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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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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Puerto Rico Police Department for Race, Color and Religious Discrimination

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Puerto Rico Police Department PRPD) alleging that the PRPD discriminated against Yolanda Carrasquillo on the basis of race, color and religion in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII).



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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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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the Strengthening the Relationship Between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color Forum

I also come to this discussion as my father's son. He was a man born and raised deep in the Jim Crow south. And when the time came for his eldest child and only son to take up driving lessons, dad was my teacher, imparting all the familiar lessons of keeping my eyes on the road and signaling before I turned.




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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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MCU-induced mitochondrial calcium uptake promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and colorectal cancer growth




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MicroRNA binding site polymorphism in inflammatory genes associated with colorectal cancer: literature review and bioinformatics analysis




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Microbiota and colorectal cancer: colibactin makes its mark




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Transdifferentiation of tumor infiltrating innate lymphoid cells during progression of colorectal cancer




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MSNBC debate moderators largely ignored people of color

In the fifth Democratic presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, debate moderators promised at the outset that they would talk about race and public policy. They absolutely failed to deliver. Despite several candidates mentioning issues related to race early in the debate, the MSNBC moderators waited until 90 minutes into a two-hour debate to ask the first…

       




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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
     
 
 




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Photo: Red fox shows its true colors

Our photo of the day comes from the vibrant hills of California.




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Dazzling technicolor greenhouse lights up when you touch the plants (Video)

Combining touch, sound and a psychedelic array of programmed LEDs, this installation brings the people to the plants.




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Toyota's Thermo-Tect Lime Green paint saves energy and lives. Why isn't every car this color?

It's ugly, but it sure can keep that car from cooking, and it is going to be seen from a long distance.




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

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Warming Temperatures Stunt Autumn Leaf Colors

Tourists and residents in New England used to receive a spectacular display of color on the second October of every year. However, in recent years, the show has been a bit duller and a bit later than usual. The culprit? What else - area temperatures




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This is the world’s ugliest color … and it’s on a mission

Tasked with finding the most heinous hue known to humans, researchers arrived at Pantone 448C – and the Australian government is putting it to good use.




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Genetic mutation gives this "tetrachromat" artist superhuman color vision (video)

Ordinary humans can see about 1 million colors, but thanks to a genetic mutation, this artist can see an estimated 100 million colors.




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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.




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All-ages coloring book communicates the science behind climate change (Video)

Using officially documented research and color-it-yourself data visualizations, this project aims to convey climate change data in an engaging way.




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Pantone's dire new hues are the colors of dying coral

The Glowing, Glowing, Gone is a brightly somber campaign calling for urgent action against climate change.




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The Midcentury Kitchen is a riot of color, from avocado green to harvest gold (book review)

Sarah Archer shows how the kitchen became the colorful nerve center of the modern house.




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Verdes y Colores: Museum and Shop of 100% Local Products from Costa Rica

A venue which showcases and sells 100% locally produced design and artisan items while educating about sustainability and fair trade in San Jose, Costa Rica.




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Street artist's chaotic rainbow colored birds brighten up the city

These vibrant murals combine nature and realism with the chaos and tumult of the urban landscape.




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Colorado floods hit one of most drilled counties in US

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Artist's laser-cut paper artworks interlace complex geometries & color

Made with numerous layers of paper, these laser-cut pieces are inspired by patterns from nature.




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Monochromatic 430 sq. ft. apartment comes alive with bursts of color

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Wow: Vividly Colored Wood Flooring Is Made by Hand (Video)

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Colorful Box Hides Lovely, Transformer 270 Sq. Foot Tea Shop in Sao Paulo

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Public Fountains Hacked into Colorful Pools in Guimarães, Portugal

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