December 27, 2018

Boulder County sees more patients with vomiting condition tied to chronic pot use

Cyclic episodes of nausea and vomiting. Disregulation of temperature perception. Abdominal pain.

The culprit of these symptoms could be weed.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a relatively new condition that first appeared in medical literature in 2004, affects chronic users of marijuana who have smoked or used cannabis daily for years.

"It causes frequent visits to the emergency department," said Dr. Timothy Meyers, medical director of emergency services for Boulder Community Health. "People feel terrible when it happens."

Read more: http://www.dailycamera.com/top-stories/ci_32351978/boulder-county-sees-more-patients-vomiting-condition-tied

December 27, 2018

Republican state Sen. Randy Baumgardner, in Democrats' crosshairs because of sexual harassment

Republican state Sen. Randy Baumgardner, in Democrats’ crosshairs because of sexual harassment, leaves legislature


Republican state Sen. Randy Baumgardner, in the crosshairs of Democrats because of sexual harassment allegations, on Monday evening said he will step down from the Colorado legislature.

The lawmaker from Hot Sulphur Springs had not been placed on any committees by his party’s leadership in the Senate for the upcoming legislative session.

In a letter announcing his decision, Baumgardner said he was retiring effective Jan. 21. There are still two years left in his term.

The news was first broken by CBS4.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve the residents of both House District 57 and Senate District 8 over the last 10 years,” Baumgardner said in a letter making his decision formal. “I am humbled by the support I have received in my elections and even more so by those that have been positively affected by legislation I have worked on.”

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2018/12/17/randy-baumgardner-colorado-legislature-retired/

December 27, 2018

Erie group sues town, mayor, trustees over Crestone drilling plans

A group of Erie residents filed a lawsuit against the town, mayor and town trustees in response to Erie’s approval of an operator agreement with Crestone Peak Resources Inc. that includes the 30-well Acme pad site at Colo. 7 and Bonanza Drive adjacent to Broomfield’s Anthem Ranch.

The lawsuit demands protections for public health and safety in regard to recently approved drilling and fracking plans.

Erie Thriving, a community group formed to empower the community to “take a stand to protect health, safety and environment,” announced the suit, filed Dec. 3 in Boulder County District Court, in a news release Thursday.

The group is a subsidiary of Residents Rights, a Broomfield organization with the goal of empowering communities to protect their health, safety and the environment through education and outreach.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/12/24/erie-group-sues-crestone-drilling/

December 27, 2018

"It's up for grabs, the power": Denver Mayor Michael Hancock facing 9 challengers in 2019 election

“It’s up for grabs, the power”: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock facing 9 challengers in 2019 election — so far


One year ago, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock knew that his second re-election run would be difficult.

“You make decisions. You lead. You upset people,” he told The Denver Post in 2017. “I expect it. Anytime you look at mayors who run for their third or final term, it’s usually more challenging than the second.”

How right he was.

In the last 12 months, Hancock’s opponents in the May 2019 election have multiplied: Nine people are campaigning for his job, and the political season is aflame months earlier than usual in Denver. Hancock finds himself challenged from all sides in a race that could be just as busy and contentious as his first mayoral election in 2011.

“The reality is, you have a record, and everybody’s going to take a shot at that record,” he said in an interview last week. But he’s ready, he said: His focus has grown sharper, he has grown accustomed to criticism and he believes that Denver in the last seven years has grown into a “great city” that “cares for her people.”

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/12/26/denver-mayor-michael-hancock-challengers-so-far/

December 27, 2018

New Mexico governor's social spending to get greater scrutiny

SANTA FE – A previously unaudited account used by New Mexico’s governors to pay for social obligations will be more tightly monitored as a Democratic governor takes office in the new year.

A law signed by outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez earlier this year increases oversight of the so-called contingency fund that has been used for decades by governors to pay for dinners, gifts for protocol meetings, or spending on gestures of congratulations or condolences.

The changes are among a few laws that take effect Jan. 1 as Democratic Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham takes office with promises to provide greater transparency and accountability in state government.

Martinez has provided quarterly summaries of social spending by category without itemized receipts, steadfastly declining requests for more details.

Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/1261612/new-mexico-governors-social-spending-gets-greater-scrutiny.html

December 27, 2018

Democrats look to increase New Mexico's minimum wage

Democrats campaigned on raising New Mexico's minimum wage. Now, after big wins in last month's election, the question is: How high?

Two lawmakers have filed separate bills ahead of the legislative session set to begin in mid-January, with one proposing to boost the statewide minimum to $12 an hour, phased in over the next few years, and another calling for $15 an hour.

Both would end the lower minimum wage for tipped workers, such as waiters.

And both are bound to face opposition from industry groups, which contend higher minimum wages would be a hit on small businesses.

Read more: https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/new-mexico/2018/12/19/new-mexico-minimum-wage-increase-democrat-bills/2364905002/

December 27, 2018

New Mexico to Focus on College Affordability, Financial Aid

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The former leader of the Taos campus for the University of New Mexico was named Wednesday by Democratic Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham to lead the state's higher education department when she takes office next week.

Kate O'Neill will oversee the state's network of community colleges and public universities. She will be inheriting the agency at a time when many schools around the state are grappling with funding cuts and enrollment declines.

O'Neill most recently served as CEO of the University of New Mexico at Taos, a position she held for years. She started at the campus as an adjunct faculty member in 1994 and worked her way up. During her leadership tenure, she developed a nationally accredited nursing program and increased the campus' budget.

O'Neill and Lujan Grisham said affordability for students will be among the priorities for the new administration. They discussed the importance of the state's lottery-funded scholarship program while acknowledging that it's not currently sustainable because revenue from ticket sales has declined and tuition costs have increased.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2018-12-26/college-affordability-to-be-focus-in-new-mexico

December 27, 2018

New Mexico auditor-elect clashes with departing Republican

A Democrat elected state auditor is threatening to investigate the departing Republican state auditor once the transfer of power takes place Jan. 1.

Auditor-elect Brian Colon announced Wednesday in a news release that he will launch an investigation and internal review of conduct by departing State Auditor Wayne Johnson.

Colon is accusing Johnson of using his authority improperly for political gain and urged Johnson to relinquish his duties immediately. A representative for Johnson said a response was being prepared.

The office of New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is investigating several complaints against Johnson related to his role as auditor. Johnson in turn has sought to probe records at the attorney general’s office concerning the agency’s contracting process.

Colon won election in November against Johnson.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/briefs/new-mexico-auditor-elect-clashes-with-departing-republican/article_41197d7e-85b3-54de-bf70-45c557c97fb7.html
(no more at link)

December 27, 2018

Boise State, Boston College came to Dallas, played only 9:52, made some unwanted history

DALLAS -- The saying goes that there’s a first time for everything, and that’s what happened Wednesday afternoon at the Cotton Bowl.

The Servpro First Responder Bowl is believed to be the first bowl game in NCAA history to be canceled because of inclement weather. The game between the Boston College Eagles and Boise State Broncos had been halted with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter because of lightning in the area before the call was made to scrap it a few hours later.

Boston College was up 7-0, thanks to a 19-yard TD run by A.J. Dillon, but the game was declared a no contest. The decision to cancel the game was made after a conversation with ESPN, officials from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mountain West Conference and both coaches.

“We knew there was a chance of inclement weather for this game,” bowl director Brant Ringler said. “There were no intentions to move the game. Usually the weather plays out to play the game. We had a weather report for what we were going to do and all of those things played out today and we had to make the decision on if we would be able to play today. We had to make that decision and now we just have to move forward.

Read more: https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/football/article223587305.html

December 27, 2018

Austin congressman critical of "extreme climate agenda" retires

In a farewell speech on the floor of the U.S. House this month, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, closed by thanking his constituents “for trusting me to represent you all these good years.”

Voters in the liberal Austin precincts of Smith’s 21st Congressional District, drawn like most Austin-area districts to elect a Republican, might beg to differ: Even as Smith regularly rang up double-digit election-night victories, carrying whole counties of the conservative Hill Country, many voters in Austin’s West Campus, Old West Austin, downtown Austin, and a wide swath of South Austin — some of the bluest spots of Texas — found themselves represented by someone who tends to hold views ideologically opposite their own.

Smith, 71, told the American-Statesman he was retiring to spend more time with his grandchildren. His tenure as chair of the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology was coming to an end, anyway, and with a tough election climate ahead — one that spelled an end to a Republican-led U.S. House — he also thought to himself, “It’s a lot better to be in the majority than in the minority.”

He will be replaced by Chip Roy, a former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20181226/austin-congressman-critical-of-extreme-climate-agenda-retires