- News -

City buys 223 acres in Horse Gulch

Money from the Colorado Lottery will help the city buy 223 acres in Horse Gulch.

Soccer coach resigns from Fort Lewis

He's coached soccer in Iceland, Brazil and Guatemala.After a productive two-year pit stop as head coach at Division II Fort Lewis College, Tim Hankinson is adding India to that eclectic list. Hankinson announced his resignation Wednesday from Fort Lewis' men's soccer program.

Enrollment booms at Bayfield school

The Bayfield school district has added two modular units to the Bayfield Elementary School after seeing an increase in the number of students attending the school. "We have had a lot of growth," said board Vice President Scott Kujath. "And we keep getting bigger."

New local community college taking shape

Pueblo Community College's Durango campus had a 39 percent increase in student enrollment during 2008-09, indicating demand for its services is rising as PCC merges with San Juan Basin Technical College. The merged institution, Southwest Colorado Community College, looks to become a comprehensive community college for the region.

Durango gears up for Fourth

The economy may be slumping, but this year's Fourth of July celebration is promising to be as jubilant as ever.Durango's firework's display will go on, bright as last year and so will all the previous year's events, which will include a 5K run, pancake breakfast, community picnic and parade.

Short history of freedom to be at Buckley

To remember the reason for the celebration, important founding documents including the Declaration of Independence will be read starting at 11 a.m. in Buckley Park.

McInnis files to run for governor

Republican Scott McInnis filed papers Wednesday to create a campaign committee and begin fundraising for a 2010 bid to be governor of Colorado."Our challenge is to demonstrate the vision and leadership to move Colorado forward, and the experience and skills to take the common-sense steps we must take to create jobs, jump start our economy and restore basic fiscal discipline," McInnis said in a news  release.

Miller gets new principal

A North Carolina educator will replace Bruce Hankins as principal of Miller Middle School.Tam Smith of Apex, N.C., was recently hired as principal of the school, which serves 510 students in grades six through eight.

Feds, Colorado hash out agreement on gas, oil rules

DENVER - Colorado's new gas and oil rules, denounced by the industry as the most burdensome in the country, now apply to federal land as well as private and state land. Stricter drilling regulations took effect on private and state land in Colorado on April 1. Enforcement of the rules was delayed on federal land to give state and federal officials time to sort through any conflicts.

Sports - National -

Smith gets jail time

MILLSTONE, N.J. - A judge sentenced Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30.

USA toasts home team

TUKWILA, Wash. - Bob Bradley was walking off the practice field toward the team bus when a father stopped the coach of the United States national team with a cheerful yell from a playground. "Hey, good job on the Confederations Cup, man!" the dad shouted through a chain-link fence as a little girl played nearby. He then raised his coffee cup to salute the coach.

News - Earth -

Early warning system a new way of thinking

It's too early to determine the effectiveness of a wildlife-detection system along U.S. Highway 160 east of Durango, a Colorado Department of Transportation traffic engineer said Tuesday evening. "We don't have a data pool," Mike McVaugh said. "Anecdotally, there are fewer carcasses found in the detection area than in other (adjoining) areas."