August 17, 2015 11:24 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (Aug. 17)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Back to school, back to school…It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols! If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► What do clean air regulations have in common with the Gold King minewater spill into the Animas River? Well, nothing, of course, but that hasn’t stopped critics of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from trying to duct-tape a connection in place. From the Associated Press:

The federal agency’s critics are already seeking to use its much-maligned handling of the mine spill to undercut the Obama administration’s rollout of major regulations aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the nation’s power plants. Members of oversight committees in both the House and Senate say they are planning hearings after Congress returns from its August recess.

Meanwhile, the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent takes a deeper dive in President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

► Famous rich person Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for President, revealed his policy proposal for dealing with illegal immigration over the weekend. One of the more controversial pieces of Trump’s proposal is to end “birthright citizenship,” which is an idea that is supported by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora).

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Aldo Svaldi of the Denver Post takes a look at how property tax rates in Colorado compare to other states:

Colorado homeowners pay a much smaller share of home values in property taxes on average than almost any other state — $1,179 a year or 0.632 percent of assessed property value, according to a nationwide study of property taxes from SmartAsset, a personal finance website.

By contrast, the property tax burden nationally averages $2,224 a year or 1.19 percent of assessed home values.

► Colorado veterans gathered at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Sunday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

► Federal Boulevard north of Denver is preparing for a significant revitalization, and the redevelopment opportunities available have earned national attention. As John Aguilar reports for the Denver Post:

The Urban Land Institute this summer named the Federal corridor as one of four “demonstration corridors” in the country — the others are in Los Angeles; Nashville, Tenn.; and Boise, Idaho — ripe for reinvention as a healthy place with strong connections to surrounding communities…

…The Federal corridor will be featured at the institute’s fall meeting in San Francisco in October, where planners, developers and commercial real estate professionals from all over the country will be present.

► Right-wing radio personalities across the country are trying to talk themselves into supporting Donald Trump as he seeks the Republican Presidential nomination.

► Democrat Rachel Zenzinger announced today that she will seek to re-take the State Senate seat in Arvada (SD-19) that she lost in 2014 to Republican Laura Waters Woods.

► Politico’s Eli Stokols is covering the Iowa State Fair as Presidential hopefuls get poked and prodded in the nation’s first caucus state, and he finds that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is starting to sink:

After seven months as the clear favorite to win this first-in-the-nation caucus state, the Wisconsin governor is suddenly sinking in the polls— overtaken by the summer’s massive anti-establishment wave and at risk of losing his grip.

“He’s lost a lot of momentum here because he didn’t convert that early momentum into committed caucus-goers. Now he’s got to re-start his engine here, and that’s not easy to do,” said Doug Gross, a GOP operative who supported Mitt Romney four years ago and has yet to commit to a candidate this cycle.

► Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler continues his post-Aurora Theater Shooting Trial media tour. ICYMI, check out this editorial in the Aurora Sentinel.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity has injected itself into the debate over taxes in Colorado Springs. Newly-elected Mayor John Suthers is not pleased.

► Republicans in the Colorado Senate Majority Office are confused about why you probably shouldn’t use the word “shrill” when referring to women who speak out…on anything, really.

ICYMI

► Ben & Jerry are big fans of Bernie (Sanders).

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