ROUTT COUNTY DEPUTY COPS PLEA IN DUI CASE
Routt County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse McAvoy has accepted a plea agreement in a drinking and driving case. McAvoy was charged with Driving Under the Influence, Careless Driving, and Possession of a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol by Colorado State Patrol in March. His breath test showed an alcohol content of .093. The District Attorney’s Office made a plea offer Wednesday of Driving While Ability Impaired, and McAvoy accepted. He was sentenced in court the same day. The terms of his sentence included unsupervised probation for one year, no new criminal offenses, compliance with any restrictions on his driver’s license, completion of a Level I alcohol education course, 24 hours of useful public service, and fines and costs. The court also imposed six months in the Routt County Jail with all of it suspended based on his compliance with the court’s orders.
CRAIG MAN CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT ON A TEEN
A 43-year old Craig man has been charged with 3 counts of sexual assault an 1 count of providing alcohol to a minor, after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a teen he met on Facebook. The teen is said to be between 15 and 17 years old. The man was arrested Friday. One of the sexual assault charges is a felony that could send him away for up to 12 years if there are exceptional circumstances in the case. The case will be prosecuted by the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Due to the nature of the crime, Wild West Radio has chosen not to release the names of those involved.
TWO CAMPGROUNDS IN DINOSAUR MONUMENT CLOSE DUE TO BEAR SIGHTINGS
Two backcountry campsites at Ely Creek, located along the Jones Hole Trail within Dinosaur National Monument, are closed until further notice due to black bear activity in the area. That’s according to the parks superintendent Mary Risser, who said “in an effort to reduce interactions between people and the bear and to reduce the possibility that the bear will get and become habituated to human food, we have decided to close the campground at least temporarily.” There have been numerous sightings of the bear, indicating it has chosen to live in the area. Monument staff are stepping up their public education program regarding bears. The Jones Hole Trail and the Jones Hole river campsites remain open, but the camp sites are reserved for river rafting groups until the middle of September. Hikers are encouraged to be alert and report bear sightings as soon as possible at a visitor center or ranger station.
CLEAN-UP DAY IN CRAIG AND STEAMBOAT TOMORROW
Both Routt and Moffat Counties are holding their Community Clean-up Days tomorrow. In Craig, tires and appliances can be taken to Craig City Park and unloaded for free. The Moffat County Landfill, in the past, would allow free dumping for the day. However, that system has changed. Now all county residents are eligible for one free dump voucher per year. Those vouchers can be used any day of the year. You can also take old electronics, such as computer equipment, to City Park, where volunteers will dispose of them separately. Due to some of the chemicals in computers, you cannot take them to landfills. Steamboat’s observance starts with breakfast at the Routt County Courthouse at 8 tomorrow morning. Those that show up will be asked to help clean-up roadways throughout the county. Volunteers will also enjoy lunch after the work is done. You’ll find more information about the Steamboat event by clicking here.
“WHERE THE HELL’S MAYBELL” BIKE RIDE TOMORROW
The “Where the Hell’s Maybell” bike ride is tomorrow. Riders can start at Northwest Storage in Craig at 7 tomorrow morning, or from Western Knolls at 7:30. The Bear River Young Life will cook breakfast for the riders in Maybell Park. Those that don’t want to ride back to Craig, can reserve transportation for bike and rider. The event is free to anyone who would like to participate. If you need more information, call 826-2029.
LINCOLN DAY DINNER IN CRAIG TOMORROW
The Moffat County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner will be held in Craig tomorrow night. The event is a fundraiser for the republican party. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler will be the keynote speaker. The dinner will be held at the Holiday Inn of Craig. Cocktails start at 5:30 and the dinner will be at around 6. Tickets are $50 a piece. For more information call 629-9762.
REPUBLICANS CONSIDER CHALLENGING HICKENLOOPER NEXT YEAR
Republican candidates for governor are starting to materialize. Two high profile republicans have said they are considering challenging John Hickenlooper in next year’s gubernatorial election. Secretary of State Scott Gessler is one of them. Republicans say Gessler is seriously considering dropping his re-election bid and, running instead for the state’s top office. Former U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo is also considering a run. Tancredo is a strong advocate for strengthening immigration laws. This would not be the first time Tancredo has run. He ran unsuccessfully as a third party candidate in 2010.
HEARING REVEALS ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF KEYSTONE PIPELINE
The House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade, led by Chairman Scott Tipton, yesterday held a hearing appraising the benefits that many small businesses would reap from construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Committee heard about the economic benefits that will be available to small businesses from both the construction – and the long-term operation – of the Keystone XL Pipeline. In testimony, witnesses discussed how the pipeline would enhance our nation’s energy security, expand economic and job growth, and lower energy prices for Americans. Additionally, the pipeline’s construction would be a boon to many rural communities spanning the western United States along the northern and southern routes from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, bringing in local commercial activity and creating opportunities in fields that include numerous small business contractors. The project would boost the demand for various skilled labor occupations, and create an estimated 42,100 jobs.
SHERIFFS TO DETAIL CHALLENGE TO GUN LAWS TODAY
A group of Colorado sheriffs unhappy with recent gun control laws are planning to file a lawsuit to block them. The sheriffs have called a news conference to detail their federal challenge. The lawmen said they would challenge two new laws, one limiting the size of ammunition magazines and another law to expand gun background checks. The laws were passed earlier this year in response to mass shootings in Aurora and at a school in Connecticut. Not all sheriffs opposed the bills, but some were frequent visitors to the state Capitol in an effort to prevent the gun controls. The right-leaning Independence Institute says 54 sheriffs are joining the lawsuit, along with other gun-rights activists who oppose the laws.
GROUP OPPOSES FEDERAL FRACKING REGULATIONS
In response to the second release of the hydraulic fracturing rule from the Department of the Interior, Western Energy Alliance repeated that the rule is an unnecessary layer of federal regulation. The group says the rule will divert productive resources away from energy development, job creation, and economic growth into redundant federal compliance, further disadvantaging western public lands states. They say states have been successfully regulating fracking for decades, including on federal lands, with no incident of contamination that would necessitate redundant federal regulation, and that the Interior Department still has not justified the rule from an economic or scientific point of view. Western Energy Alliance questions why the department is taking on a whole new regulatory regime when it lacks resources, expertise, and personnel to implement it. They say if anything, feds should be delegating more to the states in recognition of their exemplary environmental and safety records, not requiring them to conform to federal standards that are not properly justified.
TIPTON VOTES TO REPEAL OBAMACARE
Yesterday, Congressman Scott Tipton voted to repeal the federal health care law underscoring that its implementation is already having a negative impact on small businesses and families in Colorado’s 3rd District and will decrease the availability of quality care. Tipton was quoted as saying “Plain and simple, this law fails to deliver on its promise to provide affordable care. In exchange for filling out a 21-page federal health insurance application and bearing the brunt of a $1 trillion tax increase, Americans will see an increase in their insurance premiums, a decrease in accessibility to quality care, and lost jobs.” During a March House Small Business Committee hearing Tipton cited examples of businesses in his district that are already reducing employee hours because of compliance issues, increased premium costs, additional tax and regulatory burdens, and other concerns with the Affordable Care Act. In Colorado, health insurance premiums are anticipated to increase as much as 25 for individual plans and 37 percent in the small group market according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
In high school sports:
Today and tomorrow:
In track:
Moffat County, Steamboat, Hayden, Soroco, Rangely and Meeker continue at the state meet in Denver.
Little Snake River Valley continues at the state meet in Casper.
In boys swimming:
Moffat County competes at the State meet in Thornton.
