As of late Friday, only one person had requested that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper honor his pledge to pay Election Day parking tickets, according to the mayor’s office.
The Nov. 7 election debacle that left people waiting for hours to cast their votes in Denver prompted Hickenlooper to promise last week that he would personally pay any election-related parking tickets. There’s no way of knowing how many tickets would qualify, but if the mayor paid all of those issued that day, the cost would exceed $60,000.
The mayor’s spokeswoman said 3,500 tickets were issued. A parking ticket normally costs $20. For the mayor to pay the fine, the ticket must have been issued to a registered voter within six blocks of a Denver vote center during voting hours, which began at 7 a.m. and stretched past 7 p.m. Those seeking payment should mail a copy of the ticket to the mayor’s office at 1437 Bannock St., Suite 350, Denver, CO 80202.
To avoid late fees, the ticket must be received by Nov. 30.
If those meeting the criteria already have paid their tickets, they can send a letter with their license plate number, a copy of their photo ID and, if available, proof of payment to the mayor’s office.
DENVER
Anti-nuke nuns give list of food offering
Nuns gathering canned food in hopes of using it for restitution in their probation cases turned over a list of their collections to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office Friday.
Dominican sisters Carol Gilbert, Ardeth Platte and Jackie Hudson met with Jeff Dorsch ner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Denver.
Dorschner agreed to forward the list of food to U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn, who has already rejected the nuns’ restitution methods.
“Jeff came down and was very pleasant,” Gilbert said. “It’s our hope the judge will accept this food in lieu of the restitution.”
Gilbert said she also spoke with her probation officer, who told her she and Platte could be arrested if they don’t return within 24 hours to Baltimore, where the two nuns are supposed to reside.
Hudson has a different probation officer.
“He said, ‘You know you are not supposed to be there,”‘ Gilbert said.
Gilbert, Platte and Hudson were convicted of obstructing national defense and damaging government property during a protest rally in 2002 when they cut through a fence at a missile silo northeast of Denver.
BOULDER
Parents sue CU over son’s suicide in 2005
The parents of a University of Colorado at Boulder student who committed suicide have filed suit against the university, claiming the student health center misdiagnosed their son’s mental illness.
Benjamin Stattman, 28, died in April 2005 in his apartment near campus. The family claims doctors at CU’s Wardenburg Health Center began treating Stattman in 2003 for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, despite having misgivings about the diagnosis, family attorney Tom Beltz said.
Several months before his death, Stattman was admitted to Boulder Community Hospital following a breakdown and diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, Beltz said. However, Beltz said, doctors at Wardenburg continued to write prescriptions only to treat ADHD even after the Boulder Community Hospital diagnosis.
Stattman’s parents, Ken and Carol Stattman of Colorado Springs, believe the medication contributed to their son’s mental instability and that Wardenburg’s misdiagnosis led to their son’s death. The family is seeking in excess of $100,000 in damages and attorney fees.
LONGMONT
Disabled man’s death spurs routine probe
State officials have launched an investigation into the death of a developmentally disabled man at a Longmont care facility.
Christopher Hrobsky, 29, died after choking on a latex glove Nov. 10 at A Better Life Experience, or ABLE. According to a police report, a staff member at the facility noticed Hrobsky had something in his mouth. When she approached him, he swallowed the glove, and staff members were unable to dislodge it, according to the report.
One staff member told police Hrobsky had a history of putting things in his mouth.
Boulder County coroner Tom Faure determined the death was an accident, and Longmont police Sgt. Jeffrey Satur said investigators don’t believe any criminal charges are warranted.
However, following standard protocol, the state Department of Human Services ordered Imagine!, a community services board that oversees programs for the developmentally disabled in Boulder County, to investigate the death.
PUEBLO
Former chief of CSU branch dies at 62
Former Colorado State University-Pueblo President Ronald Applbaum, 62, has died of complications from cancer.
Applbaum died at his home Thursday, president Joseph Garcia said in an e-mail to faculty and staff.
Applbaum stepped down as president this past summer, after announcing in October 2005 that he would resign when his contract expired. He took a sabbatical this fall but planned to return to teaching in the spring.
Applbaum took over as president in 2002, when the school was known as the University of Southern Colorado, and served four years. Previously, he was president at Kean University in Union, N.J. Survivors include his wife, Sue, and a son.
WASHINGTON
Rep.-elect Lamborn tapped to be liaison
One of the new members of Colorado’s U.S. House delegation has a new post.
Rep.-elect Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, was elected the Republican freshman “representative to leadership.” As such, he will serve as the link between the 13 Republican newcomers and GOP congressional leaders. The appointment will give Lamborn the chance to build relationships that “will be a great benefit” to his 5th Congressional District constituents, spokesman Jon Hotaling said.
GRAND JUNCTION
Teen waives hearing in death of newborn
A 17-year-old Grand Junction girl who is accused of killing her newborn this past summer waived her right to a preliminary hearing Friday.
An attorney for Cheyenne Corbett said that Corbett agreed to waive the hearing amid continuing negotiations with prosecutors on a plea agreement.
Corbett was a senior at Palisade High School when she gave birth to a full-term baby girl in a shower and allegedly wrapped the baby in a towel and placed the infant in an entertainment center at the home she shares with her mother and stepfather.
