Wednesday August 29, 2012

The EPA has announced higher fuel efficieny requirements for U-S automakers, upping the standard for cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.  Colorado Senator Mark Udall has joined a bipartisan effort to increase the standards and says higher-mileage cars save money, make the air cleaner and reduce U-S dependence on oil.  He says the new standard could save families more than $1.7 trillion in fuel costs and have a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is trying to get the word out about bear activity picking up across the state.  Bears are starting their annual binge, getting ready for hibernation. People should do what they can to avoid interaction with bears, like making sure trash is secure and food sources, like bird feeders, are removed.  Bears will feed up to 20 hours a day leading into winter, and although not usually aggressive people should still avoid feeding bears.

Montrose County could see an end to lawsuits involving Fixed Base Operator JetAway if it approves a deal to allow another company to operate.  JetAway says it will dismiss all federal antitrust litigation with the county if an agreement is reached to bring in Cutter Aviation to operate under JetAway's FBO contract.  The Montrose Daily Press says the county commissioners have agreed to look into the proposal.

A Grand Junction manufacturer is getting ready to hire a few more people after winning a $35 million defense contract for a lighter easier-to-use tripod machine gun mount.  Capco tells the Daily Sentinel it's updated a mount already used by the Army and produced at the company's Foresight Industrial Park facility.  The contract runs through 2017. Capco was the first company to operate in Foresight Park near 25 Road and Patterson and employs 175 people.

A Clifton mother has been cited on suspicion of misdemeanor child abuse after allegedly leaving her 2-year old daughter alone and going to a Grand Junction bar. The Daily Sentinel says 21 year old Maura Pernicano was arrested Monday night after the little girl's stepfather contacted authorities.  He said he found the toddler alone at the home to two formerly shared.

Grand Valley water suppliers are keeping a close eye on water storage heading into next year.  They say there's enough water to last through this year, but 2013 will depend on winter snowpack.  Suppliers say they're looking at upping rates to discourage use and implementing stricter drought measures.  Water use in the valley this summer actually increased from last year when no drought restrictions were imposed.

Garfield County Commission Chairman John Martin is defending participation in a meeting in Vernal, Utah earlier this year.  Two citizens groups filed suit this week, accusing the commission of backing an oil shale development position reached at the meeting which they say violated the state's Sunshine Act. According to The Glenwood Post, Martin says the commissioners have nothing to hide.  He says if they need to rescind their vote and hold another public hearing, they will.

A Parachute man will avoid prison time in the accidental shooting death of a friend in Battlement Mesa.  26-year old Nathanael Rice pled guilty yesterday to criminally negligent homicide and two other charges were dropped.  The Daily Sentinel says 30 year old Jeremy Caywood was shot and killed in January when a handgun being handled by Rice went off.

Colorado Mesa University remains in the top 10% of 6,600 U-S colleges and universities.  The list is compiled by Forbes.com and ranks schools by factors including post-graduate success.  The Daily Sentinel says CMU ranked 586th.  That's down from 326th in 2009.  Princeton University topped the list.

Tuesday August 28, 2012

Underage drinking tickets have dropped dramatically at Rock Jam.  A high of 78 tickets were issued in 2009.  That number was down to 23 this year.  Grand Junction police led the enforcement with an Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant.

The Montrose Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to get the word out about their religious beliefs and practices as Mitt Romney becomes the first Morman nominated for President. Information sessions are being held at noon today in Montrose and again tomorrow in Delta.

Colorado Senator Mark Udall is urging homeowners in the High Park and Waldo Canyon burn areas to get federal flood insurance before waivers for the normal 30-day waiting period for coverage expires.  Udall says a bill passed earlier this summer allows residents in those areas to purchase flood insurance and have it go into effect immediately.  You can get more information at FloodSmart.gov.

Hilltop's B4 Babies and Beyon program has received a grant from the Caring for Colorado Foundation.  B4 Babies helps ensure healthy women and children by making families aware of access to quality health care coverage.  They help with doctor's appointments, nutrition, and other services.  The new grant will help call attention to changes to the financial eligibility guidelines expanding the number of families eligible.

The U-S Attorney's office is outlining its case against two doctors accused of healthcare fraud, money laundering and drug distribution.  Doctors Sam Jahani and Eric Peper who practiced in Montrose, Delta and Grand Junction, are free on bond after their indictment last year.  According to the Montrose Daily Press, more than 300 patients could be part of the proof the government offers in support of its case.

Health officials in Montrose County say 3 cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed, including two severe cases in which the victims developed meningitis.  According to The Montrose Daily Press, 10 cases of the disease have been confirmed in Delta County.  The state operates a West Nile virus hotline with information on protection and symptoms.

Two western Colorado citizens groups have filed suit in Garfield District Court, alleging the Garfield County commissioners violated the state's Sunshine Law.  The Glenwood Post Independent says the suit alleges the board met with industry reps and other elected officials in Vernal, Utah in March, eventually drafting oil shale policy following a public meeting in April. The groups say a similar policy was adopted by commissioners in Uintah County in Utah, but later recinded.  They want the Garfield County Commissioners to do the same.

A man killed in a light plane crash in Routt County over the weekend may have been flying from Glenwwod Springs to his hometown in Minnesota. According to The Glenwood Post, 36 year old Peter Landherr had a residence in Grand County, and may have had his plane worked on in Glenwood last week before heading out.  The crash was found Saturday morning in rural Routt County northwest of Steamboat Springs.

A former Grand Jucntion Police Officer and firefighter has been ordered to stand trial next March on charges he had an affair with an underage girl in 2000.  Eric Janusz was arrested earlier this year after a woman who was 16 at the time of the affair came forward with thecharges.  Janusz who's free on bond, pled not guilty yesterday and was ordered to stand trial on charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

A 67 year old Grand Junction man prosecutors say was the leader of a drug ring bringing several pounds of meth from Arizona to the Grand Valley has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.  Carlos Ballardo-Lopez was sentenced under a plea agreement yesterday. According to the Daily Sentinel, Ballardo-Lopez was among 12-people arrested last September by the Western Colorado Drug Task Force.

Monday August 27, 2012

The unofficial end to summer is next weekend and the Colorado State Patrol is putting out reminders to not drink and drive.  The CSP and agencies in Vail, Avon, and Eagle, all part of the Gore Range DUI Task Force, are planning saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints throughout the weekend.  The goal is to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes in Colorado between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  

The price of gas in Colorado hasn't moved much in the past week.  The average still $3.48/gallon.  Nationally, the average has increased 3 cents to $3.73/gallon.  GasBuddy.com says although Tropical Storm Isaac doesn't look to cause significant refinery outages or production losses, the website is keeping a close eye on the situation since it's likely to temporarily drive prices higher in the short term.

It's been a week since the USA Pro Challenge was in Montrose, and the start of the second stage of the race is getting mixed reviews.  The Montrose Daily Press says most businesses in town have only positive  things to say about the event, many question the amount of time and money put into it. Several hotels and restaurants say business was about average, or even below average.

A hiker is dead in a rockslide on Hagerman Peak, about 11 miles southeast of Aspen in Gunnison County.  The Aspen Times says a goup of five were hiking in the area when the slide happened Saturday afternoon.  Mountain Rescue Aspen workers air lifted to the scene at about 13,000 feet.  One injured hiker-- taken by ambulance to a hospital, the other three transported to the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport.

Ideas for transportation through the mountains on I-70 are coming in and include a project calling for a 120-mile high-speed transit system shooting a train through a series of elevated hoops.  A Texas businessman has that idea and tells the Denver Post the system is as innovative as the construction through Glenwood Canyon was in the '70s.  The state's Division of Transit and Rail says a high-speed system must be inplace by 2025, or C-DOT will turn to either widening the highway or other roadway improvements.

A 19 year old Clifton man faces 24 to 48 years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree murder, menacing and robbery in a gang-related crime spree in Grand Junction last Summer.  According to the Daily Sentinel, Lester Miranda-Davis signed the deal last week in the murder of 31 year old Jorge Carrasco, and robberies at two businesses and the burglary of one home last July 16th. A second suspect, is to stand trial in December.

At least 27 people have been arrested in warrant sweep in Grand Jucntion.  The Daily Sentinel says Street Crimes officers from Grand Jucntion PD and the Mesa County S-O made the arrests last Thursday and Friday.  Most were for unpaid traffic or parking tickets and other low-level offenses.

Friday August 24, 2012

Prosecutors in the Aurora Theater massacre say James Holmes failed a crucial oral exam for his neuroscience program at CU the same day he bought one of the guns believed used in the shootings last month. The prosecutors want access to Holmes other educational records before a hearing next week.  According to the Denver Post, the team says the records are needed to prepare for a hearing next week over what could be the biggest clue to the planning and motivations behind the the massacre.

C-U is hiring attorneys to represent employees and psychiatrists in student mental-health services who may have had a connection with Theater Shooter James Holmes, a former graduate student at the University. A Denver defense attorney not related to the case tells the Denver Post hiring the lawyers isn't a confession, the school is concerned about the possible risk of a lawsuit.

It's not even on the ballot yet, but opposition to a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution is organizing.  A coalition called the NO Personhood plans a rally today at the state capitol.  According to The Denver Post, Personhood Colorado will hear next month whether their amendment will be on the November ballot. They say the measure would stop abortions, but would not ban most forms of contraception, in-vitro fertilzation or lifesaving procedures.

Republican State House 54 candidate Jared Wright is firing back after robo calls earlier this week asked voters to encourage him to drop out of the race.  The Daily Sentinel says Wright is paying for calls of his own, and using former Congressman Tom Tancredo's voice.  Tancredo ran an unsuccessful bid for Governor on the independent ticket after Republican Candidate Dan Maes was asked to step down but didn't.  Tancredo lost to Democrat John Hickenlooper.

The 2012-13 school year has barely started, and the District 51 School Board is already looking at the 2013-14 budget.  The Daily Sentinel says a 3-hour brainstorming last night included ideas for saving money, testing, and alternative school options. Superintendent Steve Schultz says district peronnel are looking over the list from last night and will present it and any other findings at the board's business meeting next month.

Palisade's first Standard and Poors credit rating is A, making it a solid canidate for lending.  Town Administrator Rich Sales tells the Daily Sentinel the rating is good news for refinancing debt from construction of the town's water plant.  He says it would save the town as much as $70,000 annually.  The S&P rating comes after Palisade contracted with a Denver bonding company which completed a detailed audit of the town's operations.

More reports of counterfeit cash in Grand Junction.  This time a fake $20 bill at Chik-fil-A.  Grand Junction Police say it is the 15th report of counterfit money in the city this year.


Where does your recyled scrap and paperboard go? Chances are it heads to China.  The Denver Post says Colorado exported nearly one and a quarter million dollars in scap and waste to China last year, up from $8.3 million ten years ago. About 40% of all reclable waste goes abroad, with China the biggest buyer.

Thursday August 23, 2012

Grand Junction Police are looking into a burglary and trespass around 3:15 this morning near 24th Street and North Avenue.  Sgt. Pete Chavez says a homeowner reported waking up and seeing one or two people inside his house.  He made a second call to 9-1-1 saying he had fired shots but wasn't sure if anyone was hit.  Chavez says officers searched the area with a K-9 from Fruita, but didn't find anything.  He says they're looking for any information they can get.

The latest BLM Coal Lease Sale in Routt County has brought in $800,000.  Sage Creek HOldings leased a 400-acre tract to develop some 3.2 million tons of recoverable coal near the Twentymile Coal Mine south of Hayden.  According to the BLM, roughly 90% of coal deposits in Colorado are on public lands.  Mining  is underway right now on 75,000 acres, contributing some $884 million to the economy in fiscal 2011.

26 people at Gordon Composites have gotten layoff notices.  According to the Montrose Daily Press, archery manufacturers are seeing a slow-down, with demand falling off significantly in the past 3-months.  Company owner Mike Gordon says he's confident the market will turn around as the economy improves and says there IS an opportunity for all of the laid-off workers to be called back to work.

You may have slept through a pretty good rain storm early this morning.  Grand Junction Police say heavy rain fell for about 20 minutes in downtown Grand Junction around 1:00, but the National Weather Service says only 2-hundreths of an inch was recorded at the airport.  -- In Montrose, heavy rain was reported in a storm around 2:00.  3/10 of an inch fell there.  The weather service says heavy rain is expected this afternoon, mostly in the San Juans.  A flash flood watch watch is up for much of eastern Utah and western Colorado.

70 oil field service workers from Slumberger have been transferred to North Dakota because of the drilling slowdown in western Colorado.  About 60 are still working here.  The Daily Sentinel says the layoffs are only the latest in the slowdown that started 2008 and '09.  The West Slope Oil and Gas Association says even with fluctuations in the industry, Grand Junction's significance to the Rocky Mountain energy industry hasn't changed.

The BLM is getting ready for public meetings on preferred alternatives for oil and gas drilling in the Piceance Basin in the next 20 years.  The agency has come out with four different alternatives, including its preferred alternative: the drilling of just over 15,000 new wells from 1,800 well-pads.  The meetings are the last week in September in Grand Junction, Meeker, Rangely and Silt.

A Grand Jucntion woman has reached a plea agreement in the plot to kill her husband by poisoning his whiskey. Deone Graham pled guilty yesterday and faces between 8 and 24 years in prison when sentenced in October.  According to The Daily Sentinel, Graham suspected her husband was cheating and wanted to collect his retirment benefits and 401k.

The Mesa County Public Trustee's Office is still runing, but without a head.  Chief Deputy Public Trustee Sharon Ener is in charge until a new appointment by the Governor.  Former Trustee Paul Brown was asked by the Governor to step down after stories in The Daily Sentinel and Denver Post about called into question spending by Trustees in 10 offices in the state some of those who resigned were re-instated, but not Brown.

Wednesday August 22, 2012

Montrose County's doing what it can to get the word out about West Nile Virus.  4 human cases have been reported in Delta County so far this year, at least one in Mesa County, and although there have been no human cases in Montrose County, officials there are urging people to be cautious.  About one in 150 cases becomes severe and can lead to encephalitis and meningitis.  As of August 14th, 693 cases had been reported in 43 states, leading to 26 deaths.

The City of Montrose is excited about the US Pro Challenge Bike Race.  Racers and spectators have left, but merchants and residents are still talking about the Montrose Stage.  The Montrose Daily Press says spectators were treated to autographs from the cyclists and even got to see another professional atlete.  Barry Bonds was in attendance.  Jenni Sopsic with the Montrsoe Association of Commerce and Tourism says it added another layer of excitement to the race.  The Challenge today moves from Gunnison to Aspen.

A deal between prosecutors and an admitted sex offender may not work out.  The Daily Sentinel says 47 year old Thomas Dausel was arrested in February of last year, accused of putting his hands down a boy's pants and trying to take him from a park near Rocky Mountain Elementary School.  A plea deal called for 12 years in prison after Dausel plead guilty to felony 2nd Degree Kidnapping and Misdemeanor Unlawful Sexual Contact.  According to the Sentinel, Judge Valerie Robison agreed to a delay requested by Dausel's defense, but said she has reservations about deal and may put a stop to it.

A Grand Junction man in the country illegally for ten years has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to selling cocaine and enlisting his 16 year old son and 20 year old daughter to help.  According to the Daily Sentinel, Federico Lerma was the head of a drug distribution ring resulting in at least 14 arrests in January and February.  Lerma will be deported after his state prison term, his kids are trying to stay in the U-S.

Republican State House District 54 candidate Jared Wright says he's staying in the race, despite what he calls mistakes with his former job at the Fruita Police Department and personal finances.  Many are asking Wright to get out of the race after published reports of his filing for bankruptcy last year and losing his job with Fruita during an internal investigation. The Daily Sentinel says Wright apologized to a small group of supporters last night, saying he's learned from poor choices and decisions he's made and will not leave the race.

Parents in School District 51 aren't finished compaining about new bus routes.  The Daily Sentinel says the District's received over a hundred e-mails and more voicemails about the new walking boundaries of 2 miles instead of 1.  The District says it hopes to save $650,000 through the new boundaries this year.

Two Clifton brothers have been ordered to stand trial on charges they murdered a Fruita man earlier this year.  Julio and Jose Ortiz were arrested after 31-year old Abel Roper was stabbed to death March 1st.  The Daily Sentinel says text messages and a photo of Jose with a wounded and bloodied hand are some of the evidence prosecutors presented.

Tuesday August 21, 2012

Kids are back in school, and Grand Junction Police are issuing a continued warning about paying attention to kids.  Only four tickets were issued in school zones yesterday, all in the Nisley Elemtary school zone.  More kids are expected on roads because of new bus routes, so drivers need to be on the lookout.

Beware of a company selling education products door-to-door.  School District 51 says neither the salespeople nor the products are associated with the district.  Residents are encouraged to ask for identification and check with the district or neighborhood school before writing a check or giving money.

Mesa County's Drought Response Information Project, or DRIP, is recognizing the Grand Junction Parks and Rec Department for Outstanding Leadership during this year's drought.  DRIP officials say the city's work with over 300 acres of landscape in the grand valley has been impressive.

CDOT is keeping track of expected traffic situations with the USA Pro Challenge bicycle race and is out with predictions for today.  Stage Two travels from Montrose to Crested Butte, starting at 11:00 this morning.  US 50 and State Highway 135 will be closed to all haz-mat, oversize and overweight vehicles, and commercial vehicles should expect long delays between Gunnison and Montrose. Traveler information is being updated at cotrip.org.

A man is dead, a woman injured in a rollover accident on Thompson Creek Road in Garfield County.  The State Patrol says the man was thrown from the SUV he was driving, when it went out of control and rolled.  The woman suffered serious injuries, but was able to pull herself out of the wreck.  Pitkin County road and bridge workers witnessed the crash and performed CPR on the man who died at a hospital in Glenwood Springs.

State House District 55 candidate Dan Robinson is planning an announcement aimed at senior citizens later this morning.  Mesa County Democrats says prominent Republican will join him.  Robinson says he'll discuss ideas designed to may Grand Junction the most senior-friendly retirement destination in Colorado.

6,000 registered Mesa County Repulican voters have received phone calls asking them to tell House District 54 candidate Jared Wright to get out of the race.  Articles in the Daily Sentinel have called into question Wright's finances and character after being forced to quit his job with the Fruita Police Department.  A Grand Junction businessman paid for and sent out the calls yesterday asking voters to urge Wright to step aside so Republicans can find a new candidate before ballots go to the printers September 14th.

A Denver District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Battlement Mesa residents agains oil and gas development by Antero Resources.  The Daily Sentinel says the judge ruled he has no jurisdiction, and that claims had been made improperly since drilling hasn't yet occurred.  Antero's plans for up to 200 wells within Battlement Mesa are on hold because of low natural gas prices.

Garfield County has signed off on an academic study of air emission from natural gas operations.  The Glenwood Post Independent says the county will provide up to $1 million in oil and gas mitigation funds to help pay for the study.  CSU, a private research firm, and several oil and gas companies will complete the study collecting data around well sites through various stages of development.

The Snowmass Village Town Council has decided to put a question on the November ballot to enact an ordinance regarding distribution and use of single-use, disposable plastic and paper bags.  The Aspen Times says the Council made the move yesterday.