LOCAL NEWS: The Delta County School District reworked its curriculum policy to strengthen the school board's decision-making authority. According to reporting in the Delta County Independent, the school board voted to have all new programs and courses of study be presented by the superintendent to the board for its consideration and action. The action also will include the elimination or extensive alteration of the content of current programs. In addition the district’s curriculum should be reviewed regularly. More Delta County School Board news can be found at deltacountyindependent.com.
The youth accused of opening fire during a Halloween party that lasted until early Nov. 1 was charged formally with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. According to the Montrose Daily Press, charges were filed in District Court. Attorneys for the youth are seeking to have the case heard in juvenile court. A day-long hearing on this has been set for Dec. 23. The 16 year old boy is accused of opening fire as folks gathered to celebrate Halloween.. The suspect was later arrested in Gunnison. The shooting critically injured a 19 year old woman Investigators did not comment on an alleged motive.
A proposed Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale in March could open the door to drilling hundreds of wells in western Colorado. According to reporting in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the agency is proposing offering 103 oil and gas parcels covering nearly 73,000 acres in Colorado in the sale including nearly 26,000 acres in Garfield County, more than 6,400 acres in Mesa County. A public comment period on the sale ends Dec. 12.
STATE NEWS: Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that Colorado and eight other states are filing a proposed $7 million settlement with Greystar Management Services, LLC, one of the nation’s largest apartment managers. The sue aims to resolve claims that the company participated in an anticompetitive scheme that drove up rental prices for Coloradans by using shared rent-setting algorithms that reduced competition among landlords.
TIME MAGAZINE: Time Magazine recently named a Colorado professor as one of their climate innovators of the year. Todd Bandhauer from Colorado State University designed a powerful electric heat pump to replace industrial boilers. The new technology uses electricity to create steam, removing the natural gas emissions involved with one of the world’s most energy-intensive processes. An early version of the heat pump was installed at New Belgium brewery this year. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Aspen Public Radio’s Michael Fanelli spoke with Bandhauer about the product that can be used in all sorts of industries.
