Tuesday September 11, 2012 PATRIOTS DAY

Officials in Garfield County have confirmed the deaths of a man and woman near El Jebel Saturday were a murder-suicide.  Autopsy results show 68-year old Andrew Mazeika shot his 54-year old wife Judi, then turned the handgun on himself. It happened at the couple's home in the Missouri Heights area.

A study released by National Jewish and the Denver office of the DEA shows law enforcement entering and dismantling indoor marijuana grows may be exposed to significant health hazards.  The research found high levels of mold spores and chemical contamination from pesticides and fertilizers.  A similar study in 2002 resulted in greater safety policies for officers entering candestine meth labs.  The marijuana grow study recommends protective clothing and full-face air-purifying respirators for investigators involved in the removal phase of indoor grows.

A 4-day energy conference is underway in Grand Junction with guests from all over the west, including Texas State Geologist Dr. Scott Tinker.  He's brining his documentary SWITCH to the public at the Avalon Theater tonight.  He'll talk about the movie at the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce's Energy Briefing tomorrow morning.  KREX TV says Governor John Hickenlooper was at the conference yesterday to talk about the impact of energy on Colorado's economy.

Montrose Police are trying to figure out what happened to a man found lying unconscious at Main and Uncompahgre last Friday morning.  The Montrose Daily Press says George Christmas was found about 7:00 Friday morning, and may have been lying beneath a sculpture for several hours.  Christmas apparently fell from the 18 foot sculpture and suffered a head injury. He's hospitalized in Grand Junction.

Today is Patriot Day and they're celebrating in Montrose with the opening of the Warrior Resource Center.  The center is operated by Welcome Home Montrose, a group that's gained national attention for its efforts to make Montrose a welcoming place for veterans.  The Montrose Daily Press says veterans to attend the opening today will get a tag that'll make them eligible for discounts at businesses that post a sticker in their windows.

Fired CU professor Ward Churchill says he's taking his appeal to the U-S Supreme Court.  The state Supreme Court yesterday turned down his appeal of a state Court of Appeals ruling upholding Churchill's firing.  Churchill tells the Denver Post the law has been twisted to fit the court's preferred conclusions.  Churchill was fired in 2007 for plagerism and fraud, after writing an essay  likening some victims of the 9/11 attacks to a Would War II Nazi official.