Holmes Lawyers Challenge Colorado Death Penalty

Lawyers for Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes have filed six new constitutional challenges to the death penalty, saying execution is cruel and unusual punishment. Holmes is accused of shooting and killing 12 people and injuring 70 others in a suburban Denver movie theater in July 2012. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. His trial is scheduled to start in February. His lawyers filed two other challenges to Colorado death penalty laws last month, saying they don't set clear standards and make it too hard for jurors to weigh mitigating factors.

Greeley City Council Considers Drive to Block Expansion of Oil-Gas Drilling Near High School

Some Greeley residents are trying to stop the expansion of oil and gas drilling near a high school, worried It could turn the site into an industrial area. City councilors are scheduled to consider the appeal of Synergy Resources' permit tonight evening. The company's had permission to drill 15 wells near Northridge High School since 2008. In July, the city's planning commission gave the green light for three more wells along with 36 more oil and water tanks. One resident tells the Greeley Tribune opponents only want to stop the expansion, not the existing drilling. Synergy says it wouldn't be able to drill on all 18 wells at once because Greeley doesn't have the infrastructure so not all the additional oil and water tanks will be needed.

Sterling police were busy just before Labor Day weekend with several reports of home robberies

Sterling police were busy just before Labor Day weekend with several reports of home robberies. Police responded to a reported theft at a home on Elwood St., possibly committed early Thursday morning (Aug. 29). Thieves ran off with about $200 in motor bikes. Then a short time later, officers got a call about a robbery at a Haxtun residence, where the theif got away with some lawn equipment worth about $134, from the home on Beattie St.. And another theft of a hose cart, three sprinklers and three hand-held sprayers, valued at $260, happened on Elwood St.
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An alleged Sterling drug dealer will remain behind bars

An alleged Sterling drug dealer will remain behind bars. Francisco Herrera was denied a request for a bond reduction at a hearing Thursday in Logan County District Court. He is being held at the Logan County Jail on a $1,250,000 bond after an arrest on July 29 for selling methamphetamines. It was his third arrest since being granted probation in April on a 2012 drug distribution case. When he was arrested, Herrera was out on bond in an earlier case and wearing a court-ordered ankle monitoring system. The judge said he must consider that the defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty, but noted that Herrera repeatedly committed serious crimes that threaten the community while out on bond, and has posted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bond over the past few years, indicating that the high amount of bond in this case was warranted.
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Mount Evans Highway is closed

Even though the weather still says it's summer, the top portion of the Mount Evans Highway is closed for the winter. The five-mile segment Colorado Highway 5 closed Tuesday morning. The state transportation department must close that stretch of the road the day after Labor Day under an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. Other key seasonal roads in Colorado, including Trail Ridge Road and Independence Pass, remain open. Near record heat is expected along the Front Range while scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected again in the mountains of western Colorado on Tuesday.
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Local Veteran's are lending a helping hand

Local Veteran's are lending a helping hand. Military Vet's in SouthWest Fort Morgan gather at the American Legion Post No. 19 on the second Thursday of the month for the group's regular meeting, and their first order of business is how they can help vets and their families, and the community. The historical local Legion post, created in 1919, functions as a service club in many regards, raising money through the group's twice-weekly bingo nights for local schools, scholarships, Legion Baseball athletics, the high school's after-prom party, and placing flags on veteran's gravesites in the cemetery on holidays. The group also donates money to the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, and they clean up a section along Interstate 76. The Legion also helps support veterans and their families when needed. In the past, that has included helping pay rent, buying food or getting a tank of gas.
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I'll need to see your proof of insurance

I'll need to see your proof of insurance. That's what motorists who wan to register their vehicles will soon hear in Morgan County. Officials are notifying citizens that effective immediately the State of Colorado Department of Revenue is requiring proof of insurance on each specific motorized vehicle being registered including temporary permits. It will be necessary to bring in your proof of insurance card with the vehicle identification number listed on your insurance card before a plate or temporary permit can be issued. If you have questions, contact the registration office.
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Gov. John Hickenlooper will be out of the office for a few days this week

Gov. John Hickenlooper will be out of the office for a few days this week recovering from hip surgery. A spokesman says Hickenlooper is undergoing hip arthroscopy Tuesday. It's usually a short, minimally-invasive procedure in which a small camera and instruments are used to see and repair the hip joint.
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