KOAA.com

Tagged News

• Teller County acknowledges financial problems

  January 15, 2013 8:28 PM

  A series of financial mistakes has put a huge dent in Teller County's budget. "We have overspent a considerable amount of money on the clerk's office," Commissioner Dave Paul said. He and others employed with the county are pointing the finger at JJ Jamison, the county's clerk and... more »

• Shoppers stuff buggies ahead of Thanksgiving

  November 21, 2012 11:04 PM

  COLORADO SPRINGS - Just hear those registers ringing and money jingling too. Come on, It's a lovely weather for, well, last minute grocery shopping. "Oh my goodness, it's packed in here," said Carolyn Cathey who came to the King Soopers on Centennial Boulevard Wednesday to pick up her last... more »

• Senate panel OKs $604 billion defense bill

  July 31, 2012 12:29 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate panel has approved a $604 billion defense spending bill that reverses proposed Pentagon cuts in Air Force personnel and equipment. The Appropriations defense subcommittee approved the bill by voice vote Tuesday. The measure would provide $511 billion for the base budget and $93.3 billion for... more »

• Consumer spending up for first time in 20 months

  August 29, 2011 8:46 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers rebounded in July to lift spending after the first decline in 20 months. The boost is likely to ease fears that the U.S. economy is on the verge of another recession. The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose 0.8 percent in July. Personal income increased... more »

• GOP calls for action on energy, spending

  May 14, 2011 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans are calling for action on gasoline prices and spending. In the weekly GOP radio and internet address, Alabama Rep. Martha Roby says it's time for Washington to get serious about the challenges facing the country. She praised the House for passing three measures to... more »

• Colorado Dems hitting the road for spending ideas

  March 19, 2011 9:46 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Next year's state budget isn't going to be pretty - and Democratic lawmakers are branching out this weekend looking for constituent ideas on how to cut spending. Democratic legislators planned town hall-style meetings in a dozen different Colorado towns Saturday looking for ideas on next year's... more »

• Valentine's day price tag: $116

  February 13, 2011 9:22 AM

  Many of us will be spending more on Valentine's Day this year. The National Retail Federation expect sales to be up roughly 11 percent over 2010 levels. They say consumers are spending more on luxury items like jewelry, and on traditional dinners, chocolates and flowers. The grand total per... more »

• Holiday numbers looking good for local merchants

  December 29, 2010 12:30 AM

  New national sales numbers show a rise in holiday spending this year. It's a good sign for merchants in Southern Colorado who say the past couple of years haven't been as kind. "We were significantly down in 2008 and 2009." explains Chris Sondermann, owner of Terra Verde in Colorado Springs.... more »

• Big money spent on Colo. legislative races in 2010

  December 11, 2010 12:28 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Final campaign finance reports show Republican and Democratic candidates spent $2.9 million this year on the top 15 races for Colorado's Legislature. Candidates estimate outside groups spent up to 10 times that amount under new campaign finance laws. Why so much money for state legislative races?... more »

• Counselors concerned about increasing credit card debt in Colorado

  November 16, 2010 7:41 PM

  Tis the season for spending, but credit counselors are worried about consumers falling deeper into debt. Colorado now has the 2nd highest credit card debit in the U.S. according to the scoring website Credit Kkarma. According to the website, in Colorado people have an average of $8,741 in credit card... more »

• Holiday sales expect to rise

  November 1, 2010 8:13 PM

  With Halloween now in the books the retail focus shifts to Christmas. With only 54 shopping days left, businesses are already getting into the holiday spirit. "We already have all of our Christmas wrap in and we're ready to go." says Chris Sondermann who owns Terra Verde, a shop in... more »

• Colorado Springs proposes tight 2011 budget

  October 12, 2010 8:21 AM

  Some Colorado Springs recreation and cultural centers kept open this year with private funding could close next year under a city budget proposal. Interim City Manager Steve Cox says there's been "a positive trend" in sales and use tax revenue the past 10 months, but the economy is still... more »

• Seasonal hiring for holiday shopping season begins

  October 11, 2010 7:11 PM

  It may only be mid October, but some stores in Southern Colorado are already hearing "Jingle Bells". "It's definitely the warm up for Christmas." explains Rebecca Berg, the owner of Barracuda Bazaar clothing store in Old Colorado City, "People are starting to look around at the stores to see what's... more »

• Congressman Lamborn: Democrats went too far

  September 23, 2010 2:41 PM

  The GOP released a document today which they say they'll use a playbook if Americans return control of the House to them. "This is a pledge and Republicans are making this with one voice," said 5th District Rep. Doug Lamborn. The Pledge to American includes a promise to repeal... more »

• Complete text: GOP A Pledge to America

  September 23, 2010 12:44 PM

  Want to know what Republicans would do if they win control of the House? No need to guess any longer. House Republicans were at a hardware store in suburban Virgina Wednesday to roll out a 21-page policy agenda. Their "Pledge to America" pulls together familiar proposals to slash... more »

• White House sends spending wish list to Congress

  September 15, 2010 1:46 PM

  The Obama administration is pushing a pre-election shopping list on its Democratic allies in Congress as they prepare must-pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown next month. Republicans are protesting the spending requests, which include $1.9 billion for school grants, financial help for the Postal Service and more than... more »

• $1.3 trillion deficit to be second highest of all time

  September 13, 2010 2:21 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government is on track to record the second-highest deficit of all time with one month left in the budget year. The Treasury Department says that through August, the deficit totaled $1.26 trillion. That's down 8.1 percent from the same period in 2009, when the... more »

• Hard times for Illinois, but not for governor's staff

  July 6, 2010 2:04 PM

  Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises topping 20 percent to his staff even as he calls for $1.4 billion in spending cuts because of the state's budget crisis. An Associated Press analysis of documents shows Quinn has given his staff 43 raises averaging 11.4 percent since he... more »

• VP Biden says stimulus is working

  June 17, 2010 2:45 PM

  Vice President Joe Biden says the economic recovery act deserves credit for creating or saving upward of 2.8 million jobs so far, with thousands more projects coming soon in a busy summer of construction. At the White House Thursday, the vice president told reporters: "Folks, the act is working."... more »

• US budget deficit this year: $1 trillion

  June 10, 2010 2:10 PM

  The budget deficit through the first eight months of the government's budget year is running slightly below last year's record-setting pace. Still, the country on track to record another $1 trillion-plus deficit. In its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said that the deficit in May totaled $135.9 billion,... more »

• Massive education cuts around the country

  June 1, 2010 9:12 AM

  Deep cuts may be looming for the nation's public school students as budget crises are forcing teacher pink-slips, shuttered classrooms and school program cuts. New York public schools are $500 million short. Illinois will cut 12,600 education jobs and in California 23-thousand teacher layoff notices have already been sent... more »

• Economists more upbeat despite deficit woes

  May 24, 2010 9:05 AM

  A survey of leading economic forecasters predicts the pace of U.S. growth will pick up in the year ahead as consumers and businesses accelerate spending. The assessment being released today by The National Association for Business Economics is more bullish than the last survey in February. The panel of... more »

• April consumer spending falls from March

  May 13, 2010 8:36 AM

  New figures show Americans pulled back from the malls in April after spending more rapidly in March. The lull comes on the heels of three straight month-to-month gains in retail spending, according to figures released by MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse. April's business was hurt by cool weather as well as... more »

• School Network audit highlights extreme spending

  May 6, 2010 1:09 PM

  Fallout continues over a critical financial audit of the Cesar Chavez School Network. For example, in one year the network spent $36,423 eating out at 165 restaurants. According to the report, nearly a third of that was spent by Dr. Lawrence Hernandez the former Chief Executive Officer, his wife... more »

• Congress targets Pentagon waste, inefficiency

  April 28, 2010 3:56 PM

  The House is demanding that the Pentagon improve how it acquires goods and services, saying that cutting down on waste and abuse can save taxpayers billions of dollars. Legislation passed by the House requires the Defense Department to adopt better business practices such as monitoring purchases to ensure that... more »

• Construction spending falls to lowest level in 8 years

  April 1, 2010 10:31 AM

  Builders cut back on new projects at a faster-than-expected pace in February and drove down construction spending to the lowest level in eight years. It was a fresh sign that the troubled real-estate market remains a sore spot for the economic recovery. The government says construction spending fell 1.3... more »

• Incomes flat; consumer spending rises

  March 29, 2010 11:13 AM

  Americans aren't making any more money--but they're spending more. Consumers spent modestly last month, a sign that the economic recovery is proceeding at a decent - but not spectacular - pace. The government says consumers boosted their spending 0.3 percent in February, a tad slower than the 0.4... more »

• Exxon plans to spend more, despite lower oil demand

  March 11, 2010 12:11 PM

  Exxon says it will boost spending this year on new and existing projects even though demand for energy is still restrained in many parts of the globe. The world's largest publicly traded oil company intends to boost capital spending by 3 percent to about $28 billion. Spending should range... more »

• Spending rises, but income growth slows

  March 1, 2010 12:16 PM

  Personal spending jumped by a larger amount than expected in January but Americans' incomes barely budged as millions of Social Security recipients did not get their usual cost of living boost. The weak income growth could depress spending in the months ahead, acting as a further drag on the fragile... more »

• Obama says new budget rules will rein in spending.

  February 13, 2010 1:03 PM

  President Barack Obama says new budget rules he's signed into law now mean that any spending increases must be matched by spending cuts. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the rules, known as "paygo," short for pay as you go, will force Congress to "pay for what... more »

• Personal incomes, consumer spending up in December

  February 1, 2010 10:09 AM

  Personal incomes rose more than expected in December and consumer spending increased for the third straight month, helping the economy slowly recover from the worst recession in decades. The Commerce Department said Monday that incomes rose by 0.4 percent, the sixth increase in a row. That's slightly better than analysts'... more »

• Colorado's spent $247,000 in stimulus money on signs

  January 22, 2010 11:53 AM

  Colorado has spent as much as $247,000 in federal stimulus money to post signs along construction sites letting drivers know the work is being paid for with stimulus money. The signs also bear the name of Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter. Republican lawmakers think it's ridiculous and proposed ending the... more »

• US health spending grew to $2.3 trillion in 2008

  January 5, 2010 9:58 AM

  A new federal analysis says the recession dramatically slowed U.S. health care spending in 2008. But, it still grew at a faster pace than the economy as a whole, accounting for more than 16.2 percent of the nation's economic output, up from 15.9 percent in 2007. Economists at the government's... more »

• Government debt limits on ballot

  December 12, 2009 10:48 AM

  DENVER (AP) - An initiative to limit borrowing by state and local governments in Colorado will appear on the November ballot. Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher said Friday that supporters of the measure had gathered enough signatures to put it before voters November 2. It will appear on... more »

• Will Americans spend more this holiday season?

  November 23, 2009 5:55 PM

  The holiday shopping season starts Friday and many retailers want to know what it's going to take to get you to open your wallet. With the recession easing, things aren't as tight as last year, but new surveys show the economy still has a hold on our wallets. Last... more »

• Americans may be settling into spending less

  November 12, 2009 8:52 AM

  Americans may be settling into low-spending habits. They spent about the same amount in October as they did in August and September. That's according to SpendingPulse, a service of MasterCard Advisors. U.S. retail sales rose 1.5 percent in October compared to a year earlier. The sales include everything from toys... more »

• Flex spending accounts face hit in health overhaul

  November 2, 2009 8:24 AM

  A health care legislation provision that would cap an employee's annual contribution to tax-free health care spending accounts is running up against opposition from an odd assortment of groups. Bills in the House and Senate would cut off employee contributions at $2,500 for the accounts that help them pay for... more »

• People spending more time on social sites

  September 25, 2009 12:02 PM

  Americans have been devoting 17 percent of all their Internet time to social networks like Facebook and blogging Web sites like Blogger. The percentage for last month is up from 6 percent a year earlier. The report comes from Nielsen and follows its decision to team up with... more »

• Are consumers consuming?

  September 15, 2009 8:06 AM

  Investors will get some insight Tuesday into how much consumers are spending when the Commerce Department reports on August retail sales. Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group, says Wall Street is intensely focused on whether people are "releasing some of those dollars they have been clinging so tightly... more »

• Tourism down in western Colorado

  September 8, 2009 7:32 AM

  Summer tourism is declining in western Colorado as the recession holds down travel and spending. The Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau says the city lodging tax brought in 21 percent less money in July than it did a year ago. The bureau says year-to-date lodging tax revenue is... more »

• Workers' comp insurer defends record to lawmakers

  September 5, 2009 7:03 AM

  Executives from Colorado's state-chartered workers' compensation insurance company are defending themselves against accusations of lavish spending, excess profits and paying bonuses to employees for denying claims. Executives told lawmakers Friday that it would be counterproductive for them to mistreat injured workers to increase profits. Pinnacol CEO Ken Ross says the... more »