CMLC Receives $10K Grant From El Pomar Foundation

KSIR-030212- Emergency Aid Provided To Emergency Aid Provider - ST

Cooperating Ministries of Logan County, the Sterling based organization that provides coordinated emergency resources to people in need, got some much needed emergency funds themselves today. The El Pomar Foundation is giving them a 10-thousand dollar grant, which is set to be delivered today. The funds are part of a 1-million dollar grant distribution by El Pomar to 150 non profit organizations in Colorado that offer resources to support Coloradans still struggling to get by on a daily basis. .

Brush Middle Schooler Wins Regional Spelling Bee - FM

KSIR-030212- Brush Middle Schooler Wins Regional Spelling Bee - FM



A Brush Middle School Student took home top honors at the 2012 Northeast Colorado Regional Spelling Bee. 8th grader Dena Firkins bested students from 17 different schools, and now has gets to take her spelling skills to the State Bee in Denver on March 10th. In the championship round, Dena correctly spelled the word "Abysmal"

2012 Big Game Hunting Brochure Now Available

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife 2012 Big Game Hunting brochure is now available. Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Randy Hampton says Colorado's big game hunting season is months away, but now is the time to get your license...






TAG: The Big Game Hunting Brochure and license application are both available online at www.wildlife.state.co.us. Applications are due by Tuesday April 3rd.

Brush Parks Dir Looking for Skate Park Funding

Brush Parks and Recreation Director Lance Schwindt is in Denver today, looking for the funding to build a new skate park. He presented the conceptual plans to Brush city council this week, and will ask Great Outdoors Colorado for the funding when he presents his department's grant proposal. If Schwindt gets the funding, the pre-construction phase will be bid out to local contractors. The skate park could be finished by late summer and it could hold a grand opening in October.

Body Scanner Debuts At Jail

(Colorado Springs, CO) -- Strip searches could be a thing of the past at the El Paso County Jail. A newly installed body scanner can detect contraband regardless of where it is hidden. Officials say the 210-thousand-dollar scanner is more reliable than strip searches and can identify items an inmate may have ingested. The scanner was paid for with revenue from housing inmates for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

House Committee Passes Limited Immunity Bill For Drug Users

(Denver, CO) -- A bill that would give limited immunity to drug users who report overdoses passed through a House committee Thursday. Sponsors of the bill cited past deaths in which drug users did not report a friend's overdose for fear of facing their own legal trouble. Many parents of children who had died from overdoses attended the committee hearing, and said that pressing criminal charges against those who report overdoses should not be the priority. The bill has passed the Senate and now goes to the House for a vote.

Colorado Ranks #1 in Fraud Complaints

(Greeley, CO) -- A new study by the United States Federal Trade Commission shows Colorado as the number one state in the nation for fraud complaints. The city of Greeley has the highest number of complaints among all U.S. cities, and Colorado Springs comes in third on that list. Greeley's police fraud investigations specialist Christy Hardwick said college students are among the most likely to become victims of fraud. Greeley is home to the University of Northern Colorado.

Colo. gov. accidentally calls lt. gov. 'sex star'

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's flattering comments about Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia turned into a bit of a flub.

The governor mistakenly referred to Garcia as a "rising sex star" Wednesday. He made the remark while introducing him at a childhood literacy event attended by about 40 children at a Denver elementary school.

Hickenlooper routinely introduces Garcia as a "rising star" and a "rock star" at public events. The Democrat immediately caught his slip, which was recorded by radio station KOA. The Denver Post reported the comments Thursday.

According to the tape, Hickenlooper says, "Now I get to introduce that rising sex star — symbol. I mean, symbol — not star."

After some awkward laughter, he deadpanned that it might go down as one of his most difficult news conferences.

Female CO senators to remember 1st elected

DENVER (AP) — Female lawmakers in Colorado are donning antique hats and giving out cupcakes today to mark 100 years since the election of Colorado's first female state senator.

Helen Ring Robinson was elected in 1912 as a Democrat from Denver. Ring was elected was 19 years after women earned the right to vote in Colorado, but eight years before women nationwide earned suffrage. Four women were elected to the Colorado House in 1894.

Colorado's state Legislature currently has the highest percentage of women in any state. The Legislature is 40 percent female — 17 female senators and 23 female House members.

School discipline overhaul inches forward in Colo.

DENVER (AP) — A bill to scale back strict Columbine-era school discipline policies cleared the first hurdle in the Colorado Senate, but it's got a ways to go with lawmakers who think the legislation tries to do too much.

A Senate committee forwarded the bill on a 3-2 party-line vote with Republicans voting against on Thursday.

The proposal sponsored by Democratic Sens. Linda Newell and Evie Hudak would eliminate zero-tolerance policies, and expulsions would be mandatory only in cases where a student brings a gun to schools. Supporters say the goal is to give school administrators more discretion over student discipline.

But the bill also has new reporting requirements for law enforcement and schools.

Some lawmakers say the requirements are cumbersome and that the legislation has become too complicated.