Mile-High Headlines for Monday, October20

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And Now Comes Joe Barack Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, will visit Greeley tomorrow as a “direct response” to today’s campaigning by John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, according to the Greeley Tribune. Biden will also swing through Commerce City on Tuesday, then Pueblo and Colorado Springs on Wednesday, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. It’s another sign that the Dems aren’t taking anything for granted, although McCain is “saddled  with an unpopular president and a tumbling economy” and is in the “precarious position” of trailing by an average of six percentage points, according to The Denver Post. Former general and secretary of state Colin Powell, meanwhile, was in Denver yesterday to explain at a private speaking engagement why he has endorsed Obama, according to a separate Post story. Powell will also advise Obama, according to The Associated Press (via the Post). Although Election Day is more than two weeks away, voters may cast ballots starting today in some polling places, according to the Rocky Mountain News. Palin, who was on Tina Fey’s turf–Saturday Night Live–this weekend, visits Colorado Springs, Loveland, and Grand Junction today. Colorado’s Nick Arvin, author of the novel “Articles of War,” feels bombarded by all the campaigning. He’s got “Sticker Shock,” according to an op-ed he penned for Sunday’s New York Times. Schaffer Struggling? As John McCain battles for votes in Colorado so, it appears, does Bob Schaffer. The conservative Republican and former congressman facing Democrat Mark Udall in the race for Senate is contending with a political landscape that has changed in the past decade, according to The Denver Post. Now Schaffer, lagging in voter polls, “has to sell himself and his values in a way he never has before.” Meanwhile, GOP sources in Washington, D.C., tell the Atlantic Monthly that the National Repubulican Senatorial Committee is pulling out of the state, “an acknowledgment that its independent expenditure resources would be better spent on defense elsewhere.” Schaffer has other backers, however, including the Club for Growth In. political action committee, a “pro-growth” organization, according to the Rocky Mountain News, responsible for nearly a tenth of Schaffer’s contributions, which is an unusually large percentage for one group. A branch of the same group, ClubforGrowth.Net, has spent nearly $700,000 on negative ads targeting Udall. A Run for Denver Runner’s World magazine calls the Denver Marathon one of the should-dos for runners in 2008. And so thousands of people showed, under Sunday’s beautiful weather, to take on the course that began at Civic Center Park, then wound through lower downtown, City Park, Cheeseman Park, and Washington Park before returning to Civic Center. Jynocel Basweti of Santa Fe won the men’s competition in two hours, 22 minutes, 13 seconds. Nuta Olaru of Longmont won in the women’s category in 02:42:18, according to The Denver Post. The marathon was envisioned by Dave McGillivray, Runner’s World notes, the man who directs the world’s oldest annual marathon–the Boston Marathon. Despite Denver’s Mile-High reputation, just 204 feet separated the lowest and highest points on the course. Bobo the Dog Recovering After Fire File this one in Panorama’s “incredibly sad” folder: Bobo, a Yorkshire terrier, was badly burned after a woman allegedly hog-tied the little fella with speaker wire and set him on fire. A picture in the Rocky Mountain News shows Bobo in white, green, and purple bandages, recovering from the incident. Thirty-eight-year-old Tonya Martin of Lakewood was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals and suspicion of arson, both felonies. Veterinarian Elisa Mazzaferro had to gather her emotions before the treatment, according to The Denver Post. Making the story even sadder, Leo Cordova, Martin’s uncle, says his niece suffers from a mental illness. He could not explain what motivated the act. “That’s her buddy,” he said of Bobo. “That’s the love of her life.” Bobo is expected to recover. The Colorado Rapids Hang On A penalty kick by Colorado Rapids striker Conor Casey in the final minutes against Chivas USA was enough for a win and to keep the Rapids dreaming of playoffs, according to ESPN. The Rapids are now 11-14-4, two points behind Real Salt Lake (10-10-9), a team they face next week at home. As the Salt Lake Tribune puts it, “Hold that playoff berth. It doesn’t belong to Real Salt Lake just yet.” The Rapids must win to advance, according to the paper. Monday Night: The Broncos The Denver Broncos (4-2) face the New England Patriots (3-2) tonight, and the away game is shaping up to be one Denver can win. That is, if the line can protect quarterback Jay Cutler and if receiver Brandon Marshall is able to complete his routes without much trouble, according to Rocky Mountain News columnist Jeff Legwold. Cheapest Gallon of Gas ‘Round Here: $2.55, Costco, 6400 West 92nd Avenue (via www.gasbuddy.com).