KDNK's Local Newscast airs weekday mornings at 6:41 and 7:41 during Morning Edition.
Democrat Crisanta Duran will serve as the top lawmaker in the state House of Representatives next session, leading the 65-member chamber as speaker of the house. She will be the first Latina to serve in that role in state history. Bente Birkeland spoke to her about the upcoming session.
Republican Patrick Neville is only serving his second term in office, but he recently rose to the highest position in his caucus -- house minority leader. Neville’s selection comes as a surprise; Polly Lawrence, who has served in the legislature since 2012, was considered the favorite for the position. Bente Birkeland got Neville’s thoughts on the upcoming session and his new role.
Finding a place to live that's affordable has been getting a lot harder in Colorado over the past few years, especially for the state's transgender population. Eric Galatas reports.
In one of her final acts as 9th Judicial District Attorney, Sherry Caloia has announced that the long-awaited Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, or SANE, is now open and ready to provide exams for victims of sexual assault. Garfield County, Pitkin County and Rio Blanco County are all able to utilize examinations from 3 qualified nurses at the GarCo health office in Rifle. This will make getting exams much more convenient for victims and for law enforcement in the district. Victims are never charged for the service.
The public comment period on the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to protect the Gunnison sage grouse has been extended until January 19th. The Gunnison sage grouse is listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. About 4,000 live in the Gunnison Basin and another thousand are scattered across western Colorado and eastern Utah. The BLM manages much of the bird’s habitat and wants to amend its resource management plans. Conservation groups have criticized the proposal as doing too little to protect the bird. More information at blm dot gov with a search for Gunnison Sage Grouse.
