Not Chapped
Just when you thought Dr. Chaps was out of the press, he’s back. This time, the televangelist host of Pray in Jesus’ Name and embroiled Colorado Springs Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt has announced a run for state Senate. Via The Gazette.
And…Action
In the age in which citizens capture murderous police abuse on video almost every few weeks, the Colorado House of Representatives has voted to advance a bill protecting the right to record police actions. The bill, sponsored by Thornton Democrat Joe Salazar, would subject law enforcement to civil penalties if officers destroy or seize recordings. Via The Aurora Sentinel.
The Mountains Tremble
Colorado earthquakes are on the rise in the Gas Patch, writes Bruce Finley of The Denver Post. The remaining question: Who takes the blame?
Gas Blast
Meanwhile, oil-and-gas company Noble Energy settled an air-pollution lawsuit with the state and the federal government and will pay some $70 million in fines and overdue gas-capturing upgrades. Via The Denver Post.
Sunny News
Fort Collins-based Advanced Energy Industries, a solar power company, landed a major deal with San Francisco-based Swinerton Renewable Energy. The Colorado company will supply the California company with inverters — “by far the largest order Advanced Energy has received since starting in 1981,” reports the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
Local Warming
Earth Day activists slammed the Colorado Springs Utilities board for everything from global warming to global wars. Via The Gazette.
Three Musketeers
John Hickenlooper, Bill Ritter and Bill Owens, a cabal of Colorado governors, united in defense of standardized testing in public schools and lambasted efforts to allow more kids to opt-out. Via The Grand Junction Sentinel.
Wrong Number
Another tragic news story from Boulder County that reads like a Hollywood movie script: A son allegedly kidnapped his brother and his father in a for-now still-muddled dispute over a car title. He made them drive to a scenic Flat Irons trailhead and held them at gunpoint from the backseat of the car. Police found them and then shot the kidnapper in the backseat. “This would be a first,” said a hiker who came upon the scene during a lunch break from his startup company. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Via The Daily Camera.
