The Home Front: Of course someone in Colorado sells free-range bison pot jerky

“The only edible marijuana product made in the Aspen area also is one of the most unique in the state,” reports The Aspen Times. “That’s because Todd Gardner’s free-range bison jerky infused with cannabis oil extracted from marijuana grown in the Roaring Fork Valley is one of the only savory edibles produced in Colorado. “It’s a nice alternative to all the sugar available in edibles,” said Anne Gordon, owner of Herban Underground dispensary in Denver. “I really do love it. It’s absolutely one of my favorite products.”

The Gazette in Colorado Springs continues its series on the state of marijuana legalization. Today’s installment focuses on a small town that was struggling— “and then legalized marijuana comes along.”

“Longmont Public Safety Chief Mike Butler stood side-by-side with Hugo Juarez, a local undocumented immigrant, and told the story of Juarez’s frustration at being labeled a criminal despite his many accomplishments,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “After the reading, Butler declared that Juarez is not a criminal. “Having a police officer saying it to me and reading my story, that’s powerful,” Juarez said. “It opens up doors. It’s OK to talk to police. It’s OK to report crimes.” The stories of six undocumented immigrants were told through performances by local law enforcement leaders Sunday at a sold out Motus Theater show at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. A recording of the performance is available on the Motus Theater’s Facebook page.”

“A measure that would increase the cost of hunting, fishing and exploring Colorado’s state parks has cleared the state House of Representatives, but questions about its implications mount as it heads to the Senate,” reports The Durango Herald. “House Bill 1321, which would allow the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife to increase the cap on fees for hunting and fishing licenses for state residents by 50 percent and gradually increase the price over three years, was cleared by the House on a 42-22 bipartisan vote. While the license cap increase is the highlight, the bill also would increase the fines for hunting or fishing without a license, and allows the CPW to increase entrance fees for state parks. It also would require the purchase of a Aquatic Nuisance Species sticker for boats, the price of which varies depending on the type and size.”

“Most property owners in Weld County will receive a notice of reappraisal this week, and most will see that the value of their property has gone up — on average, by 20 percent,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “The Weld County assessor will send out notices of valuation today to more than 130,000 properties, part of the biennial appraisal system first started in Colorado in the 1980s. Every two years, assessors throughout the state determine property values within their counties. They do so by looking at property sales in the time since the last reappraisal.”

“Sen. Ray Scott wants to rescue the Colorado Energy Office, but he doesn’t want the office to be what’s it’s been in the past,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “Instead, he wants the office that is set to close in July to focus more on all forms of energy development in the state, and not just renewables. That’s why, with barely a week and a half left before the end of the 2017 session, the Grand Junction Republican has introduced a 56-page bill.”

“Colorado Department of Transportation officials are asking for resident input on plans for the U.S. 34 corridor,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “The Planning and Environmental Linkages study will make plans along the corridor from Glade Road, west of Loveland, to Weld County Road 49, west of Kersey. The $2.2 million study funded by the North Front Range Metropolitan Organization aims to come up with a plan for addressing safety and mobility needs in the corridor, as well as identify immediate and long-term projects for the corridor, officials say.”

“Two new rental projects will open in August, two days apart. One will cater to young professionals, the other to college students,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Both are fetching top-dollar rents. Uncommon, the 120-unit apartment building at College Avenue and Olive Street, will open Aug. 17 with rents ranging from $1,319 for a studio to $2,217 for a three-bedroom furnished apartment, among the highest rates in the city.”

“Twenty Colorado law enforcement officers were in Steamboat Springs last week to learn how to use words instead of force to diffuse potentially deadly situations,” reports The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “Included were six members of the Steamboat Springs Police Department, meaning all the officers, animal control officers and community service officers have now been through the training. “We’ve been on a two-year journey to get everyone trained in crisis intervention,” Chief Cory Christensen said. “It’s a very popular course. I have yet to not have an officer come back and say that’s the best training they’ve been to.”

“Boulder County property values jumped between mid-2014 and mid-2016, according to Boulder County Assessor Cindy Braddock,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “Braddock and her staff have completed their latest biennial round of countywide property reappraisals and on Monday will be mailing more than 119,400 “2017 Notices of Value” postcards to the owners of residential, commercial and industrial properties.”

“One man died after a commercial rafting accident Sunday near Sunshine Rapid in the Arkansas River,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “According to a media release from Sgt. Megan Richards of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at 12:38 p.m. to the river near the end of CR 61 for a report of a commercial rafting accident that left three people in the river. Upon arrival, deputies found all parties out of the river and OK, except one male who was unresponsive, Richards said, adding that CPR was performed on the male party who was not breathing. Because medical crews were unable to get to the area of the accident, a high rail truck with the Royal Gorge Route Railroad was called to the scene and transported the male and deputies to Parkdale.”

“Peri Erickson, all 25 pounds of her, turns to her mother in the hospital exam room, curls her right arm in the air and demands: “Feel my muscle,” reports The Denver Post. “Claire Erickson gently pinches the flesh of her daughter’s slender biceps and smiles. “Dang, girl, you must be working out,” she says. At 3, Peri hasn’t been hitting the gym, but she’s definitely feeling stronger. On March 21, she underwent a liver transplant at Children’s Hospital Colorado that has helped solve medical problems that began at birth with her diagnosis of biliary atresia, a rare and life-threatening disease of the liver and bile ducts.”