Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Colorado Water
Water quality should rise in the Blue River, according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 15, 2004, "Conservation deal will boost water quantity in Blue River"]. From the article, "Under a deal approved Tuesday by the state, nearly 800 acre-feet of water will be donated to the Blue River by the nonprofit Colorado Water Trust. An acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons, enough to serve up to two households for a year."
8:44:46 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
Here's an opinion piece about Amendment 34 from the Denver Post [September 15, 2004, "Should we rescind builders' cap on damages?"]. Amendment 34 deals with buyers and builders of homes. From the article, "The proposal would amend the state constitution to prohibit the legislature from placing any limits on the amount of money a property owner can recover in a lawsuit over construction problems. (There could be limits on punitive damages.) Amendment 34 is a response to the 2003 passage of House Bill 1161, which placed detailed limits on construction lawsuits after a court ruling made it more feasible to file lawsuits to hold builders accountable for construction defects. That 2003 law allows property owners to recover the value of the property, the cost of replacement or the cost of repair, whichever is less. Damages also can include the cost of temporary housing and other expenses, including some legal costs. But the law puts a ceiling of $250,000 on extra damages that can be collected. (Before HB 1161 was passed, plaintiffs could recover triple their actual damages in cases where consumer laws were violated.) There's also a $250,000 limit on damages for pain and suffering. The law also requires property owners to give builders a chance to fix problems. If no agreement is reached in 75 days, a residential property owner can then sue. There's a 90-day period for commercial property. HB 1161 was passed after a pitched battle between homebuilders and trial lawyers. The acrimony has been renewed over Amendment 34."
Here's a list of the statewide ballot issues from the Cortez Journal.
8:36:39 AM

2004 Presidential Election
Here's the Denver Post's coverage of President Bush's rally yesterday in Denver [September 15, 2004, "Whatever it takes"]. From the article, "The crowd - respectful and attentive as Bush talked about creating tax-free health savings accounts and expanding community health centers in poor counties across the country - was loudest when he spoke of strength over weakness, offense before defense and force over passivity." The Post also has a link to the full text of the speech. I wish they'd stream video in file formats other than Windows media, show a little inclusion.
Taegan Goddard: "New polls. The ICR Presidential Tracking Poll shows President Bush leading Sen. John Kerry 48% to 44%. Here are the latest state polls: Minnesota - Kerry 50%, Bush 41% (Minneapolis Star Tribune); Michigan - Kerry 50%, Bush 44% (Gallup); Florida - Bush 51%, Kerry 45% (Survey USA); Wisconsin - Bush 49%, Kerry 47% (Rasmussen); Wisconsin - Bush 49%, Kerry 44% (Strategic Vision); Nevada - Bush 51%, Kerry 47% (Survey USA); South Dakota - Bush 51%, Kerry 41% (Rasmussen); Georgia - Bush 58%, Kerry 36% (Strategic Vision); New York - Kerry 47%, Bush 41% (Quinnipiac)."
Electoral-vote.com: "And the good news is continuing for Bush. A new poll from Survey USA in Nevada breaks the tie and he goes ahead 51% to 47% there. Nationally he picks up five more votes in the electoral college to bring his total to 296, 26 more than needed to win."
Baghdad Burning: "There were clashes between armed Iraqis and the Americans on Haifa Street- a burned out hummer, some celebrating crowds, missiles from helicopters, a journalist dead, dozens of Iraqis wounded, and several others dead. The road leading to the airport has seen some action these last few days- more attacks on troops and also some attacks on Iraqi guard. The people in the areas surrounding the airport claim that no one got any sleep the whole night. The areas outside of Baghdad aren[base ']t much better off. The south is still seeing clashes between the Sadir militia and troops. Areas to the north of Baghdad are being bombed and attacked daily. Ramadi was very recently under attack and they say that they aren[base ']t allowing the wounded out of the city. Tel Affar in the north of the country is under siege and Falloojeh is still being bombed."
8:13:51 AM

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