Tuesday May 1, 2012

DEWEY STORIES
Convicted murderer Robert Dewey was has been exonerated.  Dewey was convicted of murdering a 19 year old Jacie Taylor, in Palisade in 1994.  Yesterday DNA analysis linked another man to the crime.  Dewey waited 15 years in prison before his release. A new suspect, 39 year old Douglas Thames, already serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a Fort Collins woman in 1989, is now the chief suspect in Taylor's murder.

51 year old Robert Dewey sat patiently in a Colorado prison for more than 15 years for a crime he didn't commit and now he's free.  Dewey was released yesterday after authorities say DNA evidence used to lock him up was wrong.  Dewey was convicted of murdering 19 year old Jacie Taylor in Palisade in 1994, but never backed down from his claim of innocence, and last week, DNA evidence proved that.  Dewey is free and a 39 year old man who lived near the Palisade murder scene has been implicated.  Douglas Thames, Jr. is already serving a life sentence for killing a Ft. Collins woman in 1989.

A 51 year old man in prison for 15 years, wrongly accused of murdering a Palisade woman in 1994 is a free man.  Robert Dewey walked out of the Mesa County Justice Center yesterday, exonerated after DNA analysis pointed to another suspect in the rape and murder of 19 year old Jacie Taylor in 1994. New DNA evidence has implicated another man already serving time for the murder of a Fort Collins murder five years before Taylor was murdered.


SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH
Local law enforcemnt are getting involved with Special Olympics this week with three separate events, the first one this morning.  The Grand Junction SWAT team is running the Special Olympics torch to Stocker Stadium to light the cauldron with the athletes, it happenes around 10:15.  A huge multi-agncy run is Friday over the Clorado National Monument. Then Saturday, The Mesa County SWAT Team will carry the torch from teh Sheriff's Office to Grand Junction High School where the regional games are set.

FILM JOBS
State lawmakers are hoping to create more film industry jobs in the state with the Film Production Activities in Colorado Act.  The measure would be the first of its kind in the country, increasing rebates for film makers from 10 percent to 20 percent.  Bipartisan backers say the creative industry is the fifth largest employment sector in the state, and one of the fastest growing in the country. The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee.

BOWIE MINE EA
The BLM has released a preliminary Environmental Assessment and unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact for public comment regarding the proposed coal lease modifications at the Bowie mine five miles northeast of Paonia.  The Bowie #2 Mine employees nearly 300 workers, the majority living in Delta County, with total direct economic benefits exceeding $60 million annually.  Comments on the EA are being taken in writing through the end of the month.

POWDERHORN PROGRESS
Powderhorn Mountain Resort says it didn't suffer the same fate other resorts did with a dismal snowpack.  Instead, the owners tell the Mesa County Commissioners skier visits were up 7 percent the past season compared with a 7% drop at other areas in the state.

OCCUPY AND OTHER RALLIES
Occupy Grand Junction is planning a daylong rally at Lincoln Park today.  The Daily Sentinel says the gathering falls on the foot heels of a Values Rally by the Heritage Foundation at the park yesterday, but says little about the Occupiers agenda.  This Friday, The Western Slope Conservative Alliance is putting on a Tea Party Rally at the same location with national speakers, music, food and a call to action.  That party is from 4 until 7.

GJ SEWER AND TRASH
Grand Junction city officials are looking at raising the price of sewer and water in light of a dip in the the services's enterprise fund.  City Council will take up the issue in coming meetings.

Monday April 30, 2012

GJEP VIDEO CONTEST
The Grand Junction Economic Partnership is looking for a video to promote outdoor activities in Mesa County.  It's a facebook contest where anyone can post a video of things like hiking, rafting, skiing or whatever.  The GJEP may use some of the footage and those who enter get a chance to win a GoPro HD Hero Camera.

EAGLE FIRE BAN LIFTED
The weather is cooperating in some parts of Colorado, allowing fire restrictions to be lifted.  The Eagle County Sheriff's Office is the latest to lift a ban there.  Authorities say there is still a lot of fire fuel and they're urging caution whenever conducting open burning.

DELTA FIRE WEATHER
Weather conditions may be cooperating in Eagle County, but not in Delta County where emergency officials say they're thinking about calling for a ban on open fires.  Emergency Manager Rob Fiedler says he's been in the business for 30 years, in Delta County for the past 9, and conditions on the Grand Mesa are drying out too close for comfort.  Fiedler tells the Daily Sentinel Reversing the arid trend to the weather so far this year would require intervention of biblical proportions.

DRUG TAKE BAKE RESULTS
Local law enforcement and the DEA teamed up over the weekend and collected nearly 300 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs during the "Drug Take Back" event in Mesa County.  Agencies across the country took part in the effort to get unused drugs off the street.

I-70 ROLLOVER
Three people hospitalized after a rollover crash on I-70.  It happened yesterday west of Parachute.  The State Patrol says a car headed westbound lost control and rolled several times in the median.  Three female occupants were taken to the hospital with injuries dscribed as minor to severe.

COLORADO GAS PRICES
The price of gas in Colorado has fallen 2-cents in the past week to $2.85 a gallon, still 4-cents a gallon higher than the national average.  ColoradoGasPrices.com says the average price continues to drop across the U-S and is now nearly 10-cents a gallon lower than the same date a year ago.

CONUNDRUM COWS
The latest plans for those dead cows near the Conundrum Hot Springs wouthwest of Aspen has the carcasses being cut into pieces and scattered in the woods.  There had been talk of using fire to destroy the cabin where the dead cows are and the cows, but officials say that'd take an environmental analysis. Forest officials tell the Aspen Times scattering the remains would be easier and quicker.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION BUS
The Heritage Foundation’s “Values Bus” is scheduled to stop in Grand Junction this afterno0on at 5:30 at Lincoln Park.  The conservative organization is traveling the country with a presentation about how the foundation will help restore American values to government and society.  Tea Party members are hosting a rally of their own Friday afternoon at Lincoln Park.  That get together will feature Saturday Night Live comic Victoria Jackson and Niger Innis, son of Congress of Racial Equality leader Roy Innis.

Thursday April 26, 2012

RABIES WARNING
The Montrose County Health Department is warning about the potential for rabies.  Domestic animals account for fewer than 10% of reported cases, with cats, cattle and dogs most often reported.  The largest number is among bats and skunks.  Rabies is treatable is caught before symptoms appear, but after than, cases are usually fatal. No cases have been reported this year, and the health department wants people to be extra careful as warm weather and outdoor activities increase.

JAPANESE NUCLEAR VISIT
Because of the Fukushima nuclear plant accident in Japan, that country is looking to reduce reliance on nuclear power.  Today, Japanese experts are meeting with officials at DMEA to learn about their Community Solar Array model for leasing solar photovoltaic panels to consumers. Kyushu Electric Power generates, transmits, and distributes electricity on Japan's southernmost island...serving more than 8 million residential and business customers.

ASSET TURNED DOWN
Undocumented students in Colorado will not be getting a break on college tuition after the House Finance Committee killed a bill that would have done that.  Colroado ASSET would have created a third category of tution for undocumented students who attend 3 years of High School in Colorado.  Tuition less than out of state, but higher than in-state.  Democrats say the republicans walked away from $4 million in tuition the bill would've generated.

RIVER WATER CALL
Grand Valley Irrigation Company is keeping a close ey on the Colorado River.  Low flows Monday led the company to put a call on the river, but as the level went up, the call came off.  The Daily Sentinel says the CALL ensures farmers and ranchers get the water to fulfill their senior water rights.  Water managers say although the call is off right now, it's likely a call will come at some point this eyar.

CIVIL UNIONS AHEAD
A Civil Unions bill is moving forward in the Colroado Senate. It's designed to give same-sex couples some of the protections and responsibilities heterosexual couples have including jointly owning property, adopting children and sharing end-oflife decisions. The bill still faces a final vote in the Senate and goes back to the House where its future is uncertain.

NEW MONUMENT SUPER
The Colorado National Monument has new Superintendent.  Lisa Eckert sworn in yesterday.  Eckert began her career with the park service at the Monuemnt in 1984, and has worked her way up through the ranks at parks across the west.  Eckert takes over amid talks of changing the Monument to a National Park and having been on the job for the past 7 weeks, has been attending meetings about the possiblity.

SCHOOL TO CAREER
High School students interested in the medical field are getting a hands-on look at Community Hospital today in a Schools to Careers Day.  More than 80 students will attend a 4-hour event, following a fictitious patient through his hospital visit following a severe automobile crash. The exercise includes presentations by hospital departments including radiology, laboratory, rehab services, nursing and EMT and others.

AG WEIGHS IN ON NORTH FORK COMMISSION
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers says he's opposed to a state commission being set up to compensate victims of the Lower North Fork Fire.  Three people died in the fire and 23 homes burned.  The state currently has a liability cap of $600,000 for incidents involving the state.  Suthers says it would be unfair to others with legitimate claims against the state to allow only victims of the fire to receive more.  he tells the Denver Post a better fix would be for lawmakers to look at raising compenstation in lawsuits or expanding the list of claims exempt from immunity.

POST OFFICE
A list of 71 post offices marked for closure has been reduced, saving about 25 of those, many in rural western Colorado.  U-S Senator Mark Udall says the post offices are the anchors in some communities and the move will save thousands of jobs.  A bill passed last night still has to go to the house and be signed by the president by May 15th, the expiration of a moratorium on closures.

Wednesday April 25, 2012

BRIDGE FOR ADOPTION
C-DOT has a bridge it wants to sell you, actually, it's giving the bridge away.  The National Register-listed Dotsero Bridge on Highway 6 over the Colorado River, built in 1935, is up for adoption. C-DOT's replacing the bridge because it doesn't meet current standards, but the agency says it would be suitable for pedestrian or recreational trail use.  The only catch is whoever gets it will have to pay to have it moved.

TEACHER CLEARED
A Montrose Schools employee has been cleared of sex abuse charges after the District Attorney's Office said there was not enough evidence for a conviction.  Darci Largent was accused of abusing a 4-year old girl at the Riverbottom Early Childhood Development Center last fall.  The Montrose Daily Press says the case was dismissed yeserday after deputy DA Wiley Christopher refused to put the little girl on the stand during a competency hearing.  The judge in the case is still deciding whether the charges could be filed again later, and whether blood samples taken from Largent should be destroyed.

GJ HIGHS
The official high in Grand Junction yesterday, 89 degrees, a full 21 degrees above average.  The National Weather Service says the mercury is on its way back to normal now with a high about 10 degrees cooler today, 72 degrees tomorrow and a below normal 66 on Friday.

DELTA SUPER SEARCH
The search continues for a new superintendent at the Delta County School District 50-J.  The former super stepped down in January on the request of the school board.  The Daily Sentinel says 3 candidates for the job were interviewed last week but the top candidate declined the job.  Now the board says it'll wait to repost the job and instead is considering a new Assistant Superintendent job to fill the position.

16 YEAR OLD HAS GUN
A 16 year old boy has been arrested on suspicion of having a handgun and drug paraphernalia near Grand Junction High School.  The Daily Sentinel says  police questioned two boys last Thursday, finding one with two active warrants and the other with the gun that had been reported stolen several days earlier.

LOVELAND CLOSES
Another Colorado ski resort is rolling up its mat early.  Loveland says it'll close this Sunday because of warm temperatures and a lack of snow.  The resort had planned to stay open another week.

LNFF COMMISSION
Republicans in the state house say they want to create a commission to compensate victims of the Lower North Fork Fire.  Three people died and the 23 homes burned had a value of more than $11 million.  The lawmakers say the state should pay. The fire was started from embers from a controlled burn.  The state has a liability of only $600,000 total in civil suits.  According to the Denver Post, Colorado Springs Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman said the state does not have mmoral impunity and creating a commission would assure people amends will be made.

OBAMA IN BOULDER
President Obama continues his campaign to keep student loan interest rates at their current level.  He spoke in Boulder last night, telling students he and his wife finished paying off their college debt just 8-years ago.  The President says without congressional action, interest rates on the loans will double to 6.8%, costing students nearly $1,000 a year.  Obama is set to speak at the University of Iowa this morning.

Tuesday April 24, 2012

MISSING GJ MAN
Grand Junction Police are looking for a man missing since last Thursday.  59 year old Clarence Lipinski was last seen riding a recumbent bicycle that morning and hasn't been heard from since.  Anyone with information should call 911.

CDOT REMEMBRANCE DAY
Today is C-DOT's 8th Annual Remeberance Day in honor of road workers who've lost their lives doing their jobs over the past 80 years.  58 employees have died...nearly half of those in work zones.  CDOT says there were more over 830 work zone crashes last year in Colorado resulting in 96 injuries and 10-deaths.

1-70 FATAL ROLLOVER
Two men are dead, one injured in a rollover crash on I-70.  It happened yesterday around 3:00 near Silt.  The State Patrol says a Nissan Maxima was headed east, went off the left side of the road and rolled several times in the median.  Three men were not wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the car.  Speed is considered a factor in the crash. Westbound lanes of I-70 were closed for about 3 hours during the investigation.

GS MOTORCYCLIST IDENTIFIED
The Mesa County Coroner's Office has released the name of a man killed in a motorcycle crash Sunday north of Gateway.  79 year old Lyle Troth, Jr of Glenwood Springs was riding with several members of the Aspen Valley Harley Davidson Owner's group when he lost control and crashed into a guardrail.

URANIUM INFO MTG
If you want to find out more about the Pinon Ridge Uranium Mill under construction near Naturita in Montrose County, you can got to the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce Energy Briefing tomorrow morning.  Curtis Moore of Energy Fuels Resources Corporation will be on hand to talk about his company's plans, the permitting process, the state health department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

EXPORT FORUM
Businesses in western Colorado can get some information about exporting their goods at a forum in Montrose next week.  Congressman Scott Tipton is hosting, bringing along federal and local trade experts to talk about procedures and resources available to local businesses.  Tipton's office says close to 4,500 companies export from Colorado every year, and 88% of those are small or medium-sized businesses.  Export 101 is Thursday, May 3rd at the Grand Junction Business Incubator Center.

TRAIL BOOBY TRAPS
Comments on facebook have led to the arrests of two Provo, Utah men in connection with booby traps placed on popular Utah hiking trail.  Trip wires were set to drop a 20-pound spiked boulder and to trip a passer-by into a bed of sharpened wooden stakes.  A military trained Forest Service employee found the traps last week.  The 19 and 21 year old suspects were arrested after comments about the traps were found on facebook.

GJ AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Grand Junction has some affordable housing, but the Grand Junction Housing Authority says stats in a census report released yesterday don't tell the whole story.  According to the Daily Sentinel, the report looks at incomes and  available units in the state between 2006 and 2010 and found about 50 afforable units per 100 low-income households.  In Grand Junction the ratio was 61 per 100.  Jody Kole with the Housing Authority tells the Sentinel if conducted today, the study would likely tell a different story.  She says more than 3,200 households in Grand Junction are spending more than half their income on rent.

Monday April 23, 2012

It's not a lot, but the price of gas in Colorado has fallen, down .2 cents a gallon in the past week. ColoradoGasPrices.com says  The average is now $3.87/gallon, 20 cents higher than one month ago.  The national average is $3.85.

A 79 year old Glenwood Springs man is dead in a motorcycle crash on Hwy 141 north of Gateway.  The state patrol says the man was headed north when his Harley hit a guardrail, throwing him down a steep embankment.  He was wearing a helmet, but investigators say speed appears to have been a factor in the crash yesterday afternoon.

A 21 year old Henderson, Colorado man is in jail in Glenwood Springs after a high speed chase on I-70.  It happened early yesterday morning.  Igor Skorev apparently didn't stop when a trooper tried to pull him over for speeding at west Glenwood Springs.  The chase reached speeds of 125 miles an hour through Glenwood Canyon where there's two-way traffic because of construction.  Trooper Joshua Yoder used his car to finally stop Skorev.  Yoder and Skorev were treated for minor injuries.

C-DOT is jumping on the Earth Day bandwagon, pointing out its efforts to be GREEN.  C-DOT points out the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement or RAP, which saves aggregate resources.  The use of RAP is up 600% from 2007, saving $11 million over the use of new asphalt. CDOT is also experimenting with rubberized binder in the asphalt, made from recycled tires.

Over 2,100 drivers in 49 counties paid the price during C-DOT's rural Click It or Ticket campaign.  29 law enforcement agencies took part in the campaign to get people to buckle up.  C-DOT says 60% of fatal crashes last year were on rural roads.  58% of those killed were not wearing seatbelts, compared with 34% in urban areas.  C-DOT says Based on surveys conducted by law enforcement agencies before and after the rural Click It or Ticket enforcement period, seat belt use rose from 75% to 81%.

The National Park Service says it's allowing commercially guided climbs to continue in the the Park's wilderness areas.  Colorado's two Senators and another from Montana, along with 3rd District Congressman Scott Tipton raised concerns about the plan to ban the climbs, and late last week, the Park Service said it won't move forward with the ban, at least not now. In a press release, Senator Mark Udall said he was pleased the Park Service's decision saying guided climbing plays a role in the local economy and promotes safety and responsible use of the state's outdoor resources.

If you haven't visited one of Colorado's National Parks lately, now's your chance to do it free.  This week is National Park Week with free admission across the country. The next Free Day is in June.

Yesterday's 85 degree high temperature in Grand Junction tied a record for the day and it looks like the record heat is going to continue.  Yesterday was the second time this month, and the 6th time this spring temperatures tied or set records.  The average is 69 degrees, and the weather service says we'll be back in that neighborhood by the end of the week.

A second school district in Garfield County is going to a 4-day school week to save money.  District 16 which includes Parachute and Battlement Mesa will make the move in the fall with Mondays off.  The Daily Sentinel says class time will be increased by 50 minutes each of the 4-days to accomodate the move.

The Colorado legislature is down to its final two weeks and has some high profile issues to deal with.  The Denver Post says the House Education Committee is dealing with a bill today creating a separate tuition category for undocumented students.  The tuition would be more than in-state, but less than out-of-state.  Also on tap, the issue of civil unions for gay couples.  By law, the session must end by May 9th.

Friday April 20, 2012

TROOPER ACQUITTED
Colorado State Trooper Gene Lawyer has been found Not Guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide in the shooting death of Jason Kemp at his home on the Redlands in July of 2010.  Lawyer shot Kemp in the doorway of his home after Kemp fled the scene of a non-injury suspected DUI crash.  The jury yesterday acquitted Lawyer on four counts and deadlocked on two others.

AEROSPACE BILL
Colorado could become a leader in the aerospace industry under  The Colorado Aerospace Jobs Act.  Signed into law yesterday, the bill is designed to make the state more competitive in the development of commercial space flight by creating a stable regulatory climate. The industry is estimated to generate $3 billion in annual payroll for Colorado workers.

STATE BUDGET
The state's $19 billion budge has passed out of the Senate and is back to the House for consideration of amendments by both chambers.  The spending plan includes several changes from the current budget, including sending severant-tax money from oil and gas revenues back to communities where the drilling takes place.  That money had been funneled into the state's general fund to help balance the budget.

MONGULS VISIT GJ
The Mongols Motorcycle Club has been around for 43 years and this weekend, they'll be around the Grand Valley.  Anywhere from 20 to 200 members of the international group are planning a gathering at an unspecified residence. The Mesa County Sheriff's office tells the Daily Sentinel they're not expecting any trouble, but have a plan and have lined up extra resources if they need them.

DENVER MEGA MILLIONS MILLIONAIRE
If you bought a ticket for that huge Mega Millions lottery game last month, you still could be a millionaire. The big jackpot was worth $640 million, but someone has a ticket purchased in Denver worth $1 million and has yet to claim the prize.

LNF SUITS
Nine notices of intent to file suit have been filed against the state in connection with the Lower North Fork fire.  The Denver Post says the legal notices must be filed before anyone can sue the state, and damages would be limited to $600,000 for the entire incident under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act.