50 CENTS
January 12, 2017
DENVER Since 1926
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DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
FAMILY TRADITION:
How to hit the slopes with the kids
P7
Legislative session opens with uncertainty
ANOTHER WILD RIDE
Funding for roads expected to be a priority BY JAMES ANDERSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
The challenges to keep up with rapid technological and societal change are constant. In this fast-paced world, neighbors may not know one another, citizens may not understand their local government and you may not feel as connected with your community as you would like. That’s where we come in. We believe in telling stories that matter — and that you can’t get anywhere else. We do that by being there at the weekend events that bring people together, in your children’s classrooms, at city government meetings. We tell you about local restaurant openings, the special offers by local businesses, the places you can go that enrich your lives. We engage in our communities, too, by supporting a number of local charities through sponsorships and events. As a local, family-owned business, helping our communities thrive is important to us.
With one eye on a $500 million state budget gap and the other on Washington, Gov. John Hickenlooper and a split Colorado Legislature enter the 2017 lawmaking session with little expectation of fiscal reform and plenty of uncertainty over transportation, the state’s Medicaid bills, affordable housing and illegal pot sales. Last year, Hickenlooper and fellow Democrats tried and failed to loosen Colorado’s strict spending rules by declaring a $750 million hospital fund off-limits to tax rebates. They wanted the money for aging roads and underfunded schools. The governor dropped that idea from his proposed $28.5 billion budget Capitol this year, as lawmakReport ers prepare to face more tough spending choices during their four-month session that began Jan. 11. As it stands, Hickenlooper’s budget requires $500 million in transfers, cuts or delayed spending on transit, health care and other programs. All of it must comply with the state’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which limits the revenues the state can take without voter approval. The governor and new leaders in the Republican-controlled Senate and Democrat-led House are floating the idea of asking voters to approve a tax to update Colorado’s highways. The state’s to-do list for roads has an $8 billion and growing price tag to fund delayed road and bridge
SEE HEALEY, P3
SEE LEGISLATURE, P5
Kylie Martinez, a member of the Westernaires, performs riding tricks Jan. 8 at the National Western Stock Show. The 111th edition of the event began Jan. 7 and runs through Jan. 22. The National Western Complex is at 4655 Humboldt St. in Denver, just east of I-25 on I-70. For more information, visit www.nationalwestern.com. PHOTO BY SHANNON GARCIA
Let’s build community together
N Jerry Healey Publisher
ewspapers build community. They bring us together. They create conversation. They watch for injustice and wrongdoing. They tell our stories — good and bad, happy and sad. They cover life — and our lives. That’s what the Denver Herald-Dispatch has been doing for more than 90 years. And as of last week, my wife, Ann, and I have become the owners of this historic newspaper, bringing the Herald-Dispatch into the fold of Colorado Community Media. We own and publish 17 other newspapers and websites in the metro area, too.
PERIODICAL
INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 4 | SPORTS: PAGE 6 | LIFE: PAGE 7 VOLUME 90 | ISSUE 12