The Home Front: Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says ‘I’m not a very seasoned politician’

“After eight years as Denver’s mayor and seven as governor, John Hickenlooper still fumbles with the finer points of politics. The governor’s energetic warmth, which has always served him well, filled up the wood-paneled walls of his Capitol office on a cold, blustery Wednesday afternoon,” reports The Gazette. “He greeted a guest with smiles and jokes about his future, near-term and long. He talked as much with his hands and thoughtful pauses as he did his words. “This shows where I’m not a very seasoned politician,” he said of a special session that was quickly crumbling. Republicans alleged the governor rushed them into session to fix a two-word mistake in a law passed during last session. The mistake is costing museums, transit and other special districts across the state millions in marijuana tax revenue.”

“Weld County Commissioner Julie Cozad provided numerous arguments against a state ethics complaint, but her opening salvo was the state constitution simply didn’t apply to her or Weld County in this case,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “In her response, made public late Friday, Cozad took on charges she had improperly accepted a gift after attending a North Colorado Medical Center fundraiser in late January. Cozad, along with her husband, were guests of Noble Energy at the dinner, and the company later had business before the county commissioners. Cozad, the chairwoman of the Board of Weld County Commissioners, provided four key arguments against the complaint, which was filed with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission by Johnstown resident Ellen DeLorenzo.”

“Montrose is undergoing a makeover. What was once a sleepy stopover on the way to the mountains is now home to some of the most unique amenities in western Colorado, many built with voter-approved funding,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “In the last decade, voters in the city of Montrose or Montrose County have approved a public safety sales tax, a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights override, a new community recreation center and a school district bond measure. Montrose County has enough savings that in 2016 county commissioners approved the construction of a 4,200-person event center, set to open this spring.”

“The obstacle course Koda Sterling created for a horse named Mac last week allowed the Turner Middle School Student and the animal to work through their issues together,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “A barrel that the horse had to go over or around represented bullies at school, and strategically placed cones the horse maneuvered through symbolized friends and safe zones to help with the bullies. And the layout of the course was designed to help Mac avoid getting too close to people. “He has a big personal bubble, but he likes to burst others’ bubbles,” Koda explained during a class at Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland last week.”

“The bug that seems to be swarming Fort Collins has a name,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Meet the boxelder bug, the black and red critter that has probably taken a liking to your home, your office, your car — we could go on. The good news is boxelder bugs are harmless. The bad news — for those not fond of creepy crawlers — is they’re not moving out of your living spaces anytime soon. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about your antennaed roommates.”

“Heating a home for $200 each year is almost unheard of in Steamboat Springs, but the Kemp family has proven it is possible,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. “The Kemp home was one of several on display during the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council’s Sustainable Homes Tour on Saturday in the Fairview neighborhood. ‘I feel like the most sustainable part of this house is how it’s housed us for seven years,’ Megan Moore-Kemp said.”

“Assadullah Hessari said the biggest difference between his native country of Afghanistan and his new home in Longmont is that when he leaves home, he knows for sure he’ll come home to his wife Roya,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “Assadullah and Roya Hessari are settling into their Longmont apartment with three of their five children after fleeing war and violence in Kabul, Afghanistan. They landed at the Denver International Airport on July 27 after a whirlwind trip from Kabul to India to New York City and finally Colorado. Assadullah, 56, was an architect in Afghanistan and worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design border crossings on the borders of Afghanistan and Iran and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.”

“An Edwards-area proposal for 120 rental units earmarked specifically for local employees will get its own, special hearing before the Eagle County Board of Commissioners this week,” reports Vail Daily. “The 6 West Apartments will be the subject of a special Thursday, Oct. 19, public hearing, signaling the county’s interest in the project and the county commissioners’ desire to help it get off the ground.”

“Fall enrollment at Fort Lewis College is down 6.6 percent compared with last year – the lowest it has been in more than a decade – prompting the college to increase its effort to boost retention and enrollment even as it raises admission standards,” reports The Durango Herald. “President Dene Thomas said changing admission requirements are partly a contributing factor.”

“Many Boulder County craft-beer drinkers are familiar with the four main ingredients of their delicious drink of choice: Barley, water, hops and yeast. But there are other, often invisible ingredients that go into every barrel,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Electricity, natural gas, wastewater, shrink wrap, grain bags and other materials aren’t as obvious, but are just as necessary for creating the diverse array of craft beer Boulder County consumers have come to love. From sours to imperial stouts, the recipes and steps vary for each individual beer, but the overall process is much the same — and it’s very energy and resource intensive.”

“Merrilee Saathoff keeps a jar of earplugs at her bedside. They’re not for noisy neighbors or dogs barking through the night,” reports The Denver Post. “They’re for the University of Colorado A-Line trains that roll within a football field’s length of her Park Hill Village home four to eight times an hour nearly around the clock, each train emitting four horn blasts as it clears the crossing at Dahlia Street. That’s 144 scheduled trains traveling between Denver International Airport and Union Station every day, blaring their horns a total of 576 times — or upward of 17,000 times a month. At a federally mandated minimum volume of 96 decibels, the sound from 100 feet in front of the train equals the noise level of a motorcycle or gas lawnmower heard from just a few feet away.”

“The first ballots of the 2017 election will be delivered to mailboxes Monday, giving voters the first chance to weigh in on four major ballot issues and city races,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “For Cañon City residents, issues range from a Cañon City School District bond issue that could potentially result in two new schools to a lodging tax that would create more opportunities to market the Royal Gorge Region. In an election forum hosted Saturday at Mountain View Core Knowledge School, candidates for elected city positions, as well as proponents and opponents for the four ballot issues, presented to a small crowd of people.”

“Tom Tancredo strolled into the packed conference room in the back of a Wheat Ridge bowling alley on a recent Thursday evening and took a seat,” reports ColoradoPolitics. “He was the headliner at the monthly North Jeffco Tea Party meeting, but first the group of about 50 activists heard from school board candidates and a young man who wanted to introduce himself to the group because he was considering a run for Congress. There was also a chili supper coming up, and raffle tickets were on sale, with prizes including a quantity of gold. About an hour or so into the meeting, Tancredo took the stage and talked about his years in the public spotlight and the reasons he’s been considering getting back in the ring with a campaign for governor — after three terms in the Legislature, a stretch working in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, five terms in Congress, a presidential campaign and two gubernatorial bids.”

“Sunday night was shaping up to be a cakewalk for the Denver Broncos,” reports Denverite. “They were well rested coming off a bye week. The team they were facing, the New York Giants, was winless and without two of its best players, Odell Beckham Jr., who fractured his ankle last weekend, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who’s serving a suspension. All that amounted to the Broncos entering the game as 13.5 point favorites. How wrong Vegas was. The Giants clobbered the Broncos, 23-10. New York rushed for 148 yards against what was thought to be Denver’s improved rush defense and took advantage of any abysmal outing from Trevor Siemian.”