ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest

The Longmont Times-Call - Area lawmakers to focus on jobs

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=13570 Mark Udall says that when the 111th Congress convenes, “job one” will be “putting people back to work.” On Tuesday, the Eldorado Springs Democrat will officially assume the duties of the U.S. Senate seat he won in November. Udall stressed in a recent interview that Congress’ immediate priority will be “finding the right kind of job-creation package.” That, he said, could include federal investments in state and local infrastructure and energy projects such as highways, bridges, transit systems and electric transmission lines. Jared Polis, the Boulder Democrat who’s succeeding Udall in the U.S. House from Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, agreed that “one of the first orders of business will be an economic stimulus package.” President-elect Barack Obama has signaled that he’d like Congress to have that stimulus legislation on his desk and ready to sign when he takes office Jan. 20, Polis noted. However, recent news reports out of Washington indicate lawmakers may not meet that target date.

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Economy on Markey’s agenda | coloradoan.com

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090105/NEWS01/901050315/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02 Betsy Markey of Fort Collins will join 434 other men and women in taking the congressional oath of office Tuesday, giving Colorado's 4th Congressional District its first Democratic representative in 36 years. About 30 family members, including her three brothers and three sisters and their children, will join Markey, husband Jim and their three children in Washington to witness the event. The swearing-in ceremony will take place en masse on the House floor, with immediate family members watching from the balconies. The rest of Markey's invited guests will watch the proceedings on C-SPAN in her new office in the Longworth House Office Building, then attend a party in her honor. Then comes the hard part. Markey's to-do list includes debates and votes on another economic stimulus package with a price tag approaching $1 trillion. The package is expected to contain money to rebuild the nation's bridges and highways, give middle-class Americans a tax cut and help states pay medical bills for the poor.

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Economy looms over lawmakers | GreeleyTribune.com

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090104/NEWS/901039922/1002/NONE In the halls of the Colorado State Capitol, state legislators will soon bounce echoes of deals off the stately columns and heavy wooden doors, and most of it will involve saving Colorado from a deep recession. But how legislators do that in conjunction with Gov. Bill Ritter depends on whom you ask. Some Democratic lawmakers think Colorado needs fees or a modernization of the gas tax to help pay for things such as transportation maintenance and capital construction while Republicans say government needs to tighten its belt to make up for what could be a nearly $600 million Colorado budget shortfall. But it must be sort of difficult to gauge just what you should cut or do with the budget when analysts disagree about just how much Colorado could be short this year. That figure ranges from $80 million to $600 million, depending on who you ask. The less gut-wrenching figure comes from the governor’s office; the jaw-dropping one from the legislature’s own Legislative Council.

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Economy highest priority for our region’s legislators | GreeleyTribune.com

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090104/NEWS/901039944/1002/NONE When state lawmakers convene in Denver on Wednesday, the economy and Colorado’s resulting financial woes will be their highest priority. But the rough waters won’t stop local legislators from focusing on local priorities. State Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, and State Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Eaton, will keep their eyes on Weld County and northern Colorado even as they assume greater roles in their respective parties. Perhaps of the greatest local concern is a bill Renfroe plans to carry that would impact the Platte Valley Youth Services Center. His measure would require employees at Colorado youth detention facilities to notify local police when there is an alleged assault or abuse.

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Look who’s moving to Colorado : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/05/look-whos-moving-to-colorado/ Noticing more California, Texas and Arizona license plates on Colorado's roads in recent years? Chances are many of those people aren't visiting the state for the week, but have pulled up stakes and settled here. Maybe there have been too many fires in California or too much hot weather in Arizona and Texas. Could be Colorado's quality of life or attractive real estate are drawing newcomers. Whatever the reason, those are the three top states for new Colorado residents, according to data obtained from the state's Division of Motor Vehicles. Not surprisingly, Californians continued to lead the charge of Go east, young man, go east, according to DMV statistics.

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Lottery sales dip 2.2 percent - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11368692 When it comes to spending money on the lottery in a recession, all bets are off. The Colorado Lottery's sales dipped by 2.2 percent over the past six months, generating less money for parks, wildlife and open space. Sales plummeted 17.2 percent in November. They recovered some in December, but sales were still more than 2 percent lower than in December 2007, according to unaudited figures. The decline is modest compared with other industries. The Colorado Lottery set a sales record with $499.4 million in revenue for calendar year 2008. But the state lottery's fiscal year ended in June, and sales have dropped as the recession has deepened.

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GJSentinel.com: New web site hosted by Mesa County aims to boost local economy

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/01/02/010309_12b_GJhotspot.html Efforts to rev up the local economy in 2009 are delving into cyber-space. GJhotspot.com is a new Web site hosted by Mesa County. It was developed in partnership with the city of Grand Junction and the Grand Junction Economic Partnership. “This is all about our continued efforts to recruit retail into the valley,” said Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland.

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Amid recession, Vail Valley people choose booze | VailDaily.com

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20090103/NEWS/901039950/1001/NONE Unless you add “cutbacks” and “quarterly losses” to your workplace lexicon, there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as “business as usual” right now. That is, unless you’re in the business of selling alcohol. Despite the national belt-tightening, alcohol seems to be, if not practically recession-proof, very resilient. Try telling Avon Liquors employee Bryant Bowlby anything different and he’ll scoff at the mere thought. He sees the final numbers at the end of the night. He sees the familiar faces coming around a little more often. Alcohol sales aren’t just good, he said, they’re great. “We’ve had one of the best summers we’ve had in a while,” said Bowlby, who’s worked at the store for three years. “It wasn’t as good on New Year’s, but Christmas, it was packed.”

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Thrifty business on the rise - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11365083 You want them out of the house — now. The once-worn sweaters, the age-old handbags, the threadbare jeans — sometimes even the wrong-size blouse or wrong-color slacks with the tags still on. You cram them into plastic garbage bags along with the barely broken toys, the almost complete set of dishes, the newly obsolete electronics and the untouched gifts. And you donate them to one of the many nonprofit thrift stores that make Denver among the most competitive markets in a rapidly changing industry. What happens to them after that is the story of refurbished stores, an expanding customer base and a trickle-down trail of secondary buyers and sellers.

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Satellite firm tracking pirates - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11368375 As pirate attacks continue on ships in the faraway Gulf of Aden, a satellite company with major operations in Thornton is helping in the effort to stop them. The Ikonos satellite, which orbits 423 miles above Earth and is operated by GeoEye, snapped a high-resolution picture of oil supertanker MV Sirius Star in November, a few days after it was reported missing by the U.S. Navy, according to GeoEye spokesman Mark Brender. "We were able to precisely locate the ship about 5 miles off the Somali coast," said Brender, who directed the satellite to snap images in the area after reading press reports about the ship's location.

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Lakewood bags its taxing of groceries - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11351487 Cash registers in this city of 144,000 are not ringing up a sales tax on grocery food at the ringing in of the new year. A 2 percent tax on food for home consumption was eliminated by the City Council after a citizens committee made the recommendation last spring. Mayor Bob Murphy called the end of the food tax "a highlight of our accomplishments for 2008." Items that won't be taxed include meat, dairy products, bread, vegetables, infant formula, special dietary foods, fruit and spices.

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City dwellers embracing chickens | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan,

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090105/NEWS01/901050327/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02 California Web developer and business consultant Rob Ludlow gets laughs when he tells people his pets make him breakfast. It's no joke. Ludlow, his wife, Emily, and their two daughters have five egg-laying hens living in the backyard of their Bay Area home in Pleasant Hill, Calif. "Can your dog or cat claim the same?" Ludlow asks. He is among the growing number of city dwellers across the country choosing chickens as pets - raising them for eggs that proponents say taste fresher, for pest control, for fertilizer and, as the economy continues to struggle, for a cost-saving source of protein. Enthusiasts have been pecking away at multiple local laws this year and have persuaded officials in cities such as Fort Collins, Bloomington, Ind., and Brainerd, Minn., to change the rules.

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The Pueblo Chieftain :: State lawmaker backs Obama recovery plan

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b781ebc48b942817072.txt President-elect Barack Obama has promised legislation to spend billions of dollars on the nation's roads and bridges early next year and Colorado's economy needs that money, new state House Speaker Terrance Carroll said Thursday. Carroll, who has represented Denver's House District 7 for three terms, met with The Pueblo Chieftain editorial board and said the state has 125 road projects that would qualify for federal funding next year - part of an economic stimulus plan that Obama hopes will reverse the slumping national economy. Carroll acknowledged that the state's economy is suffering from the nation's economic woes, but said major road construction projects would help reverse that trend. "If we can get back to work on our transportation infrastructure, that should provide the jobs and revenue to help offset any slowdown," he said. "It will be the engine that rights the ship." Lawmakers are bracing for a new session that will require them to cut spending. Last fall, Gov. Bill Ritter ordered a freeze on $38 million in capital projects as well as a hiring freeze in response to a drop in state revenues. Carroll said the Democratic majority in the Legislature will be looking for ways to maintain budgets for state programs, but said tax increases are not being discussed.

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Can Obama answer Vail’s wish list? | VailDaily.com

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20081219/NEWS/812189912/1001/NONE Many towns and other municipalities are clamoring to get some of Barack Obama’s proposed economic stimulus money, and Vail, Colorado is among them. The town plans to apply for some of the funds for projects such as building an underpass at Simba Run, improving the Frontage Road, or building more employee housing at Timber Ridge and West Vail’s Chamonix property. There will be much competition for the money from other cities and towns, and the details of the proposed stimulus package, which is designed to encourage job growth in areas of infrastructure and sustainable energy, are vague, said Town Manager Stan Zemler.

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GJSentinel.com: County asking Washington for $198 million

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/12/18/121908_1a_Fed_wish_list.html Once President-elect Barack Obama takes office, local officials anticipate the new president will sign a federal stimulus package to inject millions of dollars into public-works projects across the nation. In anticipation of that stimulus package, Mesa County, the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita and the town of Palisade have compiled a wish list of 12 projects, totaling $198.2 million. The list includes road, bridge and public transportation projects as well as public buildings and two wastewater treatment plants.

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The Pueblo Chieftain :: Governor announces community project grants

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/12/19/news/denver_bureau/doc494b7be9266ac449053723.txt Thirty-five cities and towns around the state will share $21.5 million in grants for construction, infrastructure and other community projects, state officials announced Wednesday. Gov. Bill Ritter said the money will help create jobs and strengthen local economies. "Communities all across Colorado are struggling to cope with this global economic crisis," Ritter said. "These grants will allow communities to make key investments in projects that will put people to work and strengthen local economies in the short-term, while making communities more livable and economically healthy in the long-term." The money, from the state's Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Grant program, comes from the state's severance taxes and federal mineral lease payments. The grants were awarded by the Department of Local Affairs, which received 44 applications asking for about $54 million.

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The Pueblo Chieftain :: Ritter unveils economic relief plan

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b77c8c8c7d291564907.txt Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday unveiled an economic development package that he hopes will help create jobs and spur the state's economy. The governor's plan calls for tax credits for companies that create new jobs in the state, provides low-interest loans to small businesses, beefs up work-force training and invests more in new energy companies with jobs and projects. "We all know that Colorado is limited when it comes to competing against other states for new jobs," Ritter said. "But under this business attraction and expansion proposal, we would offer a tax credit to companies that offer a minimum of 20 new jobs, jobs that otherwise would not be added."

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Ritter offers small-business plan - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11265625 Gov. Bill Ritter unveiled a plan Thursday to give a tax credit to businesses that create new jobs and to help small companies get loans. The Democratic governor, flanked by lawmakers and business leaders, said the plan would help small enterprises in Colorado weather the current tough times. "Colorado remains in a better position than many other states," he said. "Having said that, we're not immune from the downturn. People are losing their jobs. Families are struggling. Companies are having trouble getting credit or capital."

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Ritter tries to combat deepening recession with first major proposal : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/18/more-money-job-training-among-ritters-proposals-bo/ Companies would have access to new money for creating jobs, training workers and expanding under the first major proposal put forth by Gov. Bill Ritter to combat a deepening recession. Ritter also said he will not support Republican efforts to make serious cuts to the tax businesses pay on equipment and which some say discourages investment. The Democratic governor unveiled plans Thursday for four separate bills at a news conference, where he was flanked by legislators and business leaders. The biggest would allow companies, both those in Colorado and those considering moving to the state, to get a tax credit for 50 percent of the payroll tax on new workers if they create 20 jobs. The plan is necessary, economic development officials said, because Colorado is losing potential jobs to states like Wyoming and Texas that can offer tens of millions of dollars to get major employers to relocate there.

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CU grads plunging into uncertain waters : CU News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/dec/18/cu-grads-pluging-uncertain-waters/ As 2,189 students receive their degrees at Friday’s University of Colorado commencement, many are coming to terms with a looming reality: They’re launching their post-collegiate careers in the midst of the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. “I’m definitely fearful,” said Melanie Whitten, an environmental design major. “Knowing how many higher-qualified people have been laid off recently makes (the job search) a lot scarier, as someone without as much experience or as wide a skill set as some of the other people now looking for work.” But a recent survey of employers could help temper the worries of new graduates. Employers say they will hire about as many new college graduates from the Class of 2009 as they did from the Class of 2008, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

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Crunch time - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11265959 Gloria Goodman will shop at the Westminster Mall this weekend in an effort to finish her Christmas shopping. Working and a busy life got in the way of her shopping, and now she's one of millions heading to stores on the final weekend before the holiday. "I have some done. I shop throughout the year because I shop the sales," she said. "I'm counting on good sales this weekend too." Retailers are eagerly awaiting shoppers like Goodman after a so-far lackluster holiday season, analysts say. Sales banners are going up, doorbusters are in stock, and some are extending hours into the night. "For retailers, this last week is going to be make-it-or-break-it time," said Ed Farrell, director of the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

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GJSentinel.com: Education one of a few bright spots in grim economy

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/12/18/121908_1a_education_outlook.html The employment outlook in a spiraling economy is dicey at best. Education is forecast to weather the storm fairly well in Colorado as the rest of the state settles into a recession in 2009, but the outlook for the education sector in Mesa County is a bit of a mixed bag. Colorado’s economic future is a grim picture, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. He predicts unemployment will rise from 5.5 percent at the end of 2008 to 6.5 percent in 2009. Local education is one of a few industries projected to increase jobs, Wobbekind said, by adding the bulk of 4,400 government jobs projected to come in 2009.

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Lending in Colorado on the rise through Nov. - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_11265823 The Colorado Bankers Association reported Thursday that lending at Colorado banks rose 10 percent in October and November, despite a deepening of the credit crisis after investment bank Lehman Brothers failed in mid-September. "The latest FDIC data shows banks were lending at record paces through September 2008. The CBA bank lending survey shows that the trend continued in Colorado through these most uncertain economic times," stated Don Childears, president and chief executive of the association.

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Foundation feels sting of market meltdown : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/18/daniels-fund-cutting-back-grants-administrative-ex/ The Daniels Fund, the region's biggest charitable foundation, will scale back charitable grants and cut administrative expenses next year after experiencing a roughly 25 percent drop in overall assets. The Denver-based organization started the year with almost $1.3 billion in assets. But it expects to finish 2008 with less than $1 billion. "It won't be business as usual here," Daniels Fund CEO Linda Childears said. "All of my foundation colleagues are going through the same thing." Childears said the group won't know until the end of the year exactly how much the downturn in financial markets has cut into its investment portfolio.

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The Longmont Times-Call - County wants environment-friendly stimulus

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=13123 Any federal economic stimulus package for Colorado transportation projects should strive to be environmentally friendly, according to Boulder County’s commissioners. Commissioners Ben Pearlman and Will Toor on Thursday approved signing onto an effort to urge funding transportation projects that would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil-fuel consumption, as Congress crafts stimulus legislation. Boulder County joins several environmental organizations in arguing that federal stimulus funds coming to Colorado should include money for public mass transit and for alternatives to building new roads and bridges. “I think this is an important message to send” to Colorado’s congressional delegation, Toor said. A draft version of a letter from Boulder County and the environmental groups asks the state’s congressional delegation to ensure that any money Colorado gets from the transportation portion of a federal economic stimulus package include transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects proposed by the Regional Transportation District, the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies and local governments.

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