KRCC Local News
Local news broadcasts from NPR affiliate KRCC-FM located in Colorado Springs, CO. Stories affecting Southern Colorado.

• December 12, 2007 5:43 PM Local News Roundup, Wed., Dec. 12, 2007
  

  Murray's Parents Speak

  Ritter Visits Colorado Troops in Iraq

  Salazar: No Renewable Mandate in Federal Energy Bill

  Spud Pests in Colorado?

• December 11, 2007 6:11 PM Ft. Carson Continues Preparing to Care for Wounded Troops
  As Fort Carson prepares to welcome home about 4,000 soldiers from a 15 month tour in Iraq, it continues to ramp up it ability to care for those wounded in action.The Mountain Post on Tuesday formally formally activated a special battalion for battle-injured soldiers only. The so-called "Warrior Transition Unit" was launched four months ago.
• December 11, 2007 5:28 PM Latest Details on New Life Shootings
  Colorado Springs police say the man who killed four people at New Life Church in Colorado Springs and the Youth With a Mission training center in Arvada on Sunday died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
• December 10, 2007 6:02 PM Jeanne Assam, "Hero" of New Life Shooting Speaks to the Press
  After keeping her identity secret for 24 hours, New Life Church and Colorado Springs police announced that the volunteer security guard who stopped the killing spree at the church Sunday is 42-year-old Jeanne Assam. Assam then took questions from the media at a press conference at the Colorado Springs police operations center downtown for about 10 minutes. Here is the press conference in its entirety.
• December 6, 2007 5:06 PM Local News Roundup, Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007
  

  Arrest in Soldier's Shooting Death

  Workplace Deaths Rise Again

  19 Illegal Immigrants Arrested on I-70

  Frontier Cutting Staff

  Dems Hire "Greening" Director for '08 Convention

• December 5, 2007 5:41 PM Local News Roundup, Wed., Dec. 5, 2007
  

  CU Settles Rape Lawsuits for $2.85 Million
  Colorado Provisions Dropped From Federal Energy Bill
  Greeley Goes Smokeless-less
  Tancredo's Controversial New Campaign Ad

• December 5, 2007 5:16 PM Single-Payer Healthcare for Colorado?
  There's a proposal to implement a single-payer health plan in Colorado. That would mean that instead of paying premiums to insurance companies, we'd pay higher taxes. That money would be combined with public dollars to create a single fund to pay doctors and hospitals. The state wouldn't adminster the program, it would be a separate non-profit. Advocates of single payer say it would lower administrative costs, guarantee coverage for everyone in the state, and still offer plenty of choice. Colorado Public Radio's Andrea Dukakis has more:
• December 5, 2007 10:51 AM Rising Price for Molly Means Uncertain Future for Mountain Towns
  One of the world's biggest copper mining companies says it will spend half-a-billon dollars to reopen the historic Climax molybdenum mine southwest of Denver. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. says it will hire from 150 to 500 workers between now and next spring. After the initial construction phase, the work force will level off at about 350 when production begins in 2010. The decision to re-open the mine comes as international demand has grown for molybdenum, which is used primarily for strengthening steel. There are at least two other potential molybdenum mines that could open in Colorado in the near future. One, near Crested Butte, faces lots of local opposition. The other could open near the little town of Rico, in the far southwestern corner of the state. KRCC's Michelle Mercer reports on how the town is reacting.
• December 4, 2007 6:02 PM Should Health Insurance Be Mandatory?
  We're continuing our look at some of the proposed Health Care reforms that could be enacted in the upcoming legislative session. This time, we'll hear about the so-called "individual mandate," that's where everyone in Colorado would be required to have health insurance, or face some kind of penalty, probably on their taxes. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio talks the concept over with Len Nichols, Health policy director at the Washington, D.C. - based New America foundation, and Kelly Shanahan, policy director at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.
• December 4, 2007 5:46 PM Plans for Spring's New Skate Park
  Trinidad, Colorado, population 10,000, has a world renowned skate park, rated in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk's top ten. So why, many skaters wonder, does Colorado Springs, with over 35 times as many people, lack a professionally built skate park? Well, that's set to change. The city is planning a new 40,000 sq foot skate park, and this one will be built by people who know what they're doing. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has this report on what people want.
• December 4, 2007 5:09 PM Open Space Grants
  The state announced it's latest round of GO_CO grants this week. This time nearly 60 million dollars is being awarded to counties, cities and trusts across Colorado. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver
• December 3, 2007 5:52 PM Health Insurance: Mandatory for Businesses?
  With the state legislative session just around the corner we're looking at some of the health care reform proposals that state lawmakers are likely to grapple with. One that was studied by the bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Panel on Healthcare Reform is a so-called employer mandate. That means businesses would be required to offer health insurance to their employees, or face a penalty. This so-called "pay or play" system for businesses is not being recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel, but could still end up on the table. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio recently spoke with the Blue Ribbon Panel's chairman, Bill Lindsay.
• November 30, 2007 5:44 PM Capitol Conversation
  Lawmakers are gearing up for the upcoming legislative session which starts in January. They'll debate hundreds of bills between then and early May when the session ends. To get some perspective, Rocky Mountain Community Radio's Capitol Reporter, Bente Birkeland talks with a couple of fellow political reporters about some of the key issues they expect to come up.
• November 29, 2007 5:23 PM Governor's "Health Dialogue" Soaks up Valuable Data
  Governor Ritter has described the American healthcare system as "broken," and now he's asking hundreds of Coloradoans some very difficult and specific questions about how to fix it. We take you to one of his "Dialogs on Health Care Vision and Values" held in Colorado Springs Wednesday.
• November 29, 2007 8:39 AM Colorado Hospital Report Card Now Online
  Colorado's new online hospital report card is now up and running. It allows people to compare different hospitals to see how well they measure up when it comes to mortality rates and patient safety. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver
• November 26, 2007 5:14 PM Healthcare Reform In Colorado PART ONE: Employer Mandate
  In just over a month, Colorado's legislative session will convene. One of hottest topics will be health care reform. This week on KRCC, we're going to dig in to some leading reform ideas. One of those ideas is the so-called "employer mandate," that's where businesses have to provide insurance for their employees, or face a fine. KCFR's Andrea Dukakis has more.
• November 23, 2007 4:01 PM Ft. Carson Families Talk About Multiple Deployments, Part III
  The third of three stories in which members of Ft. Carson's 3rd Brigade and their families talk about deploying to Iraq, many for the third time. The brigade has just begun to deploy, and all 3,800 members should be on the ground in Iraq by mid-December.
• November 29, 2007 8:39 AM Colorado Hospital Report Card Now Online
  Colorado's new online hospital report card is now up and running. It allows people to compare different hospitals to see how well they measure up when it comes to mortality rates and patient safety. Bent