VAIL
Cheney camp denies heart-trouble reports
Reports on political commentator Arianna Huffington’s Web log that Vice President Dick Cheney had heart trouble while in Vail last week are not true, the vice president’s spokeswoman said Monday.
Cheney had a scheduled appointment Friday to see Dr. Richard Steadman to treat an old high school football injury to his knee, said his spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.
Cheney was in Vail last weekend attending a closed meeting held by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Huffington, who was also in Vail last week, has cited unnamed sources as reporting that Cheney used an alias to check into the Vail Valley Medical Center for an angina attack.
FORT CARSON
Soldier dies in Iraq following explosion
A Fort Carson soldier died Thursday in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Army vehicle.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher W. Phelps, 39, of Louisville, Ky., was assigned to Fort Carson’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Phelps is the 11th soldier from the 3rd ACR to die since the regiment returned to Iraq in March.
Phelps was a 19-year veteran of the Army who served in the Gulf War.
WASHINGTON
House passes bill for Sand Creek site
The House on Monday passed a bill to complete the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site on the Eastern Plains.
The legislation had died last year in a House committee for lack of a vote. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, reintroduced the bill this year. A Senate version of the bill is awaiting a floor vote.
The Sand Creek site, east of Eads, is where about 700 Colorado militia troops methodically slaughtered 163 Indians, primarily women, children and elderly men, on Nov. 29, 1864. The bill removes the last legislative obstacle to the Interior Department officially declaring Sand Creek a historic site.
DENVER
Calif. man sentenced for threats to Eagle DA
A 38-year-old California man was sentenced Monday to nine months in federal prison for threats he made to the Eagle County district attorney, who was working on the Kobe Bryant criminal case.
Cedric Augustine directed more than 70 threats toward Mark Hurlbert and the alleged victim in the rape prosecution, which was dropped on the eve of trial. The threats included references to gangs, and blowing up or burning down the Eagle County Courthouse. Augustine also threatened to blow “the town apart” and threatened to shoot and kill all involved in the Bryant prosecution.
DURANGO
Ariz. fires affecting Four Corners region
Smoke that has settled over the Four Corners region is coming from several fires in Arizona, officials with the federal Interagency Fire Dispatch Center in Durango said Monday.
The smoke is primarily from the Cave Creek Fire burning near Phoenix, a map from the NOAA Satellite and Information Service shows. Smoke from fires in Utah and New Mexico does not appear to be affecting southwest Colorado, the center said.
On the San Juan National Forest about 10 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs, fire managers are keeping an eye on the 67-acre Rio Blanco Fire, which is exhibiting “very moderate” fire behavior.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Rabbi named special aide to AF secretary
The Air Force has named Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff the special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force and chief of staff for values and vision.
Resnicoff, former national director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, will advise acting Air Force Secretary Michael Dominguez on how the Air Force Academy will adopt recommendations made last week by a task force and the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces.
DENVER
Candidate surfaces for school board seat
Jessica Sherwood has announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat in November’s Denver School Board election.
Sherwood, 39, founded the non-profit Feet First, which works on children’s health and alternative transportation.
Sherwood, whose two daughters attend Denver schools, said her priorities are to improve the academic achievement of all students, create a positive learning environment and build a bridge between each school and the community.
Elaine Gantz Berman, who currently holds the District 3 seat, is term-limited year as a board member.
