After keeping her identity secret for 24 hours, New Life Church and Colorado Springs police announced that the volunteer security guard who stopped the killing spree at the church Sunday is 42-year-old Jeanne Assam. Assam then took questions from the media at a press conference at the Colorado Springs police operations center downtown for about 10 minutes. Here is the press conference in its entirety.

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Brady Boyd, head pastor at New Life Church addresses the media Monday morning, Dec. 10, 2007

3 p.m. update, Dec. 10, 2007 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – A law enforcement official says the deadly rampages at a megachurch and a missionary training school were believed to have been carried out by the same person – Matthew Murray, a 24-year-old suburban Denver man who “hated Christians.”

Text below updated at 1pm:
The two people killed in a shooting spree at New Life Church in Colorado Springs are being identified today as teenage sisters. Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Works and 16-year-old Rachael Works were killed when the gunman opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said “our hearts are grieving this morning for them.” One of the three people who were injured in the attack was the girls’ father, 51-year-old David Works, who’s in fair condition with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and groin area. Also injured were 40-year-old Judy Purcell, who suffered a gunshot wound to her right shoulder, and 59-year-old Larry Bourbannais, who had a gunshot wound in his left forearm. Both were treated and released. Boyd says “the others that were wounded yesterday are doing well. All of them should recover. They don’t have life-threatening injuries.”

Boyd said the gunman had no connection to the church, and called the incident a “senseless random attack.” He said the New Life security guard who shot and killed the gunman was a volunteer but he did not release her name. “She’s a real hero” says Boyd this morning outside the church, “She probably saved 100 lives,” because the gunman “had a lot of ammunition to do a lot of damage.” Boyd says the guard is a member of the church with a law enforcement background, but said she is not currently a law enforcement officer. He did say security was increased at the church after the earlier shootings in Arvada. Two people were killed on the Youth With a Mission campus after a staffer told a man he could not spend the night there.

Witnesses to yesterday’s shooting spree at New Life described a horrific scene as a gunman opened fire there following a church service. Jessie Gingrich had left New Life and was in the parking lot getting into her car when she saw the gunman get a rifle from his trunk and open fire on a van full of people. She says she then cowered in her car, fumbling with the ignition key. She told ABC’s “Good Morning America” today that she was expecting the next gunshot to come through her car, but “by the grace of God, it did not.” Ashley Gibbs was getting into a car when she heard the gunshots, which she said sounded like someone was kicking ice from the side of a car. She told NBC’s “Today” show that she prayed God would bring him peace.

We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Here is a link to an AP story at NPR’s website: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17060196

Arrest in Soldier’s Shooting Death

Workplace Deaths Rise Again

19 Illegal Immigrants Arrested on I-70

Frontier Cutting Staff

Dems Hire “Greening” Director for ’08 Convention

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CU Settles Rape Lawsuits for $2.85 Million
Colorado Provisions Dropped From Federal Energy Bill
Greeley Goes Smokeless-less
Tancredo’s Controversial New Campaign Ad

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Photo from Michael Moore’s Sicko

There’s a proposal to implement a single-payer health plan in Colorado. That would mean that instead of paying premiums to insurance companies, we’d pay higher taxes. That money would be combined with public dollars to create a single fund to pay doctors and hospitals. The state wouldn’t adminster the program, it would be a separate non-profit. Advocates of single payer say it would lower administrative costs, guarantee coverage for everyone in the state, and still offer plenty of choice. Colorado Public Radio’s Andrea Dukakis has more:

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KRCC’s Michelle Mercer interviews Rico Mayor Joe Croke

One of the world’s biggest copper mining companies says it will spend half-a-billon dollars to reopen the historic Climax molybdenum mine southwest of Denver. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. says it will hire from 150 to 500 workers between now and next spring. After the initial construction phase, the work force will level off at about 350 when production begins in 2010. The decision to re-open the mine comes as international demand has grown for molybdenum, which is used primarily for strengthening steel. There are at least two other potential molybdenum mines that could open in Colorado in the near future. One, near Crested Butte, faces lots of local opposition. The other could open near the little town of Rico, in the far southwestern corner of the state. KRCC’s Michelle Mercer reports on how the town is reacting.

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We’re continuing our look at some of the proposed Health Care reforms that could be enacted in the upcoming legislative session. This time, we’ll hear about the so-called “individual mandate,” that’s where everyone in Colorado would be required to have health insurance, or face some kind of penalty, probably on their taxes. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio talks the concept over with Len Nichols, Health policy director at the Washington, D.C. – based New America foundation, and Kelly Shanahan, policy director at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.

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Trinidad, Colorado, population 10,000, has a world renowned skate park, rated in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk’s top ten. So why, many skaters wonder, does Colorado Springs, with over 35 times as many people, lack a professionally built skate park? Well, that’s set to change. The city is planning a new 40,000 sq foot skate park, and this one will be built by people who know what they’re doing. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has this report on what people want.

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The state announced it’s latest round of GO_CO grants this week. This time nearly 60 million dollars is being awarded to counties, cities and trusts across Colorado. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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With the state legislative session just around the corner we’re looking at some of the health care reform proposals that state lawmakers are likely to grapple with. One that was studied by the bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Panel on Healthcare Reform is a so-called employer mandate. That means businesses would be required to offer health insurance to their employees, or face a penalty. This so-called “pay or play” system for businesses is not being recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel, but could still end up on the table. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio recently spoke with the Blue Ribbon Panel’s chairman, Bill Lindsay.

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