“The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has been asked to lead a second investigation into former Fremont County Sheriff Lt. Robert Dodd, this time in connection with apparent evidence recovered May 17 from the Phantom Landfill in Penrose,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. ‘We requested CBI’s assistance with the landfill investigation and they agreed to help, so that remains pending,’ said Molly Chilson, district attorney. Landfill worker Robert Orton reported the evidence came to the landfill in a dumpster that had been at Dodd’s former residence. That apparent evidence consisted of numerous video tapes marked as interviews with victims, many of them sex assault victims, a laptop computer and a tackle box marked ‘FCSO Crime Scene Unit Forensic Lights.'”
“A former Garfield County Clerk and Recorder’s Office employee will serve no jail time under a sentence handed down Thursday, in what is the third case of embezzlement from the office in recent years,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “Alicia Macias will have to pay restitution of more than $16,000, plus interest, in order for the county to recoup the money she stole over several years while working in the office’s vital records department. Ninth Judicial District Court Judge John Neiley agreed to accept the sentencing terms of a deal under which Macias pleaded guilty to a felony count of embezzlement of public property in exchange for a stipulated sentence of 10 years of probation, 80 hours of public service, and restitution. If she fails to keep her payment schedule of $125 a month, she could be subject to resentencing and potential jail time.”
“About two dozen environmental advocates gathered Thursday evening at a playground in east Greeley,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “The message: Oil and gas activity has no place near a school. The school is Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology, 1400 20th St., and there is a 24-well fracking operation planned about 1,300 feet from the school. “We’re just there to protect the earth, protect the water, protect the children and the people of Greeley,” said Paddy McClelland, of Denver-based Wall of Women. People came from Denver, Fort Collins, Windsor and Loveland. Another, Joann Spotted Bear, made the trek from South Dakota.”
“Garfield County Public Health officials are working to pinpoint the cause of an disease outbreak after receiving dozens of calls from people with gastrointestinal complaints who attended the Rifle Rodeo on Monday,” reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. “The department asks anybody who attended the event at the Garfield County Fairgrounds to call 970-625-5200, extension 8128, even if they are not ill. ‘It appears that people became ill approximately six hours following the end of the rodeo event Monday night,’ Billy Harkins, environmental health specialist with the Garfield County Consumer Protection Program, said in a news release Thursday.”
“The Longmont City Council announced Thursday night that the city will investigate an allegation of wrongdoing by police officers after a resident of The Suites told news outlets that police entered her unit with police dogs without her consent,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. ‘Longmont City Council is deeply concerned about the allegations of wrongdoing at The Suites. We are committed to investigating the issue to get to the truth,” t he joint statement from the council issued shortly past 6 p.m. said. ‘While we await the findings of the investigation, we want to express our support to Longmont Public Safety staff for the difficult work they do to keep our community safe. We pledge to protect the civil rights of all our citizens.’ The Suites are a low-income supportive apartment complex that is run by the Longmont Housing Authority for people who meet certain criteria.”
“April used to mark the beginning of kitten season at the La Plata County Humane Society, but in recent years its spay and neuter programs have driven a decline in unwanted cats,” reports The Durango Herald. “High numbers of cats in the shelter can make it tough for the staff to control the spread of disease, especially among young kittens, and cause a space crunch. However, countywide spay and neuter programs making a difference, Director of Animal Services Chris Nelson said. ‘It’s been a slow, gradual decline,’ he said.”
“Federal officials have seized 1,000 bags from Boulder-based Stashlogix after identifying the product — lockable, odor-blocking containers used to store marijuana or other medications — as drug paraphernalia. Company officials said the decision will cost them tens of thousands of dollars and force them to bring manufacturing into the U.S. to avoid customs,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, in April sent a letter to Stashlogix which said the bags could not be imported. Two weeks ago, the company received another letter stating that its most recent order had been confiscated at the Long Beach port. Stashlogix is pursuing an appeal.”
“Kathleen Benedict sees one bright spot in the proposed loss of federal funds for the local nonprofit she leads,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. ‘At least we got some press out of it,’ the Poudre Heritage Alliance executive director said with a chuckle. ‘When you get pointed out by the president as something that should go away, people suddenly realize that you exist in the first place.’ Benedict isn’t exaggerating: President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget blueprint specifically singles out National Heritage Areas on the first page of the proposed Department of Interior Budget, calling the programs ‘more appropriately funded locally.'”
“Though summer break just started, some teachers in the Cañon City School District have been back in class for the past week,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “Except in this class, they’re the students and every day is a field trip With experiences that have ranged from a Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience trip on Monday to a visit to Florence Mountain Park on Thursday, the teachers are taking part in the Teaching Environmental Science Naturally class, which encourages them to take what they’ve learned and pass it on to their students. “It’s to get them outside and to get them active,” said Carrie Hanenberg, the PE teacher at Cañon Exploratory School and an event facilitator. “They get to be outside. Some kids don’t get to go outside their house, so it’s neat to have the teachers educated so they know where to go.”
“Guy Lucero Sr. died in prison. His son and namesake, Guy Lucero Jr., has been locked up since he was 15 but hopes to avoid the same fate,” reports The Denver Post. A recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling, however, makes that dream improbable. “I might never get out,” Lucero said during an interview at the Sterling Correctional Facility, where he is serving a virtual life prison sentence. It’s been seven years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Graham vs. Florida that non-homicide juvenile offenders must be given a meaningful opportunity to obtain release based on maturity and rehabilitation, and it’s been five years since the high court held in Miller vs. Alabama that the Eighth Amendment forbids life without parole sentences for juveniles.”
“Gov. John Hickenlooper talks about the future of the Democratic Party, coping with face-blindness and why he believes attack ads make it difficult to move on after hard-fought elections in this week’s episode of the Slate Political Gabfest podcast, which posted online Thursday night,” reports ColordoPolitics. The two-term Democrat also talks about whether he’s running for president, gives a shout-out to Department of Regulatory Agencies Director Joe Neguse — the youngest cabinet member in state history, he says — and compares digesting each day’s news with getting seasick while being tossed about on the open water.”
“If humanity doesn’t slow down its emissions of greenhouse gases, Denver could see a month of 100-degree days every year by the end of this century,” reports Denverite. “That’s according to a study publicized by the city of Denver today, laying out a challenge that cities and states increasingly are taking into their whole hands. In this post, we’ll explain how the city and state are preparing for that potential future. “Cities can do a lot. We are 2 percent of landmass globally, but we account for 70 percent of greenhouse emissions,” said Liz Babcock, manager of air, water and climate for the city.”
