2900 block of West 25th Avenue targeted for Better Block project

In order to make his neighborhood more livable, Jason Roberts had to break the law. In fact, he and 1,500 other people didn’t stop at just one city ordinance; they violated dozens of them, more than once, without getting caught. But their idea definitely caught on: Since April 2010, when…

Michael Hancock issues the Better Buildings Denver energy challenge

Mayor Michael Hancock is challenging Denver’s building owners to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020. Yesterday, Hancock and representatives from several local agencies announced “Better Buildings Denver,” a program that aligns with President Barack Obama’s national “Better Buildings Challenge.”…

Pinon Canyon foes blast Army’s plans for helicopter missions

Lately, ranchers and community leaders in southeastern Colorado are feeling a bit like the battle-weary Michael Corleone of The Godfather Part III. Every time you think you’re out, they pull you back in — “they” being the Pentagon planners seeking more intense use of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, a…

Ken Salazar’s plans for tourism in San Luis Valley generates protests

Two weeks ago, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar surfaced in Alamosa, surrounded by state leaders, to present the results of a federal study aimed at promoting tourism and conservation in the San Luis Valley. The National Park Service’s study pushes for conservation easements, recreational trails and landmark designations for…

Ken Salazar: How green is his San Luis Valley?

On Wednesday, Alamosa-born Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will return to his roots — again — as part of a long-simmering effort to promote tourism and conservation in Colorado’s much-praised, much-neglected San Luis Valley. Accompanied by Governor John Hickenlooper and Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, Salazar will visit…