CIA Director Leon Panetta says four high-profile suspects arrested in the United States last year were not on the radar of the agency. One of them was Najibullah Zazi, a Colorado airport-shuttle driver who pleaded guilty last month to plotting what could have been the worst terror incident on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks.

Zazi, who admits he tested bomb-making materials in Aurora before driving to New York to carry out his plan of revenge for U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, is part of a new trend. He’s among al-Qaida operatives sent to the United States with no discernible history of terrorist activity or documented connection to the organization, officials say.

“My worry is there are others that have been deployed here that we don’t know about,” Panetta tells The Associated Press, pointing to changing tactics on both sides of the war on terror.

Meanwhile, Wonkette provides a review of several articles steeped in the everyone-is-watching-everyone culture of fear that has permeated the West since terrorists first struck.

Advocates of medical marijuana who decry the recent raid on a growing operation in Highlands Ranch have found powerful but unlikely allies in their battle to force federal agents to back down.

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, including Senator Chris Romer, is pushing controversial regulations that would prevent growers from operating in suburban areas and allow the state to keep a database of where operations are located.

Though Romer (right) doesn’t take a stand on the Highlands Ranch case, he says he is troubled by raids on labs that appear to comply with state law, according to The Associated Press.

“It’s kind of hard to build trust in the environment that’s been created by these raids,” adds Romer.

The group is calling on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to bar crackdowns on medical marijuana operations.

Meanwhile, state Attorney General John Suthers tells Westword the industry that has popped up around marijuana “isn’t what the voters approved” when they made the drug legal for medicinal purposes in 2000.

National Energy Rebate Fund, a company led by a former Grand Junction man, wins the dubious honor of having the highest number of consumer complaints through the Colorado Attorney General’s Office in 2009.

Of the 631 complaints about rebate offers last year, 627 were about NERF, according to the Grand Junction Sentinel, which reports that the fund, owned by Tim Stubbs, was fined $100,000 by Attorney General John Suthers in January for defrauding customers on rebates they were promised for energy-efficient housing materials.

Stubbs has also been ordered to return $4.2 million to more than 14,000 customers around the country, as the state seeks a judgment against his personal funds. But he has left Colorado and may be living in Costa Rica, although his company Web site indicates a willingness to pay rebates.

Throughout last year, consumers filed 1,984 complaints with the consumer protection division of the attorney general’s office, according to a news release. That’s down nine percent from the year before. Yet nationally, a separate report from the Federal Trade Commission ranks Colorado second, behind Nevada, for its rate of consumer complaints to all law-enforcement agencies and Better Business Bureaus, notes The Denver Post.

Kasie Oliver told Colorado lawmakers during a hearing yesterday that she took out a $400 payday loan to help cover extra bills incurred when her grandchildren came to live with her. A mere eight months later, she had failed to dig herself out of her financial hole and could no longer keep up with the 300 percent interest rate on her payday loan. So she filed for bankruptcy.

“It’s robbing, it’s stealing. It’s not the right thing to do,” Oliver told 9News before her testimony in favor of a bill that would cap the interest rates on payday loans at 36 percent annually.

Outside the Capitol, more than 300 people gathered to defend the industry, which employs hundreds around the state, saying a cap would harm business and consumers.

“The truth is our customers know what it costs to borrow money, and compared to the fees associated with bouncing a check, paying a credit card bill late, and even with many ATM charges, it costs less to get a payday loan,” claims Deisi Pinedo, a district manager for Advance America.

In recent years, efforts to bring greater regulation to the payday-loan industry have been defeated, but last night, a house panel approved Bill 1351 (via The Denver Post). The industry has exploded since 2000, when lawmakers eased restrictions on it. Back then there were just around 200 lenders in the state offering payday loans. In 2008 (the most recent data available), that number climbed to 610.

The Colorado Rockies are on a spring training roll, with the latest victory coming in a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres. Pitcher Jorge De La Rosa looks like he’s in mid-season form, allowing just one hit and one walk in his second appearance—and he has yet to give up a run (via The Associated Press).

The offense is flowing pretty well, too, led by backup catcher Miguel Olivo, who blasted a two-run home run and a double later in Monday’s game, writes Purple Row.

Meanwhile, one-time closer and current reliever Manny Corpas tells The Associated Press he realizes the four-year, $8 million investment the Rockies made in him during spring training 2008 has been a poor investment and that he needs to get his form back before he’s drawing his mighty salary in the minor leagues.

He needs to drop about 15 pounds and prove conditioning isn’t the issue it appears to be, but pitching coach Bob Apodaca and manager Jim Tracy are encouraged that Corpas’ pitches are looking better than they have since he was benched halfway through last year with elbow problems. (more…)

When Colorado microbreweries tout “Imperial IPA,” I warn my taste buds to take cover: Things are about to get really bitter.

And the hops Twisted Pine Brewing Company uses in Hoppy Man—Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe, and Northern Brewer—impart aromas and flavors that run the gamut of hoppiness, from flowery and smoky to grapefruit notes. Beyond the range of hops varieties, they also hop the beer six times. (And yes, they dry-hop it.)

So I had mentally armored myself by the time I poured the beer—a very pretty amber color—into my pint glass. But the smell and taste of this very well-balanced beer, which left my bitter taste buds intact, caught me by surprise. Sure, it’s still delightfully hoppy on the tongue, but it’s the clean, sharp type of flavor that lingers lightly after the fullness of the malts.

Inspecting the beer more closely, the 10.5 percent ABV explains the mature balance. Such a high alcohol level doesn’t come without a good dose of malts.

Hoppy Man was originally brewed for the Great American Beer Festival, but Twisted Pine has brewed a small amount again for limited release, so grab a bomber of this refreshingly well-balanced IPA soon.

When we last checked in on I-70, lawmakers were debating the merits of “zipper lanes,” which could speed up the weekend rush from many ski resorts back to the Denver area. Now, you can’t take I-70 from some resorts on any kind of lane.

As of yesterday morning, the highway is closed between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs in both directions after a massive rockslide, including a boulder estimated to weigh 66 tons. Officials say the road won’t reopen “any time soon,” (via the Denver Business Journal). The rockslide caused dozens of holes and “dips” in the roadway, according to 9News, which points out that nobody, thankfully, was injured.

Geologists for the Colorado Department of Transportation arrived late Monday afternoon to embark on a two-hour hike up a mountain to inspect a questionable area and ensure more boulders won’t fall. If they’re unstable, they’ll have to be dealt with before major repairs begin. Governor Bill Ritter has issued a disaster declaration in an attempt to obtain federal funds for repairs.

This isn’t the first time the highway has shut down for a long stretch. In November 2004, a slide in the same area along I-70 resulted in a similar closure.

Conscientious diners throughout the metro area seek out dishes that feature local, seasonal produce, but how often do they find entire menus comprised of local ingredients? Locavores were delighted when Arugula Bar e Ristorante recently met that challenge with a Slow Food Boulder winter dinner, held at a time when local produce is perceived as sparse.

Chef Alec Schuler pulled off an incredible event, which included ingredients such as home-canned Toohey Farm heirloom-tomato sauce over delicate, buttery tilapia farmed in Colorado. House-cured lomo made from Long Family Farm pork and tender Colorado’s Best Beef Company bresaola also took starring roles, upstaged only slightly by the accompanying earthy Grant Family Farm beets, pickled Red Wagon Organic Farm shallots, and HeartEye Village CSA yellow beans. Munson Farms squash was tucked into delicate homemade ravioli, crowned with sautéed Hazel Dell mushrooms, roasted Toohey Farm kabocha squash, and a savory brown butter accented with sage grown in Schuler’s own garden.

The piece de resistance was the Colorado’s Best slowly braised beef shank in marrow butter paired with Infinite Monkey Theorem’s 2008 Malbec. The meal ended sweetly with house-canned Ela Family Farms Western Slope peach coulis garnishing a velvety Haystack Mountain goat cheesecake.

Start to finish, Schuler proved that, with some planning, enjoying Colorado’s bounty is possible even in the dead of winter.

Bonus: A quick scan of Arugula’s menu indicates that chef Schuler is always mindful of local and seasonal cuisine, not just when planning for a Slow Food event.

2785 Iris Ave., Boulder, 303-443-5100

Willie Clark’s fate will likely be put into the hands of a Denver jury today, as deliberations are expected to begin in deciding whether he is responsible for former Bronco Darrent Williams’ death.

The Associated Press reports that prosecutors in the case are expected to call two final rebuttal witnesses before both sides present closing arguments, just one day after Clark, an alleged gang member, chose not to testify in his own defense. Clark is accused of shooting Williams after a fight at a Denver nightclub in the early hours of January 1, 2007. Williams was riding in a limousine with 16 other people and took a bullet to the neck.

The case has been emotional for the city of Denver, but even more so for Williams’ family and the Denver Broncos themselves, including wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who has been the subject of headlines for several days now. He may be headed to the Seattle Seahawks, which would give the Broncos the sixth pick in next month’s NFL draft. Tacoma’s News Tribune thinks the Seahawks should let the mercurial wide receiver be someone else’s headache this season.

“I don’t care how talented the guy is, or how badly the Seahawks need a receiver, or how many of the charges against [Marshall] have been dropped; this much involvement with domestic violence charges should be an absolute non-negotiable deal-breaker from the start,” writes Dave Boling. (more…)

Once Upon a Playground, Reed Photo-Art Gallery
Through Friday, April 30 | Details | Read more

Plastic playgrounds have long replaced the worn, metal jungles of her childhood, but Brenda Biondo finds artistic worth in those slides and seesaws of the past.

Revisit your own youthful memories in Biondo’s photography, which captures the life and sculptural aspects of vintage playgrounds.

More: I Am a Cloud | Transitions: Paintings by Patrick Espy

Jeremy Bray, a Pueblo blogger who made some money selling Amazon.com products on his Web site, received an unexpected e-mail message this week. Without warning, Amazon canceled its affiliate program for everyone in Colorado, meaning no more small commissions for sites that refer customers to Amazon through Web clicks.

Why? Amazon is unhappy with a new state law signed by Governor Bill Ritter last week that taxes online sales, writes CNET, which points out that at least a dozen other states are considering similar measures.

Amazon has explained to all its affiliate sellers in Colorado that although the company will “continue to sell to Colorado residents,” it will now “advertise through other channels, including associates based in other states,” according to the Denver Business Journal.

Ritter, for his part, fires back at Amazon, saying the company has taken “a disappointing—and completely unjustified—step.” (more…)

When the Democratic National Convention came to town in the summer of 2008, a fledgling program called Freewheelin’ provided 1,000 bikes for people to borrow in an effort to reduce traffic and improve health. When the convention left town, Freewheelin’ promised to leave the bikes behind so that Denver could launch a permanent bike-share program. Since then, only city employees have been allowed to use the bikes for free.

The pilot program saw city employees ride 30 bikes just 490 times in 2009, an average of 16 rides per bike, or 1.9 riders per workday of the 2,000 people who work at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building downtown, points out The Denver Post. Of course, “you have to figure that there are about four months of winter weather with days when bikes are basically unridable,” notes Steve Sander, the city marketing director, who is tasked with expanding the program citywide.

This month crews will begin work on 40 bike stations downtown, along Cherry Creek, and near the University of Denver. The stations will dock 500 red Trek three-speeds with baskets, locks, and headlights, although helmets will not be included.

Stations will be equipped with credit card terminals, and riders can purchase a year-long, unlimited membership for $65, or pay as they go, notes 9News. The first 30 minutes are free, the following half hour will cost $1.10, and so forth in a fee structure that involves discounts, for instance, for students.

“The idea is that we want people to take very short trips,” says Parry Burnap, executive director of Denver Bike Sharing. “Forty-nine percent of American car trips are under three miles. Just think about that and the impact on health, the environment, the sense of community.”

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet has more money than his Democratic opponent, Andrew Romanoff. He also has more endorsements and more support from the state’s elite, insider Democrats. Still, The Denver Post reports, Romanoff persists, campaigning nonstop. And as the crucial precinct caucuses approach, he’s looking pretty good.

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows Romanoff in a “virtual tie” with presumed Republican frontrunner Jane Norton, and Bennet trails by nine points, notes the Denver Business Journal.

“Bennet’s continuing inability to gain ground suggests that incumbency is one of his biggest problems,” according to the Rasmussen report. “Voter unhappiness with the national health-care plan championed by President Obama and with the continuing bad economy is causing problems for a number of incumbent Democrats.”

Seventeen percent of voters view Romanoff favorably; 19 percent unfavorably, adds Politico, which also points out that Bennet is viewed favorably by 16 percent of voters and 26 percent view him unfavorably.

“This past week we implemented a policy that has been the most difficult decision of my life,” writes Father Bill Breslin of Boulder’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in a blog post titled “Moses and the Burning Bush.”

Breslin is referring to his decision to ban a student whose parents are lesbians, adding he “chose to protect the faith over doing what would have looked like the loving thing to do…. Our school is a Catholic school, and our teaching on the sanctity of marriage is as clear as a bell.”

A small group of protesters gathered outside the church on Sunday, including Kira Hall, who held a sign that read, “God loves all people.” Another protester, Colleen Scanlan Lyons, whose daughter attends the school, told 9News, “I’ve had 16 years of Catholic education, and this just reached the core of my being as completely wrong and against the teachings of Jesus.”

Breslin has made it clear that he’s not budging on the issue, but gay advocates aren’t giving up their fight. Boulder Pride is investigating to see what can be done to help the family, as well as talking about discrimination “in our own backyard,” writes the Daily Camera.

The Denver Nuggets are now 27-5 at the Pepsi Center after downing the pesky Portland Trailblazers 118-106 last night, led by Denver’s stingy defense and 30 points from Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets really pulled through on the defensive end, with Arron Afflalo shutting down one of the NBA’s best players, Portland’s Brandon Roy (via NBA.com). Afflalo’s impact goes beyond working wonders on Roy. He also held the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant to 3-for-17 shooting last week.

The Nuggets will need Afflalo and everybody else to step up even more with big man Kenyon Martin down for at least the near future with a bum left knee. NBA Fanhouse reports that the Nuggets are working out Brian Cook and Jake Voskuhl today to help sustain the team in Martin’s absence.

Reserve Nuggets center Johan Petro, who snagged 10 rebounds in 23 minutes last night, may be able to help, but he’s rusty on the offensive end and somewhat slow against smaller opponents, and last night committed pointless fouls, which would kill the Nuggets in the playoffs.

But before we start talking playoffs, Denver will have to find a way to keep winning. The Dallas Mavericks have won 11 consecutive games compared to the Nuggets’ three, and Dallas currently claims the second spot in the Western Conference (via NBA.com).

The Web site Covers.com counts the Nuggets as one of three teams with the worst remaining schedules—at least 16 games against teams with winning records, and nine of their last 10 games against winning teams. The Nuggets have four- and five-game road trips remaining and will play back-to-backs on six nights. This is all without Martin and while Coach George Karl undergoes cancer treatments.

Last week I took a look at how Twitter can help you find a job. This week I’m reviewing a tool that organizes all your social-media feeds into one platform: TweetDeck’s JobDeck.

JobDeck is a desktop client that organizes multiple feeds into columns, including your TwitJobSearch, job-search experts, and your many social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even MySpace.

Ideally, if you use all your social networks strategically, this could be a wealth of well-organized information from each of your groups. You can easily post an update to one or all of your accounts and organize your feeds to glean information quickly.

I’m not that organized, however, and the updates popping into the upper-right corner of my screen—my chosen location; you can have them pop up elsewhere—have quickly turned into a guilty-pleasure addiction. (My third-grade friend is snowed in! My boss just posted about an upcoming show he wants to see! There’s a job at a London library that I should apply for!) (more…)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that, for the time being, other species are more in need of a spot on the endangered species list than the sage grouse, meaning development of the West’s wind and oil industries can continue largely unfettered (via The Associated Press).

The sage grouse population has declined by 90 percent from a century ago, although in the last decade the birds’ numbers have been relatively stable, thanks to preservation efforts in states such as Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.

Still, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar believes the bird merits protection and that “the decision provides a window of several years to continue working with states and others on conservation efforts that could head off a decision to list the sage grouse” (via the Grand Junction Sentinel). The Colorado Environmental Coalition is “encouraged” by the news, as the Bureau of Land Management has put forth a policy that identifies priority sage grouse habitat on which energy development will not be allowed.

Meanwhile, a vote in the state Senate would require most large power companies to increase their renewable energy offerings from 20 percent to 30 percent by 2020, meaning Colorado could have the second highest such standard in the Unites States (via the Denver Business Journal).

With so much 1970s influence running through the spring collections, jewelry with an ethnic vibe is back in a big way this season. With that in mind, we chose exotic baubles to accent the caftans and bright prints shown in the fashion feature of this month’s magazine.

Try out the trend by looking for statement pieces that combine metal with materials like horn or shell, spice-colored stones, and organic shapes. Here are just a few we found recently at local retailers:

Borgioni’s eclectic beaded bracelets feature materials like shell and oxidized, sterling silver or brass with turquoise inlay–all accented with whimsical, diamond-encrusted Buddha charms. Borgioni bracelets, starting at $2,900, Oster Jewelers, 251 Steele St., 303-572-1111, osterjewelers.com.

Boulder designer Anna Holland creates one-of-a-kind necklaces by mixing traditional materials from various cultures, such as silver pendants from Afghanistan with Moroccan bone beads (pictured). Her attention to design details like texture, color, and weight have made her international clientele devoted collectors. Dorje Designs, necklaces start at $235, dorjedesigns.com.

If you’re looking for a jewelry option that’s easy on the wallet, head to Boulder’s Gypsy Jewel. This southeast-Asian-inspired boutique has an entire wardrobe filled with Indian bangles—from plain to rhinestone-studded—that start at just 25 cents! Gypsy Jewel, 820 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-442-4500, gypsyjewel.net.

Two films with Boulder connections bagged Oscars during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards last night.

Although the film “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” which was co-produced by Boulder native Sarah Siegel-Magness and her husband Gary Magness, failed to reap best picture, Boulder-based photographer Louie Psihoyos’ film “The Cove” won the Oscar for best documentary.

“We’ve had great success with Boulder rallying around these two movies,” Megan Siegel Jansen, Siegel-Magness’ sister, tells the Daily Camera. “We’re just really proud.”

While “The Hurt Locker” took the best picture award, “Precious” won two of six possible awards, including best supporting actress (Mo’Nique) and best adapted screenplay (by Geoffrey Fletcher). Denver filmmaker Daniel Junge and his former Just Media partner, Henry Ansbacher, were also up for best documentary short with “The Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner,” but they lost out to “Music by Prudence.”

Meanwhile, musical celebrities are once again gracing the stage of the remodeled 1st Bank Center (formerly the Broomfield Events Center), notes The Denver Post, which reviews Friday night’s performance by Further, a band comprised of former Grateful Dead members.

I’ve got  a new obsession: Noosa Yoghurt. This intensely creamy yogurt—made with fresh, all-natural milk from northern Colorado’s Morning Fresh Dairy Farm—has become my morning staple. I eat it straight out of the container or mixed with Udi’s granola.

Similar in texture to Greek yogurt, Noosa tastes creamier and richer, without the overbearing tang. The recipe is straight from Australia—the Boulder- and Fort Collins-based founders are expats, and the product is named for a small coastal Queensland town—but it’s made locally.

Aside from plain, the treat comes in stirred blueberry, mango, or raspberry purées, or swirled with Colorado honey from Beeyond the Hive. (Tip: The doctored versions could stand in for a healthy dessert.)

Stock up at Marczyk Fine Foods and Whole Foods Market, or through Morning Fresh Dairy’s home delivery.