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Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire
MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2012
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Breaking News: Will stocks rally today in the wake of Spain’s $125 billion rescue? »denverpost.com/breakingnews
Colo. takes a swing
HIGH PARK BLAZE AT 31 SQUARE MILES
Fire blasts over hills
Obama’s and Romney’s teams say the state is a key to the White House. By Sara Burnett The Denver Post
Colorado basked in its newfound status as a swing state in 2008, playing host to the Democratic National Convention and candidate appearances from Denver to Durango. But for all that attention, several dynamics this year make the Centennial State even more competitive — and critical to winning the White House. Unlike 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama rode a wave of anti-Republican sentiment with promises of hope and change, there are fewer states this time around that are truly up for grabs. And while Florida and Ohio with their double-digit electoral votes are the big prizes, Obama and Mitt Romney are eyeing Colorado’s nine electoral votes — in combination with other Western states such as Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona — to give them the win. “If you look at the map, Colorado and Nevada are two of the true battleground states,” said Ethan Axelrod, communications director for Project New America, a progressive Denverbased research and strategy organization. “Both states are still very, very close, and I think they’re going to stay that way until November.”
Paths to victory The campaigns use a combination of history, demographics and polling to determine which states are solidly or leaning red or blue and which states are considered tossups. From there, it’s a matter of doing the math — finding ways to combine victories in winnable states to get the candidate to 270 electoral votes, the total needed to win the presidency. A series of polls released last week showed the race tightening in ColoraSWING STATE » 14A
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Colorado State Patrol Trooper Jason Kenner speaks with Brittany Harrington at a road closure on U.S. 287 as the High Park fire burned west of Fort Collins on Sunday. A stretch of 287 was among many road closures, this one because of poor visibility caused by smoke. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Fort Collins-area fire rages out of control, expanding in size as mountain residents flee Elsewhere Fires burn in southern New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah »9A
Rushed Minutes count for residents and fire crews »9A
Photos See a slide show of images from the fire » denverpost.com/ coloradophotos
Send us your photos » youpost.denverpost.com/ submit-your-photos
»denverpost.com/politics
By Tom McGhee and Monte Whaley The Denver Post
laporte» The wildly unpredictable High Park fire grew to 20,000 acres Sunday, stoking worries that its power will only grow. “It’s spread in almost every direction,” said Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith. “It splinters to the south, and then it splinters to the east. I don’t know that we’ve ever seen anything like this before.” By late Sunday, two homes were confirmed destroyed among at least 18 structures burned. One person remained missing, and Smith indicated that person may be dead.
“This fire has a mind of its own, and it’s just telling us what to do,” said Poudre Fire Authority Chief Tom DeMint. He called the blaze a “dirty fire” with the potential to be very destructive. High winds and dry fuels are driving the blaze, forcing more than 2,600 evacuation calls by Sunday evening to people living in Poudre, Rist, Redstone and Mill canyons. Another 325 calls were made just after 8 p.m. for the area south of County Road 38E from Gindler Ranch Road west to Milner Ranch Road. “We’ve had 36 straight hours of evacuations, and that’s just unheard of,” Smith said. “In some areas, even green grass is
Latino grocers feel squeeze from big chains By Yesenia Robles The Denver Post
Three grocery chains catering to Latino customers in the metro area have faced challenges — including bankruptcy — in recent years as large supermarkets have muscled into their business. In the most glaring example, Rancho Liborio — a California-based grocer that opened its fifth Colorado store in Colorado Springs in 2008 — shut down the last of its stores in the state in May. One of its competitors, Azteca Ranch Market, filed for bankruptcy last August, and another, Avanza Supermarkets, has been sold in the past year. Today, stores such as King Soopers are carrying products aimed at the
customers who a few years ago had to rely on specialty stores for many of their needs. The changes are the result of a predictable pattern: As shoppers become diverse and price-conscious, more shops open and competition increases. But as the big chains flex their muscles after recognizing new profit possibilities, midsize chain stores targeting niche markets suffer, while the smallest and most specialized stores find ways to hang on. Grocery-industry professionals in the Denver area have seen the changes for almost five years. “What we’re seeing is sophisticated consumers that say, I can make a stop GROCERY » 7A
burning,” said DeMint, adding that the blaze has burned through many areas twice, including over remnants of previous fires. But even as more than 250 firefighters battled the blaze northwest of Fort Collins, local officials expressed worries that resources were being stretched thin with fires raging in Wyoming and New Mexico. “We’re definitely competing with fires in New Mexico and other areas,” said Nick Christensen, an executive officer with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The Guernsey State Park fire near Wheatland, Wyo., burned 6 square FIRE » 9A
NATION
“CLYBOURNE PARK” NAMED BEST PLAY A Pulitzer Prize-winning look at race and real estate scores a Tony. »10A
SPORTS
FORWARD TOGETHER The Denver Triathlon helps one group find strength in family. »1B
$MART
ON THE CHEAP Owner Jimmy Armijo bumps fists with Ricki Gonzales, 8, who was at El Mercado de Lafayette with his mother. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
INS I D E Cold Case Blog » 2A | Comics » 5-7C | Lottery » 2A | Movies » 4C | Obituaries » 13A | Post Preps » 7B | Puzzles » 5-6C
Great outdoor-gear deals do exist. »1C