Teen rescued from crevice in Colorado
FORT COLLINS – A hiker is recovering after falling and spending about three hours in a crevice near a popular hiking trail in northern Colorado.
More than 40 people worked to pull the 16-year-old girl from the crevice on Horsetooth Rock on Monday. They then took turns carrying her stretcher to a waiting medical helicopter.
Poudre Fire spokesman Chris Wolf says the teen broke her ankle in the fall, which happened around 7:30 a.m. She remained conscious and was able to talk to the rescuers.
The Coloradoan reported that the 2.5-mile trail is moderately difficult and requires some scrambling over rocks at the top.
Pueblo man accused of shooting teenager
PUEBLO – A 13-year-old Pueblo boy is recovering from a pellet gunshot to the chest after police say he was trying to steal marijuana.
The Pueblo Chieftain reported that 34-year-old Jason Lucero faces assault charges for allegedly shooting the boy from his porch.
The boy was found early Saturday with his clothing scattered around him. Medical examination found a pellet had entered the boy’s chest and was deflected downward to rest between vital organs. Police say the boy was in stable condition at a Denver hospital.
Lucero told police he had shot an intruder from his porch, but investigators say the teen was in the neighboring yard when he was hit with the pellet.
The newspaper reports that an investigation is ongoing.
Arches, Canyonlands ban use of drones
SALT LAKE CITY – Drones are now officially banned in Arches and Canyonlands national parks in southeastern Utah.
Kevin Moore, acting chief ranger for the two parks, says the unmanned aircrafts disrupt wildlife and are an intrusion on visitors looking for tranquility. They have seen an increase in use of drones in the last two years.
In June, National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis directed all parks to take steps to prohibit the use of the increasingly popular aircraft that are often used to take photos and videos.
The agency’s office in Moab, Utah, announced the rule in the two Utah parks Monday. The ban also extends to Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments.
Two large national parks, Grand Canyon in Arizona and Zion in Utah, have already changed their rules to ban drones.
Navajo Nation may ban dual office holders
FARMINGTON – The Navajo Nation Council is considering whether council delegates may also concurrently serve in county offices.
The Daily Times of Farmington reported that a pending bill would require that delegates forfeit their tribal offices if they continue serving as a county official.
A proposed amendment would require that a delegate’s office be declared vacant if a delegate is elected to a county office and doesn’t promptly resign from the council.
Delegate Leonard Tsosie is sponsoring the bill. He says delegates holding county offices can’t speak strongly for the Navajo Nation.
Oscar winner to attend Santa Fe film festival
SANTA FE – Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones will screen a Western drama he wrote and directed at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival this fall.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Jones will attend a screening of “The Homesman” at the October festival.
Jones also stars in the movie, which features Meryl Streep and Hillary Swank. The plot centers on a claim jumper and a pioneer woman who escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.
The project was filmed primarily in New Mexico and will open in theaters in November.
Festival organizers say they are still going through more than 700 submissions to put together their lineup.
The festival is now in its sixth year and is held at venues throughout Santa Fe.
Decriminalization of pot in Santa Fe?
SANTA FE – The city clerk in Santa Fe says activists have submitted enough valid voter signatures to force a public vote on decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, if the City Council doesn’t approve it outright.
ProgressNow New Mexico and the Drug Policy Alliance submitted petitions last month. Activists needed 5,763 valid signatures from registered city voters.
The Santa Fe proposal mirrors one which the groups tried unsuccessfully to get on the ballot in Albuquerque.
The proposal would make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil infraction punishable by a fine of no more than $25.
Possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Santa Fe now is a petty misdemeanor for the first offense, punishable by a $50 to $100 fine and up to 15 days in jail.
N.M. jobless rate hits 6.6 percent in July
ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico’s unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in July, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that’s not measurably different from a month earlier when it was 6.5 percent.
The jobless rate was 7 percent in July 2013.
The state Department of Workforce Solutions said Monday that New Mexico gained 4,300 jobs from July 2013 to last month, up 0.5 percent – the second consecutive month for an over-the-year increase.
Jobs in the private sector grew 0.8 percent but government employment declined 0.4 percent during the year, with most of the losses at the federal and local levels.
Education and health services led all sectors with an increase of 5,000 jobs or 4.1 percent since last year.
Manufacturing had the largest over-the-year losses, down 6.8 percent or 2,000 jobs.
Associated Press
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