Senate OKs Colorado Budget After Vote To Keep Prison Open

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s Senate approved a $27 billion state budget Friday after heated debate over a last-minute allocation to keep open a privately-run prison in the rural town of Burlington on the state’s eastern plains.
Republican budget-writer Sen. Kent Lambert argued the $3 million, first revealed during a conference committee meeting this week, will give Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper time to negotiate with Corrections Corporation of America.
CCA runs the Kit Carson C