Western Colorado

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Arsonist, jail escapee among those cops seeking

Just days before a Clifton man was to be sentenced by a judge to life in prison last fall, he mysteriously slipped out of Mesa County Jail. Shane Johnson, 40, has not hit law enforcement’s radar since performing the ruse in the early ...

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At least three residences have burned in recent days

Dennis Montoya watched in disbelief as the rural rental home, where he and nine members of his extended family lived, smoldered after a Wednesday fire. “I can’t let the house stay like this,” he said, watching firefighters ...

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Cops swarm Aspen after bomb scare at two banks

David Heald was doing his routine pickups for the Sentinel Express delivery service when he encountered an unusual scene in downtown Aspen. Heald was making a pickup at Alpine Bank, 119 Airport Business Center, shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday ...

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Newly elected legislator to seek delay in gas rules

Mesa County’s newest state lawmaker and one of the state Senate’s senior Republicans plan to introduce legislation next year to delay the implementation of a series of proposed oil and gas regulations. Incoming Assistant Senate ...

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Owner cutting staff at several newspapers, including Free Press

The group that owns the Grand Junction Free Press and newspapers in Glenwood Springs and Aspen is cutting several positions at those papers and has shut down more of its weekly publications. The Grand Junction Free Press has laid off two of ...

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Man, 19, accused of sexual relationship with girl, 13

A Grand Junction teen is facing sexual assault charges on suspicion that he and a girl have been having a sexual relationship over the past several months. Officers with the Grand Junction Police Department arrested Joshua Thomas Green, 19, ...

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Brady Campaign sues over guns in parks

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence filed a lawsuit Tuesday to prevent people from carrying concealed weapons into national parks and monuments. The Bush administration failed to comply with federal environmental protections before ...

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Planned power outage allows for feeder switch, leaves south downtown in the dark

Despite a two-hour planned power outage in downtown Grand Junction on Monday night, the C & F Food Store at 859 Pitkin Ave. kept its doors open as customers trickled inside, said Anna, a clerk. “We didn’t have any ...

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Inversion leaves Grand Junction in a haze

The Grand Valley has been under a polluted cloak of air since Sunday. A temperature inversion — created when cold air is trapped at the earth’s surface by warmer air — has settled in and could be staying for several ...

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‘TIME FOR HIM TO GO,’ GRAND JUNCTION FANS SAY

The Denver Broncos’ decision Tuesday to can head coach Mike Shanahan after 14 seasons was just what the team needed, local sports fans said shortly after the announcement. Aaron Gracie of Grand Junction said Shanahan’s firing has ...

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