WESTERN SLOPE OFFICIALS DEMAND FAIR INSURANCE RATES
El Jebel—Discriminatory, arbitrary, grossly unfair. That’s how people from Aspen to Rifle are describing the geographical insurance rating system established by the state of Colorado under the auspices of Obamacare. About 50 people took time out of their weekend to voice concerns to lawmakers and State Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar. One Aspen woman complained that in coming up with the rates, the state apparently wrongly assumed that everyone who lives in or near Aspen is wealthy. Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky and Snowmass State Senator Gail Schwartz say these issues transcend party politics. They both agree something must be done to correct this error. Commissioner Salazar says she will take everyone’s concerns to heart and will deliver the message to state lawmakers in hopes of making some positive changes.
SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION LAW QUESTIONED
DENVER (AP) – Republicans are asking for a two-year “time-out” on a new Colorado elections law that allows same-day registration. It’s the party’s effort to ax a voting scheme they say is ripe for fraud. The proposal is unlikely to be taken seriously by the Democratic Legislature, where the House has already approved a bill to expand same-day registration to local races. Republicans proposed a rival bill Monday, to return to the voting law in place in 2012 while a bipartisan task force reviews the law. Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler says the elections overhaul was a “rush to failure.” Democrats say the elections law is sound and that this year’s bill makes an important fix to streamline state and local requirements.
SEPTEMBER FLOODS HELP SET COLORADO RAINFALL RECORD
COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) – Colorado is poised to get a new rainfall record because of September’s flooding. While that may not be very surprising, the location of the record is.Weather experts announced Monday that they’ve confirmed that 11.85 inches of rain fell over 24 hours at a rain gauge at Fort Carson on Sept. 12, 2013. More than two-thirds of that fell in over just three hours.While northern Colorado had more total rain over a larger area in September, state climatologist Nolan Doesken says no official record is kept for most rainfall in a weThe new proposed record breaks the previous one-day, official rainfall total of 11.08 inches in Holly in 1965. The National Climate Data Center must approve the new record before it goes into the books.
