New road will smooth Broncos fans’ route
Denver Broncos football fans who drive to games and exit southbound Interstate 25 at the West 23rd Avenue ramp will no longer have to scramble through a neighborhood north of the stadium to reach a parking lot.
A new frontage road routing traffic directly to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium is complete for the 2005 season.
The new road will also allow fans, as well as people attending other events at Invesco Field, to more easily access southbound I-25 when leaving the stadium.
Hiker vanishes from Mount Bierstadt trails
Idaho Springs – Rescuers on Thursday searched the advanced trails of Mount Bierstadt for an experienced hiker who was last seen the day before.
Eric Robert Chandler, 46, of Mississippi was reported missing early Thursday when no one heard from him after what was supposed to be a day hike, said Denise Albers, a spokeswoman for the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.
Alpine Search and Rescue volunteers looked for the man all day Thursday and will continue the search today, she said.
Chandler’s hometown was not immediately known.
One meeting a month enough, DPS decides
The Denver Public Schools Board of Education decided Thursday to hold just one board meeting a month this school year, down from two under former Superintendent Jerry Wartgow.
Each month, the board will have a public hearing and a meeting on the third Thursday.
The board and new Superintendent Michael Bennet decided on the idea to be more efficient with DPS staff time, Bennet said.
“I’m grateful for this change,” he told board members Thursday.
CU’s Brown a backer of C, D – on his own
When University of Colorado president Hank Brown spoke to the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties about a state referendum last week, he had to be careful to do it on his own time.
State law prohibits university officials and appointed state employees from using taxpayer resources and time to advocate for a ballot issue or candidate.
So Brown had to do it on his own time and fill out a form, saying he made the Aug. 9 speech during an unpaid leave.
“If he’s asked to speak in support of Referendum C, he will do it,” said CU spokeswoman Michele McKinney, adding that Brown does not plan to actively campaign for the referendums or take large amounts of time off his new job as CU president.
But referendum opponents say Brown has proved that government does not need more tax money.
Ethan Eilon, a spokesman for opponents of the ballot measure, noted that Brown has made budget cuts.
“He’s evidence that there’s a whole lot of room to cut before putting a $3.7 billion burden on taxpayers,” Eilon said.
Referendums C and D ask voters to allow the state to keep mandatory refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights for five years and raise the base on which future state spending is calculated.
Churchill sabbatical still being weighed
The University of Colorado’s provost still is considering professor Ward Churchill’s sabbatical request, months after it was approved by his dean, CU officials said Thursday.
Churchill is not scheduled to teach any classes in the spring and plans to take a sabbatical to finish a book, he said.
His leave was approved by the dean of arts and sciences last fall, before controversy erupted over an essay he wrote comparing some World Trade Center terrorism victims to Nazi Adolf Eichmann. The request was forwarded to the provost and also requires approval from the vice president for academic affairs and the regents.
CU-Boulder spokeswoman Pauline Hale said the process might be taking longer than usual because of an ongoing investigation into Churchill’s writings.
Domestic fight ends with couple dead
A domestic disturbance escalated into a murder-suicide in southeast Denver late Wednesday night, said Detective John White of the Denver police.
Police were called to a house in the 8600 block of East Dillard Place about 11:30 p.m., White said. Arriving officers found a man dead and a woman barely alive, he said.
The woman was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, White said.
No names have been released.
No grousing heard about bird’s rebound
The Gunnison sage grouse, one of Colorado’s most imperiled birds, appears to have enjoyed a population surge in 2005 after years of declines.
In the Gunnison basin, where the chunky grouse’s numbers are highest, estimates suggest the bird’s population rose from 2,320 to 4,000 in the last year.
Other populations in southwestern Colorado remain small but appear to be steady.
State wildlife biologists speculate that record snows in the Gunnison drainage last year could account for some of the increase. But they caution that several years’ data are needed to confirm a trend.
