Lawmakers are gearing up for the upcoming legislative session which starts in January. They’ll debate hundreds of bills between then and early May when the session ends. To get some perspective, Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Capitol Reporter, Bente Birkeland talks with a couple of fellow political reporters about some of the key issues they expect to come up.

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Graph appears in “Governor’s Dialogue on Health Care Vision and Values”

Governor Ritter has described the American healthcare system as “broken,” and now he’s asking hundreds of Coloradoans some very difficult and specific questions about how to fix it. We take you to one of his “Dialogs on Health Care Vision and Values” held in Colorado Springs Wednesday.

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Colorado’s new online hospital report card is now up and running. It allows people to compare different hospitals to see how well they measure up when it comes to mortality rates and patient safety. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver

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To View the Hospital Report Card CLICK HERE

Photo by Mark Lewis, CSAction.org

This press release was issued by the City of Colorado Springs at about 2:30pm.

City Attorney Patricia K. Kelly said:

“The City Attorney’s Office has just concluded a comprehensive review of evidence regarding further prosecution of Eric Verlo and Elizabeth Fineron. Based upon that review, we have decided that it is not in the public interest to continue the further prosecutions. We have decided to seek a dismissal of charges against the two defendants.”

“The comprehensive review revealed police actions were appropriate during the St. Patrick’s Day parade and there was probable cause to arrest the defendants. Further, the review found ample and sufficient evidence, along with multiple witnesses to continue with the prosecution. However, a second trial would require a significant time commitment from police officers, citizen witnesses and prosecutors, and, in this case, it would appear that the public has already spoken when the first trial ended in a hung jury.”

After more than a year of input and analysis, Colorado’s bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform has recommended the state adopt a Massachusetts-style “individual mandate.” That means everybody has to buy health insurance, or face a fine. The state subsidizes the cost for those with low incomes. KCFR had reporter Martha Bebinger see how the idea is working out in Massachusetts.
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PART ONE: Employer Mandate
In just over a month, Colorado’s legislative session will convene. One of hottest topics will be health care reform. This week on KRCC, we’re going to dig in to some leading reform ideas. One of those ideas is the so-called “employer mandate,” that’s where businesses have to provide insurance for their employees, or face a fine. KCFR’s Andrea Dukakis has more.

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Andrea’s report is part of a larger series on health care reform produced at Colorado Public Radio. It includes other stories, and interviews with leaders in Colorado’s reform efforts. To hear more, click HERE.

Cannons are fired in honor of deploying troops at Ft. Carson Nov. 20, 2007

The third of three stories in which members of Ft. Carson’s 3rd Brigade and their families talk about deploying to Iraq, many for the third time. The brigade has just begun to deploy, and all 3,800 members should be on the ground in Iraq by mid-December.

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To hear part two, CLICK HERE

To hear part one, CLICK HERE

As the temperature is dropping, many charitable organization’s needs are rising in the Pike’s Peak region. This weekend kicks off a month filled with events that will benefit 14 non-profit health and human service agencies in the Pike’s Peak region at this time of increased need. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has more about the annual Empty Stocking Fund Drive.

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Environmental groups released a new report urging the state to adopt a clean cars program modeled after California’s, but the Governor has said that may not happen. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver
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image from Broadmoor.com

This week on KRCC we’ve been hearing from soldiers about to deploy to Iraq and their families. Some listeners may feel moved to do something for the troops, well, the spa at the Broadmoor has an answer: Go get a massage and a pedicure. The Spa has launched what it’s calling “Spa for the Troops,” in which the facility donates a portion of it’s fees to a fund that will allow military members returning from war zones to get Broadmoor spa treatments for free.

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Colorado has launched a statewide investigation into conservation easements after complaints that crooked land appraisers are over-valuing agricultural land. Government officials say Colorado could be losing millions of dollars in tax revenues. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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