SOLAR PANELS STOLEN
KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR SOLAR PANELS. THIEVES APPARENTLY ARE GOING AFTER THEM AGAIN. THE GARFIELD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE REPORTS SEVERAL SOLAR PANELS WERE STOLEN FROM
CARBONDALE A FEW DAYS AGO. THE CASE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. LAST SUMMER AND FALL, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PANELS, BATTERIES AND RELATED EQUIPMENT WERE STOLEN FROM WELL
PAD SITES BETWEEN RIFLE AND PARACHUTE. NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO, 30 SOLAR PANELS WERE STOLEN OFF THE ROOF OF THE CARBONDALE
RECREATION CENTER. THEY WERE LATER RECOVERED OUTSIDE A HOME IN ASPEN. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS LATEST SOLAR
PANEL THEFT IN CARBONDALE, CALL THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE OR THE CRIMESTOPPER’S ANONYMOUS TIPLINE AT 945-0101.
RIFLE NURSING HOME
THE VETERANS NURSING HOME IN RIFLE IS ON THE MEND FINANCIALLY AND WILL REMAIN OPEN. THE GOOD NEWS WAS DELIVERED THIS MORNING
AT THE STATE CAPITOL BY HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTOR GEORGE KENNEDY. A FEW MONTHS AGO, THERE WERE ALARMING REPORTS THAT THE 89 BED FACILITY ON 5TH STREET IN RIFLE WAS LOSING ALOT OF MONEY. TODAY, AUDITORS CONFIRMED THAT THE HOME
HAD LOST MONEY FOR FIVE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS. KENNEDY SAYS A NEW MANAGER WAS BROUGHT IN AND IT’S NOW SHOWING A PROFIT. PAUL CROOK WAS HIRED TO REPLACE ROBERT SHAW. KENNEDY SAYS THE FACILITY STILL HAS TO REPAY ABOUT A MILLION
DOLLARS IN LOANS.
MISSING MAN IN RIFLE NOW IN JAIL
THE MAN THAT WAS REPORTED MISSING YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY ENDANGERED IN RIFLE HAS BEEN ARRESTED. THE MAN’S NAME AND HOMETOWN HAVE
NOT BEEN RELEASED YET BUT ACCORDING TO TANNY McGINNIS WITH THE GARFIELD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, WHAT BEGAN AS A SEARCH EFFORT IN THE PALOMINO PARK AREA TURNED INTO A CRIMINAL MATTER. DEPUTIES WERE INFORMED THAT THE MAN WAS AT A HOME IN RIFLE. WHEN APPROACHED, THE MAN TRIED TO RUN AWAY. HE WAS CAUGHT AND ARRESTED ON A WARRANT FROM ANOTHER COUNTY. HE IS ALSO FACING A CHARGE OF MENACING.
ROAN PLATEAU DISPUTE
32-HUNDRED NEW OIL AND GAS WELLS ON THE ROAN PLATEAU….THAT’S JUST A BALLPARK FIGURE ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS WITH THE BILL
BARRETT CORPORATION. THE DENVER-BASED COMPANY’S PLANS TO DRILL ON THE ROAN IS BEING CHALLENGED BY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WHO CLAIM THE THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT DROPPED THE BALL WHEN IT CAME TO THOROUGHLY ANALYZING
THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO THE WESTERN SLOPE LANDMARK. ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY THE B-L-M ACTUALLY VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW BY NOT FULLY EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE B-L-M REPORT PROJECTED A MAXIMUM OF 210 WELLS ON TOP
OF THE ROAN.
IN OTHER NEWS….
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) – About 150 Air Force
reservists are returning to Colorado from a deployment in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The members of the 302nd Airlift Wing are scheduled to
arrive today at Peterson Air Force Base. During their deployment,
they flew more than 350 missions carrying troops, officials and
material.
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Denver Broncos running back Laurence Maroney
has been arrested in St. Louis on drugs and weapons allegations.
His publicist, Jane Higgins, confirms that Maroney was one of five
men arrested in a luxury car last night, but says Maroney did
nothing wrong. Higgins also says that Maroney has a permit for a
concealed weapon.
DENVER (AP) – Interstate 70 has reopened in the Eisenhower
Tunnel area. Westbound Interstate 70 between Georgetown and
Silverthorne, including the tunnel, reopened this morning after an
overnight closure. Eastbound I-70 has also reopened between
Silverthorne and the tunnel. Berthoud Pass and Loveland Pass remain
closed.
DENVER (AP) – Colorado Republican Party chairman Dick Wadhams is
running for re-election. Wadhams is telling state party officials
that he will run for another term at the party’s central committee
meeting in March. Wadhams says he wants the state to have a bigger
role in the 2012 presidential race and there are opportunities to
win back the state Senate in two years.