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The Simmrin Law Group has released a report that says that New Mexico and Colorado are the two most dangerous states in the union in terms of crime. The group examined crime statistics from the FBI and national incident-based reporting system, then assigned weight across ten critical crime types to identify the ten safest and ten most dangerous states, offering what they say is a clear snapshot of national safety landscapes. New Mexico was identified as the most dangerous state, scoring a 40. The group says it struggles with the highest kidnapping at 63.9, vandalism at 1226 and sex offense rate at 129.4 per 100,000 residents. Colorado, the second most dangerous state with a score of 49.2, has the second-highest larceny/theft rate of 2087.6 per 100,000. The two safest states? New Jersey was ranked the safest. Vermont came in at #2. To look at all the analysis, go to simmrinlawgroup.com.

CPW announces third Gray wolf has died.

A third gray wolf that was reintroduced into Colorado last December has now died. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that the cause of death remains under investigation. The announcement comes just days after the announcement that a sickly male wolf had died shortly after he was captured for relocation. CPW Director Jeff Davis said that staff had received a mortality signal from the wolf’s GPS collar on Monday, September 9th, and confirmed it had died on Tuesday. Because gray wolves are a federally listed species under the endangered species act, CPW is in direct consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service about the next steps to take care of the wolf. As of now, with seven of the original 10 reintroduced wolves still alive in Colorado, the survival rate is 70%.

Pueblo Chemical Agent plant in Pueblo announces closure.

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-destruction plant in Pueblo has announced that it is closing. For years, the plant has been destroying chemical weapons that were stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Now that the stockpile has been destroyed, the plant is working on decommissioning and demolishing the project. From 2016 until June of this year, the plant has destroyed over 700,000 chemical weapons. The plant will officially close sometime in 2026. Leaders with the plant are now working to ensure that their employees will be taken care of following the closure.

Raton man arrested yesterday in connection to August shooting.

Enriquez Cortez, of Raton, was arrested yesterday in connection with the shooting that took place on the east side of Raton on August 24th. According to The Colfax County sheriff's office, deputies received word as to where Cortez was located. Deputies then quickly responded to the location, and, after a short standoff, the established contact with Cortez and took him into custody without incident. Cortez was wanted on an active warrant and will reportedly be charged with additional charges related to the shooting.

Haze in our skies expected to continue Today.

Haze in our skies yesterday, and that haze is expected to hang around again today. That smoke is traveling into our area from three large fires burning in the Southern California area in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange Counties. The fires are known respectively as the Bridge Fire, Line Fire and Airport Fire, and two of the three fires are burning out of control currently with no containment. Only the line fire is reporting 21% containment as of last night. If you're sensitive to the smoke, protect yourself by limiting your time outdoors. Avoid using swamp coolers when possible. And, set home air conditioning units to recirculate to keep outside air outside.

Children's Miracle Network holding celebration at Loves.

A Children's Miracle Network celebration will be held tomorrow at Loves on the south side of Walsenburg from 11am to 2pm. There will be hot dogs, hamburgers, music, fun for the kids and more. Donations will be matched by loves. Everyone is welcome.

More kids under the age of 18 are being detained for violent crimes in the state of Colorado. According to date released by the Colorado division of youth services, 172 minors were admitted to detention for homicide or manslaughter related charges in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the most of any of the last 8 years. The 2023-24 fiscal year shows 169 minors admitted. Only 61 minors were admitted in the 2016-17 fiscal year, with the years between 2016 and 2022 varying between 68 and 107 admissions. Such cases against minors in Colorado have increased greatly since covid, with research pointing to the pandemic as one of the reasons for the increase in youth violence. Most of the cases appear to arise out of ingrained disputes or are retaliatory fights from one neighborhood to another.

11th Judicial District Attorney considering appeal.

11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley says that she and her attorney are considering appealing after the Colorado State Disciplinary Board ruled to disbar her in 35 days. The 83-page order says that stanley made at least three inappropriate statements to the media during the morphew prosecution, failed to supervise the case, and opened a retaliatory criminal investigation into the judge over rulings made against her office. The order also finds that stanley violated ethical attorney rules in media interviews about formerly accused baby killer William Jacobs. Stanley's attorney says, despite the ruling, Stanley wants to finish her term as District Attorney, which expires in January. If stanley is disbarred, Governor Jared Polis will appoint someone to fill the Da's position until the newly elected DA takes office in January.

El Paso County judge rules CO GOP leadership disbute to go to trial.

Judge Eric Bentley in El Paso County ruled tuesday that a lawsuit naming Dave Williams and a group of leaders from the Colorado Republican State Central Committee will go to trial on October 14th. The complaint was brought by Eli Bremer, who also says he is the Chair of the Colorado Republican Party. During the hearing tuesday, counsel for Williams requested that the trial be postponed until after election day. Counsel for Bremer argued that Williams and his supporters maintain control of key Colorado Republican assets. Bentley found that the CRC cannot operate effectively and as intended until the leadership struggle is resolved. The trial is expected to last 2-1/2 days.

Rural teachers have chance to apply for grant through NYF.

Teachers working in one of the over 140 rural or small rural school districts in Colorado who are looking to make a positive impact on their students, have the chance to apply for up to $2,000 dollars through the Nathan YIP Foundation. The foundation began about 23 years ago by Jimmy and Linda YIP, who lost their son Nathan in a car crash. The foundation has seen teachers use the money for things like materials for students, Field trips, even translators for their students. To apply, go to nathanyipfoundation.org. deadline to apply is tomorrow.

CDOT reminding Coloradans to always drive sober.

With the arrival of fall and seasonal festivities, The Colorado Department of Transporation is reminding Coloradans to always arrange a sober ride home. Beginning today and running through October 23rd, CDOT will support the Colorado State Patrol and 68 local law enforcement agencies for the heat is on fall festivals DUI enforcement period. This is the longest DUI enforcement period of the year, spanning 41 days, and may feature saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, and additional law enforcement officers on duty dedicated to arresting impaired drivers and keeping Colorado's roads safe. 1,381 DUI arrests were made during last year's fall festivals enforcement period.

11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley yesterday was disbarred by a Colorado State Supreme Court disciplinary board in Denver. The 11th judicial district comprises Fremont, Custer, Park and Chaffee counties. The disciplinary board ruled that Stanley violated attorney conduct rules while prosecuting two separate cases. One case was that of the murder trial of Barry Morphew, who was charged in connection to the disappearance of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, in 2020. Charges against Morphew were dropped in 2022 after a judge barred prosecutors from presenting their key witnesses. The judge said that he made the ruling because prosecutors failed to follow rules for turning over evidence in Morphew's favor. Suzanne Morphew's remains were found a year ago in Saguache County. Stanley can appeal the decision. Her disbarment will take effect in 35 days.

Alamosa shooting suspect makes appearance in Court yesterday.

Larry Chavez, 33, of Alamosa, made an appearance yesterday in Alamosa County Court where a preliminary hearing was set in his case for October 30th. Chavez is facing charges murder in the second degree, second degree assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, two counts of motor vehicle theft, and four counts of felony menacing. Chavez is accused of shooting and killing Enrique Parra on August 1st at the Sunset Inn in Alamosa. A manhunt ensued after Chavez was identified as the suspect. Chavez was located and taken into custody on August 2nd in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is being held in the Alamosa County Detention center on a $10 million bond.

Pueblo West corrections officer arrested for charges out of Utah.

Kevin Young, 37, of Pueblo West, a corrections officer, was arrested at his home on Friday after officials learned that young was wanted for multiple counts of sex assault charges out of Utah. Young was arrested on charges of rape and forcible sexual abuse. He was booked into the Pueblo County Jail and is now pending extradition to Utah to face the charges there. Young was wanted on a no-bond warrant from Piute County, Utah, for an incident that took place in July of 2023.

Alamosa man found safe after becoming lost in osier mountain area.

Luis Pacheco, 64, of Alamosa, was found on Monday after being lost in the osier mountain area while hunting on Saturday. According to the Conejos County Sheriff's office, the office was notified about 5pm Saturday that Pacheco was last seen around 9am on Saturday. His hunting party had attempted to find him, but were unsuccessful. Deputies covered the area by road well into the night, and continued the search Sunday and on Monday, using an airplane, helicopter, a tracking dog, as well as search and rescue teams. About 11:30am Monday, while the search was ongoing, Pacheco walked into the osier station. An ambulance crew responded and gave aid to Pacheco who was cold, hungry and tired, but otherwise in good shape.

Mt. Emmons land exchange finalized.

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests' Gunnison ranger district, in coordination with the Mt. Emmons mining company, finalized the Mt. Emmons land exchange on August 29th. The forest service exchanged 539 acres of federal land located adjacent to the keystone mine for 625 acres of land owned by the Mt. Emmons mining company located in Gunnison and Saguache counties, part of which is within the Rio Grande national forest. The forest service says that the land exchange will provide numerious benefits to the public, respects the conservation values of the local community and allows for efficient management of federal lands and resources. For more information, go to www.fs.usda.gov and search on project #61798.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser yesterday issued a warning about "deepfakes" saying that the public needs to be on the lookout for election misinformation and disinformation in the form of realistic-looking images, videos and audio that has been created using artificial intelligence, or AI. Colorado lawmakers passed HB24-1147 into law this year. The new law requires anyone using AI to create communications to voters featuring images, videos or audio of candidates for office to include a disclaimer explaining that the content is not real. Failure to provide such a disclaimer can result in fines and other penalties. Weiser encouraged voters to do their research and to be mindful that the sophistication of AI means that you can't always believe what you see and hear anymore.

CPW announces completion of process of capturing Wolf Pack.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced yesterday that it has completed the process to capture all six animals from the Copper Creek wolf pack. The adult female, adult male, as well as four pups from the Copper Creek pack were transported to a secure location for evaluation and monitoring. The male wolf, who was involved in the animal depredation incidents in grand county, was found to be in poor condition with several injures to his right hind leg, unrelated to the capture. Despite efforts to save him, 4 days after his capture he was confirmed to be deceased. CPW plans to re-release the mother and pups at a later date, saying they will have conversations with local elected officials and landowners in possible release areas before a release takes place.

Cause of Fatal crash on I-25 Sunday morning released.

An 18-year-old driver was the cause of the crash that took place on Interstate 25 near Pikes Peak International Raceway on Sunday morning. According to the Colorado State Patrol, the 18-year-old was traveling Southbound on I-25 around 4:35am when he abruptly ran off the left side of the road. His Toyota RAV crashed into a cable rail, spun back towards the roadway, then hit a guardrail, finally coming to a stop part way in the left lane. A 43-year-old motorcyclist was also traveling southbound and was attempting to pass the Toyota on the left, when the Toyota clipped the motorcycle, causing it to run off the right side of the road. The rider was thrown from his bike, and despite wearing a helmet, sustained injuries that were too severe. He died at the scene. The 18-year-old was wearing a seatbelt. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution. I-25 was closed for more than 5 hours Sunday, reopening just after 10am.

Threats of violence leads to cancellation of HS Football game.

Last night's Canon City high school sub-varsity football game that was to take place at Eagle Valley in Eagle County, was canceled out of caution after an anonymous report of threats of violence was received. The threat was a photo circulated on snapchat that included a suspected rifle and a list of schools that included schools in Eagle County, the Denver Metro area and in Texas. The individual who made the photo has not been identified. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

CO SOS Griswold certified upcoming November ballot yesterday.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold yesterday certified the ballot for the upcoming election in November, officially placing 14 measures on the ballot. Legislative-referred measures include: a modification of property tax exemption for veterans with a disability, judicial discipline procedures, bail exemption for first degree murder, repealing the definition of marriage, modify election deadlines, retain more sports betting tax revenue, and a firearms and ammunition excise tax. Citizen initiatives include: a right to abortion, prohibiting trophy hunting, eligibility for parole, school choice, registration for veterinary professional associate, funding for law enforcement, and conduct of elections.

Families of loved ones who were found in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose are reporting that a United States Attorney told them the federal government is seeking 15 years in prison for each of co-owners Jon and Carie Hallford. The Hallford's are facing federal wire fraud charges. The US Attorney's Office did not provide comment when asked about the possible plea deal, and no court papers appear to have been filed indicating that a deal is formally on the table. Victims, however, say the attorney's office has informed them of their intention to offer a plea deal to the Hallford's. Investigators say 189 bodies were found improperly stored in one of the Hallford's buildings in Penrose last October. 5 have yet to be identified.

Alamosa City Council approves marijuana measure for November Ballot.

The Alamosa City Council last week voted to place a measure on November's ballot to let voters decide if the sale of recreational and/or medical marijuana and a related tax amount should be allowed within the Alamosa city limits. After public comment and following a long and sometimes heated discussion, the decision to place the measure on the ballot passed with a split vote of 4-3. After a motion to pass the resolution with the wording that had been decided on by council, the council vote 5-1 to pass the resolution. Alamosa Mayor Ty Coleman was the sole vote against the resolution. Coleman explained that he voted no because he says the voters already expressed their feelings when marijuana was voted down in 2017. Council took up the issue again this year on July 17th after a number of council members had been approached by constituents asking for another vote to be held.

Fatal accident shuts both directions of I-25 Sunday Morning.

A fatal accident shut down both the Northbound and Southbound lanes of Interstate 25 yesterday morning near the Pikes Peak International Raceway. According to the Colorado State Patrol, the accident took place around 4:35am yesterday when as many as three vehicles crashed, sending at least one car into the median. One person was killed in the crash. a second person was transported to the hospital. The accident closed the interstate between Exit 123, clear spring ranch, and Exit 122, the Pikes Peak International Raceway exit. Detours were in place for travelers. Following the investigation, CDOT workers cleaned up the scene. All lanes of the interstate reopened around 10am yesterday. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

CO Gov Polis orders flags to be lowered Friday.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Friday ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff today in remembrance of the CDOT workers that were killed last Wednesday east of Grand Junction along Highway 6 when they were struck by a car. The CDOT employees who were killed have been identified as Trent Umberger and Nathan Jones. The pair were performing roadside work when they were struck. Polis called the incident a "terrible tragedy".

Alamosa County Treasurer Office issues notice on 2023 property taxes.

The Alamosa County Treasurer's Office wants you to know that 2023 property taxes are now considered delinquent. Please make your payment to the Alamosa County Treasurer's office as soon as possible. Advertising costs will be added on 9/27, so avoid those fees and pay prior to the 27th. The annual tax lien auction is set for November 19th and 20th. As a reminder, due to a software conversion in the treasurer's office, the office will be completely closed this week. Normal business hours will resume next Monday, 9/16. For more information, call The Alamosa County Treasurer's office at 719-589- 3626.

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