Congress Finally Approves Wildfire Bill
Congress acts to reduce wildfire risk
By Matthew Daly
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Congress approved legislation today that lawmakers said would reduce the risk of wildfires in national forests by speeding removal of overgrown brush and diseased trees, especially near homes and towns.

The Senate passed the bill by a voice vote less than an hour after the House approved it 286-140. The rapid-fire votes came after a three-year impasse on wildfire legislation.

Full story in The Denver Post...

11.21.03 @ 07:45 PM MST [link]

Only In America: Park County Jail In The Black
Park County to expand its money-making jail
Linda Balough
November 21, 2003

FAIRPLAY - Park County commissioners have given Sheriff Fred Wegener and jail Capt. Monty Gore the go-ahead to work out a contract for construction of a 100-bed expansion of the Park County Jail.

Most of the occupants of the jail are prisoners from other counties as well as state and federal agencies. The expansion will allow the jail to bring in more income from outside the county.

Read this story in the Summit Daily News...
11.21.03 @ 07:18 PM MST [link]

Jeffco Outdoor Lab Students Suffer Flu Systems
ASPEN PARK, Colo. -- Sixth-grade students from West Jefferson Middle School who were attending the Windy Peak Outdoor Lab were sent home early Friday after a number of classmates and student leaders became sick with flu-like symptoms during the week-long class.

Read details on TheDenverChannel.com.
11.21.03 @ 11:54 AM MST [link]

Winter Weather Heading Our Way
The first of two storm systems bringing dual blasts of winter to Colorado has already moved into the northern part of the state.

By Saturday, temperatures will drop significantly in the metro area and there will be snow here, with the northern foothills and the northern central mountains getting most of it.

Read the full story in the Denver Post.
11.21.03 @ 10:41 AM MST [link]

Broncos: Gardener Conduct Detrimental To The Team
Broncos suspend Gardener
By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News
November 20, 2003

Daryl Gardener, a self-described partier whose July fracas at an Aurora pancake house sidelined him for two months, was suspended Monday by the Denver Broncos for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Read it at The Rocky Mountain News.
11.20.03 @ 08:32 PM MST [link]

Early Storms Bring Avalanche Threat
Avalanche season upon us
Jane Stebbins
November 20, 2003

SUMMIT COUNTY - The avalanche season is upon the High Country.

Recent storms that dumped up to 2 feet of snow - and more than 4 feet in the Wolf Creek area - in the past week have finally covered the rocks and stumps that have threatened to damage skis and ligaments.

Now, it's the snow's turn, said Scott Toepfer, a weather and avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

Read the whole story at The Summit Daily News.
11.20.03 @ 08:17 PM MST [link]

Udall Urges Highway Officials To Keep All I-70 Options On The Table
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Colorado Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) is urging state and federal transportation officials to examine a wide range of transit options as they consider improvement plans for the I-70 corridor. Earlier this week, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) endorsed options for widening I-70 and rejected a number of transit alternatives backed by local communities along the highway because of funding concerns.

posted on Thu, 11.20.03 @ 02:33 PM MST [more..]

Danger stalks the foothills
GENESEE - Michael and Joy Spatz picked the perfect foothills playground for their young children. Plenty of sunshine. Fresh air. A big yard for their toys and swingset.

During the daylight, this seems like family living at its best. In the dark, life in the foothills takes on a different cast.

When the sun starts to sink, the Spatz kids - and not a few neighborhood adults - retreat indoors.

Then the lions come out.

Read the full story on the DenverPost.com
11.20.03 @ 12:25 PM MST [link]

No Monorail: A Wider I-70 Instead?
State, feds seek wider I-70
Clear Creek officials unhappy at plan to cut mountain traffic woes

By Jeffrey Leib
Denver Post Staff Writer

Widening Interstate 70 in the pivotal "chokepoint" between Floyd Hill and the Eisenhower Tunnel is the most cost-effective way to reduce congestion in the mountain corridor, transportation officials say.

Yet public officials and residents of Clear Creek County, where the widening of I-70 would occur, say more lanes of traffic will increase pollution and gobble large chunks out of some Clear Creek cities.

The full story at the Denver Post
11.19.03 @ 09:02 PM MST [link]

Frisco Mayor, Councilman Bow Out
Frisco Mayor Bob Moscatelli resigns
Julie Sutor
November 19, 2003

FRISCO - Bob Moscatelli unceremoniously removed his "Mayor Bob" name tag and slipped it into his pants pocket while standing in the lobby of the Frisco Town Hall amidst hugs, grumbles, tears, handshakes, whispers and pats on the back.

"Good luck to you, Bob," said one departing citizen.

"You two were the only ones with honor in there," another said.

Story in the Summit Daily News.
11.19.03 @ 03:56 PM MST [link]

I-70 proposals blasted in Eagle County
The latest list of proposals aimed at alleviating congestion on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor has some county officials disappointed.

"I'm not surprised by the decision, but I am very disappointed with it," said Eagle County Commissioner Mike Gallagher, who has been heavily involved in regional transportation planning. "They effectively eliminated the locally preferred alternative in the advanced guideway system."

The "advanced guideway system" is better known to Vail Valley voters as the mountain monorail.

Read the full story in the Vail Daily

11.19.03 @ 09:27 AM MST [link]

Man, Dog Missing on Monarch Pass
Snowboarder, Dog Missing On Monarch Pass
Salida Man Missing Since Monday

POSTED: 12:47 p.m. MST November 18, 2003

Nearly two-dozen searchers were looking for a snowboarder and his dog on Monarch Pass Tuesday.

Matt Rhoades, 30, of Salida, Colo., failed to return home Monday evening after going snowboarding on the pass, Chaffee County Sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

Read TheDenverChannel's story here.
11.18.03 @ 09:26 PM MST [link]

Some Pinecam'ers Improperly Taxed?
Jeffco fixing tax district defects
By Charley Able, Rocky Mountain News
November 18, 2003

GOLDEN - Hundreds of Jefferson County property owners are paying taxes to special districts that provide them with no services.

Nearly as many have been excluded from tax rolls of the districts that do include their properties. Although the oversight has saved them years of taxes, it also prevents them from voting on issues that affect the services they receive and the taxes they will pay in the future.

Read the whole story at The Rocky Mountain News site.
11.18.03 @ 07:36 PM MST [link]

Beat The Rush - Snowmass to open early!
Snowmass to open early
By Thomas Watkins/Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Skiers and snowboarders can get some early action this weekend, as Snowmass Ski Area will open Saturday, five days ahead of schedule.

The early opening comes after the heavy dumps of recent days have cloaked the mountains in a deep layer of powder and formed a solid base.

Read the article in The Aspen Daily News web site.

11.18.03 @ 05:07 PM MST [link]

Details of Saturday's house fire at Wil o' Wisp
On Saturday, November 15 at approximately 11:45 a.m., the Park County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center began receiving calls for a house fire at 88 Sunlight Lane in Wil o' Wisp. The Platte Canyon Fire Department was immediately dispatched. While the calls for help were originating in Park County the fire was actually located in the Elk Creek Fire Department’s district.

Read the full story, with dramatic pictures, on Firehouse.com.
11.18.03 @ 11:40 AM MST [link]

Jeffco School Enrollment Declines Again
Jeffco Public Schools continues to experience declining enrollment with 913 fewer students attending Colorado’s largest public school system this year than in the 2002-03 school year.

The official 2003-04 enrollment is 85,700 students. This is the fifth year of declining enrollment in Jefferson County.

posted on Tue, 11.18.03 @ 09:36 AM MST [more..]

Cell phone saves motorist after 285 crash
Michael Olsen didn't have much use for cell phones over the years. He had one at work but didn't use it much. He had one in his Ford Expedition but didn't place many calls.

On Monday, he owed his life to one.

Details on RockyMountainNews.com
11.17.03 @ 10:58 AM MST [link]