Glenwood Springs–Longtime Glenwood Springs Elementary School
Principal Sonya Hemmen has a lot of friends in the community but
no job. Following two hours of emotional testimony from parents,
teachers, students and community members last night, the school
board voted to not renew her contract for next year. Hemmen
remains on paid suspension for reasons unknown to the public.
Glenwood Springs–A medical marijuana education forum is being
held tonight at 6 O’clock at Glenwood Springs High School. A special
panel will be on hand for the forum including Colorado Attorney
General John Suthers.
Glenwood Springs–Next Saturday, work crews will begin a two
and a half month long concrete repaving project in Glenwood
Canyon. To get a better grasp of the project’s impacts to
traffic and rafting, you can attend this afternoon’s open
house at the Glenwood Springs Community Center at 4 O’clock.
State Capitol–The state senate appropriations committee has
finally been given a budget proposal. The proposal is three
weeks late and calls for about a quarter of a billion dollars
in K-12 funding to be cut next school year.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Prodded by the federal Environmental
Protection Agency, Pennsylvania says it’s expanding the scope of
water tests for radium and other pollutants from the state’s
booming natural gas drilling industry.
The Department of Environmental Protection’s acting secretary,
Michael Krancer, tells EPA that he’s requiring additional tests by
some drinking-water suppliers and wastewater treatment facilities.
Radium, which exists naturally underground, is sometimes found
in drilling wastewater that gushes from drilled wells. Krancer also
says he wants to add testing stations on affected rivers.
Krancer says some testing was happening before EPA made its
request last month. Officials say earlier tests from seven
waterways showed no harmful levels of radium.
Unlike most big gas states, Pennsylvania allows partially
treated drilling wastewater to be discharged into rivers from which
communities draw drinking water.
DENVER (AP) – Federal workers in Colorado could be furloughed if
lawmakers in Washington can’t reach a budget agreement.
The Denver Post reported Thursday that more than 53,000 federal
employees in the state could be affected. Federal officials still
aren’t sure which employees would be deemed essential and would
have to report to work even if there is a government shutdown.
Members of the military would be expected to continue to work
without pay. Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn says lawmakers need to
make sure they get paid so that service members don’t have to worry
about their families back home.
Sen. Mark Udall, meanwhile, wrote to Republican House Speaker
John Boehner Wednesday urging him to avoid a shutdown, saying it
could hamper the economic recovery. It was signed by 15 moderate
Democrats, including Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet.
