Thursday October 18, 2012

A 48 year old man who pled guilty to killing another man in a Colorado River encampment near the Pepsi bottling plant last year has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.  The Daily Sentinel says Daniel Warner admitted killing 47 year old Richard Nelson with a hatchet.  The judge in the case called an extremely brutal crime.

An 18 year old Grand Junction pleading guilty to torturing and killing his mother's dog last year will not spend time in prison, instead serving probation and community corrections.  The judge in the case says sending Joseph Nelson to prison would interfere with him getting substance abuse and mental health treatment.

Crime Stoppers of Garfield county is looking for information on a robbery that occurred early Monday morning at the Subway in rifle.  There are no known suspects, and  Rifle Police and crime stoppers are offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Two man-caused fires have been reported in the White River National Forest prompting more warnings from forest officials. District ranger Ken Coffin is urging hunters to be extra careful with fires.  Conditions are dry and ripe for wild fires.  Although two fires started Tuesday were small, Coffin says the 257 acre Middle Elk Fire north of New Castle last month closed the area to all entry until Tuesday. It also was human caused.

Colorado Special Olympics is more than $61,000 richer after a statewide Tip-a-Cop event at Red Robin restaurants.  Officers working the Rd Robin in Grand Juntion also gained bragging rights for having raised $5,500, more than any other restaurant in the state.

The Grand Junction Parade of Lights has a new title sponsor, Sorter Construction. Sorter says the annual holiday event attracts thousands to downtown and is a perfect fit for the business since it was the contractor on Phase Two of the Downtown Uplift, completed in June of last year.  MBC Grand Broadcasting continues as the media sponsor of the Parade December 1st.

The Western Slope Conservative Alliance is having a bonus meeting tonight at Grand Junction City Hall with the Heritage Foundation's Dr. James Carafano as their special guest. Carafano will talk about the instability in the Middle East, the murders of Americans in Libya and effects on military and defense budget cuts. The meeting is free and starts at 6:30.  
[for more info go to  wscaonline.org ]

The Montrose county Health Department is holding a flu clinic at the HHS building tomorrow from 7:30 to 3:30.  Free Tdap vaccines will also be available, part of the statewide compaign to stop the spread of whooping cough.  The Flu Shots are $25 to $35 depending on the type, and several insurance companies offer free coverage.

They're testing the latest in mountain biking, 30 bikes in all, very close to home.  Fruita.  Editors of Bike Magazine have been in Fruita for a couple of weeks, profiling the area for its annual Gear Review.  The cover and spread will feature singletrack and a mix of riding to test the new bikes.  The Daily Sentinel says the city of Fruita also gets a 4-to-6 page spread featuring everything from GPS coordinates for rides, to tips on where to eat.

Two subdivisions in La Plata County have been evacuated in two wild fires fanned by high winds threatened the area southeast of Mancos and near the Vallecito Reservoir. The first fire is in the same area affected by the 10,000 acre Weber fire in June and July, 20 homes have been evacuated there.  The Denver Post says another 40 homes have been evacuated near Vallecito.  Both fires are believed started by lightning.

Opponents of the pot legalizing Amendment 64 says passage of the amendment could lead to more bad than good for the state.  In a debate co-hosted by the Denver Post and 9-News, opponents say the measure would attract illegal-drug dealers, hurt Colorado's brand among businesses and bring unwanted marijuana tourists. One proponent on the other hand says there's no evidence 64 would harm the state's business climate and marijuana-motivated visitors would be welcome.