A man and a woman in separate cars were killed in a head-on collision as the man drove on the wrong side of Interstate 225 about 2 a.m. Saturday, officials said.
Luis Javier Gomez, 24, and Lisa Swisher, 22, both of Aurora, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on I-225 just north of East Sixth Avenue, said Lt. Troy Edwards of the Aurora Police Department. Swisher was a U.S. Marine.
Gomez was driving a green Toyota Celica north in the southbound lanes when he crashed into a blue Jeep Cherokee driven by Swisher, Edwards said. Both motorists were alone in their cars.
Officials do not know whether alcohol was a factor, Edwards said. It will take about two weeks for toxicology results to be completed, he said.
DENVER
Blast blows roof off house; man burned
An explosion in northeast Denver on Saturday evening blew the roof off a house and sent a man to the hospital, but no one was seriously injured, officials said.
The blast and subsequent fire happened about 7:45 p.m. in the 2500 block of Oneida Street. The fire started in the garage of the house, said Denver Fire Lt. Phil Champagne.
A man inside the home was able to make it out on his own, Champagne said. He was being treated for burns. His condition was not available.
The cause of the fire was not known. But the force of the blast sent debris about 100 feet into the air, with shingles and other parts of the home becoming lodged in trees.
Crews from Xcel Energy were at the scene late Saturday fixing ruptured gas lines. The explosion also blew down several power lines.
COLORADO SPRINGS
Cheyenne Mountain report awaited
Military officials say they will send a full report to Congress explaining their plans to move the nation’s early-warning operations out of Cheyenne Mountain.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, last week began a probe of the move, which was initiated in 2006. A team of five GAO investigators is expected to look into all aspects of the move in coming months.
The GAO study could lead to a reversal of the relocation of crews out of Cheyenne Mountain, or could validate the change.
Military leaders say the move would consolidate forces at nearby Peterson Air Force Base, increasing efficiency and saving money. Lawmakers have been demanding a full report on reasons for the move for months.
U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, agreed Thursday to make such a report.
“We believed we were keeping (congressional leaders) in the loop. What we were providing them was evidently less than what they were looking for,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Cornelio at NORAD/Northcom headquarters.
METROWIDE
Like it or not, more snow expected today
The snow-weary metro area may get a few more inches today along with another dose of chilly temperatures.
The National Weather Service estimates an 80 percent chance of snow today with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches possible by evening in and around Denver and high temperatures in the mid-20s, dropping to the single digits tonight.
Forecasters say 2 to 4 inches of snow are likely today in the foothills west of Denver. Gusty winds also are expected.
While the metro area generally got at most a dusting Saturday, as much as half a foot of fresh snow fell on portions of the Eastern Plains.
The Weather Service says an inch or so of additional snow could fall early Monday across the metro area, before giving way to sunny skies and temperatures in the 30s. Readings as high as the mid- to upper 40s are expected later in the week.
GREELEY
Appointee will try former deputy DA
A lawyer from Boulder County will be appointed to prosecute a former Weld County deputy district attorney accused of making death threats against his former colleagues after being arrested for alleged marijuana possession.
Police said they found 60 pot plants in November 2005 in the home of 29-year-old Daniel Wingler. He then allegedly called his former supervisor and left a message saying he would “burn her to the ground.”
Wingler was a Weld County prosecutor from 2002 to 2004. He later opened a private practice in Fort Collins.
Wingler allegedly told police last year that he felt the Weld County district attorney’s office was making an example of him, and that he was having fantasies “about going postal and killing everyone over there.”
Wingler was arrested Nov. 22 in Harlingen, Texas, near the Mexican border. He faces charges of felony menacing, first-degree assault on a peace officer and cultivation of marijuana. He is due back in court Feb. 16.
VICTOR
Mayor facing 2nd recall election
Mayor Kathy Justice faces her second recall election in four years after critics accused her of malfeasance and failing to follow city ordinances.
Organizers submitted the required 63 petition signatures to the city.
City Clerk Dan Delaney said the City Council would decide next month when the election will take place. Justice survived a recall attempt in 2003.
“It’s just a matter of staying focused and continuing doing the best I can for the city,” she said.
Victor, 74 miles south of Denver, has about 440 residents.
