Western Colorado

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Two homes burn in Riverside neighborhood

Four people were displaced from their homes Friday night when a fire burned two structures in Grand Junction’s Riverside neighborhood. At approximately 6:30 p.m. the Grand Junction Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 829 ...

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Sen. Penry says governor forcing budget proposal that could cut higher ed

Gov. Bill Ritter is pulling the strings in the legislative debate on the proposed $17.9 billion budget, which is predicated on large cuts to higher education, according to state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. Ritter’s spokesman, ...

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Judge orders waste facility, state to resolve their issues

A wastewater disposal facility that has refused to make a full disclosure about a spill that occurred in 2001 has been given yet more time to get its act together. Mesa County Chief District Judge David Bottger, during a hearing Friday, met ...

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man suspected in the 1975 stabbing deaths is repeat offender

The man suspected in the 1975 stabbing deaths of a Grand Junction mother and daughter is a twice-convicted rapist with a history of violating his parole and eluding law enforcement. Statements from authorities and a review of 64-year-old ...

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Lead investigator: Arrest eases burden of frustrating 1975 case

For 34 years, Ron Smith has carried with him the burden of knowing that his best efforts to find justice for a slain mother and 5-year-old girl weren’t enough. Smith was a lieutenant in charge of the Grand Junction Police ...

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Trial on Internet luring postponed until Sept. 21

It’s been more than two years since local law enforcement arrested a Grand Junction High School administrator on suspicion of being an Internet predator, but it won’t be until the fall when a jury will decide the fate of Johnnie ...

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Sign of the times: Man tries new tactic in his search for job

Kenny Torsiello is kicking himself now for leaving his job three weeks ago when his hours were set to be reduced. Instead of waiting around at home these days for employers to contact him, the 41-year-old is taking his message to the ...

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Senate rejects pay cuts for state employees

The state Senate on a voice vote Thursday rejected salary cuts, furloughs and reduced health-care spending that proponents said were needed to preserve higher education in Colorado. The vote ended a back-and-forth in which the Senate first ...

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GJHS track coach suspended after scuffle

Grand Junction High School head track coach and physical education teacher Darrell Simonton was suspended Thursday pending an investigation into an alleged scuffle on Wednesday night. Simonton, 45, Dustin Foraker, 27, and Clay Girtman, 19, ...

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Gas export deal threatens jobs in Rockies, industry group says

A new deal opening the door for Russian natural gas exports to the United States threatens energy jobs in the Rockies, an industry advocate group said Thursday. The Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, or IPAMS, reacted ...

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