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Jeffco officials working hard or hardly working?
There's working like a dog, and then there's not working at all.

Six of Jefferson County's elected officials fall somewhere between those two extremes. Based on an analysis of parking records and office calendars, those officials averaged between 23.9 hours a week on the job and 37.7 hours in 2003.

The averages were based on a 46-week work year, which accounted for holidays, vacation time and personal or sick days.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, private sector workers averaged 1,752 hours in 2003. Adjusted for a 46-hour work week, that equals about 38 hours per week.

The Courier analyzed records for commissioners Rick Sheehan, Michelle Lawrence and Pat Holloway; Assessor Kevin McCasky; Treasurer Mark Paschall; and Clerk and Recorder Faye Griffin. Those six officials have offices in the county courts and administration building. Full story
01.16.04 @ 09:41 AM MST [link]

Mom Accuses School District Of Negligence Following Son's Injury
WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- A Westminster mother is accusing the Jefferson County School District of negligence.

She said her 11-year-old son fell and broke his collarbone at the Windy Peak Outdoor Lab south of Bailey, Colo. And the mother said that the school nurse didn't do anything except give her son one pain pill. Full story
01.14.04 @ 08:32 AM MST [link]

Evergreen Student Killed In Car Crash
A 16-year-old Evergreen High School student was killed Monday night when his car was struck nearly head-on by a sport utility vehicle.

Collin Fisher was westbound on Colorado Highway 74 when a 1998 Chevy Blazer crossed over the centerline near Louis Ridge Road and smashed into his car. Full story
01.13.04 @ 08:35 AM MST [link]

Mountain Lions and Common Sense Precautions
“Life is full of risks, but rarely do they involve mountain lion attacks,” said Wendy Keefover-Ring, Director of Sinapu’s Carnivore Protection Program. “One is far more likely to sustain injury or death from an automobile accident, a dog bite, or even from a lightening strike.”

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 20,416 people died from injuries on the highway in 2002. The American Veterinary Association reports that 4.7 million dog-human incidents occurred in 1994—resulting in 12 to 17 human mortalities. CDC reports that approximately 82 people die from lightening each year.

posted on Mon, 01.12.04 @ 01:34 PM MST [more..]

Lake County Sheriff's Office gets humorous 911 calls
LEADVILLE - When the public calls, Lake County's law enforcement dispatchers rise to the occasion. Always present, day and night, 365 days each year, they man the airwaves, offering help, a listening ear and advice to whomever might call.

Taking each phone call with the utmost seriousness, dispatchers are familiar with the sounds of terror, despair and other human emotions. However, included in the job are the unique, humorous and strange stories that sometimes punctuate life in the mountains. Full story
01.12.04 @ 09:57 AM MST [link]

Pranks come with ordering pizza
Super heroes, men with women's names and even religious icons order pizza in Boulder, if you believe the fake names given by slice-craving joke meisters.

"We get Spider-Man a lot, a couple of Supermans, Jesus," said John Dias, manager of Boulder's Table Mesa Abo's. "Big guys like to come in and give ladies' names — Meredith, Sally, Betty." Full story
01.12.04 @ 08:59 AM MST [link]

Aspen skier died doing what he loved
An Aspen man killed skiing in British Columbia's backcountry last week was an expert skier who took calculated risks, according to those who knew him.

Richard Theodore Kerr, 46, died Thursday when an avalanche 80 yards wide and 300 yards long swept him down a mountain and into a tree, according to reports from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Full story
01.12.04 @ 08:57 AM MST [link]

I-25 Closure May Impact Your Commute Tomorrow
Article Published: Sunday, January 11, 2004
Late-night bridge work to close stretch of I-25
Demolition of Colorado Blvd. span forces detours

By Karen Rouse
Denver Post Staff Writer

Motorists who regularly commute on Interstate 25 between Hampden Avenue and Santa Fe Drive late at night will have to find an alternate route for the next three days.

At 9 p.m. today, work crews with the Colorado Department of Transportation will begin demolishing the eastern half of the Colorado Boulevard bridge, said CDOT spokeswoman Hunter Sydnor.

Read more at The Denver Post...
01.11.04 @ 03:43 PM MST [link]

Jet-lagged Rover To Stay Put Another Day
Jan 11, 5:08 PM EST

Rover to Take Extra Day to Roll Onto Mars

By ROBERT JABLON
Associated Press Writer

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- NASA scientists said Sunday they had decided to keep the Spirit rover on its lander for an extra day, putting off its rollout onto the martian landscape until at least late Wednesday.

NASA adjusted the robot's schedule based on analysis of photos and data it sent back, they said, and added that another day-long delay is possible. That's not unusual given the complex nature of the mission, they said.

The rest of the story in The Rocky Mountain News...

01.11.04 @ 03:34 PM MST [link]

Flights Into Aspen Cancelled

Mesaba cancels flights in and out of Aspen
By Troy Hooper/Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Mesaba Airlines canceled all of its flights Saturday, leaving some airports without any service and stranding passengers, as negotiations with its pilots ran more than 20 hours past a strike deadline.

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, the only airport in Colorado to be directly affected by the contract impasse, nixed four Mesaba flights Saturday, three connecting to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., and one to Memphis, Tenn.

"They were all pretty full," said Stay Aspen Snowmass Inc. President Bill Tomcich.