Welcome to the PineBlog: "News and Information With A Mountain View" -- detailing information of interest in the mountain communties from Bailey to Bergen Park and beyond.

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05.02.04 @ 01:23 PM MST
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Henry

Posted by Henry

Flume: “Passion” painful for Bailey pastor
03.12.04 @ 09:53 AM MST
Crow Hill Bible Church Pastor Scott McCall never dreamed he’d witness a crucifixion. But in a little over two hours -- the time it took to watch Mel Gibson’s controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ” -- this is exactly what happened.

McCall and the two other pastors who accompanied him had not eaten before they saw the movie. When it was all over, McCall couldn’t even finish his soft drink. All three left a Denver West theater silently. They were visually overloaded.

Read The Flume for this story and more or check out their online Web site.

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Tourists: Beware high altitude
03.12.04 @ 09:46 AM MST
Colorado's high-country altitudes are hard on tourists' hearts, killing a disproportionate number of visitors in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s with undetected cardiac conditions, several coroners say.

"People come here from low altitudes with undiagnosed heart problems - descending coronary arteries or valve problems. The altitude causes more stress on the heart," said Joanne Richardson, coroner for Summit County, home to Keystone, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain ski resorts. Full Story

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ADL pays more than $12 million to former Evergreen couple
03.12.04 @ 09:28 AM MST
The Anti-Defamation League's payment of more than $12 million for defaming them has been transferred to their bank, according to a Thursday press release from their lawyer, Jay Horowitz of Denver.

The money went to the former Evergreen couple more than nine years after ADL officials in Colorado denounced the Quigleys as anti- Semites, based on illegally recorded secret interceptions of the Quigleys' telephone conversations. Full Story

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Web cartoon terrorizes Jeffoc officials
03.12.04 @ 05:52 AM MST
Mike Zinna will be the first to tell you what he thinks of many of Jefferson County's top government officials in what is typically a critical and even profane diatribe.

But a terrorist, he says, he's not.

That's why he was incensed to find himself face to face Thursday morning with officers from the FBI's joint terrorism task force, complete with what he said was a bomb-sniffing dog. He was being investigated because of a mushroom-cloud cartoon he put up on his political website, Jeffcoexposed.com.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Zinna said. "I run a website. I don't have any guns. I don't have any bomb-making materials. But because I put up a goofy cartoon on my website, I'm a freaking terrorist. Please." Full Story

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Alleged Drug dealers busted near Evergreen High School
03.11.04 @ 03:36 PM MST
On March 9, 2004 at 9 p.m. members of the West Metro Drug Task Force went to a residence located at 28777 Buffalo Park Road in Evergreen. At that location task force detectives arrested two males, both former students at Evergreen High School, for illegal drug possession, manufacturing and distribution. The investigation, which included surveillance, began after a tip was received on January 7, 2004. Along with the drugs that were confiscated $916 in cash was also seized. [Read Full Story...]

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Lakewood snowmobiler dies in Summit County
03.11.04 @ 08:29 AM MST
BRECKENRIDGE - A massive avalanche on the north face of Mount Guyot killed a 39-year-old Lakewood man who was snowmobiling in the area Wednesday.

The man, identified as Darin Heitman, is the first to die in an avalanche this season in Colorado.

"That's pretty remarkable being as we're pushing mid-March and have only one fatality," said Knox Williams, an avalanche and weather forecaster with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
Full Story

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Jeffco pays the price of healing
03.11.04 @ 08:27 AM MST
GOLDEN - Last month's public display of evidence from the Columbine High School shooting cost Jefferson County taxpayers $31,386.04.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink said the sobering two-day display at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, toured by nearly 1,000 people, was worth every penny. Full Story

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Angry DISH Viewers Help Get Their Channels Back
03.11.04 @ 08:25 AM MST
EchoStar Communications and Viacom have settled a fee dispute that had left millions of customers of EchoStar's DISH Network satellite service without several popular channels.

EchoStar pulled the plug on Viacom programming Tuesday, including MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. The dispute also left as many as 2 million DISH viewers without CBS shows in major cities including Denver, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago. Full Story


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U.S. appeal seeks Hayman restitution
03.10.04 @ 09:14 AM MST
U.S. Attorney John Suthers on Tuesday challenged Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch's sense of "moral judgment" for failing to make Terry Barton pay any restitution for starting the Hayman forest fire two years ago.

Suthers made an infrequent personal appearance Tuesday when he argued the government's appeal of the Barton case before a three-judge panel in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Full Story

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Double shooting shocks Evergreen
03.10.04 @ 09:13 AM MST
EVERGREEN - Two men cleaning a rental home survived multiple gunshot wounds in a Monday night attack that shattered the peace of this foothills community.

Both men survived the attack and one managed to make it to neighbor Steven Solawetz's home to call the sheriff's office about 10:25 p.m. Full Story

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Suspect Arrested In Glenwood Canyon Bighorn Sheep Poaching
03.09.04 @ 04:08 PM MST
DENVER -- A 25-year-old man suspected of illegally killing a trophy-size bighorn sheep in Glenwood Canyon is being held on a $50,000 bond in Garfield County Jail.

Colorado Division of Wildlife officers identified the suspect as Joshua Eli Lloyd, a former Oklahoma resident who has lived in Colorado for about a year. Wildlife officers arrested Lloyd late Sunday after he allegedly tried to recover a partially concealed sheep head from a culvert north of westbound Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon. A fisherman had alerted DOW officers after finding a trash bag with a sheep head inside. Full Story

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Double Shooting In Evergreen Investigated
03.09.04 @ 08:07 AM MST
EVERGREEN, Colo. -- Investigators are searching for clues that could lead them to the men responsible for a double shooting in Jefferson County.

The shooting occurred late Monday night in the 28000 block of Tresine Drive, near Rosebud Drive, in Evergreen, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies received a 911 call just before 10:30 p.m. and when they arrived at the home, they found two men shot multiple times. One man was shot in the head and chest as many as five times and the other man was shot in the leg and chest. Full Story

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Man dies at Copper Mountain after fall into tree well
03.09.04 @ 05:58 AM MST
COPPER MOUNTAIN - A 22-year-old Jewett City, Conn., man is dead after he apparently fell face down into a tree well on the Union Meadows run on the west side of Copper Mountain Monday afternoon.

The man, whose name won't be released until his next of kin are notified, was located by ski patrollers at 3:06 p.m.

They administered advanced life support procedures before transferring him to Colorado Mountain Medical Center at the base of the resort. Full Story

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Thirsty Aurora inks $5.5 million water pact
03.09.04 @ 05:57 AM MST
Arkansas Valley farmers will boost Aurora's water supply by almost 25 percent this year through a $5.5 million deal reached Monday.

The drought-parched city will lease 4.1 billion gallons - enough to serve about 25,000 households - from 152 southeast Colorado farmers.

With market prices down this year, most farmers will come out better by selling their water to Aurora than if they had planted the 8,550 acres that will lay fallow this year as a result of the lease. Full Story

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Boulder wildland firefighters begin wildfire mitigation
03.08.04 @ 01:39 PM MST
With favorable weather conditions, the city of Boulder wildland fire mitigation crew plans to burn slash piles south of Eldorado Springs Canyon Monday and ditches Tuesday near 75th Street and Valmont Road. Crew staffing is up to four firefighters beginning today, and they are prepared to fight wildfires and conduct wildfire mitigation work. By the end of May, the crew will expand to a total of eight firefighters.

[Read Full Story...]

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Extra skin protection urged in mountains
03.08.04 @ 09:29 AM MST
Mountain residents are more exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun because of the altitude and the outdoor lifestyle. Full Story


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Wild winds toss trees, trucks in metro area
03.07.04 @ 07:02 AM MST
Gusts of up to 100 mph wreaked havoc along the Front Range Saturday.

The heavy winds toppled three tractor-trailers on Interstate 70 just west of Denver.

Two of the trucks were traveling east on I-70 near the C-470 exit. The third, a tractor-trailer carrying a modular home, was traveling west on I-70 when it, too, fell victim to high winds.

All three trucks blew over within minutes of one another. Full Story

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This week's stories in The Flume
03.07.04 @ 07:00 AM MST
Language addresses illegal lots

FAIRPLAY, Colo. — On Feb. 26, the Board of County Commissioners amended the Park County Land Use Regulations to include a new section under the exemption from subdivision regulations.

BOCC creates new Authority Board

FAIRPLAY, Colo. — The Park County Building Authority Board held its first meeting on Feb. 26. The Board of County Commissioners formed the nonprofit in order to provide collateral to fund the sale of the Park County Jail expansion bonds.

BLM explores possible land sale options

FAIRPLAY, Colo. — On Feb. 25, representatives from the Bureau of Land Management held a public hearing to discuss the future of 72,000 acres of BLM-managed land in South Park.

A Real-Life Hero

Bailey resident Specialist James Jacob has decided to remain in the war-torn country. Jacob was scheduled to come home on Feb. 29 after being in Iraq for over a year. However, the military asked for volunteers to stay behind rather than extending military stays. Jacob and some of his single comrades volunteered to stay so family men with small children could go home to their families.

Read these stories, and more, in the latest issue of The Flume, or check out their online edition.


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New web site offers I-70 car-pooling option
03.07.04 @ 06:54 AM MST
SUMMIT COUNTY - For anyone heading into the high country on weekends or holidays, heavy traffic has become as routine as filling the tank.

Solutions like the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to expand I-70 are years away.

But Breckenridge web designer Glenn Lieberman hopes heavy traffic on his Web site will lead to less traffic on I-70. It’s called www.skicarpool.com.

"You can create trips and then you can also search for trips others have posted so it's basically a bulletin board for trips," said Lieberman.

Using and setting up a profile on the Web site is free, plus you could win free lift tickets.

SkiCarPool.com

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