney, director of facilities and the bond program manager. Voters approved a $131.7 million bond issue in 2004, and in 2005 they approved raising taxes to pay off the bonds.

Grade debate ongoing
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/NEWS01/704220381/1002/NEWS17
Opponents of reconfiguring Poudre School District grade alignments cite a lack of research, openness and community involvement in formulating a plan. Supporters say moving sixth-grade students to middle school and ninth-graders to high school gives students more access to advanced placement and Inter Baccalaureate classes, which would better prepare them for life after high school.
RELATED: PSD to push for K-8 option
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS01/704210319/1002/NEWS17

RFSD discusses accountability plan
http://postindependent.com/article/20070423/VALLEYNEWS/104230014
The plan looks great. The trick will be making it work. People met from about 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to discuss challenges and goals for the Roaring Fork School District Re-1. "This is an opportunity for us to dream really big things for our kids," Superintendent Judy Haptonstall said while kicking off the day. The meeting was designed as a work session for the district's five-year accountability plan.

Different students, different schools
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15913
Mina McClelland always planned to enroll her children in a charter school because, she said, the increased parental involvement leads to higher academic achievement. “I knew I was going to send them to charter school, hands down,” McClelland said.

Threats, rumors derail classes at jittery schools
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497438,00.html
Threats, rumors or pranks short-circuited classes and emptied seats at schools in Denver and elsewhere Friday, adding to the unease unleashed by the Virginia Tech massacre. A small explosion was reported Friday morning near the campus of Ponderosa High School in Parker. That incident, and the discovery of chemicals in a student's backpack, led to the cancellation of classes. Police increased security at East High School in Denver, and administrators locked down a Denver middle school after a student reported seeing someone with a gun. "With the availability of cell phones and text messaging and the Internet, it's real easy for rumors to spread," said Jefferson County Schools spokeswoman Marlene Desmond. "I think people are all a little bit edgy."
RELATED: Metro schools receive threats
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5713743
RELATED: Teen booked in Ponderosa High disturbance
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5722431
RELATED: CU student arrested for guns in dorm room
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5714644
RELATED: Busted for possession
http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/04/22/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt

People barred at UNC will be on Web
http://www.gazette.com/articles/norton_21490___article.html/campus_unc.html
The University of Northern Colorado is going to use the Internet to help boost security after the Virginia massacre. An online site will post pictures of people who are not allowed on campus, President Kay Norton wrote in a letter to staff and students.

Prosecution of Internet sex sting against Walker may be difficult
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_1a_Walker_legal_case.html
The chances of prosecutors securing a conviction against Grand Junction High School administrator Johnnie Walker on charges of Internet luring of a child and enticement of a child are “zero,” according to a University of Colorado law professor. In an e-mail interview with The Daily Sentinel, CU law professor Mimi Wesson said if it is true that Walker’s online correspondent was a private, adult citizen, she believes Walker cannot be convicted, because those crimes require “as an indispensable element that the target of the communication or attempt at persuasion actually be a child of 14 or younger.”
RELATED: Media weighs public’s right to know against suspect’s rights
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_Walker_narrative.html
RELATED: Self-styled online investigator keeps low profile
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_1a_Walker_side_Steitle.html

Teacher's aide held in sex case
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497400,00.html
A 32-year-old teacher's aide from Sobesky Academy was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony sexual assault on a child, police said. April T. Robertson was arrested on three potential charges after a 15-year-old male student told his family about sexual contact and they informed the school, said Steve L. Davis, a public information officer at the Lakewood Police Department.
RELATED: Teacher's aide accused of fondling boy
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5723523

Top

Military

Hidden IED kills GI from Colorado
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496707,00.html
Wade Oglesby considered himself the man of the family, his brother said. He quit high school to care for his sick mother and joined the Army only after she died and his kid sister turned 18. Recently, Rick Oglesby said, Wade talked of leaving the service once his enlistment was up. "But he wasn't a quitter. He did his duty," he said. Army Cpl. Wade Oglesby, 28, attached to the Stryker Brigade based in Fort Lewis, Wash., was killed Wednesday north of Baghdad. Hours later, Army personnel appeared at Rick Oglesby's door to inform him of his brother's death.

Home front lonely for kin of GIs
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5723224
Rachelle Crevoiserat, the 18-year-old fiancée of an Army reservist in Iraq, went to Saturday's event at the local YMCA, "Dealing with Deployment 101," for one reason - company. It wasn't for the coping tips, the free book, the chance to send a video message to Iraq or the offers of financial assistance or car care, although they were appreciated. "I'm hoping more than anything to realize I'm not alone," Crevoiserat said. It was just over a week ago, she said, that she received the "depressing" news that the third deployment of her 23-year-old soldier, Jay, would last 15 months, not 12.
RELATED: 3rd Brigade prepares for longer stay in Iraq
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177221600/1

A nod to parents sending kids to war
http://www.gazette.com/articles/cody_21493___article.html/parents_don.html
Most military programs for helping families during deployments are geared toward spouses, not a service member’s parents.
So Vicki Cody, wife of Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody and mother of two sons also in the Army, wrote a book to fill the void. She spoke to a group of about 40 people at the Southeast YMCA on Saturday. “There was definitely a void,” she said. “There was nothing for parents of soldiers.” And being the parent of a soldier can be just as hard, or harder, than being married to a soldier, Cody said. “It’s way harder to send your kid off to combat then your husband,” she said. Her two sons have been deployed several times. The first deployment felt like “a punch in the stomach,” she said, and her only thoughts were about making it through the six months. But when one deployment became several, Cody began writing her book. The Association of the United States Army published it. It is available for free by calling 1 (800) 336-4570, ext. 630.

Carson preparing for urban combat
http://www.gazette.com/articles/training_21518___article.html/range_soldiers.html
A new urban combat training range on Fort Carson will be complete down to the sewer system. The $28 million complex under construction on the south side of the post will have special effects, moving targets and a video replay system that will allow soldiers to relive their mistakes. It’s also flexible enough that a few changes can transform the range to meet changing Army needs. “If we’re in Bosnia or we’re in Iraq, it would provide adequate training,” said Dan Benford, who is overseeing the project for Fort Carson. What sets the training range apart from similar facilities at Fort Carson is its size and complexity. Soldiers now engage in mock wars using shipping containers and portable sheds to mimic a cityscape.

Retired Army major says VA problems are nothing new
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070422/NEWS/104210162
Ret. Major G. Phil Shovar is a pack rat. His Greeley home is littered with trinkets, collectibles and magazines he intends to read. Amidst the chaos is an old Army helmet, a picturesque painting of the Navy ship he served on, and almost 1,000 pages of documents on his veteran benefits. Shovar spent 24 years as a soldier. As a nurse In Vietnam, he triaged dying soldiers during the horrific Tet offensive. But his longest battle has been with the Veterans Benefits Administration and the U.S. Army. For almost three decades, his copy machine has been his greatest weapon against a bureaucracy that denied his disabilities time and again. Now Shovar is dying. He has stage three terminal cancer, acknowledged finally by the Veterans Administration in December as a permanent, service-connected disability. War also left him with diabetes, hearing loss, hypertension and post traumatic stress disorder. Yet it took him almost 30 years to force the government to admit these facts and pay for them.
RELATED: Former VA medical employees find faults with the system
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070422/NEWS/104210161

Craig Hospital advises military
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5496665,00.html
Top Department of Defense brass came to Colorado last month to talk with experts about how to rehabilitate and care for an estimated 12,000 U.S. troops battling brain injuries. Army doctors have never seen a war like the one in Iraq where insurgents' handmade explosive devices detonate by the thousands. The result: "Brain injuries are happening with much greater frequency in this war," said Dennis O'Malley, president of Craig Hospital in Englewood. Craig is one of the foremost rehabilitation centers in the country for spinal cord and brain injuries. The officials from DOD and Veterans Affairs "talked to us about what they could do to improve their delivery system for brain injuries," O'Malley said.

Wounded soldier back home
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_1b_Renshaw_home.html
The last time Theresa Manthei saw her son, he was underweight and recovering from a bullet wound sustained while he was on patrol along the Euphrates River in Iraq. But when U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Renshaw walked through the glass doors Saturday at Walker Field, the man whose bravery earned him the admiration of so many in the Grand Valley looked as healthy and vital as the day he went off to war. “I’m having a hard time,” Manthei said. “I haven’t seen him since he was really sick.”

Military recognizes Johnson for civil service
http://postindependent.com/article/20070421/VALLEYNEWS/104210052
Bob Johnson racked up yet another award Friday. The Glenwood Springs real estate agent founded Operation Vacation in 2005 to provide all-expenses-paid-vacations to servicemen and women who have served overseas. Friday he received the Army's Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civil Service. The award was presented by soldiers from Fort Carson, including Second Lt. Crystal Moore with the 43rd Area Support Group Adjutant; Staff Sgt. John Deneen, 152nd Movement Control Team; and Lt. Col. Matthew Goodman, commander of the 43rd ASG.
RELATED: Glenwood welcomes the Hendricksons
http://postindependent.com/article/20070421/VALLEYNEWS/104210051

Flag could be key to return of USS Pueblo
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/1
Medal of Honor historian Doug Sterner thinks he may have stumbled on a winning gambit in the chilly negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. over the fate of the USS Pueblo, the small Navy intelligence ship that was seized by North Korea in January 1968. It's a large yellow Korean battle flag that has been sitting in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum for more than a century, a war trophy from a little-known clash between U.S. and Korean troops in May 1871. The large yellow flag is one of the few Korean military relics that survived that short conflict, known as the "Weekend War," and Sterner believes that offering its return to South Korea could be the overture that would persuade North Korea to return the USS Pueblo.

Witnesses, NORAD think meteorite was green object seen over Colorado
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15920
Area residents who were lucky enough to be looking at the sky late Friday night are still in awe over a greenish-red fireball they saw zoom past. The object, likely a meteorite associated with the Lyrid meteor shower, was witnessed up and down the Front Range, according to officials. They said it apparently landed somewhere near the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs. “Asteroids ... because they are not in a normal orbit, we take note of it,” said Capt. Tim Lundberg of NORAD U.S. NorthCom, the Colorado-based federal agency that tracks airborne objects. “These things are usually moving fast enough they impact themselves in the ground.”

Rep. Salazar gives tribute to Murphy
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/21
Raymond ‘Jerry’ Murphy honored in House address U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., gave a tribute to the late Medal of Honor recipient Raymond "Jerry" Murphy in the House on Thursday. Puebloan Murphy, who was 77, received the Medal for bravery as a Marine platoon leader in Korea in 1953. He died April 6 in the Pueblo Veterans Nursing Home. He was buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, N.M. In his tribute, Salazar noted that Murphy is one of four Pueblo men to receive the Medal of Honor. The others are Drew Dix, the late William Crawford and Carl Sitter.

Top

Energy Policy

Energy industry stands ground in skirmishes with pols
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/23/4_23_1a_Oil_and_Gas_lobby.html
From the outset, the 2007 legislative session seemed poised to usher in a sea change for Colorado’s oil and gas industry. Nonetheless, Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who has spearheaded some of the year’s most substantive reforms, said the oil and gas industry was able to flex its muscle, even with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate and a Democrat in the governor’s seat. “When you stand back, I think they’ve had some successes in terms of changing bills, but I don’t think they wanted any of them,” Curry said.

Credit check
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_5728222
Energy credits are burning bright, but do they spur renewable development?

Lower Ark Valley banking on renewable energy bounce
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177221600/6
Southeastern Colorado is seeing some pretty tough times in its battle with Mother Nature. There's an ongoing drought that is drying farm and ranch lands; two blizzards buried the area, killing about 10,000 cattle in late December; and a lethal tornado whipped the town of Holly just last month. With all the obstacles laid in front of them, area leaders and residents are looking to renewable energy to help boost the economy in the region. Strong winds in flat, dusty Southeastern Colorado have become the area's best friend, with wind farms sprouting like spring flowers. PPM Energy, ScottishPower's competitive U.S. energy business, is constructing the 75-megawatt Twin Buttes Wind Power Project west of Lamar in the southeast corner of Bent County.
RELATED: Area renewable energy focus keeps growing
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177221600/10
RELATED: Turning grease into fuel
http://vaildaily.com/article/20070421/NEWS/70419030

City’s gas-well plan a ‘proactive’ step
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070422_5.htm
In a region dotted by thousands of wells with hundreds more on the way, the city of Durango adopted its first ordinance to regulate gas-well operations within city limits Tuesday. It might seem the city's action was long overdue, but consider this: There is currently a grand total of one well in the city of Durango.
RELATED: Durango moves to regulate gas wells
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499837,00.html

Holcim rolls in 2,400 tires
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=6760
Yesterday’s tires are fueling today’s production of cement at Holcim (U.S.) Inc. to the tune of an additional 2,400 tires collected last Saturday. On Friday, Holcim management applauded countywide efforts to dispose of old passenger vehicle tires during the cement plant’s third annual Tire Collection Day. Sixteen employees volunteered their time on a frigid Saturday a week ago to unload tires for residents. “It was really successful,” Holcim Environmental Manager Joel Bolduc told the employees during a “thank you” luncheon Friday at the plant. “It went off without a hitch because we had a lot of volunteers.” Bolduc said the event almost doubled the number of tires collected a year ago. He said he was particularly struck by how appreciative residents were as they dropped their tires off. “I think they especially liked the part where we said, ‘Stay in your truck, and we’ll unload it for you’,” Bolduc laughed. Residents attending the recycling event also were treated to hot coffee and donuts before they drove away. “The people we talked to were all so appreciative,” said Holcim Plant Chemist Rick Archuletta. Bolduc said tire disposal options already are limited in the state of Colorado, and this summer, choices will be narrowed down even more. “As of July 1, landfills will no longer accept old tires,” Bolduc said. “There will be three monofills, for tires only, in the entire state.”

Top

Transportation and Infrastructure

Lower tax projections won’t derail FasTracks
http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=15919
Even as they face higher construction costs and lower revenue projections, RTD officials say FasTracks is still on track — including plans for rail service to Longmont. But economic forecasts released last month lowered FasTracks revenue expectations by about $1 billion over 25 years. RTD originally expected to collect about $9.45 billion over 25 years from the FasTracks sales tax — which voters approved in 2004 and started paying in 2005. Now, based on new projections from the Colorado Legislative Council, FasTracks revenue projections have dropped to $8.35 billion, RTD spokesman Scott Reed said. “We need to keep in mind that’s a snapshot of today’s collection rates and could change over time,” Reed said. Despite the lower projections, Reed said, RTD officials do not expect any delays in FasTracks design or construction, or changes to the FasTracks plan that voters bought.

Small airline facing big bill
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499826,00.html
Great Lakes Aviation owes Denver $482,244 in various fees and interest on those fees for using Denver International Airport from 2000 to 2004, the city auditor's office said. The charges include $276,585 in underpaid landing fees, apparently due to Great Lakes Aviation using the wrong aircraft weights to calculate the fees after it switched aircraft models, according to a report made available Sunday. Under a use-and-lease agreement, interest on payments due to the city accrues at 18 percent annually, the report said.

Top

Environment and Conservation

Rare bird fights for survival
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728868
The Gunnison grouse is one of the country's most endangered birds, according to the Audubon Society and the World Conservation Union. Yet after the grouse's six years as a candidate for federal protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2006 removed it from consideration for the endangered-species list. The decision relieved ranchers and outraged conservationists. Faced with federal regulation of the land, Gunnison ranchers and local officials a decade ago began a homegrown effort to protect the grouse. More than $11 million in public funds has been spent to preserve 17,000 acres and enhance the bird's habitat. Ranchers say they also have changed their grazing practices; roads are closed during grouse mating season; and in the last decade, the bird's numbers in Gunnison have more than doubled to 4,245.
RELATED: Lawsuit targets Interior official
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728969

THEY SAID IT (EXTRA!, April 23)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499821,00.html
"We are not here to cry and wring our hands. We are asking Coloradans and elected officials to do what they can to combat global warming in Colorado." Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain regional director for the group Environmental Defense, during a rally Sunday.
RELATED: Rally targets greenhouse gases
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499794,00.html
RELATED: Tackling greenhouse gases
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5728907

Legislation targets Canyons
http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/07/news070421_6.htm
Sen. Ken Salazar wants to make permanent the system that oversees 26 million acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management areas across the West, including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Salazar, D-Colo., and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., introduced legislation to codify the National Landscape Conservation System, which includes the collection of national monuments, national conservation areas, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers and other landscapes on public lands administered by the BLM. “It’s going to be very informative to the public ... (and) to the lawmakers,” said Cody Wertz, Salazar spokesman.

Legislators: Hold water project money until Black Canyon dispute resolved
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_1a_Black_Canyon.html
Shock and outrage over the fate of water flowing down the Gunnison River continue to echo across the Western Slope like the thunder of crashing boulders in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Three legislators met at a Grand Junction coffee shop Saturday morning to turn up the political heat on state officials who played a part in Attorney General John Suthers’ filing of objections to stipulations created to resolve the fight over how much water eventually will be allowed to flow through Black Canyon National Park. Standing beside Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, and Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, minced no words Saturday: “The funding for the Colorado Water Conservation Board projects is in the appropriations committee that I chair. That bill was up for hearing yesterday morning, and I took it off the table. And I will not allow it to be considered until such time as we get answers about why the attorney general intervened in this case that we thought was settled.”

7,000 TREES IN 7 DAYS (EXTRA!, April 21)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5497440,00.html
One tree, two trees . . . 1 million trees. Starting today, more than 2,400 volunteers will plant trees at more than 40 events throughout the Denver area. The 7,000 trees in seven days are part of Mayor John Hickenlooper's long-term plan to plant 1 million trees in the region. Have you planted yours? If so, make sure it counts. Register your tree at greenprintdenver.org.

Forest budget cuts could haunt
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/apr/23/forest_budget_cuts_could_haunt/
With news that forest officials want to cut more than $4 million from the $230 million spent last year on forest health in Colorado and several surrounding states, one local official says the repercussions in Routt County may not be felt for several years.

Planned buyout of Ophir mining lease gets $850,000 federal boost
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/21/4_22_7b_Ophir_land.html
Federal money for public land has been in short supply under the Bush administration, so the nonprofit Trust for Public Land sees the $850,000 of federal money that will go toward purchasing 1,200 acres near Ophir as a coup. Doug Robotham, state director for the Trust for Public Land, said his organization’s goal is to buy the land and turn it back to public use.

City to add fee to cover damage by sewer main
http://www.gazette.com/articles/city_21511___article.html/policy_main.html
Would you spend $6 a year to avoid a $50,000 disaster? That’s the estimated cost for customers of Colorado Springs Utilities to have the city pay for all damage to homes, up to $50,000, caused by sewer-main backups. “If it really could be done for 50 cents a month, what a deal,” said Councilwoman Margaret Radford. At the urging of City Council last week, Utilities CEO Jerry Forte issued a memo Friday saying the new policy will be retroactive to Jan. 1 this year.

Volunteers celebrate Earth Day: Hundreds flock to local nonprofits to give support
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/22/daily-slice-of-life-in-boulder-county-volunteers/
There's more to Earth Day than trees. A holistic approach to helping the planet was the emphasis behind Boulder County's fourth annual "I Volunteer Day," which mobilized hundreds of people Saturday to work on 40 different projects for local nonprofit groups. They painted buildings, planted gardens and created care packages, to name just a few.
RELATED: NOAA hosts open house for the Earth
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/21/noaa-hosts-open-house-for-the-earth/

Mystery has beekeepers scratching their heads
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499371,00.html
For 60 years, Montezuma County beekeeper Lynn Ellis has inspected his hives every spring to see how the bees wintered.
This year, Ellis found nothing but bad news when he opened the weathered boxes. Nearly half his hives had either disappeared or died. "I've never seen this many die," Ellis said. Ellis, 78, had 100 hives at the beginning of the winter, and he ended the season with 50. He is not alone. Beekeepers across the United States are reporting significant bee fatalities. For years, beekeepers have battled mites, namely the varroa and tracheal mites, that have devastated bee populations. But for Ellis, this is the worst he has seen. Now the high mortality rate is attributed to a different enemy: colony collapse disorder. Ellis said the experts are still trying to discover what causes the disorder. Beekeepers across the nation are reporting their bees are simply vanishing - not returning to the hives.

Environmental study, legal battles hinder flow
http://www.gazette.com/articles/water_21484___article.html/pueblo_city.html
Eleven years and $59.6 million after the city settled on a plan to build a pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir, the project remains just that, a plan. Not one leg of the 43-mile line has been laid, a reservoir hasn’t been built and the water treatment plant is still a vision. Many Colorado water projects have been planned, but few have been built since a wave of environmental laws went on the books in the early 1970s.
RELATED: Arkansas Valley Conduit gains ground in Congress
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/4
RELATED: Water quality, economics linked in study
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/18

Pipeline project underway
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/26253
A pipeline from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado's Front Range is past the proposal stage and the project is moving forward, project developer Aaron Million said Wednesday. "The Green River runs above average 25 to 30 percent of the time when Colorado's rivers are running below average," said Million of Fort Collins. "Water taken out of the reservoir would be charged to Colorado. It would benefit agriculture that is getting decimated on the Front Range."

Upper Blue pumpback dead in the water
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070420/NEWS/104200086
Residents of the Upper Blue who were counting on the proposed Blue River pumpback to solve some their water woes will have to look somewhere else. The $10 million pumpback plan died Thursday night, when the Breckenridge Sanitation District voted to stop pursuing the project. The district has spent $.5 million during the last few years as it eyed the proposal to boost water levels in the river between Dillon Reservoir and the town by recycling some of the flow through a pipeline.

Surplus snapped up
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS01/704230322/1002
Farmers who literally stood in line for days might not get rental water they depend on, which could mean a tough summer for many of them. The pinch comes as the city of Fort Collins changes the way it rents surplus water to agricultural users.

Fountain Creek a moving target
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/2
Four projects just north of the Pueblo-El Paso county line could have a big impact on Fountain Creek, but officials were at a loss Friday as to how the two counties should jointly respond. “What if we come up with a vision for Fountain Creek, but what if five to 10 years from now we’re saying look what happened?” asked Richard Skorman, a former Colorado Springs councilman who is now an aide to Sen. Ken Salazar. “This expresses the urgency of putting together a watershed authority, but there are already projects on the ground. There’s a red flag for me.”

Eagle River goes muddy for a day
http://vaildaily.com/article/20070422/NEWS/70420040
Mud spilled from a Ginn Development Company work site and into the Eagle River last week. The company says its pollution controls weren't extensive enough.

Boaters fish for trash along South Platte
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499795,00.html
They began their journey at Union Avenue and ended at Confluence Park, a soggy 15-mile journey. "The idea is to clean up the rivers in our own backyards," Cohen said, as he beached his kayak at the midway point to toss some trash in a designated trash receptacle. One canoe arrived with a wet stuffed snowman attached to its bow. Boaters hauled about 50 black bags of trash and miscellaneous large items, such as a wooden pallet, up a short trail - filling half an industrial-sized trash receptacle set up for them at a park.

Yampa Pumpback project discussed
http://craigdailypress.com/section/localnews/story/26234
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.

Couple teaches environmental lifestyle
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177221600/3
With the cost of transportation and heating costs on the rise, the country’s 300 million citizens are beginning to feel the pinch not only in their pocketbooks but in their quality of life as well. Two local educators are helping to transition their own community into a more sustainable lifestyle by educating their neighbors one person at a time. Tucked into the canyons of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, Earth Mountain Farm is a 440-acre experiment in sustainable living. Directors Joni Steiner and husband Carter Morris began building the farm in 2002 as a way to teach others how to live a simpler life.
RELATED: Salida couple lives ‘green’
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177221600/5

Anglers warned of mercury in fish
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/10
High levels of mercury in some fish caught in local waters has prompted state officials to warn fisherman that it may not be safe to eat their catch. Routine sampling by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have shown that some fish species caught in Trinidad Lake and Horseshoe Reservoir exceed the mercury level of 0.5 parts per million set by the Colorado Department of Health.

Boulder backs effort to recycle old carpet
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5499543,00.html
Boulder residents disposing of carpet no longer have to haul it off to a landfill. Under a new city-sponsored pilot program, old carpet could end up being recycled. Adam Stenftenagel, a spokesman for the Center for ReSource Conservation - which will be collecting the unwanted material - said there always has been a huge demand for carpet recycling from builders and people remodeling their houses. Several people already have dropped off rugs since the program started last week, he said. For groups such as ReSource, which try to keep as much material as possible out of landfills, diverting carpet is a big deal, Stenftenagel said.

5 Questions with Eric Lombardi, executive director of Eco-Cycle
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/23/5-questions-for-eric-lombardi-executive-director/
Eric Lombardi, executive director of Eco-Cycle, has a big item on his to-do list this year. Lombardi, 52, has led Eco-Cycle since 1989. He believes in "Zero Waste — or darn close to it," and his goal is to recycle 90 percent of our waste. The next step is to step up composting as the third pillar of recycling available locally.

You may call it ‘tamarack,’ but it’s not
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1177135200/17
Tamarack trees are not native to the Arkansas Valley and few, if any, grow here. Tamarisks, or salt cedars, are a growing threat to water supplies, channel capacity and plant diversity in the Arkansas Valley. Confusion persists, as in a recent "Tell It To The Chieftain" submission, about the two species. Arkansas Valley natives have for generations called salt cedars “tamarack,” adding to the confusion.

Garfield County celebrates Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month
http://postindependent.com/article/20070423/VALLEYNEWS/104230013
Garfield County is celebrating Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month, sponsored by the Colorado Historical Society. This year's theme is "Share Colorado's Past." With support from the Colorado Archaeological Society and other government agencies, the Colorado Historical Society helped to offset the cost of the 106 events in 52 Colorado cities scheduled across the state during May, including exhibits, lectures, tours, preservation awards, competitions and light-hearted festivities.

Top

Opinion

Gonzales fails the test
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/editorials/article/0,2777,DRMN_23964_5496629,00.html
The most effective U.S. attorneys general, we suppose, should emulate sports referees. They're supposed to be fair-minded enforcement officials, so the less you notice them, the better they must be doing. Unfortunately, current Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has made himself the focus of the brouhaha surrounding eight fired U.S. attorneys. And Gonzales' failure to redeem his handling of the matter during Senate Judiciary Committee testimony Thursday merely reinforces the perception that Gonzales is not the leader that this crucial cabinet office demands. He should save himself and the White House further embarrassment and resign.

Johnson: Soldier puts on brave face but feels 'used up, worn out'
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5496976,00.html
You could tell, just from the sound of her voice, that her heart was in a million pieces. For the fifth time, counting leave, she had just seen her boy off, on his way to Baghdad. "He's doing fine," Judy Macy said of her son, Frank, 21, an Army specialist with the 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Carson. "He's resigned to going back."

Cpl. Wade Ogelsby, R.I.P.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2007/04/23/4_23_07_olgessby_edit_dh.html
Oglesby’s death is a reminder that the war in Iraq is much more than a political abstraction half a world away. It has real and terrible consequences for many people in western Colorado whose loved ones may be in harm’s way.

Abortion rights threat: Court ruling upholds federal law
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/23/abortion-rights-threat/
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week on abortion signals a step in the wrong direction for Americans who support abortion rights.

Zimmerma: Piñon Canyon expansion unnecessary
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707644
As are many Coloradans, I am delighted that the Colorado General Assembly has opposed the notion that Fort Carson be allowed to forcefully take land in southeastern Colorado to expand its Piñon Canyon training area. The legislature did the just thing, despite the opposition of members of the Colorado Springs delegation who primarily regard the Army post and its soldiers as a local cash cow.

Colorado gets burned in forest-healt[h] budget
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2007/04/23/4_23_firefunds_edit.html
Not so long ago, the Bush administration was trumpeting its support for maintaining healthy national forests and removing potential fire fuels before they erupt into raging wildfires. But nobody who has followed the administration’s record on the environment will be surprised to learn that its commitment to forest health appears to be diminishing.

Haley: Udall awaits a GOP Senate opponent
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5728178
With Democratic Congressman Mark Udall all but officially declaring his intentions last week to run for U.S. Senate, Republicans are still waiting on a candidate. Any candidate. For now, all eyes are on former Rep. Bob Schaffer, who ran for the party's nomination in 2004 but lost to Pete Coors. Schaffer, who couldn't be reached for comment, is exploring a bid, including at least one trip to Washington, D.C., and has been trying to gauge whether there's enough financial and organization support to run. Raising money was difficult when he ran against Coors, and some worry that each day that goes by without a decision sets him further back. To be considered a serious candidate, it's thought he'd need to raise a half- million by the June 30 filing deadline. To avoid a low number, Schaffer could wait until after July 1 to announce but will have missed out on more than two months of fundraising.

Treatment of Cuban exile undermines U.S. standing
http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=opin&article_path=/opinion/opin070423_1.htm
The old adage that says "my enemy's enemy is my friend" is a bad basis for foreign policy. It is an even worse attitude to take toward terrorism. Nonetheless, that appears to be how the United States government sees Luis Posada Carriles. It is a view that undermines this country's moral standing and embarrasses its efforts to combat terrorism. Seventy-nine-year-old Posada is a Cuban-born citizen of Venezuela. He was arrested by U.S. authorities in May 2005 for entering the United States illegally. He was released from Otero County Prison in Chaparral, N.M., on bond Thursday and is under house arrest in Miami. He must wear an electronic monitoring device until his May 11 trial. The real issue has little to do with the immigration charges. Cuba and Venezuela maintain that Posada is a terrorist and have repeatedly called for his extradition. Their principal allegation is that he was behind the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people.

Ethics reform effort is on shaky ground
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707585
Hailed a month ago as a major legislative compromise, the deal to clarify Amendment 41 is now on shaky ground because politicians are dragging their feet. Rather than waiting for lawmakers to act in the best interest of Coloradans, a citizens' group on Thursday decided to move forward on its own by asking voters to again weigh in on the ethics reform law. The Article XXIX Coalition, funded by Jared Polis - the same person who backed Amendment 41 - filed an initiative for November that aims to clarify ambiguous portions of the poorly worded law approved by 62 percent of voters last fall. We'd much rather see the legislature follow through not only on its promises to implement the law but on its moral obligation to do so. Polis' group feels the same way but faced a deadline of today for filing a proposed ballot measure.

Hazouri: Giving parolees voting rights will make us all safer
http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/speakout/2007/04/giving_parolees_voting_rights.html#more
The legislature is considering Senate Bill 83, an election reform bill that includes an amendment to extend voting rights for parolees. Parolee voting isn't about making things easier or better for criminals. It is about preventing crime. The natural reaction of most law-abiding citizens is to automatically reject the idea of parolee voting. We want those people to pay dearly for the crimes they have committed, and denying voting rights to parolees sounds just fine to many of us. But does our lust for retribution outweigh our interest in cultivating civic and social responsibility - known factors for preventing crime - among prisoners returning to society? At some point, when prisoners have served their time, they are going to return to society and live among us in the community. So we must decide how best to reintegrate people with criminal convictions so that they become productive citizens who actively reject a life of crime. Our public safety depends on it.

Health care reform, in baby steps
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/apr/22/health-care-reform-in-baby-steps/
In a better world, the risks for those with health insurance would be spread out. Exponentially. A healthy at-large Colorado population could better afford to take care of all ailing residents if everyone was in the system. This week, House Bill 1355 got one big step closer to law, when it was passed unamended by a state Senate committee. The bill would end the practice of "rate banding," where insurance companies raise rates or give discounts to small businesses based on the claims history or health of their employees. The bill's proponents say the measure would spread out the risk more by equalizing what small business owners and their workers pay, and lead to lower rates for all. Many small businesses — those with 50 or fewer employees — said the effect of the bill would be chilling. The Boulder Chamber of Commerce says giving companies an incentive to promote wellness and healthier lifestyles for their employees is important, and the discounts are the only thing allowing some small businesses to even afford health insurance. And when businesses cannot afford it, they may dump insurance all together, bill opponents say. Which is the opposite of what needs to happen to truly spread the risk.

21 is old enough to write laws
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5728179
Colorado should follow the lead of many other states and lower the age requirement for state legislative candidates. We agree with state Rep. Michael Garcia, D-Aurora, that it's time to amend the state constitution to allow candidates 21 and older to seek legislative office. The current minimum age is 25.

Spencer: It's her choice on her health
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5723227
The last time the doctor performed an ultrasound, the fetus had a pulse. But four weeks later, it hadn't grown. Moreover, its serious developmental problems seemed to be getting worse. A miscarriage was almost inevitable, a specialist told Kimberly. If by a miracle she gave premature birth to a live baby, the child almost certainly would live only a few weeks. And if by a miracle of miracles it lived longer, the physician said, it would never be able to raise its head from a pillow. Knowing that, and supported by her husband and doctor, Kimberly made the hardest choice of her life. She chose to have an abortion 22 weeks into her pregnancy. Doctors dilated her cervix and removed the fetus from her womb in parts. The dilation and evacuation procedure that Kimberly underwent in 2005 was physically and emotionally painful. But at least it was legal.

Imperfect solutions to climate problems
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707973
The choices that must be made to shift away from oil- and coal-based energy supplies present questions that often have imperfect answers.

Fitzgerald: Attitudes shifting on drilling-rights law
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707943
Oil and gas has long been an important part of the Colorado economy. However, the natural surface amenities of Colorado are also responsible for the state's economic success. People want to enjoy clean air and water, beautiful vistas, wildlife and solitude. Many people have moved to Colorado for these reasons, bolstering the economy in the process. If we didn't also need energy, then the tradeoff wouldn't be as tough. Eroding the legal precedence that energy developers have long enjoyed is likely to raise costs and perhaps energy prices. However, the recent energy boom has spawned an insistence by residents that surface values be protected while the energy beneath is tapped. So, the legal framework is shifting toward recognizing the tradeoff as well.

Legislators hold the line on seat-belt law
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/seat_21510___article.html/law_belt.html
Proponents of mandatory seat belt laws will point out that the unrestrained Corzine received serious injuries from being tossed around while his restrained companions were relatively unscathed. Those who oppose the government telling people what they must do will note that no matter how much lawmakers try to legislate common sense, people will do what they want, especially when their actions don’t affect the rights of others.

An antidote to cynicism
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/editorials/article/0,2777,DRMN_23964_5496627,00.html
Five years after the the collapse of Enron and then WorldCom, the Justice Department is still bagging high-flying executives who lost their bearings during the tech-market bubble. Qwest's Joe Nacchio may be the last of the notorious corporate buccaneers - and to be fair, his case is far more ambiguous than those of some of his convicted predecessors - but his fate still offers notable lessons. For openers, it shows that a sober- minded jury will give even an unsympathetic CEO, no less than any other defendant, every reasonable benefit of the doubt.
RELATED: Qwest for justice
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2007/04/22/4_22_Nacchio_edit.html

Brown: A mayoral alternative
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707969
"I'm planning on spending nothing to try to beat this mayor," he says. That's another plank in his platform: "Professional politicians spend too much money to get elected." Such as Hickenlooper, for example, whose out-of-state contributors have been slow to disclose, and "I don't know if anybody cares." Also, "Poorer neighborhoods are neglected." Hickenlooper, he says, shows favoritism toward wealthier neighborhoods. And, the subject he keeps coming back to, "City workers need a wage increase." Forty percent of the workforce hasn't had a raise in four years, he says. Then there's just the idea that "I want to give voters an alternative choice. No one should run unopposed," Lopez says.
RELATED: Post's Denver election picks
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707971

Bee mystery poses threat
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5728180
More than an intriguing scientific conundrum, what's called "colony collapse disorder" has serious agricultural implications.

Closing a gun-law loophole
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5715634
Mass shootings like the one that claimed 33 lives this week at Virginia Tech usually prompt demands for sweeping gun-control measures - calls which are quickly parried by gun-rights groups. The ensuing political deadlock usually ensures there is little, if any, practical change in the law. The 1999 killings at Columbine High School did prompt Colorado voters to approve an initiative requiring that people who buy firearms at gun shows undergo the same criminal background checks they would if they bought the same weapon at a sporting goods store or gun shop. But Columbine didn't result in any significant changes in federal law. Now, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, Rep. John Dingell, D- Mich., who is pro gun rights, hopes to join forces with the National Rifle Association to bolster the existing background-check system to make it harder for mentally ill people to buy guns.
RELATED: Checks in place for right to bear arms
http://greeleytrib.com/article/20070423/TRIBEDIT/104230111
RELATED: Mayfield: And now, stage right, the NRA ...
http://summitdaily.com/article/20070420/COLUMNS/104200072

Littwin: Dread and anxiety permeate Blacksburg
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5496928,00.html
On the way onto campus, I had passed a sign that read: "Media Let Hokie Nation Heal." The cameras and microphones and notepads and satellite trucks are everywhere. They are too much, of course. And yet, 33 are dead, including the shooter, and attention must be paid. The real argument is about the killer and the photos and video he sent to NBC and whether they should have been released. The argument continues, but everyone I talk to here has watched.
RELATED: Finegan: Cruel April
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707942

Schoettler: Imus' comments are lesson for us all
http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_5707961
There's more to the Don Imus story than just insults, apologies and dismissal. His show-biz demise offers a lesson that goes way beyond his particular blunder. After years of spewing venom at those who couldn't respond, Imus pushed his luck and received a smacking in return. His ridicule of the spunky Rutgers women's basketball team was more than even his listeners - or his advertisers - could tolerate. The result was certainly beyond his expectations. This wasn't just an issue of racial derision, though that played a big part in the ensuing outrage. There was just no reason to disparage a group of young women who had played their hearts out for the national basketball championship - and were also African-American. Good for Imus for apologizing and meeting with the disheartened team. But it was too late. For too long, it has been acceptable (even essential) for so-called "shock jocks" and talk show hosts to be offensive in their comments. No doubt they want to attract multitudes of listeners. But what a commentary that is on Americans who listen to talk radio. Do we really have to insult people to be interesting or to attract sponsors? The advertisers on Imus' show finally said, "no." Let's hope there's more of the same.

NATIONAL NEWS

Top

Election

Abortion aside, conservative Christians like Giuliani for 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-evangelical23apr23,1,52091.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
"He's got that New York mentality — that's why I don't like him," Veenstra said. "Around here, it's family, pro-life." But in conversations with Republicans here in the first state to vote in the 2008 presidential race, the more striking thing is how evangelicals Carolyn Vande Voort, Joy Milby and Mike Brown see Giuliani: They disagree with him on social issues, but lean toward him anyway.

Ad targets McCain for 'Bomb Iran' joke
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-20-mccain-joke_N.htm
The liberal group MoveOn.org is launching an ad against Republican John McCain and his joke about bombing Iran, arguing that the United States "can't afford another reckless president." The group plans to spend about $100,000 to air a commercial on network and some cable television stations in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that hold early contests in the presidential nomination process, spokesman Alex Howe said Friday. McCain, campaigning Wednesday in South Carolina, another early primary state, answered a question about military action against Iran with the chorus of the surf-rocker classic song Barbara Ann. "That old, eh, that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran," he said. "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ..."
RELATED: In Speech, McCain to Push for Cap on Emissions
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/us/politics/23mccain.html

Hedge-Fund Ties Help Edwards Campaign
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201339.html
Two years ago, former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, gearing up for his second run at the Democratic presidential nomination, gave a speech decrying the "two different economies in this country: one for wealthy insiders and then one for everybody else." Four months later, he began working for the kind of firm that to many Wall Street critics embodies the economy of wealthy insiders -- a hedge fund.
RELATED: Edwards calls for changes to labor laws
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-21-edwards-iowa_N.htm

An asterisk to Obama's policy on donations
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama22apr22,1,6636461.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
While pledging to turn down donations from lobbyists themselves, Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $1 million in the first three months of his presidential campaign from law firms and companies that have major lobbying operations in the nation's capital. Portraying himself as a new-style politician determined to reform Washington, Obama makes his policy clear in fundraising invitations, stating that he takes no donations from "federal lobbyists." His aides announced last week he was returning $43,000 to lobbyists who donated to his campaign. But the Illinois Democrat's policy of shunning money from lobbyists registered to do business on Capitol Hill does not extend to lawyers whose partners lobby there. Nor does the ban apply to corporations that have major lobbying operations in Washington. And the prohibition does not extend to lobbyists who ply their trade in such state capitals as Springfield, Ill.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Sacramento, though some deal with national clients and issues.

Clinton: Repair Damaged Environment
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042200151.html
Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that it's critical to repair damage to the environment and urged young people to make it a top issue during the presidential campaign. "Today is Earth Day, and I personally believe every day should be Earth Day," the New York senator and Democratic presidential candidate said in Iowa. "We have a duty to protect God's creation and we have a responsibility to repair the damage that we do as we go on in life." She was speaking to about 1,000 people packed into a gymnasium Sunday at Luther College in Decorah, in northeast Iowa. "Some of the damage ... we didn't know about, we didn't understand," she said. "But now we do _ so we have no excuses left."
RELATED: At Rutgers, Clinton Ties Flap to Fight For Equality
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001964.html

Bush, Iraq War Raise Money for Democrats
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001867.html
Democratic Party strategists have received the results of an in-depth survey by Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry's former presidential pollster, Mark S. Mellman, that attempts to explain why the party's donors are so energized, giving presidential candidates more than twice as much as the Republicans seeking the White House are getting. The national survey of 1,200 "progressive donors" conducted over 10 days in March found that vigorous opposition to President Bush and the Iraq war is continuing to serve as a powerful driver for those who contribute.

Democrats Recruiting Challengers for Growing Target List
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100998.html
That strategy paid major dividends for Democrats in 2006 as they upset previously safe incumbents in Kansas, California and Arizona, and came mighty close in the GOP strongholds of Idaho and Wyoming. Democrats hope to repeat that game plan in 2008, aided by the continued dismal national political environment for Republicans.
RELATED: GOP Troubles May Hurt Bid To Retake Congress in 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100999.html

Top

Effective and Ethical Government

In Detailed Speech, Bush Says Iraq Buildup Is Working
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002018.html
President Bush on Friday offered a detailed defense of his strategy to increase the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, saying that despite headline-grabbing bombings and other acts of violence, the plan is starting to work. "There are still horrific attacks in Iraq," Bush told an audience of more than 400 at an event sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. "But the direction of the fight is beginning to shift." Using photographs and maps displayed on television monitors to buttress his argument, Bush said the violence is slowing in Baghdad, in its suburbs and in Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold. The speech, followed by a 35-minute question-and-answer session with the audience, marked a subtle change in how Bush is making his case for his decision to intensify U.S. engagement in the increasingly unpopular war.

Four Clear Voices Rise Above the Din on Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201054.html
The Iraq war debate in Congress is a drama with many actors. But along with the usual headliners and party faithful, certain individuals have emerged as bellwether figures. It's a varied bunch: military veterans and antiwar liberals, New Englanders and Texans, representing both sides of the political aisle. Like many ordinary Americans, their views on Iraq are shaped by different life experiences and notions of patriotism and loyalty. This week, House and Senate Democrats are expected to produce an Iraq funding bill that includes criteria for withdrawing troops. President Bush is certain to veto it, and Democrats are certain to cook up a new strategy for forcing the White House's hand. Here's a sample of the lawmakers who will be crucial to the outcome. Moderate GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe represents the staunchly antiwar state of Maine and is deeply unhappy with Bush's leadership on Iraq. She opposes the troop buildup that is underway and supported Democratic-led efforts to state Congress's opposition to it. She has proposed her own terms for changing course in Iraq; they establish benchmarks for political progress as conditions for continued U.S. involvement.

Lawmaker Leaves Panel After FBI Search
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000703.html
Arizona Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, whose wife's business was searched by the FBI on Thursday, says he will temporarily step down from the House Intelligence Committee. Law enforcement officials confirmed in October that they were scrutinizing a land deal that would benefit a Renzi friend and business associate who was also a campaign donor. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Friday that Renzi told him of the search and volunteered to step down from the committee, which has some oversight authority over the FBI, "to avoid any unnecessary distractions on the panel and its critical work."

Lobbyists Profit From Power Shift In Congress
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201021.html
The Democratic takeover of Congress has not only been good business for Democratic lobbyists, but it has also turned into a bipartisan boon: In the four months since the midterm elections, the number of new lobbyist registrations has nearly doubled to 2,232 from 1,222 in the comparable period a year earlier. "We're having a huge surge in business right now," said David M. Carmen, president of the Carmen Group, a mid-size lobbying shop that has added both Democratic and Republican lobbyists since the elections. "We are up almost 30 percent compared to last year."

After Adopting Term Limits, States Lose Female Legislators
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100792.html
"The evidence has shown that it has had absolutely no positive effect at all," said Moncrief, a Boise State University professor who predicted 15 years ago that term limits would increase representation for women. "The logic was impeccable, the empirical evidence not at all. The problem is there aren't as many women running as we expected." In a political year that features Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the first female House speaker and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as the most prominent female presidential candidate in history, politicians and interest groups are puzzling over ways to advance the prospects of women in state capitals.

U.S. Rep. Millender-McDonald dies
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-22-mcdonald-obit_N.htm
Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died early Sunday of cancer, an aide said.
Millender-McDonald, who was 68, died at her home in Carson, Calif., said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen. McQueen could provide no details on what form of cancer Millender-McDonald had. He said she had been receiving hospice care. The congresswoman had asked for a four- to six-week leave of absence from the House last week to deal with her illness. She was in her seventh term representing a heavily Democratic Southern California district that includes Compton, Long Beach and parts of Los Angeles.

Top

Civil Liberties and Equality

Few Specifics Evident As Padilla Trial Nears
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201238.html
The trial of Jose Padilla, the "dirty bomber" whose alleged plotting was used to justify extraordinary presidential power, will get underway next month, and the prosecution's case is rich in atmospherics. The evidence against Padilla and his two co-defendants includes wiretapped recordings in which the men seem to speak in code; someone spent $3,500 to buy "zucchini." They speak obliquely of travel to Kosovo, Chechnya and "the area of Usama." A "mujahideen data form" bearing Padilla's fingerprints and information was discovered at a reputed al-Qaeda hideout in Afghanistan, prosecutors said. But for all its suggestion of jihadist intent, the indictment on charges of a "conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim" lacks anything about the defendants being involved in any particular plot in the United States or anywhere else. That absence of violent specifics -- no who, what or when -- is expected to be critical in the trial's outcome and is a reflection of troubles in the high-profile prosecution.

Top

Foreign Policy

Treasury wields financial sanctions
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704220401apr23,1,2379934.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
President Bush warned Sudan last week that unless it moved quickly to end the violence in Darfur, the Treasury Department would ban Sudanese companies from doing business in the U.S. The same day, the Palestinian finance minister was in Washington, urgently seeking a way around Treasury sanctions imposed because of Hamas' role in the government. When it comes to diplomacy, the arm of the Treasury Department is getting longer. The use of financial tools to cut off cash to terrorist supporters and nuclear proliferators -- from Iran and North Korea to Sudan and the Palestinian Authority -- has become central to the administration's strategy in getting regimes to change their behavior.

Gates Coaxes Iraq on Political Front
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002049.html
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, unsatisfied with the pace of political reconciliation in Iraq, laid down an implicit deadline Friday by urging Iraqi leaders to pass key laws by summer while repeating his warning that U.S. troops will not patrol Iraqi streets indefinitely. Gates also described as "mixed" the results of two-month-old military operations to curb violence in Baghdad, which have included tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops. "Our commitment to Iraq is long-term, but it is not a commitment to have our young men and women patrolling Iraq's streets open-endedly," Gates said at a news conference.

Kurds Cultivating Their Own Bonds With U.S.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201568.html
With Sunni and Shiite Arabs locked in a bloody sectarian war, Iraq's Kurds are promoting their interests through an influence-buying campaign in the United States that includes airing nationwide television advertisements, hiring powerful Washington lobbyists and playing parts of the U.S. government against each other. A former car mechanic who happens to be the son of Iraq's president is at the center of Kurdish efforts to cultivate support for their semi-independent enclave, but the cast of Kurdish proponents also includes evangelical Christians, Israeli operatives and Republican political consultants.

New sectarian battle front feared
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704220286apr23,1,6967465.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
A forbidden love affair that ended with a young woman's death by stoning led to religiously motivated bloodshed Sunday when gunmen dragged members of a religious minority off a bus and killed 23 of them, police and witnesses said. The incident in the northern city of Mosul was shocking in its brutality and frightening for the specter it raised -- violence between Muslims and non-Muslims aggravating the already volatile conflict involving Sunni Arabs and Sunni Kurds in the region. The victims were Yazidis, a sect that is neither Christian nor Muslim and whose followers have faced persecution from a succession of rulers. Police in Mosul said the slayings took place Sunday evening as a bus was carrying employees of a weaving factory home after work.

Amid tensions, US, Iran both give lift to Afghanistan city
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/04/23/amid_tensions_us_iran_both_give_lift_to_afghanistan_city/
When the US government wanted to show its friendship here after the Taliban fell, it brought fuel to run the generators at the local hospital. When neighboring Iran wanted to show its friendship, it brought electricity to the entire city. Today, Herat -- just 75 miles from the Iranian border -- is the only place in Afghanistan with power 24 hours a day, impeccably paved highways, and plans for a railroad. Even US officials acknowledge that this stunning progress occurred mostly thanks to Iran.
RELATED: Afghan Bombings Kill 9 and Wound More Than 40
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/world/asia/23afghan.html?ref=world

Hamas Calls For Revenge In Killing of Palestinians
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042200522.html
Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians in incidents Sunday in the West Bank, prompting Hamas officials to call on their movement's military wing to respond "with all possible means of resistance." Following the most violent day between Israelis and Palestinians in weeks, Israeli soldiers killed two wanted men in Nablus during a morning arrest operation after troops came under fire, military officials said. Hours later, soldiers mortally wounded a Palestinian teenager near Ramallah after a crowd hurled molotov cocktails and rocks at a patrol. Military officials said the 17-year-old boy was shot as he prepared to throw a molotov cocktail at the troops, but Palestinian witnesses said he was throwing rocks. The killings brought to nine the number of Palestinians killed over the weekend, most of them members of armed groups.
RELATED: Arab Israeli lawmaker resigns
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bishara23apr23,1,960329.story?coll=la-headlines-world

In Syria, choice is for shoppers, not voters
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria23apr23,1,1750280.story?coll=la-headlines-world
Economic reform has not led to political change. Sunday's election offers many candidates, but few real alternatives.

Nigerian Opposition, Monitors Want Vote Voided
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042200228.html
The two leading opposition candidates and the largest independent observer mission on Sunday denounced this weekend's presidential election, saying rigging and incompetence had so tainted the process that only a new vote could correct it. As ballots were still being tallied, election observers and journalists reported numerous cases of blatant ballot-box stuffing, intimidation and other apparent efforts to skew results in favor of the party of outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo.
RELATED: In Nigerian Vote, Chaos and Fraud
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100198.html

Chaos in Somalia as Fighting Intensifies and Death Toll Rises
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/world/africa/23somalia.html
Government forces and insurgents in Somalia blasted each other for a fifth straight day on Sunday, killing scores of civilians and plunging the country deeper into chaos. United Nations officials say Somalia, which has gone 16 years without a central government, is headed toward its worst crisis ever. More than 320,000 people have fled Mogadishu, the capital, since heavy fighting erupted in February. Many are now trapped in wet, squalid camps ringing the capital, with relief efforts severely hampered by the increasingly dangerous conditions.

Group says [Zimbabwe] female protesters jailed naked
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704220319apr23,1,5460134.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Women arrested at a protest organized by a pro-democracy group were stripped of their clothes and jailed naked for hours, the group said Sunday. Eighty-two members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise group were arrested in the city of Bulawayo at the protest Thursday against power outages. Police said it was an illegal political demonstration.

N. Korea Holds Off On Reactor Pledge
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000647.html
Despite assurances from U.S. and Macau officials, North Korea said Friday it is still negotiating over possession of $25 million in North Korean accounts frozen by Macau banking authorities for 21 months. U.S. officials have repeatedly declared the complicated financial dispute resolved, but it has persisted in preventing implementation of an agreement Feb. 13 under which North Korea pledged to close its main nuclear reactor and allow verification by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

U.S. Knew of China Missile Test, but Kept Silent
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/washington/23satellite.html
After a Chinese interceptor smashed into a target satellite in January, Bush administration officials criticized the test as a destabilizing development. It was the first successful demonstration of an antisatellite missile by any country in more than 20 years. Pentagon officials warned that the test had increased the threat to American satellites. Space experts fretted that it had spawned a cloud of orbiting debris. American diplomats complained to their counterparts in Beijing. What administration officials did not say is that as the Chinese were preparing to launch their antisatellite weapon, American intelligence agencies had issued reports about the preparations being made at the Songlin test facility. In high-level discussions, senior Bush administration officials debated how to respond and even began to draft a protest, but ultimately decided to say nothing to Beijing until after the test.

Sarkozy, Royal Head to Presidential Runoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042200196.html
French voters Sunday chose ruling party candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Ségolène Royal to compete in the French presidential runoff in two weeks, with a massive voter turnout backing a generational shift of the country's leadership. Sarkozy, the tough-talking former interior minister and candidate of the Union for a Popular Movement party, won 31 percent of the vote, and Royal, who has cast herself as a maternal protector vying to be France's first female president, received 26 percent, with nearly all of the ballots counted. Eighty-four percent of the 44.5 million eligible voters cast ballots -- an apparent record in a first-round presidential ballot in France -- reflecting the urgency of an election that centered on the country's fear of economic decline at home and diminishing influence abroad.
RELATED: French vote sets stage for a new political era
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-france23apr23,1,2468785.story?coll=la-headlines-world

Cubans outlive most of hemisphere
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-22-cuba_N.htm
"Fidel: 80 More Years," proclaim the good wishes still hanging on storefront and balcony banners months after Cubans celebrated their leader's 80th birthday. Fidel Castro may be ailing, but he's a living example of something Cubans take pride in — an average life expectancy roughly similar to that of the United States. They ascribe it to free medical care, mild climate, and a low-stress Caribbean lifestyle, which they believe make up for the hardships and shortages they suffer. "Sometimes you have all you want to eat and sometimes you don't," said Raquel Naring, a 70-year-old retired gas station attendant. "But there aren't elderly people sleeping on the street like other places."

Colombian President Hits Back
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001869.html
Facing allegations that his family had ties to illegal paramilitary groups, President Álvaro Uribe issued fervent denials at a news conference here Thursday and in Miami on Friday as he tried quell a scandal that he said "puts at risk the greater interests of the country." "Why condemn me without listening to me?" the president said in the nationally televised news conference in Bogota late Thursday. "I have to apologize for mistakes, but not for crimes."

Top

Marriage and Family Issues

Spitzer plans bill to make gay marriage legal in N.Y.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/23/spitzer_plans_bill_to_make_gay_marriage_legal_in_ny/
Governor Eliot Spitzer will introduce a bill in the coming weeks to legalize same-sex marriage in the state, a move that would propel New York to the forefront of one of the most contentious issues in politics. Though he had long voiced support for same-sex marriage and had promised during his campaign last year to introduce legislation to legalize it, Spitzer did not mention the issue in his State of the State speech in January or in remarks a week ago outlining his priorities for the remainder of the legislative session, which ends June 21.

Top

Health Care and Public Safety

FDA Was Aware of Dangers To Food
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201551.html
The Food and Drug Administration has known for years about contamination problems at a Georgia peanut butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people, sickened hundreds, and forced one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history, documents and interviews show. Overwhelmed by huge growth in the number of food processors and imports, however, the agency took only limited steps to address the problems and relied on producers to police themselves, according to agency documents.

Firms, Families Settle Spinach Claims
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201199.html
The companies that grew, processed and marketed contaminated spinach that led to a nationwide E. coli outbreak last year have settled lawsuits in the deaths of three women. The lawyer for the families of Ruby Trautz, 81, of Bellevue, Neb.; Betty Howard, 83, of Richland, Wash.; and June Dunning, 86, of Hagerstown, said the women died after eating fresh spinach bagged under the Dole label.

Top

Crime and Penal Reform

Justice Thomas's Life A Tangle of Poverty, Privilege and Race
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042101475.html
As arguably the most powerful African American in public life, he labors under expectations that none of his fellow justices face. Even as Thomas goes about his work, perhaps the purest conservative on the high court, it is his racial identity that shadows him. For 16 years, there have been questions: Would he be on the court if he were not black? Would his silence at oral arguments cast doubt on his intellect if he were not black? Would he be the subject of such public scrutiny if he were not a black conservative? Ever since Thomas replaced Thurgood Marshall in 1991, many have struggled to reconcile who he is today with where he began -- as the Jim Crow-era child of deprivation in Pin Point, a boy whose family insulated its shack with newspapers and shared an outhouse with neighbors.
RELATED: The New 5-to-4 Supreme Court
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/weekinreview/22liptak.html?ref=washington

Victim's Father Expresses Condolences for Cho Family, Korean Community
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100668.html
The services in Chantilly were among a handful of funerals and memorial services today for the 32 people shot to death at Virginia Tech. The Reuters news services reported that nearly a dozen funerals and memorial services for victims were planned in Blacksburg and across the United States. Among them were the first two people killed: Emily Hilscher, a freshman from Rappahannock Cou nty, and Ryan Clark, a senior from Martinez, Ga. They were shot in the West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. Clark was a member of the Virginia Tech marching band, and members of that group traveled to Georgia today to perform at his services. The band performed rousing renditions of school fight songs, which brought clapping mourners to their feet. Liviu Librescu, an engineering professor who was killed in the Norris building while holding his classroom door shut so many of his students could escape through the windows, was buried yesterday in Israel. Yesterday was a national day of mourning to honor the students and faculty killed in the rampage.
RELATED: Mourning Reaches Far Corners of the Globe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201546.html

Law would focus on gun buyers' history
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-22-vt-gun-law_N.htm
The Virginia Tech shootings, which left 32 victims and gunman Seung Hui Cho dead, have given rise to a legislative proposal in Congress to tighten background checks on firearms purchasers with a history of mental illness such as that suspected in Cho. Cho, the 23-year-old student who went on a shooting rampage a week ago, was able to buy two pistols and ammunition even though a judge in 2005 declared him a danger to himself and ordered a psychiatric evaluation. A federal law passed in 1994 bans the sale of handguns to people with a history of mental illness. Gun dealers are required to use an FBI-maintained database to check buyers' backgrounds.
RELATED: Congress hesitant on legislation
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/04/23/congress_hesitant_on_legislation/

NASA Gunman Got Poor Job Review
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100234.html
The gunman who apparently shot to death one man and then himself at the Johnson Space Center had received a poor job review and feared being fired, police said Saturday. William A. Phillips, 60, smuggled a snub-nosed revolver into the space center Friday and barricaded himself in a building that houses space communications and tracking systems, officials said. Phillips confronted a superior, David Beverly, 62, in Beverly's office about his performance review, police said. After talking with Beverly for several minutes, Phillips shot him twice and left. He returned and shot Beverly twice more, police said. Houston Police Chief Harold L. Hurtt said Phillips bought a .38-caliber revolver last month, two days after receiving an e-mail that his job performance was going to be reviewed.

DNA to clear 200th person
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-22-dna-exoneration_N.htm
A former Army cook who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a rape he did not commit is scheduled today to become the 200th person exonerated by DNA evidence, underscoring the quickening pace of overturned convictions, according to the Innocence Project. The New York-based legal group says the 100th exoneration occurred in January 2002, 13 years after the first exoneration. It took just more than five years for the number to double. "Five years ago, people said that the number (of exonerations) was going to dry up because there just weren't many wrongful convictions," said lawyer Barry Scheck, who co-founded the Innocence Project in 1992 to help prisoners prove their innocence through DNA evidence. "But clearly, there are plenty of innocent persons still in prison. There's no way you can look at this data without believing that." David Lazer, a Harvard University public policy professor who specializes in DNA issues, says improved testing technology and an increase in the number of lawyers who are taking on DNA cases should result in a continued increase in the number of wrongful convictions that are set aside. Convicting an innocent person is "every prosecutor's nightmare," said Joshua Marquis, vice president of the National District Attorneys Association.

State orders review over prison errors
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/23/state_orders_review_over_prison_errors/
The Patrick administration said yesterday it is ordering a sweeping review of [Massachusetts] state prison operations to make sure errors that led to the wrongful confinement of at least 14 inmates -- one for more than four years -- are corrected and not repeated. Responding to a Globe Spotlight Team report yesterday about a series of sentence miscalculations, Public Safety Commissioner Kevin M. Burke called the mistakes unacceptable and said the state Department of Correction violated its moral and ethical obligation by not notifying the inmates about the errors. "None of this is acceptable," Burke said. "There is no reason for any kind of error given the system and the numbers of lawyers who examine these cases. And the governor feels the same way."

Top

Economy

Dallas Fed exec eyes globalization's effect
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-04-22-fisher-usat_N.htm
A little more than a year after Richard Fisher took charge of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in 2005, he announced a radical change at the regional central bank. Fisher launched an ambitious effort to analyze the effects of globalization on the U.S. economy and how the dramatic increase in trade of goods and services should change the Fed's thinking about the economy and interest rate policy. A year later, Fisher, a former U.S. trade official who was born to immigrant parents and spent part of his youth in Mexico, says economists have barely begun to gain an understanding of globalization's impact. One of the stumbling blocks is that countries collect and disseminate data in very different ways. It's a daunting task, but Fisher says gaining a better understanding of globalization could help the Fed in one of its primary missions: tackling inflation.

Democrats Craft New Tax Rules, New Image
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201552.html
House Democrats, aiming to seize taxes from Republicans as a political issue, have come up with a plan to shift the burden of the hated alternative minimum tax onto the shoulders of the nation's richest households. The proposal, still in its preliminary stages, would attempt to restore the original purpose of the parallel tax structure, which was created in 1969 to nab 155 super-rich tax filers who were using loopholes and deductions to wipe out their tax bills.

Social Security Report to Be Released
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042300225.html
The odds that President Bush will be able to make significant changes in either Social Security or Medicare before leaving office appear increasingly slim. But that doesn't mean Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the administration's point man in the effort, has given up trying to achieve a breakthrough in what Bush once termed the top domestic priority for his second term. The debate will be revived Monday when the trustees of Social Security and Medicare provide their annual update on the health of the government's two biggest benefit programs.

Stocks Surge, Dow Closes Near 13,000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000362.html
Wall Street bounded higher Friday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrial average to a record close approaching 13,000 as investors celebrated a week of surprisingly strong earnings reports. The major indexes all had their third straight winning week, their longest such streak since October. Investors who had tempered their expectations for first-quarter earnings on Monday were energized by the initial wave of upbeat results. So far into the earnings season, 16 of the 30 Dow components have posted financial results for the first three months of the year _ with 10 surpassing analyst forecasts. Dow components Honeywell International Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Pfizer Inc., and McDonald's Corp. all reported earnings Friday.
RELATED: Dow's day-to-day streak unmatched in 15 years
http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2007-04-23-dow-streak-usat_N.htm

U.S. Exposed Personal Data
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002208.html
For more than a decade, the Census Bureau posted on a public Web site the Social Security numbers of 63,000 people who received financial aid, officials said yesterday. The apparent violation of federal privacy law prompted concerns about identity theft. Government officials removed the data from the Web site on April 13, the day they were alerted to the breach by an Illinois farmer who discovered the numbers while surfing the Internet. They did not publicize the matter until yesterday, saying they needed the delay to enable information-security officials to contact those whose numbers were revealed and to contact "at least a half-dozen" mirror sites.

Wolfowitz Faces New Inquiry
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042000220.html
The World Bank's board said yesterday that it has ordered an ad hoc group of its members to "urgently" conduct a far-reaching investigation into bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz's involvement in arranging the compensation and promotion package for his companion, who is also a bank employee. The board did not set a timeframe for the committee's deliberations, but bank officials said an announcement could come as early as next week. The board has also postponed a nine-day trip to Mongolia and the Philippines set to start next week, bank officials said.
RELATED: World Bank board orders meeting on Wolfowitz
http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2007-04-20-wolfowitz-meeting_N.htm

Cyberspies exploit Microsoft Office
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2007-04-22-cyberspies-microsoft-office_N.htm
Cyberspies have a new secret weapon: tainted Microsoft Office files. A rising number of cyberattacks are taking aim at specific individuals at critical government agencies and corporations — enticing them to unwittingly open a corrupted Word, Excel or PowerPoint file sent as an e-mail attachment. Clicking on the file relinquishes control of the PC without the user's knowledge. The attacker then uses the compromised PC as a base from which to roam the organization's internal network. Federal agencies and defense and nuclear contractors are under assault. Security firm MessageLabs says it has been intercepting a series of attacks from PCs in Taiwan and China since November.

Top

Worker's Rights and Corporate Accountability

Hill Democrats Reach Accord On Tax Breaks For Wage Hike
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002010.html
Congressional Democrats have agreed to include nearly $5 billion in tax breaks for restaurants and other small businesses in their proposal to raise the federal minimum wage, one of their top priorities. The tax package strikes a compromise between the House and the Senate, which were pursuing dramatically different incentives for businesses affected by the wage increase. Both chambers voted to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, from $5.15 an hour, over two years -- the first increase in nearly a decade -- but the Senate wanted an $8.3 billion incentive package, and the House insisted that the price tag be kept to $1.3 billion over 10 years. The compromise drops some of the most contentious proposals, including a measure to strictly limit deferred compensation plans, one of the most popular perks in corporate America.

Study: Gender pay gap widens over time
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704220353apr23,1,4935844.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Women make only 80 percent of the salaries their male peers do one year after college; after 10 years in the workforce, the gap between their pay widens further, according to a study released Monday. The study, by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, found that 10 years after college, women earn only 69 percent of what men earn.

Top

Housing and Homelessness

Fannie Mae Accused Of Deceiving KPMG, Its Former Auditor
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002024.html
Auditor KPMG this week sued its former client Fannie Mae, alleging that the giant mortgage funding company deceived it for years, damaging KPMG's reputation and exposing it to the threat of substantial liability. Both firms have been sued by investors since Fannie Mae was revealed to have overstated profits by billions of dollars. For years, KPMG put its stamp of approval on financial statements that Fannie Mae now acknowledges were flawed.

Top

Media

Bush leaves comedy to pros at press event
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-dinner22apr22,1,5684521.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
President Bush, deferring to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, passed up any attempt to be funny at the White House Correspondents' Assn. dinner Saturday, leaving those efforts to impersonator Rich Little. Returning to the podium at the annual dinner after 23 years, Little made good on his promise to be gentle. His material was safe, if somewhat raunchy at times. He dusted off his impersonations of six presidents, including Richard Nixon and the current occupant of the White House, and avoided any reference to political issues. After one joke bombed, he said, "And you thought [Stephen] Colbert was bad."
RELATED: Carson-Era Humor, Post-Colbert
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/business/media/23carr.html

On 'The View,' a case of she-said, she-said
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-ca-view22apr22,1,6521469.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
Rosie O'Donnell jabs from the left with Elisabeth Hasselbeck gaining strength on the right.

More Staff Cuts Expected at Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/business/media/23paper.html?ref=business
The Tribune Company is expected to announce staffing reductions as early as today at its flagship Chicago Tribune as well as its largest-circulation newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, as revenue in the newspaper industry declines. While no official announcement had been made about the cuts, reports in both newspapers late last week, citing informants they did not identify, said they were imminent and would be carried out mostly through voluntary buyout packages.

Top

Education

Key Initiative Of 'No Child' Under Federal Investigation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002284.html
The Justice Department is conducting a probe of a $6 billion reading initiative at the center of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, another blow to a program besieged by allegations of financial conflicts of interest and cronyism, people familiar with the matter said yesterday. The disclosure came as a congressional hearing revealed how people implementing the $1 billion-a-year Reading First program made at least $1 million off textbooks and tests toward which the federal government steered states. "That sounds like a criminal enterprise to me," said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House education committee, which held a five-hour investigative hearing. "You don't get to override the law," he angrily told a panel of Reading First officials. "But the fact of the matter is that you did."

Top

Science and Technology

U.S. Billionaire Back After Ride Into Space
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100394.html
A U.S. billionaire who won a junior cosmonaut contest as a child returned Saturday from a dream voyage to the international space station, riding a Russian capsule to a soft landing on the Kazakh steppe. Charles Simonyi, 58, a native of Hungary who helped design Microsoft Word and Excel, smiled and chatted with rescuers who helped him gingerly out of the Soyuz capsule. He appeared energized by his $25 million, two-week trip.

Top

Military

Report On Haditha Condemns Marines
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002308.html
The Marine Corps chain of command in Iraq ignored "obvious" signs of "serious misconduct" in the 2005 slayings of two dozen civilians in Haditha, and commanders fostered a climate that devalued the life of innocent Iraqis to the point that their deaths were considered an insignificant part of the war, according to an Army general's investigation. Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell's 104-page report on Haditha is scathing in its criticism of the Marines' actions, from the enlisted men who were involved in the shootings on Nov. 19, 2005, to the two-star general who commanded the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq at the time. Bargewell's previously undisclosed report, obtained by The Washington Post, found that officers may have willfully ignored reports of the civilian deaths to protect themselves and their units from blame. Though Bargewell found no specific coverup, he concluded that there also was no interest at any level in investigating allegations of a massacre.
RELATED: Military grants immunity to 7 Marines in Haditha killings
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-20-marines-immunity-haditha_N.htm

Mission of Marines' parents: to cope
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-parents23apr23,1,6586122.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Patricia Fry, whose son is a Marine infantryman, was explaining the fine art of creating a scrapbook to Rita Swift, whose son is a Marine helicopter pilot. "I think the blue looks great because it brings out the blue in the flag," Fry told Swift as she arranged a picture of her son, Maj. Mike Swift, on a page in her book. The scrapbooks have a dual purpose: They keep parents busy during the anxious days of their son's or daughter's deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. And, should the worst happen, the scrapbooks will be a memorial to a lost loved one. "I'm looking for ways to stay busy, to make it easier," said Swift, of Palos Heights, Ill. Her son has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and may return to Iraq once his tour as a test pilot is complete.

Congress Skeptical of Warhead Plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042101000.html
Congressional hearings over the past several weeks have shown that the Bush administration's plan to move ahead with a new generation of nuclear warheads faces strong opposition from House and Senate members concerned that the effort lacks any strategic underpinning and could lead to a new nuclear arms race. Experts inside and outside the government questioned moving forward with a new warhead as old ones are being refurbished and before developing bipartisan agreement on how many warheads would be needed at the end of what could be a 30-year process. Several, including former senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), suggested linking production of a new warhead with U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a move the Bush administration has opposed.

Blue Angel Jet Crashes at Air Show
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/21/AR2007042100834.html
A Navy Blue Angel fighter jet crashed during an air show Saturday, plunging into a neighborhood of small homes and trailers and killing the pilot, the county coroner said. It was the first death of a Blue Angel pilot since 1999.

Top

Energy Policy

Reliance on Coal Sullies 'Green the Capitol' Effort
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002128.html
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a pre-Earth Day news conference this week to promote her plans to "Green the Capitol," she promised a number of steps to make the congressional campus a model of environmentalism. But, surrounded by boxes of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs she wants to install in 12,000 desk lamps, she became conspicuously vague when asked about the pair of towering smokestacks four blocks away. The Capitol Power Plant, operated by Congress, is the only coal-burning plant in the District and is a major source of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and soot in a city that has repeatedly been found in violation of the Clean Air Act. But any efforts to eliminate coal have been thwarted by two of the most powerful figures in the Senate, who just happen to represent coal-producing states: Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Top

Environment and Conservation

Rove and celebrities get feisty on global warming
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rove23apr23,1,50936.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Karl Rove's debate with singer Sheryl Crow and producer Laurie David about global warming heated the atmosphere at a black-tie Washington dinner. On the eve of Earth Day, Crow and "Inconvenient Truth" producer David walked over to the presidential advisor's table at the White House Correspondents' Assn. dinner Saturday night at the Washington Hilton. Their differences on global warming quickly bubbled over, the Washington Post reported Sunday. "I am floored by what I just experienced with Karl Rove," David said later. "I went over to him and said, 'I urge you to take a new look at global warming.' He went zero to 100 with me…. I've never had anyone be so rude." Rove said: "She came over to insult me, and she succeeded." As the debate intensified, Crow tried to calm things down but was drawn into the debate with Rove instead. "You work for me," she told Rove, according to the Post column "The Reliable Source." "No," he replied. "I work for the American people."
RELATED: Bush Aide’s Celebrity Meeting Becomes a Global Warming Run-In
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/washington/23rove.html?ref=washington

Climate Change Adds Twist to Debate Over Dams
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/us/23dam.html
The power company that owns four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River says the dams provide a crucial source of so-called clean energy at a time when carbon emissions have become one of the world’s foremost environmental concerns.

Top

Opinion

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

Chuck Hagel: In Iraq, All Terribly Familiar
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002007.html
Last weekend, along with Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), I completed my fifth trip to Iraq, and I am frustrated and worried. We are still risking the lives of our troops without giving them a realistic policy worthy of their sacrifices. To me, as a Vietnam veteran, that feels terribly familiar. If success were simply a matter of the determination and ability of U.S. troops and civil servants, we would have already created a secure and stable Iraq. But unfortunately, the reality is that after more than four years, America remains the country's occupying power. Iraq's future will be determined by Iraqis, who, I hope, will reach a political accommodation -- but America is still making the major decisions and taking the lead militarily in most critical areas of the country. We can continue to help buy time for the Iraqi government -- but that time is running out.

Froomkin: The Gonzales Clown Show
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/04/20/BL2007042001046.html
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales took another massive blow to his reputation yesterday, but he also continued doing the White House an enormous service. As long as Gonzales remains front and center in the furor over last year's mass firing of U.S. attorneys -- as long as his goofy stonewalling continues to distract attention from all the elements of the purge that point so incriminatingly toward the White House -- he simply enhances his position as the ultimate "loyal Bushie." Absolutely nothing Gonzales said yesterday cast doubt on the theory that some if not all of the prosecutors were fired because they had somehow inspired the wrath of presidential adviser Karl Rove and his staff of brass-knuckled political operatives. But Gonzales didn't add fuel to the fire, either.
RELATED: The next attorney general?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-gonzales23apr23,0,2843482.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
RELATED: Wolf: Gonzales and the 'hive mind'
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-wolf21apr21,0,1634133.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

Deadlines, War Money and Pork
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/opinion/23mon1.html
President Bush is taking every opportunity to rail against the troop withdrawal deadlines in the war-spending bills that Congress is readying for passage. He warns that Congressional attempts to set deadlines will harm the troops in Iraq, because a political fight over timetables will delay money needed for the frontlines. The assertion is completely contrived. Mr. Bush voiced no such misgivings last year, when the Republican-led Congress took until June to complete a war financing bill. The $103 billion Mr. Bush wants— and Congress is ready to provide — is for spending through the end of September. It’s not needed in a lump sum or on any particular date in the near future. In the end, the real obstacle to getting the money promptly to the troops will be the veto that the president has threatened to issue on the final bill.

Husarska: Victims of terror aren't terrorists
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-husarska23apr23,0,1785714.story?coll=la-opinion-center
THE CIVIL WAR in Iraq has stranded 2 million Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries — and Washington says that up to 7,000 of them may be resettled in the United States this year. But which ones? During a recent trip to the Middle East, I talked with many refugees who seemed to deserve resettlement in the U.S. but may never get it. Even though they have been brutalized by the factional fighting in Iraq, the U.S. government might label them supporters of terrorism.
RELATED: Iraq’s Desperate Exodus
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/opinion/22sun2.html

Cubans can be terrorists, too
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/04/21/cubans_can_be_terrorists_too/
THE BUSH administration, which revels in its no-holds-barred approach to fighting terrorism, is treating one accused terrorist with extraordinary gentleness. Luis Posada Carriles worked for the CIA in the '60s and '70s, ran guns for the US-backed Contras in Central America in the '80s, and has many supporters among Cuban exiles. But he still is accused of masterminding the murder of 73 passengers and crew members on a Cuban airliner in 1976. He needs to be brought to account.

Kovacs: It's Not Just Pet Food
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201163.html
Lost amid the anxiety surrounding the tainted U.S. pet food supply is this sobering reality: It's not just pet owners who should be worried. The uncontrolled distribution of low-quality imported food ingredients, mainly from China, poses a grave threat to public health worldwide. Essential ingredients, such as vitamins used in many packaged foods, arrive at U.S. ports from China and, as recent news reports have underscored, are shipped without inspection to food and beverage distributors and manufacturers. Although they are used in relatively small quantities, these ingredients carry enormous risks for American consumers. One pound of tainted wheat gluten could, if undetected, contaminate as much as a thousand pounds of food.

Health care for more kids
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0704220274apr23,0,6432650.story?coll=chi-newsopinion-hed
Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), along with several of their House colleagues, have introduced a bill to reauthorize and significantly expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program through the Healthy Kids Act of 2007. The Bush administration has no intention of allowing such an expansion. Both sides are gearing up for a fight that could be the opening to a larger health-care conflict. SCHIP is a state-federal program designed to insure children in low-income families that don't qualify for Medicaid. It covers families that earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which comes to about $41,000 in annual income for a family of four. The program covers 5 million kids. SCHIP has been insuring kids since 1997.

Lender's Paradise
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201069.html
BAD BEHAVIOR is not the only reason to scrutinize the federally subsidized student loan business. But it is a good place to start after reports of ethical lapses at student loan firms.
RELATED: Kuttner: Privatizing and profiteering
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/04/21/privatizing_and_profiteering/

Stop ... the foreclosures
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/04/22/0423edsubprime.html
The two biggest sources of mortgage money in the United States just stuck their fingers into a dike to hold back a flood of home foreclosures. The response of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to a crisis for subprime borrowers is welcome. It won't be enough to save the houses of every consumer who took out one of the enticing but risky loans. But it provides an example for the rest of the mortgage industry to follow.

Gay Gains
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002054.html
GAY AND LESBIAN couples in New Hampshire took a step closer to gaining official recognition of their relationships when Gov. John Lynch (D) said this week he would sign legislation to establish civil unions in the Granite State. "I believe it is a matter of conscience, fairness and preventing discrimination," he said Thursday. We agree. Other states should follow suit.

Greenberg: Our zero-tolerance society
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-greenberg22apr22,0,2748081.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
JUST HOURS after devouring Don Imus for his slurs against the Rutgers University women's basketball team, the media pack was already circling fresh quarry. As the leather-faced hate jock fast became a bad memory, the scandal jackals were, by last weekend, starting to chew up a new menu of reprobates, from U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales to World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz to Durham County, N.C., Dist. Atty. Michael B. Nifong. Next week, surely, still other offenders will face the media maw. I am not defending these guys. I believe that the racist Imus — a third-rate Howard Stern with a middlebrow patina — deserved to go, and that Gonzales and Wolfowitz (and possibly Nifong) ought to follow. But the speed and ferocity of the attacks against them and the harsh tenor of the discourse — in these scandals and others like them — hardly reflect a dispassionate pursuit of justice.
RELATED: Rogoff: A World Bank without U.S. dominance
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0704220266apr23,0,6760331.story?coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed

Hoagland: From Blacksburg to Algiers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001944.html
Last Week's tragedies in Baghdad, Blacksburg and Algiers flow together through the coincidence of timing and in the magnitude of their death tolls.

Boss: Where Victims' Rights Go Wrong
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201164.html
Since 1981, the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime has dedicated a week in April to recognizing crime victims' rights. The week -- this year's observance began yesterday -- is usually marked by rallies, candlelight vigils and other activities intended to promote victims' rights and to honor crime victims and those who work on their behalf. Victims deserve the recognition that this week provides, and they deserve sympathy and compensation for their losses. But I am increasingly concerned about what I believe they do not deserve, which is the right to serve as de facto prosecutors, a practice that is quietly insinuating itself into the legal system. Our desire to increase victims' rights is closely related to our national obsession with being "tough on crime." While this mantra makes for good political rhetoric, it often leads to illogical and irrational criminal justice policies.
RELATED: Tucker: Pushing guns for all students cartoonish idea
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tucker/stories/2007/04/21/0422edtuck.html

King: From Clinton, Hip-Hop Hypocrisy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042001589.html
You would not be reading about Clinton or about Timbaland -- who entered this vale of tears 36 years ago in Norfolk under the name Timothy Mosley -- were it not for the fact that he is a well-heeled hip-hop producer and noted performer of the kind of misogynistic and denigrating lyrics that informed Don Imus's derogatory comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Bless the Blackout
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/21/opinion/21sat3.html
A glitch in the BlackBerry system accomplished temporarily what some had, in their darkest moments, considered effecting with a hammer.

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