Work on water lines being done

The City of Fort Morgan water distribution department will be installing new water main lines, fire hydrants and new water service lines next week. The work will be done on Lake Street Monday and Tuesday. Drivers should expect delays, since portions of Railroad and Lake streets may be closed, or only open to limited traffic. It's also possible water service could be interrupted. If you have any questions, you can call Mitch Church, Water Distribution Superintendent, at 542-3911.

Colorado Congressman Calls for English Only Ballots

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman said yesterday that he plans to introduce legislation that would repeal a section of the 1973 Voting Rights Act that requires jurisdictions with large populations of nonproficient English speakers to print ballots in more than one language. The Denver Post reports that the Republican asserts that Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act is an unnecessary and unfunded federal mandate that can be a financial hardship for some jurisdictions because of the increased cost of translating and printing election materials and mailing larger ballots. Coffman said, "Since proficiency in English is already a requirement for U.S. citizenship, forcing cash-strapped local governments to provide ballots in a language other than English makes no sense at all." Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler was neutral on Coffman's proposal.

Man in Coma, Man Out of Jail After Assault

An assault at the Morgan County Fair earlier this month landed a Snyder man in jail. Forty-six-year-old Jay Osier bonded out of jail on 75 thousand dollars bond and now faces charges assault and harassment. Brush Police said that Osier hit Alan Meyer of Fort Morgan, causing Meyer to fall, hit his head and have to be hospitalized. Meyer was first taken to CPMC, then to Medical Center of the Rockies where his adult son said he was in a drug induced coma, being treated for what doctors say could be a fatal brain injury.

District Representative Alan Fouz's Office Hours on Behalf of Congressman Cory Gardner

Congressman Cory Gardner’s District Representative, Allan Foutz, will be holding office hours in Seibert, Yuma and near Sterling. The times and locations are as follows:

Date: August 29, 2011
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 AM
Where: The Seibert Town Hall
201 Colorado Ave.
Seibert

Date: August 30, 2011
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Where: Yuma District Hospital
1000 W 8th Ave
Yuma

Date: August 30, 2011
Time: 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Where: The Office of Mr. Cheramy
The Corner of Laramie St. and Logan St.
Fleming

Date September 1
Time 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Where: Wiggins City Hall
Wiggins

Citizen Police Academy Applications Now Accepted

Applications are being accepted until September 2nd for the 2011 Citizen Police Academy that runs from September 12 - November 21. Here's the chance for citizens to learn about all aspects of the Fort Morgan Police Department and tour law enforcement facilities. Weekly Academy topics include: Patrol, Investigations, K-9, SWAT, Code Enforcement, and more. There is no cost to participants. A serious commitment is requested. Classes will be held on Mondays from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Fort Morgan Police Dept. Training Room.

Volunteers Needed!

The Fort Morgan Library/Museum is seeking volunteers to help with various jobs, some of which include inventory of items, computer data entry, Museum store sales, shelving, leading tours and more. Flexible shifts are available. Applicants must complete a short registration form, listing their interests and experience. If you have an interest in history and helping with important work, call Cathy Bosley at the Library/Museum at (970) 542-4001 or stop by the Library/Museum at 414 Main St.

Colorado To Receive $15.3M In Federal Transportation Grants

(Washington, DC) -- Colorado is set to receive federal transportation grants totaling 15-point-three-million dollars for a variety of projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grants yesterday. Funded projects include the widening of parts of Interstate 225, replacing the Pecos Street bridge over Interstate 70 and resurfacing nine miles of U.S. 160 near the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.

Human rights group sides with CO mom over lawsuit

DENVER (AP) — A human rights tribunal says justice was denied to a Colorado woman who tried to sue police for not enforcing a restraining order against her estranged husband, who police say killed their three daughters.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights says Jessica Gonzales, who remarried and uses the name Lenahan, should have been allowed to sue authorities after her daughters' deaths in 1999. Lenahan sought to sue Castle Rock police for $30 million for not responding to her calls asking officers to find her estranged husband, Simon Gonzales.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that Lenahan could not sue. Lenahan appealed to the commission, which has no enforcement authority.

Police say Simon Gonzales killed the girls and later died in a shootout with officers. The commission contends authorities did not investigate the circumstances of the girls' deaths.

Pilot's body returns to Colo. after Afghan crash

DENVER (AP) — The body of a National Guard pilot has been returned to Colorado after he was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

David R. Carter's flag-draped casket was flown to Buckley Air Force Base in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Wednesday.

Carter's wife and two children and other mourners stood silently in a hangar as pallbearers carried the casket from a transport plane to a hearse. The hearse then drove away, its route on the base lined by military personnel.

Carter was a chief warrant officer 4, a full-time Army National Guardsman and an instructor pilot. He lived in Aurora.

He was one of two pilots aboard the Chinook helicopter that went down Aug. 6, apparently when it was shot down by insurgents. All 38 people aboard were killed.

Tips lead police to vandalism suspects

Fort Morgan police say tips from the general public led their investigation to 2 juvenile suspects who were arrested in a series of vandalism cases. All the incidents happened between August 3rd and August 12th, with more charges possible. In each case the victims' property was spray-painted with graffiti. On August 10, Fort Morgan police took the report of a boy and girl - both juveniles - who were using a marker to deface playground equipment. The two were charged, then released to their parents. Investigators say they are checking to see if other reports might be connected to the same two suspects.