A Delta man is dead in a crash on Highway 50 south of Whitewater. The State Patrol says 25 year old Anthony Abachiche lost control of car, crossed the median and hit a pickup. The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries, Abachiche died at the scene. Traffic was backed up on the highway for several hours during the investigation.
A 53 year old man who killed four people in Rifle in 2001 and has been held in the state mental hospital in Pueblo wants out. According to the Glenwood Post, The Colorado Mental Health Institute filed a plan of "temporary physical removal for treatment and rehab" on Steven Stagner's behalf. A Garfield County Judge will hear the case tomorrow.
Non-profits in Colorado will be able to file for bingo and raffle licenses for next to nothing, just $1, thanks to a new policy in the Secretary of State's office. Right now, non-profits pay anywhere from $10 to $1,000, but the office says it will make the money it does collect stretch farther in order to keep more non-profit funds in the community. Fees were also reduced last year and will be revisited quarterly.
The BLM is looking at a possible land exchange near Glade Park that would see nearly 800 acres of hard to reach public land traded for over 450 acres of land adjacent to other public lands. The BLM is also considering buying a 29 acre inholding in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. Public comment on both proposals is being taken through the 26th. Details are available on the BLM website.
Colorado Senator Mark Udall continues his push for extension of the Production Tax Credit for wind energy, making his 16th floor speech on the subject yesterday, and planning for his 17th today. Udall says the economy in Colorado, and other states, would suffer if the tax credit is removed. He's pleged to address the Senate every morning Congress is in session.
The Montrose County School District is getting ready for a new facilities master plan and has tapped current facilities manager Jason Arebalos for the job. The District missed out on some grant money during the last school year and hopes the new plan will alleviate that this year. The Montrose Daily Press says the will identify the most prominant needs in the district.
Colorado is moving forward with a plan to reduce air pollution and the EPA has signed off on it. The plan is a result of a law passed by the legislature in 2010 pushing the state's two investor-owned utilities, Xcel Energy and Black Hills Corporation, to swith some units from coal to natural gas. The plan is designed to reduce pollutants by 70,000 tons at 16-facilities including power plants and cement kilns. It also aims to reduce auto emissions by continuing an existing testing program.
The idea of a multi-use events center in the Grand Valley isn't dead. It's new again, the Mesa County Commissioners hearing a new plan from a consultant yesterday. The firm says an events center with seating for up to 5,000 would draw visitors from a much larger area. Space for horse and livestock and specialty sporting events would draw even more. The Daily Sentinel says the commissioners will decide later whether to move ahead with the plan. An open house is tonight at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.
Talk about bad karma. Someone in Fruit has taken about $4,000 from Sunday's collection at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Daily Sentinel says one of the priests noticed the collection plate missing but was unsure if someone entered the church and took the money, or if someone authorized to be there took it.
