Due to a break in the fire line that requires us to shut off water lines, we will have to shut down the Arapahoe County Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince Street in Littleton, at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 7. We will begin repairs immediately with the goal of reopening tomorrow morning, but we will provide updates as they become available.
by Steven Vetter, Managing Editor
The Bennett Lady Tigers qualified for the 36-team postseason bracket in 3A volleyball and will travel for a three-team regional round-robin tournament at University in Greeley on Friday, Nov. 8. The host school University will take on Jefferson Academy at 4 p.m. with Bennett slated to take on Jefferson Academy following about a half-hour later. The last game of the evening, tentatively around 7 p.m., will pit University against Bennett. The winner of the regional tournament advances to the 12-team state tournament Nov. 14-16 at the Denver Coliseum.
The Bennett Tigers football team also qualified for the 2A football playoffs and the 11the-seeded orange-and-black will travel to Platte Valley in Kersey for a 1 p.m. kickoff, Saturday, Nov. 9. Bennett enters the game 6-3 overall and second place from the Flatirons Conference while the sixth-seeded Broncos concluded the regular season 7-2.
If Bennett wins it would advance to the following weekend’s quarterfinals against either third-seeded Resurrection Christian or No. 14 La Junta.
by Steven Vetter, Managing Editor
The Strasburg Indians concluded its football regular season undefeated in nine contests and are the No. 1 seed for this year’s 1A state bracket. The red-and-black will host a first-round game against Manual at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at Winter Field.
Manual comes into the playoffs the No. 16 seed with an overall record of 4-5 but is the Colorado Conference champion.
With a win, the red-and-black would advance to the quarterfinals against the winner between No. 8 Highland and ninth-seeded Hotchkiss.
The 1A football bracket is below:
Fort Morgan, CO — Morgan Community College (MCC) invites the public to the Fort Morgan campus, located at 920 Barlow Road, for the groundbreaking of Poplar Hall Agriculture Center for Innovation on November 5, 2019 at 11 a.m. The Agriculture Center for Innovation at Poplar Hall will provide needed space for MCC agriculture programs, including Agriculture and Business Management (ABM), Precision Agriculture, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The new facility will also provide space to grow the college’s agriculture offerings, including the Industrial Controls Technician Certificate program under development. The 4,905 square foot facility will feature a classroom, computer laboratory, shop, and office space.
Light refreshments will be served in Cedar Hall following the ceremony.
For more information about MCC’s programs, visit www.morgancc.edu or call (970) 542-3100.
To receive additional information about how to support MCC’s campus development, contact Kari Linker, MCC’s Director of Development and Foundation Director at or (970) 542-3113.
Denver — Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a proclamation declaring November Colorado Apprenticeship Month, in recognition of the increasingly important role such programs play in helping Coloradans gain in-demand skills while earning a paycheck.
“Apprenticeships give people of all ages an opportunity to hone existing skills and gain new ones,” said Joe Barela, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). “As we prepare for today and tomorrow’s rapidly changing economy, the importance of upskilling and reskilling will only grow. Apprenticeships will provide countless Coloradans with opportunities to remain competitive in a quickly evolving labor market that demands lifelong learning.”
During Colorado Apprenticeship Month, CDLE, along with the Business Experiential Learning (BEL) Commission, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, and workforce boards, will be hosting a “Celebration of Excellence” at the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion on November 5th. The event, sponsored by FirstBank and CareerWise Colorado, will honor apprentices, their mentors, and employers who have strong apprenticeship programs, and partnerships that further the adoption of apprenticeship programs.
Governor Polis’ proclamation comes as employers struggle to find skilled talent in a state with historically low unemployment rates. At the same time, many Coloradans find themselves without the skills or experience they need to find good jobs. Apprenticeships help alleviate employers’ skills gaps while also equipping apprentices with in-demand skills.
An increasing number of employers are recognizing the benefits of such programs; from 2013 to 2018, the number of apprentices grew from 375,000 to 585,000, a 56 percent increase, according to the United States Department of Labor. A data sheet by the Utah Department of Workforce Services also notes that the return on investment for a registered apprenticeship program is $1.46 for ever $1 invested, that 90 percent of apprentices retain employment after their apprenticeship ends, and that apprenticeship graduates earn, on average, $300,000 more over the course of their career than their peers who don’t complete an apprenticeship.
To view the Governor’s proclamation in full, click here.
To find out more about how your organization can adopt an apprenticeship program, visit Apprenticeship Evolution, a product of the BEL Commission.
COLORADO STATEWIDE ― This Sunday, Nov. 3, marks the end of daylight saving time in Colorado. This means drivers will see dusk arriving earlier, and should be aware that wildlife movements are likely to conflict with rush hour traffic on highways statewide.
As the sunlight fades during our high-volume commutes, Colorado Parks and Wildlife asks the state’s drivers to be cautious in sharing our roads with wildlife. Autumn is peak seasonal mating and migration for many species, so drivers should stay alert and watch for wildlife as they begin to experience darker commutes.
“This time of year is tough for people and wildlife alike,” said District Wildlife Manager Tim Kroening. “People might know wildlife moves mainly between the dusk and dawn hours, but we don’t always connect that to our driving patterns. While your work hours stay the same, less daylight means more wildlife movement, which can increase the chances of a collision. Keep in mind, this is also the time of year when many of our big game species are moving to lower ground or actively mating, so it’s really important to keep your eyes out for wildlife on and near the roads in the fall.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation also advises motorists to stay vigilant, drive with caution and slow down, especially now that several snow storms have set in and have pushed wildlife from the high country into lower elevations.
“Big game like deer, elk and moose are on the move, making their way to terrain for which they can more easily find food and water,” said CDOT Wildlife Program Manager Jeff Peterson. “The seasonal movements of these animals can cause more wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
An effective measure which attempts to decrease the amount of wildlife-vehicle collisions in Colorado has been the construction of mitigation structures. CDOT has worked hand-in-hand with CPW to study, gather data and develop solutions on several highways across the state. One such project is located on I-25 between Monument and Castle Rock, where 12 trail cameras were set up along a 10-mile stretch of the interstate to determine the diversity of wildlife present and capture travel patterns.
“With the help of images captured from the cameras, CDOT and CPW analyzed locations along the corridor where wildlife collisions were highest. The team also documented wildlife movements, noting existing game trails, culverts, drainages and bridges. As a result of the study, CDOT will install four new wildlife crossings and more than 30 miles of deer fence as part of the I-25 South Gap project,” added Peterson.
Colorado has increasingly included mitigation structures over and under highways in construction projects to assist in wildlife crossing the highways, but motorists must remain attentive to their surroundings and pay close attention to wildlife on the move. CPW and CDOT offer several precautions that should be followed year-round, but especially around the change back to daylight standard time.
Drivers involved in a wildlife-vehicle collision should report the accident to the Colorado State Patrol by calling *CSP (star key and 277).
STAY INFORMED:
For more information about wildlife and our highways, visit:
In an era of money-hungry government, this election cycle seeks to move us further down a path asking taxpayers to give more, fund more, pay more.
Water has long been at the forefront of my agenda over the duration of my career in the state legislature. I have served as the Water Committee Chairman several times and have become one of those “water guys” from whom others seek information.
I have remained publicly neutral on Proposition DD as several questions were not answered. Instead, I proposed policy changes to require transparency. Those questions remain unclear and any transparency policy has so far been rejected.
This proposition asks permission to add sports betting to Colorado’s current list of approved games, in response to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that individual states can authorize betting on sports. I know people who already bet using their smart phones.
Voters are asked to approve that list and then allow a tax on sports betting with the revenue going to the “Water Plan.”
On the surface this seems great: we need to make sure we have funding available to build storage and keep Colorado’s water in Colorado. Except, just like Prop CC, the legislature can raid funds set aside for water and use them for something else. And they have in the past – since 2002, $322 million dollars specified for water projects has been spent elsewhere.
If Prop CC fails and Prop DD passes, will the legislature take the money they had hoped would be generated by Proposition CC to fund the ongoing government overspending? The law says they can!
Let’s assume that we can trust the legislature to spend this money on the “Water Plan.” Will that money be used to build storage? Or will it fund other projects such as removing water from agriculture for recreation or instream flows or urban growth? A past director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board has been quoted saying that some rivers need to be 100% owned by the state to meet the agency’s conservation goals. That scares me and it should scare agriculture!
Most recently, as I try to decide if this is a good policy for Colorado, I can’t help but focus on the questions that are not being answered. It would appear that there are some hidden agendas involved.
To me, it boils down to this: should gamblers be made to fund our water needs? Should we raise taxes on something like gambling to replace a noticeable reduction in water funds used because of the curtailed oil and gas production? Can we trust the legislature to spend this money on what it is promised for?
I can’t answer yes to any of those questions.
Thank you,
Jerry Sonnenberg
Colorado Senate District 1
4465 CR 63
Sterling, CO 80751
970.581.8648
Denver, Colorado – Colorado State University System will host its second annual Water in the West Symposium on Nov. 6 and 7, 2019, at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, to convene diverse experts and thought leaders to highlight solutions and collaborate on one of the greatest global issues: water.
The event has sold out both years with approximately 400 diverse water stakeholders, ranging from recreation and environment to business and agriculture.
“Colorado State University is in the perfect position to act as a convener around the issue of water,” said former Secretary of U.S. Agriculture Tom Vilsack, an advisor to CSU on the National Western Center project in north Denver. “As we focus on solutions and problem-solving around water issues at this event, we want everyone at the table to be part of this critical conversation for an issue that impacts everyone, regardless of where they live.”
The Symposium is an initial offering of the CSU Water Building, one of three buildings that will comprise the future CSU Campus at the National Western Center. The new CSU Campus is expected to break ground in 2020 and open in 2022, and will also include an animal health building and a center focused on food and agriculture. Each of the CSU buildings will provide collaborative research and incubation spaces, and interactive and family-friendly educational opportunities focused largely on the themes of health, environment, energy, water, and food.
The 2019 Water in the West Symposium will feature nearly 30 speakers, including Walter Robb, founder of Stonewall Robb Advisors and former co-CEO of Whole Foods; Claudia Ringler, International Food Policy Research Institute; Winston Yu, International Water Management Institute; and Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture. A full list of speakers and additional event information is available at nwc.colostate.edu/water-in-the-west-2019.
“CSU has long been an expert in water issues, and the CSU Campus at the National Western Center will place these conversations on an even larger stage,” said Dr. Tony Frank, chancellor of the CSU System. “The University has a responsibility to use its resources and position as a land-grant institution to take the lead in convening conversations and efforts around these important global issues.”
The Symposium, originally scheduled for March 13-14, was postponed due to a winter storm that cancelled flights of key Symposium speakers, and shut down schools, governments, and businesses across Colorado.
Colorado State University at the National Western Center
Colorado State University has made a long-term commitment to the future National Western Center and its surrounding communities in north Denver.
The CSU Campus at the National Western Center will focus on research and educational programming in the areas of food, water, sustainability, and human and animal health within its three buildings: the CSU Water Building, CSU Animal Health Complex, and CSU Center for Food and Agriculture. What’s inside the buildings will bring together the brightest minds, inspire the next generation, and address global challenges.
The University is currently working to engage with the community and to partner with local schools, nonprofits, and businesses to create impactful research, collaboration, and year-round programming to this unique project.
For additional information, visit nwc.colostate.edu.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gary Peters (D-MI) reintroduced the Philanthropic Facilitation Act (PFA) to reform the approval process for charitable investments, so organizations can more easily invest in community improvement and job creation, boosting economic growth in both rural and urban areas.
“Encouraging investment in both rural and urban settings is vital to growing our economy and creating jobs. The Philanthropic Facilitation Act benefits rural economies in particular by cutting red tape and removing barriers between philanthropists and small businesses, ultimately leading to more job creation,” said Senator Gardner. “Private charities are more than willing to invest in and grow the economy but are too often deterred by government bureaucracy. Simply put, it’s often too hard for philanthropists to identify qualified recipients for their charitable dollars. This legislation is a common-sense solution that gets government out of the way and encourages more investment across Colorado where it’s needed most.”
“Charitable foundations across Michigan are playing critical roles in supporting local economic development,” said Senator Peters. “I am pleased to partner with Senator Gardner on this bipartisan legislation that would encourage further investment in underserved rural and urban communities by streamlining the process for charitable organizations to grow, create jobs and continue to give back to these communities.”
Current law stipulates that private foundations must make a certain amount of charitable distributions in order to keep their tax-preferred status. Commonly, those distributions come in the form of grants to not-for-profit organizations. Program-Related Investments (PRIs), which are investments in for-profit companies undertaking a charitable activity, can also count towards a private foundation’s annual charitable distributions, but are often ignored due to a confusing certification process.
This legislation introduced by Gardner and Peters streamlines the process for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rulings on whether a loan or an investment by a philanthropic organization can be considered a PRI, and therefore count towards yearly charitable distributions. This legislation makes it easier for organizations to invest in a given entity by simplifying the process and forcing the IRS to make a decision within 120 days.
Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet introduced and supported multiple agriculture and public lands priorities as amendments to the package of four appropriations bills (or “minibus”) introduced in the Senate last week.
“There is a lot of important work that we should be doing in the Senate. This includes protecting and maintaining our public lands, and expanding overseas markets for our farmers and ranchers,” said Bennet. “I’ll continue to look for every opportunity to move these Colorado priorities forward.”
Bennet-led amendments include:
Bennet-backed amendments include: