Jan. 16 start set for soldier’s trial in Iraqi officer’s death
A soldier charged with murder in the death of an Iraqi general during an interrogation had his trial set Monday for Jan. 16.
During a hearing, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. also advised a judge that he would like to be tried by a jury of officers instead of by a military judge. Welshofer and Chief Warrant Officer Jefferson Williams are charged with killing Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush near the Syrian border in 2003.
Col. Mark Toole, the judge in the case, also set a hearing for Nov. 16 to review classified defense evidence and determine if it can be used in trial.
Welshofer’s trial was initially scheduled to start Monday, and Williams was scheduled for trial next month. But Fort Carson officials said Williams’ case probably will be delayed until after Welshofer’s court-martial.
Small-plane pilot OK after belly-landing
A small plane landed on its belly Monday morning at Centennial Airport after the pilot erroneously believed he had lowered the landing gear, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Gregory Heuer, 49, the pilot and sole occupant of the Baron 95-55 Beechcraft, pressed a button to lower the landing gear in advance of landing on Centennial’s runway 28, according to the Sheriff’s Office. When the green light did not activate, signaling that the gear was down, Heuer reportedly wiggled it to get the green light, officials said. The plane landed on its belly, however. Heuer was not injured in the incident.
School bus hits car; no major injuries
A Cherry Creek School District bus with 47 students aboard rear-ended an automobile at South Buckley Road and East Hampden Avenue about 3:35 p.m. Monday, Aurora police Lt. Charles Holzheimer said.
No one was taken to the hospital, but two students who complained of pain as a result of the accident were treated at the scene by personnel from the Aurora Fire Department, Holz heimer said.
“The parents of the injured students sought appropriate medical attention for their children,” he said.
The bus was northbound on South Buckley and ran into the rear of a silver Oldsmobile driven by Joanne Hastings of Aurora, which was stopped for a red light, Holzheimer said.
The driver of the bus, Leone Eichhorn, told police the brakes of the bus failed, causing the accident.
Further tests will have to be done to verify the problem with the brakes, Holzheimer said.
Eichhorn was issued a traffic summons for careless driving, he said.
3 finalists named for Teacher of the Year
Three finalists for the Colorado Teacher of the Year award were announced Monday.
They are:
Adele Brava, a first-grade teacher at Louisville Elementary School in the Boulder Valley School District in Louisville.
Terri Peterson, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Van Buren Elementary School in Loveland’s Thompson R2-J school district.
Yvonne Willis Wilkinson, a seventh-grade teacher at Escalante Middle School in the Durango School District in Durango.
The Colorado Department of Education will announce the winner Nov. 9 at a banquet at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The winner will be chosen by a six-member committee from a list of nominees.
The selection process includes letters of recommendation, district endorsements, a personal interview and a visit to the teacher’s classroom by the selection committee.
Nominees were considered for their ability to inspire students from all backgrounds and for community activities, among other achievements.
Police call meeting about sexual predator
Police are holding a community meeting tonight at Place Middle School to notify residents of a sexually violent predator who will soon be released in Denver.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at 7125 Cherry Creek Drive North.
It is the first such meeting in Denver since the state’s parole board began classifying some sex offenders released from prison as sexually violent predators with a high potential to reoffend.
Police did not release the offender’s identity Monday.
Important information regarding the offender will be provided at the meeting.
Additional information will be available at the police substation at 7150 E. Leetsdale Drive and at www.denvergov.org/police.
Feds: Gray wolf may not need protection
Substantial evidence supports removing the gray wolf from Endangered Species Act protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.
Wolves have flourished since their reintroduction to Yellowstone Park a decade ago and are estimated to number more than 800 in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
However, farmers, ranchers, landowners, outfitters and state officials say wolves are a growing threat to wildlife, livestock and domestic pets, and Wyoming is seeking more control over wolves.
In July, the state petitioned to have wolves removed from federal protection. Ample evidence existed to justify removing wolves from federal protection, the state said.
After reviewing the petition, Fish and Wildlife has agreed that might indeed be the case.
New dean surprised by politicians’ CU jabs
Dennis Ahlburg, new dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, said Tuesday he was surprised to hear top politicians in Colorado making unflattering comments about CU.
A tuition battle last summer pitted the governor against CU administrators and regents.
“That’s just unheard of in Minnesota,” he said in an interview after a speech to businesspeople at the Denver Athletic Club.
He was referring to his previous job at the University of Minnesota, an institution he says was revered by politicians and the public.
So far, CU president Hank Brown, who took over in August, has had more cordial relations with state officials than did the previous president, Elizabeth Hoffman.
