News

CO: Angry residents voice concerns about public-private deal for US 36 tolls. It was a heated public meeting in Westminster Wednesday night where the Colorado Department of Transportation held a public meeting just days before it finalizes a controversial contract for privatization of toll lanes and maintenance of U.S. 36 between Denver and Boulder…. Officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) defended the terms of a private, 50-year contract…“This is a meeting that should’ve been held 18 months ago, so what do we do?” one man told CDOT. Another said “I would actually not like to give something up until I’m almost 80.” kdvr.com

OH: Mayor Cranley introduces new Cincinnati parking plan. Cranley and city council’s new majority ran against previous Mayor Mark Mallory’s parking privatization plan that included turning over the city’s meters and garages to a private operator, Xerox.  WKRC TV Cincinnati

OH: Yost examining three charter-school sponsors. State Auditor Dave Yost is investigating three charter-school sponsors, including two that oversaw schools that spent millions and then abruptly closed last fall…. Yost announced the review yesterday after opening it three weeks ago. He said it was prompted by a series of stories in The Dispatch that detailed an unprecedented string of 17 charter-school failures in 2013. That information left Yost “scratching my head,” he said. Columbus Dispatch

AR: Charter School Pulls Creationism Workbook. A public charter school organization with a campus in Little Rock says it has pulled science workbooks amid allegations it promotes creationism over evolution.  Slate

IA: Regent: New consultant to mull some privatization. Iowa Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter says a consultant will consider whether to privatize non-essential university enterprises such as golf courses and power plants. KCCI Des Moines