By Christopher Kolomitz
600 Jurors Called for Gunnison Murder Trial
First degree murder charges have been dropped against Frederic Mueller, the Texas man who was accused of killing his wife in Lake City back in 2008. A Gunnison trial earlier this winter resulted in a hung jury. However, Mueller still faces another trial on second degree murder charges in Gunnison starting May 20. More than 600 potential jurors have been summoned, reports the Gunnison Country Times.
Wreck Knocks Out Salida power
An Alamosa man and his passenger were lucky to be alive after a dramatic early morning rollover wreck in Salida near the courthouse on April 7, The Mountain Mail reported. The wreck knocked out power to more than 2,000 people on a Sunday morning, and both the driver and passenger fled the scene. Both were on parole; the driver was later found in Alamosa while the passenger had been taken by family members to a Denver hospital, where he required surgery for his injuries.
Leadville Health Regs Create Stir
Jackie Littlepage, the Lake County Environmental Health Director, has created a stir at 10,000 feet in recent weeks, according to the Leadville Herald Democrat. She told the Boom Days event that a hand washing station is needed for each food vendor. The committee says the stations cost $1,000 each, and they would need 14. Littlepage has also questioned whether mobile food vendors in the county have proper access to commissaries. The food vendors must return to a commissary once every 24 hours, and it can’t be more than 30 minutes or 30 miles away. There were four food trucks operating in the county last year; Littlepage is worried that more will apply this year and that they may not have access to a sufficient number of qualified commissaries.
Shorts …
• Two men from Crested Butte were killed in a massive avalanche April 20 near Loveland Pass. The slide killed a total of five people and was the state’s deadliest since the 1962 disaster at Twin Lakes, when an avalanche hit homes and killed seven.
• A discarded cigarette into a dry flower pot likely started an early April fire just outside of Gunnison that destroyed a home, reports the Gunnison Country Times. Later in April another fire, this time at an apartment complex north of town, displaced eight renters. Faulty wiring was the culprit.
• U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn inadvertently revealed classified information regarding North Korea’s nuclear warhead capabilities when he read aloud a passage from a Defense Intelligence Agency report in mid-April. Lamborn’s gaffe came during a House hearing on North Korea.
• Timothy DeChristopher has been released from prison following his two-year sentence for submitting almost $2 million in false oil and natural gas bids as part of a plant to disrupt BLM lease sales. DeChristopher, whose parents live near Buena Vista, is the focus of a documentary called Bidder 70. He plans to enter Harvard Divinity School in the fall, according to published reports.
• Two men from Fort Collins were arrested in Leadville following a home invasion on April 3. They were high on meth and had come to town to rob someone they had previously done deals with, the Herald Democrat reported.
• Buena Vista residents are in the beginning process of updating a 30-year-old master plan for their downtown. And the Salida town council formally adopted in mid-April a new comprehensive plan that had been in the works for three years.
• Controversy arose at Eleven Mile Reservoir when two Leadville residents were allegedly caught using live bait at a Feb. 9 fishing event. The two were charged by state wildlife officers in late March and banned from future events. A third person was also cited, reported the Herald Democrat.
• About $20,000 in hardware and home improvement inventory from the Buena Vista Alco store was donated to Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity in April. Store officials told The Chaffee County Times the donation made room for a new product line.
• An anonymous out-of-state donor gave the Custer County Clinic a $100,000 donation in late March, reports the Wet Mountain Tribune. In other news from Custer County, officials are looking this summer to enforce a prior law which limits recreational boating on Lake DeWeese. The only public boating allowed must be used when fishing.
• Heather Scanlon resigned her position as executive director of the Leadville/Lake County Chamber of Commerce in late March.
• Doug Treadway, a popular and long-time Gunnison Middle School principal, has been selected as the school district superintendent. In Salida, Robert Morasko from Gillette, Wyoming is the new CEO for the hospital.
• Five trees in Salida’s Riverside Park are slated for removal after city officials cited deemed them hazardous because of the threat of falling limbs during windy conditions.
• Gunnison County officials are in the planning stages for a major courthouse construction project to replace the aging structure, which includes part of the original 1881 building.
• The Skyline Theater in Cañon City faces an uncertain future as the industry transitions to an all-digital format. The owners say they may have to close if they can’t finance the needed equipment, and a fund has been established to help.
“Notable Quotes”
“Well, nobody seems to complain if we or anybody else kills rats that are running around … The deer are really nothing but overgrown, huge mountain rats and they are infesting our community.” – Jane Elmore, a Salida resident, in the April 24 Mountain Mail, speaking about the ever-growing herd of deer and asking town officials to take action.
“Green lawns, unfortunately, should not be anyone’s priority this year.” – Tracy Garcia, Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District manger, in the April 18 Wet Mountain Tribune. The district has reduced the amount of bulk water available to customers.
“My credibility on this bridge has been all shot to pieces, so I will not help.” – Dale Davis, a La Veta town trustee, explaining that he won’t assist fellow trustees on a task force deciding how to move forward replacing the outdated Ryus Street bridge. The town board had earlier voted not to explore options, but at another meeting they decided to form the task force. – The Huerfano World Journal.
