[Originally reported at Red, Green, & Blue] The host committee for the Democratic National Convention has softened requirements for convention menus amid criticisms they were too stringent and downright peculiar. Officials are now calling the 12 stipulations laid out in a May request for proposals only “guidelines.”

The May request asked caterers to make “every effort” to accomplish healthy goals and called for:

• Three-colored meals selected from the following palette: red, green, yellow, purple and white.
• No fried foods. Half of the plate should belong to fruits and vegetables.
• The use of 70 percent organic or Colorado-grown ingredients.

The Host Committee has issued a clarification to allay criticism and stop the spread of “misinformation.” (Read more)

Here are some recent poll numbers from a Denver Post Online Straw Poll as of 4:37 PM MST
n=3578.

[Note: Keep updated with timely news at Virtual Vantage Points, and follow "SuperTuesday"on Twitter.]
[Please keep these three points in mind about the Colorado caucuses:
1. The only Coloradoans who have voted yet are overseas.
2. Colorado has a closed-caucus, meaning that only registered party members (of at least two months prior to Feb 5th) may vote in the caucus.
3. Colorado's Democratic delegates will be proportionally allocated. All of Colorado's Republican delegates will go to a single candidate (winner-take-all).]

Who is your pick for president?

Barack Obama
1110 Votes, or 31.02 %

Hillary Clinton
935 Votes, or 26.13 %

Mitt Romney
779 Votes, or 21.77 %

John McCain
365 Votes, or 10.20 %

None of the above
274 Votes, or 7.657 %

Not caucusing
115 Votes, or 3.214 %

It does not appear as though a fast-moving winter storm that rolled through Colorado’s front range last night will have any sort of significant impact on voter turnout for this evening’s presidential caucuses, at least here in CO. The state is expected to continue churning toward the upper midwest, potentially bringing However, this storm is just the latest of several for communities across the four-corners region. In Chama, New Mexico where 33 inches has fallen since Saturday, Gov. Bill Richardson has called in National Guard support to help clear the snow-blocked roadways and assist stranded residents with collapsed roofs.

Above the city of Fort Collins, we only got about 5-6 inches of the dry, fluffy powder, but parts of the Denver foothills were hit with up to 9 inches. The storm is still expected to bring some snow and heavy winds to parts of Colorado’s eastern plains, generally considered a conservative Republican stronghold.

Turnout is expected to be high across most parts of the state. Colorado is one of several states that moved up its party primary elections to increase voter turnout and attract more candidate attention. Republican and Democratic officials are both predicting record-turnouts for tonight’s caucus. Yet, I must wait.

And as tough as it is for me to do so, I basically need to sit on my hands until about 6pm (MST) when I will head about two miles down the road to my tiny little caucusing location in Masonville, CO (pictured above). The official proceedings at my local precinct will not start until 7pm (though the micropolitics are scheduled to commence around 6-ish when my neighbors are stopping by for a beer before we head up the road).

Keep updated with timely news at Virtual Vantage Points, and follow “SuperTuesday“on Twitter.

Denver Post
Rocky Mountain News
Photo: Tim Hurst