The top civilian in the proposed expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site gets reassigned, child deaths related to influenza, and more.

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Colorado’s forests are still facing serious threats from the mountain pine beetle epidemic according to the annual Health of Colorado Forests Report, presented to state lawmakers on Wednesday. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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Freelance writer Mary Grace Becker found a certain isolation in working from home. So, once a week, she heads to the library…a place, she says, where she can sense the energy around her, see families, and be a part of something. In this week’s “Citizen Report,” Becker describes the energy of a place known for its quiet.

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(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

Colorado was front and center on Tuesday when President Barack Obama signed his historic 787 billion dollar economic stimulus package in Denver. About two hundred prominent Colorado leaders from government, business and non-profits filled an atrium at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for the signing ceremony, which highlighted renewable energy. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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State lawmakers look toward spending the funds from the government’s stimulus bill…and an energy company halts drilling activities in the San Luis Valley.

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A measure that aims to make it easier for voters to turn in their mail-in ballots cleared a house committee late last week over objections from the Country Clerks Association. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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Even with an infusion of cash from the Federal Government through the 789 billion dollar stimulus plan – Colorado lawmakers are bracing for negotiations this week to cut 600 million dollars from this year’s budget. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.

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Boulder’s annual International Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend, with films on topics ranging from the Dalai Lama to Jean Claude Van Damme. One of the films screened at the festival was Come Back to Sudan, about Sudanese refugees living in Colorado who make a journey back to their homeland. Colorado College graduate Daniel Junge directed the film. KRCC’s Michelle Mercer caught up with the award-winning documentary filmmaker in Boulder and has this report.

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More information on the documentary and on Sudanese men and women currently living in Colorado is available at Colorado Friends of the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan.

Lawmakers are about one third of the way through the state’s legislative session and they’re still dealing with cuts to the current 2008/2009 budget. Bente Birkeland talks about what’s in store in the days ahead with fellow statehouse reporters as part of our weekly capitol conversation series.

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Spending a week skiing might sound like recreation to some, but for the Army’s 10th Special Forces Group, it’s a critical part of their work. Based out of Fort Carson, they’re high altitude-cold weather specialists. Like the legendary 10th Mountain Division troops who pioneered winter warfare during World War II, the 10th Special Forces Group has to be ready to conduct military operations in heavy snow or on a steep mountainside.

So recently, a few hundred Special Forces soldiers headed up to train at Monarch Mountain near Salida. It’s the first battalion level cold weather training they’ve had in years and the soldiers only have five days on the slopes to get competent, regardless of their ski experience. Reporter Shanna Lewis grabbed her skis and headed out to the slopes to file this report.

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Disclosure: Monarch is a sponsor of KRCC.