Headlines – July 10, 2023

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Nationwide Heat Wave Comes to Colorado

High temperatures affecting most of the nation are blowing into Colorado, bringing highs into the 90s through most of the week. 

Rains are forecast to return by Friday, bringing the temperatures back down to the 80s.

I-70 Tolls Start Tuesday

Tolling on I-70 Express Lanes starts tomorrow in Northeast Denver.

Toll rates will vary by time of day, ranging from lower prices at night, to higher fees in the morning, when traffic is the heaviest. Drivers with ExpressToll transponders will have lower rates.

Motorcycles, transit providers, and vehicles carrying at least three people will be able to use express lanes for free. 

Last year, a free testing period was enacted for toll lanes, with plans to begin tolling in February. However the Colorado Department of Transportation cited internal issues, delaying the start to this Tuesday.

Keystone Area Deputy and Officer Kill Armed Man

A Summit County sheriff’s deputy and an officer have been placed on paid administrative leave following the deadly shooting of an armed 18-year-old man on Sunday morning.

According to the Summit Daily newspaper, the person killed was identified by family as Charlie Foster. His aunt, Monica Vasquez, said her nephew was experiencing a mental health crisis that morning. Vasquez said her nephew had a BB gun.

A Sheriff’s Office press release says officers tried to de-escalate the situation, but Foster repeatedly disregarded verbal commands, then pointed a handgun at authorities. 

Both the Deputy and officer, who have not been identified, then shot Foster. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Man Who Shot Alleged Teen Car Thieves Faces Murder Charges 

Aurora police say a man accused of shooting two teenagers who tried to steal his car was arrested and will be charged with first-degree and attempted first-degree murder.

27-year-old Orest Schur went outside his home Wednesday evening after hearing his car alarm go off. According to The Sentinel, Schur said he confronted two people dressed in all black as they tried to break into his Hyundai Elantra on East 59th Place in Aurora.

Police say the two people fled then left in another suspected stolen vehicle. Schur pursued in his Hyundai, but the other vehicle crashed a short distance away. Schur then fired several shots at them with his weapon.

Paramedics rushed one shooting victim to a hospital, where he died. The second victim, 13-years-old, ran to a relative’s house nearby, then took himself to the hospital. Police say he is expected to survive.

Air Quality Commission To Consider Ban On Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission will soon consider phasing out gas-powered lawn equipment in several Front Range counties. 

If approved, the proposal would require local governments to stop using small gas-powered equipment during summer of 2025.

The new regulation would ban gas-powered garden tools such as push mowers, leaf blowers and chainsaws from stores. It would also ban their use by businesses and by the government.

The Commission says nine counties, including Boulder, Denver, Adams and Jefferson, are in violation of federal clean air standards.

According to the Denver Post, the Regional Air Quality Council formally recommended the policy Friday. It will go to the Colorado Air quality control commission before it can become state policy. 

Researchers say the move to electric garden equipment could cut over 4,000 tons of greenhouse gases per day. That could lower the over-the-top ozone concentrations in the Front Range, bringing it 20 percent closer to normal federal air quality limits.

Swim Beaches Address Bacterial Concerns 

Officials reopened swim beaches at Cherry Creek State Park and Chatfield State Park this weekend after water testing showed a drop in E. coli levels. 

On Thursday, Colorado Parks and wildlife closed both the Douglas and Denver county beaches because of dangerous bacteria levels. 

Chatfield reopened on Friday afternoon. Cherry Creek reopened on Saturday morning.

Officials said fecal waste from wildlife, runoff from city areas and heavy rainfall may have caused the rise in bacterIa. 

 The Town of Windsor also shut down most water activities at Windsor Lake Thursday until further notice because of suspected blue-green algae forming on the surface. The algae, a sign of cyanobacteria, can be toxic to humans and pets.

 The Colorado Department of Health and Environment is testing water samples from the lake to determine whether cyanobacteria is present.

Human-Caused Fire Sparked In Silverthorne Area

While almost daily rains this summer have ended the long drought in Colorado, firefighters are still tackling new fires and watching forecasts for hot, dry weather.

On Sunday afternoon, Summit County Fire and EMS responded to a small blaze near Lily Pad Lake in the Silverthorne area. 

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the reported cause of the fire was human.

As of Sunday, the Devil’s Thumb fire, first discovered July 4, had reached 95 acres and was 30% contained. The cause of the fire was still undetermined.

Firefighters are also still battling a bigger blaze. The Spring Creek fire, southwest of Parachute, is over 3,000 acres in size and almost 40 percent contained. Over 500 firefighters are battling the wild land fire, some using helicopters and drones.

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