Money Available for Non-Profits Serving Young People in Greeley

The Community Foundation serving Greeley and Weld County is accepting applications for the 114th Distribution of the Littler Youth Fund until Sept. 13. The Greeley Tribune reports Nonprofits supporting youth programs in Weld County are eligible to apply. The Littler Youth Fund was established in 1972 by Hubert and Mary Littler. Since then, it has granted over $2.7 million. For guidelines and applications, visit www.cfsgwc.org.

Probe of Synthetic Pot Teams Federal, State, and Local Health Officials

Colorado's health department is teaming up with the CDC and local health agencies to investigate a string of illnesses related to synthetic marijuana use. The Denver Post reports three recent deaths may be related to the drugs, which are illegal. Denver-area hospitals have reported about 75 cases of synthetic pot illness in recent weeks. The drugs don't disclose their chemicals. Emergency room patients often are aggressive toward caregivers and treatment can last for days. Some users reportedly had run into traffic or jumped from heights after taking the drug.

Guilty Plea in Murder of Commecer City Teen

A 24-year-old man faces 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to the kidnapping and killing of a 14-year old Gabriela Acosta of Commerce City. As part of a deal with prosecutors, Ezequiel Padilla-Villalobos today pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping of a child. Acosta, who was his girlfriend's sister. He allegedly told investigators his girlfriend had asked him to pick up Acosta from their mother's house in Broomfield and that he had thoughts of killing the girl while he was driving. He also allegedly had beer and cocaine before the murder. He'll be Sentenced in November.

Transparency. That's the RE-1 Valley Board of Education's goal this school year

Transparency. That's the RE-1 Valley Board of Education's goal this school year, as conveyed by Superintendent Dr. Jan DeLay during Tuesday's meeting, where she presented the board suggestions for procedural guidelines, including an updated stipend schedule for teachers and principals, in an effort to increase the transparency, so that everybody knows what's going on. Delay also recommended putting in place a clear job description for anything that has a stipend. DeLay pointed out that right now, with the school year already beginning, people are doing certain extra jobs they've always done, but in the future extra duty activities could be posted so those interested will have a chance to apply. The board will need to approve the procedural guidelines at a future meeting.
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The wet weather isn't expected to affect road work for Sterling's Street Improvement Project

The wet weather isn't expected to affect road work for Sterling's Street Improvement Project. Officials said they don't expect the slight moisture from the storm to delay construction on Lincoln, Dawes and Cedar streets. Forecasters say it's not likely Mother Nature will be making a repeat performance, as the region will soon see the unseasonably high temperatures continue, with a slight chance of evening thunderstorms this weekend, helping cool things down into early next week.
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Crews were busy in Sterling yesterday cleaning up a visit from Mother Nature, following Wednesday's storms

Crews were busy in Sterling yesterday cleaning up a visit from Mother Nature, following Wednesday's storms. It really wasn't as bad as it looked, with less than a quarter of an inch of the wet stuff reported at Sterling Municipal Airport Wednesday night. But officials said strong winds that accompanied the storm stuck around a little longer, bringing wind gusts of over 20 mph. While Sterling dispatchers didn't receive any reports of extensive damage yesterday morning (9/5) there were tree limbs, branches, and a few trees down in various parts of town, including Sherwood Village and Columbine Park where a tree that was 25 to 35 years old was uprooted. Crews were expected to assess the damage from Wednesday's storms, Friday.
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A coalition of environmental groups is launching a fundraising drive to restore part of the overtaxed Colorado River

A coalition of environmental groups is launching a fundraising drive to restore part of the overtaxed Colorado River that has become more desert than delta. Conservationists from Mexico and the U.S., including actor Robert Redford, will gather Saturday at the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix for a "low-water-use" gala. Redford will give remarks as well as screen "Watershed," a documentary on the river system he and his son produced. The director of the Colorado River Campaign, Gary Wockner, says there's an opportunity to restore the river delta, which lies in Mexico and once had 2 million acres of wetlands. Looming shortages are predicted on the river serving some 40 million people in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. Mexico also has a stake.
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Turnout in Colorado's first legislative recall elections has been strong so far

Turnout in Colorado's first legislative recall elections has been strong so far. Some voting centers opened early Friday in El Paso County after lines formed on the first day of early voting there. Nearly 3,600 people voted Thursday. Officials said that turnout is similar to turnout on a busy day during a presidential election. Early voting has been underway in Pueblo County for a week with more than 7,000 people voting so far. More voting centers were added Thursday. Gun rights advocates launched a recall initiative against both Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron because they voted for stricter gun laws, including limiting the size of ammunition magazines and requiring universal background checks.
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The commander of Fort Carson's hospital has been suspended

The commander of Fort Carson's hospital has been suspended as the Army investigates allegations of inappropriate behavior. It was announced, Wednesday, that Col. John McGrath was removed from command at the Evans Army Community Hospital because of the investigation. No word on what he's accused of doing. McGrath has been a doctor in the Army for 29 years and has been commander of the hospital since January 2012. He deployed to Iraq twice and has received awards including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.
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Officials in Durango are urging residents to keep their pets safe from foraging bears

Officials in Durango are urging residents to keep their pets safe from foraging bears after a 14-year-old pet miniature horse was attacked and killed. Officials said the horse was just 32 inches tall and weighed less than 200 pounds. It was in an enclosed pasture just outside Durango when it was attacked last Saturday. Wildlife officers set a trap for the bear but eventually removed it so as not to attract other predators. A state wildlife spokesman says bears preparing for winter have killed two sheep and a goat in the area in recent weeks.
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