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.