Denver news

• Stranded Drivers Clog Snowy Streets As Major Roadways Close

  23-03-2016 23:26
  
  JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – Dozens of drivers were stranded across the Denver metro area on Wednesday as snow fell in some places more than an inch an hour. Several major roadways and interstates were closed across Colorado because of the blizzard warning.
  At the on ramp from I-70 to C-470 there were dozens of drivers stranded because of heavy snow and strong winds.
  Pena Boulevard was closed in both directions both to and from Denver International Airport due to winter driving co
  
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• VA: No Further Staff Punishment For Aurora Hospital Overruns

  23-03-2016 23:04
  
  DENVER (AP) – The Veterans Affairs Department has no plans to punish any other employees over massive cost overruns at a VA medical center under construction in Aurora, the agency said Tuesday.
  The executives who made the decisions that caused the price to swell to $1.7 billion have already left department, the VA said in announcing the long-awaited results of an internal review. The VA said last year that three other executives were transferred or demoted.
  A separate investigation by the
  
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• Pentagon Investigates Claim Of Favoritism In Space Contracts To Colorado Companies

  23-03-2016 22:59
  
  DENVER (AP) – The Defense Department is investigating after a former executive of space contractor United Launch Alliance allegedly said the Pentagon showed favoritism toward his company.
  The department’s inspector general announced the investigation Wednesday. United Launch Alliance, based in Denver, is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The company puts military and national security satellites into orbit.
  Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain requested the inquiry on Mar
  
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• Defense Department Investigates Claim Of Favoritism In Space Contracts To Colorado Companies

  23-03-2016 22:59
  
  DENVER (AP) – The Defense Department is investigating after a former executive of space contractor United Launch Alliance allegedly said the Pentagon showed favoritism toward his company.
  The department’s inspector general announced the investigation Wednesday. United Launch Alliance, based in Denver, is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The company puts military and national security satellites into orbit.
  Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain requested the inquiry on Mar
  
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• Canadian Man Charged In ‘Brutal Sexual Assault’ At Denver Hotel

  23-03-2016 22:18
  
  DENVER (CBS4) – A Canadian man has been formally charged in connection with a sexual assault at a Denver hotel last November.
  According to Lynn Kimbrough with the district attorney’s office, Colby James Messer, 30, has been charged with six counts of sexual assault in connection with a “brutal sexual assault of a 27-year-old woman.”
  Colby James Messer (credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office)
  “Messer was visiting Denver with several friends, also from Canada
  
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• Gov. Hickenlooper Picks Kaiser Executive Donna Lynne As No. 2

  23-03-2016 21:23
  
  DENVER (AP) – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday presented Donna Lynne, a top Kaiser Health executive and longtime supporter of the governor, to be what he called his “chief operating officer” as the next lieutenant governor.
  Hickenlooper told reporters at the snow-bound state capitol that he wanted someone with significant executive prowess and government experience for the post.
  Donna Lynne (credit: Kaiser Permanente)
  Lynne, who served 20 years in New York City gove
  
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• Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini & Old Dominion Win ACM Newcomer Awards

  23-03-2016 21:08
  
  By Amanda Wicks
  The 2016 ACM Awards won’t take place until April 3rd, but today the Academy of Country Music revealed its first three winners.
  Related: Dierks Bentley Shares Naked ACM Awards Nightmare
  Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini and Old Dominion all won Newcomer awards. Stapleton won New Male Artist of the Year, Ballerini won New Female Artist of the Year, and Old Dominion won New Duo/Group of the Year. That’s not the only categories
  
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• Heroin Overdose Antidote Offers Hope For Vulnerable Inmates

  23-03-2016 20:58
  
  DENVER (AP) – When he was a teenager, Lee Gonzales could not save his uncle from a heroin overdose. Now he worries that the same drug could kill him after he gets out of jail.
  As Gonzales remembers, he had rousted his uncle from previous heroin stupors by propping him up and splashing water on his face. But there was no one around to help that day. And there was nothing available like the bright orange prescription bottle the 32-year-old heroin addict held in his hand on a recent morning.
  
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• Why The Oklahoma Sooners Will Represent The West Region In The Final Four

  23-03-2016 20:26
  
  Bryan Altman, CBS Local Sports
  Once the final buzzer sounds this Sunday night, we’ll know the four teams that have successfully navigated the treacherous NCAA Tournament and will take center stage in Houston, Texas on Saturday, April 2 to play in the Final Four.
  Now that most of us are finally over the sting of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament – which were two rounds that turned brackets across the country into confetti – we can now focus on attempting
  
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• Stranded Drivers Clog On Ramps As Major Roadways Close

  23-03-2016 20:14
  
  JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)– Dozens of drivers were stranded across the Denver metro area on Wednesday as snow fell in some places more than an inch an hour. Several major roadways and interstates were closed across Colorado because of the blizzard warning.At the on ramp from I-70 to C-470 there were dozens of drivers stranded because of heavy snow and strong winds.Pena Boulevard was closed in both directions both to and from Denver International Airport due to winter driving conditions
  
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• DIA Closed Due To Blizzard Conditions

  23-03-2016 20:13
  
  DENVER (CBS4)– Denver International Airport was closed on Wednesday afternoon due to the blizzard conditions.
  Denver International Airport has made the decision to close the airport until further notice. Cont…
  — Denver Int'l Airport (@DENAirport) March 23, 2016The airport encouraged passengers already at the airport to remain there because of treacherous winter driving conditions.Passengers currently at the airport, please stay put until conditions improve and Pena Boulevard i
  
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• Judge Orders Recall Of Magnets That Could Harm Children

  23-03-2016 20:06
  
  DENVER (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a Colorado company to recall more than 900,000 powerful, small magnets that could harm children.
  U.S. District Court Judge Christine Arguello ruled Tuesday that Zen Magnets LLC and its owner, Shihan Qu, violated the Consumer Product Safety Act by repackaging and selling magnets that were purchased from a New Jersey company shortly before the magnets were recalled.
  The U.S. Justice Department said putting the magnets in a different box and calling t
  
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• 135,000+ People Without Power Across Colorado

  23-03-2016 19:45
  
  DENVER (CBS4)– There were more than 118,000 Xcel Energy customers without power on Wednesday morning in the middle of a blizzard warning for the Denver metro area.
  According to the Xcel Energy power outage map, there were more than 118,000 people without power across Colorado at 10:30 a.m. There were about 14,000 Poudre Valley IREA customers without power in Larimer and Weld Counties.
  BLIZZARD PHOTO GALLERY
  The Denver metro area was under a blizzard warning through 6 p.m. Wednesd
  
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• Why The Virginia Cavaliers Will Represent The Midwest Region In The Final Four

  23-03-2016 19:02
  
  By Ryan Mayer
  Once the final buzzer sounds this Sunday night, we’ll know the four teams that have successfully navigated the treacherous NCAA Tournament and will take center stage in Houston, Texas on Saturday, April 2 to play in the Final Four.
  Now that most of us are finally over the sting of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament – which were two rounds that turned brackets across the country into confetti – we can now focus on attempting to make some sen
  
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• Major Road Closures, Parts Of I-70, I-25 Closed Due To Blizzard Conditions

  23-03-2016 19:00
  
  DENVER (CBS4)– The blizzard warning continues in the Denver metro area through 6 p.m. Wednesday which is making travel difficult. Several portions of Interstate 70 were closed both east and west of the metro area.
  Pena Boulevard was closed in both directions both to and from Denver International Airport due to winter driving conditions.TRAFFIC ALERT: Pena Boulevard is CLOSED both directions to and from the airport
  — Denver Int'l Airport (@DENAirport) March 23, 2016DIA closed shortly
  
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• Snow Cancels Hearing In Planned Parenthood Shooting Case

  23-03-2016 17:12
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A snowstorm has postponed a hearing on the competency of a man who admits killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic.
  The hearing has been rescheduled for Thursday. It likely will focus on results of the mental evaluation of 57-year-old Robert Dear.
  A judge ordered the exam after Dear announced that he wanted to fire his public defenders and represent himself. The exam will show whether he is capable of making that decision.
  Prosecutors char
  
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• Colorado Governor To Announce New Lieutenant Pick

  23-03-2016 17:09
  
  DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s governor is announcing his new choice for lieutenant governor.
  Gov. John Hickenlooper says he’ll reveal his nomination just before lunch on Wednesday.
  Current Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia is stepping down this summer to be president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
  Garcia has been lieutenant governor since 2011.
  Hickenloooper’s choice must be confirmed by both chambers of the Legislature.
  While lieutenant governor, Garcia also ser
  
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• Colorado Pitching Prospect Jon Gray Has An Abdominal Strain

  23-03-2016 17:08
  
  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Colorado pitching prospect Jon Gray has an abdominal strain.
  The Rockies said Wednesday following an MRI that it was not sure for how long the hard-throwing right-hander will be sidelined.
  Gray was removed from Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee after three batters and 16 pitches. He allowed a double and a walk and threw a likely double-play grounder into center field for an error.
  The 24-year-old Gray complained of tightness when he threw certain pitches.
  The pitc
  
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• Spanarkel: A Number One Seed Will Go Down And Not Make Final Four

  23-03-2016 16:49
  
  By Danny Cox
  No one could have possibly been able to predict what has gone on in this year’s 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Some may expect the four number one seeds to make it through to the Sweet 16, and low and behold, that’s where they are. On the other hand, there are a number of teams not there that were expected to be, and some teams are hanging around that never should have made it this far.
  CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jim Spanarkel knows that the tour
  
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• All Passenger Vehicles Must Use Chains, Snow Tires, 4WD In Denver Metro Area

  23-03-2016 15:14
  
  DENVER (CBS4)– The blizzard warning continues in the Denver metro area through 6 p.m. Wednesday which is making travel difficult.
  The Colorado Department of Transportation says all passenger vehicles must use chains, snow tires and 4-wheel drive on all interstates and some highways in the Denver metro area.
  That includes Interstate 25, I-70, C-470, I-225, Hwy. 83, I-270, I-76 and U.S. 285.
  All commercial vehicles must chain up as well.
  The blizzard warning brought heavy snow and strong win
  
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• Thornton Police Officer Shot, Suspect Killed

  23-03-2016 14:46
  
  THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4)– A Thornton police officer was shot early Wednesday morning and the suspect was shot and killed.It all started about 12:50 a.m. when a Thornton police officer saw a vehicle with no lights on turn into the RTD parking lot at 8703 N. Grant St. The officer approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver. A Thornton police officer was shot Wednesday morning. (credit: CBS)
  As the officer returned to his vehicle the suspect got out and shot the officer with a shotg
  
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• Why The Kansas Jayhawks Will Represent The South Region In The Final Four

  23-03-2016 14:17
  
  By Ryan Mayer
  Once the final buzzer sounds this Sunday night, we’ll know the four teams that have successfully navigated the treacherous NCAA Tournament and will take center stage in Houston, Texas on Saturday, April 2 to play in the Final Four.
  Now that most of us are finally over the sting of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament – which were two rounds that turned brackets across the country in confetti – we can now focus on attempting to make some sense
  
  Read more

• Chip Kelly: 49ers won't cut Kaepernick

  23-03-2016 14:13
  
  So Chip. There’s a rumor out there. It says Colin Kaepernick wants out of San Francisco.         
  
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• 30 Players: Rebuilding Brewers Await Young SS Orlando Arcia’s Arrival

  23-03-2016 14:02
  
  By Rich Arleo 
  CBS Local Sports, in our 30 Players 30 Days spring training feature, profiles one young player from each Major League Baseball team leading up to opening day.
  Orlando Arcia, Shortstop, Milwaukee Brewers
  2015 season (Minors): 129 G, 512 AB, .307 BA, 8 HR, 69 RBI,  25 SB, .800 OPS
  Since a 96-win 2011 season, the Brewers haven’t been able to enjoy much success. After finally fully embracing a rebuild last season, the club has turned its focused toward the fu
  
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• Mental Exam Focus Of Hearing In Planned Parenthood Shooting

  23-03-2016 13:46
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Attorneys for a man who admitted to killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic will return to court to discuss his mental competency exam.
  The Wednesday hearing likely will focus on results of the evaluation of 57-year-old Robert Dear.
  A judge ordered the exam after Dear announced that he wanted to fire his public defenders and represent himself. The exam will show whether he is mentally capable of making that decision.
  Prosecutors charged D
  
  Read more

• VA: No Further Staff Punishment For Denver Hospital Overruns

  23-03-2016 13:44
  
  DENVER (AP) — The Veterans Affairs Department has no plans to punish any other employees over massive cost overruns at a VA medical center under construction outside Denver, the agency said Tuesday.
  The executives who made the decisions that caused the price to swell to $1.7 billion have already left department, the VA said in announcing the long-awaited results of an internal review. The VA said last year that three other executives were transferred or demoted.
  A separate investigation by
  
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• From 70s To Snow In Denver, March Blizzard Delays Travel & Closes Schools In Colorado

  23-03-2016 13:03
  
  By Chris SpearsDENVER (CBS4) – For much of the country it’s a shock to the system, but for Colorado, it’s just another day in March.
  After a high of 73 degrees in Denver on Tuesday the city was dealing with a heavy, wet spring snow Wednesday morning.
  The storm prompted many major school districts in the Denver metro area to shut down as forecasters were calling for winds between 40-60 mph to create blizzard conditions by the afternoon.
  WOW you don't see this too often! Chains m
  
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• Colorado police union blasts Denver public safety managers

  23-03-2016 10:42
  
  The largest police union in Colorado has blasted Denver officials on its website, including the city's mayor and police chief.
  
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• VA: No new punishments for Aurora construction failure

  23-03-2016 10:27
  
  Following the completion of an internal investigation, the VA said Tuesday it does not plan to punish anyone else involved in the construction of a new hospital in Aurora that saw its cost balloon by $1 billion.
  
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• Appeals court says Colorado sheriffs can't sue governor over gun laws

  23-03-2016 10:03
  
  A group of Colorado sheriffs who contend that two controversial state gun laws are unconstitutional vowed Tuesday to file a new lawsuit after a federal appeals court rejected their first one.
  
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• Frisco nurse withdrew fentanyl at high rate, Colorado board finds

  23-03-2016 10:01
  
  The nurse fired from a Frisco hospital for fentanyl theftwithdrewenormous quantities of two narcotic drugs for more than two months before she was caught, a state investigation found.
  
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• Denver homeless relocate along South Platte River after downtown sweep

  23-03-2016 10:01
  
  Many of the Denver homeless pushed by the city from a downtown area where they had camped on the streets have moved to the slopes of the South Platte River in Commons Park.
  
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• Colorado marijuana information business to go public

  23-03-2016 10:00
  
  The Colorado agency charged with policing the cannabis industry is about to get more user friendly.
  
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• White House: West faces water trouble with climate change

  23-03-2016 09:59
  
  Rising temperatures and changing rain and snow patterns will force increasingly difficult adjustments withreduced flows in major rivers — including the Colorado and Rio Grande —
  
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• Denver will leave more water for fish in Colorado and Fraser rivers

  23-03-2016 09:58
  
  A state water judge has signed off on a deal between Denver Water and Grand County to leave 651 million gallons of water a yearthat otherwise would be diverted in headwaters of the Colorado River.
  
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• Adams County changes rules for oil and gas drilling

  23-03-2016 09:58
  
  New oil and gasoperations are back in playin Adams County,after county commissioners Tuesday lifted asix-week moratorium on new applications.
  
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• Teen charged, held on $500,000 bail in fatal Westminster police chase

  23-03-2016 09:57
  
  The 19-year-old man accused of driving a stolen pickup truck in a fatal Westminster police chase appeared in court Tuesday where five charges were formally handed down.
  
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• Denver's historic Bosler House sold

  23-03-2016 09:57
  
  The landmark-designated Bosler House in Denver's Highland neighborhood has a new owner after a six-year ordeal that saw the home fall into disrepair.
  
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• Blizzard warning issued for Denver, surrounding areas; up to 12 inches possible

  23-03-2016 07:24
  
  A blizzard warning has been issued for Denver andareas to the east over much of Wednesday as forecasters warn the metro area to brace for a potent, fast-moving storm.
  
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• Brussels airport attack is 2nd major bombing for Utah teen

  23-03-2016 06:36
  
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Surviving a major bombing is the extraordinary — and repeated — situation that one Utah teen can live to tell about.
  
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• Phil Zajicek, Boulder cyclist injured in Flagstaff crash, remains in medically induced coma

  23-03-2016 06:23
  
  The former pro cyclist who lost his arm in a gruesome crash on Flagstaff Road earlier this month remains in a medically-induced coma, and his friends have begun raising money to help pay for his treatment.
  
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• Islamic State claims deadly bombings in Brussels

  23-03-2016 05:47
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — Islamic extremists struck Tuesday in the heart of Europe, killing at least 34 people and wounding scores of others in back-to-back bombings of the Brussels airport and subway that again laid bare the continent's vulnerability to suicide squads.
  
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• The Latest: IS threatens more countries after Brussels

  23-03-2016 05:27
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the explosions Tuesday at Brussels airport and a subway station (all times local):3 a.
  
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• Student art piece — cop in a KKK hood — prompts Denver meeting

  23-03-2016 05:21
  
  A controversial piece of Denver student art,depicting a police officer in a Ku Klux Klan hood pointing a gun at a black child whose hands are raised, has hastened a meeting between the city
  
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• SWAT team on scene on South Jefferson Avenue

  23-03-2016 05:07
  
  Loveland police officers and SWAT members responded to a woman refusing to leave a house around 5:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of South Jefferson Avenue.
  
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• Jeffco Jail: Supervisor Resigns, 4 Deputies Suspended In Abuse Probe

  23-03-2016 05:00
  
  By Brian Maass
  GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) – A veteran Jefferson County Detention Facility sergeant has resigned and four other jail deputies are on paid leave as the sheriff’s office investigates accusations of abuse of an inmate.
  “If these allegations are true, this is egregious behavior,” said Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
  The Jefferson County Detention Facility (credit: CBS)
  CBS4 has learned that last month a jail deputy reported the potential
  
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• Colorado House panel approves bill on juvenile shackles in courtrooms

  23-03-2016 04:41
  
  A bill that would createa statewide mandate for when juveniles should be restrained during court hearings passed out of a House committee on Tuesday.
  
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• Large brush fire burning on open space parcel in Aurora

  23-03-2016 04:29
  
  Firefighters in Aurora are battling a large brush fire Tuesday night. The fire, according to an 8:48 p.m. Aurora Fire Department Twitter post, is burning west of Airport Boulevard and East 22nd Avenue.
  
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