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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Category: National News

  • Colorado debates making it harder to opt out of vaccinations

    DENVER (AP) _ Colorado lawmakers are weighing whether to make it harder for parents to opt their children out of vaccinations as time runs out in their legislative session.

    The bill got a last-minute hearing late Wednesday and still must be debated by the full Senate before the session ends at midnight Friday.

    The debate comes as an outbreak of measles surges across the United States, the worst in 25 years. The once-common disease became increasingly rare after a vaccine became available in the 1960s and was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

    The bill would require parents who don’t want their children vaccinated for personal or religious reasons to apply in person for an exemption at a state office.

     

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  • Gas Prices Set Yearly High

    Gas Prices Set Yearly High

    Gas Prices Set Yearly High

    Colorado prices remain below national average, but will likely rise above $3.00 mark by Memorial Day weekend.

    DENVER (April 29, 2019)  – One week after the U.S. State Department announced the end of waivers for countries to import oil from Iran, crude oil and pump prices continue to rise – and show no signs of slowing down between now and Memorial Day. With a 4-cent jump on the week, today’s national gas price average sets a new high for 2019 at $2.88. That’s 20 cents more than a month ago and 63-cents more expensive than at the beginning of the year. 

    In Colorado, pump prices average $2.77 for a gallon of unleaded, reaching a high for 2019 and their highest price since November 2018. Prices are up a nickel from this time last week, a quarter from this time last month, and 12 cents from this time last year. 

    “Any driver will tell you they’ve felt an increasing squeeze on their wallets every time they’ve filled up their car this year,” said AAA Colorado spokesman Skyler McKinley. 

    AAA identified the median income for each county in the country, broken down to an income by minute assuming a 40-hour workweek. Per this research, Americans must work 22 percent longer than at the start of the year to buy one gallon of unleaded gasoline – 7.3 minutes, compared to 5.76 minutes in January. Counties in the Southeastern United States have been hit the hardest. In McCreary County, Kentucky, for example, workers need to work an additional 4 minutes for every gallon of gas they buy, as compared to January.

    In Colorado, the average worker in Costilla County will need to work for 12.62 minutes to buy a gallon of gasoline, while the average worker in Douglas County will need to work just 2.97 minutes. In Denver, the average worker needs to work for 5.52 minutes to afford a gallon of gasoline. In El Paso County, a gallon of gas costs the average worker 5.4 minutes of labor. In Pueblo County, the average worker will need to work for 8.2 minutes to buy a gallon of gas. 

    All told, the average worker in Colorado needs to work 7.32 minutes to buy a gallon of gas, up from 5.00 minutes at the start of 2019. 

    Gas prices are expected to rise through Memorial Day, and will likely top off at or slightly above a statewide average of $3.00 per gallon. Still, there is good reason to believe price increases will be less dramatic in Colorado than elsewhere. This week, for the first time in more than a month, the region’s gasoline stocks increased, per the latest Energy Information Administration Analysis. With a three percent increase in regional refinery utilization, stocks added 353,000 barrels to push the total to 7 million barrels.

     

    Colorado Gas by the Numbers

     Denver

    The average worker would need to work for 5.52 minutes to afford a single gallon of gas. 

    • Current Average: $2.70
    • Yesterday Average: $2.70
    • Week Ago Average: $2.65
    • Month Ago Average: $2.43
    • Year Ago Average: $2.59

     

    About AAA Colorado

    More than 685,000 members strong, AAA Colorado is the state’s most-trusted advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 59 million members with travel, insurance, financial, and automotive-related services – as well as member-exclusive savings. For more information, visit AAA.com.

     

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  • Secretary Griswold Releases Quarterly Economic Indicators Report

    Secretary Griswold Releases Quarterly Economic Indicators Report

    Colorado’s business entity filings and job growth are on the rise, according to the latest Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report released by Secretary of State Jena Griswold today.

    During the first quarter of 2019, 35,838 new business entities were filed with the Secretary of State’s office, contributing to a 5% increase over the past 12 months. There were 159,746 business renewals, which is more than a 7.6% increase over the prior year. There are over 718,000 Colorado businesses in good standing, a record for Colorado.

    The Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business compiles the report using data from the Secretary of State’s central business registry. The report looks at a variety of factors, such as energy costs, the labor market, and inflation.

    “I am encouraged by the gains in existing entity renewals and continued gains in new business formations, which have led to a record number of Colorado businesses in good standing,” said Griswold. “This indicates that the business environment in Colorado remains stable, and we are well-positioned to maintain our status as one of the leading state economies nationally.”

    From March of 2018 to March of 2019, Colorado added 44,800 jobs. Employment growth is projected to continue to grow over the next two quarters of this year. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that Colorado personal income increased by 1.5%, totaling nearly $331 billion.

    “Annual growth in filings aligns well with the overall growth we continue to see in the Colorado economy,” said Richard Wobbekind, executive director of the Business Research Division at University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. “As well, the slowing growth of new filings registered in Q1 is consistent with other slowing economic variables.”

    Last quarter, business leaders expressed confidence looking ahead two quarters. This increased slightly after the growth in business entity filings, renewals, and employment all went up over the first quarter of 2019.

    The full report is available here and previous reports can be found here. 
     

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  • Bennet Statement on Release of Special Counsel Mueller’s Report

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement:

     “The redacted report makes clear that the president’s behavior, and that of his team, should deeply concern every American. The report documents the president’s failure to cooperate with the special counsel, efforts to mislead the American people, and troubling interactions with Russia, a foreign adversary. To exercise its constitutional responsibility to provide oversight, Congress should have access to the full report and all underlying materials.

    “In the meantime, the Attorney General of the United States should refrain from using his office to shape the Mueller report in a partisan, self-interested manner.”

  • Gardner Statement on Mueller Report

    Washington, D.C. – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today released the below statement following Attorney General William Barr’s release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and related matters.

    “Special Counsel Robert Mueller led a fair and thorough investigation, and I have continuously supported ensuring this investigation reached its conclusion. I look forward to reviewing the report and hearing answers from the appropriate personnel regarding the process and contents of the report,” said Senator Gardner. “The Special Counsel report made public today includes the release of as much information as is consistent with U.S. law. Now that the report is public, it’s time for Congress to move forward and get to work on behalf of the American people. The report also confirms what we already know, Russia interfered in our election. I will keep up the pressure on the Putin regime and pursue additional sanctions – they cannot go unpunished.”

    Senator Gardner has been an outspoken critic of Russia and President Putin and has been a leader in Congress on punishing Russia for their efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and other illegal activities around the world. He is the author of S. 2780, a bill to require a determination on designation of the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism. Gardner and a bipartisan group of Senators have reintroduced a Russia sanctions package that has been called the “sanctions bill from hell” by the lead sponsor. He has also introduced legislation to provide new tools for the United States to combat malign Russian influence and create economic opportunities at home and abroad. 

    In addition to Gardner’s service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he is a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. The Helsinki Commission consists of 21 Commissioners, 18 from the United States Congress and one each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. Senator Gardner is also a member of the Senate NATO Observer Group, which has an expanded mission to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance’s counter-terrorism capability, NATO enlargement, and the ability of NATO member states to address non-conventional warfare.

     ###

    Cory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.

  • The Road to No More Victims – Impaired Driving Month

    The Road to No More Victims – Impaired Driving Month

    By Colleen Sheehey-Church

    My son Dustin had unforgettable, fiery red hair and a huge, goofy grin. He loved to make people laugh. One summer night shortly after graduating high school, Dustin got a ride with a 19-year-old driver who had alcohol and drugs in her system.

    Seat-belted and sober, Dustin was riding in the back seat when the driver lost control of the car, ran into an embankment and launched the car into a river. The driver and front seat passenger escaped. Dustin could not, and he drowned.

    As the immediate past president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), I represent hundreds of thousands of people like me whose lives have been tragically, irreversibly changed by someone else’s decision to drive while impaired. To end impaired driving, we need to talk about it, and since April is Alcohol Awareness Month, there’s no better time to have this discussion.

    Impaired driving is a complex issue that grows more urgent by the day with the increasing prevalence of drug-impaired driving. Drugged driving is finding its way into the evening news and morning headlines across the country as a growing number of Americans get high and sometimes even overdose behind the wheel. Even more troubling, these drivers often combine substances like alcohol, marijuana and opioids, which exponentially increases their impairment and the likelihood of causing a fatal crash.

    Our response to this issue must be comprehensive. The United States has been successful over the past three decades in drastically reducing the number of impaired-driving fatalities through effective legislation, increased enforcement, stepped-up education campaigns, changing societal norms and a greater recognition of the need for addiction treatment. Impaired-driving fatalities dropped for years but have recently begun to tick back up. Far too many Americans—10,874 in 2017—lose their lives each year to completely preventable crimes.

    DWI courts are uniquely positioned to have one of the greatest impacts on impaired driving in our communities because they specialize in targeting and treating the population that poses the greatest threat to our safety: repeat impaired drivers with a substance use disorder.

    We know that the first arrest is rarely the first time someone has driven impaired. In fact, studies estimate that an impaired driver has done so more than 80 times before getting caught. We also know that for many of these high-risk, high-need individuals, punishment alone simply will not change their behavior. DWI courts combine evidence-based treatment to address their substance use disorder with structure and strict accountability to change the behavior that attends it, including close supervision and tools like ignition interlock.

    Research confirms that this approach significantly reduces impaired driving: participants in DWI courts are up to 60 percent less likely to reoffend than those sentenced to jail or standard probation.

    Unfortunately, there are just over 700 of these programs in the entire country, far too few to serve every eligible offender. The National Center for DWI Courts is committed to expanding DWI courts to make our roads and communities safer, and I’m honored to partner with them in this work.

    As a nation, we must have a greater sense of urgency. We must wage an unrelenting battle on the devastating, 100-percent preventable crime of impaired driving on our roadways. Clearly, our work is far from finished. But together, with your help, we can create a world with no more victims.

    Colleen Sheehey-Church is the immediate past National President of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving

     

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  • House Finance Committee Approves Bird-Titone Bill to Boost Affordable Housing

    (Mar. 21) – The House Finance committee approved Rep. Shannon Bird and Rep. Brianna Titone’s bill today to boost the supply of affordable housing in the state by expanding the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which helps leverage private funding for affordable housing projects across the state.

    “We’ve seen that this is a proven and effective method to helping people access affordable housing and grow the middle class,” said Rep. Bird, D-Westminster. “There is so much extra demand for these grants across the state, so we definitely see a need to expand this tax credit to accommodate the high demand.”

    The Affordable Housing Tax Credit supports key affordable housing needs such as workforce housing, homeless housing, and senior housing across Colorado and is one of the state’s most effective tools for increasing affordable housing available across the state. Colorado’s Affordable Housing Tax Credit raises private sector equity needed to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing. It currently is authorized to allocate only $5 million; HB 19-1228 would increase the available tax credits to $10 million in 2020-24..

    “We need to help ease the housing crunch. This bill will help seniors and hardworking people across our state,” said Rep. Titone, D-Arvada. “Access to affordable housing can help grow the middle class and our economy which will give back to Colorado in a lot of different ways.”

    Between 2015-2018, the program supported 4,796 affordable rental units. The development of these homes is estimated to have generated over $1.9 billion in economic impact in Colorado.

    HB19-1228 passed by a bipartisan vote of 7-3 and now heads to the Appropriations Committee.

    The Finance committee also approved Rep. Bird’s bill that specifies bonding requirements that apply to certain public/private partnership contracts for construction on publicly owned property. SB19-138 unanimously passed out of committee and now heads to the House floor.

     http://www.cohousedems.com/2019/03/house-finance-committee-approves-bird-titone-bill-to-boost-affordable-housing/

     

     

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  • Night, weekend births have higher risk of delivery complications, CSU researchers find

    Night, weekend births have higher risk of delivery complications, CSU researchers find

    A new study by Colorado State University researchers has found that the quantity of delivery complications in hospitals are substantially higher during nights, weekends and holidays, and in teaching hospitals.

    Each year, nearly 4 million women give birth in U.S. hospitals, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization in this country. Serious but preventable complications occur at the point of delivery, with approximately 700 women dying every year in the U.S. from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

    The study, “Clinical capital and the risk of maternal labor and delivery complications: Hospital scheduling, timing and cohort turnover effects,” was published in Risk Analysis: An International Journal. The authors include several faculty members in CSU’s Department of Economics: Sammy Zahran, David Mushinski and Hsueh-Hsiang Li. The study was co-authored by Ian Breunig of Abt Associates, Inc., and Sophie McKee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They analyzed more than 2 million cases from 2005 to 2010, using detailed data obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

    The study looked at labor and delivery complications, including third- or fourth-degree perineal laceration, ruptured uterus, unplanned hysterectomy, admission to intensive care unit and unplanned operating room procedure following delivery. The research team focused only on women with a single birth (not twins) who had gestation of more than 20 weeks, a delivery attended by a physician, and a normal labor onset.

    Timing matters

    The study evaluated whether delivery complications vary by work shift (day versus night), increase as the hours pass within work shifts, and increase on weekends (Friday evening to Monday morning) and holidays (Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July).

    The results suggest that:

    The odds of a mother experiencing a delivery complication are 21.3 percent higher during the night shift, and the odds of a delivery complication increase 1.8 percent with every hour worked within a shift.

    A mother delivering an infant on a weekend is 8.6 percent more likely to encounter a complication than a mother delivering on a weekday.

    Births occurring on holidays are particularly susceptible to labor or delivery complications, with holiday births being 29 percent more likely to have a complication.

    Location matters

    The study also explored whether delivery complication rates are higher in teaching hospitals, and whether they increase when a new cohort of residents enter teaching hospitals in July, causing abrupt declines in physician experience and coordination between members of the health-care team.

    Mothers delivering their infants in teaching hospitals are 2.2 times more likely to experience a delivery complication than mothers birthing at non-teaching hospitals.

    The risk also increases by a multiplicative factor of 1.3 at teaching hospitals in July, when new residents join the staff rotation. By June, after a full year of training and integration, the risk of a delivery complication at these same hospitals is statistically indistinguishable from chance.

    “Across an ensemble of hospital situations where clinical quality is known to vary independently of patient characteristics and volume, we see corresponding variation in the risk of preventable harm to expectant mothers,” states Zahran, an associate professor.

    Obstetric care in hospital settings is a team effort, and ineffective teamwork has been implicated in an estimated 75 percent of preventable medical errors. The researchers hypothesize that hospitals could decrease the risk of harm to mothers by putting more emphasis on scheduling inexperienced physicians with more senior health professionals, among other things.

    About the journal

    Risk Analysis: An International Journal is published by the nonprofit Society for Risk Analysis, an interdisciplinary, scholarly, international society that provides an open forum for all who are interested in risk analysis, a critical function in complex modern societies. Risk analysis includes risk assessment, risk characterization, risk communication, risk management and risk policy affecting individuals, public- and private-sector organizations, and societies at the local, regional, national and global levels. To learn more, visit www.sra.org.

     

     

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  • USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey to speak at CSU Water in the West Symposium

    Denver, Colo. – Bill Northey, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will speak at the upcoming Water in the West Symposium in the Denver area. Colorado State University System is hosting the Symposium at Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center on March 13 and 14.

    Northey is a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer, who previously served as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture from 2006 to 2018. In his role at USDA, he oversees the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency, and Farm Service Agency.

    “Reliable access to water is a significant issue for producers in the west and around the country,” said Northey. “Through forums like the Water in the West Symposium, we are able to work together to identify solutions and make meaningful progress in addressing these challenges.”

    Nearly 30 speakers are confirmed for the Symposium, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis and National Geographic Partners Chairman Gary Knell.

    Speakers represent a variety of water interests, crossing sectors such as recreation, business, agriculture, utilities, and research. The Symposium, which sold out in 2018, is an initial offering of the CSU Water Building, one of the three buildings that make up the future CSU Campus at the National Western Center.

    Sessions will commence on March 14 and include panels focused on water solutions in a variety of topic areas:

    • Food, Beverage, and Agriculture;
    • Recreation and the Environment;
    • Data and Technology;
    • Finance and Funding;
    • Sustainability dialogue lead by former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

    A full list of speakers, additional event information, and registration is available at nwc.colostate.edu/water-in-the-west-2019.

    Registration closes March 8.

    —————————————————

    Colorado State University Campus at the National Western Center

    The CSU Campus at the National Western Center will focus on research and educational programming in the areas of food, water, health, energy and the environment within its three buildings: the CSU Water Building, CSU Animal Health Complex, and CSU Food and Agriculture Center. Each of the CSU buildings will provide collaborative research and incubation spaces, and interactive and family-friendly educational opportunities. For additional information, visit nwc.colostate.edu.

     

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  • CSU Evening with an Author features story of Holocaust survivor March 20

    Nancy Sprowell Geise, author of the biography Auschwitz #34207 – The Joe Rubinstein Story, will speak about her work on Wednesday, March 20, 7 p.m., at the Hilton Fort Collins. Her appearance is free and open to the public as part of the Colorado State University Morgan Library Evening with an Author Series.

    In the 1950s and ’60s, Joe Rubinstein was one of New York’s leading shoe designers, but he never spoke of his experiences in Poland during World War II, not even to his family. It wasn’t until he met Geise in 2007 at a Fort Collins retirement community that he eventually decided to share the harrowing story of his time in several Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where he received a number tattoo on his forearm in 1942.

    An inspiring tale of resilience and overcoming impossible odds, Auschwitz #34207 tells Rubinstein’s life story, a story of unconquerable courage and discovering light in the darkest of places.

    Geise spent two years interviewing Rubinstein, now 98 years old, for the book, which was the No. 1 bestselling Holocaust biography on Amazon and has been named the Book of the Year by several organizations. She has shared his remarkable story around the world, from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., to a special presentation to the staff and guides at the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum in Poland. Rubinstein still lives in Fort Collins.

    Giese’s talk will take place at the Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road. Seating for this program is on a first-come first-serve basis; no tickets are required, and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

    A book sale and photo opportunity will follow the talk, with half the proceeds going directly to Rubinstein.

    This event is sponsored by the Morgan Library, Friends of the Morgan Library, Poudre River Public Library, Poudre River Friends of the Library, The Liggett Family Endowment, KUNC, Hilton Fort Collins, and Old Firehouse Books.

    Learn more about the author and Auschwitz #34207 on Giese’s website; more information about the Evening with an Author Series is available on the Morgan Library website.

     

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