Monday December 3, 2012

The price of gas in Colorado is down again, starting the week nearly 5 1/2 cents a gallon less than last week.  The average now $3.32/gal.  The national avg. now $3.39.

A group of small business owners urging 3rd District Congressman Scott Tipton to carry on plans not to raise taxes on the middle class and raise them instead on the top 2% of earners.  The group says allowing taxes for the middle class to remain steady is the answer to strengthening the national economy.

The Montrose City Council is on track to put a moratorium in place on applications for retail marijuana shops in the city after voters there voted against Amendment 64.  The Montrose Daily Press says a vote on the proposal is scheduled tomorrow.

The City of Grand Junction has a bright idea, Solar Power, and they're expanding a system at the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Daily Sentinel says the city expects to save more than $350,000 over 20 years.

Grand Junction City Council looking at an April vote on an extension of Tax Payer Bill of Rights taxes.  The money collected right now is paying for the Riverside parkway.  An April TABOR override could fund any number of municipal projects including parks and major road projects.  An open house is Thursday at Two Rivers Convention Center. A survey's available on the city's website.

5 states including Colorado are announcing today a plan to increase classroom learning time by 300 hours in some schools.  The 3-year pilot program is being paid for with a mix of federal, state and district funding with a goal of boosting student achievement and making US schools more globally competitive.

An annual gathering to remember homeless people who have died in the Grand Valley called attention yesterday to nine people who died in the past year.  The Daily Sentinel says the homeless Shelter, Homeward Bound is trying to raise awareness the need for housing, especially for families.

The Town of Palisade's $7.9 million budget for next year is on the books, including a new fire station and some significant street maintenance and repairs.  The search is on for a new police chief with a higher salary than the former chief's, along with less overtime pay for officers.

That wildfire burning near Rocky Mountain National Park isn't any closer to containment, especially in abnormally dry conditions, high winds and beetle-kill trees. Fire officials are keeping a close eye on the weather concerned flames could move to the tops of the trees forcing evacuations of at least 1,000 residences.

Gun sales in Colorado are soaring, with criminal background checks required to buy a gun up 58% in the past five years. The Denver Post cites data from the CBI saying there were more than 4,000 checks run in Colorado on Black Friday.  Nationally, nearly 155,000 checks were run the same day.

Looking for a home invasion suspect: there's an app for that.  The Aspen Daily News says the son of the victim was able to track his mother's stolen phone from Basalt, all the way to Parachute where a suspect was arrested.  There's a warrant out for a second suspect.