Coyote Gulch

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Denver Election Commission reform
Denver officials are hoping to get new charter language on the fall ballot for reforming the Denver Election Commission, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "As the booths opened Saturday for the first day of early primary voting, a task force examining the Denver Election Commission announced its recommendations to prevent miscues, like the accidental loss of thousands of voters' personal records. At its fourth and final public hearing, the Election Governance Panel said that while it isn't calling for an overhaul of the commission, it is proposing operational changes. The changes seek to increase commissioners' accountability, according to Marcia Johnson, the panel's chairwoman. After a month of exhaustively studying the nuances regulating the three-member commission, and holding public hearings, the task force concluded that what the agency needs is more codification."
"denver 2006"
8:05:16 AM

Early voting in Denver
Early voting has begun in Denver County. Friday, August 4 is the last day for early voting prior to the primary on August 8th. Here's the DenverGov page for locating vote centers. They write, "The Denver Election Commission has unanimously approved the use of 47 sites to be used as Vote Centers for the 2006 Elections. Vote Centers replace the old "precinct" voting locations and any registered voter in the City and County of Denver can vote at any of the 47 Vote Centers. The transition to Vote Centers is also convenient for voters since there is no way for them to get to the 'wrong precinct,' and there will be anywhere from 8 to 20 or more voting machines/stations in each Vote Center. Vote Centers also help contain the skyrocketing cost of conducting elections by consolidating locations and ensure compliance with the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by having voting equipment that contains a voter verifiable paper audit trail and provides an independent voting experience for the disabled voter."

Here's a list of voting centers from The Cherry Creek News.

Category: August 8th Ballot

8:01:11 AM

Ludwig for Regent At-Large?
Stephen Ludwig is doing all the right things, including visiting the lightly populated parts of the state, in his campaign for C.U. Regent At-Large. Here's an article about his visit to Cortez to campaign from the Cortez Journal. They write, "A candidate for University of Colorado regent made his way to Southwest Colorado this week to meet with area electors. Stephen Ludwig, a Democratic candidate for CU regent in Boulder, was campaigning in Cortez Friday morning. He acknowledged being a major backer of academic freedoms and a strong proponent for affordable education."
"denver 2006"
7:52:00 AM

South Platte managment

Here's an article about re-charging the aquifers along the South Platte River, from the Fort Morgan Times. They write, "Ditch companies and the farmers affiliated with them are better able to handle tough times than individuals without such organizations, [Heath Kuntz of Nation Engineering Services] points out. Those groups have resources they can use for augmentation, he explains. One of the biggest is ponds to put water back into the ground so it seeps into the aquifer under the river basin. They can divert some water from existing ditches into low-lying areas when the water is available, helping satisfy augmentation requirements...
"The Lower Platte and Beaver and Upper Platte and Beaver have such ponds right along Interstate 76 between Fort Morgan and Brush. And they built those ponds by giving the Colorado Department of Transportation and contractors free dirt for road projects, Kuntz points out. With such measures, he says, bigger groups are better able to weather short-term droughts, but everyone is struggling to some extent because the area is in a long-term drought. The ups and downs of the alluvial aquifer under the river basin follow those of the river; some closed aquifers along the tributaries are more dependent on rainfall and are lacking water. Those will take some time to recycle, Nation says. The alluvial aquifer recovers faster than the closed ones. Sprinkler irrigation, more efficient than flood irrigation, puts just the water that is needed for a particular crop at a particular time on that crop and is more efficient, Kuntz says. However, it means less return flow to the river and the aquifer, since less irrigation water seeps into the ground. Some people feel that farmers should be subject to absolute conservation -- use the bare minimum needed for crops. That could reverse what has happened along the river since the move of agriculture into the area in the late 1800s, Nation says. The South Platte at that time was a part-time stream -- early spring to late summer with mountain snowmelt runoff, going dry by the end of summer. With irrigation, the river started to run year-round with that trend working its way downstream. Absolute conservation, Nation says, could result in the stream drying up in the lower reaches and that trend working its way upstream. Junior ditches could be starved out and cease to exist."
"colorado water"
7:32:51 AM

Ritter for governor?
Here's a profile of Bill Ritter from the Denver Post. From the article, "...the 49-year-old career prosecutor defies easy packaging. The November election will test whether Ritter - who says he respects Roe vs. Wade as the law and has no anti-abortion legislation on his agenda - can overcome perceptions that he's a stealth social conservative or too slippery on some issues. For 12 years he was known as Denver's chief prosecutor, racking up a high number of convictions, expanding victim services and promoting alternative courts for drug offenders. But he also was dogged by complaints - even from his own prosecutors - that he turned his office into a 'social agency' by not focusing enough on combating crime directly. At the same time, he angered community activists by not prosecuting a single police officer in more than 70 cases involving force that either wounded or killed someone."

Take the time to read the whole article.
"denver 2006"
7:14:28 AM

Big Thompson Flood

Here's a retrospective on the Big Thompson Flood from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article, "Memories of the worst natural disaster in Colorado history never fully leave Big Thompson Canyon. They are in the sound of the river murmuring on a hot summer's day and in the canyon's sheer gray and green walls. They are in the rusted remains of a power plant in Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park and in the carefully tended roadside memorials to the disaster's victims. Thirty years ago, the postcard-pretty canyon west of Loveland was the scene of unimaginable horror as a flash flood fueled by torrential rain in the canyon's western reaches transformed the Big Thompson River into a killer. The flood was of a magnitude not seen in the canyon for roughly 10,000 years and the retreat of ancient glaciers, according to U.S. Geological Survey researchers. The massive storm that caused the flood dumped 10 to 14 inches of rain - nearly a year's worth for the area - in a matter of hours along a narrow band as it crept north toward Wyoming. Flooding occurred that night along the Cache la Poudre River as well."

"The rampaging water claimed 144 lives that night; another 250 people reported injuries. The flood wiped out 418 homes and damaged another 138 while destroying 52 businesses. In the morning, the devastation became clear. Much of the canyon was inaccessible with portions of U.S. 34 and other roads cut away. The river had changed course in 30 places, scouring the canyon of vegetation and untold tons of rocks and soil, making it nearly unrecognizable to longtime residents."

More coverage from the Denver Post, here and here.

The Greeley Tribune looks at the effort it took to rebuild U.S. 34 after the flood. They write, "By Thanksgiving, they had a paved road up the canyon, but much of it was temporary. They had to allow traffic through the construction areas. They set hours of traffic flow, [Al Chotvacs, retired engineer] said. The roads were open to the public from 6-9 a.m. and 3-9 p.m. every day. In between those hours, the road workers were able to close the highway for work. Although Chotvacs said it is probably the leading achievement of his 39-year career with the transportation department, he also knows another 300-year flood would probably take the road out again. There just isn't a way to protect roads when 50 million tons of water crash down through the canyon in one night."

The Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald is running a series on the flood this week. From the article, "Rain fell in fat drops from the dark clouds that shrouded the Big Thompson Canyon. They quickly quenched the parched earth, but soon they washed the thin mountain soil down gullies. The water unleashed rocks and boulders, which tumbled down the sides of the canyon. Soon, the storm-swelled river washed away land, homes and the road. It also washed away 145 lives."
"colorado water"
7:05:43 AM

Senate 32
From today's Denver Post: "Democrats in southeast Denver will pick one of three candidates for a Democratic-leaning seat that opened when Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, decided not to run for a second, four- year term.

"Rep. Fran Coleman, D-Denver, said she deserves to move to the Senate because she has been a key vote on crucial efforts to improve the state budget.

"Coleman, 61, is a retired contract negotiator for US West. She said her expertise in financial matters helped shape parts of the legislation that became Referendum C. In addition, she said, she knows how to work at the state Capitol.

"Jennifer Mello, a 34-year-old former House staffer who made a strong showing in a statewide Board of Regents race two years ago, said her experience would help her pass bills.

"Mello said she wants to protect sick people from losing their homes in bankruptcies caused by medical bills and to set up a no-interest loan program that would help make energy-efficient home improvements more affordable.

"Chris Romer, the 46-year-old son of former Gov. Roy Romer, touts his financial expertise and his fundraising prowess as assets for the Democratic Party in this fall's election.

"Romer is public finance specialist for the international banking giant JP Morgan Chase. He said he has helped structure the financing for $10 billion worth of hospitals, highways, airports, assisted-living facilities and other projects in Western states.

"'I bring the very practical day-to-day finance and budget skills,' Romer said. 'I want to make sure we put our money where our values are, which is health care and education. I don't view this as passing a few bills or representing a few interests. I want to put forward a strong message for the party on health care and education.'"
"denver 2006"
6:55:46 AM

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