colorado

Colorado Couple Pleads Guilty to Illegal Trapping and Sale of Bobcats

A Colorado couple pleaded guilty in a Denver federal court to charges related to the illegal trapping and interstate sale of bobcats.



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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Registration for August 27 Livestock Workshop in Colorado

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today additional details for the August 27, 2010, public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., which will examine competition in the livestock industry.



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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Agenda for August 27 Livestock Workshop in Colorado

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today the agenda and panelists for the Aug. 27, 2010, joint public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., on competition in the livestock industry.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Colorado Agriculture Workshop

"As much as today’s discussion is about cattle, hog, and other livestock industry issues, it is also about our nation’s founding ideals of fairness and equal opportunity," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Reaches Agreements to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached agreements with Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii officials to help ensure that military service members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010 federal general election.



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Colorado Couple Sentenced for Illegal Trapping and Sale of Bobcats

A Colorado couple has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Denver on charges related to the illegal trapping and interstate sale of bobcats.



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Army Contracting Officer from Colorado Pleads Guilty to Bribery Related to Contracts

U.S. Army Major Roderick D. Sanchez pleaded guilty today to a one-count criminal information charging him with bribery for accepting money and items of value in return for being influenced in the awarding of Army contracts.



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Former Construction Company Executive Doing Business in Colorado Pleads Guilty to Providing an Illegal Gratuity

A former managing executive of a construction company that had substantial business at Fort Carson, a U.S. Army installation in Colorado Springs, Colo., pleaded guilty to providing an illegal gratuity to a contracting officer.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Colorado Tax Preparer

A federal court in Denver has permanently barred Curtis L. Morris of Elizabeth, Colo., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Colorado Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

Jamie Paulin Ramirez, 32, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Colorado, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.



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Leaders of Colorado-Based Vending Machine Fraud Sentenced to Prison

The two leaders of a Colorado-based scheme that defrauded more than 400 consumers throughout the country of $5 million were sentenced to prison.



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Federal Court Bars Colorado Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred George Thomas Gaines of Aurora, Colo., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Petroleum Distributors to Pay $2.5 Million to Settle Clean Air Act Allegations of Illegal Mixing and Distribution of Gasoline in Colorado and Nebraska

Three Colorado-based gasoline distributors have agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve claims that they illegally mixed and distributed more than one million gallons of gasoline that did not meet Clean Air Act emissions and fuel quality requirements.



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Justice Department Files Suit Against Colorado Couple for Face Act Violations

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against Kenneth and JoAnn Scott for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Colorado State Courts to Remove Language Barriers

The Justice Department today announced it has reached an agreement with officials of the Colorado Judicial Department to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) individuals seeking services throughout Colorado’s state court system will have access to timely and competent language assistance.



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Former Colorado Resident Convicted in Pennsylvania of Conspiring to Defraud the Internal Revenue Service

Donald Turner, formerly of Littleton, Colo., was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States by a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Erie, Pa.



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Colorado-Based CH2M Hill Agrees to Pay United States $1.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Liability

CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims and paid kickbacks relating to a contract to operate and manage mixed radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Nuclear Site in the state of Washington.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Anti-Abortion Protestor for Face Act Violations in Colorado

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has ordered that Jo Ann Scott be permanently enjoined from using force, threat of force or physically obstructing any person because that person is or has been obtaining or providing reproductive health services.



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Colorado Resident Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Investors in Texas Real Estate Scheme

Thomas B. Evans, 47, of Centennial, Colo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine M. Arguello in Denver to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.



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Colorado Man and Co-defendant Found Guilty for Scheme to File Approximately $22 Million in False Claims with the Irs

Curtis Morris, 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., and Richard Kellogg Armstrong, 77, of Prescott, Ariz., were found guilty on April 30, 2012, by a jury for mail fraud, filing false claims against the United States and conspiracy to file false claims against the United States, announced the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and IRS-Criminal Investigation. In addition to these counts, Armstrong was also found guilty of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from the mail fraud. The guilty verdicts were the result of a three week trial before U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn. Morris and Armstrong are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10, 2012.



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Colorado-Based QEP Field Services Agrees to Pay $4 Million and Install Pollution Controls to Resolve Alleged Violations of the Clean Air Act

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with QEP Field Services Co. (QEPFS), formerly Questar Gas Management Co., to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at five natural gas compressor stations on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Northeastern Utah.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Twin Cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, and Local Utility Companies Alleging Religious Discrimination

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the town of Colorado City, Ariz.; the city of Hildale, Utah; Twin City Water Authority; and Twin City Power alleging a pattern or practice of police misconduct and violations of federal civil rights laws.



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Colorado Big Game Outfitter Convicted of Six Lacey Act Violations

Big game hunting outfitter Dennis Eugene Rodebaugh, 72, of Meeker, Colo., was convicted by a federal jury in Denver today of six charges of violating the Lacey Act.



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U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado John Walsh Speaks at the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Press Conference

"As we promised when Attorney General Holder announced the Working Group back in January, we have worked closely together to share information and assess our respective investigations and, where appropriate, provide substantial resources in support of our partners," said U.S. Attorney Walsh.




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Colorado Tax Defier Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Fraud and Tax Conspiracy

Curtis L. Morris, age 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., was sentenced Monday in Denver to 120 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Judge Blackburn also ordered Morris to pay $$1,916,831 in restitution to the IRS.



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Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS out of $1.8 Million Dollars

Thomas William Quintin, 65, formerly of Denver, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims, and one count of misuse of a Social Security number, before U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson.



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Colorado Big Game Outfitter Sentenced to Prison for Six Lacey Act Felonies

Big game hunting outfitter Dennis Eugene Rodebaugh, 72, of Meeker, Colo., was sentenced in Denver today to 41 months in prison to be followed by three years supervised release for six felony counts of violating the Lacey Act.



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Owner of Colorado Aircraft Painting Company Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Treating Hazardous Waste

Norman Teltow, owner of Gold Metal Paint Co. LLC (GMP), pleaded guilty late yesterday in Denver to a criminal information charging him with illegally treating hazardous waste at the company’s facility.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Two Colorado Law Enforcement Agencies to Improve Communication with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a cooperative settlement agreement with the Arapahoe, Colo., County Sheriff’s Office under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This agreement is a companion to one reached on March 8, 2013, with the city of Englewood, Colo.



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Cement Manufacturer Agrees to Reduce Harmful Air Emissions at Colorado Plant

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that CEMEX, Inc., the owner and operator of a Portland cement manufacturing facility in Lyons, Colo., has agreed to operate advanced pollution controls on its kiln and pay a $1 million civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA).



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Colorado Security Contractor Resolves Overcharging Allegations Related to Its Work in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Macalan Group Inc., formerly known as NEK Advanced Securities Inc. (NEK), a security contractor headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., has agreed to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims in connection with a contract with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO).



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Colorado Health Care Organization and One of Its Montana Hospitals to Pay $3.85 Million for Allegedly Providing Financial Benefits to Referring Physicians and Physician Groups

St. James Healthcare (St. James), a hospital located in Butte, Mont., and its parent company, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (Sisters of Charity), a health care organization based in Denver, Colo., have agreed to pay $3.85 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by improperly providing financial benefits to physicians and physician groups that made referrals to the hospital.



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Colorado Big Game Outfitter and Assistant Guide Charged with Conspiracy for Illegal Capture and Maiming of Mountain Lions and Bobcats in Colorado and Utah

Christopher W. Loncarich, 55, of Mack, Colo., and Nicholaus J. Rodgers, 30, of Medford, Or., were charged yesterday in the District of Colorado with conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act.



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Big Game Hunting Guide Pleads Guilty to Felony Conspiracy Charge in Connection with Colorado Outfitter’s Illegal Mountain Lion and Bobcat Hunting Activities

Nicholaus J. Rodgers, 31, of Shady Cove, Oregon, pleaded guilty in federal court in Denver to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from the assistance he provided to an outfitter who sold illegal mountain lion and bobcat hunts in Colorado and Utah, the Justice Department announced



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Colorado's poor now get to visit the dentist


“A society of equals is a society in which disadvantages do not cluster,” say Jonathan Wolff and Avner de-Shalit in their book Disadvantage. Low income matters greatly in itself, of course. But it also matters because it brings other difficulties along with it, like poor health and/or a lack of health insurance. An important goal of policy is to “de-cluster” these disadvantages.  

Increased health insurance coverage has had a modest impact on access

In recent years, the State of Colorado, embracing and going beyond the Affordable Care Act, has increased health insurance coverage, especially among low-income residents. Between 2009 and 2015, the proportion of Coloradans with annual family incomes below $30,000 who were uninsured fell from one in four to one in ten.

Clearly this is good news. But the expansion of insurance has so far had a modest impact on healthcare utilization, at least according to the Colorado Health Access Survey. The Survey includes questions such as, “Have you visited a health care professional or health care facility in the past 12 months?,” and “Was there any time that you did not get doctor care that you needed because of cost?” On these and similar questions, there was relatively little change between 2009 and 2015.

Why didn’t improved health insurance coverage lead to increased use of health care resources? It may be that the survey questions simply aren’t capturing improvements in utilization rates. A more detailed study of the ACA expansion in Oregon did find an increase in utilization, along with improvements on a number of financial hardship indicators. The Colorado survey does seem to suggest financial improvement: the share of low-income white residents that reported trouble paying medical bills fell by just over 3 percentage points from 2009 to 2015; for minority residents the figure was just over 6 percentage points. It’s hard to know, however, how much of this trend is driven by the stronger economy, and how much is driven by the ACA expansion. It is also possible that people are now able to access more appropriate care, for instance using primary care, rather than resorting to the emergency room.

Dental care coverage means most low-income Coloradans now visit the dentist

Utilization rates have clearly increased in one area, however: dental health. Medicaid covers dental care for children, so Colorado’s Medicaid expansion increased the number of children in the state with government-sponsored dental insurance. In 2014, Colorado also became one of the few states to introduce limited adult dental coverage. As a result of these policy reforms, the share of low-income Coloradans with insurance for dental care has increased sharply:

Over the same time period, the proportion of low-income Coloradans who visited a dentist—especially minorities—increased, too:

Better living through dentistry

Dentistry is an important part of the health care system, and dental disease is a serious health issue. Four in ten poor Americans suffer from untreated tooth decay, according to some researchers. Better dental care helps low-income people in a range of ways, from avoiding emergency rooms, to having healthier pregnancies, and even succeeding in the job market. The dramatic improvements in dental coverage and dental care in Colorado show that the connection between policy reforms and improved quality of life can sometimes be quite straightforward. 

Authors

Image Source: © Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
     
 
 




colorado

Now That Hemp Is Legal in Colorado, What's Next?

Hemp, which is considered to be a wonder-crop by many, is now legal in Colorado. Voters not only gave the thumb up to marijuana in November, but also to its THC-light cousin.




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The Colorado River named most endangered river in America [Video]

A beautiful video by photographer Pete McBride shows how this epic and ancient river is now the most endangered in the country.




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Why Colorado's slavery ban won't end slavery

Yes, slavery is still legal.




colorado

Colorado floods hit one of most drilled counties in US

While the immense amount of rain and devastating floods that hit Colorado nearly two weeks ago were already tragic , they have also exposed a concern regarding the lax environmental regulations that allow the oil and gas industry to drill in flood zones.




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Colorado library combines book rental and seed rental

Basalt Regional Library in Colorado is combining the best of both a traditional public library and the ever more popular seed library.




colorado

How climate change contributed to Colorado flood

It has become a familiar pattern. A natural disaster occurs and we can't help but wonder how it may have been influenced by climate change. Here's a look at how the Colorado rains and flood were connected to global warming.




colorado

Devastating Spruce Beetle outbreak in Colorado linked to drought, climate change

The Mountain Pine Beetle is getting more press because of the havoc it is causing in the Southern Rocky Mountains, but the Spruce Beetle has the potential to be equally or even more devastating in Colorado.




colorado

Victory in Colorado a rebuke against coal leasing

Ruling represents the first time that a coal mine has been rejected because of the failure to adequately consider and disclose the impacts that a mine would have on climate disruption.




colorado

Colorado's Browns Canyon: Good things come in a small package

This beautiful area near Salida, Colorado, could become the next national monument, with your help.




colorado

Why is this Colorado river orange?

EPA to blame for the catastrophe on the Animas.




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Colorado Governor promises $100m to make his state the "best for biking"

Who said politicians never did anything good?




colorado

Salida, Colorado, will be the home of the largest tiny home community in the US

200 tiny homes, a community building, an exercise facility, a restaurant, and other amenities will be built along the Arkansas River in Salida.




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Colorado startup rents out stylish van conversions for the curious (Video)

Ever wondered what it's like to live in a renovated van? Here is one company that rents DIY van conversions out.




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Group files suit to recognize the Colorado River as a person

Corporations have rights ... why not rivers?




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Colorado could save $2.5 billion from shutting down coal

And people keep saying it's too expensive to deal with climate change.