STATE TRYING TO KEEP TAX DOLLARS FOR ROADS, SCHOOLS
Denver—Health care, roads and schools in Colorado need money more than taxpayers. That’s the gist of a Republican-sponsored bill that would allow the state to keep more of the tax revenue it already has for such needs under TABOR, The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The measure, sponsored by State Representative Dan Thurlow and Senator Larry Crowder want to ask voters to change the way limits on state revenue are calculated under TABOR. Their plan would increase the amount the state can keep before mandatory tax rebates go into effect. The bill faces an uphill battle, especially with fellow Republicans who are adamantly opposed to tampering with TABOR.
BOULDER FIRE UPDATE
BOULDER(AP) – Hundreds of residents have been allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire was burning on about 70 acres just west of downtown and is about 50 percent contained. Boulder County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Mike Wagner says investigators are working to pinpoint where the fire started. It broke out Sunday in a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didn’t fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes.
CLIMBER’S BODY FOUND
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK (AP) – The body of a climber missing on Longs Peak has been found. Rocky Mountain National Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson says the body of the 39-year-old man from Thornton was discovered by searchers on Sunday and flown down by helicopter. He was mountaineering with two friends Saturday when he decided to descend the challenging and popular mountain by himself. When they returned to the trailhead’s parking lot later in the day they saw the man’s car was still there.
Longs Peak is the highest mountain in the park and the 15th highest in the state at 14, 259 feet.
