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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

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  • Sheriff’s Office Asking for Help Finding Victims

    Sheriff’s Office Asking for Help Finding Victims

    CENTENNIAL- On May 18, 2022, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested ERIK OLDHAM, age 37, on the charges of

    18- 3-405(1)(2) Sexual Assault on a Child F3
    18-3-405.3 (1)(2) Sexual Assault on a Child (Position of Trust) F3 18-3-403(1.5) Unlawful Sexual Contact F4
    18-3-305(1) Enticement of a Child F4
    18-2-101 Criminal Attempt F4

    OLDHAM was the owner and coach of A+ Athletics in Centennial until August of 2021.
    In late 2021 a victim came forward with information about inappropriate behavior with an athlete by OLDHAM.
    OLDHAM is being held on a no-bond hold.

    If you or someone else believes they are a victim of OLDHAM, the Sheriff’s Office would like to speak with you.
    Anyone with information is requested to call Investigator Schell at 720-874-4042

  • CPW reminds boaters, paddlers to be cautious in windy conditions and to know the dangers of cold water

    A woman sets off on her water outing Friday at Chatfield State Park, wisely with a life jacket on

    DENVER – As Colorado’s weather starts to warm and paddle sport enthusiasts come out of hibernation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife would like to remind them to be careful of the windy and cold water conditions.

    The best safety precaution one can take is to wear a life jacket at all times while out on the water.

    “We see a large increase in requests for help from kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders during windy conditions,” said Kris Wahlers, Park Manager at Chatfield State Park. “It’s not unusual for paddlers to plan to stay close to shore, but get blown across the lake or into spots difficult to get out of when wind comes up.”  

    Getting blown off course can happen very quickly and is difficult to return from because of a headwind and waves. People use a lot of energy paddling and maintaining balance making it harder to paddle in those conditions.  

    What’s worse, it is easy to lose your balance and get separated from your paddleboard or kayak in windy conditions. It’s best to avoid being in those conditions from the get-go, and that plays into the responsibility of the user to know before you go.  

    Check the weather report before you come to the lake and watch the conditions while you are there. 

    “Wind typically moves in from the west in the early afternoon, pay close attention to that direction and time to avoid being caught unaware,” Wahlers added. “If you do get caught, it’s best to wait for conditions to improve or to walk along the shoreline if possible. Anytime you’re paddling, the easiest way to stay safe is to wear your life jacket.”

    Power boaters need to be aware as well.  

    “It’s generally easier for power boats in windy conditions while everything is in good working order,” Wahlers said. “If they lose power, that can change very quickly.”  

    Boaters are asked to make sure their boat is in good working order, bring plenty of fuel, an anchor if they need to keep from moving during a power loss and a paddle if they need to move. A good rule of thumb for anchoring is to have three times more rope than the water is deep, so 150 feet of rope in 50 feet of water. Not having enough rope doesn’t allow the anchor to set well and it could work itself out.

    Take precautions to protect your​self from the heightened dangers of sudden, unexpected cold water immersion while on early and late season boating outings, especially on small boats.

    “Anglers, swimmers, paddlers and all boaters must be aware of the risks of cold water,” Wahlers said. “Paddlers and any boater on the water can take precautions and prevent being suddenly thrown overboard, swamped or stranded in cold water.”

    Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping and inhalation of water and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure as muscles become numb. Wearing a life jacket will keep your head above water and support your body should your swimming ability fail or you become unconscious.

    CPW officers have noticed a lot of people overestimate their ability to ‘swim out of a problem.’ Because of this, CPW recommends anyone out on the water wear a life jacket.

  • Visitors to public lands strongly encouraged to #KnowBeforeYouGo this summer

    Visitors to public lands strongly encouraged to #KnowBeforeYouGo this summer

    Federal, state and county agencies remind everyone to plan ahead when visiting public lands, know the specific conditions and regulations, and bring what’s necessary for a safe experience.

    DENVER – With visitation to northern Colorado Front Range trails expected to increase over the holiday weekend and beyond, a group of eight federal, state, and county land managers remind visitors to plan ahead before heading to public lands. Visitors are encouraged to have safe, enjoyable outdoor experiences while helping to preserve natural areas for future generations.

    Public land agencies with lands along northern Colorado’s Front Range remind visitors to “Know Before You Go” and prepare for your visit over Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer, including:

    • Anticipate what you will need for your activity and know your limits. Local public land agencies continue to see sustained high numbers of rescues. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Wear appropriate clothing for cold, wet, or changing weather conditions and look at the weather forecast and trail information for your specific destination. Tell people where you’re going and when you plan to return. Make sure to bring food and water.

    • Know which public lands allow dogs on trails, and which don’t.  Know when leashes are required, and always pack out waste. Pack extra water for your pup; dogs can suffer from heat stroke just as humans do. Dog waste does not biodegrade and negatively impacts water quality. Be prepared to pack out all dog waste when receptacles aren’t available.

    • Know how to handle wildlife encounters. Understanding how to coexist with wildlife is an important part of a safe recreation experience. Be aware if you will be visiting areas with wildlife and learn ahead of time how to safely manage encounters for you and the animal. Always keep your distance.

    • Plan for where you will park and have alternatives. Be flexible and have an alternate plan in case the parking lot is full. Look at park information ahead of time to see whether a reservation is required. Take shuttles to popular recreation areas and check parking lot cameras if available. Be aware that illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed.

    • Stay on the trail. Walk through mud to avoid widening the trail and damaging resources. If you need to step off trail to let others pass, avoid stepping on vegetation. Help protect sensitive wildlife habitats by staying on trail and out of wildlife closure areas.

    • Be careful with fire. Know that a fire can start from the smallest spark or prolonged heat on dry tinder. Remember to check local fire bans or restrictions.

    • Know and follow all rules and regulations. Review agency rules and regulations before heading to the trailhead as individual areas may have special restrictions or guidelines. Note that higher elevations can still have snow this time of year, and some roads may still be closed. For areas or activities requiring reservations, check far in advance.


    Watch Video: Tips from Colorado Front Range Public Land Managers: Know Before You Go 
    Listen: Colorado Outdoors podcast discussing the NoCo PLACES 2050 collaboration

    The group of public land agencies who participated in this joint release remind visitors to view critical advisories and trail maps BEFORE planning visits to public lands:


    Visitors can also download the following trail apps developed with support from local municipalities, counties, the State of Colorado, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Great Outdoors Colorado:


    Media Contacts:


    These messages are part of a broader effort by eight agencies collaborating on ways to address the challenges of high visitation and a growing population in northern Colorado’s foothills and mountains. Called NoCo PLACES 2050, this collaboration is committed to sustainable solutions, equitable actions, and beneficial land management practices for the long-term conservation of public lands in Colorado and the quality of the visitor experience. Learn about NoCo PLACES 2050.

  • Get outside and celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day on May 21

    Get outside and celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day on May 21

    DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife, along with partners from federal, local and state agencies, are all celebrating Colorado Public Lands Day on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Free events, stewardship projects and outdoor adventures are being offered across the state to highlight the importance of our public lands. 

    Colorado Public Lands Day is an annual opportunity to give back to our lands and connect communities across the state. 

    “Not only do public lands conserve critical habitat for fish and wildlife, but they also sustain a vibrant economic engine for Colorado,” said CPW Acting Director Heather Dugan. “Whether it’s tourism, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking or dirt biking, our public lands are a vital part of Colorado’s allure and natural beauty.”

    Colorado became the first state in the nation to establish its own public lands day in 2016 when Governor Hickenlooper signed the bipartisan bill into law. The purpose of this holiday is to celebrate the significant contributions that national, state and local public lands within Colorado make to wildlife, outdoor recreation, the economy and to Coloradans’ quality of life.

    Some Colorado state park events on May 21 include:

    • Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area: Annual Cleanup Greenup
    • Lathrop State Park: Colorado Public Lands Day Geology Hike
    • Mueller State Park: Hike to Dynamite and Cahill Cabins
    • Barr Lake State Park: Park cleanup

    For event information, visit cpw.state.co.us/copubliclandsday. 
    Additional events can also be found at copubliclandsday.com.

  • May in the Mile High City: Heavy snowfall forecast for Denver area

    May in the Mile High City: Heavy snowfall forecast for Denver area

    AccuWeather meteorologists expect a general 3-6 inches of slushy snow to accumulate on non-paved surfaces around downtown Denver, while the foothills to the west and the Palmer Divide to the south could pick up a foot or more on non-paved surfaces from Friday night to early Saturday.

    AccuWeather Global Weather Center – May 20, 2022 – The calendar may read mid-May but parts of Colorado, including the Denver metro area, are bracing for a storm that would make winter proud. AccuWeather forecasters say the 93-degree AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature that roasted the Mile High City on Thursday will be a distant memory by Friday and into the early part of the weekend.

    Winter storm watches and warnings were in effect across a large section of Colorado and northward into Wyoming, and for good reason. AccuWeather meteorologists are calling for 3-6 inches of accumulation in downtown Denver and some places on the southern and western side of the Denver metro area could see as much as a foot of snow pile up, enough to potentially result in widespread power outages.

    Red flag warnings were in place for much of eastern Colorado on Thursday — a sign of how changeable the spring weather can be in Colorado at this time of year.

    A rush of cold air will bring an end to temperatures in the 70- to 90-degree range, and it will also allow rain to transition into accumulating snow from Montana to Colorado as a storm arrives from the Northwest. In some locations, snowfall totals could even surpass a foot.

    Denver will plummet at least 50 degrees from high of 88 Thursday to the mid-30s Friday morning. In fact, the temperature fell by 21 degrees in just 7 minutes between 7:37 p.m. and 7:44 p.m. MDT on Thursday evening when the cold front moved through Denver. Temperatures may struggle to rise more than a few degrees Friday before dipping to the upper 20s Friday night with snow in the forecast. The old record low of 31 that was set in 2019 is poised to fall.

    May in the Mile High City: Heavy snowfall forecast for Denver area (Full Story) >>

  • 2 seasons in 2 days as cold air, snow return to central US

    “With trees leafing out in the lower and intermediate elevations, even a few inches of wet, clinging snow can cause problems ranging from limbs breaking to power outages and blocked roads,” cautioned AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist William Clark.

    AccuWeather Global Weather Center – May 19, 2022 – Residents from the Rockies to the Plains to the Midwest have had weather more representative of the middle of summer over the past several days, but AccuWeather forecasters say that the warmth is about to come to an abrupt end with some locations plunging back into winter.

    Thursday will be the final warm day in the region with temperatures ranging from the 80s F in Denver, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Valentine, Nebraska, to the century mark or above in Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas.

    A strong cold front will begin to dive southward through the northern Rockies on Thursday night and continue its southward journey through Friday.

    Precipitation associated with the front will start off as rain in Wyoming and Colorado, but as temperatures tumble after the passage of the cold front, the rain will eventually change over to snow later Friday and Friday night.

    Denver has the potential to get an unusual late-season snow accumulation with a few inches of snow in the forecast.

    R2 seasons in 2 days as cold air, snow return to central US (Full Story) >>

  • Department of Natural Resources Announces May Meeting of Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board

    The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is holding the May meeting of the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board (Board). The Board was established by Governor Jared Polis to evaluate proposals concerning name changes, new names, and name controversies of geographic features and certain public places in the State of Colorado and then making official recommendations to the Governor. 

    The May meeting will review and consider a number of ongoing renaming requests including; Unnamed Feature to Cimarron Peak (USBGN Case 5113), Redskin Mountain to Mount Jerome (USBGN Case 5153). The Board will also hear an update from the subcommittee convened to consider renaming Negro Creek to Clay Creek in Delta County (USBGN Case 5279) and Negro Mesa to Clay Mesa in Delta County (USBGN Case 5280).  

     

    WHO: Members of the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board

    WHAT:  May meeting of the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board

    WHEN: Thursday, May 19, 2022, 6 PM to 8 PM

    WHERE: Find zoom contact info at: https://dnr.colorado.gov/initiatives/colorado-geographic-naming-advisory-board

  • Young Colorado Homebuyers Are the 2nd Most Likely to Need a Co-signer

    Young Colorado Homebuyers Are the 2nd Most Likely to Need a Co-signer

    After two years of high competition and fast-rising prices in residential real estate, the market is at last seeing signs of cooling off. Amid higher prices and recent interest rate hikes, demand is leveling out. Pending home sales have begun to decline, online searches, showings, and mortgage applications are down, and many experts anticipate a rebalancing in the market over the next year.

    While many buyers may be starting to feel relief, younger buyers have had an especially difficult time in this market and may continue to struggle. The Millennial generation—Americans aged 26 to 41—are currently in their peak homebuying years, representing 43% of buyers according to recent data from the National Association of Realtors. Because they are earlier in their working lives, young shoppers may have less saved up to put toward a home, and they also tend to be first-time buyers, which means they do not have existing home equity available to help finance a purchase. While the market was at peak competitiveness, this made it harder to outbid buyers who had more resources at their disposal. Now, with home prices at historic highs and interest rates increasing, many young buyers are being priced out of the market altogether.

    To overcome these challenges, some young buyers have relied on older friends and family members with more financial resources to support a home purchase. This can happen informally, like with gifts to put toward a down payment or closing costs, but support can also come in the form of a co-signer on a mortgage loan. Co-signers are people who agree to be responsible for loan payments if the primary signer defaults. Because co-signers’ financial resources and credit history are also evaluated as part of a loan application, this helps buyers with low incomes, more debt, or a patchy employment history increase their likelihood of qualifying for a loan and receiving lower interest rates or higher approval amounts.


    Young buyers appear to be relying on older co-signers simply to enter the housing market, rather than using co-signers’ financial assistance to purchase more expensive homes. This is evidenced by similar property values and down payment amounts across young buyers with and without older co-signers, according to data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The median property value and down payment for young buyers with an older co-signer is $295,000 and $40,000, respectively, compared to $285,000 and $30,000 for all young buyers. But both groups of buyers lag behind typical figures overall: for all buyers, the median property value is $325,000, and the median down payment is $50,000.


    Co-signers are especially helpful to young buyers in markets that tend to be more expensive for housing. There is a positive correlation between median home price in a state and the percentage of young buyers with an older co-signer. The three states with the highest percentage of young buyers who have a co-signer—Hawaii, Colorado, and California—respectively rank first, fifth, and second in the U.S. for overall home prices.


    Due to the relationship between home prices and the presence of a co-signer, states in the West and Northeast that tend to be more expensive also tend to have younger buyers relying on co-signers more often. In contrast, more affordable states in the Southeast and Central U.S. have fewer young homebuyers with a co-signer.

    To determine the states with the highest percentage of young homebuyers with an older co-signer, researchers at Porch analyzed the latest data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The researchers ranked states by the percentage of young homebuyers (34 years old or younger) with an older co-signer (55 years old or older). In the event of a tie, the state with the higher median property value for young homebuyers with an older co-signer was ranked higher.

    The analysis found that in Colorado, 1.361% of young homebuyers have an older co-signer on their mortgage loan, compared to 0.915% at the national level. Out of all states, Colorado has the 2nd most young buyers utilizing an older co-signer. Here is a summary of the data for Colorado:

    • Percentage of young buyers w/ an older co-signer: 1.361%
    • Median property value for young buyers w/ an older co-signer: $385,000
    • Median property value across all young buyers: $405,000
    • Median down payment for young buyers w/ an older co-signer: $60,000
    • Median down payment across all young buyers: $50,000

    For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

    • Percentage of young buyers w/ an older co-signer: 0.915%
    • Median property value for young buyers w/ an older co-signer: $295,000
    • Median property value across all young buyers: $285,000
    • Median down payment for young buyers w/ an older co-signer: $40,000
    • Median down payment across all young buyers: $30,000

    For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Porch’s website: https://porch.com/advice/young-buyers-relying-older-co-signers-buy-homes

  • Denver weather to go from high 80s to snow in a matter of just hours

    A mixture of rain and wet snow is forecast to transition to all snow Friday night around Denver, so the weather could turn into a winter wonderland for the Major League Baseball game at Coors Field between the Colorado Rockies and New York Mets. 

    AccuWeather Global Weather Center – May 18, 2022 – The unofficial start to the summer is nearly a week away, but AccuWeather meteorologists say a return to winter weather is in the forecast for Denver and other parts of the north-central United States.

    The cold air will bring an end to temperatures in the 70- to 90-degree range, and it will also allow rain to transition into accumulating snow from Montana to Colorado as a storm arrives from the Northwest. In some locations, snowfall totals could even surpass a foot.

    The cold push will overspread Colorado Thursday night and Friday.

    Denver will plummet at least 50 degrees from highs in the mid-80s Thursday to the mid-30s Friday morning. Temperatures may struggle to rise more than a few degrees Friday before dipping to the upper 20s Friday night with snow in the forecast. The old record low of 31 that was set in 2019 is poised to fall.

    The AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature for Thursday in Denver is currently forecast to hit 90 before the dramatic cooldown unfolds later in the day.

    Denver weather to go from high 80s to snow in a matter of just hours (Full Story) >>

  • One Year Review: Colorado State Patrol Drone Program Reduces Road Closure Time While Improving First Responder Safety

    (COLORADO) – One year ago, in May 2021, the Colorado State Patrol launched their new drone program for investigating fatal and felony crashes.

    Now after reviewing the data from the first year in operations, the Colorado State Patrol has called their drone program a “resounding success.” By using drones in these types of crash scene investigations, the amount, quality, and accuracy of information collected far exceeded the previous methods used by the Colorado State Patrol.  The result is a clear, concise, and easy to present representation of the scene and evidence.

    Even more notable than the data collected is time saved.  To date, these drones have been used to investigate 331 scenes totaling over 131 hours.  Compared to previous investigation techniques used, it’s estimated to have saved 168 hours of work, which is a 56% reduction in on-scene investigation hours.

    Reduced on scene time has also reduced road/lane closure time for those traveling in the area.  “The more efficient we can be on the scene, the less our members are exposed to traffic and the dangers associated with working on the roadway,” said Captain Darrell Aulston of the Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crime Unit. “We also are able to limit the number of secondary crashes around these investigation scenes which have been known to cause significant injuries to other motorists as well as longer road closures.”

    On June 14, we will remember Master Trooper William Moden, a member of the Victim’s Crime Unit, who was investigating a crash on I-70 near Deer Trail, Colorado three years ago when he was fatally struck by a passing vehicle.  “The Colorado State Patrol will continue to look for avenues to conduct highly detailed, thorough and efficient investigations to ultimately improve the safety of our members and the motoring public,” said Captain Aulston.