2 electricians fixing box at Wal-Mart hurt by blast
A small explosion injured two electricians working on a high-voltage box behind a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Aurora on Tuesday morning, landing them in a local hospital and shutting down the store.
The two contract workers, whose names were not released, received burns on their face and hands when the box blew out about 10:20 a.m., Aurora Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Ackman said.
Three Wal-Mart employees who inhaled chemicals from a fire extinguisher used to douse the burning box were treated at the scene, and the store remained closed into the evening.
WELD COUNTY
Man killed in rollover on County Road 88
A Fort Collins man was killed and another man injured in a rollover crash Monday night in Weld County.
Christopher Wiese, 34, was a passenger in a Ford pickup that veered off Weld County Road 88 just after 6 p.m. and rolled twice down an embankment, Colorado State Patrol officials said. Wiese was thrown from the truck and died.
The driver of the Ford, Damon Freeman, 38, also of Fort Collins was rushed to Northern Colorado Medical Center with moderate injuries, State Patrol officials said.
Authorities are still investigating the accident.
DENVER
Educators: Update subject standards
Colorado’s standards for English, math and science are outdated, too broad, and in some places, redundant, a survey of educators has found.
The findings were presented Tuesday to members of the Colorado Education Alignment Council, a group charged by Gov. Bill Owens with finding ways to create a seamless transition between high school and higher education.
Educators have long complained that high school students enter college unprepared.
DENVER
Wife of cop killed in 1985 denied parole
Donna Yaklich, who hired two neighbors to kill her police officer husband, has been denied parole, Cheryl Ahumada of the Colorado Department of Corrections said Tuesday.
Dennis Yaklich was shot on Dec. 12, 1985, in Pueblo as he returned home from work.
Donna Yaklich appeared Monday before a parole officer seeking parole, but Vanessa Yaklich, the only child of Dennis Yak lich’s marriage to his first wife Barbara, objected to Yaklich’s release. Barbara died in 1977.
Ahumada said Yaklich will be considered again for parole in three years. She was sentenced to 40 years and is currently in a community corrections center in Arapahoe County.
DENVER
Woman robs downtown bank
A middle-aged woman robbed a downtown bank early Tuesday, Denver police said.
A woman between 40 and 60 years old walked into U.S. Bank at 1625 Broadway and robbed it, police said.
She did not display a weapon. No one was injured.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.
DENVER
Child-education tax favored by council
A sales-tax initiative to raise money for early childhood education in Denver was given a favorable recommendation by City Council members Tuesday.
While Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz was the only one who did not recommend the tax, other council members questioned why the task force that created the plan decided on a sales tax.
The majority of the council members, however, said the plan’s focused goal and its parental choice option made it a sound investment for the city.
The full council must vote to put the tax increase request on the November ballot.
AURORA
Man found dead at transformer identified
The coroner’s office Tuesday identified the man who was killed over the weekend when he broke into an electrical transformer in search of scrap copper.
Alvin Davis, 29, was found lying in a field on the 19600 block of East 64th Avenue in Aurora late Sunday. Police said he apparently broke into the junction box to steal its copper wiring.
The preliminary autopsy results indicated Davis was electrocuted, according to the coroner’s office.
Police said they’ve seen copper thefts rise as the price of the metal has gone up.
MANCOS
Permit denied for Labor Day biker rally
Montezuma County officials have denied the Four Corners Rally in the Rockies a permit to hold its Labor Day weekend biker meet at Echo Basin Dude Ranch, 5 miles northeast of Mancos.
Rally organizer Dan Bradshaw said he plans to go ahead with the rally at that location anyway. The group’s legal rationale is that a high-impact permit from the county is not required because the dude ranch has held even larger events in the past, and such uses predated the county’s land-use code.
Montezuma County commissioners cited the lack of support from local law enforcement and concerns about traffic congestion at the intersection of U.S. 160 and County Road 44. Rally officials said last year the event attracted about 48,000 participants over a four-day period, Thursday through Sunday, Labor Day weekend.
ASPEN
$135 million price tag on Saudi’s property
The getaway of Saudi Prince Bandar is up for sale for an asking price of $135 million, which could set a U.S. sales record, the Aspen Times reported Tuesday.
Real estate agent Joshua Saslove told the paper that Bandar’s 15-bedroom, 16-bathroom, 56,000-square-foot mansion – complete with a racquetball court, indoor pool and outdoor water features – is up for sale because the prince is too busy to enjoy his mountain palace.
The offering includes several small homes on the property.
Saslove said Bandar has been busy chairing his country’s security council and spending time in Washington.
Bandar also served as the Saudi ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He has been developing his Aspen property since the 1980s.
