Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

CIVIC CENTER BLUES: A brief respite from fear

Something was odd. Might have been the emu oil. Might have been the horsehair raku pottery. Might have been the upscale s'mores getting gooey in the sun when usually that's the province of month-old chewing gum. But, no, what was strange about The Park on a midweek day was this: People. Men in white shirts and ties and women in stylish summer dresses walking around like they weren't afraid or in a hurry. There was a rhythm. A vibe. The unmistakable feel of something going on. Above, Mike McCrea owner of Big Mike's BBQ adds some color to his menu sign during the Civic Center Cafe and Outdoor Market.

Child run over in driveway by grandpa

A 1-year-old Jefferson County boy was injured Wednesday when he ran out to greet his grandfather, who was parking his tow truck in the driveway.

Asphalt roller badly hurts man in Westminster

An asphalt roller fell over and trapped a man for 15 minutes Wednesday in Westminster.

Fort Collins police ramp up effort to solve kidnapping

Fort Collins police have ramped up their investigation into the kidnapping Saturday of a woman at gunpoint, allegedly by her former boyfriend, as she was leaving the Dollar Tree Store where she worked.

New charge in 'Mortal Kombat' death

An additional count of felony child abuse causing serious bodily injury was added Wednesday against a Johnstown teen accused of beating a 7-year-old girl to death while acting out the video game Mortal Kombat.

Small plane crashes in Longmont; pair escapes injury

A small plane crashed Wednesday in a field near Vance Brand Airport in Longmont, but no one was hurt.

Joy ride ends in death

Early Tuesday morning, Lolita Prater, 17, helped her boyfriend push a Ford Explorer from her sleeping parents' Woodmoor driveway for what was supposed to be a joy ride. It ended tragically hours later when Prater was pronounced dead after the vehicle she was driving rolled on a Black Forest road.

Extra!, July 23

News and notes from around Colorado

Voters could be asked to kill FasTracks

Voters could see another FasTracks measure on the ballot a year or two down the road, but it might be a move to kill the overbudget transit program rather than a tax hike to bail it out.

Labor unions behind Jared Polis attack ad

Four unions spent $245,000 for a TV ad that attacks congressional candidate Jared Polis' record when he served on the state Board of Education.

Ken Salazar offers bill on aid for nuke workers

The federal program to compensate sick nuclear weapons workers needs a complete overhaul, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said Wednesday.

Lightning sparks blazes in northwest

Lightning moving through northwestern Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday ignited 14 fires in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, including a 100-acre blaze that may prove beneficial to Bureau of Land Management land northwest of Maybell.