A lesbian couple were arrested for trespassing Monday after they refused to leave Focus on the Family headquarters in protest of James Dobson’s stance on homosexuality, authorities said.
After taking a tour of the evangelical Christian ministry, Dotti Berrycq and Robynne Stappcq of Blaine, Wash., requested a meeting with Dobson.
The couple refused to leave until Dobson pledged to stop “misleading statements about research on lesbian and gay parents,” according to the gay-rights group SoulForcecq, organizer of the protest.
Colorado Springs police said the women were served with summons for trespassing and released.
Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneebergercq said the women were out for publicity.
“I don’t believe they are as interested in dialogue as they are interested in a monologue,” he said. “We’ve heard their views on the issue before. We happen to disagree with them.”
More local news briefs
DENVER
Season to Share donations a record
A record $1.29 million was raised by this year’s Post-News Season to Share campaign. The money was contributed by 6,446 donors and will be matched with $500,000 from the McCormick Tribune Foundation.
Grants totaling $1.79 million will be distributed in March to eligible charities serving disadvantaged children and the homeless, hungry or those in need of medical care.
“We are tremendously grateful to the metro Denver community for their continued generosity in supporting Season to Share,” said Harry Whipple, president and chief executive of the Denver Newspaper Agency.
Since its beginning in 1993, Season to Share has distributed more than $17.7 million in grants to charitable agencies.
SILVERTHORNE
I-70 travel smooths after rough weekend
After a rough weekend for commuters headed to ski resorts through the Eisenhower Tunnel, traffic on Monday along Interstate 70 saw relatively few slowdowns, state Transportation Department officials said.
Late Monday afternoon, traffic was moving smoothly along I-70 with heavy but steady volume, said Brian Jordon, traffic specialist with the department. Traffic had slowed to about 50 miles per hour between Empire and Idaho Springs, Jordon said.
On Saturday, vehicles were backed up more than 25 miles on I-70 while road crews set off explosives along mountainsides to trigger avalanches in the area of the tunnel.
WASHINGTON
Homeless-housing grants revealed today
Federal housing officials are scheduled today to reveal the recipients of $1.4 billion in homeless assistance grants nationwide, an announcement that could launch a trio of projects to help homeless in the Denver metropolitan area.
Organizations such as the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless expect to receive amounts similar to last year when Front Range groups were awarded $9.8 million for 19 projects.
This year, the money will go to the Renaissance Riverfront, a 100-unit apartment complex along the South Platte at Park Avenue West that will cost about $10 million to build.
The other two include a “housing-first” initiative in Boulder – where homeless individuals are housed and provided social and mental health services – and a housing project for the homeless by Catholic Charities known as Sheridan House.
BOULDER
CU police seek man in women’s hall entries
Police at the University of Colorado in Boulder are looking for a young man who has been entering dormitories early in the morning, acting drunk and trying to get into bed with female students.
Around 3 a.m. Friday, the man entered rooms in Baker, Libby and Smith halls looking for a place to sleep, police said. Acting as if he were drunk, the man crawled into one woman’s bed and fondled her before a roommate was able to force him out of the room.
On Saturday, around 5 a.m., a man entered a room in the Kittredge West Residence Hall, got into bed with a female and tried to kiss her.
ATLANTA
Denver firms cleared for vote-testing OK
Federal election commissioners will meet Wednesday in Atlanta to certify whether several Colorado companies seeking approval to test the country’s voting machines meet new standards.
Technical experts have recommended that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission approve both iBeta Quality Assurance, of Aurora, and SysTest Labs, of Denver, to receive federal approval.
They recommended against certifying a third company – Ciber Inc., of Greenwood Village, which runs its voting machine test division in Alabama.
The Atlanta meeting is open to the public, but it was scheduled on short notice, according to EAC spokesman Bryan Whitener.
DENVER
Haglund named judge in District Court
Norman D. Haglund, a partner in a respected, longtime Denver law firm, has been appointed as a Denver District Court judge by Gov. Bill Ritter.
A partner in the firm of Kelly, Haglund, Garnsey and Kahn since 1974, Haglund graduated from the Harvard Law School and was a captain in the U.S. Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1969 to 1973.
Ritter also announced he had appointed Norman C. Cooling, of Cañon City, to the Fremont County Court bench of Fremont County.
Cooling has served as a deputy district attorney in the 11th Judicial District since 1985. The district includes Fremont, Custer, Chaffee, Lake and Park counties.
“Both appointees offer a thorough knowledge of their constituents and state law,” Ritter said.
WESTMINSTER
Ironman champ to coach fundraiser
Six-time Ironman triathlon champion Dave Scott will coach cyclists in a wind-trainer class tonight as a fundraiser for injured adventure racer Danelle Ballengee, who survived 52 hours alone in the Utah desert after a fall.
The session at Bicycle Village, 9170 Wadsworth Parkway, will feature an appearance by Dillon adventure-racing star Ballengee and her dog, Taz, who guided rescuers to her two days after her Dec. 13 tumble down a 60-foot cliff in which she shattered her pelvis.
The class, limited to 35 participants, requires a $30 donation that will be matched by the bike shop, and riders will need to bring their own bikes.
