Colorado lawmakers hold a hearing regarding a state-chartered insurer…West Nile virus hits horses…and, rabid skunks in El Paso County.

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Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn of Colorado’s 5th District closed out a series of town hall meetings last night to a packed crowd of people both for and against the proposed Democratic health care bill. KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin was there, and has this report.

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Additional Resources:

HR 3200, or, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009″
HR 3400, or, “Empowering Patients First Act”

Colorado is poised to have one of the largest winter wheat harvests in the country this year. The “winter” in that wheat simply means it was planted in the winter season. But all that wheat has to go somewhere, and before it does, it has to be harvested. Custom harvesters are the answer for some, teams that travel the land, hauling combines and other equipment from farm to farm. KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin caught up with one such company in Limon, to find out just what custom harvesting is all about…and, as she reports, you too can follow along from home.

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Check out the All Aboard Wheat Harvest blog, with Jada Bulgin and her co-blogger Jenna Zeorian.

Below: Farmer Doug Blackwelder, and custom harvesters Perry Hoffman, Jada Bulgin, and Leon Bulgin talk about their work, set to photos from the Limon harvesting operation. (Click bottom right for full screen.)

And for even more, here’s the view from a combine!

Clean-up is complete on Mount Massive…Colorado car dealers apply for $37.5 million in rebates from the Cash for Clunkers program…and, a program aimed at protecting endangered fish in the upper basin of the Colorado River gets an extension.

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High school reunions are events many are familiar with–they’re times to get together and reminisce about moments in youthful lives that help shape who we are to become. For resident Teila Tankersley, they’re also about a shared past, if only by the classroom walls and locker lined halls.

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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.)

A controversial proposal to swap forest service land in southwestern Colorado shows no signs of letting up. On Tuesday the U.S. Forest Service briefed La Plata county officials on the latest developments with the project. The public will get a chance to comment on the proposal at a hearing in early September and a large crowd is expected. Bente Birkeland reports from Durango.

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U.S. forest officials take a closer look at marijuana cultivation in Colorado’s national forests…a Colorado man is the latest to be charged with crimes associated with artifact looting…and Governor Bill Ritter orders state flags lowered to half-staff.

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When new gaming laws went into effect on July 2nd, the casinos of Cripple Creek celebrated in style. Craps and roulette were on the gaming menu, the cap on bets rose to a hundred dollars, and twenty-four hour gambling was now allowed. One casino even held a pajama party to mark the occasion. But now that the honeymoon is over, KRCC’s Marcia Ford talks to casino managers about how they’re faring now that the initial excitement has passed.

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Coloradans scored higher than the national average on the SAT college entrance exam…Organizers gather signatures seeking a ballot proposal on legal protections for human embryos…vandalism at the Colorado Democratic headquarters…and, more.

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Colorado Springs City Council weighs budget options…A mustard agent leak at the Pueblo Chemical Depot…and, Senators John McCain and Mark Udall tour the Rocky Mountain National Park.

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Additional Resources for today’s Colorado Springs City Council meeting:

Agenda
Strategies for Bridging the 2010 Budget Gap (from the City Manager and CFO)
Items for November Ballot Consideration