Wednesday May 9, 2012

RIFLE ARRESTS
Two people are under arrest in Rifle, suspected in a murder in Arizona.  The pair was stopped by state troopers in Garfield County after Phoenix Police notified authorities the pair might be passing through. They're suspected in a fatal shooting in Phoenix last Sunday. An 11 year old boy and 4 year old girl with the man and woman were taken in by the Colorado DHS.

FILM BILL
A bill to make the film industry more profitable in Colorado has moved out of the House and into the state Senate where a final vote is set today.  Known by the acronym CINEMA, the bill provides a loan guarantee program for production activities in Colorado that use at least 50% in-state workers.  It would be the first of its kind in the country.

UTAH GAS PROJECT
The U-S Interior Department has signed off on a natural gas project in Utah's Uinta Basin that could see development of more than 3,600 new wells by Anadarko Petroleum over the next decade.  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the Greater Natural Buttes Project agreement safeguards air quality and assures protection of critical wildlife habitate and outdoor recreation, while supporting up to 4,300 jobs during development.

LAWYER BACK ON THE PAYROLL
The Colorado State Trooper cleared in the 2010 shooting death of Jason Kemp has been reinstated and is back on the state payroll awaiting back pay.  Gene Lawyer had been on unpaid leave since being indicted in October of 2010.  Trooper Nate Reid tells the Daily Sentinel Lawyer will be on paid administrative leave during an internal review and will likely require a battery of re-certification tests before returning to regular patrol duties.

SCHOOL BUS CRASH
No word on the condition of a man whose car crashed into the back of a school bus as it stopped to let kids off on Highway 50.  The man was taken to the hospital after being pried from the car which was stuck under the rear of the bus.  No students, nor the bus driver were injured.  The bus was taking Orchard Mesa Middle and Grand Junction High School students to their homes in Whitewater.

NO CIVIL UNIONS
A civil unions bill killed in the state house last night wasn't the only bill to die.  During heated debate, 30-other bills went down during the heated debate.  The Denver Post says among those bills..$20 million worth of statewide water projects and a bill setting a standard for driving under the influence of marijuana.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE IMPACT
A new study shows students who attend Community College in Colorado receive an 11% annual return on their investment. According to The Denver Post, the report from Economic Modeling Specialists shows 150,000 students attending Community College in the 2009-2010 academic year and the 5,600 employees drawing salaries equalled an about $222 million economic impact.  The state gets an estimated $300 billion from Community Colleges.