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Under the local microscope

Thursday, May 15, 2008

DENVER SECURITY BREACH AT DIA

(AP) -- Denver International Airport officials say a security breach prompted a brief shutdown of passenger-screening checkpoints and trains between the main concourse and boarding gates.

The nature of the Thursday morning breach has not been disclosed.

The screening checkpoints and trains were operating again by 10:30 a.m. after a shutdown of a little over 20 minutes.

An average of more than 148,000 passengers a day used the airport in March, the most recent month for which totals have been reported.

DENVER CAPITOL GOES WIRELESS

(AP) -- Visitors to the state Capitol can find out how the Legislature works and get information on state government from a new educational web site and kiosk under the dome.

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said Thursday the goal of the project is to bring the Capitol to life for visitors and students in a way that allows them to interact with lawmakers and state government.

The project was funded with a $50,000 grant from AT&T.

The information also is available on the Internet at ICapitol.org.

CORTEZ, Co. MAN CHARGED IN DISMEMBERMENT CASSE

(AP) -- A Montezuma County man has been formally charged with second-degree murder after authorities found a dismembered body believed to be his father.

District Attorney Jim Wilson said Wednesday that prosecutors suspect 20-year-old Jeremiah R. Berry killed his father, 42-year-old Jack Berry.

Investigators found body parts in at least three locations late last month. Some were encased in two buckets of concrete.

Jeremiah Berry is being held under $500,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 20.County Judge Todd Plewe has agreed to unseal some procedural documents and court orders after the Cortez Journal filed a motion seeking their release.

A gag order remains in effect in the case.

DENVER TANCREDO STILL VOLATILE FIGURE

(AP) -- Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo has been hailed and reviled for his hard-line stance on immigration, and he doesn't plan on shying away from the issue after he retires in January.

The five-term Republican told The Associated Press he wants to keep the issue on the national stage "because the federal government is AWOL."

"I say that because I don't see a solution emanating from Congress or the White House, but it's definitely on the minds of a lot people," Tancredo said.

Tancredo said he wants to start a new policy group or join an existing one to push for immigration reform nationwide.

He said he would like to see other states replicate Arizona's policy of mandating that every employer ensure that their workers' Social Security numbers are valid.

But Tancredo said he does not expect the problem he be fixed soon.

"I am sad to say, frankly, that it's still going to be there for the foreseeable future," Tancredo said. "I would much rather go to my grandchildren's baseball games, but this is a major problem that needs addressing."

Tancredo credits himself for helping make illegal immigration "the issue du jour" in Congress. Along the way, he embroiled himself in several controversies, calling Miami a Third World country because of its growing non-English-speaking population, accusing Mexican President Felipe Calderon of meddling in U.S. affairs, and advocating a fence on the Texas border.

The mayors of Brownsville and Eagle Pass, Texas, called that a "ridiculously juvenile" idea.

Gabriela Flora of the American Friends Service Committee, which advocates for immigrant rights, said Tancredo's tenure "hasn't been pretty," but she doesn't think he was primarily responsible for making immigration a hot topic.

"Tancredo can't take full credit for this, although he would like to," said Flora, adding that "hate speech" against immigrants has grown in the last decade and anti-immigrant sentiment has become more acceptable.

Tancredo was often in the spotlight, running for president last year on an immigration-crackdown platform. He said he doesn't think he'll miss the attention.

"If I do, I can always run for president again, or I can go to CU and raise all kinds of hell," he said, referring to the University of Colorado's plans for to establish a new position for a visiting professor of conservative politics.

Tancredo joked this week he would advocate for classes like "English Only 101" and "American Assimilation."

"My job here is essentially finished," Tancredo said of his time in Congress. "So at that point and time when you feel that way, it's time to move on."

SALT LAKE CITY BAR OWNERS TIRED OF BOOZE LAWS

(AP) -- Bar owners want to kill a law that makes Utah the only state where customers must fill out an application and pay a fee before they can order a drink.

The Utah Hospitality Association filed a petition Thursday seeking to collect signatures to put a statewide initiative on the ballot in 2010.

Utah is the only state that prohibits bars that serve liquor from admitting anyone but members and their guests. An airport is the only place where someone can drink a cocktail without having to order a meal or be a member of a private club.

"I really do think there's a sense of more and more people being fed up with these laws. They're silly and archaic," said lawyer Lisa Marcy McGarry, an association board member.

Businesses that serve beer but not liquor are not covered by the "membership" requirement.

The state's complex liquor laws have baffled tourists for years. Bar owners say they get more complaints about memberships than anything else, including laws limiting the amount of alcohol in beer and the types and quantity of liquor in cocktails.

During conventions, long lines sometimes form at bar entrances as customers fill out membership forms.

An annual membership must cost at least $12 a year, and a temporary membership lasting three weeks must cost at least $4. It's often compared to a cover charge -- with no promise of music or entertainment inside.

"You want to improve the state's image? Get rid of private clubs," said Dave Morris, owner of Piper Down: An Olde World Pub in Salt Lake City.

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