Colorado’s suicide rate is climbing. Since 2009 the suicide death rate has increased each year. To put things in perspective, according to the Office of Suicide Prevention Annual Report 2014-15, the number of suicide deaths in 2014 exceeded the number of deaths from homicide (172), motor vehicle crash (486), breast cancer (553), influenza and pneumonia […]
Author: Samantha Hager
Tomorrow (July 21), tolling will begin for the Express Lanes on US36. Toll rates will vary depending on time of day, number of passengers, type of vehicle, and whether or not you have an ExpressToll pass. An explanation of all the variables can be found on CDOT’s “Plan Your Trip” page. For a breakdown of […]
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Avalanche Danger
The storm that came through our state this weekend dropped a lot of snow in the high country. Some places got over 40 inches of snow. An avalanche advisory has been issued for many parts of the state. Read today’s “Statewide Avalanche Statement” from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Besides providing information on current conditions, […]
On Monday (May 12, 2014), the governor signed a bill creating the state’s first firefighting air fleet. The bill (SB 14-164) approves appropriations to purchase two high-technology fire-detecting aircraft and also contract with up to four firefighting helicopters and four single-engine air tankers. The fleet will aid in early detection of wildfires, and improve the […]
Heading out for the Labor Day weekend? The Colorado Department of Transportation has some great tools to help you stay on top of construction closures, and avoid accidents and traffic jams. Visit www.cotrip.org for current road conditions, travel times and weather information. You can also sign up to receive text message or email travel alerts. If […]
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Gun Legislation
It’s a big day for gun control legislation in the Senate chambers of the Colorado General Assembly. If approved, three bills will go to the governor for signature:HB13-1229 Requiring background checks for all gun transactions;HB13-1228 Charging gun buyers a fee for background checks; andHB13-1224 Limits gun magazines to 15 rounds. Two other bills under discussion […]
Are you looking for data on air quality? Need help finding information on the history of Colorado? State agency websites and publications can provide the answers. The Colorado State Publications Library has revised and updated “School Research Topics“, a bibliography of notable Internet resources from Colorado state agencies. Librarians, parents, students and researchers alike will […]
In 2007 Colorado began it’s “Greening Government” initiative, one of the goals being that 50{66eaadba41c14e7e553ffe7a4ee73fbae213b19704eda0514b3dd79e37e4c0c5} of the fuel bought for state vehicles should be alternative fuel. Our state is rich in natural gas reserves, and with that in mind, legislation was passed in 2009 requiring that state-owned vehicles operate on compressed natural gas (CNG) when […]
If you are planning spend time outside this holiday weekend, make sure to take some bug spray with you. Cases of West Nile Virus are on the rise this year. According to an article in yesterday’s Denver Post, 1,590 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, […]
There will be a service outage for the Colorado State Publications Library online catalog (Pandora) this afternoon (August 28th) from 4:00 – 8:00pm. Our server will be undergoing maintenance. This outage will not affect access to digital state publications, but our bibliographic database of print and digital publications will be offline.We apologize for any inconvenience […]
High temperatures, drought-like conditions, gusty winds and lightning strikes have made Colorado a virtual tinderbox. It seems like every day more fires are added to the list. For up to date information about the wildfires burning in our state, visit the Colorado Office of Emergency Management at http://www.coemergency.com/. Besides posting fire updates on their blog, […]
We’re talking about veterans, not veterinarians. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has just launched a new resource “Hire a Colorado Vet” to help veterans find employment opportunities. Besides offering tools for resume help and interview preparation, the site creates a way for veterans to connect with potential employers. Employers are able to post […]
Earlier this year Governor Hickenlooper created a task force to develop cooperative strategies regarding the regulation of oil and gas development. As drilling activity has been picking up in Colorado, many communities have been working to establish local regulations in an effort to address environmental concerns. In some cases this has led to conflicting rules […]
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Pets
Would you have guessed that the state government has programs that support pet owners and look to the best interest of pets? I was surprised. The Colorado Department of Agriculture has a list of pet food recalls, a guide to understanding pet food labels, and information on how to report animal neglect and cruelty which […]
A trip to Washington D.C. never fails to fill me with a sense of national pride, and serves as a reminder of the strong principles of our forefathers that are the building blocks of our government. An informed citizenry is crucial to the success of democracy. In that spirit our leaders try to make information […]
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Tax Information
Tax day is one month away. If you haven’t done your taxes already, luckily there’s a lot of free information online that can help. For federal taxes go to www.irs.gov. There you will find tax forms, instructions, and information on new tax breaks and programs. Check out the list of free online filing services. Information […]
If a tree dies in the forest does anyone notice? The Colorado State Forest Service does. The 2011 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests has just been released. If you’ve driven up to the high country lately you may have noticed large swaths of red colored pines where there used to be pre-dominately green […]
On Monday March 5, the online catalog for the Colorado State Publications Library will be offline from 8am to 5pm MST. We are moving our catalog to a new server, and the Web OPAC will be unavailable during the migration. Access to digital state publications will remain intact. During the down time bibliographic data for […]
Next week, the state will shine a spotlight on the importance of early childhood literacy to the future of our children and our state. Below is a brief overview of the events scheduled for the week. Monday February 27, 9:30 a.m. – Crawford Elementary School in Aurora Public School District hosts the official kick-off for […]
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Cutting Red Tape
During the first months of Governor Hickenlooper’s administration, the Governor traveled across the state meeting with the citizens of Colorado. One issue that kept rising to the top of these discussions was the complaint that “state government was far too often an impediment to business development and job creation” — too much “red tape.” As […]
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Avalanche Danger
The conditions in the high country are ripe for an avalanche right now. In the last few days several people have died or have been injured in avalanche related events. Make sure to check the Back Country Forecasts from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center before heading up to ski. In addition to forecasts and current […]