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Former Representative Tom Tancredo announced yesterday that he would enter the race for Colorado’s next governor as the American Constitution Party candidate, a move which could be a dagger to the heart of republicans’ hopes of capturing the governor’s mansion in November, and that has democrats licking their chops. Tancredo entered the race yesterday with a bulk email announcement that states: “I am going to seek the nomination of the American Constitution Party for governor of Colorado”. He did not make a public appearance. Tancredo’s announcement made good on his threat to run for governor if republican candidates Scott McInnis and Dan Maes didn’t bow to his ultimatum to abandon their campaigns for governor by noon yesterday. Last week, Tancredo characterized McInnis and Maes as nonviable candidates in the wake of a plagiarism scandal that has dogged McInnis and campaign-finance rules violations by Maes that resulted in fines.

Colorado was one of nine states that imposed new fees and hiked taxes to replace falling revenues and balance their budgets during the economic downturn, according to a study of state budgets released yesterday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The forecast nationally and in Colorado calls for more economic challenges during the next two years, with federal stimulus dollars drying up and the federal share of Medicaid payments likely to be cut with the difference landing on the states’ tabs. To balance their budgets for the current fiscal year, states had to overcome shortfalls totaling $83.9 billion, according to the report. Colorado’s deficit was about $1 billion. An anticipated 10.8% increase in revenue in Colorado this year is expected to aid the effort to balance the budget, but it comes primarily from a set of tax-exemption suspensions that industry argued was unfairly burdensome.

A status hearing has been set for 1:30pm on August 16th in the case of Kevin Edward Sterns, now 40, who offered $20,000 for the death of his ex-wife, his ex-wife’s husband and his 6-year-old daughter. Sterns was serving 18 months on harassment and stalking charges in Canon City when he tried to get a fellow inmate to kill the three. Sterns entered a plea of convenience on March 22nd, which dropped the charges against him and instead added two new charges, namely attempt to commit murder in the 2nd degree and a sentence enhancing charge of crime of violence-deadly weapon. On April 7th, Stern’s attorney, Barbara Zollars, filed a motion stating that stern wished to withdraw his plea. District Judge Martin Gonzales appointed attorney Peter Comar as an alternate defense counsel in the case. It was Comar who appeared in court with sterns yesterday to ask the court for more time so he could review two evaluations performed on sterns, a 2007 psychiatric evaluation and a 2009 diagnostic evaluation. Comar and deputy D.A. Dan McIntyre will be in court for the status hearing on August 16th.

Despite a request from U.S. Representative John Salazar, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced that it will not ban shipments of low-level waste from traveling through Conejos County. Salazar had sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu in June, requesting the diversion of all shipments from the Los Alamos National Laboratory away from the county. Energy Solutions, which runs a disposal facility in northwestern Utah, had hoped to truck the shipments to Antonito where they would be transferred to rail for shipment by the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. The letter from the Department of Energy reiterated the argument from laboratory officials that rail was a safer shipment option than trucking. The shipments, which include dirt contaminated with PCB’s, have been trucked around the county since December.

The La Veta School of the Arts is offering a “Digital Photo and Photoshop” class this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The three-day workshop will introduce digital photography as a fine art medium. Each student should bring a digital camera and a laptop that he or she feels comfortable using. Class will be held at the La Veta School of the Arts across from the town park in La Veta. Cost is $225 for the class. For more information, call 719-989-0339.