Saturday, June 17, 2006

Say hello to .. Rising Sign: "I live in Denver now!" 12:47:10 PM

Rocky Mountain News: "The Colorado Supreme Court's controversial ruling this week on an illegal immigration ballot measure couldn't have come at a better time for the supporters of judicial term limits. Term-limits backers had already planned to start collecting signatures today to put their measure on the November ballot. The judicial measure, if successful, likely will mean five of the current seven Supreme Court justices will be gone within two years. Former state Senate President John Andrews, who is spearheading the term-limits proposal for appellate judges, said he has been bombarded with calls of support since Monday's ruling that disqualified the immigration issue from the ballot." 11:04:44 AM

Ritter or Beauprez for governor? The mud is starting to fly around in the governors race. Here's an article from the Rocky Mountain News with some of the tidbits. From the article, "'Illegal immigration is illegal, isn't it? It's time we in Colorado actually enforced our laws,' Beauprez says in the spot. "Ritter fired back, accusing Beauprez and other Republicans of distorting his position." "denver 2006" 10:58:33 AM

Defend Colorado Now initiative Here's an opinion piece written by Dick Lamm on the subject of the state Supreme Court ruling to keep the Defend Colorado Now initiative off the ballot this fall. He writes, "Two years ago, the state Supreme Court upheld nearly identical language but delayed its decision until it was too late to gather the required signatures. This year, the justices also waited until it was too late to place a new proposal on the ballot, then voted to disallow the initiative a place on the November ballot, claiming the initiative violated Colorado's 'single-subject' rule. The lack of intellectual integrity in this decision, ironically, can be judged by the words of our opponent's attorney, who wrote two years ago in his reply brief on virtually the same language we propose, 'Petitioners do not contend that this is a separate subject, nor could they do so in a principled manner.' Exactly. Single-subject wasn't even an issue. Everyone knew the initiative dealt with a single subject: Who is eligible for taxpayer monies? There was no argument. Last Monday's decision was not a matter of high judicial decisionmaking; it was a matter of raw, naked, arbitrary political power on the part of the court. In a decision that does not reflect legal reasoning but instead a political agenda, four members of the Colorado Supreme Court decided not to let Coloradans vote on this issue. Their action was unprincipled, unjust, unfair and unjustified... "We applaud Gov. Bill Owens for his leadership on this issue. He saw injustice and acted. Calling the Supreme Court decision "inconsistent, inappropriate and irresponsible," Owens also severely criticized the court for not ruling in a timely manner. Justice delayed truly is justice denied. The court didn't like the initiative and arbitrarily removed it from the ballot, while delaying their announcement until corrective action could not be taken. Black robes cannot disguise their political agenda. Defend Colorado Now is planning to file a motion for reconsideration with the court, and we hope for a positive, reasonable outcome. Absent that, we welcome a special session of the legislature. But it should not have to come to that. The Colorado Supreme Court decision is wrong. We are seeking the most basic of remedies under our constitution: a vote of the people. Whether to spend taxpayer dollars supporting illegal immigrants is an issue long overdue for a vote by the people." As always Ed Quillen is the voice of reason on the initiative. He writes, "Article V, Section 51 of our state constitution would then state that 'Except as mandated by federal law, the provision of non- emergency services by the state of Colorado, or any county, city, or other political subdivision thereof, is restricted to citizens of and aliens lawfully present in the United States of America,' and 'Any person lawfully residing in the state of Colorado shall have standing to sue the state of Colorado, or any county, city, or other political subdivision of the state of Colorado, to enforce this section.' Federal law requires the provision of K- 12 education, regardless of immigrant status, so the schools would not be affected. The same holds for emergency medical services and the like. But public libraries should qualify as offering a "non-emergency service." Libraries generally want some proof of identity and residency when they issue a card. The Defend Colorado Now amendment doesn't exactly require libraries to also check for citizenship or immigration status before issuing a card, but any citizen could bring a suit against the library for failing to do so. What if someone just comes in to the library to use a public computer to check her e-mail or to read some magazines? That's a 'non-emergency service,' so the library would have to check her status before allowing her past the front door, just to avoid possible litigation." "denver 2006" 10:36:55 AM

Holtzman for governor? A Denver judge ruled yesterday that Marc Holzman is going to be held to collecting 1,500 valid signatures in each of Colorado's 7 Congressional districts, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Republican gubernatorial hopeful Marc Holtzman suffered another blow Friday in his quest to be an official candidate - but he's still not out. A Denver district judge ruled that Colorado law requires a statewide candidate collect 1,500 signatures from each of the seven congressional districts in order to petition onto the Aug. 8 primary ballot. Holtzman's attorneys had argued that a candidate only needed a total of 10,500 signatures from anywhere in the state. But the judge said the law was intended to require candidates to get 'broad-based' support from all across Colorado... "The ruling still leaves Holtzman short 333 signatures in the 1st Congressional District and 410 signatures short in the 7th, according to the findings two weeks ago of Secretary of State Gigi Dennis. On Monday, however, Holtzman's legal team plans to present evidence to Hyatt that they say will show Dennis wrongly rejected at least that many signatures in those districts. Attorney John Head said that the secretary of state's database was 'defective' in that it didn't have the capabilities of matching up many signatures with voting rolls. Already, 92 signatures in the 1st district and 91 in the 7th district have been rehabilitated by the secretary of state's office in the past few days. Holtzman is short by a total of 560 signatures... "Holtzman attorney Mark Grueskin said Hyatt's decision Friday would probably be appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court." Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News. They write, "... it seems likely that the Colorado Supreme Court will have the final say in a case that could determine the fate of Holtzman's insurgent campaign for governor. Holtzman has been challenging U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez for the party's nomination. When asked if he would appeal, Holtzman attorney Mark Grueskin paraphrased a judge who had told attorneys in a case, 'Gentlemen, I know I'm just a speed bump on your way to the Supreme Court.'" "denver 2006" 10:25:48 AM

Don't eat the Pike Mercury levels are up at Vallecito reservoir, according to the Durango Herald. From the article, "... mercury has again reached serious levels in Vallecito Reservoir north of Durango. At a public meeting Tuesday in Vallecito, a research scientist from the health department will explain her findings on mercury in fish from the reservoir and why the reservoir will be posted. She also will make recommendations on limiting the consumption of northern pike and walleye caught there. According to Lucia Machado, a physical research scientist at the state health department, routine sampling in Vallecito Reservoir shows that the level of mercury in some northern pike and walleye exceeds the 0.5 parts per million allowed by the department. Mercury poisoning can affect anyone, but pregnant women and children younger than 6 are particularly susceptible. Mercury affects the developing nervous system in fetuses and children. Mercury can cause cardiovascular problems and affect the central nervous system in adults. Consumption recommendations for northern pike and walleye pike are based on the type of fish, its size and whether the person is a woman who is pregnant, nursing or planning to conceive; a child younger than 6 years old; or a member of the general population. The recommendations don't cover trout or kokanee salmon, which also can be found in Vallecito Reservoir.... "Anglers still are going after northern pike and walleye, Sanders said. After all, fishing for pike is one thing, eating them is another, he said. Mercury levels in northern pike and walleye are a concern because they are predators that eat other fish, according to Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Durango. The larger the predator, the more mercury it accumulates, he said. Kokanee salmon eat plankton and trout eat plankton and bugs mainly, he said. Pike, which have reproduced naturally since they were stocked in Vallecito decades ago, abound in Vallecito Reservoir, Lewandowski said. Trout and kokanee salmon must be stocked every year, he said. Trout are the favorite prey of northern pike and walleye, he said, because kokanee inhabit deeper water." "colorado water" 10:15:35 AM

Water Sentinels The Sierra Club is starting a citizen program to monitor pollution in Fountain Creek, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The Sierra Club plans to begin monitoring Fountain Creek from Colorado Springs to the Arkansas River beginning in August, and is looking for volunteers to help with the program. A $4,000 grant from the Sierra Club will establish a Water Sentinels organization in Pueblo, said Jenny Kedrick, who will coordinate the program... "Kedrick, who graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo with a degree in biology this year, said testing will be for E. coli bacteria and possibly other pollutants. Tests will be made using laboratory equipment at CSU-Pueblo. A training session with Scott Dye, head of the national Water Sentinels program, will be July 22, although a site has not been selected, Kedrick said. Training will cover water sampling, analysis and interpretation of the results. About six people have contacted her so far through recruiting at CSU-Pueblo, but others are welcome to participate." "colorado water" 9:52:22 AM

Drought news Here's a short update on the return of drought from the Rocky Mountain News. They write, "Colorado agricultural counties expect a 50-75 percent reduction in wheat and alfalfa harvests this year because of drought, high winds and heat. The grim assessment by the Federal Farm Services Agency led to Gov. Bill Owens' request this week for federal disaster assistance for 25 Colorado counties, bringing the total number of counties up for emergency help this year to 28. In May the governor sought the designation for Morgan, Adams and Weld counties, after 440 irrigation wells were shut down because they were not in compliance with a new state law. Extremely dry weather since April has left farmers in southern Colorado and on the eastern Plains struggling to irrigate their crops. The situation isn't as dire as in 2002, though, when the governor declared the state - all 64 counties - a drought disaster area. Dan Hopkins, Owens' spokesman, said the governor has asked for disaster designations for counties every year since 1999. The designation qualifies farmers and ranchers for low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and and for some income tax relief. 'The significance here is that the drought has persisted since 1999,' Hopkins said. 'The point being that we haven't seen an end to the drought.' State officials said it would take at least six to eight weeks to determine whether the emergency status would be approved. Jim Miller, policy director for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, said the hot weather and high winds that have prevailed during the past two months may mean 2006 will be the second-worst for agriculture since 2002... "Flows in the river, which covers the metro area and the Northern Front Range, are roughly half of what they were forecast to be as recently as February. And in the Arkansas River Basin, flows have fallen from a projected 112 percent of average to just 70 percent in the same time frame, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. At the same time Colorado has re-emerged as a hot spot on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The monitor indicates that all of the state has re-entered a drought classification, with the entire Front Range identified as being either severely or extremely dry." "colorado water" 9:45:31 AM

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