Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made it to Denver for an announcement Monday that Vail Resorts and the U.S. Forest Service were each pitching in $750,000 over three years to restore areas devastated by the Hayman fire in 2002. Kind of impressive. But then again, Vilsack does have a son who lives in Colorado. (Vilsack joked that guilt and a promise of a job wasn't enough to get his son back to Iowa. "We've lost him to Colorado forever," Vilsack said.)
The former Iowa governor and Democratic presidential candidate gave plenty of plugs to fellow Democrats. He said freshmen Sens. Bennet and Udall and Rep. Markey, all Colorado Dems, were working hard for their constituents. He even put in a plug for Gov. Bill Ritter, whom the GOP is confident they can push out of office next year. (Ritter has had to make unpopular cuts to shave millions of dollars from the state budget as tax revenues have fallen in the tough economy, and he's angered unions) "There is no harder time to be a governor," Vilsack said. He said you can't singlehandedly turn things around in a state or in a country but that hopefully the stimulus package was making that easier. He said Ritter is focused on job growth. "There are new jobs coming to the state, largely because of his commitment," Vilsack said.
So all in all, it was a green announcement for Vail Resorts (which is paying for its share of the Hayman restoration, by the way, by using the money it once used to buy wind energy credits. It's not going to be buying those anymore) But also a chance for some backscratching in a pep rally for Democrats.
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The Colorado winter wheat harvest is way up this year from last year. Too bad sale prices are way down.
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Have you been listening to the Postmarks' quirky retro cinema pop? It's like every song should be in the opening credits of a James Bond movie. Hear them live at the Hi-Dive this coming Monday, 10/5.
Hello Kavita's CD release show is 10/23 at the Hi-Dive! And get this... They play with Grand Archives at the Larimer Lounge 11/20!
Langhorne Slim will be at the Hi-Dive 10/29
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