Sterling Fire Responds to Smoke Call at Wendy's

Sterling Fire and Police Departments responded to an alarm for smoke in the Wendy's Restaurant on West Main Street on Thursday morning. Firefighters said when they got inside, they saw light smoke and checked out the heating and air conditioning system that was on the roof of the building. That's where they found a burned belt on the unit, but said there was no fire. The power to the unit was cut and the manager was alerted to the problem. There was no fire damage.

Colorado Tax Collections down in November, But Up for the Year

State tax collections were down somewhat last month and the hole in Colorado's budget is getting bigger. Revenue forecasters said that tax collections are a bit more than they expected, so that there may not have to be any more cuts during the current fiscal year that ends this coming July. Information from the state indicates that the bad news is that the November tax collections were down about two and a half percent, but the good news is that for the fiscal year, general fund collections are up more than half a percent over what was expected.

No Pot Grown or Sold in Wiggins

No pot grown or sold in Wiggins!
That was the vote at last week's council meeting. That means no growing, no manufacturing, no medical dispensaries. No pot grown or sold in Wiggins! Town Attorney Sam Light said while the moratorium on the drug would expire on July first of next year, there needed to be a permanent vote on the issue, and so there was. Light said the ordinance that was voted in outlaws any type of marijuana operations, but still allows, by state law, possession and use of medical marijuana.

Springs Father Hog-ties Son to Fence

Colorado Springs police are working to figure out why a father hog-tied his son. Police say after hog-tying the boy, he tied him to a fence. It happened Thursday night at the Newport Square Apartments. Children playing in the area found the boy left out in the cold. They ran to get help from neighbors. “I ran down there because I heard one of my other neighbors screaming ‘help me, help me,’ and when I went down there she was already holding the child and I was trying to untie him as fast as I could,” neighbor Rebecca Griggs said. The boy’s father was issued a summons for misdemeanor child abuse and false imprisonment. The boy was examined at the hospital and then released to his mother.

Natural Gas Fire Burning in Byer CO

A natural gas well is burning out of control on the Eastern Plains. The fire started at 2 a.m. Sunday and it was still burning strong Sunday night. The fire is burning at Colorado Interstate Gas Company’s Latigo Storage Field near County Road 193 southeast of Byers. At times flames were shooting 50 feet into the air. No injuries have been reported. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department recommended that several homes be temporarily evacuated. Road blocks were also set up.

Fort Morgan Chamber Ends Chamber Bucks; Launches New Website

The Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce is reminding members that the deadline to redeem Chamber Bucks is end of business on Friday, December 31, 2010. No Chamber Bucks will be redeemed after that date. The Chamber Board of Directors voted to discontinue the Chamber Bucks program, effective at the end of the 2010 calendar year. That coincides with the chamber’s new website, which Executive Director Kelley Kreegar-Baugh says will offer members and the public new opportunities to promote local shopping and commerce. The new website is fortmorganchamber.org. .

NJC Early Childhood Conference Coming Up

Northeastern Junior College is holding an
Early Childhood Conference on January 22, 2011. Registration deadline for the conference is January 14. Jane Kitson, the Mother Goose Lady, is a Keynote Speaker and she'll focus on Literacy. For more info contact Donna Brady-Lawler, the Conference Coordinator at donna.bradylawler@njc.edu.