Western Colorado

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Man sues two nursing homes over his mother’s care

Two Garfield County nursing homes have been sued over claims of inadequate care of a woman in the months prior to her death in 2005. Randy Sawyer filed the suit on behalf of the estate of his mother, Audrey Knutson, who died on Nov. 2, 2005, ...

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Ex-wife accused of hiding kidnapper’s prior sexual abuse

At least two years before a Mesa County man kidnapped a 9-year-old girl and threatened to kill her, police allege the man’s ex-wife had known he had sexually molested another girl and tried to keep the information from authorities. Amy ...

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Schmidt estate sale brings out the curious, reminiscent

Drawing upon memories that date to when he was in third grade, Bill Hofferber said the family that used to live at 536 N. Seventh St. were “very, very lovely people.” On Friday, the personal belongings of those “lovely ...

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Bradford reworking bill to target molesters

State Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Collbran, said she plans to work through the weekend to fix her bill aimed at toughening sentences for child molesters so that the bill would be more acceptable to Democrats. Bradford’s proposal, House Bill ...

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Gas bills to plunge from 2008

Xcel Energy announced Friday that residential customers can expect their natural gas bills to be at least $18 lower this March than they were in March 2008. Xcel is proposing to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that the commodity ...

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Even in lean times, romance rules day

The economic crisis is deepening. How about your love? Record job loss is hardly the thing of romance novels, but many local people seem certain that Valentine’s Day is recession proof. Ahhh, the recession, c’est ...

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Man faces homicide charge in fatal crash

The mother of a 24-year-old woman who was killed in a nasty car crash nearly two years ago pleaded with a judge Friday not to charge her daughter’s boyfriend, the driver of their vehicle. “He’s paid his dues,” Lois ...

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Energy services truck a total loss in fire near Rifle

A truck servicing the energy industry caught fire early Friday afternoon, causing a large, black plume of smoke to rise in the Anvil Points area west of Rifle. “The truck was a total loss,” said Donna Gray, a spokeswoman for ...

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Lawmakers honor area wine industry pioneer

State lawmakers voted Thursday to memorialize Doug Phillips, an architect of Palisade’s wine industry and pioneer in the state’s workers’ compensation system, citing his outstanding character and determination. Rep. Laura ...

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Helpful nature spares woman prison time for pot operation

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