Western Colorado

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House passes oil, gas rules package

Defenders of energy workers and of residents living near drilling activity clashed Thursday before the Colorado House of Representatives approved a controversial package of new oil and gas regulations. The approval followed several hours of ...

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Property assessments might be a surprise to county homeowners

The value of many Mesa County homes has declined sharply in the past few months, but not in the eyes of the Mesa County Assessor’s Office. The property assessments were done in the 18-month period between January 2007 and July of last ...

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Art on the Corner People’s Choice Award won by Flutterby

“Flutterby,” the giant and colorful butterfly sculpture at Seventh and Main streets, won the Art on the Corner People’s Choice Award organized by the Downtown Development Authority. There are 30 rotating pieces in Art on the ...

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Workforce center swamped with jobseekers — but not jobs

The resource center at the Mesa County Workforce Center was busy early Wednesday. Nearly every computer station was in use and a steady stream of job searchers stopped by the front desk to sign in. Workforce Center Supervisor Gilbert Lujan ...

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Vet finds war buddy

Every night, Vietnam veterans Victor Rosales and Norman Samples close their eyes and revisit a bit of hell. They smell the jungle, taste the damp air and feel fear. “We don’t want to go to sleep, because we relive our ...

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King gains support for officials’ ouster over oil, gas rules

Twenty-one fellow Republican state lawmakers joined state Rep. Steve King in calling for Gov. Bill Ritter to replace two men involved in rewriting Colorado’s oil and gas rules. The Grand Junction Republican sent a letter this week ...

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Clothing donations to Goodwill can bring discounts on popular cosmetics

Even Herberger’s store manager Lynnette Summy uses coupons to stock up on cosmetics sold at her stores. Until March 24, Herberger’s will reward customers with up to a 20 percent discount on spring merchandise when they donate ...

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Emissions goal costly, utility says

Meeting Gov. Bill Ritter’s goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions could cost Coloradans $1 billion a year for power by the target date of 2020, Holy Cross Energy says. The electric utility, based in Glenwood Springs, says the ...

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Dog helps group avert tragedy on weekend trip

A 14-year-old dog feted in Arvada on Wednesday for its life-saving actions near New Castle over the weekend took the accolades in stride, an observer said. Kelley Weir, a spokesperson for the American Humane Association, said 70-pound Kenai, ...

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County unemployment rate jumps seventeen percent

Mesa County’s unemployment rate jumped from 4.7 percent in December to 5.5 percent in January. The 0.8 percentage-point increase translates into a jump of 17 percent in the jobless rate. The numbers, released by the Colorado Department ...

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