LISTEN TO LOCAL NEWS
HOUSE FIRE VICTIM’S NAME RELEASED, CAUSE SPECULATED
Authorities have officially released the name of the woman killed in Tuesday night’s house fire in Craig. Craig Police officers were able to rescue Patrick Hunter from the burning building, but Ursula Hunter perished in the blaze. Sergeant John Forgay with the Craig Police Department says the cause of the fire is still undetermined, but says there are a number of possibilities. Both of the Hunters were on oxygen, but investigators say a space heater placed next to a wall in a bedroom could also be the culprit. That bedroom appears to be where the fire started.
BLM PREPARES FOR MAY OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE
The Bureau of Land Management is planning another oil and gas lease sale for May. 34 parcels in the Little Snake Field Office, totaling over 32,000 acres will be auctioned off. There are 30 parcels totaling over 30,000 acres up for lease in the White River Field Office. The deadline for submitting protests is March 12th. The lease auction will be held May 10th in Lakewood. You can find maps of all the parcels by clicking the links below.
LITTLE SNAKE RIVER FIELD OFFICE
PARKS AND WILDLIFE LOOKS FOR COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PLAN
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is looking for feed back on their draft Environmental Education Plan. It’s part of a package of initiatives aimed at improving young people’s knowledge of the environment, while increasing their opportunities to get outdoors. A series of meetings will be held across the state to gather public input, but the closest will be in Grand Junction on the 22nd. If you would like to make comments, but can’t be at the meeting, you’ll find a link to the plan and an online comment section here.
RIVER DISTRICT BOARD RE-ELECTS TOM SHARP AS BOARD PRESIDENT
The Colorado River District Board of Directors has re-elected Routt County’s Tom Sharp as the group’s president. Grand County’s James Newberry was also re-elected vice president. Rio Blanco County Commissioner Kai Turner is new to the board. Board members are appointed by Commissioners in the counties which they live, while the officers are elected by the members themselves. The recognitions were made at the District’s quarterly meeting last month.
99TH ANNUAL WINTER CARNIVAL STARTS TODAY IN STEAMBOAT
The 99th Annual Winter Carnival in Steamboat gets underway today. Skiers and snowboarders will compete in several events over the next few days. It all starts this afternoon with a Cross Country Obstacle Race at 4:30. Most events take place at Howelson Hill. Events will be held through Sunday. Proceeds from the event benefit the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. You’ll find a link to a complete schedule of events here.
MOFFAT COUNTY FAIR BOARD MEMBERS CONDUCTING SPONSORSHIP DRIVE
The Moffat County Fair Board is looking for sponsors for this year’s fair. Board members will call on businesses during the next two Saturday’s, getting financial commitments. However, board member Karl Huntsman says they won’t be able to get to every business, so they hope business owners and managers will visit their site online and browse the sponsorship packages. There are different deadlines for the various packages. You can view them by clicking on the Moffat County Fair tile on the front page.
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL SAYS COLORADO WILL BE EXEMPT FROM “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND”
An anonymous White House official has confirmed that President Barack Obama today will free 10 states from the strict requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. The move gives long-sought leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students. A White House official says the states are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The official says the only state that applied for but was denied the flexibility is New Mexico, which is working to get approval. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not been announced. The law requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama’s action strips away that requirement in exchange for a viable substitute plan.
COLORADANS MAY GET TAX BREAK ON BACK TO SCHOOL ITEMS
Clothing and school supplies would be tax-free during an annual Colorado “sales tax holiday” that cleared its first hurdle in the state House yesterday. The House Finance Committee voted 8-5 in favor of waiving sales taxes on back-to-school items for a short period each August. But the committee put a big condition on the idea – the sales tax holiday would happen only if the state comes up with $6 million or so to pay for it. That’s how much legislative analysts predict consumers would save each year on sales taxes. The measure now heads to the Finance Committee, with no recommended source of funding. That gives the tax holiday long odds of becoming law. Colorado lawmakers have considered similar proposals in previous sessions.
CITY OF STEAMBOAT RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING
The City of Steamboat has been recognized for their efforts to make financial information easily accessible. The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has given the city a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. In connection, CPA Bob Litzau, who prepared the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report has been given the Financial Reporting Achievement Award. Judges said the report demonstrated a “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read it. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting.
In high school sports:
Tomorrow:
In basketball:
Soroco hosts Hayden. The girls play at 6 and the boys at 7:30.
Little Snake River Valley is home against Cokeville. The girls tip off at 6 and the boys at 7:30.
Steamboat travels to Palisade. The girls start at 6 and the boys at 7:30.
Meeker welcomes Paonia. The girls play at 5 and the boys at 6:30.
The Rangely boys are on the road to Debeque at 6:30.
Moffat Countygoes to Delta. You can catch the Moffat County games live on KRAI with the pre-game at 5:45. The girls start at 6 and the boys at 7:30. You can also listen online at krai.com.
In wrestling:
Rangely, Soroco, Meeker and Hayden go to the 2-A Regionals in Palisade.
Moffat County and Steamboat go to the 4-A Regionals in Eagle Valley.
In hockey:
Steamboat is on the road to play Chatfield at 2.
In Alpine skiing:
Steamboat competes at Aspen.
In girls swimming:
Moffat County heads to the state championships in Thornton.
