Monday January 28, 2013

Leaving a vehicle running unattended is illegal in Colorado, but a survey shows at least 30% of drivers admit they've done it.  A statewide "puffer" awareness campaign gets underway today with the help of auto theft task forces. The term "puffer" actually coined by car thieves who look for easy targets. Those caught puffing this week will get educational information from officers.

A North Fork Valley group says it's ready to sue if the BLM doesn't take 20 parcels off the table in a lease sale February 14th.  Citizens for a Healthy Community says BLM findings for the sale were based on a 1989 resource management plan that needs updating. The BLM says it's already removed 10,000 acres from the sale, and that an accepted bid doesn't necessarily mean drilling will occur.  CHC tells the Montrose Daily Press that's not enough.  The BLM is listening and says it will issue a decision two days before the sale.

A big drug bust in Garfield County.  Deputies pulled over a car for speeding on I-70 Saturday morning and found the driver didn't have a license or proof of insurance.  The vehicle was impounded and cops found a little over two Kilos of suspected Methamphetamine with a street value over $218,000.

Secretary of State Scott Gessler is in Grand Junction tomorrow to hear ideas on improving Election Conduct on the state or local level.  The public meeting is at the old Mesa County Courthouse on Rood at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.  It's open to anyone and people can also submit comments by email to Gessler's office or Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Sheila Reiner.

GasBuddy.com is out with the latest stats on gas prices and says Colorado's average is up more than 11 cents a gallon in the last week to $2.91. The national average is $3.31.  Analyst Patrick DeHaan says the price is likely to continue to rise as refinery maintenance season begins.

It's Colorado School Choice Week.  Governor Hickenlooper is joining fore than 20 governors making the proclamation.  He says more than 100 events are planned across the state to call attention to the belief that children deserve greater access to challenging, motivating educational options. You can get more info at schoolchoiceweek.com.

Backers of changing the Colorado National Monument to a National Park are launching an all out effort to get the public behind the move.  3rd District Congressman Scott Tipton and Senator Mark Udall say they'll decide by mid summer whether to pursue legislation.  Backers tell the Daily Sentinel they're setting up a Facebook page and using other social media to answer questions.

Parents can get an up close look at academic options in School District 51 Wednesday night. A fair is being held at Bookcliff Middle school starting at 5:30 showing options available outside traditional schools.  The idea is to show how the district can engage kids with various learning styles and help at risk kids.

A news report out of Boulder says then-DA Alex Hunter refused to sign off on a grand jury's indictment of John and Patsy Ramsey in the 1996 death of their daughter JonBenet.  The Boulder Daily Camera says Hunter believed he could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.  Legal experts are now looking at the move to decide whether Hunter's decision agrees with Colorado grand-jury law.

Attendance at the 2013 National Western Stock Show & Rodeo started out good enough, but when the show ended yesterday the numbers were the lowest since 2004. It looks like the Stock Show isn't going anywhere.  It had threatened to move to a new hotel complex in Aurora, but pulled that off the table in November.

Denver Democrat Representative Diana DeGette is says Coloradans need to get involved in the gun control fight.  DeGette tells the Denver Post  gun violence is threatening the country and she's introduced legislation to ban high capacity magazines.  At the same press conference, State Representative Rhonda Fields said she's introducing legislation in the state House to close a loophole that allows guns to be sold privately without a background check.