Excerpts from the just-posted Rocky story:

Five constituents who live in House Minority Leader Joe Stengel's district today formally requested an ethics investigation of the Littleton Republican, saying he charged taxpayers for working on days he was on vacation in Hawaii, taking the bar exam and campaigning.

Stengel, a Littleton Republican, on Monday reimbursed the state $891 for nine days he billed last year, seven while in Hawaii and two days for taking the bar exam. He alternately said he used "bad judgment" and blamed the criticism against him on "election year politics."

ProgressNow Action network member, and ethics complaint signer, Bill Cisney provides the zinger:

Bill Cisney, 65, of Littleton, was among those who signed the ethics complaint that was delivered to Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver.

Cisney pointed out that Stengel last year was one of the leaders in the effort to defeat Referendums C and D, two tax measures on the November ballot.

"Joe made a point of talking about people lining up at the trough to get their share of the windfall from Referendum C," he said. "I guess the difference between Joe and everyone else is he didn't have to line up."

And fellow Republican Andy McElhany, the Senate Minority Leader, takes a swipe as well:

Republicans have been slow to publicly criticize Stengel, in part because he is in a leadership position.

But fellow minority leader Andy McElhany of Colorado Springs, head of the Senate Republicans, broke rank Tuesday.

"It stretches the limit of credibility," he said, of billing for so many days.