Oily candidate
The oil and gas industry, at the end of March, spent $20,000 on a single Fort Collins City Council race in support of Ray Martinez, who in 2013 worked to squelch a proposed moratorium on fracking in the city. The moratorium won anyway, by 11 percent of the vote. But guess what? Martinez just won, too. Meet the new city council, via The Coloradoan.
Western water
Sure, Governor Hickenlooper’s office is considering a statewide water plan, but on the Western Slope, farmers and water managers are talking about regional-specific plans too. “They should not be left to a government agency,” said peach grower Steve Acquafresca to The Daily Sentinel.
No joke
Conservatives will be descending on Boulder to test out their comic chops at the Republican Comedy Hour. The claim: Liberals have too many restrictions on what can and cannot be joked about to be funny. These conservatives say they have no self-imposed limits and are therefore the obviously funnier party, reports The Daily Camera.
Welcome visit
Tonight, journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose coverage of the National Security Agency’s global surveillance program introduced the world to Edward Snowden, will deliver a talk: “The U.S. Surveillance State in the Age of Fear,” at Colorado State University, at 7 p.m.
Poor dogs
Dozens of Castle Rock prairie dogs have been on a rough and possibly doomed adventure. First, a construction site threatened their home. Then, two women trapped them and kept them in a garage. Finally, police and state wildlife agents seized the prairie dogs, but not to rescue them – possibly to kill them or feed them to ferrets, reports The Denver Post.
Flush ’em
Colorado Bureau of Investigation has a new tactic to warm up cold cases: playing cards. In an effort to help law enforcement and the public identify criminals, the CBI has produced a deck of cards featuring pictures of wanted outlaws. Via the Associated Press
Sellers market
Colorado has the fastest rising home prices of any state in the country, reports The Denver Post. This is welcome news for sellers and a nightmare for people struggling to buy a home.
Longtime warming
Brad Friedman: It was the evening of April 3, 1980, when legendary CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite first warned America of scientists’ concerns about global warming. An obscure and quaint anniversary for news geeks, to be sure…
It’s remarkable how long politicians have known about the looming, compounding consequences of dumping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere — at least since 1980, when this national news broadcast covered a Congressional hearing on the subject. And yet, in all of those years, Congress has still failed to act. It’s even more remarkable how long the climate change denial industry has managed to successfully block action — at least 35 years — and somewhat sickening, considering the lost decades of missed opportunity, even as we are just beginning to grasp the magnitude and reach of climate change impacts.
Fighting chance
Now that Rand Paul has announced his candidacy, the question is whether he actually has a chance to win the GOP nomination. Chris Cillizza, the Washington Post’s Mr. Fix, thinks he might. That is, if Paul can convince Republicans that, yes, he’s different, but not scary different. Via The Washington Post.
Green power
The Republican field is woefully, Obama-like short on experience. The strange thing, the party seems to think this is a major asset. Via The New Yorker.
Another round
Another white cop shoots another unarmed black man, but this time there’s a difference: It’s all there clearly on video, and the cop is charged with murder. Via The New York Times.
Middle ground
Is there a third way on Iran, somewhere between Obama’s deal and bombing Iran’s nuclear targets? There might be, but we’re still waiting to hear what it is. Via The Atlantic.
Poor politics
Milbank: Surf and/or turf? Not if you’re on food stamps. And don’t go to the movies either. Or for a swim. So go the new laws for food-stamp recipients, also known as how to humiliate the poor. Via The Washington Post.
Top Photo Credit: Alias 0591, Creative Commons, Via Flickr
