Man being held after Buckley bomb threat
A man who told guards at the south gate to Buckley Air Force Base that he had two bombs in the trunk of a car was taken to a hospital for observation after authorities determined there were no explosives, said 1st Lt. Caroline Wellman, base spokeswoman.
The man, whose name wasn’t released, was detained and traffic was diverted to another gate after the man showed up about 7:45 a.m. Thursday.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad used a controlled explosion to open the trunk of the man’s white sedan.
Environmentalists sue state over coal plant
Two environmental groups filed a lawsuit against state environmental regulators Thursday, saying they acted improperly when they issued Xcel Energy an air permit for a new coal- fired power plant in Pueblo.
Clean Energy Action, a Boulder-based environmental group, and Citizens for Clean Air in Pueblo claim the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment failed to investigate alleged violations at the Comanche power plant before it issued a permit for a 750-megawatt unit in July.
The plaintiffs are asking a judge to revoke the permit.
C-470 head-on crash kills 1 driver, injures 1
A man died from injuries from an early-morning head-on vehicle collision Thursday, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The man, driving a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, was eastbound on C-470 at South Broadway when he crossed the median, colliding with a westbound 2004 Ford van.
The driver of the van, Patrick Jackson, 27, of Highlands Ranch, was treated and released at scene with minor injuries.
The Malibu driver’s name is being withheld pending notification of his family.
Medicaid director named college chief
Karen Reinertson, who has led the state’s Medicaid program during some of the most drastic cuts in state history and through the calamitous rollout of a new welfare-benefits computer system, will become the new president of Front Range Community College.
Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System, announced this week that Reinertson will assume the presidency Aug. 15.
Gov. Bill Owens appointed Reinertson executive director of the state department of Health Care Policy and Financing during his first term.
County warns hikers, residents about plague
County health officials said Thursday they planned to warn hikers and residents after plague was confirmed in a prairie-dog colony north of Boulder.
The primary danger is that fleas will transmit the disease from the rodents to humans or pets, said Joe Malinowski, a consumer-protection coordinator for Boulder County Public Health.
“There’s always going to be a risk (to public health) if there’s plague in that area,” he said.
Signs will be posted on a nearby trail, and health workers planned to go door-to-door in an adjacent subdivision to warn visitors and residents, Malinowski said.
Malinowski advised residents and visitors to the area to wear insect repellent, keep pets on leashes and away from the prairie dogs, and to use a flea treatment on their pets suggested by a veterinarian.
4,700 lose power, forcing cancellations
More than 4,700 people in Windsor and Severance experienced power outages Thursday evening, said Xcel Energy spokesman Tom Henley.
The cause of the outage is unknown, Henley said.
Town meetings, concerts and other events had to be canceled because of the outages, according to the Windsor website.
The majority of the residents were expected to have their power restored Thursday night, Henley said.
While repairs are being done, residents along Weld County Roads 13 to the west, 76 to the north, 75 to the east and 61 to the south could experience controlled outages today because people are expected to start turning their air conditioners back on to fight the predicted 90-degree heat, Henley said.
Panel pans state’s fiscal policymaking
A panel of business and academic leaders on Thursday released a report that says Colorado’s fiscal policymaking process is deeply flawed.
The Colorado Economic Futures Panel, established last year by University of Denver Chancellor Daniel Ritchie, offered no recommendations to fix the problems. Instead, it plans to release its recommendations this year, said Jim Griesemer, chairman of the panel.
The report identifies four problems with how state and local government officials set budgets and make policy decisions, including adopting short-term “piecemeal policies,” too many ballot initiatives, too many budget cuts, and disjointed decisions by the state’s more than 2,500 local governing bodies.
