State House Passes Budget

On April 5, 2013 By

The state budget cleared the House today after a testy debate the night before. It passed with nine Republican votes, unlike the Senate, where it had no GOP support. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Continue Reading →

Capitol Conversation: The Politics of the State Budget

On April 1, 2013 By

State lawmakers are in the middle of debating the annual budget. And even though there’s more money than last year, Republicans are not happy with the bill. As part of our Capitol Conversation series, Bente Birkeland discusses the politics behind the budget and what’s driving the discussion.

Continue Reading →

State Senate Debates Budget

On March 28, 2013 By

The only requirement for Colorado lawmakers during the annual legislative session is passing a budget. And unlike previous years there won’t be cuts for programs like K through 12 schools, state contractors and public employees. But as Bente Birkeland reports, debate in the senate yesterday was still extensive.

Continue Reading →

State Budget Debate to Start

On March 26, 2013 By

State lawmakers are expected to debate the budget this week. It begins in the senate, and as Bente Birkeland reports, this is the first time in years the legislature will be able to significantly restore some cuts.

Continue Reading →

DecodeDC: Irrational Numbers

On March 1, 2013 By

The Budget, sequestration, and how it all began. Former NPR Congressional correspondent Andrea Seabrook examines the sequestration as part of her new project, DecodeDC.

Continue Reading →
Mayor Steve Bach and Transportation Manager Kathleen Krager. Photo: Liz Ruskin.

Last of the Darkened Streetlights in Colorado Springs Illuminated

On December 11, 2012 By

With the flip of a switch yesterday afternoon, the mayor of Colorado Springs illuminated an intersection and closed the book on a dark chapter of the city’s recent budget history. KRCC’s Liz Ruskin was there for the drumroll and has this report.

Continue Reading →

Governor Partially Restoring Budget Cuts

On November 1, 2012 By

For the first time in years, the upcoming state budget will not be centered on making deep cuts. Governor John Hickenlooper unveiled his budget proposal today. It doesn’t include any major cuts and instead asks lawmakers for more money for education and economic development projects. State employees would also see a pay raise. Bente [...]

Continue Reading →

Colorado Springs Seeks Public Input on 2013 Budget

On October 17, 2012 By

The city is holding its annual e-town hall tomorrow (Thursday) for public input on the proposed 2013 budget. Click inside for details on how to participate.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: Governor signs budget; Romney to stop in Colorado; Winter weather advisory for Pikes Peak

On May 7, 2012 By

Governor John Hickenlooper signed the state’s more than 7 billion dollar budget today. It has widespread support from members of both parties…Mitt Romney is making his first campaign appearance in Colorado since February’s caucuses…The National Weather Service is forecasting 6 to 12 inches of snow at the highest elevations of America’s Mountain through tomorrow morning.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: CS Mayor seeks appropriations; CU regents raise tuition

On April 19, 2012 By

Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach is seeking more than 3 million dollars from an emergency fund for city maintenance and departmental improvements…

University of Colorado regents have unanimously approved a 5 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students in Boulder next fall.

Continue Reading →
piggy

Senate Debates the Budget

On April 19, 2012 By

Colorado’s 2012/2013 budget remained largely unchanged after a debate in the state senate yesterday. Lawmakers offered about half as many amendments as the house, which passed the budget last week. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: State budget heads to the senate; Task force encourages better communication

On April 18, 2012 By

The state’s budget is nearing the end of its legislative journey. It’s already cleared the Republican controlled house with near unanimous support. Now the Democratic controlled senate will debate it.

A task force has failed to settle a dispute between Colorado communities and the oil and gas industry over who has the ability to [...]

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: State House overwhelmingly clears budget; Forum for CO’s 5th District candidates tonight; and more

On April 12, 2012 By

Next fiscal year’s 19 billion dollar state budget cleared the house today with only one no vote…

The state task force charged with examining jurisdictional conflicts over oil and gas drilling regulations is recommending more collaboration between Colorado and local governments…

The Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition, or PPFC, plans to hold a congressional candidate [...]

Continue Reading →
pigbank

House Initially Passes Budget

On April 12, 2012 By

The state budget got its first airing on the full house floor yesterday. Lawmakers offered dozens of amendments to the roughly $19 billion bill. The more than nine hour debate covered everything from education and prisons to public funding for vasectomies. But as Bente Birkeland reports, most of the contentious issues had already been [...]

Continue Reading →
break_the_bank

Lawmakers Overcome Budget Stumbling Block

On March 30, 2012 By

After a heated debate over proposed cuts to state agencies, lawmakers on the joint budget reached a compromise yesterday. The committee is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and is pushing up against a deadline to introduce the budget next week. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: Lawmakers reach breakthrough in state budgeting process; Falcon D49 considers adding positions

On March 29, 2012 By

Colorado lawmakers reached a breakthrough in the state budgeting process today. Budget writers stuck on whether to cut state agencies’ payrolls by 2 percent agreed to reduce the amount to 1 percent, with exemptions for specific departments…and, Falcon School District 49 is considering adding three new administrative positions.

Continue Reading →
pigbank

Lawmakers Deadlocked on Budget

On March 29, 2012 By

The state budget committee reached an impasse yesterday and tempers flared when Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on a proposed across the board cut to state agencies. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Continue Reading →
TALBroadmoor

Colorado Springs on This American Life

On March 12, 2012 By

In case you missed the segment of last week’s This American Life that added the all-too-familiar treatment of Colorado Springs’ recession budget woes, complete with the usual cast of characters including streetlights, medians, etc., you can listen to it, HERE.  Despite the well-tread ground that the story covers, there is some fresh [...]

Continue Reading →

On-Time Budgeting Moves Forward

On March 8, 2012 By

If state lawmakers don’t pass a budget on time they won’t get paid. That’s the premise of a bill currently under consideration in the senate. Democratic Senate President Brandon Shaffer is the main sponsor, and while it passed its first test yesterday, Bente Birkeland reports that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle remain [...]

Continue Reading →
money_clamp

Treasury Investments

On March 1, 2012 By

Republicans at the state house say a bill that’s costing Colorado nearly $165,000 every day it doesn’t pass will soon be debated on the floor. The non-controversial measure has been sitting on the calendar for weeks. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: Tri-State purchases CO wind power; Fort Lyons prison closes

On March 1, 2012 By

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to buy electricity from a 67-megawatt wind project planned in northeast Colorado…The Fort Lyons medium-security prison is now closed, the Chieftain reports.

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: Ft. Carson soldier charged; Trinidad students stage protest; and more

On January 27, 2012 By

A Fort Carson soldier has been charged with the alleged murder of a fellow soldier found in her barracks in early January…Students at Trinidad High School staged a protest today as around 200 of them walked out of class for about 45 minutes…and, a Democratic bill that would pump money into universities to market [...]

Continue Reading →

Round-Up: Many to blame in listeria outbreak; State budget expected to be focal point of session

On January 10, 2012 By

Congressional investigators looking into an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe that killed at least 30 people last year have found fault with third-party auditors, Jensen Farms, and Food and Drug Administration regulations, according to the Denver Post…and, the state’s annual legislative session begins tomorrow, and passing a balanced budget is expected to [...]

Continue Reading →

News

Syrian Troops Target Key Rebel-Held Town
May 19, 2013 | NPR · Qusair is a strategically important town that lies between Homs, where the Syrian uprising began two years ago, and the Lebanese border. If President Bashar Assad’s troops – reportedly backed by Hezbollah fighters — regain the town, they would control an important route from the coast to the capital, Damascus.
 

Young Kenyans Build Mobile Apps For Local Use
May 19, 2013 | NPR · College students and recent graduates crammed the top floor of a tech hub in Nairobi for a competition built around the theme “Solutions for the Next Billion Mobile Users.” Africa has more than 600 million mobile phone users (approximately 11 percent of the global total) – and the number is growing.
 

AFP/Getty Images
Two Excerpts You Should Read From Obama’s Morehouse Speech
May 19, 2013 | NPR · President Obama delivered a rare, very personal speech during the commencement ceremony at the historically black college.
 

Arts & Life

Decades Later And Across An Ocean, A Novel Gets Its Due
May 19, 2013 | NPR · John Williams’ Stoner sold just 2,000 copies when it was originally published in 1965. It’s now acknowledged as a classic work, is a best-seller across Europe and the No. 1 novel in the Netherlands.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Getty Images
The Movie Katie Aselton Has ‘Seen A Million Times’
May 19, 2013 | NPR · Actor-director Katie Aselton could watch Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break a million times. “It totally scoops you up and takes you for a ride,” she says.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

iStockphoto.com
Unacceptable Anger From ‘The Woman Upstairs’
May 19, 2013 | NPR · “Women’s anger is very scary to people,” author Claire Messud says. Her new novel, The Woman Upstairs, features a seething main character, a young woman whose anger is unsettling.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Music

Courtesy of the artist
Deke Sharon Makes A Cappella Cool Again
May 19, 2013 | NPR · The movie Pitch Perfect has plans for a sequel in 2015; NBC’s reality show The Sing-Off is coming back for its fourth season after being cancelled, and Pentatonix has millions of hits on YouTube for making awesome videos like “The Evolution of Music.” The father of contemporary a cappella explains the genre’s appeal.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Courtesy of the artist
Laura Mvula: A Soulful Voice That Once Answered Phones
May 19, 2013 | NPR · Less than two years ago, she was a receptionist honing her phone-answering skills at a music organization in Birmingham, England. Now, she’s got a record deal and critical acclaim, and she’s touring the U.S.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Courtesy of the artist
Marques Toliver: An R&B Crooner With Strings Attached
May 19, 2013 | NPR · Toliver’s music is anchored by the violin, on which he is classically trained. He says he discovered the instrument in fifth grade — and that in a way, it chose him.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Get the KRCC iPhone App

The Writer's Almanac

Radiolab