12 million dollars sounds like a lot of money, but Logan County Commissioners have been told that’s a lot less than last year. The Journal-Advocate reports Treasurer Patricia Barlett made a semi-annual report this week. She says the lower account balance is due to a 4 million dollar change when refinancing was done for the justice center. Taxes collected last month were 3-point-9 million dollars, about two and a half percent ahead of last year.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Farmers need rain
Wheat farmers say it’s unlikely they will match last year’s record crop yields due to the drought conditions being experienced. March is normally one of the wettest months of the year, but not this time. Extension agent Marlin Eisenach tells the Fort Morgan Times there was not more than an inch of moisture from snow or rain since January and that is impacting crops right now. Across Colorado, only 2 percent of topsoil reportedly has surplus topsoil moisture right now, and only 20 percent was adequate.
None on Bus, But Three in Car Hurt in Crash
Three teens from the Sterling area were hospitalized after a crash on Tuesday. The crash closed Highway 6 about 10 miles east of Sterling for a few hours. Investigators said it happed around 7:30 a.m. when the driver of an eastbound car lost control on a slushy, snow covered Highway 6. The car spun into the westbound lanes and was hit by a Fleming school bus. There were 15 passengers on the bus, and the driver, who tried to steer around the car, but hit the car. Nobody on the bus was hurt, but two 17 year olds and a 13 year old from the car were taken to the hospital.
Police: Rural Click It or Ticket a Good Idea
In an effort to increase seat belt use and save lives on rural Colorado roadways, the Colorado State Patrol and 36 rural law enforcement agencies in 50 counties are mobilizing for a Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement period, March 31 through April 6th. The enforcement is combined with a seat belt education campaign, aimed at dispelling the myths and excuses people make for not buckling up.
"The focus of this Click It or Ticket enforcement period is to help save lives across Colorado," said James Chamberlain, chief of police for Walsenburg Police Department. "Crashes on rural roadways represented over half of the state's fatalities in 2009. We are working to enforce seat belt use in our local communities because we care about our community members and want to keep everyone safe on the roads."
In 2009, 254 people were killed in crashes on rural roadways, representing 54% of the state’s total fatalities. And more than half of those killed in rural areas were not wearing a seat belt, compared to 36% in urban areas.
One of the biggest reasons people give for not buckling up is that they aren’t traveling very far. The reality is that 85% of crashes occur within five miles of a person’s home. Others say they simply forget to buckle up because they never developed the habit.
“It’s a fact that seat belts save lives,” said Mark Bray, firefighter and paramedic for the Montrose Fire Department. “I’ve arrived on the scene of crashes with vehicles so mangled that you can’t imagine anyone would survive, but they have survived because they remembered to buckle up. We hope Click It or Ticket will remind everyone to start a habit that can save lives.”
Drivers of pickup trucks have the lowest overall seat belt use at just 73%, compared to 85% in cars. Nearly 8 out of 10 people killed in pickup trucks in Colorado did not wear a seat belt. Pickup trucks are twice as likely to roll over in a crash, despite the belief that they are safer vehicles.
The increased seat belt enforcement will take place in several counties, including Logan, Morgan, Washington, Weld, and Yuma.
During last year’s seven-day rural Click It or Ticket enforcement period, 2,147 seat belt citations were written.
Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers can be ticketed for violating the seat belt law if they are stopped for another traffic violation. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed. Seat belt fines are $65 per violation.
Colorado's child-passenger safety law and its teen driver seat belt law are primary enforcement, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child in the vehicle or if a teen driver and their passengers are not buckled up. The public can find more information about the law www.seatbeltscolorado.com and www.carseatscolorado.com.
"The focus of this Click It or Ticket enforcement period is to help save lives across Colorado," said James Chamberlain, chief of police for Walsenburg Police Department. "Crashes on rural roadways represented over half of the state's fatalities in 2009. We are working to enforce seat belt use in our local communities because we care about our community members and want to keep everyone safe on the roads."
In 2009, 254 people were killed in crashes on rural roadways, representing 54% of the state’s total fatalities. And more than half of those killed in rural areas were not wearing a seat belt, compared to 36% in urban areas.
One of the biggest reasons people give for not buckling up is that they aren’t traveling very far. The reality is that 85% of crashes occur within five miles of a person’s home. Others say they simply forget to buckle up because they never developed the habit.
“It’s a fact that seat belts save lives,” said Mark Bray, firefighter and paramedic for the Montrose Fire Department. “I’ve arrived on the scene of crashes with vehicles so mangled that you can’t imagine anyone would survive, but they have survived because they remembered to buckle up. We hope Click It or Ticket will remind everyone to start a habit that can save lives.”
Drivers of pickup trucks have the lowest overall seat belt use at just 73%, compared to 85% in cars. Nearly 8 out of 10 people killed in pickup trucks in Colorado did not wear a seat belt. Pickup trucks are twice as likely to roll over in a crash, despite the belief that they are safer vehicles.
The increased seat belt enforcement will take place in several counties, including Logan, Morgan, Washington, Weld, and Yuma.
During last year’s seven-day rural Click It or Ticket enforcement period, 2,147 seat belt citations were written.
Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers can be ticketed for violating the seat belt law if they are stopped for another traffic violation. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed. Seat belt fines are $65 per violation.
Colorado's child-passenger safety law and its teen driver seat belt law are primary enforcement, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child in the vehicle or if a teen driver and their passengers are not buckled up. The public can find more information about the law www.seatbeltscolorado.com and www.carseatscolorado.com.
Retired Air Force Colonel May Have Violated Federal Law
A retired Air Force Colonel in Colorado Springs may have violated federal law when he allegedly impersonated Barack Obama to gain access to the president's Selective Service documents. In a report by the "Gazette," Gregory Hollister says he used a Social Security number he believed was Obama's to access the Social Security Number Verification Service, which allows registered users to verify information for employment purposes. But to do so under false pretenses is against federal law. Hollister made previous attempts to verify where Obama was born, and has even said Obama's birth certificate, which shows Hawaii as the president's birth state is a forgery.
Reward Offered For Missing Tortoise
Someone wants Butti badly. That's the name of the famous missing tortoise, allegedly stolen Sunday from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. A person from Denver who wishes to remain anonymous has offered a reward of 700 dollars for the creature's safe return. Butti [[ boo-tee ]] is the tiny, grapefruit-sized star from India that lives with its brother Tutti in a popular zoo exhibit that lets people interact with zoo creatures. Officials from the zoo also say they won't press charges against whomever brings Butti back, adding the tortoise needs special care and food to survive. If you have any information, please call (719) 633-9925, extension 140.
Teen Named As POI In Deaths Of Grandparents Near Hugo
Sheriff's deputies in Lincoln County are calling a 16-year-old boy a person-of-interest in the apparent murders of his grandparents. It was yesterday morning outside the sleepy town of Hugo in east-central Colorado when deputies found the young man after he rolled a pickup truck belonging to 80-year-old Charles Clagett and his 82-year-old wife Laura Clagett. When authorities arrived at the Clagett's home to inform them of their grandson's wreck, they found the elderly couple's bodies in a downstairs bedroom. An official from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said the case is in the early stages, and they have not yet determined a cause for the deaths, nor have any charges been filed.
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