MONTROSE TRASH
The Montrose City Council says no to privatizing trash service, and instead is looking into the possibility of restoring recycling services to provide trash and recycling services for less than current charges. The Montrose Daily Press says city staff will continue to look at the options, after a city manager memo cited the savings through changes to current operations.
MESACO EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
Mesa County is outpacing averages for employee turnover with 1 in 6 workers ending their employment with the county last year. According to the Daily Sentinel, some of the workers were laid off, others resigned or were let go as part of leadership changes in some departments. Although salary was cited as reason for leaving in 12% of exit interviews, DA Pete Hautzinger says he's lost 11 of 20 prosecutors since wages were frozen in 2009. All took higher paying jobs.
BIRGFELD CAUSE OF DEATH
Investigators are learning more from the remains of Paige Birgfeld, but cause-of- death is not one of them. Mesa County Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Lewis tells the Daily Sentinel some information learned from a forensic exam could be critical to the ongoing investigation, but would not say what that information might be.
ONLINE SEX
An Israeli citizen living in Massechusetts is jailed in Grand Junction after a federal agent said the man flew to Grand Junction for a sex tryst with a woman and her two underage daughters. According to the Daily Sentinel, 30 year old Yaron Segal was arrested at the airport last Wednesday. Segal's accused of having online chats with federal agents. Segal's arrest is the second of its kind in Grand Junction involving agents posing online.
MUNI ELECTIONS
Voters in Fruita today are deciding whether to ban medical marijuana shops in the city and whether to allow the city to spend tax money collected above limitations imposed in the Tax Payer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR. City Council seats and a Mayoral election are also on the mail ballot. In Palisade, today's municipal election includes town trustee seats and Mayor, along with a plan to sell the Town Hall building.
COLORADO DROUGHT
Climatologists at CSU say about 90% of Colorado is experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions. The Denver Post says the Colorado and South Platte River basins which supply Denver Water are about half typical averages for this time of year, but still better than the last significant drought year of 2002. In October 60% of the state had no drought categories. That level is now just 2%.
DENVER 9-1-1 MISTAKE
A Denver 9-1-1 operator is on administrative leave amid an investigation for his handling of a road rage incident early Sunday in which a man was shot to death. The man's brother reported the incident and was told to return to Denver where the threat occurred, even though a carload of men, one with a gun, was reported pursuing the dead man's vehicle. A Denver police officer was not dispatched to meet the victim until 13 minuntes after the call for help was made.
MEGA MONEY
Even though the big Mega Millions jackpot winners weren't from Colorado, the state still benefitted from the mania during the lottery's record breaking run last month. The Colorado Lottery says during the week of March 25th to 31st, $11.4 million in Mega Millions tickets. From that, close to $3.5 million stays in the state to fund Colorado Lottery recipients including Great Outdoors Colorado.
