The Home Front: Colorado business owner, ‘husband and father of three,’ deported by ICE to Honduras

“Edin Ramos, a Bayfield business owner who has been held in an Immigration and Custom Enforcement detention center in Aurora since February, has been deported to his home country, Honduras,” reports The Durango Herald. “Ramos, a husband and father of three, was detained by ICE on Feb. 5. He had earlier been detained by ICE in 2012 but was granted a stay of removal, or temporary postponement. He had successfully renewed his stay of renewal every year until November 2017, when he was denied and given a grace period to get his affairs in order before being deported. According to Ramos’ deportation order, Edin will have to stay out of the United States for 10 years before he can apply for a waiver to return. …  Ramos had been living undocumented in the U.S. when he fled from Honduras in 2003 to escape from violence and political unrest, according to a previous interview with The Durango Herald. He moved to Bayfield and met Thalia in 2006, where the couple opened Sun Cleaning, a medical facility cleaning business. In 2015, the couple opened Sun Linen Services, a commercial laundry business.”

“A Greeley police officer shot a man Tuesday morning after police say the man confronted them with a knife in central Greeley,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “The man, who has not yet been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital, according to a news release from Cpl. Francisco Saucedo of the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. His condition was not known, and police did not say at which hospital the man was receiving treatment.”

“Western Colorado residents can tread water this year, but the real test of drought survival comes next year if current trends hold, water officials and others said Tuesday,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “Pray that we don’t have two or three years of this in a row because that will really hurt,” Ute Water Conservancy District General Manager Larry Clever said.”

“Longmont’s City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to give their preliminary approval to an agreement with two oil and gas operators, TOP Operating Co. and Cub Creek Energy, that city officials have said will essentially end oil and gas drilling within Longmont city limits,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “Council members defended the proposed pact, contained partly in an ordinance that will be up for final council action on May 22, as the best the city could achieve under current state laws and court rulings limiting local control over oil and gas operations.”

“If you want to affect how downtown Steamboat Springs will feel, look or develop for years to come, you have until the end of the week to participate in a city survey that will get collect input from respondents,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. “Not only did residents Sonia and David Franzel participate in the survey, they made sure they attended the public workshop that was held last month to see how the city is handling any possible changes.”

“Board elections in two western Garfield County fire and emergency medical services districts were held on Tuesday as residents cast their votes in contested races,” reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. “The Grand Valley Fire Protection District had four candidates for three seats, while Colorado River Fire Rescue District experienced its most contested race since the Rifle and Burning Mountain districts merged into one six years ago.”

“The Star-Journal Publishing Corp. of Pueblo, Colo., announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to sell The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper to GateHouse Media, one of the largest publishers of locally based media in the United States,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “Both parties anticipate the sale to be concluded within about 30 days. GateHouse publishes more than 560 community papers, including 124 daily newspapers, along with over 485 affiliated websites, which reach more than 22 million people each week. GateHouse publications can be found in 38 states and 565 markets.”

“Six former high-ranking employees and a former contractor for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. say in court documents that Colorado’s largest energy driller put profits over safety, creating massive risks before a leaking company pipeline caused a fatal home explosion in Firestone in April 2017,” reports The Denver Post on the front page of The Loveland Reporter-Herald in a story that includes this line: “Details of the litigation and the statements from former Anadarko employees and a contractor for safety inspections were first reported by The Colorado Independent.”

“When George Brodin and his family moved to Minturn in 1984, there were still some wooden water lines in town and long stretches of Main Street had no sidewalks,” reports Vail Daily. “The old water lines are long gone, but walking on Main Street is still the norm. That’s going to change next year, when a significant stretch of Main Street will be part of a project to install curbs, gutters and, yes, sidewalks. The project has been years in the making, in large part due to cost.”

“The mother of the two Native American teenagers from Española who were pulled from a Colorado State University campus tour last week said the family hasn’t yet responded to the school’s offers to reimburse the brothers’ travel expenses or for a VIP tour,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Lorraine Gray said she is waiting on “professional advice” from the American Civil Liberties Union. Gray said Monday it is “highly unlikely” her family will accept the university’s offers and that a third party is connecting her with a representative of the ACLU before they make any new contact with Colorado State.”

“Erie Town Administrator A.J. Krieger, whose embrace of the town’s pro-growth trajectory over the past decade divided its citizens and members of its own leadership, was ousted from his role on Tuesday evening,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “The newly-elected Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the removal of Krieger by a vote of 5-1. Trustee Dan Woog offered the sole “no” vote, referring to the murky process behind Krieger’s termination as a possible violation of open records law; Trustee Scott Charles was absent. No public meetings or discussion were held before Tuesday’s vote, and no reason was given to the public for the decision.”

“The Florence City Council on Monday tabled a proposed smoking ban, specifically in public parks, until the May 21 meeting to get public feedback,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “The ordinance amendment is being proposed by the Boys and Girls Club of Fremont County, which spearheaded a similar project in Cañon City in late 2016. In February 2017, the Cañon City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting smoking within 100 feet of playgrounds and picnic areas within city-owned parks.”

“The U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs ignored years of sexual abuse by two taekwondo luminaries in its pursuit of “medals and money,” four former martial artists allege in a federal lawsuit,” reports The Gazette in Colorado Springs. “The allegations – including the charge that the USOC is guilty of sex trafficking by ignoring or otherwise downplaying reports – come as the USOC and the sport’s national governing body, USA Taekwondo, were drawn into the list of defendants in a growing lawsuit.”

“A sparrow’s feather tattooed on Sarah Janeczko’s forearm and a flock of seven tiny birds stretching across her back remind her to ‘fly away,'” reports The Denver Post. “From her mother’s suicide and her father’s death from a “broken heart.” From the foster mothers who tried to give her religion and manners. From the child welfare system she couldn’t wait to escape. And from the terrifying months afterward, when she bounced from couches to motels to boyfriends she used only so she would have a place to sleep. “They couldn’t keep me in a cage,” said the tiny blond with perfect eyeliner, a can of Coke in one hand and a cigarette in the other. “Exhale the past, inhale the future,” says another tattoo.”

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