State’s snowpack looking good after past two weeks
Snows the past two weeks have deepened Colorado’s all-important snowpack considerably.
The South Platte River Basin, a major water supplier for the Front Range, went from 68 percent of the 30-year average on Dec. 2 to 94 percent Sunday morning.
The Upper Colorado, a source for downstream states, went from 79 percent to 104 percent of the 30-year average.
The statewide snowpack was at 113 percent of average as of Saturday.
Sprinkler system activates, puts out fire in low-income housing
FORT COLLINS — A sprinkler system saved low-income housing in Fort Collins from a fire sparked Saturday afternoon.
Poudre Fire Authority officials said Sunday night that the cause was accidental.
Officials said the fire on the third floor of the converted Northern Hotel started when a resident on medical oxygen dropped a cordless phone on the floor. In the process of retrieving it, she came too close to a burning candle on a dresser. The oxygen tubing she was wearing caught fire and was fed by the 100 percent oxygen, officials said.
The woman removed the flaming tubing and threw it away from her. It landed in a waste basket, catching it on fire. The fire then spread to the bed, officials said. Heat from the fire activated the sprinkler system, which extinguished the fire.
Dog rescued from yard of condo engulfed in flames
GOLDEN — A small dog was rescued from the backyard of a condominium engulfed in fire in Golden on Sunday. The fire had reached from the main floor to the attic of a condominium at 713 Illinois St. by the time the Golden Fire Department arrived shortly after 11 a.m, according to a news release.
Damage to the unit is estimated at $350,000, and the Red Cross is providing assistance to the two people displaced by the fire.
The dog was found in the backyard and was removed by animal control officers and returned to its owners unharmed.
A neighboring condominium had its roof partly damaged by the fire.
Southwest light rail reopens
The Regional Transportation District reopened the southwest light-rail line Sunday evening in advance of today’s morning commute. The southernmost portion of the C and D lines had been out of service since Tuesday, when a Union Pacific train spilled coal onto the RTD tracks.
Three pastors receive deferred sentences in failure to report sexual abuse
LOVELAND — Three Loveland pastors have pleaded guilty to failing to report sexual abuse by a church member in plea agreements that could keep their records clean.
James Rice, Thad Gunderson and Eric Mowen received one-year deferred sentences after pleading guilty in Larimer County Court on Nov. 15 to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report abuse. The convictions will be removed from their records in a year if they stay out of trouble.
Fort Collins police had accused Paul John Lavertu of fondling five children during functions of Gateway Baptist Church of Loveland. Police said the pastors knew of the abuse but didn’t report it to authorities.
