“Sen. Ray Scott billed state taxpayers for more than $1,000 in Uber rides during this year’s legislative session — expenses he also claimed on his campaign finance account,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “While the Grand Junction Republican later corrected his campaign account for all of those Denver Uber trips, he did so only after The Daily Sentinel questioned him about the discrepancies in the two filings. “I gave my treasurer the wrong info,” he said in a text message. Even though Scott had a vehicle at the Capitol when he was in Denver during the 120-day session, Scott used Uber 47 times at a cost of $1,801. He said all of those trips were for campaign purposes. But 17 of them also were listed in his state travel expense reports during the four-month session. He was reimbursed by the state for those trips, all to Denver International Airport, for a total of $1,037, according to Scott’s travel reimbursement expense reports obtained by the Sentinel through a Colorado Open Records Act request. Those reimbursements were on top of money the state paid him in travel costs, including $11,811 worth of plane flights to and from Grand Junction. Along with more than $2,200 in reimbursements for vehicle mileage, Scott was reimbursed nearly $15,000 in travel costs during the session. Those travel reimbursements came on top of the $25,200 he received in per diem pay.”
“Anadarko Petroleum Corp. announced Wednesday it has reached a settlement agreement with family members of victims and survivors of last year’s deadly explosion in Firestone related to an uncapped flow line operated by the company,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “The April 17, 2017, blast on the property of 6312 Twilight Ave. killed brothers-in-law Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin and injured Martinez’s wife, Erin, and son, Nathan. The company said the agreement resolved the claims of both the Martinez and Irwin families, including Erin Martinez and her children, as well as Irwin’s parents, Cathy Hurtado and Joseph Irwin Jr. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by the company. An attorney representing Erin Martinez was not immediately available for comment when his firm was reached by phone.”
“A K9 unit ended the pursuit of a man who police say sped through Evans and west Greeley after they tried to stop him for a defective rear tail light,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “At about 10:18 p.m. Tuesday, a Weld County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop the driver of a red Volkswagen Jetta near 49th Street and 47th Avenue in Evans. According to a release from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, the driver reached speeds of up to 100 miles per hour traveling west on 49th Street in an attempt to evade the stop.”
“Aging facilities and infrastructure continue to be a concern for Pueblo City Schools (D60), as witnessed by more than $2 million in capital expenditure projects unanimously approved by the board of education during May’s regular meeting,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “The largest of these projects will see partial roof replacements at two schools – Corwin International Magnet School ($424,852) and Heroes K-8 Academy ($384,870). Both roofs are more than 20 years old. For repairs of the 44-year-old swimming pool at South High School, the district will spend $349,542, with paving of the age- and weather-damaged parking lot at Centennial High School to cost $290,908.”
“Katie Leech was just trying to get home from HuHot. Tuesday night’s thunderstorm had other ideas,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Leech, 32, was driving herself and her two sons back to Loveland on Tuesday night when her 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue got caught in flood waters on Mulberry Street. It took a cast of good Samaritans and some quick thinking to get her car out of the water and her family home safely. “I’ve seen rain and flash floods before, but nothing to this extent,” said Leech, a Colorado native who lived in Loveland during the Big Thompson floods in 2013. “This was intense. It hit hard and it hit fast.” Tuesday’s storm dropped about an inch and a half of rain or more on some areas of Fort Collins in less than an hour, paired with 2 to 3 inches of penny-sized hail and gusting winds.”
“An elusive stray dog that evaded capture for weeks over the winter has not found a reason to run away from his new life at a ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming,” reports The Steamboat Pilot. “Animal control officers in Steamboat Springs spent over a month trying to catch the collie mix, which was later named Rambler. If animal control officers even looked at Rambler, he would run away. “He outsmarted everyone the entire time,” Routt County Humane Society staff member Jess Scroble said. Live traps with dog food were set, and Rambler eventually was caught and taken to the Humane Society.”
“The Loveland Police Department this week accepted donated body armor for the purpose of preparing school resource officers in an age of regular school shootings,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “Fort Collins-based Steel Ops donated six protection vests, each containing enough steel plating to be “more than capable of handling any of the threats seen lately,” according to the company’s operations manager, Joe Trimbath. LPD Deputy Chief Eric Stewart confirmed Wednesday that the department has accepted and will implement the armor. Trimbath said the company has begun to donate specifically to school-based officers in light of the nation’s school shootings. He added that many employees at Steel Ops have ties to law enforcement, schools and students both locally and nationwide; it’s an issue that ‘hits close to home.'”
“After nearly 25 years in Denver, Chipotle Mexican Grill is saying so long to its hometown, announcing Wednesday that it will move its headquarters to Southern California, where its new CEO lives,” reports The Denver Post. “The fast-casual restaurant chain, which has had a rough few years financially, will settle in Newport Beach, near fast-food neighbors Taco Bell, Del Taco and In-N-Out Burger. In a news release, the company said it will spend the next six months moving corporate staff — from finance, HR and other corporate functions — to California and Ohio. But not all of its 375 corporate employees in Denver will be offered relocation or retention packages. Restaurant employees and field operations workers are not impacted by the move. ‘The consolidation of offices and the move to California will help us drive sustainable growth while continuing to position us well in the competition for top talent,’ said Brian Niccol, who became Chipotle’s CEO in February. Niccol previously served as CEO of Taco Bell, based in Irvine, Calif.”
“From Vail to Gypsum, local communities have benefited from proceeds from the Colorado Lottery,” reports Vail Daily. “So it’s only natural local officials are celebrating that one of the bills passed during the most recent session of the Colorado Legislature will ensure those benefits keep rolling for the next quarter century. Last week, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed SB18-066 into law, extending the operation of the Lottery Division to July 1, 2049, 25 years past July 1, 2024, the date it was previously scheduled to terminate.”
“Durangoans would have a new 1,800-acre cultural, athletic and recreational wonderland if plans envisioned for Ewing Mesa, now dubbed Durango Mesa by the city, come to fruition,” reports The Durango Herald. “The three major elements in the Durango Mesa Area Conceptual Master Plan would include an athletic and sports field complex at the south end of the property, a new La Plata County fairgrounds/multi-events center in the middle and a cultural and special events center at the north end. In addition, areas too steep to develop would be preserved as open space, and another 400 acres of the property would be reserved for development of specific-use trails – individual trails designated for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. Enough room exists even for a 6-acre dog park that would be segregated with sections for small-, medium- and large-sized pooches.”
“Several University of Colorado regents criticized aspects of the Boulder campus’s Conference on World Affairs on Wednesday over what they described as its liberal leaning and insufficient efforts to address that,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “John Griffin, the director of the conference that brings speakers and panelists to Boulder each year, appeared at the CU Board of Regents’ University Affairs Committee meeting in Denver to discuss this year’s conference, which ran April 9 to 13. Board Chair Sue Sharkey, R-Castle Rock, asked him what is being done to ensure the CWA is diverse, including intellectual diversity.”
“Cañon City School District staff members are getting a raise, according to the district’s proposed budget,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “At a special Cañon City School Board meeting Tuesday, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year was reviewed. The district received $1.6 million from the state because the Taxpayer Bill of Rights’ limit was raised and about $1 million of that will go to salaries. Some of that million also will go to adding staff and security. Money from the $1.3 million mill levy increase that was approved in November by voters also will go into raising salaries.”
“She’s faced down North Korean missiles and Russian bombers,” reports The Gazette. “The worst hurricane season in decades and raging wildfires couldn’t make her flinch. It takes a lot to scare Gen. Lori Robinson, who has led the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command through one of the busiest times. But, what’s happening Thursday at Peterson Air Force Base is something she finds daunting, if not terrifying: retirement. She’s ending a 36-year Air Force career. For the first time in her adult life, Robinson won’t have to worry about America’s defense. After a few final salutes, she’s off to a boat and a beach.”