Trinidad and Las Animas County Weather the Economic Storm
As national lawmakers struggle with the economic climate, and official recognition of a recession has finally made headlines, Trinidad, and by extension, Las Animas County, finds itself in a unique situation. As part of a statewide economic series from Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin paid a visit to the area recently to find out how the southeastern Colorado area is weathering the storm.
Filed under: Andrea Chalfin, Business/Labor, Economy, Energy, RMCR series, Regional — Andrea Chalfin, News Dir. @ 9:01 am
There are signs that the Four Corners may weather the national economic downturn better than most of Colorado, thanks to tourism, non-residential construction and the gas industry. But businesses in the area are bracing for the worst. 
Legislative leaders and the Governor talked jobs and transportation at the Colorado Press Association’s annual legislative preview on Monday. But top leaders offered few specifics on how to fix the state’s problems. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Regulatory officials formally adopted Colorado’s new oil and gas rules on Thursday. The rules require the state consider public health and environmental concerns before issuing oil and gas drilling permits. Bente Birkeland Birkeland reports from Denver.
Creating jobs in rural Colorado, improving the state’s infrastructure and strengthening small businesses are some of the goals of the state’s new job creation committee. The ten member committee held it’s first meeting on Monday and plans to make recommendations when the legislative session begins in January. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Today is a big day for scientific entrepreneurs in Colorado. Half-a-dozen of the state’s most promising biotechnology start-up companies are pitching their business plans to potential investors at the annual conference known as “Bio-West” in Denver. If these start-up companies make good, it could mean billions for the state’s economy, and then there are the benefits to health and agriculture their products could provide around the world. 
In the wake of passing an unprecedented Wall Street rescue package, Congress is taking a closer look at what went wrong and what needs to change. A representative for Colorado public employees was in Washington Monday to say pension holders deserve a louder voice in the process. Elizabeth Wynne
Republican presidential nominee John McCain and the Colorado River Compact…Coloradans for Equal Opportunity disputes a ruling keeping their ballot initiative from the general election…and, Congress passes the Wall Street Bail-Out bill.
The U.S. House passed a financial rescue plan on Friday by a wide margin, but the majority of Colorado’s U.S. Representatives voted against the measure. The “no” votes didn’t fall along party lines…with two Republicans and two Democrats opposing the package. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
As the Senate takes up the 700 billion dollar Wall Street bail-out bill tonight that previously failed to pass the House of Representatives, KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin sat down with Colorado College Political Science Professor Andrew Dunham to try and untangle the political aspects of the process. Dunham specializes in American politics, public policy and the US Congress, and says he’s following the situation closely. Here’s part of their conversation.
At a campaign stop in Westminster Senator Barack Obama urged Americans to remain calm in the wake of a financial crisis and the defeat of a 700 billion dollar financial bailout plan. It was Obama’s second campaign stop in Colorado since the Democratic National Convention. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Governor Bill Ritter has come out swinging against a proposed constitutional initiative that he says would undo years of progress toward making the state’s workforce more culturally diverse. Dubbed the civil rights initiative, Amendment 46 would ban race and gender based hiring preferences in state government.