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Colorado schools prepare for severe weather emergencies

DENVER — Staff at the Windmill Child Enrichment Center in Windsor say they will never forget the tornado that ripped through their town five years this week.

Shawna Bruntz says, “Every time May 22nd comes around, it’s not just a day.” Five years ago, it was a cold, rainy day in the town of Windsor, but Bruntz says a tornado never crossed her mind. “Nobody would have gave one thought to it.”

Her day would much worse. With roughly 100 children in the school, Bruntz says the weather changed quickly and out of nowhere, “A parent walks in and says, ‘there’s a tornado up on the hill, you guys need to take cover now.’”

Bruntz and the other teachers huddled together with the children in the gymnasium, and pressed against a wall for cover as debris circled around them.

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DPS uses drills to prep student for tornados

DENVER — Denver Public Schools practices tornado drills so students know what to expect in case a twister should come down here.

DU issues date rape warning after 3 reported incidents

DENVER — The University of Denver’s Campus Safety office issued a warning to students to be on the lookout for potential instances of date rape after three possible cases of women being drugged were reported in the DU neighborhood.

According to the e-mail issued to students, the most recent incident of possible date rape took place on Sunday, in the 2000 block of S. University Blvd. The release indicated this most recent report mirrored two other recent reports.

“In all three cases, the victims have reported being at a bar in the DU neighborhood and then reported having memory loss which spans a couple of hours,” the release read. “Memory loss is a symptom consistent with date rape drugs.”

Any student with knowledge of these incidents is being urged to report that information to Campus Safety or the Denver Police Department.

Hickenlooper’s signature sends revamped school financing plan to voters

DENVER — The landmark overhaul of how Colorado distributes education funding, the result of two years of meetings, discussion and ideas from thousands of parents and educators across the state, was signed into law at the Capitol Tuesday morning.

When Gov. John Hickenlooper set down the last of the ceremonial pens used to sign the bill into law, he put the proposal in the hands of Colorado voters, who now must approve an estimated $1.1 billion in new taxes this November.

“This bill really positions Colorado to be the national leader in terms of school reform and school effectiveness,” Hickenlooper said. “It allows us to look at being number one in the country in creating a financial system that really threads reform in such a way that delivers results.”

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Report: DaVita has $300 million reserve to settle kickback probe

DENVER — DaVita, the dialysis giant based in Denver, has set aside $300 million to settle criminal and civil anti-kickback investigations, the company’s CEO said Thursday.

According to the Denver Post, DaVita has been the focus of a Denver grand jury investigation looking at whether or not the company paid a kickback to kidney doctors to guarantee a steady stream of patients at DaVita clinics.

Neither the U.S. Attorney nor a DaVita spokesman would comment on the case.

DaVita CEO Kent Thiry called the money part of “comprehensive offer to settle all the related civil, administrative and criminal matters.”

Weld County Launches "Discover Weld" Web Site

Weld County Launches "Discover Weld" Web Site

The Weld County Board of Commissioners will launch a new web site on May 1, 2013, to highlight the attractions, events and people of Weld County.

Weld County Highlights Projects During Ad Valorem Check Presentation

Weld County Highlights Projects During Ad Valorem Check Presentation

During a special presentation held on the Fort Lupton campus of Aims Community College, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Noble Energy presented their 2012 ad valorem checks to Weld County. The total of the two checks was $148,557,244 or nearly 33% of all taxes paid to the Weld County Treasurer.

The Weld County Board of Commissioners and Aims Community College used the event as an opportunity to talk about the projects and programs the revenue from the oil and gas industry helps to fund.

"This event was a great opportunity for the Board to talk about what projects the county is able to undertake as a result of the oil and gas revenue," said Commissioner Chairman William Garcia. Those projects include:

TABOR Refund: Every real property owner in Weld County receives a temporary tax credit on the County mill levy, and the County is able to extend the tax credit primarily due to the revenue from oil and gas.