Union Pacific to help avoid traffic jams at rail crossings
Fort Collins – The great train holdup in this northern city may soon be at an end.
Union Pacific has agreed to organize its train cars better in Cheyenne before delivering them to the Great Western Railway train in Fort Collins.
Re-sorting the cars in Fort Collins has sometimes left drivers waiting up to an hour to cross major intersections, said Mike Herzig, city special-projects engineer. On one day earlier this month, trains held up traffic 19 times in one day.
“You want to talk about bringing a city to its knees,” said Fort Collins resident Rachel Hopper. “There is a ripple effect that I think is huge in the city of Fort Collins.”
City ordinances do not limit the time the railway can delay traffic for sorting, so Herzig said the city urged the railway to relieve the problem.
“We’ve worked with them to accommodate whatever we need to do to make it safer and more workable with the city,” said Ron Welch, manager of train operations for Union Pacific.
“I think you’ll see a decrease in the amount of switchings over the crossing, so the crossings won’t be blocked as long as in the past.”
CASTLE ROCK
Man charged with sexual assault on girl
A Castle Rock man faces charges of sexual assault on a child after a 12-year-old girl told police she was grabbed and fondled by a man about 9:45 p.m. Saturday.
The girl said the incident happened at South and Cantril streets in Castle Rock. She said she broke free and ran away.
Tracking dogs led authorities to the home of Jose Carlos Martinez-Lagunas, 26, who lives nearby. After the girl identified Martinez-Lagunas, he was charged with sexual assault on a child and false imprisonment.
He is being held in the Douglas County jail on a $100,000 bond.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Trail Ridge Road opens early for season
Trail Ridge Road opened early for the season Saturday morning, closed again by dusk because of a rock slide and mudslide, but was open again Sunday.
The slide left about 6 feet of debris on the westbound lane and 2 feet on the eastbound side near Poudre Lake east of Milner Pass.
A spokesman for Rocky Mountain National Park said weather and road conditions change rapidly, so visitors should call 970-586-1206 to check before embarking on the 48-mile trek from Estes Park to Grand Lake.
LOVELAND
Neb. fisherman found dead is identified
A fisherman whose body was found Saturday at a reservoir west of Loveland has been identified as James M. Dunn, 29, of Lincoln, Neb..
Dunn was camping with friends at Flat Iron Reservoir on Thursday night when he told them he was going fishing at 3 a.m. Friday, said Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Eloise Campanella. An autopsy determined he drowned.
LONGMONT
Street-sweeping truck hits, kills pedestrian
A woman attempting to cross Main Street in Longmont was hit by a street-sweeping truck and killed Saturday night.
According to police, the 27-year-old woman, whose name was not released, stepped in front of the truck, which was headed south in the 1700 block of Main Street, and was struck by the bumper.
Police said the driver of the truck, Jeffery McLees, 59, pulled over and stopped.
The case is under investigation, but police do not expect charges to be filed.
DURANGO
Burglar who took lottery tickets sought
Police are trying to find a burglar who stole an estimated 700 Colorado Lottery scratch tickets from a gas station convenience store on U.S. 160.
The burglar entered the store about 3:40 a.m. May 14 through a broken front window and stole the tickets, along with their display case.
So far, about 35 stolen tickets have been redeemed for prizes, bringing a total of $268 in collected prize money, police investigator Ron Wysocki said.
DENVER
Sunday’s high of 91 sets record for date
Temperatures in Denver soared to 91 degrees Sunday, breaking a record set in 1925, when the temperature reached 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The average high for May 21 is 72 degrees. Last year, the high was 88 degrees.
