"Atomic Elroy's Hometown" Opens at FAC Modern
Tom McElroy has lived and worked as a conceptual and avante-garde artist in Colorado Springs for 40 years. Tomorrow, the Fine Arts Center Modern opens “Atomic Elroy’s Hometown,” a video, performance and installation exhibit exploring McElroy’s self-described complex relationship with Colorado Springs. KRCC’s Aaron Retka stopped by during preparations for the opening and has this report.
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Filed under: Aaron Retka,Arts & Culture,Colorado Springs,Interview — Andrea Chalfin News Dir. @ 6:33 pm
Rocky Mountain News employees hold a candlelight vigil, and a Colorado man faces federal charges.
Democratic state lawmakers and business leaders are pushing several measures they say will create thousands of new jobs in the coming years. The announcement follows news this week that Colorado’s unemployment rate has reached a five year high, at 6.1 percent. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Betty Smocovitis is a scientific historian who has examined the influence of Darwinism on popular culture. She’ll be lecturing tonight at Colorado College on Darwin’s presence in the music of the last 150 years. Gleaned from libretto scores, wax-cylinder recordings and other media, she’s collected a large body of musical data. KRCC’s Aaron Retka spoke with Smocovitis, who explained the use of music in discussing scientific history.
The Colorado Department of Corrections says the proposed budget cuts announced for their department, including the closure of two state prisons and delaying the opening of another, are about what they expected given the economic climate. A department spokeswoman says the cuts won’t effect public safety. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Colorado Springs native Barbara Samuel O’Neal is an award-winning author, dipping her ink into the world of women’s fiction and romance. But for today’s “Citizen Report,” O’Neal conjures up a romance of a different sort and remembers a downtown staple long gone but not forgotten.
The Colorado Department of Transportation is making a concerted effort to increase the amount of recycled asphalt used in new and repaved roads. In 2008, CDOT repaved over 1400 road miles using recycled asphalt, a figure that’s expected to increase this year.
A democratic-backed effort to pump millions of dollars into fixing the state’s ailing transportation system cleared its first legislative hurdle earlier this week. Supporters of the so-called FASTER bill say the measure would create thousands of new jobs at a time when the economy is suffering, and the state’s roads and bridges are crumbling. From KUNC, Kirk Siegler reports.
The Governor’s budget office is asking the legislature to close two women’s prisons and cut 100 million dollars in state spending for colleges and universities as part of a plan to balance the state’s budget for next year. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver. 
Selling 3-2 beer in Colorado could soon be a thing of the past. Grocery and convenience stores are lobbying in support of a bill that would change state law allowing them to sell full strength beer. But independent liquor store owners say the move would put many of them out of business. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.