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Monday, July 24, 2006
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Dem convention in Denver?
Colorado Confidential: "It's looking good for Denver's quest to capture the Democratic National Convention in 2008, if you ask members of the Democratic Leadership Council. The DLC is in Denver for their 'National Conversation' session. 'The weather's great,' chimed Mike O'Conner, former Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis. 'It'd be fine with me to have the convention in Denver to get out of the humid Midwest.' The Democratic presidential nominating convention is scheduled from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, 2008 (after the Summer Olympics in Beijing.)
DNC member, Phil Noble of Charleston was also impressed with Denver. 'Everything you want is walking distance downtown,' he noted. 'We all agree back home that the Democrats have get off the East Coast in '08.' Then he whispered a secret: 'We hear New York is out.'"
Denver Business Journal: "Democrats may feel least at home in Denver than in the two other cities vying to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention, judging by a study released Monday. Capital Eye, a newsletter by the Center for Responsive Politics, published a breakdown of how Denver stacks up against rival cities Minneapolis/St. Paul and New York City. While Denver is only interested in playing host to the gathering of Democrats, the Twin Cities and New York are hoping to attract either the Democrats or Republicans."
"2008 pres"
9:37:36 PM 
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Hernandez or Labuda in House District 1?
Wash Park Prophet: "Voters will decide who wins the House District 1 primary race between Democrats Alfredo Hernandez and Jeanne Labuda between now and the August 8, 2006 primary election. Early voting starts July 29, 2006. Despite the strong historical advantage of Democrats in the District, this may not be a cakewalk for the winner. Republicans have targetted the campaign, in part, because it is an open seat. Aimee Rathburn, a paralegal who is the President of the Bow Mar Heights Improvement Association running as a Republican for the seat in the general election, has raised more than $17,765 and has $11,472 in cash on hand. But, Fran Coleman won the seat comfortably in 2004 by a 13,132 to 8,534 vote margin (more than 60% of the vote)."
"denver 2006"
6:36:46 PM
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Break up Wal-mart
Non-Prophet: "Alternet has a very interesting, very... l o n g essay posted that examines the idea that perhaps Wal-mart has grown so large and powerful that it is now a funtioning monopoly that needs to be dismantled. I think that the whole idea that a retail business can grow using fair and legal tactics and be so successful that it is acutally harmful an interesting possibility that probably needs to spend more time in the spotlight. At what point, when a business emerges as a clear winner, is a free market no longer technically free?"
"2008 pres"
6:19:31 PM
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Ludwig for Regent At-Large?
Steve Ludwig: "The Chronicle of Higher Education recently ran a story...about how many states are looking to use their universities as drivers for economic development. The story examines the United States, but other countries, such as China and India, are rapidly expanding their higher education facilities for economic development as well."
"denver 2006"
6:16:36 PM
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DLC meeting in Denver
The Democratic Leadership Council is meeting in Denver this week. The Rocky Mountain News has a roundup of yesterday's meetings. From the article, "Hundreds of Democrats from around the country gathered Sunday in Denver, asking themselves how the party can convince voters to give them control of Congress and the White House. The Democratic Leadership Council, a group that has pushed the party to take centrist positions, is holding its annual 'national conversation' at the Hyatt Regency Denver...
"Several Colorado political figures were on hand to tell the group how Democrats had succeeded in taking over the state legislature for the first time in decades in 2004. Former Colorado State University president Al Yates, who helped bring together a coalition of labor unions, environmentalists, and wealthy donors that supported the Democrats in the last election, said the Republicans had helped create their own misfortune."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post. They write, "Republicans are heading into a 'Category 5' political storm in November, giving Democrats a shot at taking back control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in over a decade, a panelist told Democrats meeting in Denver on Sunday. Voter dissatisfaction with the Iraq war and the Bush administration in general provide Democrats a unique opportunity to win over moderate Republicans and independents, said Amy Walter, senior editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report...
"Democrats have not regained control of both the U.S. House and Senate since losing them in 1994. In November, they must pick up six Senate seats and 15 House seats in order to regain the majority. Along with Walter, some 375 centrist Democrats from 42 states gathered to plot their strategy for winning back Congress and the White House. Much of the opening day of the two-day Democratic Leadership Council was devoted to panel sessions about how to connect with voters on issues including immigration, energy and poverty. Democrats also discussed trying to connect with voters on religion, instead of avoiding the topic. However, rather than discuss faith in the context of abortion rights and gay marriage, Democrats were encouraged to use faith and religion when discussing jobs, health care and education."
"2008 pres"
7:07:22 AM
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Gay marriage on fall ballot?
Here's an update about three proposed fall ballot issues dealing with gay marriage, from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The gay-marriage issue has galvanized the state's most conservative and liberal forces and has reached the pews of hundreds of Colorado churches and religious groups. If the three campaigns submit enough valid signatures by Aug. 7, voters could see a total of four ballot measures related to the gay-marriage debate in November. One measure - Referendum I, would allow gay partners to be registered by the state and entitle them to certain benefits and rights - is on the ballot because of legislative action. Three other gay-union proposals are in the signature-gathering stage.
"Coloradans for Fairness and Equality, which backs Referendum I, has a war chest of nearly $500,000. It also has more than two dozen full-time employees and hundreds of volunteers, and says it already has 68,000 signatures for its second measure, the Domestic Partnership Amendment, which seeks to cancel out a measure proposed by Lundberg, a Berthoud Republican. Lundberg said he's not sure his campaign, Protecting Colorado Children, will get enough signatures.
"Lundberg launched his initiative in April when it became clear the legislature would send Referendum I to the ballot. Joined by former Colorado Springs car dealer Will Perkins, Lundberg has raised the smallest amount of money by far, about $8,600. He said he has a few thousand petition signatures, but claims to have 1,200 volunteers gathering signatures. Lundberg's proposal would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment that prohibits the state from creating any legal status similar to marriage for same-sex couples...
"The head of Coloradans for Marriage, a coalition of Christian groups that wants to define marriage in the constitution as a union between a man and woman, said he is confident more than 500 volunteers will gather enough signatures. But executive director Jon Paul concedes that he won't know exactly how many signatures he has until the last minute. Paul said more than 400 churches are supporting the initiative, which has so far raised about $105,000."
"denver 2006"
7:02:25 AM
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Environmentalism movement back in limelight?
San Francisco Chronicle: "The most interesting environmental leader in the United States is a former petrochemical worker from Louisiana's Cancer Alley named Jerome Ringo. As chairman of the board at the National Wildlife Federation, Ringo heads what is by far the nation's largest environmental organization, with 4.5 million members. What really sets Ringo apart, however, is that he is black...
"Now, Ringo wants to bring these varying constituencies together to build a broader, stronger green movement. It's a good idea, and it comes at a critical time for American environmentalism. The past six years of the Bush administration have highlighted an embarrassing paradox for the environmental movement. On the one hand, opinion polls indicate that 70 percent-plus of the public think that we as a society should do 'whatever it takes' to protect the environment. And the movement does not lack financial resources: The budgets of local and national groups amount to $1.7 billion a year. Nevertheless, President Bush and his congressional allies have pursued the most anti-environmental policies in the nation's history -- and escaped without paying much of a political price. As popular and wealthy as the environmental movement appears, the Bush era exposed it as something of a political paper tiger.
"Yet the Bush years may be the movement's salvation, for they have taught environmentalists that a new approach is needed. Parts of that new approach are already in place and yielding success. Green politics may at last be finding its voice again. The federal government is a dead end at the moment, but state and local environmental organizations are scoring solid victories in red and blue states alike. Environmental justice groups are developing real political clout while proving that affluent white people aren't the only ones who care about clean air and water. Evangelical Christians are organizing against climate change. And there has been an explosion of student activism around global warming, which Billy Parish, coordinator of the Climate Action Coalition, calls 'far and away the biggest issue on campuses now.'"
"2008 pres"
6:50:29 AM
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Cherry Creek Dam unsafe?
![A picture named cherrycreekreservoir.jpg](http://radio.weblogs.com/0101170/images/water/cherrycreekreservoir.jpg")
Is Cherry Creek dam safe? Here's an article from the Rocky Mountain News that examines that question. From the article, "A preliminary federal study says the dam at Cherry Creek Reservoir is potentially unsafe, despite new weather data showing floods at the popular park are likely to be less catastrophic than officials once feared. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer officials said it is still too early to say whether the dam will have to be raised or other measures taken to strengthen the structure...
"Corps engineers stressed that final work on the study, including more weather data, may show that the dam is safe enough as it is. The dam, about 20 miles south of downtown Denver, is in no immediate danger of failing. But the stakes could be enormous if the Corps determines that the dam needs to be raised. When that possibility was being studied several years ago, it meant relocating dozens of homes and schools in areas such as Greenwood Village. [John Palensky, the project manager overseeing the analysis for the Corps] said the Corps would finalize its flood study by next March. If the dam does need to be fixed, Palensky said the Corps would begin studying alternatives to correct the problem immediately and would work to make sure none of the thousands of people who live above and below the dam are left out of the process...
"Federal precipitation studies done in the 1980s and '90s indicated that the 1940s-era dam would not withstand a catastrophic flood. But work on the problem was suspended six years ago after the Corps suggested raising the dam to make it safer. The potential impact on surrounding real estate caused such a public outcry that U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo and others stopped funding for the Corps' work on the safety issue in 1999. Late last year, however, after Hurricane Katrina caused communities across the country to re-examine flood safety, Colorado's congressional delegation authorized the Corps to begin work again, this time using a precipitation study funded by Colorado that uses Western regional weather data, rather than national storm data, as the original 1980s Corps study did. The new Colorado study, completed in 2003, suggests that about 25 percent less rain would fall than the original federal studies showed. Though flood waters would probably not surge over the top of the dam, the new federal analysis indicates that there would likely not be enough room left between the surface of the lake and the top of the dam to contain the waves that would form during a storm, according to Palensky."
"colorado water"
6:41:03 AM
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Blue River Pumpback
Here's a update on the a plan to move water back up the Blue River to the Breckenridge area from the Summit Daily News. From the article, "A challenge to the county's permitting authority could delay or even kill the proposed Blue River pumpback, which would divert water from the Blue River near Dillon Reservoir and deliver it back upstream to Breckenridge...
"At issue is the timing and level of review. Summit County wants to maintain 1041 authority over the project, while the Breckenridge Sanitation District - the project proponent - is claiming the pumpback pipeline is exempt from the county's authority. Even though the county and the district are wrangling over permit issues, there is agreement that the pumpback will deliver significant benefits...
"The project will get another public hearing before the board of county commissioners next week, and negotiations are expected to continue right up until the last minute. The Breckenridge Sanitation District is prepared to put the project out for bid in two weeks. Both parties said they have been negotiating in good faith for several months to outline conditions under which the project could proceed outside the county's 1041 authority...
"The question of permitting authority is at the surface in this showdown, but bubbling just beneath is the question of 'unintended consequences.' The main aim of the pumpback is to provide environmental benefits in the Blue River, additional water for the district's treatment facilities, and to potentially provide water for a possible Upper Blue reservoir. Additionally, the water - up to 17 cfs - could help provide water for an umbrella augmentation plan for some well users in the Upper Blue who are facing shortages and potential well shutdowns. But adding water to the Blue could also make more water available for other water users with senior rights. The water rights for the pumpback water are under adjudication in state water court in a process separate from, but running parallel to, the permitting and review discussions at the county level...
"'We don't want it to be consumed by the ski area for snowmaking, or by Colorado Springs (which diverts from the Blue up at the headwaters near the Continental Divide),' Carlberg said. 'We don't want other people using it without authorization.' The ski area is already on the record as saying that it won't lay claim to the water, Carlberg explained. And he believes the water right for the 'extra' water from the pumpback can be protected from outside claims."
"colorado water"
6:31:55 AM
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CoCoRaHS
Here's an article about the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article, "Using low-cost rain gauges and pads wrapped in aluminum foil, volunteers track the amount of precipitation that falls at their homes. The pads are used to calculate the size of hail. Daily readings are available via the Internet to program coordinators at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. Data may be viewed by volunteer weather watchers, professional meteorologists and scientific researchers alike. The program was started by CSU atmospheric science researcher Nolan Doesken after a flash flood in Fort Collins that killed five people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in 1997...
"Doesken and other CoCoRaHS coordinators will present a workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Harmony Library on the history of major storms along the Front Range. The program will include a pitch for CoCoRaHS and training for recent volunteers."
"colorado water"
6:17:49 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:24:24 PM.
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