Wheatridge transcript 0109

Page 1

January 9, 2014

50 cents Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 30, Issue 29 A publication of

wheatridgetranscript.com

LEGISLATIVE LOOK

Lisa Parsons, 10, and her dog Brownie, wait patiently for their turn to practice on a course set up in the Event Center at the Jeffco Fairgrounds on Jan. 2. Parsons who is entering her third year in the 4-H Dog Training program, attended the training class at the Event Center for a video promo for the program. Photo by Amy Woodward Senate President Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, speaks to reporters inside her Capitol office on Jan. 2, as Sens. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, and Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, listen.Photo by Vic Vela

Gold Dome déjà vu Last year’s battles expected to resurface By Vic Vela

vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com Going into this year’s legislative session, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle insist that their next 120 days of work will focus on jobs and the economy. But the reality is that Democrats and Republicans will spend a good portion of time re-fighting old battles inside the Capitol. Polarizing issues from last year’s session — rural energy mandates; oil and gas industry regulations; election reform; and, yes, gun control — will be debated again. It’s enough to make Yogi Berra proud, because a good portion of this year’s session will seem like déjà vu all over again. “When you look at the outcry from

the last session, there are some things that need to be looked at again,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. “And we will have an opportunity to fix them.” RepubReport licans will sponsor bills that seek to undo a Democrat-sponsored gun control package that was placed into law following last year’s session. The package led to new laws that created universal background checks on gun sales; limited the amount of ammunition that a high-capacity magazine can hold; and restricted domestic violence offenders’ access to guns. But Democratic leaders aren’t interested in having the same gun debates from last session, ones that led to emotionally-charged testimony and marathon committee hearings and floor

Capitol

votes. “We’re ready to move forward in Colorado and solve the problems that people are telling us we need to solve,” said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver. “We don’t need to rehash the same fights we fought over last year.” But Democrats won’t have much a choice. Besides gun legislation, Cadman said that his party will introduce bills that seek “fixes” to an election reform bill last session, one that created sameday voter registration in Colorado. Also, look for a bill from House Republicans that would scale back legislation signed into law last year, which doubled the renewable-energy mandate for rural electric cooperatives. “Since it passed, the passion from the people in rural Colorado about how it’s going to be detrimental to them has not let up,” said House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland. If the rural

Jeffco’s 4-H seeks help for dog project Annual training program allows youth to bond with pets By Amy Woodward

awoodward@ coloradocommunitymedia.com Jefferson County’s 4-H program isn’t just for youth who are enveloped by foothills or surrounded by an agrarian lifestyle. The youth development program also offers a dog training program which may peak the interest of some of Colorado’s more city dwelling kids. At least that is the hope of the staff for Jeffco’s 4-H CSU extension. “I’ve really felt passionate about growing the dog program because I think it’s a way we can reach the urban kids and get

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Retail pot sales coming to town By Vic Vela

vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com Retail marijuana will be sold in Wheat Ridge, possibly by the end of the month. An owner of two Wheat Ridge medical

marijuana dispensaries submitted retail sales applications to the city in November. The applications were in the final stages of the process, as of last week. “They should be good to go soon,” said Kathy Franklin, tax supervisor for the City

POSTAL ADDRESS

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of Wheat Ridge. “I can’t imagine anything holding things back.” Nick Dice of Medical Marijuana Supply currently operates two medical marijuana dispensaries in the 4800 blocks of Lamar and Van Gordon streets. He intends to add recreational marijuana sales to his existing medical marijuana sites, according to Franklin. The business owner has already been vetted through a background check process and was in the process of getting building inspection approval, as of last week. Retail pot sales in Colorado, which were made legal through the 2012 statewide passage of Amendment 64, began Jan. 1. The Wheat Ridge City Council gave the

go-ahead for retail sales in October. Retail pot stores in Wheat Ridge must use the same vertical integration model by which medical pot stores abide, where growers and sellers are required to be a part of the same company. Stores must also grow most of the product they sell. Through the recent passage of Proposition AA, all retail pot sales will be taxed at 25 percent. A portion of the taxes that the state collects will be funneled to cities like Wheat Ridge, which allow retail pot sales. Taxes would also go toward funding statewide public school construction and to supporting regulations that were put in place by the Legislature last year.


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Wheatridge transcript 0109 by Colorado Community Media - Issuu