School District Lay offs

Eagle School District Layoffs - Both

In what may be a sign of the times, The Eagle Colorado school district laid off roughly 70 employees in the last 48 hours. Officials say the cuts were not as deep as had been originally anticipated last fall. The move will save the district 5.5 million dollars during the next school year.

MCC Hosts Health Clinics

Morgan Community College Health Clinics - FM


Morgan Community College partnered with the Northeast Colorado Healthy Department to host two healthy child clinics on the Ft. Morgan campus this week. 33 first year nursing students were on hand to help with health screening for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
This years events induded developmental screening, plus vision, hearing, dental check ups and immunizations.

Avalanche Danger High This Weekend

KSIR 021712 Avalanche Danger High This Weekend

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued a warning today for back country outdoor enthusiasts, saying the danger is High through the Presidents Day weekend. Six people have died so far this season in Avalanches, the latest being yesterday when a skier was swept under on Wolf Creek pass. Two others were seriously injured and required hospital care.

Closings for Preidents' Day

Monday is President's Day, so lots of governmental offices, the post office, and some banks and businesses will be closed. Federal, state, and local governmental offices in our area will be closed, there's no mail delivery or trash pick up. Other places may be closed for the day too, so call before you go.

Elementary School Loncked Down

RE-1 Valley School District reported on its website yesterday that when a person was asked to leave the playground at Campbell Elementary and wouldn't, the school went on lockdown for a short time. Sterling Police were called, responded immediately, found the person had left the school property and was taken into custody. All the students and staff inside the school were safe.

Spirit Airlines Returning To Denver

(Denver, CO) -- We've got Spirit, yes we do. Spirit Airlines will be back in the Denver market in May as the ultra-low-cost air carrier has announced its return to Denver International Airport. Spirit says it will offer nonstop daily service to Chicago O'Hare, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth, starting May 3rd. The airline is known for its base fares as low as nine-dollars.

Steamboat Ski Area lift ticket price tops $100

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The price of a single-day lift ticket at Steamboat Ski Area has topped $100.

The Steamboat Pilot reports that as of Friday, skiers and riders who walk up to the ticket window for a single-day adult lift ticket will have to pay $105. That's $6 more than the previous price.

Tickets purchased online at least five days in advance will remain $99 per day.

It's not the highest price in Colorado. A person walking up to the ticket office Friday at Vail or Beaver Creek would pay $116. A ticket purchased online at least seven days in advance would cost $105.

Aspen Skiing Co. also charges more than $100 for single-day lift tickets at the window.

Colorado sheriff to send $25,000 bill to Romney

DENVER (AP) — A Republican sheriff in Colorado says his agency spent more than $25,000 on security costs when Mitt Romney held a rally this month, and he'll be sending the bill to the GOP presidential candidate's campaign.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson tells KCNC-TV in Denver he deployed 61 deputies for about four hours when Romney held a rally Feb. 6 that drew about 4,200 people to a school.

Robinson had said earlier this month that he would send all political campaigns the tab when his deputies have to close roads, direct traffic and put in overtime because of campaign events. Nevertheless, he said he would still make events safe, regardless of whether campaigns pay.

Robinson also sent bills to U.S. Senate campaigns in 2010, but the candidates never paid up.

Film incentives bill gets its first approval in CO

DENVER (AP) — A bill to increase film incentives for productions in Colorado cleared its first hurdle in the House.

The proposal would increase a tax rebate the state gives production companies from 10 percent to 20 percent. It's a figure that's comparable to other states but not as high as others. The refund is given to filmmakers to help offset costs for in-state expenditures.

The bill passed out of a House committee Thursday. Supporters say having movies made in Colorado would help tourism and local economies because productions would spend money on location.

Hundreds of movies have been filmed in Colorado but the number has dwindled in the last 15 years because other states offer better incentives.

Vote delayed on Colo. school discipline overhaul

DENVER (AP) — A vote on an overhaul of strict school punishment policies adopted after the Columbine High School shootings has been delayed.

A Senate committee debated the proposal but some lawmakers were concerned the bill has become too complicated and they ran out of time to make changes Thursday. A vote will happen later.

The bill would eliminate zero-tolerance policies that lawmakers say force schools to suspend or expel students for minor offenses.

Supporters of the legislation say the goal is to give teachers and administrators more discretion over school discipline instead of referring students to police. Supporters say the 1999 Columbine shootings and other high-profile cases of youth violence have caused lawmakers and school administrators to overreact.

Opponents of the bill say it's too prescriptive has too many reporting requirements for schools.

Bill addressing Colo. child care rules defeated

DENVER (AP) — Senators have rejected a Republican proposal to limit the scope of how Colorado regulates child care businesses.

A Senate committee killed the bill on a 6-3 vote Thursday. The legislation from Republican Sen. Kevin Lundberg would've limited the Colorado Department of Human Services to issuing regulations that deal only with health and safety. Lundberg proposed the legislation because of outcry from child care businesses about rules the department is considering that seek to promote early childhood education.

The department's rules originally would've dictated the number of crayons per box at child care businesses and the color of dolls for children. The department is no longer considering those proposals, but they're continuing to draft new rules.

Lundberg says he wanted to do away with red tape.

Pot activists make 2nd attempt for CO ballot

DENVER (AP) — Marijuana legalization activists in Colorado say they won't fall short this time making statewide ballots.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol planned to turn is some 12,000 petition signatures to state officials. That may give the activists more than they need to get a legalization question on Colorado ballots this fall.

Two weeks ago, the pot activists were told they were short about 2,500 valid signatures to put legalization on ballots.

The pot activists will find out by the end of the month whether their second effort is enough.

Marijuana legalization is already headed to ballots this fall in Washington state.

Colorado voters considered but rejected a pot legalization measure in 2006.

Fugitive brothers enter pleas in Colorado

WALSENBURG, Colo. (AP) — Two of three fugitive siblings who were the focus of a nationwide manhunt last summer have pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Colorado.

Twenty-one-year-old Ryan Dougherty (DOUGH-ehr-tee) and 26-year-old Dylan Stanley-Dougherty appeared in Huerfano (WEHR'-fah-noh) County district court in Walsenburg Thursday.

Dylan Dougherty pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree assault and faces up to 32 years in prison. State court administrator's office spokesman Jon Sarche (sahr-SHAY') says Ryan Dougherty pleaded guilty to five counts of menacing and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Their sister, 29-year-old Lee Grace Dougherty, pleaded guilty last week to reduced charges. She pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and two counts of menacing, all felonies.

All had previously been charged with more serious offenses related to their capture Aug. 10 following a chase in southern Colorado.

The trio was accused of shooting at a police officer in Florida, as well as robbing a Georgia bank.

FORT MORGAN SENIOR CENTER RECEIVES FUNDING

Money from county can offset costs, buy needed items

The Fort Morgan Senior Center has received more than $2,000 in funding from Morgan County.

The Morgan County Council on Aging, through the Morgan County Board of County Commissioners, distributes money every year to all Morgan County senior centers. This year the Fort Morgan senior center received a check in the amount of $2,072.

The money can be used to offset costs of activities and event programs or to purchase needed items for the senior center.

Senior Center Coordinator Jane Perkins said the city and the many seniors who use the center are extremely grateful for the contribution.

Too Many Cases, Not Enough Workers

The Colorado Department of Human Services has unveiled a number of reforms aimed at improving the state's child welfare system. Deborah (Duh-BOR-Uh) Beck-Massey is the executive director for Caring Ministries of Morgan County. She says the biggest problem is too many cases, not enough case workers.






Beck-Massey admits the issue isn't as simple as hiring more people. She says too many new child welfare caseworkers aren't adequately trained. Case in point: that of three year old Caleb Pacheco, whose mother now faces a murder charge after the boy was found dead under their mobile home in Sterling after the boy was happy living with his aunt, and his mother was allowed to demand his return to her.