When: Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: Arizona Stadium — Tucson, Arizona
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBSSports.com or fuboTV (Try for free)
Watch on your Phone: CBS Sports App
Watch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TV
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Colorado National Guard Soldiers from Company A, Company D and Headquarters-Headquarters Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion 135th Aviation Regiment will be honored at a departure ceremony on Buckley Air Force Base Jan. 2, 2020, at 3 p.m.
Family, friends and dignitaries will gather at the at the Chief Warrant Officer 5 David R. Carter Army Aviation Support Facility on Buckley AFB, in Aurora, Colorado, to bid a farewell to approximately 130 Soldiers as they prepare to depart for a yearlong deployment to Southwest Asia.
“These warriors are trained and ready to provide support to troops on the ground and will excel at any mission that comes their way,” the Adjutant General of Colorado U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Loh said. “The commitment of these Soldiers, as well as their families and employers, should make all Coloradans proud.”
Based out of Buckley AFB, in Aurora, the 2-135th GSAB will conduct air movement, air assault, casualty evacuation, combat support and combat service support for aviation operations throughout the designated area of responsibility to employ and sustain combat power.
The units also support civil authorities annually during wildfire response efforts and save an average to 20 lives annually through mountain search and rescue missions.
One year ago today, Company B, Detachment 1, 2-135th GSAB, the CONG’s heavy lift aviation unit operating CH-47 Chinook helicopters, deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
DENVER, Colo. – Visitors from throughout the western states will get a first hand view of every fly-fishing tool from factory-fresh rods and reels to boots, waders, clothing and accessories at the 2020 Denver Fly Fishing Show® this weekend (Jan. 3-5) in the Denver Mart Pavilion Building, 451 E. 58th Ave.
More than $50,000 in national door prizes including fishing trips, tackle and accessories are up for grabs. The Grand Prize – chosen from all seven 2020 Fly Fishing Shows – is an $11,000 fly-fishing vacation to the Seychelles off the coast of Africa. Additionally, there are regional show door prizes.
Premiere of the 2020 International Fly Fishing Film Festival is Fri. (1/3) at 6:30 p.m.
Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.; 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat.; and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun. Admission is $15 for one day, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Children under age 5 are free as are Boy and Girl Scouts under age 16 in uniform. Children 6-12 are $5. Active military with an ID are $10.
Parking at the Denver Mart is free.
Visit www.flyfishingshow.com for a list of door prizes, demonstrations, seminars, films and classes.
DOVE CREEK, Colo. – Good habitat is the key for maintaining wildlife populations. So Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working in western Colorado to restore abandoned farmland and other areas back to a natural condition.
On a freezing November morning on the western edge of Colorado, Ryan Lane, a CPW wildlife technician, drove an open tractor back and forth across a 400-acre expanse of the Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area. The tractor pulled a specialized planter, known as a no-till drill that pushed seeds from 30 different native plants into the dry soil. Late fall is a good time for planting these types of seeds ‒ with snow and rain usually reliable at this time of year getting the seed down ahead of moisture is ideal.
Since 2014, CPW has been working aggressively in several areas throughout western Colorado to plant native seeds on: old farmland, state wildlife areas, state trust lands and areas burned in fires. Since 2015, the agency has planted on about 7,500 acres for restoration and on another 10,000 acres of areas burned in forest fires, explained Trevor Balzer, CPW’s sagebrush and mountain-shrub habitat coordinator.
One of those areas is the 2,800-acre Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area in southwest Colorado. In the areas level enough to plant, the parcel produced beans and wheat for decades. To accommodate agricultural crops, however, the land was stripped of sagebrush and other native plants that supported multiple species of wildlife, including the Gunnison Sage-grouse, mule deer, elk, multiple species of birds and small mammals.
Before CPW’s ownership, the fields were abandoned and planted with a fast-growing non-native grass that does not provide much value to wildlife. So in 2016, CPW started the long restoration process. The area was treated to kill the non-native grass and the planting process started. Planting in areas like Coalbed Canyon, however, can be frustrating because of dry weather conditions.
Seeds planted in the fall of 2015 and 2016 received adequate moisture, sprouted and became established. But extremely dry and hot weather followed the fall planting of 2017 and seeds did not do well in 2018. Consequently, those areas are being seeded again.
Wet conditions last spring were favorable for getting seeds to take hold, Balzer said.
CPW plants native seeds using the “no-till” method. The land is not plowed so the roots of the native existing grasses hold soil in place. New seeds are planted among the remaining vegetation.
A key to reclamation efforts is CPW’s native seed warehouse in Delta that was completed in 2012. CPW and other agencies collect seeds of native plants, mostly on the Uncompahgre Plateau west of Montrose, and ship them to commercial growers in the northwest U.S. Those businesses specialize in native plant propagation and then harvest thousands of pounds of seed in amounts that cannot be collected in the wild. The seed is shipped to CPW’s climate-controlled warehouse where it is stored and distributed as needed.
“With large amounts of seed available we can take on large-scale seeding projects,” said Jim Garner, manager of the warehouse. “The warehouse allows us to provide locally adapted plant varieties to Western Slope land managers who are conducting habitat improvement projects.”
A mixture of seed from the warehouse was dropped by airplane last spring over more than 5,000 acres of the Bull Draw fire area near Nucla. That fire burned during the summer of 2018. An inspection of the area in the fall showed that native plants have started to grow.
Balzer explained that the availability of seeds of native forbs – broad-leafed flowering plants – and shrubs are especially important for reclamation efforts.
“Those weren’t readily available on the market before we had the warehouse,” he said. “They’re critical because they provide diverse food sources for all wildlife in the area. When these plants flower they attract a wide variety of insects which help to spread the plants over large areas of the landscape and restore broader habitat function.”
The planting on the 400-acre plot at Coalbed Canyon has been difficult because of wet and cold weather that hit in mid-November. That planting should be completed early in 2020 and plans are already in place to plant a 200-acre parcel next year.
Across the Western Slope, Balzer wants to stay the course of reclaiming about 1,500 acres per year. Even though that’s a small amount of acreage in a vast landscape, biologists know that their work will impact areas far beyond the individual plots.
“Getting native plants established in these areas is not easy,” Balzer said. “The process is slow and native
shrubs take many years to mature. But revisiting a successfully restored site is extremely rewarding.”
OAK CREEK, Colo. – With up to $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes on the line, ice anglers can make big money at Stagecoach State Park‘s 9th Annual Steamboat Great Outdoors Ice Fishing Tournament, Jan. 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Adults and youth 16 years and older can register the morning of the event for $40, cash only, or pre-register in person at the following locations up to Jan.3:
PRE-REGISTRATION LOCATIONS:
Participants can download a registration application from the Steamboat Fishing Adventures website.
Youths under 15 can register free of charge and receive non-cash prizes. Optionally, youth may enter the paid tournament for $40.00 and be eligible for cash prizes. All youth entries under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult contestant.
New for 2020, due to a mandatory harvest at Stagecoach, anglers catching the most northern pike will be awarded a non-cash prize valued at approximately $400.00. There is no entry fee for this category but all pike must be presented at the measuring table for eligibility.
For an additional $20 buy-in, anglers can participate in the optional pike category. This pot will be awarded to the angler(s) that turns in the biggest individual pike by length.
For the rainbow trout category, cash prizes are awarded for first through tenth place based on the total combined measurement of two trout.
Anglers are reminded that all current fishing regulations will apply and will be enforced. A current fishing brochure is available at cpw.state.co.us, or at the park’s Visitor Center or at any CPW office or CPW license vendor.
For a detailed copy of tournament rules, visit the Steamboat Fishing Adventures website, or click here.
A valid state parks pass is required to enter the park. Carpooling is highly recommended due to limited parking space.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife cautions that early season ice conditions will exist. Anglers are reminded to use caution and seek ice-fishing safety information at the CPW website.
Registered snowmobiles and OHVs are permitted on the reservoir below the high-water mark only for the purpose of commuting to ice-fishing destinations. Contestants can use motorized vehicles to bring fish up to the Marina measuring table to enter fish as soon as they are caught. This will help avoid congestion at the end of the day.
Pets are welcome but must be kept on a six-foot leash at all times.
For questions and additional information, contact Steamboat Fishing Adventures at 970-819-3561, or by email at , or Stagecoach State Park at 970-736-2436 or by email at .
A serial rapist was sentenced Friday to 90 years to life in prison for an attack on a woman on a Littleton trail.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Michael Spear sentenced Johnny Dewayne Harris Jr, 49, to an indeterminate sentence of 90 years to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections for sexually assaulting the 28-year-old woman who was walking her dog on July 25, 2018. This sentence will begin after he serves his sentence for a sex assault in Denver.
“This defendant is why we need strong laws regarding rapists,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Monsters like him will continue to terrorize innocent victims whenever they get the chance. This offender will no longer be a threat to our community.
“I am in awe at the strength of the survivor in this case, who fought him off, spoke out about the attack and took the stand to help convict him.”
The survivor and several supporters spoke at sentencing. She thanked her family, friends and strangers who have rallied to her, calling them “her tribe.”
She asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
“What he did to me is not something you move on from or just get over,” she said. “But I’m smart and strong – a warrior woman. “
The jury reached its verdict Sept. 18, 2019. Harris was found guilty of:
When he attacked the woman in Littleton, Harris had also committed two sexual assaults in Denver in March 2018. He was sentenced in July 2019 to 25 years in prison for the Denver assaults.
One of his Denver victims spoke at his sentencing on Friday.
“He deserves the longest sentence possible – the public is not safe when he is outside prison,” she told the judge.
“This is the thing that all good people fear – this is the stuff of nightmares,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Gallo told the judge Friday in asking for the maximum sentence. “Keeping this defendant in prison is the way the nightmare ends and the court can guarantee the safety of this community.”
Harris had been convicted in 1999 in Texas after he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl. He was released from prison in 2014 but failed to register as a sex offender.
He pleaded guilty to failure to register in Colorado in December 2016 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Danielle Jaramillo prosecuted the case with Gallo.
“Nothing can make right what this defendant has done, but I hope this sentence brings a measure of security to the survivors knowing he will not be able to hurt them or anyone else ever again,” she said. “This painful chapter in their recovery is now closed.”
A 25-year-old career criminal was sentenced to 160 years in prison for killing one man and trying to kill another.
Joseph Allen Collins Jr. was ruled a habitual offender and the maximum sentences for the two shootings was multiplied. A jury convicted Collins in September of second-degree murder in the death of Zachary Robinson of Aurora, who was 22 when Collins shot and killed him. Collins was also convicted of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of Robinson’s friend, who was also 22. The friend survived. Both of the victims were unarmed.
On June 25, 2018, Robinson and his friend were cutting through a common area of an apartment complex at 2095 S. Paris Way in Aurora. It was the middle of a hot summer afternoon, with numerous witnesses outside nearby. Collins and two of his friends were with them. A brief disagreement broke out. Collins pulled out a gun and shot Robinson and Robinson’s friend.
Robinson’s friend ran to a nearby business for help. Collins and his two friends fled. Despite efforts of people who rushed to render assistance, Robinson was dead.
“By age 25, this career criminal had racked up multiple felony convictions, repeatedly and illegally possessed firearms, failed at numerous attempts at supervision and rehabilitation, all before murdering another human being and shooting yet another. The system did not fail this miscreant. He chose to fail society. We build prisons to protect our community from this lawless, evil behavior,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “With our convoluted sentencing system, ever weakened by a legislature that thinks every criminal deserves ten chances to re-offend, maybe—just maybe, this killer will not get yet another chance to victimize someone in our neighborhoods.”
Robinson’s family steadfastly attended court hearings, and both his mother and father addressed the court during sentencing on Dec. 17. Robinson’s father called Collins a coward; Robinson’s mother told the judge her heart was “broken into a million pieces.”
“This defendant chose to obtain a weapon illegally. He chose to pull it out, point it and shoot two unarmed men multiple times,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Victoria Klingensmith, who prosecuted the case. “Defendants who continue to reoffend like this should not be in our community.”
“This was a grave and serious offense that will forever impact the survivor and the family of the victim,” said Deputy District Attorney Meghan Gallo, who was on the case with Klingensmith. “Nothing can repair what he did, but this sentence does show that justice can be done.”
In addition to the two murder counts, Collins was convicted of:
The Arapahoe County District Court judge sentenced Collins to 96 years for killing Robinson and 64 years for trying to kill his friend, to be served consecutively. Sentences on the other counts run concurrent.
DENVER — Colorado Parks & Wildlife is ringing in the new year by again participating in America’s State Parks First Day Hikes on Wednesday, Jan. 1.
More than 30 events have been slated at state parks across Colorado, with opportunities for people of all ages.
Dan Prenzlow, director of Parks & Wildlife, said the First Day Hikes have become increasingly popular as a way to spend time in nature with friends and family.
“What better way to celebrate than with a nice park stroll and a hot cup of cocoa?” he said. “We’ll see you out there!”
Coloradans can find First Day Hikes of varying distances and levels of difficulty by visiting cpw.state.co.us. The choices include organized hikes with experienced naturalists as well as self-led walks. Bikers and horseback riders can also participate, and visitors can also anticipate sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating and cross-country skiing opportunities. Snowshoes, fat bikes and ice fishing equipment are available at certain parks.
Locally, hikes are planned at both Cherry Creek and Barr Lake state parks. Barr Lake will offer an easy, three-mile hike from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many species of birds including bald eagles can be observed on the hike and spotting scopes will be available. Dogs are welcome.
Participants should meet at the Barr Lake Nature Center, 13401 Picadilly Road, Brighton. For more information, call (303)659-6005 or e-mail to .
Cherry Creek State Park will host a guided hike from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting at the Campground Office, 4201 S. Parker Road, Aurora. No dogs are allowed at Cherry Creek.
For more information, call (303)766-6562.
All hikes are free of charge but a valid park pass is required.
First Day Hikes is a national program created more than 25 years ago to encourage healthy lifestyles and stewardship of natural resources through outdoor recreation. According to the National Association of State Park Directors, more than 72,700 people across the nation joined guided First Day Hikes in 2019, collectively hiking more than 150,000 miles.
Investigators with the Child Victim Unit (CVU) of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) have arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting children he babysat in Arapahoe County.
CVU investigators arrested Corey Medo on a warrant this morning in Aurora with the assistance of the Aurora Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Medo was booked into the Arapahoe County jail on suspicion of four felony counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust (18-3-405.3). He’s being held without bond.
Investigators say Medo had his profile posted on a babysitting website for a couple of years. Several families hired him. He allegedly targeted young males between the ages of seven and 10. The ACSO is not releasing the name of the babysitting website because the site conducted a background check on Medo and, at the time, there were no criminal charges against him.
If you have any information about Corey Medo, please call the ACSO investigative tipline at 720-874-8477.
Colorado law requires marijuana stores to post warnings starting Jan. 1 about THC risks
A Colorado-based nonprofit that advocates for children is mailing warning signs to all 774 marijuana store locations around the state to caution pregnant or breastfeeding customers about the drug’s risks.
Smart Colorado is providing the signs for free to help the marijuana businesses comply with a new state law which requires warning signs be posted prominently starting Jan. 1. Smart Colorado advocated at the Colorado General Assembly for passage of the law.
Smart Colorado works to make protecting children a top priority in marijuana policy and education.
The U.S. Surgeon General and other state and national health authorities say it’s not safe to use marijuana during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Yet in a 2018 study Colorado researchers found that 69 percent of dispensaries advised a researcher posing as a pregnant woman in her first trimester to use marijuana to treat morning sickness.
THC, the main mood-altering chemical in marijuana, is bad for babies and can be passed along to them during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
“We determined that the state was not providing signage to help Colorado’s marijauna businesses comply with the new law requiring the warning signs so we took the initiative to mail out signs at no cost to the dispensaries,” said Henny Lasley, executive director of Smart Colorado. “It’s important that these fact-based warning messages be prominently placed to counter widespread misinformation that puts the littlest Coloradans at risk.”
A copy of the letter and an image of the sign are attached.