David Skaggs, Colorado’s Director of Higher Education wants to change the way colleges and universities here measure success. That’s an important step, he says, towards making the case to voters to increase public funding. At present, Colorado ranks 48th in the amount of money state government gives per student to colleges and universities. We’re also 45th in terms of the number of high school freshmen who go on to finish college.

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Links to the Colorado Department of Higher Education:

“Colorado Higher Education at a Glance” Click Here

“A Look at Colorado’s Demographic and Educational Context” Click Here

“How Does Colorado Stack Up? The State’s Economy from a National and State Perspective” Click Here

Dear Friends,

We are deeply saddened to bring you the news that KRCC’s mentor, friend and former station manager, Mario Valdes, passed away Friday morning, September 14th, 2007. He was with family, and died peacefully. We will provide you with more information about memorial services and tributes in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Mario’s obituary follows.

-Delaney Utterback and the KRCC crew

Mario Benedict Valdes
April 3, 1953 – September 14, 2007

Mario Valdes entered eternal life on September 14, 2007. He was born in Havana, Cuba on April 3, 1953. His father was a dealer of import/export domestics and the family moved to New York City when Mario was a 2-year old. He grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and attended Brooklyn Technical High School.

In third grade, Mario determined he had three goals in life: to be a New York City cab driver, to design houses and to run a radio station. After briefly living in Miami, 19 year-old Mario returned to New York and drove a yellow cab in Manhattan for a year–his most famous passenger being Katherine Hepburn.

Mario attended Oklahoma State University to study architecture and moved to Denver in the mid 1970s to begin a career as an architectural designer. For several years he designed beautiful custom homes and offices for clients in Denver, Perry Park, Monument and Colorado Springs.

A music collector, Mario started at radio station KRCC in 1979. He became the station’s manager and first paid employee in 1980 and first full-time employee in 1983. He left the station in 2006. As station manager he created the blueprint of what KRCC is today. He was instrumental in bringing National Public Radio to Colorado Springs and all the listening areas throughout southern Colorado.

Mario was married to wife Donna from 1982-2000; their son, Adam was born in 1986. Mario enjoyed giving Adam the unique opportunity of meeting such personalities as Johnny Winter, Lyle Lovett and Randy Newman at the concerts which KRCC produced in the early 1990s.

A self-proclaimed “political junkie,” Mario thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies, philosophies and personalities of politics. As a naturalized United States citizen, he held close to his heart the personal rights and freedom of his country.

Mario’s favorite peaceful past-time was fishing. He particularly enjoyed the many times he spent fishing with his son at 11 Mile Reservoir and Lake Powell, Utah.

Mario was preceded in death by his mother Gilda Valdes and grandparents Jacqueline and Jean Gall. He is survived by his son, Adam Valdes; his sisters Joyce Skowron and Frances Collado; his nephew Luis Hernandez and his father Mario Valdes. He is also survived by many dear friends including Shari Montgomery, Pat Bass Black, Delaney Utterback and Donna (Valdes) Sheloski.

Memorial information to follow.

On Saturday over 500 volunteers will scour riverbanks in Colorado in a statewide cleanup effort. It’s being coordinated by Colorado Trout Unlimited, or CTU. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has more.

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Colorado Springs won’t be going to federal court with the Sierra Club as planned on Monday, Sept. 17.

Last Friday a federal judge granted the Sierra Club’s request for more time to prepare it’s case brought under the Clean Water Act against the city for repeated sewage spills into Fountain Creek. The new court date is January 28th. Sierra Club Attorney Eric Huber says he needs more time to prepare because he was planning on getting a lot of help from Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut. Thiebaut filed the original suit against Colorado Springs in late 2005, and the Sierra Club joined later. But last week the judge said Thiebaut had no standing or jurisdiction to sue, leaving the Sierra Club as the lone litigant.

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A Democratic Congresswoman from Denver wants to designate more than a million and half acres of federal land in Colorado as wilderness. That would mean no energy development on the Roan Plateau. It’s virtually the same legislation she’s brought before congress since 1999. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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Inmate Attacks Limon Prison Supervisor

New GOP Senate Candidate Announces

Tancredo to Get Federal Matching Funds for Campaign

State Supreme Court OKs Lawsuit Against Denver Archdiocese

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