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March 2008
One dead in multi-car I-70 accident near Vail Pass
FRISCO (AP) — At least one person died in accident on Interstate 70 Monday that involved about 40 vehicles near Vail Pass.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gilbert Sullivan confirmed the fatality and said there were several others seriously injured.
The main east-west highway through Colorado was closed in both directions.
Sullivan said the accident happened during snowy weather in the westbound lanes about a mile from the summit.
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Stonyfield Farm yogurt recalled
Stonyfield Farm announced today that it has voluntary recalled its organic nonfat blueberry yogurt because of glass fragments in the products.
The yogurt is sold at natural food stores and major grocery retailers nationwide, including Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers in Grand Junction.
Although the company does not believe the problem is widespread and there have been no reports of injury, it is recalling the products to ensure the safety of its consumers, according to consumer protection officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Recalled products include 6-ounce fat-free blueberry yogurt with the following dates printed on the bottom of the cup with the product code: April 14, April 15, April 25 and April 26.
Consumers are advised to return opened and unopened containers to their retailers for reimbursement.
Consumers with questions should contact Stonyfield Farm Consumer Relations at 1-800-PRO-COWS, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by contacting Dan Rifkin at the Department of Public Health and Environment at 1-303-692-3644.
— Sentinel staff
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Murder victim ID’d
The woman who was shot to death outside a Grand Junction apartment complex has been identified as 23-year-old Anna Marie Macias of Grand Junction.
The Mesa County Coroner’s Office announced this afternoon that Macias died from a gunshot wound to the neck and listed the manner of her death as a homicide.
Macias, who was pregnant, was shot late Sunday night outside the Garden Village Apartments at 2601 Belford Ave. Her baby was delivered by emergency Caesarean section, although there is no report on the baby’s condition.
The suspect in her shooting, Lonnie Ray Herrera, 39, was arrested in Delta today. He is being held on a $2 million bond.
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Palisade whitewater park on hold
Palisade officials will have to wait until fall at the earliest to build a proposed whitewater park in the Colorado River.
Today was the last day that construction workers could have entered the Colorado River at Riverbend Park to start on the whitewater park, Town Administrator Tim Sarmo said.
The next chance window for construction open on Oct. 1 and Sarmo said he hoped the town would be prepared at that time to go forward.
The town is building a computer model that officials hope will confirm their belief that the whitewater park will pose no threat to the endangered fish species of the Colorado River. They also hope to show the park won’t interfere with irrigation or other uses of the river.
Officials are hoping to meet this month with officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service, Sarmo said.
The town also is meeting with the successful bidder for the project to determine how to handle a late start date, Sarmo said.
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Calif. man dies in weekend Glenwood crash
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Authorities today released the name of a man who died in a one-car crash on Four Mile Road near Glenwood Springs over the weekend.
Shane Eric Minyard, 34, of California died Sunday at about 4:45 p.m. when the car he was driving went off the road about 3.2 miles south of Airport Road, the Colorado State Patrol reported.
Minyard was driving a 2000 Buick sedan that went off the road and down into a creek, where it came to rest on its wheels, partially submerged.
Minyard was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said a passenger left the scene and later was taken into custody by Garfield County sheriff’s deputies on outstanding warrants.
The accident’s cause remained under investigation, but alcohol use and speed are considered factors, the State Patrol said.
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UPDATE: Suspect in shooting held on $2M bond
Lonnie Herrera
A suspect in a shooting that killed a woman Sunday night has been detained by Delta law enforcement, according to the Grand Junction Police Department.
Lonnie Ray Herrera, 39, was arrested on a $2 million bond in connection with the late-night shooting outside the Garden Villa Apartments at 2601 Belford Ave. Sgt. Matt Smith of the Grand Junction Police Department said the address of the suspect is not being released. The identity of the woman will be released later by the Mesa County Coroner’s Office.
The woman, who was in her third trimester, had her baby delivered at St. Mary’s Hospital, but the condition of the baby is unknown.
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Former Delta school superintendent charged with lying on tax return
A former Delta School District superintendent has been charged with filing a false tax return, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
Laddie Livingston, 67, of Paonia, allegedly filed a false tax return in 2003, according to U.S. Attorney Troy Eid.
“There are criminal consequences, including being sent to prison, for lying on income tax returns,” Eid said in the news release.
According to the release, Livingston indicated on tax return for 2002 that his total income was $102,110, according to the news release, “when he knew his income was over $200,000.”
Filing a false tax return carries a penalty of not more than three years in federal prison, and a fine of up to a $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division and prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Harmon.
Livingston appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver on Friday and advised of the charges. His next court appearance is set for May 30.
— Beverly Corbell
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UPDATE: Arrest made in mother’s murder
Police have made an arrest in the case of a pregnant woman murdered late Sunday night. GJSentinel.com is pursuing information.
A 23-year-old woman, in the third trimester of her pregnancy, was shot in the head and left for dead on a lonely, rain-swept corner of Grand Junction late Sunday, according to the Grand Junction Police Department.
THIS MORNING’S PRINT EDITION STORY.
The murder occurred near the corner of 26th Street and Belford Avenue about 11:17 p.m., police said.
The woman was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital where she died. Her name has not been released.
The baby was delivered by Caesarean section. The status of the child has not been released.
Check back on GJSentinel.com for more details about the arrest, and read the full story online overnight or in Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Sentinel.
— Sentinel staff
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Delta teacher charged with child abuse for letting kids hit boy
Brian Havel, a 22-year-old English teacher at Delta High School, has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allowing other students to hit a 15-year-old boy who was late for class, according to the Delta Police Department.
Delta Police Cmdr. Roger Christian said when the boy was tardy, Havel at first ordered him to do a certain number of pushups or sit-ups within a certain period of time.
“The student either refused or failed to complete them and a classmate suggested they could get up and punch him of they wanted to and the teacher agreed to it,” Christian said. “It was a group of students, about 10 or 15, that did so.”
The boy was uninjured, Christian said, and the incident occurred about two weeks ago. Christian said he did not know if Havel is still employed at the school. Delta school district superintendent Mike McMillan and district spokesman John Jones were both in meetings Monday morning and could not be reached for comment.
Christian said the charge against Havel could result in jail or a fine.
— Beverly Corbell
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Mesa County trails get nearly $1M in grant funds
State lottery money in the form of a new Great Outdoors Colorado grant is headed to Mesa County, specifically to build two new sections of trail that are part of the Colorado Riverfront Project.
The two Mesa County sections are the Clifton Nature Park Trail and the Lower No Thoroughfare Trail. Development of the Clifton Nature Park Trail will include construction of two miles of 6-foot wide concrete trail and a bridge, in addition to habitat restoration, signage and fencing. Development of the Lower No Thoroughfare Trail is similar in scope with construction of 2,400 feet of 6-foot wide concrete trail and two bridges, habitat restoration and signage.
Upon completion, the Clifton Nature Park Trail will establish the first trail link between Clifton and the riverfront, while the Lower No Thoroughfare Trail will connect the Colorado Riverfront Trail with the Audubon Trail, the Connected Lakes Trail and the Blue Heron Trail.
Mesa County was awarded $988,970 for the two new sections.
Read the full story in tomorrow’s edition of the Daily Sentinel.
— Sentinel staff
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Travis Tritt tour includes Olathe Sweet Corn Festival
Travis Tritt plans to play at the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival on Aug. 2, according to www.travistritt.com.
The country musician won Grammys for best vocal collaborations for “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” in 1992 and “Same Old Train” in 1998.
According to Country Music Television’s Web site, Tritt was a leading country singer in the ’90s and wasn’t afraid to dabble in bluesy southern rock. He has had multiple platinum albums, Top Ten singles and three number one hits.
His most recent album, co-produced by Randy Jackson of “American Idol,” is titled “The Storm” and was released in 2007 on Category 5 Records.
The Sweet Corn Festival’s Web site has not yet been updated to reflect information for 2008.
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New oil and gas drilling rules limit drilling near municipal watersheds
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission would severely restrict energy companies’ abilities to drill in an upstream of municipal water sources under a series of proposed rules to be released today, according to documents obtained by The Daily Sentinel.
The new rules will include provision mandating that energy companies operating within a half mile of occupied homes in northwest Colorado’s Piceance Basin use “odor control devices,” commission Director David Neslin wrote in a letter today to state lawmakers.
The rules, Neslin also wrote, “will require operators to maintain inventories of all chemicals used at a facility or released into the environment, and to provide this information promptly to the (Oil and Gas Conservation Commission) upon request, subject to protection for trade secrets.”
The new rules, proposed to balance the preservation of Colorado’s wildlife habitat and public health with fostering a booming oil and gas economy, should not delay the permitting process under most circumstances, Neslin wrote to state lawmakers.
“In most cases, the (commission’s) director will decide on a permit application within 50 days, which is more than two weeks shorter than under the current rules, provided that (Oil and Gas Conservation Commission) staffing is increased as proposed,” according to a frequently asked questions sheet released today.
The documents released this morning say energy firms in the Piceance Basin, which includes Mesa, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties will be treated different than those in other areas, including the “odor control” device requirements.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission pre-release briefing documents also state that oil and gas wells will not be shut down for extended periods of time due to wildlife concerns, as some Republican state lawmakers and energy industry officials have said.
“The draft rules identify specific periods of up to three months for certain identified habitat areas where drilling would be restricted,” the documents said. “They also provide that in no case will the director provide a drilling window of less than nine months.”
Neslin’s letter said energy operators who take issue with the wildlife restrictions can continue drilling as long as they provide “alternate migration” routes.
“The draft rules are intended to strike a balanced approach to dealing with Colorado’s ongoing energy boom,” Neslin wrote in his letter. “We want to ensure that the oil and gas industry continues to thrive here. But we also want to ensure that our mountains, forests, streams, air and wildlife are protected and that operators use the latest technologies and strategies for this purpose.”
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Gun found in yard
A woman called deputies to her front yard at 10:53 a.m. Sunday saying there was a gun in it, according to Mesa County Sheriff’s Department reports.
Deputies took the handgun from the yard at 627 Entrada St. and booked it into evidence.
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Double fatality near Delta
Two people were killed late Sunday when their vehicle rolled 2 1/2 times, ejected the driver and struck a utility pole, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The accident happened at 9:10 p.m. about 7 1/2 miles east of Delta on Colorado Highway 92, in an area known as Austin.
The driver, Kyle Ripchick, 21, of Hotchkiss, was ejected as the car rolled.
He was not wearing a seat belt, troopers said.
The passenger in the vehicle, Mario Fine, 35, of Paonia, was wearing a seat belt, but died from injuries sustained in the accident, troopers said.
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Train gets stuck on rockslide remnants
At 7:10 a.m., a coal train reportedly ran over the remnants of a rockslide that washed over the tracks in the vicinity of the Mesa and Delta county line, near Bridgeport, and has become stuck, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Dispatch.
Emergency crews on scene are reporting no injuries.
First responders from Mesa County had to drive three miles into Delta County, through Dominguez Canyon, and then come back toward Mesa County to find the accident scene.
Due to the difficult terrain rescue personnel used all terrain vehicles to reach the train.
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