Police were called out to a home on Meldrum Street Friday night and arrested Nicole Ryan.

Officers say it appears Ryan slit her fiance’s throat with a knife during an argument and then called 911.

Ryan faces charges of second degree murder and domestic violence.

So far police say they aren’t sure what led to the fight.

The drought in Colorado has forced an early change in the leaves of many trees along the front range. The aspen trees began to change from green to gold about 3 weeks earlier than usual. So as I often do, I headed to the high country to capture some of shift from summer to fall. Enjoy.

© Matthew Jonas/www.matthewjonas.com 2012

© Matthew Jonas/www.matthewjonas.com 2012

© Matthew Jonas/www.matthewjonas.com 2012

© Matthew Jonas/www.matthewjonas.com 2012

]]> http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/09/28/2-mudslides-in-larimer-county-after-more-rain/ Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:16:35 +0000 CBS4News http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/09/28/2-mudslides-in-larimer-county-after-more-rain/ FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — More rain in an area that burned in the High Park wildfire in Larimer County has led to at least two mudslides.

One slide left about 50 yards of debris and rushing water on Colorado Highway 14, leaving that part of the road impassable Thursday afternoon. The Colorado Department of Transportation was working to clear the road.

A roughly 100-foot mudslide was reported in Buckhorn Canyon.

No evacuations have been ordered.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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State agriculture officials said Tuesday that epizootic hemorraghic disease was diagnosed in yaks at two locations in Larimer County and one location in Alamosa County.

The virus doesn’t affect people. It is spread by insects including midges or gnats.

State veterinarian Keith Roehr says a hard frost will kill the virus and insects that carry it. He says ranchers can use insect control to protect their animals until then.

The agriculture department says investigators are trying to determine whether the Colorado cases are tied to cases in Nebraska, where a number of deer have been infected.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

But people came together to help in the face of destruction, and one man who is in the process of rebuilding his home says it was the same sense of community which led him to rebuild.

David Cantor was one of those who lost their homes in the High Park Fire.

“It had a big wrap-around deck, hot tub, great room, lots of windows,” Cantor said.

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His 2,000 square foot home was reduced to rubble and ash.

“There was nothing left,” he said. “The only thing left was the metal.”

On June 11, just two days after the fire began, Cantor watched from the banks of Horsetooth Reservoir as the flames devoured his house.

“Sat up there with all my neighbors and scoped out everybody’s house, and every one of them was gone,” he said.

Now, months later, the process of rebuilding has begun. When asked why he was returning, Cantor simply said it was because of his neighbors. Through the devastation and the trying months following the fire they had each other to rely on. It’s a small, tight-knit community coming together once again despite so much adversity.

RELATED: CBS4 IS ON THE ROAD FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE MONDAY SEPT. 10, 17, 24 AND OCT. 1

“Maybe it was a place to go have a home-cooked meal, or a even a shoulder to cry on, that’s how we supported each other,” he said.

Cantor hopes to be in his new house by November of next year.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Larimer County has been helpful in assisting those affected to get back on their feet.

In order to help those who lost homes rebuild, Larimer County commissioners helped come up with a plan days after the fire began to help do just that. They decided to offer a $1,000 discount on building permits. The discounts are mainly for those underinsured or uninsured.

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Larimer County Commissioner Lew Gaiter says it was their way of helping those affected.

“I think the thing that is really exciting is people deciding that, ‘I moved here for a reason and I’m going to get on with my life,’ and seeing people take these lemons in their lives and making lemonade and you see that American spirit where we are going to triumph over this adversity that’s come before us,” Gaiter said. “We’re not going to let it get us down. ‘Yeah, I took a hit, but I’m going to get back up and I’m going to come back out on top.’ And I think that’s what makes this country great.”

RELATED: CBS4 IS ON THE ROAD FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE MONDAY SEPT. 10, 17, 24 AND OCT. 1

Commissioners also relaxed the rules to allow folks rebuilding the option of keeping a trailer on their property, and even allowing those who didn’t have permits to build before the fire the option to once again rebuild.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Gyorgy Vidacs gave CBS4 a tour of what was left of his property after the devastating wildfire ripped through Rist Canyon in June. Earlier this week the 85-year-old was helping rebuild the house when he died of what is believed to be a heart attack.

Vidacs was from Hungary and captured the attention of many for his positive attitude in the aftermath of the fire. Until his death Vidacs remained on his property, spending the past months living in a tent.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Officials with the Larimer County Sheriff’s office said the trespasser — a white man between 25 and 30 years old — went to the homes on Spring Glade Road on a recent evening.

At the first home police say the owner was going to bed when he heard someone saying hello in his living room. The homeowner then went downstairs and saw a man he didn’t know sitting on his couch.

The man then told the homeowner he had been “sent by God to marry his daughter,” according to a news release from officials. The homeowner told the man to leave and he did.

Then the man went to a neighbor’s home and spoke to him from his driveway, saying the same strange statement. That neighbor told the trespasser he had no daughter and to leave, which he did.

Police are looking for the man, who was described as being 5-foot-8 and 130 pounds.

Police said he was driving a newer silver Honda or Toyota.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Larimer County Sheriff at (970) 498-5178 (ask for Sgt. John Feyen) or Crime Stoppers at (970) 221-6868.

They will be conducing community workshops with hands-on instruction about selecting the right construction materials for and maintaining homes in wildfire-prone areas.

On Thursday, several organizations supporting “Colorado Rebuilds Fire Adapted Communities” came together at the state Capitol to launch the initiative during Wildfire Preparedness Week, Sept. 10-14.

Those organizations include the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and Lowe’s Home Improvement.
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It is designed to educate homeowners about the dangers surrounding homes that can exacerbate fire danger and raise public awareness about the need for homeowners to be prepared for wildfire.

“There is work going on in the city of Colorado Springs to tighten up and re-address the ordinances that we had in place and create new ordinances to better protect the structures and the lives of the people in that community,” said Colorado Springs Fire Marshall Brett Lacey.

This summer in Colorado the Waldo Canyon Wildfire destroyed nearly 350 homes and the High Park Wildfire in Larimer County burned 259 homes.

Firewise and IBHS experts will conduct one-hour community workshops with hands-on instruction about selecting the right construction materials for, and maintaining homes in, wildfire-prone areas. Workshops will be held at Lowe’s Home Improvement stores in:

- Fort Collins, 4227 Corbett Drive, Saturday, Sept. 15 at 11:00 a.m.

- Littleton, 5258 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m.

- Colorado Springs, 4880 N. Nevada Avenue, Saturday, Sept. 22 at 11:00 a.m.

Smith is blaming the drought and a significant increase in the cost of hay for the increase in crime.

Authorities are recommending hay be stored out of sight and in a secure location. Smaller bales should be stored near homes behind strong fences and locked gates.

RELATED: Hay Shortage Has Ripple Effect Across Colorado

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Boulder County just declared a fire ban a few days ago and now the Forest Service is actually considering launching new fire bans.

The Forest Service is considering criteria to see if they can put a fire ban in place for Larimer County after a wildfire broke out in the Big Thompson Canyon on Wednesday.

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Crews started before sunrise to get control of the Narrows Fire in Larimer County so the fire wouldn’t get out of hand.

“Fire danger has crept up very high in the area, particularly at our lower elevations,” Forest Service firefighter Jane Gordon said.

(credit: CBS)

Officials said the Narrows Fire could be contained as early as Wednesday night, but there’s concern conditions will get worse.

“We all know we haven’t had any rain lately and temperatures have been super hot,” Gordon said.

The High Park Fire was only 30 miles from the Narrows Fire. It was the first of two mega-fires in the most destructive summer in Colorado history. Those conditions haven’t reappeared, but firefighters say it wouldn’t take much.

“People need to be careful with their campfires. It’s not a good time to burn debris. We have these hot, hot days with wind and it’s just a recipe for fire,” Gordon said.

The Forest Service is asking people to be extra vigilant with open flames. They expect the current situation to last for weeks or even months.

“It’s been an incredible fire season,” Gordon said. “Is there fatigue? Of course, but our crews are ready.”

A fire ban in Larimer County could go into effect in as little as a week.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Fort Collins has started spraying for mosquitoes in what is typically the time frame when spraying is winding down. The city hasn’t sprayed for mosquitoes in five years.

“We haven’t sprayed since 2007,” said Fort Collins Parks Supervisor Mike Calhoon.

Calhoon said mosquito numbers were low for most of the season and then exploded, “All of a sudden the first of August and end of July we started seeing positive traps and it just started amplifying from there.”

Health officials fear this could be the worst year on record for the West Nile Virus nationwide with 2,118 cases with 92 deaths.
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So far for Colorado it has been a relatively mild year but experts want to protect residents from a late surge as more human cases are reported.

Two deaths have been reported in Montrose County. One of them was Dorothy Iris Meaker, 86.

There have been 33 confirmed cases statewide with 11 of those reported in the past week. One of those cases was in Larimer County.

The City of Fort Collins has deployed seven trucks to spray the city, including parks. They plan to cover 19 square miles in what is a focused effort to wipe out those insects that carry the West Nile Virus.

“We knocked a bunch down on Thursday night. Now we’re cleaning up the rest of them tonight,” said Calhoon about the spraying on Tuesday night.

Health experts don’t know what caused the spike of mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile in Fort Collins but there is one theory.

Since it was so hot this summer and Colorado didn’t receive a lot of rain, people irrigated and watered more which caused little pools of water to build up in hard to find places.

Those pools are perfect breeding grounds for the type of mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus.

“That’s just a theory. But it’s one that makes sense in my head,” said Calhoon.

Spraying will only do so much. Health experts said the rest is up to each individual to protect themselves.

“If you don’t get bitten you don’t get West Nile,” said Calhoon. “Take that personal protection.”

Spraying in the parks is not popular. The parks department said two-thirds of the calls they received about the spraying was negative.

They said they would rather not spray but must to keep the mosquito population down.

Crews will begin spraying Tuesday night after dusk.

The Coloradoan reports the city will spray the east side of town and some areas in the northwest. Residents are encouraged to stay inside and keep doors and windows closed for about an hour after spraying.

Larimer County has one confirmed case of West Nile this year.

The Roach Fire is 50 percent and crews are working to build more containment lines on Thursday.

It’s now estimated to be burning on 150 acres, 100 acres less than originally thought, due to better mapping

The fire is about 3 miles south of the Wyoming line and isn’t threatening any houses.

The fire was reported Monday and the cause is under investigation.

An image of the Roach Fire (credit: U.S. Forest Service)

An image of the Roach Fire (credit: U.S. Forest Service)

The Roach Fire was burning on 250 acres Wednesday in northwest Larimer County in the Roosevelt National Forest, about 3 miles south of the Wyoming line. It’s 10 percent contained.

About 100 firefighters are already fighting the fire and another 40 firefighters were expected later in the day.

No homes are threatened. The nearest structure is six miles away.

The fire is burning in lodgepole pine that has been hit with mountain pine beetle, so there is dead wood to burn.

The fire was reported Monday and the cause is under investigation.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(credit: CBS)

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

The Roach Fire was estimated to be burning on about 250 acres Tuesday in northwest Larimer County in the Roosevelt National Forest, about 3 miles south of the Wyoming line. Fire officials say it is 10 percent contained.

No structures are threatened. U.S. Forest Service officials say the nearest structure is six miles away.

The fire is burning in lodgepole pine that has been hit with mountain pine beetle, so there is dead wood to burn.

About 100 people are fighting the blaze, which was reported Monday afternoon. Three single-engine air tankers, a heavy air tanker and two helicopters are on the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

(credit: CBS)

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Roach Fire in northwestern Larimer County grew to 25 acres on Monday. No homes are threatened.

Twenty firefighters hiked into the remote area Monday evening. A single-engine air tanker is also assisting.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

U.S. Attorney John Walsh said Monday that David Rezendes has been arrested on charges related to a denial of service attack to retaliate against the Larimer County government. No reason was given for the computer attack and no hometown was available for Rezendes.

The attack, which bombarded county computers with overwhelming demands for service, lasted three days in 2010 and limited the ability of county employees to access their email and the Internet, including state computer systems.

Rezendes was arrested on federal charges of damaging a protected computer and other charges.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 women and men in intensive service each year through more than 15,000 nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. AmeriCorps members work directly in their communities to build capacity, help people in need, and get things done!

In partnership with United Way of Larimer County Girl Scouts of Colorado will host one AmeriCorps member in our Fort Collins office who will work cross departmental to support volunteer services, membership, and the program department. The AmeriCorps member will:

• Facilitate Girl Scout programs and events
• Recruit and identify volunteers
• Create a volunteer tracking system
• Develop marketing materials
• Maintain registration records
• Collaborate with special initiative team to reach under-served girls
• And so much more!

Benefits of AmeriCorps:

During their service AmeriCorps members will receive monthly professional development opportunities, health insurance with vision and dental coverage, and a stipend of $1,100 (pre-tax). After completion of 1,700 hours, members will receive and education award of $5,500 that can be used to pay off existing student loans or applied to future school expenses. AmeriCorps members will also benefit from an opportunity to network within the non-profit community in Larimer County, as well as an understanding of issues of poverty, health and education.

How can I apply?

You must be over the age of 17 and have a high school diploma to serve in Americorps State and National programs. Additionally, United Way of Larimer County is seeking applicants who have some previous experience volunteering with or working with non-profits. You must pass a federal and state background check.

Deadline to apply is Friday, August 24th.

For more information contact Kelly Burwell at: Vs.americorps@gscolorado.org

The Coloradoan reports that eight building permits have been issued by Larimer County for the fire area. Three permits are to replace homes in Rist Canyon, one of the hardest hit areas. The rest are for outbuildings and building repairs.

Terry Schmitz says rebuilding never was in doubt, though it’s not easy. As for the charred landscape, Schmitz says he grew up in the area and has seen the land come back before.

Schmitz says his new house will include a new bay window in the kitchen that his wife always wanted.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Officials say recent rains and increased humidity have eased the fire danger, but people should use caution because of a continuing drought.

Dry conditions caused numerous wildfires across the state beginning in March, including two major fires that left three people dead, destroyed about 600 homes and scorched more than 150 square miles.

Restrictions are lifted for the Colorado counties of Boulder, Chaffee, Custer, El Paso, Fremont, Gilpin, Huerfano, Jefferson, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Park, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Teller, Washington, Weld, and Yuma.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Larimer County sheriff’s spokesman John Schulz says rescuers freed the man Tuesday, but attempts to resuscitate him failed.

The coroner’s office said age and identity of the victim are not being released.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)