Capitol Conversation
State representatives have passed Colorado’s 17.6 billion dollar budget… now senators will debate the bill. We’re likely see many of the same arguments for and against the budget from both parties. Bente Birkeland discusses the budget as part of our ongoing capitol conversation series.
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Filed under: Capitol Coverage — Delaney @ 3:24 pm
A senate transportation committee has backed a Republican proposal to use tolls on a portion of interstate 70, while rejecting a Democratic measure. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Passing a budget is the only thing the state constitution requires lawmakers to do during their 120 day legislative session. It funds everything from roads to preschool programs. Legislators in the house spent hours debating changes to the 616 page bill on Wednesday. Next week the senate will take up the measure. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Colorado College alumnus Alan Gottlieb will read from his novel, “Ultimate Excursions,” a novel featuring Tim Lake, a Peace Corps worker. Seeking a respite from the stresses of Peace Corps life in rural Ecuador, Lake embarks on a vacation to Peru that starts as an innocent journey that devolves into chaos. Sponsored by the Visiting Writers Series.
In western Colorado’s Garfield County, ranchers are banding together to conserve thousands of acres of prized agricultural land, as pressures for development rise. But fraud surrounding a state tax credit that’s helping protect land like this has lawmakers pushing for reforms–and many who legitimately used the tax credit, worried about the future of the program. From 
Increasing the severance tax rate for Colorado’s booming energy industry gained more traction on Tuesday thanks to Governor Bill Ritter. The additional money would pay for higher education, roads, wildlife and environmental impacts. Currently Colorado’s tax rate falls well below those of neighboring states. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
The future of early disease detection may be in the hands– or more specifically the mouths of researchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder. As KUNC’s Brian Larson reports, CU’s own Nobel Prize winning laser technology is uniting the fields of physics and medicine though breath analysis…
It was common practice in the 18th century for statehouses across the country to have people read bills out loud — because a lot of lawmakers couldn’t read themselves. The practice continued when Colorado became a state in 1876. And while the times may have changed, house and senate bill readers still play a crucial role in the political process. Bente Birkeland has more.
In the Rockies, a new type of exclusive skiing experience is emerging, and some long time locals and ski bums aren’t thrilled about it. Sandwiched between the famous ski resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek, the tiny old mining town of Minturn was long insulated from the gentrification of much of the Colorado Rockies. That changed dramatically this month, when the town’s council gave the initial go ahead to a Florida developer to build a massive members-only private ski resort in the hills above Minturn. From KUNC, Kirk Siegler reports.