Passenger dies when driver loses control in Ft. Collins
Fort Collins – A passenger in a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix was killed Sunday morning when the car struck a tree on the west side of South Taft Hill Road, police said.
The name of the victim was being withheld until his relatives could be notified by the Larimer County coroner’s office.
The driver, Jared Glass, was taken to Poudre Valley Hospital with injuries.
Glass will later be taken to the Larimer County Detention Center on charges unrelated to the incident, police said.
South Taft Hill Road was closed for three hours while Fort Collins police investigated the crash.
About 2:28 a.m., Glass lost control of the car and went into a sideways skid, police said.
The Grand Prix slid for 100 feet before it jumped a curb and hit the tree on the passenger’s side.
STATEWIDE
Today will be busiest of year for post offices
Colorado post offices, like others across the nation, expect to have their busiest day of the year today.
Officials said post offices will handle three to four times the usual mail and serve two to three times the usual number of customers as people descend on the post office with an avalanche of last-minute holiday mailing.
Colorado post offices expect to handle more than 6 million holiday cards and letters and 1 million holiday packages today, officials said. Nationwide, postal workers will deal with 1 billion pieces of mail.
More information and guidelines on holiday mailing, rates and services and ZIP codes can be found at www.usps.com/holidayguide or by calling 800-275-8777.
ASPEN
Cooler will alleviate cup litter at gondola
Gondola riders visiting the top of Aspen Mountain won’t be annoyed by flying paper cups anymore.
The ski company had offered water in cups for those getting off the gondola. As the cups were discarded, many ended up on the landscape.
Now the resort, which advertises itself as one of the most environmentally conscious resorts, has installed a water cooler on the gondola for thirsty riders.
LIVINGSTON, Mont.
Yellowstone elk herd seen as “geriatric”
The northern Yellowstone National Park elk herd is getting smaller, and older.
“The northern herd is fast becoming a geriatric elk population,” said Tom Lemke, a biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
The average age of elk harvested during last winter’s late hunt at Gardiner hit a record high: 8.2 years for cows and 9.1 years for bulls. Ten years ago, the average was 6.2 years and 5.9 years, respectively.
Statewide, the average elk is 4 or 5 years old.
DEL NORTE
Rio Grande County predicts deficit
Faced with mandated spending, Rio Grande County predicts an $850,000 budget deficit.
A failed mill levy increase and increasing operation costs also figure in the shortage.
County Administrator Suzanne Benton said officials realized they were facing a deficit and asked voters to reinstate 3 mills that were dropped during surplus years. It would have produced about $400,000 a year. The measure lost.
Rio Grande, population 12,414 in the 2004 census, has the lowest mill levy in the six-county San Luis Valley. Its budget for 2006 is $17.8 million.
Road costs also have increased, and there is overcrowding in the jail. A new jail is nearing completion.
Benton said solutions include eliminating outside programs, downsizing county offices, eliminating new paving projects, reducing services and response time for those services, and increasing or adopting fees for services.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb.
High uranium levels reported in water
As many as 26 cities, towns and villages in Nebraska have drinking water with high levels of uranium, according to Nebraska Health and Human Services.
“It’s been a stealth problem, and it’s hitting small communities hard,” said department manager Anne Pamperl.
The state last year identified 43 municipalities that were likely to have uranium issues, and tests revealed that 26 of those cities and towns had elevated levels.
Thirteen municipalities repeatedly tested high for uranium and have been ordered to find new water sources or develop a treatment plan.
