Colorado governor signs bills on health care, highway safety

DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter has signed 16 bills on health care and transportation, including measures designed to provide medical care to more children and enforce safety rules in highway construction zones.

He vetoed a bill that would require taxpayers to disclose more information if they file for a tax break for some real estate investment trust transactions.

One of the measures signed Tuesday makes more children eligible for Colorado’s Child Health Plan Plus by raising the maximum family income. Another removes administrative barriers to applying for the plan and for Medicaid.

One transportation bill increases penalties for speeding and other violations in highway construction zones.

Another increases fines for inattentive driving, speeding, DUI, lane violations and following too closely.

<b>Colo. researchers predict 8 Atlantic hurricanes, 4 major</b>

FORT COLLINS — A noted hurricane researcher is calling for eight hurricanes in the Atlantic this year, four of them major.

Tuesday’s forecast calls for a very active season, with 15 named storms. William Gray, a former Colorado State University climatologist, pioneered the seasonal predictions in 1984.

The 15 named storms include tropical storm Arthur, which formed on May 31.

The revised outlook from the Colorado State University researchers is the same as their April forecast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month forecast 12 to 16 named storms, including six to nine hurricanes.

“Conditions in the tropical Atlantic look quite favorable for an active hurricane season,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the CSU forecast.

Last June, the CSU team predicted 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes, five of them major. The year produced 14 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of them major.

The CSU forecasters used a new statistical model this year, which they say has shown considerable improvement over the previous model.

The team said there is a 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall somewhere on the U.S. coastline, compared to the long-term average probability of 52 percent.

The team said there is a 45 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula. The long-term average is 31 percent.

The Associated Press reported May 31 that emergency management agencies in every coastal state from Texas to Maine do not rely on Gray’s forecasts in planning for the hurricane season. But they did say they appreciate the forecasts’ role in getting people thinking about the upcoming season.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

<b>Another Colorado casino claims exemption from smoking ban</b>

CRIPPLE CREEK — Another Colorado casino is allowing patrons to light up while gambling, claiming it is exempt from the statewide smoking ban as a cigar bar.

Bronco Billy’s Casino in Cripple Creek began allowing smoking in about 25 percent of its space on Monday.

Mark Murphy, a partner in the casino, said Bronco Billy’s has met the minimum sales figures for tobacco to qualify for the exemption.

Stephanie Steinberg of Smoke-Free Gaming of Colorado scoffed at the claim, saying Bronco Billy’s has always operated as a casino never as a cigar bar.

The Wild Card Casino in Black Hawk has also claimed an exemption from the smoking ban as a cigar bar.

Murphy said Cripple Creek Police Chief Gary Hamilton checked the smoking area’s signs and ventilation on Monday, and police had not written any citations. Hamilton did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press Tuesday.

Murphy said the casino has not advertised the change and the reaction from customers was muted.

“Those that are smokers are happy that they are again being accommodated, and most of the nonsmokers were happy that the majority of the area is still nonsmoking,” he said Tuesday.

Murphy and managers of other casinos say the smoking ban, which expanded to include casinos on Jan. 1, has hurt their business.

Casino revenue is down in Colorado’s three gambling towns — Cripple Creek, Black Hawk and Central City — and casino owners say the smoking ban is the biggest culprit.

Steinberg said revenues are down in smoker-friendly Las Vegas, too.

Murphy said he doesn’t know when Bronco Billy’s might see revenue increase now that it has a smoking area, but he predicted any growth would be gradual.