Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Pueblo - Aurora IGA

Here's an article from the Pueblo Chieftain about an intergovernmental agreement between Pueblo and Aurora. From the article, "The program is set up under a 2004 intergovernmental agreement among the Pueblo water board, the city of Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fountain and the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. The agreement requires river exchanges - moving the point of water diversion - to be curtailed when flows are lower than seasonal thresholds under a recreational in-channel diversion being sought by Pueblo. This maintains flows for kayakers, fisheries and wastewater treatment through Pueblo."

New West: "The case for building whitewater parks in the downtowns of many Western towns and cities goes beyond just giving the fun-hogs a place to play. They focus attention on stretches of rivers that have often been degraded in the past, cleaning up areas and creating parks that attract businesses, families, tourists and gawkers who can't quite understand how that girl in the neon ski-boot-looking boat managed to twirl herself upside down and under the big wave in the middle. The parks are simply another aspect of many downtown revitalization projects. But they don't come without their issues. They can be hazardous to those without experience, must be maintained and are constantly in need of water. And it's this last issue that seems to never quite get resolved. Today's Durango Herald reports that LaPlata County, Colo., commissioners said Durango's push for water rights on the Animas River to maintain high flows for a kayak park could drain water from other parts of the county."

Category: Colorado Water

4:53:28 PM

Immigration
Al Knight discusses immigration and it's effects on the U.S. economy (along with taking a couple of jabs at Governor Owens) in his column in today's Denver Post [November 16, 2005, "Owens' immigration stand is disappointing"]. From the article, "...the Center for Immigration Studies, which has just released a report on birth rates among immigrants in America. What that study shows is that immigrants (legal and illegal) plus the children born to these groups add some 2.3 million people to the United States each year, 'accounting for most of the nation's population increase.' It also shows that for most immigrant groups, especially Hispanics, the fertility rate is not only much higher than that of the native-born population, it is also higher than the fertility rates in their homelands. For Mexican immigrants, the rate is 3.5 children here compared to a rate of 2.4 children in Mexico. Keep in mind that the fertility rate for native-born women is 2. Education, or the lack of it, seems to play a very big role in current birth rates. The study shows that immigrants with less than a high school education have 3.3 children on average while those with a college education have just 1.9 children."

Tom Watson: "The terrible irony in this defense of torture by the Bush Administration is that these men came to power through the efforts of a coalition of Christians. And yet our western revulsion of torture -- the very reason all of our culture proscribes its use -- is a product of the central Christian story: the torture and death of Jesus Christ at the hands of a powerful, martial nation threatened by regional movements that nip at its heels and threaten its power." Thanks to The Moderate Voice for the link.

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

9:41:35 AM

Romanoff for Governor?
Bill Johnson asks Andrew Romanoff about the speakers plans to run or not for Governor [Rocky Mountain News, November 16, 2005, "Johnson: Running for governor? Maybe, maybe not"]. From the article, "Ask me again in a week."

Denver November 2006 Election

9:20:21 AM

Referendum D fallout
State officials are scrambling a bit to fund highway projects now that Referendum D failed with the voters. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that Governor Owens wants to earmark most of the Referendum C dough next year for highways [November 16, 2005, "Ref C eyed for roads"]. From the article, "Gov. Bill Owens on Tuesday proposed spending nearly all of the $440 million in new money that Referendum C will bring Colorado this year on highway construction and the state's reserve fund. That's technically allowed under Ref C, which lifted TABOR limits on state spending for five years. But it doesn't match the message of the just-completed election campaign for Ref C, which told voters the additional revenue would go to K-12 schools, higher education and health care. Owens would provide significant new money for those areas only next year, in the 2006-2007 budget. The Republican governor's spending proposals are not set in stone. Colorado's legislature sets the budget, and it is controlled by Democrats. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, was critical, but did not condemn the governor's budget."

Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [November 16, 2005, "Roads take the fast lane in Owens' budget plan"].

Meanwhile the people will be watching the budget as never before, according to the Rocky Mountain News [Novmeber 16, 2005, "Budget plan encounters high level of scrutiny"]. From the article, "Spending proposals suggested by the governor Tuesday are just the opening act in a fiscal opera that won't reach a climax until next year. That's when legislators and the governor will come to terms on increases in the current Colorado budget as well as a state spending plan for 2006-2007. What's different this year is a remarkable level of public interest in the budget, following the battle over Referendum C."

Category: Denver November 2005 Election

8:41:25 AM

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