Fort Collins–The High Park Fire west of Fort Collins is creeping closer to 90 thousand acres in size. Over 2 thousand firefighters are battling the lightning-sparked blaze and have 55 percent containment.
Glenwood Springs–With recent electrical storms in western Colorado, emergency officials scouting the back country looking for signs of fire activity. Stage 2 fire bans have been implemented in the tri-county area of Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle. Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy has also called for all personal fireworks to be outlawed.
Glenwood Springs–Today is the Primary Election where voters choose their favorite candidates to be on the November ballot. This year’s primary isn’t very exciting but there are some interesting races in the Republican party. In the battle for Senate District 8, incumbent Jean White of Hayden is going up against former District 57 State Representative Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS- An agreement has been reached to provide more water to the Yampa River. Supporters say the agreement is expected to protect the river during the dry season, which runs from July 1 to the middle of September. The agreement was reached between two water agencies and a conservation organization to take water from Stagecoach Reservoir and gradually release it into the river. River levels have been down significantly this year, forcing officials to try to restrict recreational use about a month earlier than usual.
ASPEN – The Aspen Skiing Co. is planning to use methane from a coal mine to produce electricity. The company is investing $6 million to trap emissions from the mine in Somerset that is now being wasted. The plan unveiled Monday could eliminate three times the company’s annual carbon emissions. The amount of energy could also equal the four-mountain operation’s annual energy use.