Two former Colorado State Troopers involved in the fatal shooting of a Grand Junction man two years ago have received more than $20,000 in final payouts from the state of Colorado. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel says the two were paid just over $10,000 each for administrative leave pay and accrued vacation. Trooper Ivan Lawyer was found not guilty in the shooting death of Jason Kemp following a suspected drunk driving accident near Kemp's home on the redlands in July 2010.
A political forum in Grand Junction last night had a surprise visitor. A uniformed state trooper. The Daily Sentinel says state Representative Ray Scott had received death threats, so the CSP was there. Scott says he wasn't the only one who received threats, but he wasn't allowed to talk about it.
More democratic presidential campaigning in Colorado, this time on the western slope. The "Colorado Forward" RV tour is making stops in Montrose this morning and in Durango and Pagosa Springs this afternoon. In Montrose, former Colorado Senator and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, and others will be at Coffee Trader on Main Street at 9:15. The bus stopped in Grand Junction with little fanfare last night.
You might know him from the "Harold and Kumar" movies, today you'll know him as an Obam co-chair. Actor Kal Penn is making stops at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs and in Grand Junction at Colorado Mesa University. Penn says Obama believes better education is critical to restoring middle-class security. His stops will include a message about the importance of voting.
If you're traveling between Grand Junction and Denver next week, be ready for some lane closures and traffic stops on I-70 in the Georgetown Hill area. C-DOT is doing some rockfall mitigation work and fencing installation...weather permitting. The work is scheduled Monday through Thursday next week.
That Grand Avenue waterline replacement project is going to be making an even bigger impact to downtown drivers today. The city says it's closing 5th Street at Grand between 8:30 and noon. The good news is this construction is the final step in the the waterline replacement work on Grand.
Grand Junction Police are warning of a magazine sales scam underway. Most of the victims are college students sold subscriptions and told they would be fully reimbursed at CMU. At least a handful of students have been scammed for hundreds of dollars. Anyone who thinks they've been scammed should call the police department, and remember never to hand over money to anyone you don't know, or are not certain is working for a particular charity.
Democrat House District 58 candidate Tammy Theis has pleaded no-contest to a shoplifting charge she says she was tried and convicted up by the media. Theis was cited September 6th, a few days after announcing her candidacy. She tells the Montrose Daily Press she left a store without paying for some groceries she says she thought the clerk had rung up. Theis is running against Republican incumbent Don Coram. She says the shoplifting incident was unfortunate and the easiest way to put it behind was to plead no contest.
Areas around the High Park Fire in Larimer County and the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs are getting some federal help for emergency watershed protection. The natural Resources Conservation Service has received nearly 2 1/2 million dollars for that work. The NRCS tells the Denver Post it wanted more money, but this ought to help complete projects to stabilize soil, slow runoff and protect the watershed in areas that are considered moderately to highly burned.Colorado Parks and Wildlife are looking for information about on a bull elk killed illegally in Telluride last week. The headless animal is believed to have been killed the weekend of September 22nd and was partially field dressed. It had been dragged some distance by an ATV. Anyone with information should call Operation Game Thief or the Parks and Wildlife Office in Montrose.
A former national park service employee has been sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to repay over 738 thousand dollars to the national park service. Lydia White reportedly embezzled that amount while she was an employee at Great Sand Dunes National park between 2007 to 2011. White also had written over 870 checks to her husband over the 4 year period.
