Grass roots band

KEENESBURG — While farmers around him give up control over water used for a century to irrigate crops, Marc Arnusch is crouching in a thick cornfield inspecting blue digits on his new sensor. The third-generation farmer installed it to measure exactly the level of moisture in soil right at the roots of his corn. He’s also considering underground tubes that emit water only upon contact by roots. This technology, made for farming in the Israeli desert, Agriculture across Colorado and the West continues to use 85 percent of total water supplies. But growing numbers of farmers are shifting toward greater efficiency, replacing ditch-and-flood irrigation with center-pivot sprinklers and tubes that emit tiny drops. Colorado officials say they’re counting on such increased efficiency and conservation as the state readies for an increase in people and industry — with a projected annual shortfall of 163 billion gallons . State water planners anticipate farmers will be able to … [Read more...] about Colorado farmers grow more food on less water amid rising competition

Senate Democrats are preparing to fully underwrite COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers in their version of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which would also aid illegal immigrants, according to a report from Politico . After the House passed the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill on partisan lines, Senate Democrats are now preparing their version of the mammoth legislation. Politico reported that Senate Democrats want to increase the COBRA subsidies to help laid-off workers so that they can continue to stay on their employer-provided healthcare plan rather than shop for a plan on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. The House version of the legislation allowed for subsidies to pay for 85 percent of COBRA premiums to laid-off workers, including illegal immigrants. The Senate Democrat version would reportedly increase the subsidies to 100 percent of premiums, which would cost roughly $15 billion. Politico wrote that this potential increase in … [Read more...] about Report: Senate Democrats to ‘Fully Subsidize’ Employer Healthcare Coverage, Including Illegal Immigrants

(CBS) – Twenty-nine years ago, seven individuals met in a Manhattan loft and let the world see what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. The Real World was born in 1992 and would go on to become a cultural phenomenon with 33 season under its belt to date. For the first time since the early 90s all seven original castmates will be together again when The Real World Homecoming: New York premieres on March 4th as part of the launch of Paramount+ . CBS’ Matt Weiss caught up with Julie Gentry and Andre Comeau ahead of Thursday’s premiere to discuss what it’s like 29 year later when things stop polite and start getting real. READ MORE: Limited Amount Of New First Dose COVID Vaccine Appointments Go Fast MW: Welcome to the both of you!. This is a long time coming almost 30 years since you went from strangers to roommates along with the rest of the cast, what was your reaction when you were approached about doing this reunion? JG: Well, we were … [Read more...] about Julie Gentry And Andre Comeau Get Real About ‘The Real World Homecoming: New York’: ‘We Handle Tough Conversations’

Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has treated people’s physical health and economic health as separate and distinct. While legislators would never think of cutting off free access to COVID treatment and vaccinations in the midst of this health crisis, they are quite willing to eliminate or underfund the economic supports that are vital to the survival of individuals, families, and communities. The COVID-19 relief bill Congress passed in December is a perfect illustration. Its provisions expire throughout the year like the seasons. Enhanced federal unemployment insurance ends on March 14 . Tax credits to encourage paid family leave expire on March 31 . Expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits run out on June 30 . Remaining CARES Act funds must be spent by December 31 . Every COVID relief bill has been crafted with temporary supports and arbitrary end dates, chasing an unpredictable virus and an unclear … [Read more...] about COVID recovery requires addressing economic inequities

CROWLEY — A few jagged cottonwoods still jut at the edges of the wind-whipped fields where Jim Valliant grew alfalfa, corn and wheat — before his then- employer, Foxley Cattle Co., sold its water rights to satisfy urban demands along Colorado’s high-growth Front Range. It was one big sale among many of farmers’ water rights that have nearly killed Crowley and other prairie towns on the north side of the Arkansas River. Concrete-lined irrigation ditches that once delivered water now are bone-dry. Draining water that once irrigated crops to supply suburban housing, lawns and golf courses makes it impossible for farms and the towns that depend on farming to survive. “Once you move water out, it ain’t coming back to the land,” the 74-year-old Valliant, now an irrigation specialist for Colorado State University’s Cooperative Extension station in nearby Rocky Ford, said recently as he rolled past the weeds and a slumping farmhouse surrounded by garbage. Built in the 1890s, after … [Read more...] about In Crowley, “plug’s already out of the tub”