Headlines — June 14, 2022

June 14, 2022

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Boulder County Sheriff Bans Tubing On St Vrain Creek, River

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is banning the use of inner tubes and other single chamber flotation devices on the North St. Vrain Creek and the St. Vrain River running through Lyons.

The Sheriff’s Office says high temperatures in the past week have caused mountain snow pack in the South Platte River Basin to melt quickly, resulting in near-peak runoff levels for the area’s rivers and streams.

The Sheriff’s Office has exempted kayaks and white-water canoes from these restrictions.

The ban comes after first responders responded to two back-to-back tubing incidents on Sunday at LaVern Johnson Park in Lyons.

Two ten-year-old children fell out of their tubes early in the afternoon and another group of seven people became stranded on the far side of the creek later in the day. No serious life-threatening injuries occurred from the incidents.

A spokesperson for the sheriff told the Daily Camera tubing restrictions for Boulder Creek are not imminent based on the creek’s lower flow levels.

Three Coloradans Among Members of a White Supremacist Group Arrested Near Idaho Pride Event

Three Coloradans were among 31 members of a white supremacist group, Patriot Front, arrested near an Idaho Pride event Saturday.

Authorities arrested the group after a tipster at a Coeur d’Alene hotel reported what looked like a little army loading into the back of a U-Haul truck. Law enforcement stopped the truck near the Pride event and found the men packed into the back of the truck, equipped with riot gear.

Authorities charged the men, from at least 11 states, with a conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor, and released them on a $300 bond.

According to Colorado Newsline, the Colorado men arrested are in their twenties and are from the Front Range cities of Louisville, Wheat Ridge, and Thornton.

The 26-year-old from Louisville received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Colorado School of Mines.

The Coeur d’Alene Police Chief said, based on evidence and documents, the group was planning to riot in several downtown areas.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front is a white nationalist hate group formed after the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Colorado PUC Questions Price Tag To Shut Down Xcel Energy’s Five Remaining Coal Fired Generating Units 

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is questioning Xcel Energy’s $1 billion price tag to shut down their remaining coal burning power plants. The Colorado Sun reports that this is part of its Clean Energy Plan at cutting the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions. The billion dollars would be paid by Xcel customers.

The proposed closing costs were part of a settlement agreement between Xcel Energy and a group of state agencies, local governments, and labor and environmental groups. At issue is the financial method Xcel Energy is proposing to recover the closure costs. The commission would like Xcel Energy to analyze a range of financial options to see if they could lower the cost.

The plan is to close power plants in Craig, Hayden, Fort Morgan and Pueblo, between 2027 and 2031, at a cost of a little more than $1 billion; $732 million is for shutting the Comanche 3 plant in Pueblo. The plant, which cost $1.3 billion to build, only went into operation in 2010 and will be the last to close at the end of 2030.

Boulder County To Hold Public Virtual Meeting Tonight On Transportation Funding 

Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting and the County’s Public Works Department are hosting a virtual public meeting tonight on transportation funding.

According to the county’s press release, tonight’s event will focus on the future of the county’s transportation sales tax, which will expire in June 2024. The event will also cover options for funding multimodal transportation needs throughout the county.

The event starts at 5:30 PM, and county officials will provide participants an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The public can register for the event at the county’s boco.org website under the term TransportationFundingJune14. The public may also view the event at the Community Planning & Permitting YouTube channel.

According to the county’s press release, the county’s transportation sales tax funds 44 projects involving roadway improvements, shoulder projects, transit, a transportation demand program, pedestrian improvements, and regional trail projects.

Boulder County Commission Holds Virtual Meeting For Residents Impacted by Gross Reservoir Expansion Project

Boulder County Commissioners held a virtual community meeting Monday evening for residents impacted by the controversial Gross Reservoir expansion project.

Denver Water began the project this year. The project is expected to continue through 2027.

According to the Daily Camera, the county is considering how it will spend the $5 million it received from Denver Water meant to help mitigate construction impacts on nearby residents.

Many residents say nighttime noise and light from the construction affect people’s sleep, especially for residents who have no central air conditioning and rely on open windows.

The Daily Camera reports the county will conduct an impact study over the summer and into the fall and will continue reviewing and responding to questions and suggestions from affected residents.

Longmont City Council To Review Gun Safety Laws During Tonight’s Pre-Session Meeting

The Longmont City Council will review local gun safety laws during its pre-session meeting tonight starting at 5:30 PM.

According to the Longmont Leader, Mayor Joan Peck asked for a review of local gun laws following the mass killing at Uvalde, Texas. Additionally, Peck told the Longmont Leader the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting also prompted the review.

Longmont’s review of gun safety laws follows a series of gun control ordinances passed last week by four Boulder County municipalities: Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and Superior.

Unlike the council’s regular meeting starting at 7PM, Longmont does not provide live stream coverage of the council’s pre-session events.

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