Monday November 5, 2012

Grand Junction Fire investigators looking for the cause of fire at a set of apartments in a hotel at 718 Horizon Drive. It was reported just after midnight in a ground floor apartment with possible extension to a second floor unit. A total of 7 people were evacuated, all given new rooms in the motel.

You might not have heard CDOT talking about problems with sun glare, but they are.  The problem is in the Floyd Hill area where the sun's angle during late fall and early winter can blind morning drivers.  CDOT's website lists several precautions drivers should take to avoid problems.  Messages are also being displayed on electronic signs in the area.

The Grand Valley Fire Protection District is looking for the cause of a fire at two units of a complex in Battlement Mesa.  The fire was reported in two units just after noon yesterday.  Both were destroyed, four others suffered significant water damage.  The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is looking into the fire.

Police in Grand Junction are looking for a man who robbed a consignment shop on Main Street Saturday afternoon.  The robber pointed a gun at the owner and demanded money.  then left with cash. It's the second robbery of a small business in less than two weeks.

If you have a mail-in ballot for tomorrow's election, you'll need to drop it off at one of the Mesa County Clerks offices before 7:00 tomorrow night.  Ten voting centers will be set up from7 to 7 tomorrow, those locations listed on the Clerk's website.
As of Friday, more than 51 thousand voters in Mesa County had cast ballots, that's 67% of the county's total 76,000 active voters.

The Montrose city Council meeting set for tomorrow night is being held tonight instead.  The Montrose Daily Press says the council will consider a purchase order for a $25,000 planning grant from the state Department of Local Affairs for design and engineering of an ADA-accessible white water park on the Uncompahgre River.  They'll also decide whether to approve an application for Montrose to serve as a host city for the 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge bicycle race.

The price of gas in Colorado has fallen nearly 5 cents a gallon in the past week now at $3.48 a gallon. That's close to 22 cents a gallon lower than a month ago.  Nationally, the average is $3.51/gal.  GasBuddy.com is predicting a continued fall in prices, with the possibility of a national average around $3.35/gal by Thanksgiving.

More allegations against a former Grand Junction Police Office and fire fighter set to stand trial in March accused of an affair with an underage girl in 2000.  The Daily Sentinel says a second woman has come forward saying 42 year old Eric Janusz made uncomfortable sexual comments to her in 2003-04 when she was underage. The paper says prosecutors intend to use the testimony to show a pattern similar to Janusz's sexual assault case.

Tomorrow is election day, but the presidential candidates aren't overlooking Colorado's status as a swing state in the election.  Texas Governor Rick Perry is in western Colorado today holding four meet and greets including two in Grand Junction. The Daily Sentinel says Perry will stop at Republican Headquarters on 1st Street at 11:00 then Clifton at Starvin Arvin's at 12:15.  Perry moves on to Delta this afternoon  at two followed by Glenwood Springs at 5:00.

Ads in the Daily Sentinel for house District 54 Libertarian candidate Tim Menger, are being paid for by a libertarian supporter from Littleton.  The ads are running through tomorrow.  Menger is running against Republican Jared Wright and has said he hasn't and won't take any money for campaigning.  Wright in the meantime has raised over 22 thousand dollars in his quest to win the house district 54 seat.

The Colorado Association of Realtors has released a new report compiling local real estate data from around the state.  It shows homes in southwestern Colorado were on the market longer than the state average.  The average time a house was on the market over the last 2 years was 191 days in southwestern Colorado, compared to the state average of 103 days.