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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Tag: Pueblo

  • New Laws to Boost Rural Economies and Hire Rural Peace Officers Signed Into Law

    New Laws to Boost Rural Economies and Hire Rural Peace Officers Signed Into Law

    PUEBLO, CO– At Musso Farms in Pueblo, Governor Jaerd Polis today signed four bills that will boost rural economies, help smaller communities afford the costs of peace officer training programs, improve seed regulation and better protect energy consumers.

    “We can’t leave Colorado’s rural communities behind as our state recovers from the pandemic,” said Rep. Bri Buentello, D-Pueblo. “The legislation signed today will improve a critical economic development initiative and enhance seed regulation to help Colorado’s agriculture producers. To support our communities that are struggling with smaller and smaller budgets, we created a new scholarship to help them afford to hire and train new law enforcement officers. I’m proud of our work to boost rural economies and help build an economy that works for all parts of our state.”

    HB20-1229, sponsored by Representative Bri Buentello, establishes a scholarship fund for rural and small communities to assist in paying for the cost of potential police officers to attend an approved basic law enforcement training academy. SB20-002, sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan and Buentello, strengthens and cements a successful existing program, REDI, in the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to ensure that the program continues and make improvements to spur rural economies. HB20-1184, sponsored by Representatives Buentello and Rod Pelton, improves seed regulation in Colorado to help agricultural producers.

    “Colorado’s rural communities have been hit hard by ongoing trade disputes, declining tourism revenue from the pandemic and dwindling town budgets,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “Today, the governor signed my bill to spur rural economic growth. The law makes the successful Rural Economic Development Grant Initiative permanent and bolsters the program to help our small businesses and rural communities recover faster and get back on their feet.”

    SB20-030, sponsored by Representative Daneya Esgar, imposes various requirements on public utilities and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) related to information reporting, billing, and customer interactions. The bill nearly doubles the level of income that the PUC may use to means test the medical exemption, allowing more Coloradans with medical needs to take advantage of the program.

    “Across our state, hardworking Coloradans are struggling to make ends meet and pay their electricity bills,” said Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “We can lower electricity costs by strengthening consumer protections and increasing transparency in billing. Importantly, this new law provides utility relief that so many Coloradans rely on to a lot more older Coloradans with medical conditions to help them make ends meet.”

     

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  • Fishers Peak Park One Step Closer to Opening

    Fishers Peak Park One Step Closer to Opening

    PUEBLO, CO– Governor Jared Polis today signed into law legislation sponsored by Representative Daneya Esgar to create and fund the new Fishers Peak State Park and to make improvements to parks all across the state to accommodate more visitors. The governor also signed legislation sponsored by Representative Dylan Roberts to fund Colorado Water Conservation Board projects and support endangered or threatened species conservation programs.

    “Colorado has some of the best state parks in the country, and soon we’ll add one more, the beautiful Fishers Peak in Southern Colorado,” said Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Our state parks contribute significantly to our communities, and Fishers peak will draw visitors from across the region, boosting our small businesses and Southern Colorado’s economy. Parks like Fishers Peak create the outdoor recreation options that Coloradans love and our state is known for.”

    SB20-003, sponsored by Representative Esgar, provides $6 million in funding to the state’s parks to open Fishers peak and to make improvements at parks throughout the state to accommodate additional visitors and upgrade park facilities and infrastructure.

    “I’m proud of this bipartisan effort to fund the critical water projects that Colorado communities need and rely on, and to protect the wildlife and endangered species that live in our state,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon. “By investing in our water infrastructure and conservation, we are ensuring that our state is prepared for the future. These important projects are going to put people to work, revitalize environmental habitats, and protect our Colorado way of life.”

    HB20-1403, sponsored by Representative Roberts and Marc Catlin, provides funding for Colorado Water Conservation Board projects. These projects support and implement the Colorado Water Plan and are essential for the state’s water supply and the economic activity that relies on it. SB20-201, which is also sponsored by Representatives Roberts and Catlin, provides funding for programs at the Department of Natural Resources that protect endangered and threatened species and wildlife in Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife lists dozens of endangered or threatened species, including the American Bald Eagle and Lynx.  

     

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  • State health department pursues strategic approach to testing in face of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Colorado

    State health department pursues strategic approach to testing in face of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Colorado

    DENVER, March 18, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is pursuing a strategic approach to testing in the state to steward our state and country’s scarce resources in the face of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in Colorado. CDPHE is sending testing resources to specific communities that have not yet had testing that will yield vital information about how the disease is spreading. There is unprecedented collaboration between state government, local government, and the private sector to increase testing capacity over the next few weeks. However, CDPHE is strongly advising the public: If you have symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath), don’t wait for a test to self-isolate.

    The State is expanding testing to include a temporary site in Pueblo on Thursday, March 19. The Colorado National Guard and Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment are supporting these efforts. CDPHE also plans to send testing resources to other locations later this week. CDPHE is prioritizing testing in areas that have not been highly tested to better understand where the disease is occurring and respond. These sites will serve high-risk patients who have been pre-selected by area health care providers. They will not accept walk-up or drive-up patients. 

    “We are prioritizing testing in certain areas in order to better understand where and how much transmission is occurring,” said Rachel Herlihy, State Epidemiologist. “It’s critical that we are gathering data in all areas of the state, especially areas where there hasn’t been a lot of testing.”

    The state health department is also strongly advising that if you have mild symptoms, stay home and avoid contact with others. Call your health care provider only if your illness becomes more severe, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 and tell the dispatcher your symptoms. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Not everyone with symptoms will be tested right away. 

    If you have mild symptoms, suspect you were exposed, and are either unable to get tested or waiting on test results:

    • Please stay home and isolate yourself until:
      • You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND
      • Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND
      • At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
    • Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within six feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.

    Testing completed at the State Laboratory will be prioritized in order to:

    • Identify and monitor for community transmission of COVID-19.
    • Investigate potential outbreaks in health care and residential facilities.
    • Ensure a safe workforce in health care and other facilities serving high-risk populations.
    • Test critically ill patients for whom commercial testing will not provide timely enough results.

    As state epidemiologists keep a close eye on this rapidly changing situation, recommendations will change. At the beginning of any public health outbreak, it’s important to test and confirm individual cases. This information helps public health responders confirm when and where transmission is happening in a community. However, once community spread becomes more evident, public health moves away from diagnosing the illness in individuals and toward identifying community outbreaks. 

    Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

     

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  • Cheaper Gas Coming Soon

    Cheaper Gas Coming Soon

    Colorado pump prices to dip by at least a quarter.

    DENVER (Dec. 19, 2019) – Good news, Colorado: AAA forecasts that Centennial State motorists will enjoy some of the country’s most significant savings on gas heading into the new year, with pump prices expected to plummet by as much as a quarter in the coming weeks. The reason? Increasing gasoline stocks coupled with an anticipated seasonal demand drop will together drive prices down.

    Regional gasoline stocks have averaged 7 million barrels since early October, per data from the Energy Information Administration. Refinery utilization rates, meanwhile, have hovered around 85 percent or higher. Those two factors, combined with the seasonal switch-over to winter-blend gasoline – which is cheaper to produce and sell – are driving down gas prices.

    “Pump prices are finally trending downward in Colorado in what has been an abnormally expensive regional gas market, of late,” said AAA Colorado spokesman Skyler McKinley. “The even better news is that 2019’s prices are down nearly a dime from 2018, thanks in large part to cheaper crude oil prices.”

    On a year-to-date basis, Colorado’s 2019 statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.57, down from $2.68 in 2018. Gas prices hit their highest point in June, at $2.87, and their lowest in February, at $2.01. Colorado has enjoyed the cheapest gas prices of any state in AAA’s Rockies analysis region – comprising Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. 

    Oil Market Dynamics

    Colorado’s anticipated savings may be short-lived.

    While crude oil prices have consistently fallen year-over-year, they may hover consistently above $60 per barrel as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners continue to reduce production, lowering global supply.

    Earlier this month, OPEC and other major global producers, including Russia, announced an agreement to cut their total crude production by an additional 500,000 barrels per day beginning on January 1, 2020. This new agreement will likely remain in effect, without amendment, until the next OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria on March 5. 

    “This reduction in global crude supply will help drain the market, which will likely otherwise be oversupplied during the first half of next year,” McKinley said. “This could lead to more expensive crude oil and gas prices in mid-to-late January as compared to the start of recent years, assuming crude demand remains robust.”

    Colorado Gas By the Numbers

     Durango

    • Current Average: $2.57
    • Yesterday Average: $2.58
    • Week Ago Average: $2.57
    • Month Ago Average: $2.65
    • Year Ago Average: $2.54

    Denver

    • Current Average: $2.68
    • Yesterday Average: $2.69
    • Week Ago Average: $2.72
    • Month Ago Average: $2.74
    • Year Ago Average: $2.29

    Colorado Springs

    • Current Average: $2.70
    • Yesterday Average: $2.70
    • Week Ago Average: $2.75
    • Month Ago Average: $2.75
    • Year Ago Average: $2.34

    Pueblo

    • Current Average: $2.73
    • Yesterday Average: $2.74
    • Week Ago Average: $2.83
    • Month Ago Average: $2.87
    • Year Ago Average: $2.52

    Boulder-Longmont

    • Current Average: $2.73
    • Yesterday Average: $2.73
    • Week Ago Average: $2.76
    • Month Ago Average: $2.75
    • Year Ago Average: $2.30

    Greeley

    • Current Average: $2.74
    • Yesterday Average: $2.75
    • Week Ago Average: $2.78
    • Month Ago Average: $2.79
    • Year Ago Average: $2.37

    Fort Collins-Loveland

    • Current Average: $2.76
    • Yesterday Average: $2.77
    • Week Ago Average: $2.78
    • Month Ago Average: $2.79
    • Year Ago Average: $2.40

    Grand Junction

    • Current Average: $2.80
    • Yesterday Average: $2.81
    • Week Ago Average: $2.86
    • Month Ago Average: $2.89
    • Year Ago Average: $2.57

    Glenwood Springs

    • Current Average: $3.09
    • Yesterday Average: $3.09
    • Week Ago Average: $3.13
    • Month Ago Average: $3.16
    • Year Ago Average: $2.83

    Vail

    • Current Average: $3.19
    • Yesterday Average: $3.20
    • Week Ago Average: $3.24
    • Month Ago Average: $3.29
    • Year Ago Average: $2.84

    Winter Fuel & Driving Tips

    As you hit the road this winter, AAA offers these tips to help conserve fuel and keep motorists safe:

     

    • As a precaution, keep at least half a tank of fuel in your vehicle at all times. It helps to reduce condensation in the fuel system. It also helps ensure an adequate reserve of fuel to run the engine for heat should your car become disabled in a remote location.
    •  
    • Optimize your daily driving.  Maintain steady speeds. A car uses extra fuel accelerating.  Cruise control may be a fuel saving option for motorists who drive a lot because a steady speed conserves fuel.  This is helpful when driving on level roads.  Cruise control, however, hurts mileage if you drive on hilly terrain.  
    • Minimize last-minute braking. Anticipate traffic conditions. Be alert for slow-downs and red lights and coast up to them, if possible. Drive smoothly, avoiding “jackrabbit starts.” The faster you drive, the more fuel used. Remember, however, that traveling slower than traffic flow can cause a safety hazard.
    •  
    • Don’t haul extra weight in the passenger compartment or trunk.   Reducing extra weight can save up to 2% fuel economy for every 100 lbs. removed depending on the weight of the vehicle. Also lose the roof rack, if not used regularly. Carrying things on a roof rack increases aerodynamic drag and reduces fuel economy – year-round.
    • Look into discounts. For example, AAA members can now save 30 cents per gallon on their first fill up, and 5 cents per gallon on every other fill-up, by signing up for the Fuel Rewards program by December 31, 2019. More information at com/Shell

    • Be sure to pack an emergency roadside kit in your car containing a mobile phone and car charger, first-aid kit, blankets, drinking water and snacks, a flashlight with extra batteries, a basic toolkit, warning flares, an ice scraper, jumper cables and a shovel.

     

    About AAA Colorado

    More than 695,000 members strong, AAA Colorado is the state’s greatest advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 60 million members with travel, insurance, financial, and automotive-related services — as well as member-exclusive savings. A not-for-profit organization since its founding in 1923, AAA Colorado has been recognized as the number one Colorado company its size for its advocacy, community engagement, and corporate social responsibility efforts – and is a proud member of Points of Light’s “The Civic 50 Colorado,” recognizing the 50 most community-minded companies in the state. For more information, visit AAA.com.

     

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