The Home Front: Colorado Springs shooting ‘a joke turned deadly’

Your daily roundup of the biggest stories from newspapers across Colorado

“An accidental shooting that claimed the life of a Fort Carson soldier Saturday was a joke turned deadly, according to a witness, who told police it was an instance of the soldier and his friends being ‘young, dumb and in the military,'” reports The Colorado Springs Gazette.

“A blown gas line quickly spread a fire Monday night to three homes at the River Park Mobile Court, 542 N. 11th Ave. in Greeley,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “Greeley Fire Department Acting Battalion Chief Todd Walters said nobody was injured, but two homes on the west side were fully ablaze before Greeley Fire arrived about 5:40 p.m. The blown gas line caused the fire to spread from home to home, reaching a third by the time firefighters were on scene. At least six Greeley fire engines were dispatched, as well as at least three trucks, totaling 25 firefighters. Utilities had to be shut off to the entire mobile home park, displacing 43 families, officials said. The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the 4-H building at Island Grove Regional Park, 427 N. 15th Ave., Walters said.”

“A proposal for a new “neighborhood center” for south Denver can proceed after the Denver City Council voted its approval on Monday night,” reports The Denver Post. “The decision came despite the opposition of the area’s councilman, and city leaders were once again placed in the center of a debate about sprawl, affordable housing and change along Colorado Boulevard. Local developer Kentro Group has agreed to include at least 150 below-market apartments and 150,000 square feet of commercial space in a development at the former Colorado Department of Transportation headquarters at 4201 East Arkansas Ave. The project could include up to about 1,000 homes in total, depending on the market, according to Centro co-founder Jimmy Balafas.”

“The Grand Junction City Council is exploring different options for a sales tax increase to put before voters in April to boost revenue for what city leaders claim are understaffed and underfunded fire and police departments,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “The council saw five options at its Monday workshop that could raise sales taxes in the city 0.15 percent to 1.25 percent. One of the options includes 0.25 percent for roadway expansions and two include dropping the city’s property tax and replacing the money with an extra 0.5 percent in sales tax. Both the Grand Junction police and fire chiefs say their departments are in need of more personnel — and in the fire department’s case, new stations — to meet standard response times and adequately serve the community.”

“The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash between a semitrailer and a St. Vrain Valley School District school bus Tuesday morning at State Highway 66 and County Road 13,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “Two students were on the full-size bus at the time of the crash, around 7:30 a.m., according to Mountain View Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mike Lee. They did not suffer injuries and were taken to school by a supervisor. Both drivers in the crash were taken to the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. Lee said that at least the semitrailer driver had serious injuries.”

“More Boulder County voters turned out in the recent election than in the 2014 gubernatorial race — nearly 10 percent more, according to returns from the clerk and recorder’s office,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Turnout was 83 percent, up from 74 percent in 2014, said Communications Specialist Mircalla Wozniak. Boulder County is part of Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, which was second in the nation for voter turnout this election, according to the Cook Political Report.”

“Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner expressed concern that (acting Attorney General Matthew) Whitaker does not hold similar views to Trump, who publicly announced his support of Gardner’s legislation on marijuana legalization,” reports The Durango Herald. “‘I think he is at odds with the president,” Gardner said in an interview. ‘The new attorney general, the one that will be replacing the acting attorney general, is going to receive a lot of questions from me and my colleagues about where he stands on federalism and the ability of states to legalize.”

“The two owners of the two dogs who attacked a Larimer Humane Society animal control officer in mid-November have been charged with ownership of a vicious dog, a class 1 misdemeanor,” reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. “Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Moore told the Reporter-Herald that Kenneth Smith and Ronee Rondestvedt were each issued a summons some time before Nov. 28. It was unclear Monday when their court appearance is scheduled. He added that the officer, identified by a GoFundMe page as Paul Dulany, is recovering from his wounds at home. The dogs, American Bulldog/Boxer mix, Duke, 4, and Labrador mix, Max, 18 months, remain at the Larimer Humane Society as of Nov. 28 pending court proceedings.”

“At the end of the skiing and riding day on Monday afternoon, Copper Mountain Resort announced on its social media channels that its new American Eagle chairlift is now open,” reports The Summit Daily. “The new American Eagle is a Leitner Poma high-speed lift that includes a combination of both 6-person chairs and 8-person gondola cabins. The new lift is supposed to increase uphill capacity by more than 40 percent. It replaces Copper’s former American Eagle lift, which was a high-speed quad, in servicing some of the resort’s most popular skiing and riding terrain out of Center Village.

“A Colorado Springs man charged with terrorizing three strangers at gunpoint in July 2016 on Independence Pass lashed out at one of his alleged victims in court Monday,” reports The Aspen Times. “‘I’m sick of the victim’s lies,’ Brolin McConnell said. ‘I don’t want to sit and listen to this bulls—.'”

“While it was intended to be a two-hour overview of the ‘state of the district,’ Thursday’s town hall meeting at Central High School saw that Pueblo City Schools (D60) institution, and its history and tradition, emerge as a centerpiece of the discussion,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “With more than 250 people in attendance, some wearing the school’s colors and Wildcat-themed apparel, Jack Mousseau, a principal in MOA Architects, presented information and statistics from the master plan and facilities assessment his company has been contracted to produce.”

“Two men who allegedly broke into a Steamboat Springs lumberyard, stole a box truck and fled from law enforcement in a high-speed pursuit Thursday have been charged in Routt County,” reports The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “Kyle Hallaran, of Johnstown, and Justin Davis, of Loveland, were both charged with felony second-degree burglary, theft, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft and vehicular eluding. The men were also charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and driving with revoked licenses. Hallaran also received a traffic citation for reckless driving.The men are accused of breaking and entering Alpine Lumber and taking a box truck and an estimated $30,000 worth of merchandise.”

“Whether it’s a stroll near City Park, escorting patients at Poudre Valley Hospital or pushing a cart throughout Walmart, Chuck Kavalec makes sure he walks at least a mile every day. And the longtime Fort Collins resident with a pair of replaced hips plans to continue the daily routine after he turns 100 years old on Wednesday, Dec. 5,” reports The Fort Collins Coloradoan. “Chuck still lives on his own — along with his 7-year-old cat Sabrina — in the home he’s resided at since moving to Fort Collins in 1963. His driver’s license was renewed around his birthday last year and he’s a regular on the roads in the Choice City.”

 

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