Colorado

The Aurora Police Department is seeking assistance from the public to identify the suspects responsible for up to ten armed robberies of Hispanic businesses in Aurora since March 11, 2008.

Detective Shannon Lucy announced Monday a reward has been increased to $2,000 since originally alerting the public of the pattern robberies March 24th. Police reported five similar robberies at that time, the number has now doubled, according to Lucy, with one business being hit twice.”*

The road to the Democratic presidential nomination culminates in Denver. Could the vice presidential nomination also run through Colorado?

With the prospects of the “dream team” slate of Obama and Hillary Clinton fading, Salon lists Sen. Ken Salazar as one of 15 potential running mates for prohibitive favorite Barack Obama.”*

It’s striking to hear a room full of eighth graders talk about the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812 in fluent, unbroken Spanish.

The non-bilingual ear could pick out names, like Lewis and Clark, and simple Spanish phrases, but the rest would be a mystery. Not a word of English is spoken in this lesson, except for maybe a whispered joke between a couple students. It’s the sort of conversation you’d expect to hear in a college level Spanish-history course.

Most of these students in the Berry Creek Middle School dual-language class have been in the same class together since second grade — and many have been together since kindergarten. “*

A group of Latino Denver police officers wants the FBI to investigate possible civil rights violations in the case of a white officer accused of using excessive force against a 16-year-old.

The Denver chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association is forwarding a letter to Police Chief Gerry Whitman today, asking him to halt an internal affairs investigation into the Latino teenager’s injuries.”*

Blanca and Yessenia Soto sometimes still feel the stares as they walk into stores. It hasn’t been unusual, simply by virtue of their brown skin, for the teenage sisters to be followed down the aisles.

Butting up against racial stereotypes, economic hardship and occasional hostility is part of life for many whose skin color advertises an ethnic heritage. For children, especially, the experiences are penetrating and painful.

El Teatro, a Northridge High School theater company, has put those stories in the spotlight.”*

It was a quiet May Day in the mountains of Colorado, and much calmer on the immigration-rights demonstration front across much of the state and nation than the past two years. But as Coloradans gather to celebrate Cinco de Mayo today, there is a growing sense of unease over intensified enforcement efforts and stalled federal reform of immigration laws.

Congress has seemingly gridlocked on comprehensive immigration reform, and the topic is a non-starter for the three candidates still vying for the presidency. Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both backed presumptive Republican candidate Sen. John McCain’s failed amnesty proposal two years ago, and they all have given the nod to a border fence.”*

Rancho Liborio, the biggest Hispanic grocery store to arrive in Colorado Springs, opened quietly at 1660 S. Circle Drive in March.

Low prices were the main attraction for Francisca Becerra, who dropped by the store during a recent afternoon and picked up bread and fabric-softener sheets. “*

La Voz, Denver’s oldest and largest bilingual newspaper, has been sold by its co-founder Wanda Padilla to a group of prominent Latino business people, the newspaper announced Friday.”*

Denver’s Cinco de Mayo celebration is a good time to enjoy food and music but its big business for advertisers.

“This year we have 77,000 more square feet of exhibitor space” said Andrea Barela, an event organizer.

More companies than ever are lining up this year to target the Latino community.

“I think people recognize the value of the Latino community and how important it is to get that captive audience,” Barela said. “*

Triumphant horns and singing violins competed with school bells and intercom announcements Wednesday in Bryant-Webster school as the student mariachi group prepared for its biggest performance ever.

The all-student group, Mariachi Juvenil, will perform two songs tonight with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Hall in a free concert to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

“I’m excited, but I’m nervous,” said Elizabeth Nuñez, a 13-year-old seventh-grader who plays violin. “I just hope it comes out all right.”"*

Latinos accounted for 19.8 percent of Colorado’s population in 2007, up from 17.1 percent in 2000, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

In figures released Wednesday, the bureau estimated the state’s 2007 Latino population at 965,885, a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.”*

With almost 1,700 middle and high school students in attendance, there almost weren’t enough chairs for everyone at the 17th annual La Raza Youth Leadership Conference this year.

bout 20 students from Sterling Middle and High School traveled to Denver, Saturday for La Raza Youth Leadership, held on the Auraria campus of the University of Colorado, Denver.

“It was inspiring,” said Leonarda Martinez, a seventh grader at SMS. “I learned going to college will be fun.”

La Raza Youth Leadership Institute has been organizing the conference since 1992. This conference is the second-largest conference for Latino youth in Colorado. The mission of La Raza Youth Leadership is to empower Latino youth to achieve their educational and leadership potential and instill the desire to give back to the community.”*

For eight years Jeanette Rojas held onto a dream to bring shoes to the impoverished children of Mexico.

For one month, after being chosen as Miss Loveland Valentine, she began collecting shoes for the Mexican families that couldn’t afford them.

For 12 hours, she and her family drove south to the border with a truckload full of the 869 donated pairs.”*

Juanes used his time wisely during song breaks, advocating for the indigenous people, “campesinos,” and the rest of us — both in his native Columbia and throughout the world. Juanes incited social responsibility and human unity so that someday we can live in a world without boundaries, united under a flag of peace. To further establish his point, Juanes used a slide show from a renowned Spanish photographer depicting the many injuries sustained by children working in the dangerous mines in Columbia to accompany a new song, “Minas Piedras.” The horrific pictures were tough to digest, but they drove home an important lesson to the capacity crowd.”*

Mexico would prefer its citizens stay in their home country, contribute to the economy there and earn money there, rather than leave for the United States, said Eduardo Arnal, consul general of Mexico.

A lawyer and former congressman in Mexico, Arnal, 37, stopped briefly in Grand Junction Thursday on a quick trip through western Colorado.”*

Criticism over Rep. Douglas Bruce’s “illiterate peasants” comments intensified Tuesday, with two Hispanic groups calling for his resignation as the guest workers bill that inspired his remarks passed the House by a large margin.

Critics said they had no plans to file a formal complaint that could lead to an ethics investigation into his action, however.

Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, drew gasps Monday when he read a statement that the state didn’t need to pass the bill and have “5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado.” Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, refused to let him speak for the rest of the debate. “*

A Colorado lawmaker is feeling the backlash of calling Mexican workers “illiterate peasants.”

State Representative Douglas Bruce made the remark during a debate on the Statehouse floor. Lawmakers had been discussing a bill designed to ease a shortage of farm workers in Colorado.

Bruce was ordered to leave the podium immediately after the remark. But he says he knew exactly what he was saying.”*

*From: http://www.wltx.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The Lower Columbia’s largest Latino grocery store, El Tigre, offers 11 different kinds of chiles — hot peppers — including the hottest of all, the piquin.

Having specialities like that is one reason the four-year old grocery is expanding at its location at 463 Oregon Way in Longview, where it moved just a year ago.

Owner Neri Aguilar credits the store’s success to strong customer service, the area’s fast-growing Latino community, and the store’s evolution into a one-stop shop for local Latinos — a “supermercado” that sells $17 pinatas and $130 watches, specialty creams from Central America, $49 cowboy boots for tots and spooky religious knickknacks such as a statue of Santa Muerte - the Grim Reaper. “*

*From: http://www.tdn.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Greeley-Evans School District 6 officials last week got some news they hope will increase graduate rates.

English Language Learning students showed improvement or significant improvement in nearly every category and grade level in the Colorado English Language Assessment test. CELA is given to students who entered the district having no proficiency or limited proficiency in English. The assessment, given to 3,600 District 6 students in January, measures how well these students have progressed in learning to read, write, speak and listen in English.”*

*From: http://www.greeleytrib.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

As thousands packed into a Washington, D.C., stadium to see Pope Benedict XVI, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo attacked the pontiff for statements about immigration.

Tancredo, a Littleton Republican, accused the pope of welcoming illegal immigrants to the U.S. in order to build membership in the church.

The Catholic leader, while in Washington today, said: “I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home.”"*

*From: http://www.denverpost.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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From: http://cbs4denver.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Calling America a country perfectly “capable of multitasking,” Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer said the U.S. ought to be pursuing a guest- worker program at the same time it fortifies its borders.

On that point at least, he’s more moderate than the party’s likely presidential nominee, John McCain — who now insists on an “enforcement first” approach — and even his Democratic opponent, Mark Udall, a signal that the GOP is unlikely to make immigration a wedge issue in this year’s most important statewide race.

Udall supported an immigration-reform effort that died in Congress last year and included both a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.”*

*From: http://www.denverpost.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Pueblo City Schools officials were happy to see a strong improvement in the district’s graduation rate last year, but a closer look at the figures show that Hispanic students are receiving diplomas at a rate less than the overall school population.

The Hispanic graduation rate did improve, though, rising to 60 percent from 50 percent, but it’s still more than 10 percentage points behind the overall district and the rate among white students set at 77.4 percent. Hispanic students make up 56 percent of the number of students expected to be in the class of 2007, but 48 percent of the number who actually received diplomas”*

*From: http://www.chieftain.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Friday’s Brush museum Sack Lunch Program will feature Gabriel and Jody Lopez, authors of the book “White Gold Laborers.”

According to Gabriel, the title of the book refers to the laborers who worked in the sugar beet fields of Western Sugar Cooperative to create “white gold,” or sugar.”*

*From: http://www.fortmorgantimes.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Sandy Gutierrez, president and CEO of the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce, has been appointed to Gov. Bill Ritter’s new Jobs Cabinet.

Ritter formed the commission to “align the state’s economic development and education goals with funding and strategies for preparing a modern labor force,” according to a press release.”*

*From: http://www.chieftain.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish