Tuesday January 29, 2013

X-Games snowmobiler Caleb Moore is clinging to life in Intensive Care at St. Mary's Hospital.  Moore was injured Thursday during the snowmobile freestyle contest.  He under rotated a back flip and the machine slammed him as he was tumbling down the mountain. Caleb's grandfather tells The Denver Post the 25 year old is "not doing good at all," suffering from a cardiac injury and a secondary complication involving his brain.

A large winter storm moving across western Colorado has made for some tricky driving.  Highway 50 near Delta was closed for a couple of hours following multiple crashes.  It reopened around 8:30, just about the time Glenwood Canyon became a slip and slide.  I-70 was closed through the canyon after pile up involving two semis, a pickup and an SUV. Several other crashes happened as a result. The canyon re opened about 11:00.  Highway 65 is closed over the top of the Grand Mesa due to adverse conditions.

If you have a non-EPA certified wood stove or fire place, go ahead and burn wood.  For the first time in a couple of weeks, the Mesa County Health Department has issued a Blue Air Quality advisory. A new advisory will be issued tomorrow afternoon at 3:00.

Congress has passed a National Disaster Relief bill without help for Colorado communities hit by wildfires last summer.  Senator Mark Udall says the legislation was passed without an amendment by him and Senator Michael Bennet to cover the cost of repairing drinking water infrastructure in El Paso, Larimer, Teller and Weld counties. Udall is pledging to continue fighting for any help for Colorado.

A 20 year old Clifton man who plead guilty to Second Degree Murder in a crime spree that ended in the murder of a Grand Junction man in the summer of 2011 has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.  According to the Daily Sentinel, the judge in the case handed down the sentence for Lester Miranda-Davis in a written order. The family of Jorge Carrasco, who was shot to death at the North Avenue Taco Bell, told the Sentinel they were disappointed they weren't allowed to speak at the sentencing.  One other man is jailed in connection with the spree, two others still wanted.

Grand Junction residents who want to vote in the April 2nd municipal election have until March 4th to be registered.  City Council candidates have turned in their paperwork setting up ten candidates for 4 seats.  A TABOR and zoning change are also on the ballot.

The hunt for a new Palisade police chief is winding down, 6 finalists set to meet with residents Thursday.  None of the 6 is from the Grand Valley, in fact only one is from the western slope.  The reception is Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Palisade Community Center building.

Don't look for teachers to carry concealed weapons in Colorado any time soon.  Democrats in a state Senate committee yesterday voted down a Republican measure that would have allowed that. One of those opposed to the bill said he feared armed teachers might end up shooting their students who would be in a crossfire.