2009 Mile High Music Festival

Tickets For The Festival, Held July 18th and 19th On The Fields At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Go On Sale Friday, April 3rd, At 10:00 AM MDT

Colorado's Mile High Music Festival returns to the Fields at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 18 and 19. The 2009 festival expands to two main stages for its second year. Headliners include TOOL (Saturday), Widespread Panic (on both Saturday and Sunday), and The Fray (Sunday).

In addition to the headliners, 2009 performance highlights include Incubus, Ben Harper and Relentless7, G.Love & Special Sauce, Gov't Mule, Buddy Guy, 3OH!3, Ani DiFranco, Paolo Nutini, The Black Keys, John Butler, Gomez, The Wailers, India.Arie and many others. The Fray, 3OH!3, India.Arie, Set Forth, and Paper Bird are among the bands on the bill who call Colorado home. A complete list of currently confirmed acts is included below, with additional artists still to be announced. Visit www.milehighmusicfestival.com for ongoing updates. Doors will open at 11:00 a.m. each day.

Mile High Music Festival exploded on to the national festival scene last year as Colorado's largest music and arts festival, offering concertgoers a tremendous variety of musical talent, food from many of Denver's top restaurants, an artists' village and more. The festival, which attracted more than 90,000 attendees its inaugural year, went off without a hitch and promises again to put the fan experience first. The festival grounds, with its remarkable views of the Denver skyline and Rocky Mountain Front Range, will offer even more shade, an increased number of free water stations, and shorter concession lines. The 2009 event also boasts an upgraded VIP experience and expanded festival greening initiatives.

This year's Mile High Music Festival charity component was created as a special thank you to the community that is supporting this Colorado summer tradition. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit Commerce City's Quality Community Foundation (QCF). "This is extremely good news," said Commerce City Mayor Paul Natale. "The city is very excited to again be a part of the Mile High Music Festival, and for AEG Live to donate money to the city's Quality Community Foundation is just music to my ears." The Quality Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established by Commerce City in 2006. It grants money to organizations that provide nonprofit services to Commerce City residents.

Tickets for Mile High Music Festival will go on sale Friday, April 3, at 10:00 a.m. MDT online at www.tickethorse.com and www.milehighmusicfestival.com, by phone at 866-461-6556 and at Dick's Sporting Goods Park Box Office. They can also be purchased with a credit card at the Ticket Outlet Kiosks in Colorado Dick's Sporting Goods stores. The Paramount Theatre Box Office will be open on Friday, April 3 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. to sell MHMF tickets to walk-up customers only. Ticket prices are $162.50 (plus service charges) for a 2-Day Pass. A limited number of Single Day Tickets will be available for $90.00 (plus service charges) while supplies last. Two-day VIP Packages are also available: $400.00 (plus service charges) for the Mile High VIP Pass and $1,250.00 for the Mile High Apex experience (plus service charges).

Mile High Music Festival's two-day weekend general-admission pass is available this year on a Layaway Program. The Layaway Program offers an opportunity to pay for the price of a two-day pass in two installments, with 50% plus service charges due at time of purchase and the remaining 50% balance due on June 12.

The festival will also offer a Carpool Package for $650.00 and includes four 2-day passes and special carpool parking. Carpoolers are encouraged to participate in the Mile High Music Festival Carpool Contest. Participants are asked to decorate their vehicles to draw attention to their green driving efforts. Winners will be chosen on each day of the festival and awarded VIP upgrades for each rider in the vehicle.

Visit www.milehighmusicfestival.com for details. The Fields at Dick's Sporting Goods Park is conveniently located just nine miles from downtown Denver, and only 1.8 miles from the I-70 and Quebec exit.

Commerce City and Earth Hour

From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, we know that climate change is already impacting life on our planet.

On Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm, Commerce City will take part in Earth Hour—the world’s largest global climate change event. By simply turning off all non-essential lighting for one hour at our company buildings and in our own homes, we will join tens of millions of concerned citizens throughout the world in calling for action to save our planet for future generations.

Earth Hour is an event led by the World Wildlife Fund. In 2008, more than 50 million people in 370 cities around the world took part, as the lights dimmed at Sydney’s Opera House, Rome’s Coliseum, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even the Google homepage went dark for the day.

Energy efficiency isn’t just good for the bottom line. We all have a stake in the future of our planet and must learn to operate in ways that don’t deplete our world’s limited natural resources.

We hope you’ll join us in the important and inspiring effort and encourage your own employees, customers and suppliers to take part.

Colorado high school graduates the opportunity to pay in-state tuition, regardless of their immigration status

The bill, known as tuition equity legislation, sponsored by Senator Chris Romer (D-Denver), would allow all Colorado high school graduates the opportunity to pay in-state tuition, regardless of their immigration status.

Sen. Romer introduced several amendments to the original legislation, which include a requirement that students sign an affidavit expressing their commitment to follow proper procedures to secure legal status, as well as the removal of access to financial aid and Colorado's College Opportunity Fund. As amended, SB170 will not use any state dollars to fund the education of undocumented students.

Currently, under the state's public benefit ban (House Bill 06s-1023), undocumented students who graduate from Colorado high schools are ineligible for low, in-state tuition rates as well as federal and state financial aid programs. Even those who attended Colorado's K-12 public schools are not considered residents for tuition classification purposes. Because most undocumented students come from low-income families, this restriction effectively makes it impossible for them to continue their post-secondary education.

What do you think?

Sex Offender Registration and Fee Requisites, Too Tough?

Brighton city council considers a ordiance for Sex Offender Registration and Fee Requisites.

The Presentation by Roger McCarty of the Brighton Police Department, offering a request and support for an ordinance which would require sex offenders who do not properly present required registration fees to the City of Brighton to be cited for an offense.

Council’s overwhelming support for the measure was offset by Counicl member Daryl Meyers’ sentiments regarding the whether or not criminal offenders ought to be punished post-incarceration.

Daryl Meyers states, “...To keep sexual offenders (or any criminal offenders for that matter) incarcerated emotionally, psychologically, and socially for the rest of their lives is totally inappropriate and undermines the very process of recovery and support these people also need…”

Should Sexual Offenders be registered, assessed fees, and be treated differently than any other criminal offenders after they’ve served their time? A new Brighton ordinance adds more strength to mandatory registration & tracking. The opinions about the law differ. What do you think?

Commerce City General Issues March 2009

Another month has past and once again it has been a very interesting education of your thoughts and concerns. Thank you to all that have posted and we look forward to hearing more of your comments and concerns.

If you are confused about how to post on the blog or feel more comfortable e-mailing me your comments and concerns, please do so and we will post it for you.

E-mail: dustin.mcintyre@yahoo.com

Dustin McIntyre, Gateway News and gatewaynews.org