The Home Front: Hickenlooper-Kasich healthcare mind meld is ‘expected to present their ideas’ today

“The Hickenlooper-Kasich coalition is expected to present their ideas Thursday, and the duo promised substantive policy initiatives that can win support from Democrats and Republicans,” reports The Denver Post. “It’s a difficult task, given the inability of the Republican-led Congress to advance a plan earlier this year to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, sometimes called Obamacare.”

“The last time a hurricane hit Colorado was — well, never. So it might come as a surprise to some that a CSU team produces the longest-running seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecast, which is in its 34th year,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “We called the team’s lead forecaster and research scientist, Phil Klotzbach, on Tuesday to talk about current Tropical Storm Harvey and how Colorado State University came to be home to the now-renowned CSU Tropical Meteorology Project.”

“More than 50 years after its last major investment in water infrastructure, Greeley is again planning for the future with multi-million dollar projects aimed at satisfying its residents’ thirst for decades to come,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “Twenty-five miles of pipeline, 60 inches in diameter, will soon be capable of carrying all the water Greeley needs — for now. The new pipeline, the first installed in more than 50 years, runs from Greeley’s Bellvue Water Treatment Plant in the Poudre Canyon to Colo. 257, just 4 miles from Greeley’s Gold Hill treated water reservoir. That’s the big hill south of U.S. 34 with the water tower on top.”

“A former sheriff’s deputy arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting children allegedly victimized multiple boys over several years and used a mentoring program to gain access to some victims,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “The investigation began in July when the Colorado Bureau of Investigation learned that a report of sexual abuse had been made by a boy on probation in South Dakota. The alleged victim told his probation officer that he had been “raped by a cop” in 2014, according to the affidavit.”

“City Councilwoman Joan Peck has suggested that Longmont look into the possibility of creating a ‘prairie dog village’ somewhere on vacant city-owned open space,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “Peck, who brought the idea up during Tuesday night’s council meeting, said on Wednesday that such a site could benefit both the city — whenever it faces having to relocate or exterminate unwanted prairie dog colonies from its own municipal properties — and private property owners, whenever the city requires them to try to relocate prairie dogs as part of Longmont’s consideration of those owners’ development applications.”

“Xcel Energy’s announcement that it plans to shut down coal-fired Units 1 and 2 at the Comanche Generating Station and switch to more solar, wind and gas-fired energy set off a chain of reactions, with Republican state senators claiming Xcel was putting profits over customers, and environmental groups endorsing the decision,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “Xcel executives told reporters Tuesday they intended to shut down the two older coal-fired units by the mid- 2020s, leaving Unit 3 to continue to serve customers, such as EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel. State Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, charged that renewable energy — like solar and wind — already get tax credits and other government preferences. He said Republicans believe the coal-fired power coming from Comanche is the ‘most affordable and dependable’ in the state.”

“John Centner doesn’t know if he could have escaped the Houston area and made it back to his home in Steamboat Springs immediately after Tropical Storm Harvey hit,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. “But he didn’t try to leave. ‘These people needed our help,’ Centner said Wednesday from the Houston area, as he continued to run supplies and clothing to those affected by catastrophic floods. ‘It’s as simple as that.’ As he spoke about what it’s been like to help out in Kingwood in recent days, Centner watched a Blackhawk helicopter hover nearby performing a rescue mission. The rain had finally stopped in southeast Texas, but there was much work to be done. ‘We’ll be down here for as long as it takes,’ Centner said.”

“Annual attrition in public education is common across the nation, and the Summit School District is neither immune nor avoiding seeing similar trends coming down the pike,” reports The Summit Daily News. “To take on the growing challenge — what some have called a statewide crisis — two Durango state lawmakers, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, a Democrat, and Sen. Don Coram, a Republican, sponsored a bill in their respective congressional houses this past legislative session. House Bill 17-1003 was created to develop a strategic plan by the end of the year to address the mounting problem, and primarily along party lines the bill passed each house before Gov. John Hickenlooper signed it into law in May.”

“The Thompson School District jumped nearly 3 percentage points overall in performance frameworks with 14 schools improving by double digits, including the four lowest ranked schools in 2016,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “We’re moving,” said Margaret Crespo, the district’s chief academic officer. “It’s all about moving forward. We’re so proud of our schools. We can’t do it without the teachers and parents.” The Colorado Department of Education released its initial School Performance Frameworks rankings for 2017 on Wednesday with the final designations to be set in December. The rankings from highest to lowest are accredited, performance plan, improvement, priority improvement and turnaround status.”

“A former Fremont County Sheriff’s Office detective is discussing a plea deal with the District Attorney’s Office,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “Robert Dodd, who has retired from the FCSO, faces two counts of second-degree official misconduct and abuse of public records. Charges were filed May 4 by District Attorney Molly Chilson. According to the complaint, between Dec. 25, 2016, and Dec. 30, 2016, Dodd knowingly altered a public record even though he had not been authorized as a custodian of the record. The details of what Dodd altered were not disclosed.”

“The Public Utilities Commission deliberated Wednesday in Boulder’s electric utility case, and stopped just shy of outright denying the city’s application to acquire Xcel Energy assets in the interest of operating a separate, city-run electric utility,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “In a four-hour proceeding that followed a nine-day trial earlier this summer, the three-member commission instead decided to give a conditional and only partial approval to Boulder’s list of proposed assets to be transferred.”

“Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner on Thursday told the Rocky Mountain Post that cybersecurity is a largely underreported topic in the state despite its potential to make Colorado a national and even international leader in one of the fastest growing tech sectors,” reports ColoradoPolitics.com. “’The issue of cybersecurity doesn’t always receive the attention it deserves, but is one that is critical to our national security and economic well-being,’ Gardner said via spokesman Casey Contres. ‘Every day, rogue actors are trying to launch cyber-attacks against our government and private businesses. Colorado has the workforce to continue to be a leader in this industry, and I’ll keep working to encourage these important jobs to be located in our state.'”

“In the months since Donald Trump was elected president, the Meyer Law Office has injected itself publicly and forcefully into the debate over immigration enforcement and how far local government should go to protect those who don’t have authorization to be here,” reports Denverite. “And, increasingly, the voice of the law office has been not just attorney Hans Meyer but his policy director, Julie Gonzales. Now Gonzales, who has more than a decade of experience in community organizing and advocacy, has thrown her hat in the ring to represent west Denver in the Colorado Senate, a seat currently held by Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, who is term-limited.”

1 COMMENT

  1. So we have multi millions of dollars owed to doctors, dentists, hospitals as well as long term care community support providers are unpaid on Hickenlooper’s watch and he is an “expert”? Time for him to take care of Colorado first. Make DXC perform on their contract. Address issues of leadership with your political director appointee at the medicaid state agency HCPF. Walk the walk man…

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