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Archive for the 'Lathen' Tag

Roberta, the bobcat

February 10th, 2010, 11:21 am by

The story of Roberta, the bobcat, is only one of the heart-warming stories emanating from the Ellicott Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

For those who didn’t read today’s story, Roberta and her mother and a sibling were struck by a vehicle as they attempted to cross C-470 near Morrison in September of 2008.  

The female was struck by a car but kept on going. One cub was killed. The other had two broken legs.

The cub was taken to the Deer Creek Animal Hospital in Littleton, which repaired the cub’s legs in a complex surgery. Then it was taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Ellicott.

Six months later, the cub was returned to the wild.  Click here to see this video of Roberta being set free.

The county commission voted to strip $15,000 in funding earmarked for the center from a $1 million federal block grant.

But take a look at these pictures and video and decide for yourssawwhetowlelf whether the center is worthy of receiving a few extra bucks for an outdoor pavilion where kids can come and learn about Colorado’s rapidly disappearing heritage.

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Passing the Gavel

January 5th, 2010, 12:07 pm by
Dennis Hisey assumes chairmanship from Jim Bensberg

Dennis Hisey assumes chairmanship from Jim Bensberg

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners this morning unanimously elected Commissioner Dennis Hisey to replace Jim Bensberg as the chairman of the board. Hisey, who has five children and 10 grandchildren, represents District 4, which encompasses  the southern part of the county and includes Widefield, Security, Fort Carson and Fountain.

This will be Hisey’s third stint as chairman. After taking office in 2005, he served as vice chair in 2006 and chairman in 2007 and 2008. Hisey’s the epitomy of a gentleman, quiet and courteous, but not afraid to give his opinion when asked

Amy Lathen, who has served two years on the commission and represents the eastern part of the county, was elected as vice chair. Lathen is much more outspoken than Hisey and often takes the time to comment on controversial topics, such as global warming.  ”I can’t believe how quickly time has passed,” she said.

Bensberg, who is term limited, seemed more than happy to pass the gavel. He  had planned to run for the county treasurer’s job, but pulled out of the race last week. Bensberg said he plans to run for a seat in the state Legislature in 2012.

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Pot Shots

December 18th, 2009, 10:11 am by

The ever-quotable Amy Lathen nearly got booed out of the room when she used the word ‘pot’ at a meeting in which El Paso commissioners discussed ways to zone medical marijuana outlets.

“Cannibis! Cannibis!” shouted several people in the room.

Turns out, the members of the burgeoning medical marijuana industry wants to separate themselves from the hordes of pot-smoking hippies.

Marijuana grower addresses commissioners

Marijuana grower addresses commissioners

That’s like separating the image of mom from apple pie.

It’s also a little disengenuous when you buy your pot, or rather, cannibis, at places like WeedMaps. com.

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A Crowded Race

December 2nd, 2009, 2:16 pm by

Five candidates are vying for the District 5 county commission seat that is currently being held by term-limited Jim Bensberg. And a sixth may be on the way “making it an even half dozen,” said Kay Rendleman, chairwoman of the El Paso County Republican Party.

The candidates include Peggy Littleton, state Board of Education member for the 5th Congressional District and a regular at commission meetings; Ed Jones, former state senator and former commissioner from 1994 to 2002; Bill Guevara, a former official from California; Patrick Carter, former precinct leader and Republican chairman for House District 16, and David Williams, UCCS student body president and possibly the youngest-ever candidate to run for the county commission.

By contrast, Darryl Glenn, a city councilor and Republican party favorite, has the field to himself in District 1, which is the seat being vacated by term-limited Wayne Williams.

To recap the other races: Three candidates are vying for the El Paso Clerk and Recorder’s Office, including Wayne Williams, Charles E. Corry, a research scientist and computer expert, and Treasurer Sandra Damron, who is also term-limited.

And three candidates running for the Treasurer’s Office: They include Jim Bensberg and term-limited Bob Balink, as well as Tom Mowle , a Democrat who in February 2008 was appointed as public trustee for El Paso County.

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Commissioner Takes Aim

November 30th, 2009, 6:35 pm by

Amy Lathen thinks the U.S. Forest Service is “playing politics” with the South Rampart Shooting Range. The range was closed in July of 2009 after a person was killed in a fatal accident.

 The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office found no safety flaws in the design of the range that led to the fatality and Lathen thinks it’s time to re-open the facility. “This has become a political issue,” she said, “not because we’re talking about rafting on the Arkansas but because we’re talking guns.”

The U.S. Forest Service is not willing to move so quickly.  The federal agency wants a couple of things done first: It wants the range cleaned up, some infrasture improvements put into place, including berms, and an on-site manager.

“It’s junky, I’ll give it that, but we have a high number of concealed handgun permits and those folks need a place to practice,” she said.

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County officials applaud Obama

November 10th, 2009, 1:27 pm by

The El Paso County commissioners usually don’t have  positive things to say when it comes to the state or federal government.

But at its Tuesday’s meeting, commissioner Amy Lathen took the time to praise President Obama for promising to veto the massive healthcare bill moving through Congress if it added one more dime to the  federal deficit.

“Stop the presses! Breaking news!” joked chairman Jim Bensberg.

Like other local governments, the county is seeing declining revenues. But Lathen is steadfastly opposed to the county accepting stimulus money from the federal government.

She argues that the billions of dollars being passed out will saddle  future generations with an unconscionable amount of debt. And when those funds are depleted, she warns, local governments will be left holding the bag.

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Ice caps bad, heat good

November 2nd, 2009, 4:05 pm by

Or, at least that’s what the so-called ‘experts’ are saying in a new anti-global warming documentary entitled “Not Evil Just Wrong.” 

El Paso County Commissioner Amy Lathen, who also considers global warming a hoax, loved the flick and recommended it to her fellow commissioners a couple of weeks ago. “It shows the dramatic affect that it (the global warming hoax) has had on our local economy and on the national and global economy.” 

The film, which contains some really unflattering pictures of Al Gore,  is reportedly being snapped up for stocking stuffers. It mingles warm and fuzzy images, including kittens, with Phantom-of-the-Opera-type music.

One wonky looking guy asserted, “I don’t think it would be a bad thing for this earth to warm up. In fact, ice is the enemy of life.”

Thank goodness, it’s disappearing from Mount Kilimanjaro.

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County fair update

August 18th, 2009, 1:29 pm by

lathenThe El Paso County Fair saw higher attendance this year, but Commissioner Amy Lathen wants to make changes, although she wouldn’t reveal her ideas until she talks to the county staff.

“We were down in the number of vendors this year,” Lathen said. “A drop like that keeps vendors away. That concerns me for next year.”

 

Preliminary figures show the weeklong July event drew 25,112 people, public services director Tim Wolken said. That’s about 7 percent higher than last year.

 

Lathen noted auto racing has helped the fair’s attendance.

 

A high of 39,504 people attended in 2001.

 

Lathen said sales declined this year but couldn’t provide details. Wolken said he would release more information after he meets with commissioners.

 

It’s crucial the fair at least break even, because it hasn’t received a taxpayer subsidy since 2004 and isn’t likely to in the future in light of the county’s budget crunch.

 

The fair was the first since Lathen helped overhaul the Resource Development Association, a nonprofit that holds the liquor license for the fair. The RDA had only two board members before one passed away last year.

 

“I worked hard with the last remaining member of RDA to put together a new structure,” she said.

 

Lathen said the changes will prevent cash discrepancies and vendor tracking issues revealed in an audit of 2007 operations. The 2008 audit is under way, she said.

 

“I have concerns about the fair,” Lathen said, “and I want to see some things changed so that we can make sure and preserve the fair.”

 

Wolken will give a full report to commissioners on Sept. 3.

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Did the fair bring home the bacon?

August 14th, 2009, 1:57 pm by
Amy Lathen

Amy Lathen

pigs_at_county_fair1El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark said on Thursday that the turnout for the county fair and other crucial information, such as how much money was made or lost, will be available sometime in the next month. This is important because the fair gets no subsidy from the county, so it must make ends meet on its own.

Commissioner Amy Lathen did her part to try to drum up business for the fair. For weeks before the fair, she reminded people at county commissioner meetings to be sure to attend, promising they could find “just about any kind of food on a stick.” Lathen represents the eastern plains where the fair is held at Calhan.

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