Blog
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Arapahoe County government offices and courts closed Feb. 20 for Presidents’ Day
Arapahoe County government offices and courts closed Feb. 20 for Presidents’ DayPlease visit us at www.arapahoegov.com for information and resources.
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Anythink Libraries closed in observance of Presidents Day
THORNTON — Anythink libraries and administrative offices are closed Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, in observance of Presidents Day. All locations will reopen at their regularly scheduled times on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
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Denver Metro — Action Day for Visibility
Indoor Burning Restrictions in Effect
This is the Denver Metro Air Pollution Forecast effective 4PM on Friday, February 17, 2017:
An Action Day for Visibility is now in effect for the seven-county Denver-Boulder metropolitan area. Indoor Burning Restrictions and requests to limit driving are now in effect until at least 4 PM Saturday, February 18, 2017. Poor visibility and an exceedance of the state visibility standard are expected on Saturday. Otherwise, good or moderate air quality conditions are expected. No other air quality advisories are in effect.
Limited atmospheric ventilation will cause Poor visibility on Saturday.
For statewide conditions, forecasts and advisories, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspxA poorly maintained vehicle pollutes more than a well maintained one. If you must drive, properly maintain your vehicle. We’ll all breathe easier!
At 2PM (MST), Friday, 2/17/2017 the highest AQI value was 58 for Particulate less than 10 micrometers which indicates Moderate air quality. Respiratory symptoms possible in unusually sensitive individuals, possible aggravation of heart or lung disease in people with cardiopulmonary disease and older adults. Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.
Front Range Air Quality Forecast & Colorado Smoke OutlookFRONT RANGE AIR QUALITY FORECAST:
Friday, February 17, 2017, 2:00 PM MSTOzone concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Friday and Saturday.
Fine Particulate Matter concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Friday and Saturday. Moderate concentrations of fine particulates are most likely within the Denver Metro area. Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion in these areas on Friday and Saturday.
Carbon Monoxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Friday and Saturday.
Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Friday and Saturday. Moderate conditions will likely be confined to locations within the Denver Metro Area between the hours of 5 PM to 9 PM, particularly near busy roadways. For health recommendations, please see Fine Particulate Matter above.
Visibility is expected to be Moderate to Poor on Saturday.
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Sen. Fields to Host Afternoon Coffee Chat
CENTENNIAL — Senator Fields to host afternoon Coffee Chat this Saturday in Smoky Hill. Come and chat about issues important to you and engage in discussion with Sen. Fields about issues that impact SD29. Get updates on what’s happening in the legislature in an informal setting.
Legislative Coffee Chat
Cariño Coffee
20971 E Smoky Hill Rd, Centennial, CO 80015
Saturday, February 18, 2017
1:00-2:00PM -
Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association’s 3rd Annual Conference
Please join the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association’s 3rd Annual Conference, Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel. There will be plenty of stories, including but not limited to the Colorado produce industry, new food safety regulations and research, produce consumer trends, innovative production and produce marketing, farm-to-school programs, crisis management, the latest in produce nutrition research.
Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m., conference begins at 8:30 a.m. You are welcome to attend any or all of this event, but we would like to know you are coming, so we can provide you with a name tag and lunch (if desired).
More information on the conference, including schedule and speaker bios, please visit: cfvga.org
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Bennett boys and girls, Strasburg girls tip off postseason hoops this weekend
The Strasburg Lady Indians will host Valley in a first-round pigtail game in the Patriot League District Tournament at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. With a win, the red-and-black will travel to Liberty Common in Fort Collins for a quarterfinal game Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Strasburg boys won’t play until next Tuesday’s quarterfinal round when they host either Platte Valley or Estes Park. The semifinals will be held at higher-seeds’ home courts on Thursday, Feb. 23, with the championship round held Friday, Feb. 24, at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
Both Bennett boys and girls will both host Frontier League Tournament quarterfinal games on Saturday, Feb. 18. The girls will play either The Pinnacle or Lake County at 1 p.m. while the boys will face off against KIPP Denver Collegiate or Bruce Randolph at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Byers and Deer Trail boys and girls will both kickoff district tournament play next week. For additional postseason updates, please re-visit www.i-70scout.com.
CORRECTION
The page 11 headline in the Feb. 17 edition of the Eastern Colorado News about Bennett’s postseason basketball schedule is incorrect. It should have said the byes were to the “Frontier quarters,” not “Frontier semis,” and the editorial staff apologizes for the error. The girls semifinals are slated for Thursday, Feb. 23, while the boys semis will be contested Friday, Feb. 24. In both instances, those games are at The Academy in Westminster. The championship round of games will be played Saturday, Feb. 25, also at The Academy.
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TODAY: FIELDS TO PRESENT CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION BILL
DENVER — This afternoon at 1:30PM before the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, State Senator Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, will present legislation aimed at addressing the widespread problem of campus sexual assault.
Senate Bill 17-128, titled “Higher Ed Behavior Policies”, is a reaffirmation of Title IX standards. It requires institutions adopt policies on sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and hate crimes involving a student; something not all universities have.
“With approximately 1 out of 4 women experiencing sexual assault at a college or university campus, addressing campus safety has to be a higher priority for legislators and higher education administrators. Given the uncertain future of Title IX rules under the Trump administration, Colorado needs to act now to ensure every single one of its colleges and universities adopt written policies and procedures regarding sexual assault so students can be better kept safe on college campuses. Colorado must send a message to its students that they will not be abandoned,” said Senator Fields.
The bill also sets the stipulation that the policies will be provided in every student and faculty handbook, as well as having a dedicated page on the institutions website, so that all students have access. Finally, the bill requires that all institutions submit their policies for review every two years.
The committee hearing will begin at 1:30PM in Senate Committee Room 357, and Senate Bill 128 is currently listed first on the docket. You can listen to the committee online by clicking this link:http://leg.colorado.gov/committee/granicus/929556
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273 Impaired Drivers Arrested
Super Bowl Weekend Took Down 273 Impaired Drivers.. Are You Next?
St. Patrick’s Day Enforcement Begins March 10
STATEWIDE — While the Patriots defeated the Falcons to become Super Bowl 51 champions in Houston, back in Colorado law enforcement agencies were busy defending state roads from impaired drivers.
From Feb. 3 to Feb. 6, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law agencies collaborated for the Super Bowl DUI enforcement as part of The Heat Is On campaign. Officers arrested 273 impaired drivers during the heightened weekend enforcement, a decrease from the 325 arrests during the same enforcement period last year.
“Last year, nearly one-third of Colorado’s traffic fatalities involved an impaired driver,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “Impaired driving is a major issue CDOT will continue to address to help curb Colorado’s traffic deaths. Every time someone chooses to drive impaired, they are putting everyone on the road at risk.”
97 agencies participated in the Super Bowl enforcement, with Aurora Police Department (29 arrests), Colorado Springs Police Department (28 arrests) and Denver Police Department (27 arrests) recording the highest arrest totals. CSP also reported 38 arrests statewide. Visit bit.ly/HIOarrests to access all arrest results statewide. Arrest data can be sorted by county, law enforcement agency, and enforcement period.
“It’s important to make a plan to get to and from your destination before you start to drink alcohol,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the CSP. “Alcohol not only impairs motor skills, but also decision-making. It only takes a few drinks and one bad decision and to cause serious harm to yourself and others on the road.”
The legal BAC limit in Colorado is 0.05 percent for driving while ability impaired (DWAI) and 0.08 percent for driving under the influence (DUI). First-time DUI offenders can be punished with up to one year in jail, license suspension and thousands of dollars in fines. On average, a DUI can cost more than $13,500 after considering fines, legal fees and increased insurance costs. Penalties increase for repeat offenders.
The Heat Is On returns March 10 for the 10-day St. Patrick’s Day enforcement. Last year, 355 drivers were arrested during the heightened patrols.
The CDOT Highway Safety Office provides funding to Colorado law enforcement for impaired driving enforcement, education and awareness campaigns. The Heat Is On campaign runs throughout the year with 12 specific high visibility impaired driving enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events. Enforcement periods can include sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty dedicated to impaired driving enforcement.
Learn more about the campaign, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips at HeatIsOnColorado.com.
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Seven local wrestlers in State Tournament this weekend
Seven I-70 Corridor grapplers qualified for this weekend’s Colorado State Wrestling Championships at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Byers will be represented in the 2A meet by seniors Patrick Roth and Evan States at 152 and 170 pounds, respectively, and junior Wryle Swim at 195 pounds.
In 3A, Bennett’s lone representative is senior Garrett Miller at 132 pounds while Strasburg has three qualifiers — seniors Levi Raines, John Still and Tommy Bonds at 126, 170 and 182 pounds, respectively.
The first round of action for both 2A and 3A is scheduled from 3 – 6:15 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16. Friday’s action includes the 2A and 3A championship quarterfinals and first round of consolation at 9:30 a.m., second round of consolation from 5:30-6:45 p.m., and championship seminal matches at 7:15 p.m. Saturday begins at 10 a.m. with the third round and semifinals in the consolation bracket with fifth-place and third-place matches scheduled for 2 p.m. and the championship matches to be prefaced by the Parade of Champions at 6:30 p.m.
For full brackets and schedule, visit www.chsaanow.com.
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Gardner Votes to Confirm Linda McMahon to Head the Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON D.C. — Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today released the below statement after voting in favor of confirming Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration.
“I was proud to support Linda McMahon for Small Business Administrator today because I’m confident she will help small businesses in Colorado and around the country succeed,” said Gardner. “Mrs. McMahon is one of our country’s most successful entrepreneurs and will bring fresh insight to the Small Business Administration. Whether it’s reducing burdensome regulations or reforming our tax code, Mrs. McMahon is committed to working to see that our small businesses have a seat at the table so they can create jobs and lead our country’s economic resurgence.”
