FTS Weekend Edition, 6/27/09

This week on the FTS Weekend Edition: The vice-chairman of Denver's Regional Transportation District held over $400k in cash for a suspected Thornton drug kingpin; Gov. Bill Ritter tries to find a way to patch $384 in the state budget; the GOP analyzes its chances against Betsy Markey in 2010, and the federal stimulus package is slow to create jobs.

• RTD vice-chairman held money for suspected drug kingpin
  This week in Colorado news: RTD vice-chairman Noel Busck admits to holding $400k in cash for suspected drug kingpin Dan Tang, calling into question his judgment as the transit district takes heat for its over-budget FasTracks project. FTS staff writer Kate Melvin has more.
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• More bad budget news; will bad programs finally get the ax?
  State bean-counters announced this week the state government will come in $250 million short for the fiscal year ending June 30, and a total of $384 million through 2009-10. Gov. Bill Ritter says entire programs could get the ax, but do Democrats have the fortitude to say "no" to some of their most powerful constituencies? Staff writer Rachel Boxer has the latest from the state capitol.
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• Brian Walsh, NRCC political director, on the GOP's chances v. Betsy Markey
  FTS visits with Brian Walsh, political director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, on the GOP's chances of unseating freshman Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey in 2010.
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• Is the federal stimulus creating jobs?
  Is the federal stimulus package, passed earlier this year to jump-start the economy, having its intended effect? As FTS staff writer Kate Melvin discovered, state data indicates few jobs, if any, are truly "created" by upping transportation spending.
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