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September 23, 2015 11:49 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (Sept. 23)

  • 6 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

MoreSmarterLogo-300x218This off-year election may seem like it’s still far ahead in the future, but consider this: Mail ballots start dropping in less than three weeks. It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

 

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► It’s Pope time! From the Washington Post:

With the first words that Pope Francis uttered publicly on American soil, he made it clear Wednesday that he does not intend to sidestep the deeply divisive issues that are roiling this country — and indeed, that he plans to fully employ his voice and influence as the spiritual leader of nearly 80 million Roman Catholics in the U.S.

Amid the pageantry of a welcoming ceremony on the White House lawn, the first pope from the Americas introduced himself as “the son of an immigrant family. I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.”…

…In his brief address at the White House, delivered in English, the pope also congratulated President Obama for “proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation.”

The Popemobile will pull over at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, where Pope Francis will address a joint session of Congress at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner.

 

► The 2016 race for U.S. Senate in Colorado is finally starting to fill up with candidates. As Colorado Pols first reported on Tuesday, Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler will seek the Republican nomination in 2016, with an official announcement likely in early October — or sooner, given the apparent ineptitude of Brauchler flaks.

Meanwhile, a new poll from Clarity Campaign Labs shows incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Denver) with a narrow lead over Brauchler and Republican Robert Blaha. There are several different ways you can look at these results, particularly given the sloppy makeup of the demographics, but in a nutshell, Bennet has an early lead against “generic Republican candidate X” on the ballot.

 

 

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) announced legislation dealing with abandoned mines — a hot topic since the August spill at the Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colorado. As the Associated Press reports:

The federal government would be required to identify the most dangerous abandoned mines in the West and make plans to clean them up under legislation introduced Tuesday in response to the spill of millions of gallons of toxic wastewater from a Colorado mine.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., outlined the proposal during a conference call with reporters. He said the main focus would be compensating communities affected by the spill, but another goal is to prevent environmental disasters.

“There are tens of thousands of abandoned mines around the West. They are a ticking time bomb, slowly leaking hazardous waste into our streams and rivers,” Udall said, indicating more legislation aimed at reforming antiquated mining laws would follow.

Last month’s mine water spill in the Animas River has definitely raised the issue of what to do about old mining sites. An abandoned mine in Eldora, in Boulder County, spilled about 4,500 gallons of orange stuff into a creek earlier this week. Please, don’t ask Gov. John Hickenlooper to drink any of it.

 

► Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 64 in 2012, legalizing the sale and purchase of small amounts of recreational marijuana. Three years later, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners has decided to ignore those voters.

 

Sage Grouse of the Greater kind.
>

► The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to classify the greater sage grouse as an endangered species. As Bruce Finley writes for the Denver Post:

No-listing leaves the fate of grouse largely with state agencies and private landowners, depending largely on their participation — a flexible approach  Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and senior adviser John Swartout championed, working with other Western governors.

“What we’re working toward is predictability. We want to figure out if people are going to be able to make investments in all manner of enterprises on these western lands,” Hickenlooper said.

Teamwork enlisting states and landowners without Endangered Species Act rigidity gives a better chance of raising money needed to improve habitat, said said Collin O’Mara, president of the National Wildlife Federation. O’Mara calculated the nation must spend $1 billion each year to recover the majority of currently imperiled species.

For more coverage of the sage grouse “no-listing,” check out Cathy Proctor’s reporting at the Denver Business Journal.

 

► The Colorado Department of Transportation says that it will have a toll-lane on I-70 ready to go in time for ski season.

 

► The “Shirtless Sheriff” may no longer be in charge of the El Paso County Sheriff’s department, but his legacy is still being felt in the form of lawsuits. As the Colorado Springs Independent reports, taxpayers are footing the bill for more than $3 million in settlement claims directly tied to former Sheriff Terry Maketa.

 

► Famous rich person Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for President in 2016, would like you to know that he is not “God.” You may continue with your day, now.

Oh, wait, just a moment…Trump also says that he will no longer appear on Fox News because they are too mean to him. Also, it’s not actually news.

 

► State lawmakers are planning on introducing legislation in 2016 to “ensure” that the Colorado Judicial Branch is subject to Open Records requests. But as the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports, proponents of the legislation don’t really know what the bill should ultimately look like.

 

► Former Secretary of State and current Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has come out in opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline. Clinton’s Presidential campaign also found time to launch a “logo contest” in Colorado; it’s about as thrilling as it sounds.

 

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Oklahoma Congressman Steve Russell is questioning the abilities of the first female soldier to complete Ranger School. Russell, a Republican, is apparently concerned that the soldier, who is based out of Ft. Carson, might not have passed Ranger School on her own accord. You know, ’cause she’s a girl and all.

 

► Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker completed his fall into the crater when he announced on Monday that he would exit the Republican race for President in 2016. Walker’s campaign manager, Rick Wiley, unleashed his frustration in an interview with Politico.

 

ICYMI

► There’s only eight days left until we see the second federal government shutdown in three years. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a plan to kick the can down the road until December 11.

 

► Rest in Peace, Yogi.

 

 

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Comments

6 thoughts on “Get More Smarter on Wednesday (Sept. 23)

  1. As for the financial mess which the Shirtless Sheriff left behind, El Paso County can probably get an idea what it will end up costing by calling the folks in Arapahoe County who had to deal with the lawsuits and worker's comp claims that was fallout from another GOP county officer holder with libido problems – former County Clerk Tracy Baker.

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