AUTHORITIES SAY WILLITS HOME FIRE WAS ARSON
THEIR SUSPICIONS WERE ACCURATE. SOMEONE DELIBERATELY SET FIRE TO A HOME IN THE WILLITS SUBDIVISION LAST WEDNESDAY. AUTHORITIES WITH THE BASALT POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE EAGLE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND THE COLORADO BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT A HYDROCARBON METER VERIFIED THAT AN ACCELERANT OF SOME KIND WAS USED IN THE FIRE THAT DESTROYED THE HOME. DESPITE A SPECIALLY-TRAINED CANINE THAT DETECTED AN
ACCELERANT OUTSIDE THE HOME, THE OWNER DISPUTES
THE FINDINGS AND SAYS THE INVESTIGATION WAS UNPROFESSIONAL. THE HOME, WHICH WAS IN FORECLOSURE, WAS BEING RENTED. ONLY ONE OF THE RENTERS WAS HOME AT THE TIME BUT MANAGED TO
ESCAPE UNHARMED. FIRE OFFICIALS SAY THEY WERE SUSPICIOUS OF THE FIRE BECAUSE THE HOUSE BURNED SO QUICKLY. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE AND NO SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN NAMED AT THIS
TIME.
GARCO COMMISSIONERS TO OPEN WITH PLEDGE, PRAYER
THE GARFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BEGAN THEIR MEETING THIS MORNING A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, WITH
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND A WORD OF PRAYER.
COMMISSIONER MIKE SAMSON SUGGESTED THE BOARD OPEN
EACH MEETING WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND A BRIEF
PRAYER ASKING FOR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM IN CONDUCTING
THE COUNTY’S BUSINESS. COMMISSIONERS JOHN MARTIN AND
TOM JANKOVSKY AGREED WITH SAMSON AS LONG AS THE
OPPORTUNITY IS OPEN TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY OR
COMMUNITY.
GARFIELD COUNTY OIL AND GAS ACTIVITY
THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IS SEEING GROWTH IN COLORADO. GARFIELD COUNTY OIL AND GAS LIAISON JUDY JORDAN SAYS DRILLING ACTIVITY IS ON THE RISE AND THE PRICE OF OIL IS UP TO ABOUT 90 DOLLARS A BARREL. SHE SAYS THAT’S
RELATIVELY HIGH. JORDAN SAYS WHILE THE NUMBER
OF ACTIVE WELLS IN GARFIELD COUNTY IS UP, MOST OF THE ACTIVITY IN COLORADO IS IN THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE STATE, PARTICULARLY WELD COUNTY.
GOVERNOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER IS WRAPPING UP HIS FOUR-DAY TOUR OF COLORADO COMMUNITIES SEEKING IDEAS ON IMPROVING COLORADO’S ECONOMY.
SEVERAL COLORADO COMMUNITIES ARE OBSERVING MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY WITH A VARIETY OF EVENTS LIKE MARCHES, PARADES AND RALLIES.
