FOUR RESCUED OFF PITCO PEAKS
Aspen—It was a busy Monday for Mountain Rescue Aspen crews. Four stranded mountain climbers in Pitkin County had to be helped out after getting stuck in rough terrain and socked in by nasty weather conditions. According to reports from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, a man and a woman were rescued from the Knife’s Edge of Capitol Peak near Old Snowmass with the help of two teams a couple of Blackhawk Helicopters. Another rescue team ventured up North Maroon Peak to rescue two men who were forced to spend a cold night Sunday after getting stranded. They were brought down safely last night.
COLORADANS CONSIDER HUGE CIGARETTE TAX
Denver—Smoke ’em if you can afford ’em. A pack of cigarettes will skyrocket in price if voters approve a new tax on election day. A citizen initiative was given the okay by the Secretary of State’s office for the November ballot that would increase taxes on a pack of cigarettes from 84 cents to 2.59 cents. A coalition of health groups and professionals called, “The Campaign for a Healthy Colorado” is sponsoring the ballot question. The extra tax money would provide over 300 million dollars next year for anti-tobacco and other health campaigns. The last time voters in Colorado raised cigarette taxes was in 2004.
NEW BOAT RAMP FOR RIFLE
Rifle—Rifle is about to begin construction on the last big project of the year. A new boat ramp is being built at the Colorado River and the Highway 13 bridge. It’s taken over a year to get through the approval process and raise the money to cover the 227 thousand dollar cost. City Engineer Rick Barth says the new boat ramp should be ready for launching sometime in October. Funding for the project came from several sources including the city, Garfield County and donations totaling about 37 thousand dollars.
