Author Archives: KRAI

A video out of Grand County shows a horse being dragged by a truck. A woman posted the video on Sunday of a horse being tied to a truck hitch by its bridle and pulled across the property while the horse actively resists. That post quickly went viral. Animal rights activists jumped on it. Grand County Sheriffs got involved and are investigating. They also took the horse to the Colorado Humane Society. A veterinarian evaluated the horse and said it didn’t show any signs of trauma.

• More from SkiHiNews: https://www.skyhinews.com/news/shocking-video-sparks-animal-abuse-investigation-in-grand-county-video-contains-obscene-language-and-disturbing-images/
• From KRDO TV: https://krdo.com/news/2019/11/25/grand-county-sheriff-investigating-horse-abuse-allegation/

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The new bus service from Craig to Steamboat started Sunday. Steamboat Springs Transit leaves Craig three times each morning now, at 5:15, 6:15, and 8:15, with stops in Hayden, Milner, and Steamboat II. Then three buses return to Craig each day, at 3:35, 5:35, and 7:35 in the evening. There is also now a bus from Steamboat to Craig each morning, leaving from the Gondola Transit Center at 7 a.m. and then leaving Craig at 3:35 each afternoon. The Regional bus service is a collaboration between the City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, and the City of Craig.

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Local health officials are watching out for the norovirus, to make sure it doesn’t get kids sick at Moffat County schools. Right now, the stomach bug has resulted in the closing of 46 schools in the Mesa County Valley District, which includes Grand Junction. Keep washing your hands and don’t go to work or school if you think you have any symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach cramps.

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers observe a carcass during a check-station at Yampa River State Park.
Courtesy Photo

Hunting violations are being discovered at the check-in station at Yampa River State Park, just east of Hayden. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers conducted a day-long wildlife check station last week. They had help from park rangers, biologists, and technicians from Area 6, which is Moffat and Rio Blanco counties and surrounding areas. Colorado State Patrol was also there to check hunting tags, proper equipment and harvested animals. Of the 204 vehicles checked with 397 hunters, two were in illegal possession of a mule deer, three were hunting without a proper or valid license, and there were multiple failures to comply with license, evidence of the sex of the animal and carcass tag violations. Officers are also following up on some license transfers, an unregistered outfitter, three cases of wasted meet, and a DNA blood test from a truck bed.

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(PHOTO/TAMARA LONG)

A bull elk was illegally killed in Dinosaur. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials want to know who did it. Residents in Dinosaur say this particular bull elk was docile and within Dinosaur town limits. It was shot through the abdomen on Nov. 6. It then wandered onto a local ranch and died. Investigators found the animal’s headless carcass two days later. They think it was killed for its unique antlers. Investigators think two vehicles are involved. One is a white 80s model Chevy pickup with Utah plates. The other is a newer silver Chevy truck, with plates that had mud on them. Moffat County Sheriffs deputies are helping try to find who shot the poached elk, and then left the meat to waste. One officer said the elk was so big that the meat could have fed a family for up to a year.

CPW encourages the public to help solve wildlife crimes and earn rewards. Under Colorado’s Turn In Poachers program, information that leads to an arrest or citation can earn hunters preference points, or in some cases, the reward of a license in the same unit where the crime occurred. The program is in addition to Operation Game Thief, a tip line where information about wildlife crimes can be reported anonymously with a monetary reward available if the information leads to an arrest or citation. Anyone with information should call 877-265-6648. Callers should specify if they prefer the TIP program or OGT.

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A woman from Craig has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for stealing from the Moffat County 4H Shooting Club. 41-year-old Janey DeAnne Blackwell was charged with stealing between $2,000 and $5,000 from the 4H group. She was sentenced to 65 days of jail time with 50 of those days deferred. She’ll be on supervised probation for two years and has to do 50 hours of public service, plus mandatory Moral Reconation Therapy, which is a type of behavioral therapy. She has to pay restitution, and write apology letters. Blackwell will report for her 15 days of jail on Dec. 6.

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Craig City Council will be interviewing the seven candidates who are running for the vacant seat on council. Council voted unanimously to meet with all seven. The Craig Press reports that the interviews are at 6 on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and the interviews will be live-streamed from City Hall. The public is also invited. The City Council seat is vacant after council member Brian MacKenzie resigned last month, after being arrested on felony charges in Jefferson County.

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Two spots in the Yampa River were “shocked” on Thursday. That’s where Colorado Parks and Wildlife technicians use a probe that creates an electric current in the water that shocks the fish. They are temporarily paralyzed so they can be captured, counted, and analyzed. 318 fish were collected. They can then measure the impact of a drought, and stock fish appropriately in the future. Parks and Wildlife stocks about 40,000 trout in the upper reach of the Yampa, between Steamboat Springs and Milner. Another 30,000 to 40,000 trout are stocked in the lower region.

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Museum of Northwest Colorado. Photo by Shannon Lukens.

Talks continue to transfer the ownership of the Museum of Northwest Colorado, from Moffat County to the city of Craig. County commissioners have met with city and museum officials to talk about transferring the balance sheet from the county to the city. There are also some contracts and energy royalties bequeathed to the museum in wills over the years. It’s complicated, but both parties are working together on it.

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Scott Schneegas, left, and Nathan Thompson
Routt County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy

Two men are facing felony charges after being arrested Sunday at a self-storage facility in Milner. 31-year-old Nathan Thompson and 25-year-old Scott Schneegas have been charged with felony counts of possessing a controlled substance and first-degree introduction of contraband. Thompson, who has a driver’s license from Texas, also faces two more felony charges of second-degree burglary and theft. Schneegas is from Steamboat and he’s still at the Routt County Jail, scheduled to return to court Nov. 20. Thompson bonded out and is set to be back in court Dec. 4.

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Craig City Council will discuss those applying for the empty seat on City Council, at their meeting tonight. Seven people have applied. They are Bobby Howard, Brent Hunstad Sr., Benjamin Oliver, Kevin Kernan, Ryan Hess, Scott Lang, and Stephen Tucker. City Council will discuss the applicants at tonight’s meeting, and then they hope to choose a replacement on Nov. 26. That meeting starts at 6:30 at City Hall.

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Mule deer are entering their mating season. Bucks are in rut, so Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to remind everyone to be careful around deer and especially bucks. They can act aggressively at this time of year, especially towards humans and dogs. And be aware of items in your yard in which bucks with antlers can become entangled, like hammocks, game nets, swings, and hanging lights.

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