Tuesday January 22, 2013

A 31 year old Illinois man is dead in a snowmobile crash on the Grand Mesa. It happened late yesterday morning in the Electric Mountain area north of Paonia.  Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee tells the Daily Sentinel there are few details and the man apparently died at the scene of the crash.

Two western slope lawmakers are planning legislation to allow commercial production of hemp.  The crop is similar to marijuana, but contains only trace amounts of the active chemical in pot. According to the Daily Sentinel,  State Senator Gail Schwartz, whose district includes Delta County and Montrose Representative Don Coram say hemp is a versatile, drought resistant crop that can be used for making everything from fabric to food. Two Town Hall meetings on the subject are scheduled next month in Gunnison and Hotchkiss.

A Colorado state district court judge has ruled against Secretary of State Scott Gessler who said county clerks could mail ballots only to "active voters." The case was brought against Denver County's Clerk and Recorder after she mailed ballots to inactive voters in 2011.  According to the Denver Post, Gessler says he's working on a compromise with clerks to allow more people to receive notice about their inactive statuses.

Governor John Hickenlooper is supporting legislation that would cap tax breaks for businesses in Enterprise-Zones.  An investigation by the Denver Post showed most of the tax breaks go to a handful of companies, mostly oil and gas companies, for what the paper calls investments that would've happened anyway.

One of the hostages who made it out of an Algerian gas field over the weekend is from Colorado.  Steven Wysocki is a petroleum engineer, his wife well-known as a trainer and judge in dressage circles. The Denver Post says Wysocki texted his wife Kristi saying he was hiding from the terrorists in the facility.  She didn't hear from him for three days when he was rescued.

A man killed in an avalanche near Marble just over a week ago apparently scouted the area earlier that day and week.  According to the Aspen Daily News, 37 year old James Lindenblatt and three other skiers decided to ride on Marble Peak Ridge after making several exploratory trips there.  Lindenblatt became the second avalanche fatality in Colorado this season after being buried under four feet of snow while the others tried to find him and dig him out.

A 29 year old registered sex offender has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting two young girls he was baby sitting.  KJCT reports Jeremy Cisneros was booked on suspicion of 18 counts after the girls went to authorities.  Apparently Cisneros and his wife were baby sitting the 6 and 4 year old girls when the assaults allegedly occurred.

No one was injured when a Southwest Airlines jet blew three tires during an emergency landing at DIA. It happened yesterday afternoon. The pilot said a warning light went on just after takeoff and he returned to the airport.  An airport spokeswoman said the plane's landing gear brakes got overheated causing the blowouts.

Very few details in a move by the Montrose City Council to sever ties with the Montrose Association of Commerce and Tourism.  Board member Scott Byer tells The Montrose Daily Press he and other members of the group sat down with the city council last night and were handed a letter terminating the agreement at the end of March.  So far no word on a reason for the move by the city.