Western Colorado

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Report: Junction 
shares no blame 
in gas explosion

A preliminary report by a company hired by the city of Grand Junction’s insurance company to investigate circumstances surrounding a natural gas explosion on Seventh Street on March 19 determined the city is not at fault. The ...

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Body found in desert

Hot temperatures, high winds and dusty conditions had hindered Mesa County search and rescue teams Tuesday in their effort to locate the body of a Denver man who was dirt biking in the desert hills north of the Grand Junction Regional ...

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Hilltop to offer advice on health law

Hilltop Community Resources will guide individuals, families and small employers through the first steps of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act when enrollment begins in the fall. Hilltop on Monday received a $750,000 grant to be ...

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21 civil unions approved in Mesa County

Mesa County has issued 26 civil union license applications since they became legally available in Colorado May 1. As of Monday, the county had collected 21 of those completed applications and recorded them, making the unions binding, ...

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BLM trail plan topic of Thursday talk

The “Consequences of the BLM Plan for Trails” will be discussed Thursday before Freedom!Colorado. Brandon Siegfried, who has led public criticism of the plan, will also have public-comment forms available for the conservative ...

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Mission: Safe passage for wildlife

DE BEQUE — On foot, bike and boat, John Davis has been traveling this year on a journey of the West that has taken him where wildlife goes — and where it can’t go, at least safely. On Monday, his adventure took him to the ...

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Wave of appeals expected, DUI lawyers predict

Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said Monday “a good number” of local drunken-driving cases have historically seen blood evidence tested at a state laboratory, which was under scrutiny in a report made public Friday. ...

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No business like show business? Merchants ponder Avalon

Unless Grand Junction city councilors approve a construction contract to allow renovations, it’s likely the Avalon Theatre will stay dark. The last planned event occurred there June 2, with the showing of a film for a fundraiser. ...

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State had 400 oil, gas spills in 2012, report says

About 400 oil and gas spills were reported to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission last year, including 66 instances in which ground or surface water remediation measures were required. That’s according to a report recently ...

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Loan-rate changes may baffle students

With less than three weeks to go before federally subsidized student loan interest rates are set to double, Colorado Mesa University is prepared to tweak its loan counseling and information. Colorado Mesa University Financial Aid Director ...

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