LOCAL NEWS: Numerous federal, state and local entities are closed today as the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Junior Day. The federal holiday in the United States is observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society.
Last month, the Board of Delta County Commissioners unanimously voted to discontinue the State of Colorado’s pretrial service program in favor of a locally based one. According to reporting in the Delta County Independent, the decision is based on a combination of disappearing state funds and a straying of the state’s standards regarding crime.
The community-based program will aim to reduce barriers to pretrial release for suspects in criminal cases and to alleviate pressure on the court system and to steer defendants toward the right path without overburdening the courts. As of Dec. 31, Delta County had 101 active pretrial cases.
STATE NEWS: Colorado’s senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper attempted to secure funding for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or N-Car last week. The Trump administration said last month that it would dismantle the research facility in Boulder, calling it a “source of climate alarmism.”Senate Republicans blocked the amendment from the Colorado senators, and the appropriations package passed without N-Car funding.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Bennet praised the work N-Car scientists have done for weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, water planning, wildfire prevention, aviation safety, and military operations. He said in the face of a changing climate, that research only becomes more important.
Bennet also decried the president’s decision to veto funds for the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a water project in southeastern Colorado intended to bring water from Pueblo Reservoir to the town of Las Animas. He said President Trump was deliberately singling out Colorado in political retaliation.
ICE NEWS: A new report shows that ICE is violating its own deportation family separation policy. Eric Galatas has more.
MAYOR OF MOUNTAIN VILLAGE STEPS DOWN: he mayor of Mountain Village near Telluride has resigned amid questions about an attempted purchase of the Telluride ski area. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-O-T-O's Julia Caulfield has more.
