Any one of these options would be so much better than the old Subaru site. With downtown, the problem will still be parking.
John Stroud:
"The working group included representatives from the city of Glenwood Springs, Amtrak, Greyhound Bus Lines, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Nine potential sites for such a facility were evaluated through the planning process. The public got a chance to rate the various site options during an open house in February.
The transit facility would be intended to serve local commuters and long-distance travelers alike, by creating a central hub where people can make connections to various modes of transportation more easily.
The project is only in the planning stages, and funding to build the facility has not yet been identified.
The proposed multimodal facility is being planned in conjunction with RFTA's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) implementation. RFTA is working to secure the former Subaru car dealership property on South Glen Avenue to serve as the primary Glenwood Springs hub for the BRT system.
But a more central transit hub is envisioned in the city of Glenwood Springs' 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan, as well as the city's confluence-area plan.
Other possible locations included three sites scattered along Wulfsohn Road and Midland Avenue west of the Glenwood Meadows development. Another site on the north side of Interstate 70 at Soccer Road and Highway 6 in West Glenwood was also evaluated....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
April 27, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Note from 'Nanny' "Some guidelines for political commenting on SandBox"
"I am going to put my thoughts on what I am seeing from commentators on certain political races into this post so that there is a link I can toss up on certain news articles as election season heads into the home stretch.
The concept of SandBoxBlogs was finally launched in 2010 because local print news was censoring content from avatars that was perfectly above board in all ways, with the exception that it was content some powerful folks and the media that serves them did not want heard.
Over the past two years, the exposure of all that previously quashed information being viewable to the public eye has brought lasting, positive change to the area. SandBox is not the only independent blog that allows the news to be heard. There are at least three other very popular watering holes in the area that have large, lively and active hubs.
SandBox, probably due to the wide range of aggregate news we post daily sees the most diverse comments. The only one that comes close is the liberal leaning community of Aspen Post.
With that diversity there are also wide ranging emotions that rise to the surface of your comments.
'SandBox Nanny' is not shy about giving you the boot or tagging a time out when you cross the line.
With that said, the dilemma she often faces is 'what to do' when the comment(s) sound more personal than political, more angry than constructive, yet are honest and on point.
There are a couple of local and state races this season, in addition to the boiling hot lava of all national races for office and policy legislation, that are seeing that instantaneous blast through the stratosphere on both comments and attention that the power of the internet provides.
Those are the races for the 10th, the 9th, the 5th and the 21st Judicial district attorneys. The Garfield County Commissioner races. Pitkin County Commissioner races are heating up. National and state congressional seats in a number of districts as well.
The problem with all of the DA races, most of the commissioner races and a couple of the congressional runs is that it is about personality not platforms.
It is about ideology, philosophy, values, character and how the individuals involved project themselves out into their sworn duty that then affects the lives of the folks in direct ways.
Unfortunately, those are the hot, hot and hotter buttons this time around.
Why?
"What we each personally believe, comes forward from our perceptions throughout our lifetime. What we think we see, becomes what we believe. What we actually see, comes from what we perceive."
The catalyzing of first the blogosphere and micro-blogosphere challenges to mainstream media, then the juggernaut of the 'Tea Party' revolution and the 'Occupy' movement coming in next, have all brought the necessary and positive changes we needed but they also have left behind an aftermath of confusion, disorganization and at times, chaos when it comes to media coverage and resulting communication to the general public. It's both way, way too easy to speak words out there and simultaneously very, very difficult to be understood and your true meaning heard.
It is during such times that we see the man or woman standing next to us or in front of us as a leader by their true nature.
The problem of that clarity then becomes, when that human nature is either flawed in some capacity or has personal intent rather than global intent and/or ill intent; the weaponry in a high-tech world that is literally at everyone's fingertips.
As it goes against my personal values regarding the right to be heard, I cannot and will not, curb too tightly your points and messages that are personal against or for, any elected public figure, hopefully elected candidate or any person who is in a position of public trust or sworn duty.
We can not hope for positive growth and change if we do not confront the real issues at hand.
Politics is not a popularity contest. Nor is placing yourself in a position of public trust a responsibility that you can either turn on and off at will or insert your own personal desires.
Leadership is not always found in who is the boldest, the loudest, the one most seen or the one racking up the most 'points'.
True leadership is never found in unbridled popularity and is most often found in those that are not all that well liked or understood by others.
I personally find it unfortunate at best, that we have a couple of races in the state and the nation where the candidates themselves are forcing their outcomes to be about personality, popularity and self-aggrandizing.
Because there is one thing I know with absolute certainty.
The folks are going to call them out on those points in order to get the conversation back to what the folks need to know in order to vote what is best for their lives, communities and country.
just sayin.
With all of the above said, I am also a little weary on personal levels of listening to the same bloviating personalities trying to outshout, out race and tromp down anything standing in their way.
Please refresh your memories on my 'Rules, Regs and Worth', and know that this election cycle you all (including the subjects in news articles) have a somewhat impatient 'Nanny' who.....rules.
At least she does here on SandBox. " (Comment ability blocked on this post)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
The concept of SandBoxBlogs was finally launched in 2010 because local print news was censoring content from avatars that was perfectly above board in all ways, with the exception that it was content some powerful folks and the media that serves them did not want heard.
Over the past two years, the exposure of all that previously quashed information being viewable to the public eye has brought lasting, positive change to the area. SandBox is not the only independent blog that allows the news to be heard. There are at least three other very popular watering holes in the area that have large, lively and active hubs.
SandBox, probably due to the wide range of aggregate news we post daily sees the most diverse comments. The only one that comes close is the liberal leaning community of Aspen Post.
With that diversity there are also wide ranging emotions that rise to the surface of your comments.
'SandBox Nanny' is not shy about giving you the boot or tagging a time out when you cross the line.
With that said, the dilemma she often faces is 'what to do' when the comment(s) sound more personal than political, more angry than constructive, yet are honest and on point.
There are a couple of local and state races this season, in addition to the boiling hot lava of all national races for office and policy legislation, that are seeing that instantaneous blast through the stratosphere on both comments and attention that the power of the internet provides.
Those are the races for the 10th, the 9th, the 5th and the 21st Judicial district attorneys. The Garfield County Commissioner races. Pitkin County Commissioner races are heating up. National and state congressional seats in a number of districts as well.
The problem with all of the DA races, most of the commissioner races and a couple of the congressional runs is that it is about personality not platforms.
It is about ideology, philosophy, values, character and how the individuals involved project themselves out into their sworn duty that then affects the lives of the folks in direct ways.
Unfortunately, those are the hot, hot and hotter buttons this time around.
Why?
"What we each personally believe, comes forward from our perceptions throughout our lifetime. What we think we see, becomes what we believe. What we actually see, comes from what we perceive."
The catalyzing of first the blogosphere and micro-blogosphere challenges to mainstream media, then the juggernaut of the 'Tea Party' revolution and the 'Occupy' movement coming in next, have all brought the necessary and positive changes we needed but they also have left behind an aftermath of confusion, disorganization and at times, chaos when it comes to media coverage and resulting communication to the general public. It's both way, way too easy to speak words out there and simultaneously very, very difficult to be understood and your true meaning heard.
It is during such times that we see the man or woman standing next to us or in front of us as a leader by their true nature.
The problem of that clarity then becomes, when that human nature is either flawed in some capacity or has personal intent rather than global intent and/or ill intent; the weaponry in a high-tech world that is literally at everyone's fingertips.
As it goes against my personal values regarding the right to be heard, I cannot and will not, curb too tightly your points and messages that are personal against or for, any elected public figure, hopefully elected candidate or any person who is in a position of public trust or sworn duty.
We can not hope for positive growth and change if we do not confront the real issues at hand.
Politics is not a popularity contest. Nor is placing yourself in a position of public trust a responsibility that you can either turn on and off at will or insert your own personal desires.
Leadership is not always found in who is the boldest, the loudest, the one most seen or the one racking up the most 'points'.
True leadership is never found in unbridled popularity and is most often found in those that are not all that well liked or understood by others.
I personally find it unfortunate at best, that we have a couple of races in the state and the nation where the candidates themselves are forcing their outcomes to be about personality, popularity and self-aggrandizing.
Because there is one thing I know with absolute certainty.
The folks are going to call them out on those points in order to get the conversation back to what the folks need to know in order to vote what is best for their lives, communities and country.
just sayin.
With all of the above said, I am also a little weary on personal levels of listening to the same bloviating personalities trying to outshout, out race and tromp down anything standing in their way.
Please refresh your memories on my 'Rules, Regs and Worth', and know that this election cycle you all (including the subjects in news articles) have a somewhat impatient 'Nanny' who.....rules.
At least she does here on SandBox. " (Comment ability blocked on this post)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Aspen rider's avalanche air bag helped her survive Alaska slide"
Scott Condon:
"“My first thought was, ‘I have to get out,'” Konicek said. In the seconds she spent looking for a way out, she was caught from behind by snow and debris.
“I was blasted off my feet by all the snow barreling down on me,” she said. She was thrown on her back with such force that she dislocated her left shoulder. As a medical doctor, she realized she suffered the injury upon impact. Meanwhile, she was hurtling down the mountain on her back, head first. She started suffocating on snow.
“It was just like someone was pouring a mountain of snow on me,” Konicek said. “This is happening pretty quickly. I knew I was screwed pretty much.”
But Konicek said she never thought she would get killed, and her last resort was a life saver. She pulled the rip cord of her avalanche air bag and detected “the best sound I've ever heard” when the pressurized air canister released.
The air bag is stored in a backpack. In a nutshell, the bag inflates in two pieces that provide protection from the wearer's lower back to their head, and it splays them flat.
“It floated me to the surface, which was awesome,” Konicek said.
A Swiss company called Snowpulse equipped Orange Extreme with its avalanche air bag packs last winter. It was the first winter Konicek wore a bag. The previous three winters she rode with an avalanche lung, which allows a person to breath longer if they are buried under snow.
Avalanche air bags are surging in popularity. A blog on Wild Snow, a website for backcountry travelers, said a study of documented accidents show that avalanche victims with an air-bag system survive 97 percent of the time.
Konicek remembers being both relieved when her air bag deployed and horrified that she was speeding down the mountain. The couloir was steeper than Highland Bowl. She figures she took a 1,200-foot long ride. The avalanche had started about one-third of the way down the run. The lower two-thirds slid, she said. She estimated the slide at 50 to 100 feet wide and up to two feet deep. Although she and other competitors in big-mountain events train for avalanches and sometimes wear air bags for competition, depending on the venue, this was the first time she had been in an avalanche....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"“My first thought was, ‘I have to get out,'” Konicek said. In the seconds she spent looking for a way out, she was caught from behind by snow and debris.
“I was blasted off my feet by all the snow barreling down on me,” she said. She was thrown on her back with such force that she dislocated her left shoulder. As a medical doctor, she realized she suffered the injury upon impact. Meanwhile, she was hurtling down the mountain on her back, head first. She started suffocating on snow.
“It was just like someone was pouring a mountain of snow on me,” Konicek said. “This is happening pretty quickly. I knew I was screwed pretty much.”
But Konicek said she never thought she would get killed, and her last resort was a life saver. She pulled the rip cord of her avalanche air bag and detected “the best sound I've ever heard” when the pressurized air canister released.
The air bag is stored in a backpack. In a nutshell, the bag inflates in two pieces that provide protection from the wearer's lower back to their head, and it splays them flat.
“It floated me to the surface, which was awesome,” Konicek said.
A Swiss company called Snowpulse equipped Orange Extreme with its avalanche air bag packs last winter. It was the first winter Konicek wore a bag. The previous three winters she rode with an avalanche lung, which allows a person to breath longer if they are buried under snow.
Avalanche air bags are surging in popularity. A blog on Wild Snow, a website for backcountry travelers, said a study of documented accidents show that avalanche victims with an air-bag system survive 97 percent of the time.
Konicek remembers being both relieved when her air bag deployed and horrified that she was speeding down the mountain. The couloir was steeper than Highland Bowl. She figures she took a 1,200-foot long ride. The avalanche had started about one-third of the way down the run. The lower two-thirds slid, she said. She estimated the slide at 50 to 100 feet wide and up to two feet deep. Although she and other competitors in big-mountain events train for avalanches and sometimes wear air bags for competition, depending on the venue, this was the first time she had been in an avalanche....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Real Vail "Springtime in the Rockies means all activity options are on the table"
David O. Williams:
"Everything from hiking to biking to golf to baseball and, yes, even powder skiing, could be on this weekend’s activity list in Colorado. A fast-moving storm may dump up to six inches of new snow on the few ski areas still open, but then things improve as the weekend moves along.
So the ambitious Coloradan could hit Breckenridge, Loveland or Arapahoe Basin for some fresh turns, then head to one of eight national parks and monuments in Colorado offering free entry through Sunday. Or play 18 holes at the newly revamped Eagle-Vail Golf Club starting on Saturday.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Everything from hiking to biking to golf to baseball and, yes, even powder skiing, could be on this weekend’s activity list in Colorado. A fast-moving storm may dump up to six inches of new snow on the few ski areas still open, but then things improve as the weekend moves along.
So the ambitious Coloradan could hit Breckenridge, Loveland or Arapahoe Basin for some fresh turns, then head to one of eight national parks and monuments in Colorado offering free entry through Sunday. Or play 18 holes at the newly revamped Eagle-Vail Golf Club starting on Saturday.
National Park Week runs through Sunday, with entry free at many national parks and monuments around the country, including eight in Colorado: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Hovenweep National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park...." (Read more? Click title)
April 26, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Red State "A Nobody With No Audience Gets Noticed by Mitch McConnell "
If Mitch McConnell's posture on this wasn't so pompous, this story would be laughable.
The blogosphere has grown to far greater power than mainstream media will ever hold again. In the conservative blogger world, there are a few kingmakers. Erick Erickson is one. His blogging platform with 'diary' ability is not only one of the largest communities out there, it is populated by both conservative and democratic politicians of national caliber.
Anyone who brushes aside the power of avatars in commentary, social media and the blogosphere is locked in the past. And probably should stay away from running for public office as they do not stand a chance in this day and age if they are not participating or at minimum, keeping their finger on the pulse.
This response to McConnell's very poorly thought out statement that Erickson has 'no audience' is beautifully responded to by Erick today.
Out there in Red State:
"....I grew up thinking Mitch McConnell was a right wing warrior. It turns out he’s just a typical Washingtonian appropriator who has presided over a massive expansion of the welfare state doing not much more than issuing bold platitudes as he cuts deals to expand government spending and along the way made some major tactical and strategic blunders that groups like ACORN were able to thrive.
Let’s review the record.
In the 1990′s Mitch McConnell, then the Republican manager against the Motor Voter bill, made the brilliant tactical decision to not filibuster the motion to take up the bill. Consequently it passed. ACORN and other left-wing groups were emboldened to do what they’ve done over the past two decades. Yes, people forget that it was Mitch McConnell’s tactical decision to let Motor Voter get to the floor of the Senate despite the warnings of what would happen. Passage of that law made it ever easier to engage in voter registration fraud. McConnell had the votes to stop it from being considered, but once it got to the floor of the Senate everyone knew there were enough wobbly Republicans who would not dare go on record actually opposing it on passage.
In the early 2000′s when McCain-Feingold went through the Senate, McConnell yet again cut out the legs of its opponents telling them not to worry because he’d let the Supreme Court do their dirty work for them and kill it. McConnell lost in the Supreme Court.
Mitch McConnell’s more recent record makes clear he is more interested in being Majority Leader than advancing any sort of conservative principles. It’s all about McConnell.
He is an appropriations cardinal in the Senate who has routinely stymied fiscal conservative efforts to rein in spending by Senators Coburn, DeMint, and even John McCain.
Recall, if you will, Senator McConnell didn’t just vote for the Wall Street bailouts, he rescued it from near defeat by adding earmarks to TARP after it failed in the House.
As I mentioned, in 2010 Mitch McConnell backed Arlen Specter against Pat Toomey, Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio, Robert Bennett against Mike Lee, and Trey Grayson against Rand Paul.
After House GOP made a stand on payroll tax this past winter, McConnell pulled the rug out and cut a deal with Harry Reid that paid for a payroll tax cut with increases to home mortgages. Allen West said he felt betrayed over this.
McConnell personally recruited Senator Roy Blunt to stop conservative Ron Johnson from winning a key leadership spot.
McConnell vowed to block conservatives from forcing votes on full repeal of Obamacare this year, then flipped and said he’d force votes in March when RepealIt.org threatened to run ads for him to resign, He has yet to keep his promise to force votes. McConnell’s loyal lieutenants in the Senate, at the time, explained that forcing full repeal votes on the Democrats would undermine their ability to cut deals with Harry Reid.
Senator McConnell just last week voted with Senate Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee against Paul Ryan’s budget spending levels. Last year McConnell refused to whip support for Ryan’s budget when it came up for a vote in the Senate.
Senator McConnell and his allies frequently say he has to do what he does because they must keep the moderates to be in the majority. Except 2010 gives the lie away. In races conservatives absolutely could win, McConnell sided with the moderates. Behind the scenes, on issues like Obamacare that remain hugely unpopular with the American people, McConnell cuts deals with the Democrats instead of forcing votes.
McConnell is emblematic of all that is wrong with Washington, D.C. He covets power relentlessly and only acts when it is threatened, then only doing so much as to stop the threat without actually leading. Along the way, he has been deeply complicit in putting our Republican in a position of bankruptcy.
I may be a nobody with no audience, but Mitch McConnell is a leader with no spine to lead."
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
The blogosphere has grown to far greater power than mainstream media will ever hold again. In the conservative blogger world, there are a few kingmakers. Erick Erickson is one. His blogging platform with 'diary' ability is not only one of the largest communities out there, it is populated by both conservative and democratic politicians of national caliber.
Anyone who brushes aside the power of avatars in commentary, social media and the blogosphere is locked in the past. And probably should stay away from running for public office as they do not stand a chance in this day and age if they are not participating or at minimum, keeping their finger on the pulse.
This response to McConnell's very poorly thought out statement that Erickson has 'no audience' is beautifully responded to by Erick today.
Out there in Red State:
"....I grew up thinking Mitch McConnell was a right wing warrior. It turns out he’s just a typical Washingtonian appropriator who has presided over a massive expansion of the welfare state doing not much more than issuing bold platitudes as he cuts deals to expand government spending and along the way made some major tactical and strategic blunders that groups like ACORN were able to thrive.
Let’s review the record.
In the 1990′s Mitch McConnell, then the Republican manager against the Motor Voter bill, made the brilliant tactical decision to not filibuster the motion to take up the bill. Consequently it passed. ACORN and other left-wing groups were emboldened to do what they’ve done over the past two decades. Yes, people forget that it was Mitch McConnell’s tactical decision to let Motor Voter get to the floor of the Senate despite the warnings of what would happen. Passage of that law made it ever easier to engage in voter registration fraud. McConnell had the votes to stop it from being considered, but once it got to the floor of the Senate everyone knew there were enough wobbly Republicans who would not dare go on record actually opposing it on passage.
In the early 2000′s when McCain-Feingold went through the Senate, McConnell yet again cut out the legs of its opponents telling them not to worry because he’d let the Supreme Court do their dirty work for them and kill it. McConnell lost in the Supreme Court.
Mitch McConnell’s more recent record makes clear he is more interested in being Majority Leader than advancing any sort of conservative principles. It’s all about McConnell.
He is an appropriations cardinal in the Senate who has routinely stymied fiscal conservative efforts to rein in spending by Senators Coburn, DeMint, and even John McCain.
Recall, if you will, Senator McConnell didn’t just vote for the Wall Street bailouts, he rescued it from near defeat by adding earmarks to TARP after it failed in the House.
As I mentioned, in 2010 Mitch McConnell backed Arlen Specter against Pat Toomey, Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio, Robert Bennett against Mike Lee, and Trey Grayson against Rand Paul.
After House GOP made a stand on payroll tax this past winter, McConnell pulled the rug out and cut a deal with Harry Reid that paid for a payroll tax cut with increases to home mortgages. Allen West said he felt betrayed over this.
McConnell personally recruited Senator Roy Blunt to stop conservative Ron Johnson from winning a key leadership spot.
McConnell vowed to block conservatives from forcing votes on full repeal of Obamacare this year, then flipped and said he’d force votes in March when RepealIt.org threatened to run ads for him to resign, He has yet to keep his promise to force votes. McConnell’s loyal lieutenants in the Senate, at the time, explained that forcing full repeal votes on the Democrats would undermine their ability to cut deals with Harry Reid.
Senator McConnell just last week voted with Senate Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee against Paul Ryan’s budget spending levels. Last year McConnell refused to whip support for Ryan’s budget when it came up for a vote in the Senate.
Senator McConnell and his allies frequently say he has to do what he does because they must keep the moderates to be in the majority. Except 2010 gives the lie away. In races conservatives absolutely could win, McConnell sided with the moderates. Behind the scenes, on issues like Obamacare that remain hugely unpopular with the American people, McConnell cuts deals with the Democrats instead of forcing votes.
McConnell is emblematic of all that is wrong with Washington, D.C. He covets power relentlessly and only acts when it is threatened, then only doing so much as to stop the threat without actually leading. Along the way, he has been deeply complicit in putting our Republican in a position of bankruptcy.
I may be a nobody with no audience, but Mitch McConnell is a leader with no spine to lead."
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times/Melanie Sturm "Sex, lies and videotaped government scandals"
There are some great 'blogosphere' catch phrases that have risen to the top over this election cycle:
'fauxtrage' (fake rage or fake outrage)
'manufactured outrage' (good old fashioned yellow journalism ratcheted up to viral speeds)
FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Disinformation)
FUDD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt and Disinformation)
YAACA (Yet Another Attempted Character Assassination)
Psycho Op (preferred methods of a power abuser)
EPAE (Executive Power Abuse Extravaganza)
I think the latter about sums up the HookerGate scandal down in Columbia.
Terrific take on the story. From Melanie Sturm. Up on the Aspen Times.
Melanie Sturm:
"In other words, the onus is on us. Politicians will concern themselves with our interests only if they think we care. If we don't care that they've violated the law by refusing to adopt a budget, and that they've spent us $16 trillion into debt, what do we care about?
Demand accountability and restraint, and don't allow the word “trillion” to be normalized; after all, a trillion hours ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth! Don't wait for the right people to get elected; remember, Bluto became a U.S. senator despite his 0.0 GPA. It's a basic rule of life — If we tolerate out-of-control “Animal House” behavior and indifferent “Animal Farm” attitudes, we'll just get more of it.
Think Again. It's not only a fiscal imperative — it's a moral one...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
'fauxtrage' (fake rage or fake outrage)
'manufactured outrage' (good old fashioned yellow journalism ratcheted up to viral speeds)
FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Disinformation)
FUDD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt and Disinformation)
YAACA (Yet Another Attempted Character Assassination)
Psycho Op (preferred methods of a power abuser)
EPAE (Executive Power Abuse Extravaganza)
I think the latter about sums up the HookerGate scandal down in Columbia.
Terrific take on the story. From Melanie Sturm. Up on the Aspen Times.
Melanie Sturm:
"In other words, the onus is on us. Politicians will concern themselves with our interests only if they think we care. If we don't care that they've violated the law by refusing to adopt a budget, and that they've spent us $16 trillion into debt, what do we care about?
Demand accountability and restraint, and don't allow the word “trillion” to be normalized; after all, a trillion hours ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth! Don't wait for the right people to get elected; remember, Bluto became a U.S. senator despite his 0.0 GPA. It's a basic rule of life — If we tolerate out-of-control “Animal House” behavior and indifferent “Animal Farm” attitudes, we'll just get more of it.
Think Again. It's not only a fiscal imperative — it's a moral one...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: SkyHi Daily/William Hamilton "Hookergate, blame Bush"
William Hamilton:
"Apparently, President Obama's job-stimulus plan extended all the way to Cartegena where your tax dollars created temporary employment for 21 Colombian women. Some of the Secret Service agents said they did not realize the women for whom they were providing temporary employment were prostitutes. They must have skipped the class on facial- and body-language recognition.
Eleven Secret Service agents and 11 military personnel are under investigation, some dismissed already. Everyone lost their security clearance. The alleged military miscreants include: five Green Berets, two bomb experts, two dog handlers, one sailor, and one airman.
Military apologists suggest the troops were under stress. Hello. Bomb disposers are always under stress. Maybe the dog handlers worried because President Obama says he used to eat dogs. Probably least stressed were the crafty, savior-faire Green Berets who typically have: a divorce, a Randall Knife, a Rolex, a Kimber .45, a star-sapphire ring, and are skilled at working “undercover.” As for Hookergate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said he was embarrassed because military personnel took the spotlight off of President Obama's trip to Cartegena.
When the demand by Cartegena entrepreneur, Dania Suarez, for $800 was negotiated down to $225, late-night TV comedians suggested the Secret Service agent in question should be put in charge of our trade deficit. Coming on top of the $823,000 party thrown by GSA officials in Las Vegas, Hookergate prompted The Financial Times to editorialize: “The daily parade of details of incompetence and impropriety among Washington agencies accentuates the findings of a Gallup poll last year which found an alarming loss of public faith in U.S. government institutions.”
Recently, Peggy Noonan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, noted a decline in the American character. For sure, things have changed. During the Reagan administration, Wonder Wife and I had three occasions to work closely with the Secret Service and the Reagan-Bush White House when then Vice President Bush twice visited Lincoln, Neb., and once when President Reagan made a speech in Omaha.
The Secret Service agents and the political Advance Men we worked with were serious, sober-minded individuals who were all-business. The Secret Service agents were no fun at all. For one thing, they don't have to be buddies with everyone...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Apparently, President Obama's job-stimulus plan extended all the way to Cartegena where your tax dollars created temporary employment for 21 Colombian women. Some of the Secret Service agents said they did not realize the women for whom they were providing temporary employment were prostitutes. They must have skipped the class on facial- and body-language recognition.
Eleven Secret Service agents and 11 military personnel are under investigation, some dismissed already. Everyone lost their security clearance. The alleged military miscreants include: five Green Berets, two bomb experts, two dog handlers, one sailor, and one airman.
Military apologists suggest the troops were under stress. Hello. Bomb disposers are always under stress. Maybe the dog handlers worried because President Obama says he used to eat dogs. Probably least stressed were the crafty, savior-faire Green Berets who typically have: a divorce, a Randall Knife, a Rolex, a Kimber .45, a star-sapphire ring, and are skilled at working “undercover.” As for Hookergate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said he was embarrassed because military personnel took the spotlight off of President Obama's trip to Cartegena.
When the demand by Cartegena entrepreneur, Dania Suarez, for $800 was negotiated down to $225, late-night TV comedians suggested the Secret Service agent in question should be put in charge of our trade deficit. Coming on top of the $823,000 party thrown by GSA officials in Las Vegas, Hookergate prompted The Financial Times to editorialize: “The daily parade of details of incompetence and impropriety among Washington agencies accentuates the findings of a Gallup poll last year which found an alarming loss of public faith in U.S. government institutions.”
Recently, Peggy Noonan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, noted a decline in the American character. For sure, things have changed. During the Reagan administration, Wonder Wife and I had three occasions to work closely with the Secret Service and the Reagan-Bush White House when then Vice President Bush twice visited Lincoln, Neb., and once when President Reagan made a speech in Omaha.
The Secret Service agents and the political Advance Men we worked with were serious, sober-minded individuals who were all-business. The Secret Service agents were no fun at all. For one thing, they don't have to be buddies with everyone...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Bloomberg "High Court Skeptical of Obama’s Use of Power as Campaign Starts"
Greg Stohr:
"President Barack Obama faces the specter of twin setbacks at the U.S. Supreme Court in the middle of his re-election campaign with justices questioning his assertion of federal power on both health care and immigration.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"President Barack Obama faces the specter of twin setbacks at the U.S. Supreme Court in the middle of his re-election campaign with justices questioning his assertion of federal power on both health care and immigration.
U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, the president’s top courtroom lawyer, met resistance across ideological lines yesterday as he called on the court to strike down Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. Even Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s only Hispanic and an Obama appointee, told Verrilli his argument is “not selling very well.” ...." (Read more? Click title)
SandBoxBlogs: Fort Morgan Times "EMS Symposium offers education to locals"
Dan Barker:
"Crone warned the participants that they might face some new situations with the designer drugs that are out on the streets now.
For example, there is a form of synthetic marijuana often called spice or K-2 that causes agitation or aggression instead of the relative calm of true marijuana, although it looks and smells similar to marijuana, he said.
Also, there are designer drugs disguised as bath salts but intended for consumption. It is a stimulant meant to give a similar effect to cocaine or methamphetamine, Crone said.
EMS workers could run into young people who have used these substances. If they are showing altered mental status, emergency responders may want to consider whether they have consumed these products, he said.
They can do damage to internal organs, Crone warned.
In the decontamination drill, a simulated zone was set aside as a place where hazardous waste had spilled. Part of the process is to separate all non-essential items such as backpacks, notebooks or technology and put them in a special container for disposal. People will never get those things back....."
(Read more? Click title)
SandBoxBlogs: Customs and Border Protection "CBP officers Nab 14-Year-Old with 14.9 Pounds of Marijuana"
"Columbus, New Mexico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Columbus port of entry seized 14.9 pounds of marijuana Wednesday. The drugs were concealed in a school backpack being carried by a 14-year-old boy.
P
P“Forty percent of the marijuana seizures made at the Columbus port of entry this year have involved smugglers age 17 or younger,” said CBP Columbus port director Robert Reza. “This number should be alarming to the parents of area teens because the consequences of this illegal activity can be severe and life altering.”
The most recent case occurred at approximately 6:30 Wednesday morning when a 14-year-old boy from Palomas, Mexico, entered the facility as a pedestrian. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth conducted an exam of the boy’s backpack and spotted bundles commonly associated with drug smuggling.
A total of 14 marijuana-filled bundles weighing 14.96 pounds were removed from the backpack. The teen and drugs were turned over to the Border Area Task Force for prosecution. In addition to the Wednesday bust CBP has recorded five additional juvenile drug smuggling cases at Columbus.
On March 26, CBP officers at the Columbus port seized 7.5 pounds of marijuana from a 16-year-old Palomas girl. The drugs were found in her backpack.
On March 22, CBP officers at the Columbus port seized 1 pound of marijuana from a 17-year-old Palomas boy. The drugs were taped to his leg.
On February 22, CBP officers at the Columbus port seized 14.9 pounds of marijuana from a 16-year-old Palomas girl. The drugs were found hidden in the seats of a car she was driving.
On February 7, CBP officers at the Columbus port seized 2.2 pounds of marijuana from a 14-year-old Palomas boy. The drugs were found in his backpack.
On January 29, CBP officers at the Columbus port seized 482.6 pounds of marijuana from a 16-year-old Deming boy. The drugs were found in the floor of a vehicle the boy was driving.
“We encourage parents to talk to their kids about the dangers associated with drug smuggling so they won’t be tempted to join the ranks of those we’ve already arrested,” said Reza.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Second teenager in alleged kidnapping plot is arrested"
Chad Abraham:
"A 17-year-old Basalt resident was arrested Wednesday for his alleged role in a plot to kidnap, tie up and leave for dead another Basalt teenager.
The 17-year-old, described by Basalt police as the main accomplice to the 15-year-old boy who allegedly admitted last week to planning the attack, was arrested on felony charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping.
Mark Hurlbert, head prosecutor in the 5th Judicial District, said Wednesday that no decision had been made yet as to what charges will be formally filed against the youths. Only the 17-year-old could potentially be charged as an adult, another decision that is pending, Hurlbert said. His office is handling the case because the alleged plot occurred in the Eagle County portion of the midvalley.
The 15-year-old, a Basalt High sophomore who was taken into custody Friday for an unrelated probation issue, and others planned to lure the potential victim to Arbaney Park. The main suspect said he had a beef with the other youth related to drug dealing and a girl, Basalt police Sgt. Stu Curry said last week.
At the park, they allegedly intended to beat the teen with baseball bats until he was incapacitated, tie him up with duct tape and drive up to Ruedi Reservoir.
There, according to the alleged confession, they would “take him out into the woods and let him starve to death,” says a police press release. “The juvenile suspect admitted he wanted the victim to suffer [and] admitted to planning this for the last four weeks.”
“I’ve never seen this level of planning for any crime, whether it’s an adult or a juvenile,” Curry said Friday. “This is very unique to our valley.”
Early last week, parents of some of those allegedly involved found a diagram of the assault plan drawn by the 15-year-old. They contacted police, thinking it involved a drug deal....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A 17-year-old Basalt resident was arrested Wednesday for his alleged role in a plot to kidnap, tie up and leave for dead another Basalt teenager.
The 17-year-old, described by Basalt police as the main accomplice to the 15-year-old boy who allegedly admitted last week to planning the attack, was arrested on felony charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping.
Mark Hurlbert, head prosecutor in the 5th Judicial District, said Wednesday that no decision had been made yet as to what charges will be formally filed against the youths. Only the 17-year-old could potentially be charged as an adult, another decision that is pending, Hurlbert said. His office is handling the case because the alleged plot occurred in the Eagle County portion of the midvalley.
The 15-year-old, a Basalt High sophomore who was taken into custody Friday for an unrelated probation issue, and others planned to lure the potential victim to Arbaney Park. The main suspect said he had a beef with the other youth related to drug dealing and a girl, Basalt police Sgt. Stu Curry said last week.
At the park, they allegedly intended to beat the teen with baseball bats until he was incapacitated, tie him up with duct tape and drive up to Ruedi Reservoir.
There, according to the alleged confession, they would “take him out into the woods and let him starve to death,” says a police press release. “The juvenile suspect admitted he wanted the victim to suffer [and] admitted to planning this for the last four weeks.”
“I’ve never seen this level of planning for any crime, whether it’s an adult or a juvenile,” Curry said Friday. “This is very unique to our valley.”
Early last week, parents of some of those allegedly involved found a diagram of the assault plan drawn by the 15-year-old. They contacted police, thinking it involved a drug deal....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Pueblo Chieftain "Ariz. migrant case could lead to sweeping changes"
What is this (mostly conservative based) concept of "humane immigration reform"?
Are you aware of the high fatality rates there are in the cess pool that is human trafficking and smuggling? Do some research, set up regular bulletin notifications from ICE, Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and DEA. Get informed.
Are you aware of the estimated crime that is committed, yet unreported and failed to prosecute against illegal foreign nationals, especially children, because they cannot come in from the shadows for fear of deportation? Do some digging for your locale and surrounding area. Get informed.
Are you aware that the vast majority of conservative politicians, conservative voters, various stages of law enforcement and homeland military are not "evil monsters who want no immigration and want only closed borders"? If you're not, you are not paying close enough attention to direct source information and listening to media that wishes to drown out the facts.
One of the very best GOP debate exchanges was made by Texas Governor Rick Perry up against the determined liberal heart of Diane Sawyer.
He absolutely refused to engage with her repeated baiting and taunting of him to give her a firm answer on exactly "how" he would reform immigration policies.
His point (which clearly won the exchange) was that it was a pointless, fruitless and damaging to all parties conversation until the borders are secured. First, secure the borders. Then reform. It is the only way for humane immigration reform to have a chance.
Think about the concept.
Stop the horrific cost to human life by stopping the human smuggling. Secure the border so that everyone can be accounted for on both sides. Amnesty is not an option, but consideration for individual circumstances is. But first, everyone must come in from the shadows and be accounted for.
How 'humane' is the belief that a porous, highly dangerous to human life border is the best option for illegals?
This news over the past few days that SCOTUS is showing strong favor to upholding Arizona's original immigration law that would allow for law enforcement to prove legal citizenship is one of the most humane efforts toward illegal immigrants to date.
Congratulations to the State of Arizona for staying the course and at least getting to this point. We'll keep our fingers crossed on this end.
JACQUES BILLEAUD
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Are you aware of the high fatality rates there are in the cess pool that is human trafficking and smuggling? Do some research, set up regular bulletin notifications from ICE, Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and DEA. Get informed.
Are you aware of the estimated crime that is committed, yet unreported and failed to prosecute against illegal foreign nationals, especially children, because they cannot come in from the shadows for fear of deportation? Do some digging for your locale and surrounding area. Get informed.
Are you aware that the vast majority of conservative politicians, conservative voters, various stages of law enforcement and homeland military are not "evil monsters who want no immigration and want only closed borders"? If you're not, you are not paying close enough attention to direct source information and listening to media that wishes to drown out the facts.
One of the very best GOP debate exchanges was made by Texas Governor Rick Perry up against the determined liberal heart of Diane Sawyer.
He absolutely refused to engage with her repeated baiting and taunting of him to give her a firm answer on exactly "how" he would reform immigration policies.
His point (which clearly won the exchange) was that it was a pointless, fruitless and damaging to all parties conversation until the borders are secured. First, secure the borders. Then reform. It is the only way for humane immigration reform to have a chance.
Think about the concept.
Stop the horrific cost to human life by stopping the human smuggling. Secure the border so that everyone can be accounted for on both sides. Amnesty is not an option, but consideration for individual circumstances is. But first, everyone must come in from the shadows and be accounted for.
How 'humane' is the belief that a porous, highly dangerous to human life border is the best option for illegals?
This news over the past few days that SCOTUS is showing strong favor to upholding Arizona's original immigration law that would allow for law enforcement to prove legal citizenship is one of the most humane efforts toward illegal immigrants to date.
Congratulations to the State of Arizona for staying the course and at least getting to this point. We'll keep our fingers crossed on this end.
JACQUES BILLEAUD
"PHOENIX (AP) — The United States could see an official about-face in the coming months in how it confronts illegal immigration if the Supreme Court follows through on its suggestion that it would let local police enforce the most controversial part of Arizona's immigration law.
Over the last several years, states frustrated with America's porous borders, have rejected the long held notion that Washington is responsible for confronting illegal immigration and have passed a flurry of laws to let local police confront illegal immigration. The Supreme Court is poised in the coming months to let the states know whether they haven't crossed the line.
The justices strongly suggested Wednesday that they are ready to let Arizona enforce the most controversial part of its law, a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of people they suspect are in the country illegally. Such a ruling could codify the type of local enforcement that some local authorities in Arizona have carried out over the last six years and open the door to such enforcement in states with similar laws, such as Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah.
"I think you'll see more involvement by local police in immigration enforcement, an involvement that hadn't previously been seen," Kevin Johnson, law school dean at the University of California-Davis and an expert in immigration law, said of the possibility of Arizona's law being upheld.
The most controversial parts of the Arizona law were put on hold by a federal judge shortly before they were to take effect in late July 2010, but the statute has encouraged other states to take up similar legislation and — combined with other state immigration laws and an ailing economy — played a part in 170,000 illegal immigrants leaving Arizona since 2007....." (Read more? Click title)
SandBoxBlogs: KJCT News 8 "Local Cops See Crime Rates Fall After Gas Bust"
Don Coleman:
"PARACHUTE, Colo. -- A smaller police force is a sign of the times in Parachute after a boom and bust in oil and gas production in the area, but so is much less of a crime rate.
Since peaking at around 8,000 calls to service in 2006, the number has been cut in half with fewer industry workers in town.
"We've seen a lot of people move out," Chief Cary Parmenter with the Parachute Police Department said.
"We've got a large apartment complex in town that is half empty now."
Last year, Parmenter says the town saw 4,257 calls which is close to the pre-development numbers of about 3,000 calls each year. He recalled struggling to meet the demand when crime was much more of a problem.
"Before oil shale, we had three officers on staff. It took us a while to hire and train more, but we ended up with a staff of eight," Parmenter explained.
Even though the number of crimes had increased, Parmenter says the severity of those crimes did not necessarily go in the same direction although the industry brought with it the town's first and only murder...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"PARACHUTE, Colo. -- A smaller police force is a sign of the times in Parachute after a boom and bust in oil and gas production in the area, but so is much less of a crime rate.
Since peaking at around 8,000 calls to service in 2006, the number has been cut in half with fewer industry workers in town.
"We've seen a lot of people move out," Chief Cary Parmenter with the Parachute Police Department said.
"We've got a large apartment complex in town that is half empty now."
Last year, Parmenter says the town saw 4,257 calls which is close to the pre-development numbers of about 3,000 calls each year. He recalled struggling to meet the demand when crime was much more of a problem.
"Before oil shale, we had three officers on staff. It took us a while to hire and train more, but we ended up with a staff of eight," Parmenter explained.
Even though the number of crimes had increased, Parmenter says the severity of those crimes did not necessarily go in the same direction although the industry brought with it the town's first and only murder...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Eagle Valley Enterprise "Where did the money come from?"
Still yet another monster-size real estate development that has questionable activity behind it.
When, are elected officials and investigative reporters going to educate themselves on these large-scale projects and stop trying to either pin or look for the major financial, business and personal losses to the folks by obsessively focusing on only the latest red-flag details?
Stop and think about what it would take just to paint 500,000 sq. ft. of wide-ranging types of buildings. What it would take to dig the holes, pour the concrete, how many door knobs it will take, how many times architects, designers, engineers and every professional involved have to be consulted over details. What it takes, through something called 'procurement', to get these monster size projects to the end bidding and approvals process.
Tomorrow, on Friday, April 27, 2012; District Judge Fred Gannett rules on the 'Four Seasons/Layton Construction' lawsuit. At stake are tens of millions of dollars. Already lost are years of full financial solvency for 95% of those involved. On both sides. The devil is in the details and the details, as all large-scale qualified construction industry folk know; are decided long, long, long before the General Contractor becomes involved.
It is that remaining 5% of financially solvent individuals involved, after all the builders, trades, professionals, etc. etc. etc. are all stripped away; that should be the focus of "Where the money came from", "Where did the money go?" and "Why do we have project build issues?".
A regional avatar in commentary gave out a very good anonymous tip the other day, on a very valuable and future developing chunk of real estate called Spring Valley, just outside of Glenwood Springs.
He pointed out two bidding procurement engines that pump out the vast majority, at one time or another, of all major projects such as Eagle River Station and future developments like Spring Valley. Eagle River Station is the topic of this story today, over on the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
Bid Clerk and Dodge Reports.
There are many others, but those two are easy to navigate and among the largest for our area.
What is not readily understood, is that these projects take years, literally years, before they hit public awareness where reporters can find them. Unless, of course, said reporters educate themselves on where the true beginnings of these projects are.
They also are required, dependent on what type of project they are, to publicly post the pertinents of who is involved. It is required by law. That does not mean that the big power players are not going to toss up some obscure LLC, but they do have to give the LLC right from the onset of diligence and due process.
On projects the size of Four Seasons, Eagle River Station, Base Village and original Cordillera; the pertinents, including players, will alter and change for sometimes up to years before they even get to the bid process looking for a General Contractor.
The development doesn't even see the desktop of a councilman, commissioner or Trustee until long after the GC is signed and on deck. Most of the time not until long after the building and planning departments and boards the elected officials sit in oversight on; have already signed off.
Procurement processes are where all the data lies, that our commissioners, councils and trustees should be intimately familar with if they truly have the public best interests at heart. All of it detailed data that they never even see. Yet, when the devil shows up in those details down the road, the first place he sets up camp is on the desktop of commissioners, councilman and trustees.
It will not be until the oversight at the end, educates themselves as to the dynamic that plays out in large-scale and custom construction from the beginning, that the shuck and jive of the shell games that are these major projects; are brought under fair and just controls on behalf of the workers who actually do the work and the end consumer.
Wonder what would happen if officials and authorities just started trusting that nagging sense impression that something..is wrong somewhere and it's best to look deeper?
Pam Boyd:
"A month after the former Eagle Town Board voted 6-1 to approve the plan for Eagle River Station and set a May 22 citizen referendum regarding the proposed development, the issue is still generating heated discussion for the newly elected board.
Eagle River Station is a commercial/residential project proposed by Trinity RED Development on the eastern end of town, south of Interstate 70 and north of U.S. Highway 6. The 88-acre property would include 582,000 square feet of commercial space and 250 rental units in the first phase. The second phase calls for up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space and another 300 rental units. This is the second incarnation of ERS. In January 2010, voters rejected the initial ERS plan and Trinity RED Development retooled its proposal and resubmitted the plan to the town last year.
During public comment at Tuesday's town board meeting, a cadre of citizens spoke in favor of the ERS proposal and took newly elected trustee Brandi Resa to task for her role in defeating the previous ERS proposal.
Resident Mitch Hayne questioned the whether it is appropriate for Resa to write a Valley Voices column, presenting “her version of a meeting without the approval of the whole board.” He reintroduced a question that was poised two weeks ago — Where did the money come from for the anti-ERS campaign in 2010?
“It is critical for the community to know where that money came from,” said Hayne. He said because of her involvement in the anti-ERS effort, Resa should know who donated the campaign money and said the town deserved an answer to the question.
Mayor Yuri Kostick noted there was a financial report submitted to the town regarding the anti-ERS campaign and that the report did not list Resa as chairman.
“The question is not whether she was the chairperson. It was does she know where the money came from?” said town board member Scott Turnipseed. “If the money was from out-of-town, people have the right to know where it came from.....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
When, are elected officials and investigative reporters going to educate themselves on these large-scale projects and stop trying to either pin or look for the major financial, business and personal losses to the folks by obsessively focusing on only the latest red-flag details?
Stop and think about what it would take just to paint 500,000 sq. ft. of wide-ranging types of buildings. What it would take to dig the holes, pour the concrete, how many door knobs it will take, how many times architects, designers, engineers and every professional involved have to be consulted over details. What it takes, through something called 'procurement', to get these monster size projects to the end bidding and approvals process.
Tomorrow, on Friday, April 27, 2012; District Judge Fred Gannett rules on the 'Four Seasons/Layton Construction' lawsuit. At stake are tens of millions of dollars. Already lost are years of full financial solvency for 95% of those involved. On both sides. The devil is in the details and the details, as all large-scale qualified construction industry folk know; are decided long, long, long before the General Contractor becomes involved.
It is that remaining 5% of financially solvent individuals involved, after all the builders, trades, professionals, etc. etc. etc. are all stripped away; that should be the focus of "Where the money came from", "Where did the money go?" and "Why do we have project build issues?".
A regional avatar in commentary gave out a very good anonymous tip the other day, on a very valuable and future developing chunk of real estate called Spring Valley, just outside of Glenwood Springs.
He pointed out two bidding procurement engines that pump out the vast majority, at one time or another, of all major projects such as Eagle River Station and future developments like Spring Valley. Eagle River Station is the topic of this story today, over on the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
Bid Clerk and Dodge Reports.
There are many others, but those two are easy to navigate and among the largest for our area.
What is not readily understood, is that these projects take years, literally years, before they hit public awareness where reporters can find them. Unless, of course, said reporters educate themselves on where the true beginnings of these projects are.
They also are required, dependent on what type of project they are, to publicly post the pertinents of who is involved. It is required by law. That does not mean that the big power players are not going to toss up some obscure LLC, but they do have to give the LLC right from the onset of diligence and due process.
On projects the size of Four Seasons, Eagle River Station, Base Village and original Cordillera; the pertinents, including players, will alter and change for sometimes up to years before they even get to the bid process looking for a General Contractor.
The development doesn't even see the desktop of a councilman, commissioner or Trustee until long after the GC is signed and on deck. Most of the time not until long after the building and planning departments and boards the elected officials sit in oversight on; have already signed off.
Procurement processes are where all the data lies, that our commissioners, councils and trustees should be intimately familar with if they truly have the public best interests at heart. All of it detailed data that they never even see. Yet, when the devil shows up in those details down the road, the first place he sets up camp is on the desktop of commissioners, councilman and trustees.
It will not be until the oversight at the end, educates themselves as to the dynamic that plays out in large-scale and custom construction from the beginning, that the shuck and jive of the shell games that are these major projects; are brought under fair and just controls on behalf of the workers who actually do the work and the end consumer.
Wonder what would happen if officials and authorities just started trusting that nagging sense impression that something..is wrong somewhere and it's best to look deeper?
Pam Boyd:
"A month after the former Eagle Town Board voted 6-1 to approve the plan for Eagle River Station and set a May 22 citizen referendum regarding the proposed development, the issue is still generating heated discussion for the newly elected board.
Eagle River Station is a commercial/residential project proposed by Trinity RED Development on the eastern end of town, south of Interstate 70 and north of U.S. Highway 6. The 88-acre property would include 582,000 square feet of commercial space and 250 rental units in the first phase. The second phase calls for up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space and another 300 rental units. This is the second incarnation of ERS. In January 2010, voters rejected the initial ERS plan and Trinity RED Development retooled its proposal and resubmitted the plan to the town last year.
During public comment at Tuesday's town board meeting, a cadre of citizens spoke in favor of the ERS proposal and took newly elected trustee Brandi Resa to task for her role in defeating the previous ERS proposal.
Resident Mitch Hayne questioned the whether it is appropriate for Resa to write a Valley Voices column, presenting “her version of a meeting without the approval of the whole board.” He reintroduced a question that was poised two weeks ago — Where did the money come from for the anti-ERS campaign in 2010?
“It is critical for the community to know where that money came from,” said Hayne. He said because of her involvement in the anti-ERS effort, Resa should know who donated the campaign money and said the town deserved an answer to the question.
Mayor Yuri Kostick noted there was a financial report submitted to the town regarding the anti-ERS campaign and that the report did not list Resa as chairman.
“The question is not whether she was the chairperson. It was does she know where the money came from?” said town board member Scott Turnipseed. “If the money was from out-of-town, people have the right to know where it came from.....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "More redevelopment projects submitted for downtown Aspen"
Curtis Wackerle:
"There is no on-site parking planned with the Victorian Square development, and affordable housing requirements are proposed to be satisfied through the purchase of affordable housing credit certificates. The applicant is Victorian Square LLC, and Garfield, the attorney, is listed as the contact on the application on file in City Hall....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"There is no on-site parking planned with the Victorian Square development, and affordable housing requirements are proposed to be satisfied through the purchase of affordable housing credit certificates. The applicant is Victorian Square LLC, and Garfield, the attorney, is listed as the contact on the application on file in City Hall....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Palisade trustees youngest to serve in decades"
Mike Wiggins:
"The election of the two women infuses with youth a predominantly salt-and-pepper Town Board, providing constituents a mixture of seasoned leaders who boast plenty of life experience and first-time office holders who are passionate about Palisade and want to be at the center of what happens there.
“I think there’s a large population in our age range who live in Palisade and who haven’t been represented,” Rich said. “I think it was important for Cody and I to do this.”
Butters said she thinks the voters’ selection is indicative of a larger-scale transition the town is experiencing...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"The election of the two women infuses with youth a predominantly salt-and-pepper Town Board, providing constituents a mixture of seasoned leaders who boast plenty of life experience and first-time office holders who are passionate about Palisade and want to be at the center of what happens there.
“I think there’s a large population in our age range who live in Palisade and who haven’t been represented,” Rich said. “I think it was important for Cody and I to do this.”
Butters said she thinks the voters’ selection is indicative of a larger-scale transition the town is experiencing...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Colorado News Agency "Legislation would make it easier to exit teachers unions"
(cue sounds of crowds cheering...children laughing and playing...sighs of relief...bands playing....why?....here's one more step forward and upward in breaking one of the strangleholds that prevent public education from becoming self-sustaining...Hip, Hip Hooray!!....)
Debi Brazzale:
"A legislative panel today passed a bill that would let teachers join or leave unions or other professional organizations on their own timetable.
House Bill 1333, sponsored by Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, and heard in the House Education Committee, would give school districts 30 days to cancel a teacher’s payroll deductions for vunion dues after receiving written notification from the teacher.
Under collective bargaining agreements ruling many larger school districts, teachers only may cancel their membership within a two-to-three week “opt-out window” at the beginning of the school year. If they miss the window, they’re obligated to pay dues for the rest of the year....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Debi Brazzale:
"A legislative panel today passed a bill that would let teachers join or leave unions or other professional organizations on their own timetable.
House Bill 1333, sponsored by Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, and heard in the House Education Committee, would give school districts 30 days to cancel a teacher’s payroll deductions for vunion dues after receiving written notification from the teacher.
Under collective bargaining agreements ruling many larger school districts, teachers only may cancel their membership within a two-to-three week “opt-out window” at the beginning of the school year. If they miss the window, they’re obligated to pay dues for the rest of the year....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Coloradoan "Craft beer provides $446M boost to Fort Collins, Colorado economies"
David Young:
"Colorado's craft brewing industry injects $446 million into the state's economy, according to a study released Tuesday by Colorado Brewers Guild.
The University of Colorado Business Research Division compiled the data for the Colorado Brewers Guild, which indicates that as of March, Colorado had 139 licensed craft brewers totaling $101.8 million in income, with a $179.2 million total employment effect. The study cost the guild an estimated $10,000, according to CU.
Nine of those breweries are in Fort Collins, including New Belgium Brewing Co., the largest craft brewer in Colorado and third largest in the country, behind Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co.
Fort Collins' breweries contribute $83.2 million to the Larimer County payroll and support 938 direct jobs, according to a 2011 study by Colorado State University’s Regional Economics Institute and the Beverage Business Institute....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Colorado's craft brewing industry injects $446 million into the state's economy, according to a study released Tuesday by Colorado Brewers Guild.
The University of Colorado Business Research Division compiled the data for the Colorado Brewers Guild, which indicates that as of March, Colorado had 139 licensed craft brewers totaling $101.8 million in income, with a $179.2 million total employment effect. The study cost the guild an estimated $10,000, according to CU.
Nine of those breweries are in Fort Collins, including New Belgium Brewing Co., the largest craft brewer in Colorado and third largest in the country, behind Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co.
Fort Collins' breweries contribute $83.2 million to the Larimer County payroll and support 938 direct jobs, according to a 2011 study by Colorado State University’s Regional Economics Institute and the Beverage Business Institute....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Coloradoan "Ride the Rockies returns to Fort Collins after 19 years away"
Congratulations again, to Carbondale. Your hard work soliciting Ride the Rockies pays off in a very big way this year with the overnight on our stage happening in Carbondale.
From the sounds of things, the event is so thrilled with the stage, you are likely to become an annual stop and anchor for the race.
Best wishes to a successful event!
David Young:
"Since 1986, cyclists from around the world have been flocking to Colorado in the summer to see the state from their saddle for The Denver Post Ride The Rockies Colorado Bicycle Tour.
For the inaugural ride, more than 1,500 riders came from around the country to participate in the six day, cross-state tour. In 1987, the registration limit was raised to 2,000 cyclists, and by 1989 the lottery registration system that is now in place was implemented. Last year the tour received more than 4,000 applications.
This June, for the first time since 1993, the ride will return to the Choice City.
Odell Brewing Co. will serve as the finish line for the six-day, 442-mile ride...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
From the sounds of things, the event is so thrilled with the stage, you are likely to become an annual stop and anchor for the race.
Best wishes to a successful event!
David Young:
"Since 1986, cyclists from around the world have been flocking to Colorado in the summer to see the state from their saddle for The Denver Post Ride The Rockies Colorado Bicycle Tour.
For the inaugural ride, more than 1,500 riders came from around the country to participate in the six day, cross-state tour. In 1987, the registration limit was raised to 2,000 cyclists, and by 1989 the lottery registration system that is now in place was implemented. Last year the tour received more than 4,000 applications.
This June, for the first time since 1993, the ride will return to the Choice City.
Odell Brewing Co. will serve as the finish line for the six-day, 442-mile ride...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
April 25, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "Running Without An Agenda For The Next Four years"
Donald Lambro:
"WASHINGTON - President Obama has officially begun his 2012 campaign, telling special interest groups what the government will do for them if he is re-elected to a second term.
But the question many people are asking is, what else is he running on besides government handouts?
What's his second term agenda? What is he planning to do if he wins? He doesn't say.
There is no hint of a grand plan of action dealing with the mountain of unfinished problems he's left behind in the nation's capital as he piles up frequent flyer miles in hot pursuit of his singular goal: becoming a two term president.
His campaign rhetoric thus far gives us no clue that he intends to address the big problems that still need to be fixed. He knows what they are, because polls tell us what America's primary concerns are: a lackluster, slow-growth, sub-par economy, far too few jobs; a monster $1.2 trillion budget deficit, the fourth of his big spending presidency, and a $16 trillion debt by the end of this year.
But Obama isn't talking about a mediocre economy that appears to be slowing down -- again.
And he isn't talking about jobs, or bemoaning the fact that many college grads -- who this week he promised an extension of low interest student loans -- can't find a job that will allow them to pay back the government.
As for the student loan extension Obama is pushing on the campaign trail, it's interesting to note that in 2007 then-Sen. Obama missed two pivotal Senate votes on the bill that created the program.
He's embracing it now because he needs the support of younger voters to save his presidency, but he did not vote for the original bill or on final passage, and didn't bother to sign on as a co- sponsor, according to a report Tuesday by Politico....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"WASHINGTON - President Obama has officially begun his 2012 campaign, telling special interest groups what the government will do for them if he is re-elected to a second term.
But the question many people are asking is, what else is he running on besides government handouts?
What's his second term agenda? What is he planning to do if he wins? He doesn't say.
There is no hint of a grand plan of action dealing with the mountain of unfinished problems he's left behind in the nation's capital as he piles up frequent flyer miles in hot pursuit of his singular goal: becoming a two term president.
His campaign rhetoric thus far gives us no clue that he intends to address the big problems that still need to be fixed. He knows what they are, because polls tell us what America's primary concerns are: a lackluster, slow-growth, sub-par economy, far too few jobs; a monster $1.2 trillion budget deficit, the fourth of his big spending presidency, and a $16 trillion debt by the end of this year.
But Obama isn't talking about a mediocre economy that appears to be slowing down -- again.
And he isn't talking about jobs, or bemoaning the fact that many college grads -- who this week he promised an extension of low interest student loans -- can't find a job that will allow them to pay back the government.
As for the student loan extension Obama is pushing on the campaign trail, it's interesting to note that in 2007 then-Sen. Obama missed two pivotal Senate votes on the bill that created the program.
He's embracing it now because he needs the support of younger voters to save his presidency, but he did not vote for the original bill or on final passage, and didn't bother to sign on as a co- sponsor, according to a report Tuesday by Politico....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Daily Caller "Obama Foreign Policy: Our MIA president"
James Carafino:
"Does President Obama even do foreign relations anymore? To all appearances, he checked out of the global leadership scene months ago. It’s almost as though, after making the call to off Osama bin Laden, he pumped his fist and said, “That’s it. I’m done.”
Once upon a time, pundits used to speculate that a president beset with serious domestic problems would be tempted to “wag the dog” — to drum up a foreign crisis to boost his prospects of re-election. But there’s no chatter about Mr. Obama springing an October surprise. Perhaps it’s because he seems intent on doing everything possible to put the world on hold until after the election.
Certainly, that’s what he’s telling foreign leaders. Recall that embarrassing open mic moment in South Korea, when he assured Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he could be more “flexible” on missile defense — after the election.
A Palestinian Authority official said he got the same message: Washington would push hard for Palestinian statehood, but not until after the election.
Nowadays, when Mr. Obama steps onto the world stage, he seems determined to make the least of it...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Does President Obama even do foreign relations anymore? To all appearances, he checked out of the global leadership scene months ago. It’s almost as though, after making the call to off Osama bin Laden, he pumped his fist and said, “That’s it. I’m done.”
Once upon a time, pundits used to speculate that a president beset with serious domestic problems would be tempted to “wag the dog” — to drum up a foreign crisis to boost his prospects of re-election. But there’s no chatter about Mr. Obama springing an October surprise. Perhaps it’s because he seems intent on doing everything possible to put the world on hold until after the election.
Certainly, that’s what he’s telling foreign leaders. Recall that embarrassing open mic moment in South Korea, when he assured Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he could be more “flexible” on missile defense — after the election.
A Palestinian Authority official said he got the same message: Washington would push hard for Palestinian statehood, but not until after the election.
Nowadays, when Mr. Obama steps onto the world stage, he seems determined to make the least of it...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Iowa Republican "Romney Cruises in Five More Primary States"
Kevin Hall:
"Mitt Romney’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination took a major step forward Tuesday night. Rick Santorum’s departure from the race enabled Mitt Romney to completely dominate Tuesday’s primaries in five Northeast states. Romney garnered more than 56 percent of the vote in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
His resounding victories enabled Romney to acquire almost all of the 231 delegates at stake. New York was the big prize, where 95 delegates were up for grabs. Romney now needs to pick up around 400 more delegates to reach 1,144 and surpass the threshold necessary to clinch the nomination.
The former Massachusetts governor barely campaigned in any of the states. His victory speech was delivered from New Hampshire, where he launched his presidential bid. “Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less,” Romney said. “To all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight.”...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Mitt Romney’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination took a major step forward Tuesday night. Rick Santorum’s departure from the race enabled Mitt Romney to completely dominate Tuesday’s primaries in five Northeast states. Romney garnered more than 56 percent of the vote in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
His resounding victories enabled Romney to acquire almost all of the 231 delegates at stake. New York was the big prize, where 95 delegates were up for grabs. Romney now needs to pick up around 400 more delegates to reach 1,144 and surpass the threshold necessary to clinch the nomination.
The former Massachusetts governor barely campaigned in any of the states. His victory speech was delivered from New Hampshire, where he launched his presidential bid. “Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less,” Romney said. “To all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight.”...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: The Hill/Ballot Box " At tribute to Gabrielle Giffords, Democrats speak of her return to Congress"
Josh Lederman:
"The biggest names in female Democratic politics convened Tuesday for a fundraiser honoring former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
But rather than focus on her resignation from the House in January, Democrats spoke confidently and joyously about her eventual return to Congress....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"The biggest names in female Democratic politics convened Tuesday for a fundraiser honoring former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
But rather than focus on her resignation from the House in January, Democrats spoke confidently and joyously about her eventual return to Congress....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: CAIR Press Release "Subsidized college tuition for illegal aliens too expensive"
Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (not to be confused with CIRC):
"April 25, 2012 (Denver, CO) The pending Colorado ASSET bill, SB12-015 will give illegal aliens access to subsidized tuition rates. This bill, if passed, will displace deserving American students with foreign nationals who are not allowed to work in the United States. The bill's fiscal note inaccurately claims it will create a net gain of "up to $2.8 million" in tuition. It ignores the fact that these "slots" would have been taken by other students, some paying higher out-of-state tuition rates. The fiscal note also fails to project the future impact on K-12 expenditures and public benefit expenditures when more illegal aliens bring their children to Colorado to benefit from subsidized tuition.
Marty Lich, CAIR spokesperson said, "Even with a college degree, illegal alien students are still unlawfully present and cannot legally obtain employment. They cannot work in the State of Colorado. They can not seek employment anywhere in the US."
At a time of 7.8 percent unemployment in Colorado, this bill will displace legal workers. "This bill is a sham," said CAIR Director Stan Weekes. "Why should taxpayers subsidize displacement of their own students? Times are already tough enough for our college students - half of our college grads are jobless or underemployed."
Government projections released last month revealed that by 2020, of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings, only three will require a Bachelor's degree or higher. The Mountain West region will be most likely to see college graduates jobless or underemployed - approximately 3 out of 5 grads...." (Click title to be taken to CAIR website)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"April 25, 2012 (Denver, CO) The pending Colorado ASSET bill, SB12-015 will give illegal aliens access to subsidized tuition rates. This bill, if passed, will displace deserving American students with foreign nationals who are not allowed to work in the United States. The bill's fiscal note inaccurately claims it will create a net gain of "up to $2.8 million" in tuition. It ignores the fact that these "slots" would have been taken by other students, some paying higher out-of-state tuition rates. The fiscal note also fails to project the future impact on K-12 expenditures and public benefit expenditures when more illegal aliens bring their children to Colorado to benefit from subsidized tuition.
Marty Lich, CAIR spokesperson said, "Even with a college degree, illegal alien students are still unlawfully present and cannot legally obtain employment. They cannot work in the State of Colorado. They can not seek employment anywhere in the US."
At a time of 7.8 percent unemployment in Colorado, this bill will displace legal workers. "This bill is a sham," said CAIR Director Stan Weekes. "Why should taxpayers subsidize displacement of their own students? Times are already tough enough for our college students - half of our college grads are jobless or underemployed."
Government projections released last month revealed that by 2020, of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings, only three will require a Bachelor's degree or higher. The Mountain West region will be most likely to see college graduates jobless or underemployed - approximately 3 out of 5 grads...." (Click title to be taken to CAIR website)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Denver Post/Breaking News "Officials: Feds nab gang members in NM meth ring"
Russell Contreras:
"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Federal agents have arrested around two dozen suspected gang members linked to what authorities are describing as a meth and heroin ring in New Mexico.
Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations are scheduled to announce details of the statewide gang roundup Wednesday at their new offices south of Albuquerque.
Homeland Security Investigations said the operation targeted known gang members in Albuquerque and Farmington near the Navajo Nation.
The roundup of gang members comes after law enforcement agencies around New Mexico have asked federal officials to assist cash-strapped departments in battling gangs, drug trafficking and weapons violations. But as federal authorities have moved into places like Roswell and Las Cruces, violent drug cartels have increased their presence in the remote area of northwest New Mexico that borders Arizona, Utah and Colorado.
Federal authorities said that by getting involved and charging criminals in federal court, they can increase the amount of prison time.
In recent months, Homeland Security agents assisted local law enforcement agencies in more than 20 criminal investigations that will be prosecuted by U.S. attorneys, said Dennis Ulrich, a deputy special agent in charge of the agency's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement......
........Since 2009, Homeland Security Investigations has added around 60 new agents to New Mexico and helped formed a number of joint task forces and multiagency groups aimed at tackling rural gangs, political corruption, drug and gun trafficking, child pornography, and human smuggling......."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010"
"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Federal agents have arrested around two dozen suspected gang members linked to what authorities are describing as a meth and heroin ring in New Mexico.
Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations are scheduled to announce details of the statewide gang roundup Wednesday at their new offices south of Albuquerque.
Homeland Security Investigations said the operation targeted known gang members in Albuquerque and Farmington near the Navajo Nation.
The roundup of gang members comes after law enforcement agencies around New Mexico have asked federal officials to assist cash-strapped departments in battling gangs, drug trafficking and weapons violations. But as federal authorities have moved into places like Roswell and Las Cruces, violent drug cartels have increased their presence in the remote area of northwest New Mexico that borders Arizona, Utah and Colorado.
Federal authorities said that by getting involved and charging criminals in federal court, they can increase the amount of prison time.
In recent months, Homeland Security agents assisted local law enforcement agencies in more than 20 criminal investigations that will be prosecuted by U.S. attorneys, said Dennis Ulrich, a deputy special agent in charge of the agency's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement......
........Since 2009, Homeland Security Investigations has added around 60 new agents to New Mexico and helped formed a number of joint task forces and multiagency groups aimed at tackling rural gangs, political corruption, drug and gun trafficking, child pornography, and human smuggling......."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010"
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Caloia to challenge Beeson in DA race"
(See recent related stories and recent public commentary here, here and here)
Chad Abraham:
"Saying she disagrees with the philosophy of the 9th Judicial District prosecutor’s office, a longtime Glenwood Springs lawyer is challenging the re-election bid of District Attorney Martin Beeson.
Sherry Caloia, who has practiced law for 30 years and been a Glenwood resident since 1988, said Tuesday that it was a difficult decision to enter the race.
But Beeson’s statements about the role of defense attorneys, his appeal of a judge’s sanctioning of the Aspen DA’s office and certain prosecutions she finds questionable all led to her decision to enter the race, she said.
The 9th Judicial District encompasses Pitkin, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties.
Ironically, the man she is challenging might not be the top prosecutor had it not been for efforts by Caloia and others to recall the previous district attorney, Colleen Truden, in 2005.
Caloia, 56, organized the petition drive that led to the first recall in Colorado history of a district attorney. Several deputy district attorneys, including Beeson, resigned rather than continue working with Truden. Among the criticisms of Truden were allegations of financial and ethical improprieties.
But Caloia, a defense attorney who also serves as municipal prosecutor for the towns of Basalt and Carbondale, said her efforts then were strictly on the petition effort.
“I didn’t help him get elected,” she said of Beeson, a Republican. “I think he’s a good man, and I respect him ... but I didn’t work on Martin’s campaign.”
Caloia, a longtime Democrat, said the political party in Garfield County lobbied her “very heavily” to throw her hat in the ring. But the issues are not strictly political, she said..." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Disclaimer:
Chad Abraham:
"Saying she disagrees with the philosophy of the 9th Judicial District prosecutor’s office, a longtime Glenwood Springs lawyer is challenging the re-election bid of District Attorney Martin Beeson.
Sherry Caloia, who has practiced law for 30 years and been a Glenwood resident since 1988, said Tuesday that it was a difficult decision to enter the race.
But Beeson’s statements about the role of defense attorneys, his appeal of a judge’s sanctioning of the Aspen DA’s office and certain prosecutions she finds questionable all led to her decision to enter the race, she said.
The 9th Judicial District encompasses Pitkin, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties.
Ironically, the man she is challenging might not be the top prosecutor had it not been for efforts by Caloia and others to recall the previous district attorney, Colleen Truden, in 2005.
Caloia, 56, organized the petition drive that led to the first recall in Colorado history of a district attorney. Several deputy district attorneys, including Beeson, resigned rather than continue working with Truden. Among the criticisms of Truden were allegations of financial and ethical improprieties.
But Caloia, a defense attorney who also serves as municipal prosecutor for the towns of Basalt and Carbondale, said her efforts then were strictly on the petition effort.
“I didn’t help him get elected,” she said of Beeson, a Republican. “I think he’s a good man, and I respect him ... but I didn’t work on Martin’s campaign.”
Caloia, a longtime Democrat, said the political party in Garfield County lobbied her “very heavily” to throw her hat in the ring. But the issues are not strictly political, she said..." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Disclaimer:
"Now that DA Beeson has thrown his hat in the ring for district attorney in the 9th, please take note that there will be no special treatment given to any news press surrounding his race. His articles, if they are SandBox worthy or chosen in the daily agg run-up; will be put up just like anyone else in a political race. What SandBox Commentators will continue to do, is heavily moderate his articles. We are the only news media that provides the courtesy of moderating commentary from the general public on 9th Judicial District and Mr. Beeson's articles. ) "
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Man charged with felony after alleged heroin overdose"
Should the folks feel outrage at Chief Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin's remarks regarding heroin in the Valley, or should they just feel anger?
For the past few years, as drug and related law enforcement issues have spiked in the area, avatars in commentary have been pushing hard with questions for 9th Judicial prosecutors. Such as, where are the task forces to take on these major crime problems? Why don't court officers such as Richard Nedlin know that Red Door in Aspen is it for rehab and it's on its knees with overcrowding and meager funding?
Let's give Chief Deputy Mordkin a hand with his research regarding heroin in the area. Help him get up to speed so that the next time he quotes for the press he can have some factual information to rely on:
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-grand-junction-daily.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/02/sandbox-comments-krex-news-5-heroin-use.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-steamboat-today-heroin.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-steamboat-today-charges.html
Chad Abraham:
"In Pitkin County District Court, Judge Erin Fernandez-Ely, filling in for Judge Gail Nichols, advised Lee that he is charged with felony possession of less than 4 grams of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a controlled substance.
As part of his $2,500 bond, Lee will be able to travel to Southern California, where he is originally from. His next court date is June 4.
Arnold Mordkin, chief deputy district attorney, said heroin cases are unusual for the upper valley. The last local case involving the drug was that of an Aspen man who pleaded guilty to attempted distribution of a controlled substance in 2009. He was arrested after police said he provided heroin to a man visiting Aspen who died in 2008 after using that drug and cocaine.
Olson said Tuesday that heroin is not unheard of in Snowmass Village.
“We have it bubble to the surface from time to time,” he said. “Every time it does, people self-destruct pretty quickly.”
Police know the drug is used occasionally, but it’s usually not long before users overdose or are “whisked away” by family members for treatment, Olson said.
“It’s been a self-correcting problem so far but it’s also concerning,” he said. “It’s a brutal drug.” ..."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
For the past few years, as drug and related law enforcement issues have spiked in the area, avatars in commentary have been pushing hard with questions for 9th Judicial prosecutors. Such as, where are the task forces to take on these major crime problems? Why don't court officers such as Richard Nedlin know that Red Door in Aspen is it for rehab and it's on its knees with overcrowding and meager funding?
Let's give Chief Deputy Mordkin a hand with his research regarding heroin in the area. Help him get up to speed so that the next time he quotes for the press he can have some factual information to rely on:
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-grand-junction-daily.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/02/sandbox-comments-krex-news-5-heroin-use.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-steamboat-today-heroin.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-steamboat-today-charges.html
Chad Abraham:
"In Pitkin County District Court, Judge Erin Fernandez-Ely, filling in for Judge Gail Nichols, advised Lee that he is charged with felony possession of less than 4 grams of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a controlled substance.
As part of his $2,500 bond, Lee will be able to travel to Southern California, where he is originally from. His next court date is June 4.
Arnold Mordkin, chief deputy district attorney, said heroin cases are unusual for the upper valley. The last local case involving the drug was that of an Aspen man who pleaded guilty to attempted distribution of a controlled substance in 2009. He was arrested after police said he provided heroin to a man visiting Aspen who died in 2008 after using that drug and cocaine.
Olson said Tuesday that heroin is not unheard of in Snowmass Village.
“We have it bubble to the surface from time to time,” he said. “Every time it does, people self-destruct pretty quickly.”
Police know the drug is used occasionally, but it’s usually not long before users overdose or are “whisked away” by family members for treatment, Olson said.
“It’s been a self-correcting problem so far but it’s also concerning,” he said. “It’s a brutal drug.” ..."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Marks prevails in Jefferson County case"
What does it take to stand up, knowing you're going to have to spend your own funds and that there is a long row to hoe in front of you?
What would it take, once you made that personal and free will choice to stand, to get to the starting line and find the hurdles of bullying, intimidation, threats to your person and ability to live in peace coming straight at you? Acts against your personal free will choice that are not only unnecesary from others, they are unwarranted, shocking and could actually be criminal in nature? Acts that frighten and demean you, pushing your life into an energy you never thought you would have to know?
The former is an act of free will.
The latter is forced on you by others.
A special and public personal thank you goes out to Marilyn Marks this morning.
A woman of courage who wanted reform for her community and got so much more than she opted in for.
How good it is to see her finally be reimbursed for a portion of her expenses to cover a fight that really is....all of our fight. Yes, we imagine it is even a sweeter victory for her because she had the free will choice in the first place to take it on. Well done.
Congratulations on still yet another historic win for Marks and Colorado.
Janet Urquhart:
"ASPEN — A District Court judge has deemed election records in Jefferson County open to public review and has awarded attorney's fees to Aspen election activist Marilyn Marks, who was denied access to the information.
Judge Randall Arp, in a ruling issued Monday, directed Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pamela Anderson to provide the records requested by Marks and rejected the clerk's claim that release of the information could violate voter rights to an anonymous ballot. Any information that could potentially lead to identification of an individual voter who cast a ballot could be redacted, Arp concluded.
Marks said Tuesday that her legal expenses in the case total about $100,000....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
What would it take, once you made that personal and free will choice to stand, to get to the starting line and find the hurdles of bullying, intimidation, threats to your person and ability to live in peace coming straight at you? Acts against your personal free will choice that are not only unnecesary from others, they are unwarranted, shocking and could actually be criminal in nature? Acts that frighten and demean you, pushing your life into an energy you never thought you would have to know?
The former is an act of free will.
The latter is forced on you by others.
A special and public personal thank you goes out to Marilyn Marks this morning.
A woman of courage who wanted reform for her community and got so much more than she opted in for.
How good it is to see her finally be reimbursed for a portion of her expenses to cover a fight that really is....all of our fight. Yes, we imagine it is even a sweeter victory for her because she had the free will choice in the first place to take it on. Well done.
Congratulations on still yet another historic win for Marks and Colorado.
Janet Urquhart:
"ASPEN — A District Court judge has deemed election records in Jefferson County open to public review and has awarded attorney's fees to Aspen election activist Marilyn Marks, who was denied access to the information.
Judge Randall Arp, in a ruling issued Monday, directed Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pamela Anderson to provide the records requested by Marks and rejected the clerk's claim that release of the information could violate voter rights to an anonymous ballot. Any information that could potentially lead to identification of an individual voter who cast a ballot could be redacted, Arp concluded.
Marks said Tuesday that her legal expenses in the case total about $100,000....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Troopers Save Man's Life "
Kristina Kuestner:
"DENVER- Two Colorado State troopers were quick to assist a fellow airline passenger experiencing an apparent heart attack in mid-flight Tuesday.
While flying from Denver to Atlanta on a business trip, Lt. Colonel Brenda Leffler and Maj. Steve Garcia noticed a male passenger experiencing signs of cardiac distress.
Leffler quickly began performing chest compressions while the man's wife performed rescue breathing on her husband.
A flight attendant retrieved an automated external defibrillator, which Leffler and Garcia used to successfully resuscitate the man....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"DENVER- Two Colorado State troopers were quick to assist a fellow airline passenger experiencing an apparent heart attack in mid-flight Tuesday.
While flying from Denver to Atlanta on a business trip, Lt. Colonel Brenda Leffler and Maj. Steve Garcia noticed a male passenger experiencing signs of cardiac distress.
Leffler quickly began performing chest compressions while the man's wife performed rescue breathing on her husband.
A flight attendant retrieved an automated external defibrillator, which Leffler and Garcia used to successfully resuscitate the man....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KJCT News 8 "Red Cross Heroes: Local Cop Goes Above and Beyond"
Don Coleman:
"GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- As part of our month dedicated to honoring those who stand out in shaping communities across the Western Slope, a Mesa County police officer is being recognized for his involvement in law enforcement.
"I've been at sheriff's office for 13 years. It keeps me busy, keeps me out of trouble for most part."
When Sergeant Jeff Byrne began his career at the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, he could not have pictured a more promising journey.
"Growing up, I always wanted to be in law enforcement. I always wanted to be a police officer."
That dream became reality in 1999 and he has not wasted one minute of the opportunity. "It's very rewarding and nice to get up in the morning knowing you're doing a job you love."
In a staff of dozens of people excelling at their jobs, Byrne stands out.
"We have a lot of 'Jacks of All Trades' here and that's what Jeff does," Sheriff Stan Hilkey said. He's a work horse and we wish we had more like him."..." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- As part of our month dedicated to honoring those who stand out in shaping communities across the Western Slope, a Mesa County police officer is being recognized for his involvement in law enforcement.
"I've been at sheriff's office for 13 years. It keeps me busy, keeps me out of trouble for most part."
When Sergeant Jeff Byrne began his career at the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, he could not have pictured a more promising journey.
"Growing up, I always wanted to be in law enforcement. I always wanted to be a police officer."
That dream became reality in 1999 and he has not wasted one minute of the opportunity. "It's very rewarding and nice to get up in the morning knowing you're doing a job you love."
In a staff of dozens of people excelling at their jobs, Byrne stands out.
"We have a lot of 'Jacks of All Trades' here and that's what Jeff does," Sheriff Stan Hilkey said. He's a work horse and we wish we had more like him."..." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: SkyHi Daily "Plan calls for wildlife bridges over State Highway 9 near Kremmling"
Tonya Bina:
"The overpasses would allow for wildlife to travel on a vegetated crossing over the highway. Fencing along the overpass hidden by tall bushes and plantings would serve to create a visual barrier to deter wildlife from being spooked by traffic below, Smith said.
Such wildlife crossing have been successful in Wyoming, Nevada and Utah, he said.
To funnel wildlife to the crossings, wildlife fencing would be installed along all 10 miles of highway.
Engineers hope to have the $800,000 design phase of the project completed by October, according to Smith.
The project will then stand ready for the $35 million to $40 million construction project that could happen when funds become available.
“If a project is on the shelf, it has a really good chance for future funding,” said CDOT engineer Pete Mertes.
“We have a lot going for us,” said Region 3 Grand County Commissioner Gary Bumgarner. “We have a design on the table that's ready to go. And we have a public-private partnership; as we move forward, the higher-ups look to that favorably. ... As states get tighter, there's going to be more and more of that all the time.”
After the meeting, Bumgarner said he could not say whether Grand County would help finance construction of the project in the future. So far, the county's role has been to hold the $805,000 gift from Blue Valley Ranch and pass it through to CDOT for the design work....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"The overpasses would allow for wildlife to travel on a vegetated crossing over the highway. Fencing along the overpass hidden by tall bushes and plantings would serve to create a visual barrier to deter wildlife from being spooked by traffic below, Smith said.
Such wildlife crossing have been successful in Wyoming, Nevada and Utah, he said.
To funnel wildlife to the crossings, wildlife fencing would be installed along all 10 miles of highway.
Engineers hope to have the $800,000 design phase of the project completed by October, according to Smith.
The project will then stand ready for the $35 million to $40 million construction project that could happen when funds become available.
“If a project is on the shelf, it has a really good chance for future funding,” said CDOT engineer Pete Mertes.
“We have a lot going for us,” said Region 3 Grand County Commissioner Gary Bumgarner. “We have a design on the table that's ready to go. And we have a public-private partnership; as we move forward, the higher-ups look to that favorably. ... As states get tighter, there's going to be more and more of that all the time.”
After the meeting, Bumgarner said he could not say whether Grand County would help finance construction of the project in the future. So far, the county's role has been to hold the $805,000 gift from Blue Valley Ranch and pass it through to CDOT for the design work....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Craig Daily Press "Supreme Court sides with Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado "
Joe Moylan:
"A lawsuit challenging the Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s approval of an implementation plan for House Bill 10-1365, also known as the Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act, will be heard in Denver District Court.
The state supreme court ruled Monday to uphold the rights of the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado to question the validity of an agreement between the PUC and the Public Service Company of Colorado following passage of the bill.
PSC is a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, Inc., established in December 2010.
“We are very pleased that the Colorado Supreme Court has today made clear the AGNC’s right to have its day in court,” said Mike Sampson, Garfield County Commissioner and AGNC chairman in a news release...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A lawsuit challenging the Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s approval of an implementation plan for House Bill 10-1365, also known as the Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act, will be heard in Denver District Court.
The state supreme court ruled Monday to uphold the rights of the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado to question the validity of an agreement between the PUC and the Public Service Company of Colorado following passage of the bill.
PSC is a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, Inc., established in December 2010.
“We are very pleased that the Colorado Supreme Court has today made clear the AGNC’s right to have its day in court,” said Mike Sampson, Garfield County Commissioner and AGNC chairman in a news release...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "ACRA to leave U.S. Chamber"
(See related stories, more links to related and public commentary here, here and here)
Andrew Travers:
"The press and public were not allowed at the chamber retreat. The bulk of the meeting allegedly addressed ACRA’s strategic plan and preparing for an upcoming change in board leadership. Donnie Lee, general manager of The Gant, will be taking over as board chair....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Andrew Travers:
"The press and public were not allowed at the chamber retreat. The bulk of the meeting allegedly addressed ACRA’s strategic plan and preparing for an upcoming change in board leadership. Donnie Lee, general manager of The Gant, will be taking over as board chair....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Colorado Town Makes List of 'Best Small Towns'"
Why isn't Glenwood Springs tourism marketing capitalizing on all that the entire State of Colorado has to offer?
This is a day and age where families, if they have decided to spend precious funds on a vacation, are going to not stay in just one place. They are going to experience all they can that is family oriented.
Regional tourism marketing and promotion is the key to success.
Congratulations to the City of Durango for capturing not just one small town label but the whole enchilada.
Christina Marrazza:
"DURANGO, Colo.- A Western Colorado town has earned a spot on a list of "Best Small Towns in America."
The list, compiled by Smithsonian Magazine, features towns with tons of culture and a population under 25,000.
Durango earned the No. 6 spot on the list. With a population of nearly 17,000, the old railroad and mining town celebrates life Western-style.
Its lamp-post lined historic district, "Music in the Mountains" festival and a theater showcasing both melodrama and vaudeville are all reasons it was selected...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
This is a day and age where families, if they have decided to spend precious funds on a vacation, are going to not stay in just one place. They are going to experience all they can that is family oriented.
Regional tourism marketing and promotion is the key to success.
Congratulations to the City of Durango for capturing not just one small town label but the whole enchilada.
Christina Marrazza:
"DURANGO, Colo.- A Western Colorado town has earned a spot on a list of "Best Small Towns in America."
The list, compiled by Smithsonian Magazine, features towns with tons of culture and a population under 25,000.
Durango earned the No. 6 spot on the list. With a population of nearly 17,000, the old railroad and mining town celebrates life Western-style.
Its lamp-post lined historic district, "Music in the Mountains" festival and a theater showcasing both melodrama and vaudeville are all reasons it was selected...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Market Watch "Samuel Adams' Brewing the American Dream Provides Funding and Coaching for Denver's Small Businesses"
Press Release:
"As part of the Denver expansion, The Boston Beer Company also announced the region's first loan recipients, all of whom are small businesses that were unable to secure financing through traditional lenders. Initial Denver recipients include:
-- BIG DADDY'S SPORTS BAR -- Opening in Glenwood Springs, Big Daddy's Sports Bar is the brainchild of Laura Warren, a sports enthusiast and restaurant-industry veteran who realized there were no true sports bars in the area. Unable to secure funding through traditional lenders she turned to Samuel Adams' Brewing the American Dream for the capital necessary to purchase signage, equipment, and help renovate the space. Scheduled to open in late April, Big Daddy's expects to initially hire 19 staff members.
-- TACO CENTER -- Ricardo Barba just purchased a lanchera, or food truck, specializing in tacos thanks to Brewing the American Dream. Born in California to Mexican parents, he's been part of the food service industry all his life in all sorts of capacities but realized what he really wanted was to be his own boss. He faced numerous hurdles while trying to work with various traditional lenders to secure funding for his truck but then found Brewing the American Dream, and within 14 days received his loan.
The owners of both businesses will also have the opportunity to participate in business education seminars sponsored by Brewing the American Dream. Through a series of speed coaching events -- the first of which will be held on April 25, at the Mi Casa Resource Center -- business owners will work with Samuel Adams employees across a number of functional areas (i.e. marketing, sales, accounting, graphic design, etc.) for professional mentoring and coaching to improve and expand their businesses....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"As part of the Denver expansion, The Boston Beer Company also announced the region's first loan recipients, all of whom are small businesses that were unable to secure financing through traditional lenders. Initial Denver recipients include:
-- BIG DADDY'S SPORTS BAR -- Opening in Glenwood Springs, Big Daddy's Sports Bar is the brainchild of Laura Warren, a sports enthusiast and restaurant-industry veteran who realized there were no true sports bars in the area. Unable to secure funding through traditional lenders she turned to Samuel Adams' Brewing the American Dream for the capital necessary to purchase signage, equipment, and help renovate the space. Scheduled to open in late April, Big Daddy's expects to initially hire 19 staff members.
-- TACO CENTER -- Ricardo Barba just purchased a lanchera, or food truck, specializing in tacos thanks to Brewing the American Dream. Born in California to Mexican parents, he's been part of the food service industry all his life in all sorts of capacities but realized what he really wanted was to be his own boss. He faced numerous hurdles while trying to work with various traditional lenders to secure funding for his truck but then found Brewing the American Dream, and within 14 days received his loan.
The owners of both businesses will also have the opportunity to participate in business education seminars sponsored by Brewing the American Dream. Through a series of speed coaching events -- the first of which will be held on April 25, at the Mi Casa Resource Center -- business owners will work with Samuel Adams employees across a number of functional areas (i.e. marketing, sales, accounting, graphic design, etc.) for professional mentoring and coaching to improve and expand their businesses....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "New Fruita Trails Open In Time For Fat Tire Festival"
17 years as one of the most popular mountain bike events in the Rockies. Congratulations to the Fat Tire Festival!
Danielle Kreutter:
"FRUITA, Colo.- The Bureau of Land Management and several other community organizations have teamed up to add two new singletrack trails, "Pump Track" and "Zip Off," in Fruita for mountain bikers to enjoy.
The plan to add more trails to the North Fruita Desert has been years in the making.
"These sort of things take quite a bit of time and effort and partnership from various other groups besides the BLM," said Michelle Bailey, BLM assistant field manager.
One of those groups, Fruita Singletracks, is now playing a role in building these new trails now that funds have been reached.
"Fruita Singletracks has been raising funds for this, COPMOBA raised funds, there has been donations from all around," said Greg Mazu of Singletrack Trails.
Now construction can begin just in time for the annual mountain bike festival in Fruita...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Danielle Kreutter:
"FRUITA, Colo.- The Bureau of Land Management and several other community organizations have teamed up to add two new singletrack trails, "Pump Track" and "Zip Off," in Fruita for mountain bikers to enjoy.
The plan to add more trails to the North Fruita Desert has been years in the making.
"These sort of things take quite a bit of time and effort and partnership from various other groups besides the BLM," said Michelle Bailey, BLM assistant field manager.
One of those groups, Fruita Singletracks, is now playing a role in building these new trails now that funds have been reached.
"Fruita Singletracks has been raising funds for this, COPMOBA raised funds, there has been donations from all around," said Greg Mazu of Singletrack Trails.
Now construction can begin just in time for the annual mountain bike festival in Fruita...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: USMCZen "Your moment of Zen"
Catching up on the inbox and posted comments since last evening, along with the wide range of news stories in today's aggregate roundup; 'SandBox Nanny' has the overwhelming urge to find an odd mix of warriors and pacifists somewhere out there in avatar land. Just to make it through your day in one piece...
My goodness. Such a wide range of emotions and expressed sentiments you all have, 'kids'...
To start that kind of a day, she has decided to call on the watchful eye of retired US Marine Kevin McIntyre. For her very own 'Moment of Zen".
All photo credit (click title for more): Kevin McIntyre
My goodness. Such a wide range of emotions and expressed sentiments you all have, 'kids'...
To start that kind of a day, she has decided to call on the watchful eye of retired US Marine Kevin McIntyre. For her very own 'Moment of Zen".
All photo credit (click title for more): Kevin McIntyre
April 24, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall/Chuck Norris "Soros and Obama vs. Sheriff Joe Arpaio"
Chuck Norris:
"...Of course, if you mention the term sheriff at the moment, most thoughts go racing to Arizona and Maricopa County's 20-year sheriff, Joe Arpaio, and his plight with the feds and fight against illegal immigration.
Regardless of the fact that there are a plethora of amazing sheriffs across the country doing incredible work subduing lawbreakers and keeping their counties clean of mischief, the mainstream media, or MSM, are working double time with the federal government to make sure that when you think of sheriffs, the picture painted in your mind is one of runaway renegades -- badged outlaws on the loose.
Despite how you feel about Sheriff Joe's personal conduct, government suspicions or the severity of criminal discipline, there is no doubt that the feds' entanglements into his affairs are a massive overreach of local and state laws and jurisdictions. It is pathetic that President Barack Obama, as well as the entire left-wing progressive establishment, is in a multimillion-dollar smear campaign to discredit and take down Sheriff Joe, as the sheriff's own re-election website proclaims, because he has "led the fight in Arizona against illegal immigration."
Rush Limbaugh was right in recently calling out the MSM's bias against Sheriff Joe in that not a single left-wing news source has reported that the sheriff has received repeated online death threats by an avid Obama supporter. But a year ago, when then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot by a madman, the MSM were quick to incriminate any right-wing sources, including polemical innuendoes on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's and Limbaugh's websites, for contributing to the killing spree on that dark, tragic Arizona day.
My question is this: If there isn't any credence to the left-wing's demonizing and entrapment of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then why would billionaire progressive George Soros spend millions of dollars on anti-Arpaio campaigns and pledge millions more to defeat the toughest U.S. sheriff's re-election?..."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"...Of course, if you mention the term sheriff at the moment, most thoughts go racing to Arizona and Maricopa County's 20-year sheriff, Joe Arpaio, and his plight with the feds and fight against illegal immigration.
Regardless of the fact that there are a plethora of amazing sheriffs across the country doing incredible work subduing lawbreakers and keeping their counties clean of mischief, the mainstream media, or MSM, are working double time with the federal government to make sure that when you think of sheriffs, the picture painted in your mind is one of runaway renegades -- badged outlaws on the loose.
Despite how you feel about Sheriff Joe's personal conduct, government suspicions or the severity of criminal discipline, there is no doubt that the feds' entanglements into his affairs are a massive overreach of local and state laws and jurisdictions. It is pathetic that President Barack Obama, as well as the entire left-wing progressive establishment, is in a multimillion-dollar smear campaign to discredit and take down Sheriff Joe, as the sheriff's own re-election website proclaims, because he has "led the fight in Arizona against illegal immigration."
Rush Limbaugh was right in recently calling out the MSM's bias against Sheriff Joe in that not a single left-wing news source has reported that the sheriff has received repeated online death threats by an avid Obama supporter. But a year ago, when then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot by a madman, the MSM were quick to incriminate any right-wing sources, including polemical innuendoes on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's and Limbaugh's websites, for contributing to the killing spree on that dark, tragic Arizona day.
My question is this: If there isn't any credence to the left-wing's demonizing and entrapment of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then why would billionaire progressive George Soros spend millions of dollars on anti-Arpaio campaigns and pledge millions more to defeat the toughest U.S. sheriff's re-election?..."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KWES News West 9 "Mexico pres front-runner opposes legalizing drugs"
Now, Pena Nieto has SandBox support for election to the office of Presidente'.
Remind yourself of some of current Mexican Presidente' Felipe Calderon's beliefs, consequences and policies:
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/10/sandbox-comments-cns-news-mexican.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/01/sandbox-comments-intellectual.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/04/sandboxblogs-hot-air-blog-why-shouldnt.html
KATHERINE CORCORAN:
"MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's presidential front-runner opposes legalizing drugs, saying in an interview Monday that the idea is too "simplistic" to fight narcotics trafficking in the violence-plagued country.
Remind yourself of some of current Mexican Presidente' Felipe Calderon's beliefs, consequences and policies:
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/10/sandbox-comments-cns-news-mexican.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/01/sandbox-comments-intellectual.html
http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/04/sandboxblogs-hot-air-blog-why-shouldnt.html
KATHERINE CORCORAN:
"MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's presidential front-runner opposes legalizing drugs, saying in an interview Monday that the idea is too "simplistic" to fight narcotics trafficking in the violence-plagued country.
Enrique Pena Nieto said allowing the use of so-called soft drugs would only open the door to abusing harder substances.
"So far no one has convinced me that this is the solution," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It seems to be the answer for those who don't see another way to reduce violence. But I favor a debate and evaluating the arguments people are making about the subject in different parts of the world."
Pena Nieto, who as governor of Mexico's most populous state was considered a pragmatist focusing on public works, said he would focus as president on reducing violence over fighting drug cartels.
The 45-year-old candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party said he would strengthen police, create a single state police force and fight money-laundering - the same methods as President Felipe Calderon, whose conservative National Action Party is trailing Pena Nieto heading toward the July 1 national elections.
Pena Nieto couldn't name one major distinction between his security strategy and Calderon's, saying only that the government's offensive against organized crime hasn't produced the necessary results. More than 47,500 people have died in drug-related violence since Calderon launched his attack upon taking office in December 2006.
"I would be about results," Pena Nieto said. "We have to look at the policies and make some adjustments in the objectives."
He added that he would at least start out following the Merida Initiative, the U.S. plan that has dedicated more than $1 billion in equipment and training to Mexico to fight organized crime....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Right Scoop "ZoNation: Ted Nugent gets a visit from the Secret Service. So when will the Secret Service visit Eminem?"
I try to stay away from watching the worst of hate rhetoric in politics. All these news articles and videos, tweets and comments that are out there. The music videos, pundits..it just seems to never end and I can see nothing positive in any of it.
Once in awhile, when something happens that triggers a rash of violent speech, there arises out of the cess pool a story that helps, in my view, to get the point across that there is a serious imbalance out there in how the media reports factual content.
The Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke contention was one such story.
Expertly stood up to by Rush and mirrored back to the left.
When one keeps a score card, just for the sake of verifying 'which side' is really the majority antagonizer; one finds the answer is the liberal side. Especially with the obstructions provided to them against the conservative side through the use of mainstream media.
Next up in the volatile content arena in the race to the White House 2012; is rocker Ted Nugent. An icon to those of us who graduated high school in the 1970's, Nugent has found himself once again in hot water because of his outspoken tendency to 'tell it like it is'.
Earning himself a visit from the Secret Service recently, the resulting outrage throughout the nation (actually turning global from the looks of things, Nugent is truly an icon) has finally wound up to the point that 'SandBox Nanny' has been waiting for.
"What about Eminem? When are the feds going to come down on the 'music-terror' pumped out by rocker Eminem?"
Sounds like the battle cry of conservative (and many liberal women as well) women over not receiving their 'phone call from the President' like Sandra Fluke received, doesn't it? From the looks of things out there at this time, Nugent's fans are doing as expert of a job as Rush and Newt have as they've taken on the biased media this election season.
You will need to click title on over to Scoop's site in order to watch the ZoNation video. I do not want it embed here on SandBox. It is troubling content but keen in its accurate perceptions.
A must watch.
Scoop:
"Ted Nugent, the Motor City Madman, engaged in hyperbole when discussing President Obama. Eminem and Common said some horrible things about President Bush. So why did the Nuge get a visit from the Secret Service, but not Eminem or Common? Hear what Zo thinks as he explains the double standard that allows liberals to engage in aggressive speech, but not conservatives....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Once in awhile, when something happens that triggers a rash of violent speech, there arises out of the cess pool a story that helps, in my view, to get the point across that there is a serious imbalance out there in how the media reports factual content.
The Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke contention was one such story.
Expertly stood up to by Rush and mirrored back to the left.
When one keeps a score card, just for the sake of verifying 'which side' is really the majority antagonizer; one finds the answer is the liberal side. Especially with the obstructions provided to them against the conservative side through the use of mainstream media.
Next up in the volatile content arena in the race to the White House 2012; is rocker Ted Nugent. An icon to those of us who graduated high school in the 1970's, Nugent has found himself once again in hot water because of his outspoken tendency to 'tell it like it is'.
Earning himself a visit from the Secret Service recently, the resulting outrage throughout the nation (actually turning global from the looks of things, Nugent is truly an icon) has finally wound up to the point that 'SandBox Nanny' has been waiting for.
"What about Eminem? When are the feds going to come down on the 'music-terror' pumped out by rocker Eminem?"
Sounds like the battle cry of conservative (and many liberal women as well) women over not receiving their 'phone call from the President' like Sandra Fluke received, doesn't it? From the looks of things out there at this time, Nugent's fans are doing as expert of a job as Rush and Newt have as they've taken on the biased media this election season.
You will need to click title on over to Scoop's site in order to watch the ZoNation video. I do not want it embed here on SandBox. It is troubling content but keen in its accurate perceptions.
A must watch.
Scoop:
"Ted Nugent, the Motor City Madman, engaged in hyperbole when discussing President Obama. Eminem and Common said some horrible things about President Bush. So why did the Nuge get a visit from the Secret Service, but not Eminem or Common? Hear what Zo thinks as he explains the double standard that allows liberals to engage in aggressive speech, but not conservatives....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "Something Rotten in the State"
Pat Buchanan:
"With the number of Secret Service members and agents caught up in the partying-with-prostitutes scandal in Cartagena now at a dozen, and six already gone, how much wider and deeper does this go?
No one can take pleasure in seeing Secret Service agents -- whose deserved reputation is that they will "take a bullet" for the president, his family and all whom they protect -- shamed and disgraced.
Yet one would have to be naive to believe this was some isolated incident. No sooner was the first day's work done in Cartagena than 20 hookers were trooping into the hotel rooms of SS agents, supervisors and members of the military advance team.
And Sen. Charles Grassley asks a relevant question.
As the Secret Service travel and work in close contact with the White House Advance Office and White House Communications Agency, was the Obama staff oblivious to this misconduct? If they were aware of it, did no one report it to the White House chief of staff?
Hostile intelligence services often use "honey traps" to ensnare U.S. diplomats and journalists. Thus this hookers-and-agents scandal is no laughing matter.
And it hit just as we learned that the General Services Administration, purchasing agent for the U.S. government, shelled out $823,000 on a party for 300 employees at a casino-spa in Las Vegas, where the hired entertainment included a mind reader, a clown and a $75,000 bicycle-building exercise.
Jeff Neeley, the GSA western regional commissioner, invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than testify to Congress about what is now being investigated as criminal misconduct.
President Obama's appointee to head GSA, Martha Johnson, has resigned.
Infinitely larger in terms of the tax dollars looted or lost is the Solyndra scandal, where a green technology company favored by the White House went belly up after receiving an endorsement visit from Obama and an astonishing half-billion dollars in federal loan guarantees.
These events all point to a culture of entitlement born of a belief that now that the Democratic Party, the Party of Government, is again running the government, we can "let the good times roll" once more....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"With the number of Secret Service members and agents caught up in the partying-with-prostitutes scandal in Cartagena now at a dozen, and six already gone, how much wider and deeper does this go?
No one can take pleasure in seeing Secret Service agents -- whose deserved reputation is that they will "take a bullet" for the president, his family and all whom they protect -- shamed and disgraced.
Yet one would have to be naive to believe this was some isolated incident. No sooner was the first day's work done in Cartagena than 20 hookers were trooping into the hotel rooms of SS agents, supervisors and members of the military advance team.
And Sen. Charles Grassley asks a relevant question.
As the Secret Service travel and work in close contact with the White House Advance Office and White House Communications Agency, was the Obama staff oblivious to this misconduct? If they were aware of it, did no one report it to the White House chief of staff?
Hostile intelligence services often use "honey traps" to ensnare U.S. diplomats and journalists. Thus this hookers-and-agents scandal is no laughing matter.
And it hit just as we learned that the General Services Administration, purchasing agent for the U.S. government, shelled out $823,000 on a party for 300 employees at a casino-spa in Las Vegas, where the hired entertainment included a mind reader, a clown and a $75,000 bicycle-building exercise.
Jeff Neeley, the GSA western regional commissioner, invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than testify to Congress about what is now being investigated as criminal misconduct.
President Obama's appointee to head GSA, Martha Johnson, has resigned.
Infinitely larger in terms of the tax dollars looted or lost is the Solyndra scandal, where a green technology company favored by the White House went belly up after receiving an endorsement visit from Obama and an astonishing half-billion dollars in federal loan guarantees.
These events all point to a culture of entitlement born of a belief that now that the Democratic Party, the Party of Government, is again running the government, we can "let the good times roll" once more....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
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