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• Farm bill debate leaves Colorado's fate undecided Play Video

  August 1, 2012 9:00 PM

  Colorado is thirsty: the worst drought in decades is drying out much of the United States, with Colorado's plains taking the hardest hit. With the 2012 Farm Bill still up in the air at the nation's capitol, local ranchers and farmers are questioning if they can afford to go... more »

• Chrysler sales up 20 percent

  July 3, 2012 8:58 AM

  DETROIT (AP) - Chrysler says its U.S. sales rose 20 percent in June on strong demand for the 300 sedan and other vehicles. Sales of Chrysler's best-seller, the Ram pickup, increased 12 percent as home building perked up. Sales of the Fiat 500 small car more than doubled over last... more »

• Camp fees could go up

  February 20, 2012 7:21 AM

  CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) - The Bureau of Land Management is raising fees for two Shelf Road Recreation Area campgrounds north of Canon City. Starting March 1, fees for The Bank and Sand Gulch will increase from $4 to $7 for individual sites. Fees for group sites will rise from... more »

• Peanut butter prices on the rise

  October 31, 2011 8:18 AM

  The price for your peanut butter is increasing. The bigger brands like Jif, Skippy and Peter Pan are raising their prices due to a hot and dry summer that ruined much of this year's crop. According to the Wall Street Journal, Kraft Foods, which launched Planter's Peanut Butter... more »

• Social Security benefits to go up 3.6 percent

  October 19, 2011 2:41 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Social Security benefits will go up by 3.6 percent next year, the first increase since 2009 for the one in five Americans who rely on government retirement and disability programs. The higher benefits will provide relief to more than 60 million people, many who have seen... more »

• Price of clothes increasing

  August 19, 2011 8:24 AM

  You might notice a price change on your clothes this season. Retailers are raising prices on merchandise an average of 10 percent across-the-board this fall in an effort to offset their rising costs for materials and labor. But merchants are worried that cash-strapped customers who are weighed down... more »

• Food prices up

  August 17, 2011 8:47 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Companies paid more in July for raw materials and wholesale goods. Food, tobacco and pickup truck costs drove the increase. The Labor Department says the Producer Price Index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, rose 0.2 percent last month. That follows a 0.4... more »

• With heat lurks danger

  July 22, 2011 6:49 AM

  As searing heat spreads over the East, experts are warning that the real danger may lurk at night. A nighttime respite from the worst of the heat gives the body a vital chance to recover from the stresses of the day. Those stresses can actually rise when nighttime air... more »

• AIDS testing increases

  June 29, 2011 6:24 AM

  DENVER (AP) - The Colorado AIDS Project says the number of Coloradans taking an AIDS test is up sharply. Project spokeswoman Monica McCafferty says the number of people being tested has increased from 8,000 four years ago to 13,000 last year. The project offers free testing every weekday... more »

• Colorado State University is considering a tuition increase

  March 13, 2011 7:42 PM

  FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - Colorado State University is considering a 20 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students this fall to help deal with a $23 million cut in state funding. The Fort Collins Coloradoan reports that layoffs are imminent. The number isn't yet known. The CSU Board of... more »

• Utilities rates are going up in Colorado Springs

  March 8, 2011 6:44 PM

  Colorado Springs Utilities customers will see their bills go up, on average, about seven dollars a month. City Council approved the cost adjustments Tuesday afternoon. The increases affect electricity and natural gas. On average, a person's monthly electric bill will go up $1.50. The natural gas bill will go... more »

• Cold weather means hot business for pizza delivery

  February 8, 2011 5:22 PM

  It's cold outside, but business is hot for pizza delivery stores. Domino's Pizza on Prairie Ave. in Pueblo says delivery calls always seem to increase when the weather gets bad like this. "Business increases about 20% to 30%," said Mike Dennis, Associate Manager of Domino's Pizza on Prairie Ave. ... more »

• Minimum wage earners in 7 states getting raises

  December 30, 2010 11:43 AM

  DENVER (AP) - It'll be a happier New Year for nearly 650,000 workers earning minimum wage. They're getting small raises in seven states that tie the minimum wage to the cost of living. The wages in those states will go up between 9 cents and 12 cents an hour... more »

• 2010 travel costs up for Denver airport officials

  December 12, 2010 4:52 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Denver International Airport officials expect their travel costs this to year to be at least 43 percent more than last year. The Denver Post reports that travel costs were almost $384,000 as of Friday. Aviation manager Kim Day says the costs are necessary to market the... more »

• Pueblo water rates to increase by 5 percent

  November 16, 2010 7:14 PM

  Pueblo water rates will increase next year by about $18 for the average home. That's about five percent a year, according to the Pueblo Water Board. The board passed a budget today of $30.6 million, down slightly from this year's budget. That means water rates will increase by... more »

• E-470 tolls increase

  November 12, 2010 1:37 PM

  Tolls will increase on E-470 in Denver on January 1. The road is not tax funded--most of the money to support the road comes from tolls. The increase comes out to about 20 percent for most vehicles. more »

• Colleges bracing for lower state funding

  September 30, 2010 8:20 AM

  Colorado colleges are bracing for lower state funding next year and some are drafting alternative plans to raise tuition by more than 9 percent. Rico Munn, director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said Wednesday colleges may have their state funding cut from $705 million this year to... more »

• Coffee prices on the rise

  September 12, 2010 6:37 PM

  While it's usually not the most expensive thing on your ticket at a diner, coffee is getting more expensive as you sip. At Colorado Springs coffee importer Barista Espresso, they're already seeing price increases and say you'll probably see them too. "In the gourmet market, you'll start to... more »

• Aspen schools seek tax increase

  August 25, 2010 4:12 PM

  The Aspen School District is asking voters to approve a property tax increase of $1.2 million a year to help close a budget shortfall. The school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to put the issue on the ballot this fall. School officials say the increase would amount to a... more »

• ACT scores dip, but more students college-ready

  August 18, 2010 8:38 AM

  There's mixed news on the latest ACT college entrance exams. A report out Tuesday says average ACT scores inched downward this year, but more students who took the test proved ready for college. While the findings appear contradictory, the exam's authors point to a growing and more diverse... more »

• June traffic up at Denver International Airport

  August 6, 2010 8:38 AM

  Almost 4.8 million passengers traveled through Denver International Airport in June. That's up 1.7 percent from the same month last year. Through the first half of the year, about 25 million passengers used the airport. That's a 3.4 percent increase from the first six months of 2009. Even though... more »

• New unemployment claims on the rise

  August 5, 2010 8:27 AM

  Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and some companies are still cutting workers. The Labor Department says new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000. Analysts had expected a small... more »

• Boulder County to ask voters for open space tax

  July 27, 2010 11:40 AM

  Boulder voters will decide in November whether they want a tax increase to help the county buy more open space land. Boulder County commissioners unanimously agreed to put the question on the ballot asking voters to authorize a 0.15 percent sales and use tax, which amounts to 15 cents... more »

• Ford: May car and truck sales rise 22 percent

  June 2, 2010 12:22 PM

  Ford Motor Co. says its May U.S. sales rose 22 percent from a year earlier, boosted by strong demand for the F-Series pickup and new Ford Mustang. Ford says this is the sixth straight month that sales have increased more than 20 percent over the previous year, when the... more »

• Census: Americans are on the move

  May 10, 2010 9:32 AM

  Americans are changing addresses again--but they're not going very far. Census figures released Monday show that 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, or 37.1 million people, moved to a new home last year. That's up from a 60-year low of 11.9 percent, or 35.2 million, in 2008. The... more »

• Ford sales up nearly 40 percent

  April 1, 2010 1:03 PM

  Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales rose nearly 40 percent in March thanks to strong demand for its Fusion and Taurus sedans. Sales were expected to rise after auto industry weakness last March. Incentives offered by rival Toyota also brought more buyers to showrooms this month. Ford... more »

• UCCS tuition to rise 7 percent

  March 29, 2010 3:06 PM

  Undergraduate students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs will pay an additional $420-$450 per year in tuition costs beginning next fall, according to plans approved Monday by the CU Board of Regents. Meeting in downtown Denver. meeting, the Regents approved tuition increases for all three CU campuses.... more »

• Governer signs tax hike bills into law

  February 24, 2010 5:13 PM

  Gov. Bill Ritter has signed a package of bills taxing everything from candy and soda to online sales. The governor says the money is needed to help close a $1.5 billion shortfall this year and next. The new laws signed by the governor on Wednesday are expected to raise... more »

• President Obama wants social security 'fix'

  February 19, 2010 3:47 PM

  President Barack Obama says Social Security is slowly running out of money but that it can exist well into the future with a slight fix. The system is funded with a tax on earnings, up to $109,000 a year. Obama says lifting that cap to tax a larger share... more »

• Colorado tax hikes heading for governor's signature

  February 16, 2010 3:36 PM

  The Colorado House has approved and sent to the governor a package of budget-balancing bills taxing everything from candy and soda to online sales. Lawmakers also approved bills taxing energy used in manufacturing and pesticides, despite fears the taxes will cause layoffs. The bills approved Tuesday are among... more »

• Colorado Senate passes more tax hikes; Pueblo layoffs warned

  February 11, 2010 8:40 AM

  The Senate narrowly passed bills taxing candy and soda and energy used in manufacturing despite fears that the taxes could cause layoffs. Rocky Mountain Steel in Pueblo, the state's largest energy user aside from utilities, says it may have to cut 30 to 120 jobs because of the energy... more »

• Rocky Mountain National Park nears 3 million visitors

  December 17, 2009 11:28 AM

  Visitor numbers at Rocky Mountain National Park are up 2.5 percent over last year and could top 3 million for the first time since 2003. Park officials say more than 2.93 million people have entered this year. December visits would have to total about 61,000 to reach 3 million for... more »

• New jobless claims post increase

  December 17, 2009 10:00 AM

  The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose last week as the recovery of the nation's battered labor market proceeds in fits and starts. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of new jobless claims rose to 480,000 last week, up 7,000 from the... more »

• Federal Express Raises Shipping Rates

  December 7, 2009 4:49 AM

  FedEx is raising shipping rates for ground and home delivery. The rates will go up by 4.9%. Express package rates will also go up by 5.9%. The new rates go into effect January 4, 2010. FedEx saw its fiscal 2010 first quarter earnings fall 53%. The shipping company disclosed quarterly... more »

• September housing construction rises 0.5 percent

  October 20, 2009 1:13 PM

  Construction of new homes edged up slightly in September, helped by a rebound in single-family construction. However, in a worrisome sign for the future, applications for building permits fell by the largest amount in five months. The Commerce Department says construction of new homes and apartments rose 0.5 percent in... more »

• Harrison scores big on C-SAP's

  October 1, 2009 2:18 PM

  Education reforms put in place in Harrison School District 2 seem to be taking hold. The district has steadily increased it's academic achievement over the past three years with the most dramatic gains coming in the 2008 C-SAP scores. As a district, Harrison students improved their tests scores by 86%... more »

• Intel CEO: PC sales could rise in 2009

  September 22, 2009 1:47 PM

  Intel Corp. CEO Paul Otellini says the personal-computer market is pulling out of its slump faster than many analysts expect. Otellini said at a conference Tuesday that he expects PC sales to be "flat to slightly up" this year from last. That diverges from forecasts from market research firms IDC... more »

• Pueblo steelworkers approve new contract

  September 14, 2009 12:43 PM

  Unionized steelworkers have approved a five-year contract with Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel in Pueblo. Two United Steelworkers locals accepted the contract in Sunday voting. Mike Rodriguez, president of one of the locals, says the vote total won't be announced. Few details of the contract have been released, but officials say... more »

• A closer look at Springs property tax ballot issue

  September 6, 2009 8:02 PM

  In November, voters in Colorado Springs will decide whether or not they want their property taxes to go up 10 mills over the next five years. Here's how it would affect an average property owner assuming the average price for a home in Colorado Springs at $236,000: ... more »