LEGISLATION CONSIDERED TO SPEED UP FLOOD RECOVERY
DENVER (AP) – The destruction from September’s Colorado floods is prompting proposals that state lawmakers say are aimed at removing bureaucratic obstacles to expedite rebuilding efforts. The legislative session that begins next month could see several bills in reaction to one the worst disasters in state history. Among them is a bill that would allow counties to shift money to their road and bridge funds for infrastructure repair.
COLORADO’S GOLD DOME REPAIR NEARLY FINISHED
DENVER (AP) – The protective, weatherproof wrap that’s covered the Colorado state Capitol dome for nearly two years is starting to come off. Construction crews began removing the top portion of the scrim this morning. The process to reveal the newly gilded dome will take a couple of days and will be followed by the removal of scaffolding that has also covered the dome. It will take about six weeks for the scaffolding to be disassembled to the base of the dome. Restoration of the dome became necessary after Colorado’s intense winters and temperature fluctuations caused the exterior metal surfaces to deteriorate over the past century. Other restoration work is ongoing and the dome won’t be open to the public until next summer.
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT EXCERCISE LAWSUIT MOVING FORWARD
DENVER (AP) – Lawyers are seeking to expand a lawsuit filed over the lack of outdoor recreation at Colorado’s high-security prison. Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Rick Raemisch says virtually all options are being examined to solve the problem at Canon City’s Colorado State Penitentiary. In a separate lawsuit, a U.S. District Court judge last year declared unconstitutional the lack of outdoor recreation at the prison where inmates are held in solitary confinement. Three inmates have filed a federal lawsuit. Inmates at the penitentiary spend 23 hours a day in cells and exercise in a cell with a barred window 6 inches wide. Attorneys from University of Denver’s law clinic are seeking class-action status which could lead to the prison being declared obsolete.
