December 24, 2011

SandBox Comments: Pueblo Chieftain "Koncilja out as top DA investigator "

"...But Koncilja's departure came a week after testimony from a current and a former deputy district attorney that painted him and the district attorney's office in a negative light. Their testimony also suggested Thiebaut didn't have a grasp of case law governing criminal procedure.

The hearing was for a request by Public Defender Adam Schultz to dismiss a murder case against Puebloan David Carrillo.

The hearing involved the creation of a memo discussing the truthfulness of a police officer at the scene of the crime. The memo was created at Koncilja's instruction, who then asked it be kept secret from other attorneys in the office.

Both Deputy District Attorney Steve Jones and former lead prosecutor Steve Cornetta said the memo represented a pattern of behavior in which Koncilja would do investigations into cases without attorneys' knowledge, kept files on his investigations and would, at times, refuse to allow lawyers in the office to access those files.

The Carrillo hearing is scheduled to resume in February....."
(Jeff Tucker)

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SandBox Comments: Delta County Independent "County will endorse Koch’s land swap "

"The Board of County Commissioners will write a letter endorsing the Central Rockies Land Exchange, also known as the Bear Ranch Land Exchange.

The BoCC announced the decision during its regular business meeting on Dec. 19...."

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "RFTA launches eminent-domain effort in court"

Why is it important to remember all these seemingly small details from the news stories in our area?

Why is it so important to speak up about those details?

Because without the average taxpayer and voter doing so, there are no controls over what happens to both public funds and our leaders in positions of trust and sworn duty.

Billions of dollars.  Most of it in bailouts and wish lists.  A great deal of it given to clean up errors in management judgment or poor decision making on the administration of RFTA's end.

$46 million bucks is one of the latest 'sell-jobs' from the Roaring Fork Transit Agency.  You know who they are.  They're those monster size fuel guzzling public transports running the length of the Valley and corridor mostly empty of riders every day.

Usually the problem lies in the 'small details' CEO Dan Blankenship and RFTA's crony elected officials just seem to 'overlook'.

Like...say...the mega plan to overhaul the RFTA corridor in the Valley....needing a couple parcels of land or it's a complete 'no go' on the project.   Parcels that have been owned by the same folks for a long time and are high dollar chunks of commercial real estate in Basalt.

Looks like Blankenship's solution is to execute what works for him whenever he holds out his RFTA bailout hand to the folks.

Force the giving over of his company's demand and count on the law and ethics being overlooked.

Business and cronyism as usual.

Just say NO, Mr. Cathers and Mr. Myers.

Just say NO.

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SandBox Comments: RealVail/The O. Zone "Vail's Vonn vamps for Italian mag, jets back for Letterman"

"It’s been an uneventful World Cup season so far for Vail’s Lindsey Vonn..."
(David O. Williams)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "De plane, de plane!"

"It’s Christmas Eve in Aspen. The town is like a magical snow globe filled with miniature hundred dollar bills as snowflakes, and everybody is giddy with anticipation of what Santa may or may not be bringing them. The goose is fat, the trees are trimmed, the stockings are hung and the slopes are groomed to perfection. The streets are choked with Range Rovers and private jets are swarming like mosquitoes, but their occupants are a bit nervous about flaunting their riches in Aspen this year. Fret not. We’re ultra tolerant here in Aspen — wealth doesn’t impress or even faze (most of) us; some actually find it boring. If you’re worried about sticking out like a sore thumb and really want to look like a local, I have a solution for you: Don’t shave, and put duct tape on your gloves and ski outfit..."
(Lorenzo Semple)


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