LISTEN TO LOCAL NEWS
LAWMAKERS CALL FOR MORE RESOURCES TO FIGHT WILDFIRES
Colorado Lawmakers are urging the U-S Forest Service to add resources to the fight against wildfires burning in the state. The entire delegation has signed off on a letter to the forest service. The letter reminds the agency that Colorado’s drought conditions, steep terrain and beetle killed trees are proving to be overwhelming for firefighters. The request specifically calls for more air support. The state’s biggest fire, the High Park Fire has been deemed uncontainable by the Larimer County Sheriff. The blaze has consumed over 35,000 acres so far.
NORTHWEST COLORADO SEEING THREE CROSS-COUNTRY BIKER VISITS THIS MONTH
Three times this month,Northwest Colorado residents will get to visit with cross-country bicyclers. The first is today, when Greg Crawford, Dean of the College of Sciences at Notre Dame, will ride through Steamboat and make a stop in Craig. Crawford is riding from Boston to Pebble Beach California to raise awareness for Niemann-Pick Type C a disease that mostly affects children. Crawford will leave Craig tomorrow and make his way to Rangely, where he will spend tomorrow night. Later this week, the Sea to Shining Sea cross country bike ride will pass through the area. The ride features wounded warriors and arrives in Colorado Saturday. Riders will pass through Rangely, Meeker and Rifle on its way east. The ride started May 28th in San Francisco, and will end July 28th in Virginia Beach. The third ride is Push America’s Journey of Hope. That group will pass through Steamboat and Craig. The riders get to Craig June 22nd after a 90 mile ride from Dinosaur. They’ll make a presentation about bike safety at the Boys and Girls Club in Craig that afternoon, stay the night, and then push on to Steamboat the next day, where they will visit with residents from Horizons. The group is riding to raise awareness for people with disabilities.
12TH STREET IN STEAMBOAT IS BEING REALIGNED FOR COLLEGE ACCESS
Colorado Mountain College is adding an access road to the campus in anticipation of their expansion project. The campus is adding a building that will house administrative offices and classrooms, and the new road will serve as a secondary access to the building. Before they can build the road, they need to realign12th street to meet City of Steamboat requirements to build that access road. The realignment work began yesterday and should be finished by August 23rd. During that period,12th street is closed to all traffic except for the residents who live there. The new building is expected to be finished next month.
OPTIMIST CLUB IN STEAMBOAT HOSTS FISHING DERBY
The Optimist Club of Steamboat will hold their annual Fishing Derby at Walton Pond Saturday. The day starts with a pancake breakfast at 8. Fishing starts at 9, with judging at 10:30. No fishing license is required, and bait and a limited amount of fishing poles will be available for use. All participants get a free T-shirt. There will also be prizes for best Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher costumes, biggest fish, first fish, and most fish caught. If you have questions, call 846-9783.
MOFFAT COUNTY HIGH FOOTBALL CAMP STARTS MONDAY
Moffat County High School is offering a full-contact football camp next week. The camp is free and open for all high school students. Organizers say the camp gives players and coaches the chance to implement the basics of Moffat County football on both sides of the ball before the season starts. Anyone wanting to play football for the Bulldogs this year should show up to the camp. The camp starts Monday evening. Equipment check-out is at 5 and the first session starts at 6. Coaches will go over team and individual drills. The camp lasts through the 22nd and will take place at the high school. If you need more information, call 824-9586.
COLORADO CONSIDERED FINALIST FOR PATENT SATELLITE OFFICE
Colorado could see a bit of a boost to the economy if lawmakers and business leaders are successful in bringing a U-S satellite patent office to the state. A group has been working for months to make Colorado an attractive home for the office, which would mean an estimated 1,000 new jobs for the state. It’s also expected to put over $400 million in the state’s economy over the next 5 years. Colorado is considered a finalist for the office, and some say the state is a front-runner for the office. The group has been touting Colorado’s central location and the state’s abundance of research laboratories. It’s not clear when the final decision will be made, but the US Patent Office opened a new satellite office in Detroit over a year ago, and plan to open two more by 2014.
49 BRIDGES REPLACED IN COLORADO, OVER 100 MORE TO GO
Colorado has replaced 49 bridges as part of a program to fix structures rated poor by inspectors. That’s less than a third of the estimated 160 bridges that are considered risky. The state Department of Transportation says some were built in the 1920s and are buckling under the demands of modern car and truck traffic. Others are cracking and damaging vehicles with broken concrete. Most of the money is coming from a bridge-safety surcharge ranging from $13 to $32 that is included in the price of vehicle registration.
GOVERNOR SIGNS “CLEAR” ACT ADJUSTING PERMIT PROCESS
Governor John Hickenlooper, Monday, signed into law HB-1002, the “Creating Level Expectations for Application Review (CLEAR) Act,” which was supported by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry. Currently, a business can submit an application for a permit or renewal of a permit to a state agency but, while the application is being processed, the agency or legislature may change the rules, which forces the business to withdraw the application and submit another one. This can place unnecessary costs on the business in terms of time and resources. By amending the State Administrative Procedure Act, HB-1002 will put in place a standard procedure governing permit renewals and applications for permits if the rule can be changed by the agency or the legislature. HB-1002 will require that the rules in place at the time the application is submitted remain in effect until the agency makes a decision on the application. The bill was part of a package of bills advanced by House Republicans to lighten the state’s regulatory burden on businesses and encourage job creation.
