Police Searching for Robbery Suspect

Detectives with the Fort Morgan Police Department are still looking for the woman who robbed Main Street shop last Wednesday. Officer Roger Doll says investigators have now released a composite sketch of the suspect and they're calling once again for witnesses who saw the woman to come forward...






TAG: The woman robbed The Oak Tree located near the 300-block of Main Street. If you saw a woman fitting the description last Wednesday or you have information about the robbery, you are urged to call the Fort Morgan Police Department.

El Rancho Alegre Public Hearing Tonight

The Fort Morgan City Council holds a public hearing tonight to get input on why
El Rancho Alegre should get a new tavern license. The bar's restaurant liquor license went away when the restaurant in the same building changed, not allowing the bar to continue serving alcohol without serving food. Police told council at a hearing earlier this month that they spend a lot of time breaking up fights on the weekends at El Rancho Alegre, and are concerned about the place having a liquor only license. Tonight's "show cause" hearing gives the public an opportunity to tell the city what it thinks of El Rancho Alegre having the license.

Conflicts Fixed in LLV Marshal's Court Case

A special prosecutor will handle the rape case against the former Log Lane Village marshal. The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office will prosecute Edwin "Izzy" Irizarry Urrutia. A motion was filed by 13th Judicial D.A. Bob Watson, after a conflict of interest in the case was discovered. Watson says a witness in the case was involved with the victim, and employed by the 13th Judicial District Attorney's Office. So the 13th Judicial District Attorney's Office will have to turn over information about the witness's credibility to the defense, which causes the conflict under Colorado statute in prosecuting the case. Thirty three year old Irizarry-Urrutia faces on charge of sexual assault.

Sterling Man Busted Trying to Lure Child Online

Eighteen year old Jose Valles was online with what he though was a ten year old girl earlier this month. He's now in the Logan County Detention Center with no bond, facing charges of Internet Luring of a Child’ and ‘Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child’. That's because the supposed ten year old girl was actually the law, and Valles was busted at his apartment after he thought he'd lured the child there.

Facility to reopen in mid-January

The Fort Morgan Senior Center will remain closed through the holiday season as work continues on the installation of new flooring and other repairs and improvements.

The Senior Center closed on Dec. 6 and was expected to reopen later this week. City officials decided that it would be best not to rush the work in an effort to reopen before Christmas.

The Senior Center is now expected to reopen sometime in mid-January. More
information will be announced when a specific date is determined.

DIA #40 On 'Best Airports For Tech Travelers'

(San Francisco CA) -- Denver International Airport is listed at Number 40 on a new report aimed at hi-tech travelers. PC World Magazine ranked the 40 busiest U.S. airports on amenities like numbers of electrical outlets, USB ports and desks in their gate areas, along with the availability of speedy Wi-Fi and reliable cellular service. The top three were Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's JFK, and Atlanta.

2012 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree To Come From Colorado

(Washington, DC) -- The Christmas tree for the U.S. Capitol will come from Colorado next year. The U.S. Forest Service will work with local officials during the coming year to pick candidate trees from the White River National Forest near Meeker, and a landscape architect from the U.S. Capitol will make the final selection. This year's Capitol tree is from California, while the White House tree is a Colorado blue spruce from New Jersey.

Colo. Nat'l Guard families at governor's mansion

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of family members of deployed Colorado National Guard members are heading into the holidays after a visit with Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Hickenlooper hosted nearly 100 of them at the governor's mansion for a holiday reception Monday. Maj. Elena O'Bryan says the governor arrived in a Humvee with Santa Claus.

The governor also read "The Soldier's Night Before Christmas" to the families.

There are nearly 200 soldiers and airmen from the Guard who are deployed this holiday season.

Colorado sues group behind fundraising calendars

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado attorney general's office has filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve a Denver nonprofit organization that produced firefighter calendars to raise money for The Children's Hospital Burn Center.

The lawsuit alleges Fired Up For Kids Inc. registered with the state as a nonprofit group but never received that status from the Internal Revenue Service. It also alleges founder Kirsten Hamling used the group's account to make personal charges for items including gym memberships and airline tickets.

Hamling resigned in September.

A new nonprofit group has formed to take over producing calendars to raise money for the burn center, but the attorney general's office says Hamling won't turn over bank accounts and other property to the new organization.

Judge bars Park County rancher from having cattle

FAIRPLAY, Colo. (AP) — A Park County District Court judge has barred a rancher who had dead animals on his property from owning, managing, controlling or possessing cattle in the county.

Rancher Vernon E. Wagner said Monday he plans to appeal.

Colorado agriculture department staff last year seized 379 cattle from Wagner, saying they had found about 140 dead cattle on his land.

Last week, a judge ordered a permanent injunction barring Wagner from having cattle, saying there was evidence he hadn't provided adequate nutrition for them.

A court-appointed receiver is caring for his surviving cattle until they are sold.

Wagner continues to raise horses. The 78-year-old says his land has lush grass and water for cattle. He contends he was targeted because he has 130,000 acres that others want to control.

New Colo. districts prompt lawmaker moves

DENVER (AP) — Newly drawn Colorado legislative districts are prompting some lawmakers to leave their seats or enter other contests next year.

Democratic Rep. Roger Wilson of Glenwood Springs says he will not seek re-election next year, and Democratic Rep. Andy Kerr of Lakewood announced Monday he will run for a state Senate district in Jefferson County.

The new map the Colorado Supreme Court approved last week put Wilson in a safe Republican district. The map put Kerr in the same House district as two other incumbents.

Republican Sen. Keith King from El Paso County and Republican Rep. Keith Swerdfeger of Pueblo County also will not seek re-election next year as a result of the new districts. King would've had to face Senate Republican Leader Bill Cadman in a primary.

Blizzard conditions in parts of southeastern Colo.

DENVER (AP) — A major storm is bringing blizzard conditions to Colorado's southeastern corner, where ranches and farms have been hit hard by drought.

Nine inches of snow had fallen by midafternoon Monday in Springfield, and Baca County authorities say gusts up to 50 mph have produced 2-foot drifts there. About an inch of snow was reported in La Junta, and gusts were limiting visibility to about a quarter of a mile.

Southbound Interstate 25 was closed at Pueblo to the New Mexico line Monday evening, because lodging and parking were filling up in smaller towns further south.

A blizzard warning remains in effect until Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service says to expect 8 to 16 inches of snow.

The storm is also hitting parts of the Southwest and Great Plains.

Guard, inmate dead in Colo. prison van crash

LIMON, Colo. (AP) - Colorado State Patrol says a guard and an inmate were killed when a prison van went out of control on an icy highway.

The van was pulling a trailer when it rolled over Monday on Interstate 70 about five miles east of Limon. Nine inmates and two Corrections Corporation of America employees were in the vehicle.

Nashville, Tenn.-based CCA says the van was one of two taking inmates from the private company's Kit Carson Correctional Facility in Burlington to the Limon Correctional Facility.

Survivors were taken to hospitals with moderate to serious injuries. Troopers say the female guard driving the van was the only person wearing a seatbelt. She died at the scene.

There was freezing drizzle near Limon at the time. CCA said high winds may have contributed to the accident.