Tuesday August 28, 2012

Underage drinking tickets have dropped dramatically at Rock Jam.  A high of 78 tickets were issued in 2009.  That number was down to 23 this year.  Grand Junction police led the enforcement with an Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant.

The Montrose Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to get the word out about their religious beliefs and practices as Mitt Romney becomes the first Morman nominated for President. Information sessions are being held at noon today in Montrose and again tomorrow in Delta.

Colorado Senator Mark Udall is urging homeowners in the High Park and Waldo Canyon burn areas to get federal flood insurance before waivers for the normal 30-day waiting period for coverage expires.  Udall says a bill passed earlier this summer allows residents in those areas to purchase flood insurance and have it go into effect immediately.  You can get more information at FloodSmart.gov.

Hilltop's B4 Babies and Beyon program has received a grant from the Caring for Colorado Foundation.  B4 Babies helps ensure healthy women and children by making families aware of access to quality health care coverage.  They help with doctor's appointments, nutrition, and other services.  The new grant will help call attention to changes to the financial eligibility guidelines expanding the number of families eligible.

The U-S Attorney's office is outlining its case against two doctors accused of healthcare fraud, money laundering and drug distribution.  Doctors Sam Jahani and Eric Peper who practiced in Montrose, Delta and Grand Junction, are free on bond after their indictment last year.  According to the Montrose Daily Press, more than 300 patients could be part of the proof the government offers in support of its case.

Health officials in Montrose County say 3 cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed, including two severe cases in which the victims developed meningitis.  According to The Montrose Daily Press, 10 cases of the disease have been confirmed in Delta County.  The state operates a West Nile virus hotline with information on protection and symptoms.

Two western Colorado citizens groups have filed suit in Garfield District Court, alleging the Garfield County commissioners violated the state's Sunshine Law.  The Glenwood Post Independent says the suit alleges the board met with industry reps and other elected officials in Vernal, Utah in March, eventually drafting oil shale policy following a public meeting in April. The groups say a similar policy was adopted by commissioners in Uintah County in Utah, but later recinded.  They want the Garfield County Commissioners to do the same.

A man killed in a light plane crash in Routt County over the weekend may have been flying from Glenwwod Springs to his hometown in Minnesota. According to The Glenwood Post, 36 year old Peter Landherr had a residence in Grand County, and may have had his plane worked on in Glenwood last week before heading out.  The crash was found Saturday morning in rural Routt County northwest of Steamboat Springs.

A former Grand Jucntion Police Officer and firefighter has been ordered to stand trial next March on charges he had an affair with an underage girl in 2000.  Eric Janusz was arrested earlier this year after a woman who was 16 at the time of the affair came forward with thecharges.  Janusz who's free on bond, pled not guilty yesterday and was ordered to stand trial on charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

A 67 year old Grand Junction man prosecutors say was the leader of a drug ring bringing several pounds of meth from Arizona to the Grand Valley has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.  Carlos Ballardo-Lopez was sentenced under a plea agreement yesterday. According to the Daily Sentinel, Ballardo-Lopez was among 12-people arrested last September by the Western Colorado Drug Task Force.