Thursday May 3, 2012

UNITED EMERGENCY LANDING
A United Express flight from Grand Junction with 45 people on board made an unscheduled stop in Amarillo.  The jet was headed to Houston when the crew declared a pressurization issue around 1:30 yesterday.  The passengers were transferred to another plan and taken on to Houston.

NEW GJ MAYOR
Grand Junction has a new mayor.  City Council elected Bill Pitts to the role for the next year.  Laura Luke, mayor pro-tem.  Pitts was elected to the City Council in May of 2009.  Luke was appointed in April of last year to fill a vacancy on the council.

IMPROVED CELL SERVICE
C-DOT is getting ready for some pretty significant road closures to improve communications in Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties.  Right now cell phone and other services are not available in Clear Creek Canyon and a partnership with the counties and Crown Castle International, a national wireless operator, will change that.  Weeklong closures of Highway 6 will continue through June, so travelers should check with CDOT before making plans for travel to Black Hawk, Central City and Golden.

KREX GARDEN
The Western Colorado Council of the Boy Scouts has a new endeavor and it gets started officially tomorrow.  It's a community garden at KREX TV.  The boy scouts will oversee the plot of land planted with fruits and vegetables.  Encana is the title sponsor, and others have donated materials for the garden. A ribbon cutting is tomorrow morning.

SUCCESS BILL
Montrose State Representative Don Coram's SUCCESS Act for Small Business has passed out of committe and is on to the full house.  The measure stands for Stopping Unnecessary Costs and Creating Economic Sustainability for Small Business.  Coram says the measure grew out of a statewide tour by Republicans.  He says the bill creates a temporary moratorium on the state health department's ability to impose fines on businesses for minor violations, unless a business fails to cure the infraction within a reasonable time.

C-DOT HEROES
6 troopers from the Fruita office of the Colorado State Patrol have been singled out by CDOT for their work in traffic safety.  CDOT handed out awards across the state citing the Glenwood Springs Police Department for making 82 DUI arrests last year.  The CSP Fruita Troop Office was recognized for issuing more than 700 seat belt citations. CDOT says programs like the Heat Is On and Click It Or Ticket are credited with helping reduce the number of traffic fatalities in Colorado, which declined to a record low in 2011.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REQUEST
The Montrose City Council is struggling with how to deal with an economic development request to keep a successful company in the city.  The unnamed company has been in Montrose for 25 years, and according to the Montrose Daily Press, has a yearly payroll in excess of $1 million.  The problem is the lack of economic development funds. The company may have to leave the area if assistance isn't available.

STRAWBERRY DAYS ARREST
A 26 year old man arrested at Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs last summer has been sentenced to a year in federal prison and deportation.  Local law enforcement agencies including the Garfield County Sheriff's Office Threat Assessment Group or TAG, and ICE arrested David Adrian Centeno and others.  A lawsuit had been filed after the incident accusing TAG of using the crackdown as an immigration sweep.

GET AWAY DRIVER SENTENCED
A 73 year old woman arrested in January accused of driving the getaway car for botched burglary has been sentenced to 2 years probation, court costs and 48 hours community service.  Barbara Mae West was arrested after fleeing from police with 2 men who got out of her vehicle and ran. The Daily Sentinel says West pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular eluding.

POT DRIVING
A bill addressing stoned driving has passed the state senate and moves to the House by the slightest of margins, 18 to 17.  Grand Junction State Senator Steve King's bill sets a limit of THC in a driver's blood to be considered too impaired to drive at 5 nanograms.  The amount is similar to the alcohol limit of .08.

CSU TUITION
Tuition at CSU is going up by 9% next year.  That's for residents.  The increase of $568 brings tuition to just over $6,800 a year.  OUt of state students though, will feel a huge hit.  A 3% increase bringing the total yearly tuition to just over $22,000.  If your kid wants to go to CU, get ready to pay a ton...$8,000 a year.


CONUNDRUM COWS
The conundrum cows are coming home...or something like that.  Forest officials say dead frozen cows found in a cabin near the Conundrum Hot Springs south of Aspen will be cut up with hand saws today and scattered in the forest for nature to take her course.  The Forest service says the public will be asked to stay off the Conundrum Trail for a month as the cow parts decompose.