SandBoxBlogs: Customs and Border Protection "Border Patrol Seizes More Than One Ton of Marijuana"

"Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized approximately 2,155 pounds of marijuana worth just over $1 million over the weekend.

 

Yesterday morning, Casa Grande Station agents utilizing imaging technology notified ground agents of 10 possible narcotics smugglers near the international boundary. Agents responded to the area, seized 14 bundles of marijuana and apprehended two subjects. The narcotics and the subjects were transported back to the station for processing. The narcotics weighed 740 pounds with an estimated value of $370,000. The subjects may face federal charges and the narcotics will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

Willcox Station agents working at the State Route 90 checkpoint referred a vehicle for secondary inspection on Saturday after a canine team alert. Agents discovered three bundles of marijuana concealed in the gas tank after utilizing imaging technology. The driver, a U.S. citizen was placed under arrest and transported along with the narcotics to the station for processing. The narcotics, weighing 18 pounds with a value of $9,000, will be turned over to the DEA. The driver may face federal charges.

 

In a separate incident Saturday, Willcox agents conducted a vehicle stop on a pickup truck and discovered 13 bundles of marijuana in the bed of the truck. The driver, a U.S. citizen was arrested and transported along with the narcotics for processing. The total weight of the narcotics was 212 pounds worth an estimated $106,000. The driver may face possible federal charges and the narcotics will be turned over to the DEA.

 

Ajo Station agents working on the ATV unit located 15 bundles of marijuana abandoned in the desert on Friday. The narcotics weighed 728 pounds worth an estimated value of $364,000. A few hours earlier, during a separate incident, Ajo agents utilizing imaging technology notified additional agents of possible narcotics smuggling near the international boundary. Agents responded and seized nine bundles of marijuana and apprehended four subjects. All narcotics and subjects were transported to the station for processing.

 

The narcotics weighed 457 pounds worth an estimated value of $228,500.

 

The Tucson Sector employs targeted enforcement efforts to deny and dismantle transnational criminal organizations. As a result of the Border Patrol’s enforcement efforts, criminal organizations are becoming increasingly desperate to get their narcotics into the interior of the United States.

 

Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling (877) 872-7435 toll free.

 

All CBP assets in Arizona were realigned under a unified command structure in February 2011. Joint Field Command – Arizona unifies the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors and Air Branches, as well as the Tucson Field Office, to enhance border security, commercial enforcement and trade facilitation missions to meet Arizona’s unique challenges. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona or visit the attached website for more information. ( Arizona )

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. "

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor "Little guy gets burned again"

There was a time when Bruno Kirchenwitz had just a little, teeny bit of difficulty controlling his temper in local commentary.  Which made for a fracas or two between regional avatars and Bruno.

Since the shutting down of the infamous PI hub; Bruno has risen to the (sincerely) status of local hero in commentary when it comes to the topics of illegal foreign nationals or public education.

Here's to the little guy.

Let Freedom ring.

Bruno Kirchenwitz:
"Editor:

One school board begs for more taxpayer funds for the children, gets the extra funds for the children and promptly takes $1.4 million off the top for teacher bonuses. While every teacher gets $1,500 many non-teachers lose their jobs.

Another school board doesn’t fool the electorate and doesn’t get to hand out any bonuses.  Instead, they go to a four-day school week and save a half million at the expense of some 200 non-teaching staff. While no teacher loses a penny of pay, the cooks and janitors will each lose over $2,000 in pay annually.

Ain’t it funny how it’s always the little guy who takes it in the shorts?

I think it stinks...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Report: Zooplankton in the Gulf of Mexico soaked by toxic compounds from Deepwater Horizon spill"

Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — Oil from BP’s failed Deepwater Horizon drilling contaminated the Gulf of Mexico‘s marine food chain from the bottom up, according to a new study showing that the oil was absorbed by tiny zooplankton.

Zooplankton are useful to track oil-derived pollution. They serve as food for baby fish and shrimp and act as conduits for the movement of oil contamination and pollutants into the food chain. The study confirms that, not only did oil affect the ecosystem in the Gulf during the blowout, but  was still entering the food web long after the well was capped.

“Our research helped to determine a ‘fingerprint’ of the Deepwater Horizon spill—something that other researchers interested the spill may be able to use,” said Dr. Siddhartha Mitra of Eastern Carolina University. “Furthermore, our work demonstrated that zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Mexico accumulated toxic compounds derived from the Macondo well.” he said.

After the April 20, 2010 explosion on the drilling rig, crude oil gushed into the water at a rate of at least 53,000 barrels per day before the well was capped on July 15.

Oil  is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and other chemicals. It contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be used to fingerprint oil and determine its origins. The researchers were able to identify the signature unique to the Deep Water Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico.

The team’s research indicates that the fingerprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill could be found in some zooplankton in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem at low levels as much as a month after the leaking wellhead was capped..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: RealAspen "On the Colorado River with Roaring Fork Anglers"

Tom Boyd:
"NEW CASTLE — A blue-winged olive buzzed close to the water, rode the breeze along the bank, and perched like a trained pet on the thumb of veteran angler John Harcourt.

Harcourt watched it fly away, then called out to his son, Dustin, and his seven-year-old grandson, Drake, who were working an eddy seam just downriver.

“We might do some dry-fly fishing after all,” he said with the kind of smile that has spring fever written all over it.

The terms “dry fly” and “March fishing” aren’t often mixed together in discussions of Colorado’s rivers and streams, but along the wide-open, easily accessible stretches of the Colorado River from Glenwood Springs to Rifle, a sunny March afternoon feels like a mid-summer’s day to a fisherman, especially if he’s got a healthy dose of cabin fever...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Fishing!"

Do you know what a beaver pond is?  'SandBox Nanny' has shared with you that she was childhood raised way up at the top of Kebler Pass.

There simply is no place on earth more beautiful than the remote areas of Kebler. 

Flanked on one side by the Town of Crested Butte, she can remember the Gorsuch family  when they barely had an inkling of an idea for business, Crested Butte Mountain having one rope tow and the Warming House.  The 'parade' of our NASA astronauts on main street and meeting Gus Grissom.

On the other side of the pass she can recall Paonia before there was ever a single winery.  Things called subdivisions unheard of and Cherry Days at the park not being all that open to tourism crowds.

Beaver ponds are eco-systems all their own.  Back in the 1960's some of them were even stocked by Fish and Game.  Click on the links throughout her commentary on beaver ponds that are unique to Kebler Pass but know that when you do...you are still not being given insight into the 'secret' ones she knows about.

You see, true fisherman rarely divulge to the public where the best fishing really is.

Be sure to read up on Bob Berwyn's piece this morning as you take a look at some of the ponds he and his family frequent. (Congratulations on that whopper of a fish goes out to Dylan Berwyn).

Click title.  All credit:  Bob Berwyn. 

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Israel’s need to buy time"

Richard Cohen:
"Nations have doctrines. The Soviet Union had the Brezhnev Doctrine and the United States had the Monroe Doctrine, among others. Even little Israel has one. I call it the Maybe the Dog Will Talk Doctrine and it is based on a folk tale of the rabbi who makes a preposterous deal with a tyrant: If the tyrant spares the lives of local Jews, the rabbi will teach the tyrant’s dog to talk. When the rabbi tells his wife what he has done, she calls him a fool. But, he says, “A year is a long time. In a year, the tyrant could die or I could die” — and here he gives her a sly wise rabbi smile — “or maybe the dog will talk.”

All sorts of people — defense intellectuals, military officers and even the president of the United States — either have not heard of the Maybe the Dog Will Talk Doctrine or do not recognize its importance. (It was cited to me by an Israeli official.) Both Barack Obama and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have characterized any Israeli attempt to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program as a short-term affair. An Israeli raid “wouldn’t achieve their long-term objectives,” Dempsey said on CNN — and he is surely right.

But Israel also has a short-term objective — and that is to play for time. Israel notes that its 1981 bombing of a nuclear reactor in Iraq set back Saddam Hussein’s program — and did not result in some sort of massive retaliation. Something similar happened with the 2007 bombing of a Syrian installation. Neither operation was conceived as a long-term solution, but both accomplished short-term goals. In a year or two, much could change in the Middle East. The region’s in turmoil. Dogs are talking all over the place.....

.......Sanctions may cause Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, if indeed that’s where it is now heading. But critics of Israel’s approach have to understand that Iran’s program looks different from Tel Aviv than it does from Washington. In the long run, an Israeli attack on Iran will accomplish nothing. In the short run, it could accomplish quite a lot...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Unlikely Voter "Senate Races 2012"

'SandBox' is linking you to the home page site of Unlikely Voter.

With the intense focus on all the hyperbole surrounding the GOP primary season; one of the most important Senate election cycles is not getting a lot of press coverage.

These are the most politically charged and important elections of our time.  Please stay informed on who is falling to the sidelines and opting for retirement instead of running for senate or congress again.  Keep up with the primary races per state so that you can be fully informed.

A good site to do some of that on is the Unlikely Voter.

Click title.

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Thanks from the Mulcahys"

Lee Mulcahy, Aspen:
"Editor:

A tip of the hat to the two Basalt police officers that helped my parents in downtown Basalt and a big thanks to Paradise Bakery for their donations to our community. The Mulcahy family, in partnership with the interfaith communities in both Aspen and Texas, invites anyone to travel with us to Kenya and volunteer building homes and a water well starting April 27 at http://www.africawaterwells.org/...." 
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "New documents: ATF had “Fast & Furious” prime suspect in custody in 2010 — and let him go"

'Allahpundit':
"He told them he was in contact with Mexican cartel members at the time, too. But he promised them — cross his heart and hope to die — that he would help them with their imbecilic gunrunning operation if they let him go. Which they did. And of course, they never heard from him again.

If that sounds insane to you, I’d gently suggest that perhaps you need a bit more brainwashing...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "DEA used informant in Chitty case"

Chad Abraham:
"Federal drug agents used a confidential informant, phone taps and photographic surveillance in their investigation into a former Aspen resident accused of distributing kilos of cocaine.

Montgomery Chitty, 60, of Big Pine Key, Fla., pleaded not guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

In a pretrial motion filed Monday, Chitty’s attorney Matthew Belcher asked that federal prosecutors provide documents, photographs and other evidence the government plans to use at trial.

“The government states there was a confidential informant who was a participant in or a witness to the crime charged and that the informant may be called as a witness at trial,” the motion says.

Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spent a year investigating a Los Angeles-to-Aspen cocaine ring, and a grand jury indicted in April 10 people, six of whom live in the upper Roaring Fork Valley. Charges against one defendant were dropped, and the remaining Aspen-area residents have reached plea deals.

On Dec. 13, what may have been the same grand jury indicted Chitty, who was a friend of the late Hunter S. Thompson and a longtime political pundit in Aspen before he moved to Florida.

His role in the drug-trafficking operation happened from January 2000 until May 2011, though more specific allegations have not yet been released...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Limit eminent domain, secure right to private property ownership"

James Kellogg via Glenwood Springs Post Independent: 
(On the author's request, “Right Angles” will appear just once a month, on the third Tuesday. James D. Kellogg of New Castle is a professional engineer, the author of the novel E-Force, and the founder of LiberTEAWatch. com. Visit JamesDKellogg.com or email jamesdkellogg@yahoo.com.)

"Throughout the United States, government and quasi-government bodies are chipping away at private property rights. This is exemplified in western Colorado by property acquisitions of the Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA) to build new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations. The town of Basalt and city of Glenwood Springs endorsed RFTA's tactic of condemning private parcels within their municipal limits to advance the $46.2 million BRT project.

In the Glenwood Springs instance, RFTA claimed that a strict deadline attached to a $25 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration meant a competing private use proposed for the property needed to be quickly quashed.

Through their support, the message from local leaders is loud and clear: It's more important to help RFTA spend taxpayer dollars than secure the rights of private property owners.

The founders of our nation believed the right of citizens to acquire and possess property is as unalienable as the right to free speech. Thomas Jefferson declared, “All power is inherent in the people. … They are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of press.”

Secure private property rights are a cornerstone of economic growth and sustainability in a free market economy. Our government is responsible for upholding laws, contracts, patents and copyrights to protect private property owners from infringement by others, including government itself...." 
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Your Letters "Condemnation as bad as communism"

John Korrie, Glenwood Springs:
"I cannot believe that our city council has agreed with RFTA to condemn Wayne Rudd's building on South Glen Avenue if a sale agreement does not work out.

Condemnation is nothing shy of communism just like when the Re-1 school district took the True Value building.

It is wrong on every level of democracy. It is no different than if someone knocked on your door and said, “I want to buy your house,” and you say, “It is not for sale,” and they say, “OK, then we will just condemn it and take it away from you.”

In that sense, I bet everyone out there feels that is stealing, and totally wrong.

But as soon as it is a public agency or government agency doing it, it's OK. Hogwash, it is still wrong. Are there no other options for a bus station elsewhere?..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Unemployed affordable housing resident could lose her residence"

Curtis Wackerle:
"A woman who has been unemployed since battling cancer could be forced to sell her employee housing unit for not having a job.

Heidi Mines will go before the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority board on Wednesday evening to plead her case. The housing office sent Mines a “notice of violation” on Feb. 13, informing her that she would have to either sell her three-bedroom East Hopkins Avenue apartment or request a hearing before the APCHA board. The violation notice was a follow up to a January letter asking Mines to prove she had been working an average of at least 29 hours a week in Pitkin County, as residents of APCHA-controlled units are required to do.

Mines, 50, acknowledges that she has not worked for most of the last four years, beginning with her breast cancer diagnosis in October 2007. She was in treatment for two years, including numerous surgeries and chemotherapy. As she got back to being healthy enough to work, the economy was in the grips of a recession.

Mines said she’s applied for dozens of jobs since then, including positions with Pitkin County and the Aspen Skiing Co., but to no avail. Employers tend to look for younger people when they bring on new staff, she said.

Prior to battling cancer, Mines worked in retail, real estate and property management, among other lines of work. The Aspen native said that 80 to 90 percent of the job applications she has submitted are not acknowledged by the prospective employers...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Carbondale wins 2012 Governor's Arts Award"

"DENVER — Gov. Hickenlooper announced Monday that Carbondale and Lafayette will receive the 2012 Governor's Arts Award by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

The annual Governor's Arts Award recognizes a Colorado town or city for its efforts to enhance their community and their economy through strategic use of the arts.

Carbondale Mayor Stacey Patch Bernot and Lafayette Mayor Carolyn Cutler will be presented with the awards, original oil paintings by artist John Lintott of Fruita, at the Creative Industries Summit to be held April 13 in Breckenridge.

“Extremely honored only begins to describe our reaction to being named a recipient of the 2012 Governor's Art Award,” said Mayor Bernot. “Art and creativity are attributes that have been interwoven into the fiber of Carbondale for generations.

“Our community prides itself on our ability to appreciate, teach and engage in arts and creativity in a multitude of ways. Whether viewed through the beauty of our public art program, our cultural centers and businesses, or witnessed by the creative spark that is ignited in the minds of our youth through our programs, Carbondale values art and creative expression. We are grateful and proud to be this year's award recipient,” Bernot said.

Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, annually convenes a panel to review nominations. In selecting Carbondale and Lafayette as the recipients, the review panel cited each city's detailed plans for making the arts central to economic and community development.

Review panel members included Marianne Virgili, president and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "CMC, Isaacson partner for new media program"

This is terrific news!  Kudos to CMC on the launch of his new digital media program.  SandBox especially likes the ".. and also valley-wide professionals in need of new media skills..." part.

Andrew Travers:
"The Roaring Fork Valley’s community college and Aspen Institute CEO Walter Isaacson are launching a local program to teach digital media and production skills, they announced Monday.

The new Isaacson School for New Media at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) will begin offering classes this fall.

Isaacson and college leaders, at a morning press conference, called the program a step toward making the valley a leader in digital and mobile technology.

CMC President Stan Jensen said the program would help make ours a “digital valley,” with the new program attracting students from across the country to the Aspen area and becoming a national leader in new media.

“We want to be on the cutting edge,” Jensen said.

Though lending his name to the school and assisting in the curriculum development, Isaacson is not expected to teach regularly at CMC.

“I believe deeply in the mission of community colleges and, especially, in the important role this school will play for generations to come in the Roaring Fork Valley,” Isaacson said in a video message from Washington, D.C.

Classes will focus on digital journalism, digital media production and digital marketing/design.

The college will offer full credit courses, as well as certifications for non-students, including one-day workshops for professionals.

Jensen said they are aiming the program at college students and also valley-wide professionals in need of new media skills...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Vernal equinox 2012 arrives: Spring has sprung"

Bob Berwyn:
"Given the unusual early heat wave that’s gripped most of the country, perhaps it’s fitting that the spring equinox makes it’s earliest arrival in more than 100 years — since 1896, to be exact.

In the mountain time zone, the moment of equinox is actually late Monday night, which means it will officially be spring by the time you wake up.

It’s also a day you can check your iPhone GPS and compass against the sky because the sun rises due east and sets due west.

The equinox marks the moment when the sun is directly above the Earth’s equator. Days and nights are about equal in length in both the northern and southern hemispheres — but not exactly the same, as some people believe.

The exact time and date of the equinox changes for very simple reasons. The division of the year into 365 days doesn’t exactly match up with celestial rhythms. The Earth’s orbit around the sun isn’t exactly circular. This archaeoastronomy website has detailed info on the timing of equinoxes and solstices...."

(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Spring!"

All credit Bob Berwyn:

SandBoxBlogs: Legal Insurrection "Tony Snow / Ian Anderson"

Tony Snow. Christopher Hitchens. Tim Russert. 


How can one not miss them?

SandBoxBlogs: Power Line "Liberal Myopia at the Star Tribune"

John Hinderaker:

"The Minneapolis Star Tribune is one of the nation’s most liberal newspapers. Today it reminded us why it has achieved that dubious distinction. First, the paper headlined: Women slip behind as economy picks up.

Given that pretty much everyone knows that the economic slump of the past four years has hit men particularly hard, that will strike most readers as a weird interpretation of events. The Strib explains:

"For women in the middle class, the economic recovery is turning out to be a reversal of fortune.

Women held onto their jobs so much better than men during the recession that some even called it a “man-cession.”

But now, even as politicians and industry brag of job creation in the millions, job growth for women lags far behind men. Old stereotypes casting men as primary breadwinners and women as employees distracted by child-care responsibilities are reemerging as hiring revs up. Pregnancy discrimination complaints surged in the recession and remain high in recovery.

It all has a frustratingly familiar ring to Sheridan Zuther, who zips among seven part-time jobs as she tries to hold onto her home and the bottom edge of the middle class.

I have always heard … that men are usually the first to get the jobs and that they get higher pay,” she said.

“But it’s frustrating.”

This is beyond bizarre. First, as far as the “mancession” is concerned, if you depend on the Star Tribune for your news, if you blinked you would have missed it. ..."  (Read more?  Click topic)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Commentary Magazine "Obama’s Triumphal Statist Presidency"

Abe Greenwald:
"In the March/April issue of the Washington Monthly, Paul Glastris offers a long essay in defense of Barack Obama. Titled, “The Incomplete Greatness of Barack Obama,” it is, in its own way, the clearest and most helpful analysis of the Obama presidency that’s been written so far. Glastris’s main contention is that Obama has “gotten more done in three years than any president in decades.” Yet, “the American public still thinks he hasn’t accomplished anything.” He’s right:

Measured in sheer legislative tonnage, what Obama got done in his first two years is stunning. Health care reform. The takeover and turnaround of the auto industry. The biggest economic stimulus in history. Sweeping new regulations of Wall Street. A tough new set of consumer protections on the credit card industry. A vast expansion of national service. Net neutrality. The greatest increase in wilderness protection in fifteen years. A revolutionary reform to student aid. Signing the New START treaty with Russia. The ending of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Glastris has unwittingly created a glossary of radical statism as a defense of Obama. His own words: “legislative tonnage,” “reform,” “takeover,” “biggest stimulus in history,” “sweeping regulations,” “protection,” “vast expansion,” “Net neutrality,” “greatest increase” in still more “protection,” and “revolutionary reform.” To liberals, this is the poetry of paternalism but to the rest of America it’s a nightmare lexicon...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "State earns D+, a barely passing grade, in ethics"

Are you surprised?

Odds are, the common working folks out here are not going to be surprised at all to hear this.

Charles Ashby:
"DENVER — Though Colorado ranked better than many states in how it guards against government corruption, it still received a barely passing grade in the ethics and open-government laws it has enacted, according to a study released today.

The state ranked 33rd in the nation in such laws, but received only a D-plus grade in the State Integrity Investigation, a first-of-its kind computer-database report examining all 50 states’ ethics and open-government laws. It was compiled by the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.

Though the state ranked high in open-record and campaign finance laws, the report said its laws in openness in insurance, government pensions and ethics were lacking.

Overall, only five states received a B grade, and 19 were awarded Cs. No state got an A.

Colorado was one of 18 that scored Ds, while eight got Fs.

The report was released to mark the end of Sunshine Week, a national initiative designed to highlight the importance of open government and freedom-of-information laws...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Automotive expo in Steamboat to showcase alternative fuel vehicles"

Scott Franz:
"Steamboat Springs — When Dalton Reed pops the hood of his 1989 Ford F-250 on Monday afternoon in the Depot Art Center parking lot, he will show anyone who is interested how hot vegetable oil fuels his engine.

“A lot of people think it’s a magic box with a lot of complexity,” he said about his fuel system that heats the recycled veggie oil to 180 degrees before it enters the engine and becomes a substitute for diesel fuel. “But it’s really not too complex. It’s great because it’s a low-tech solution that burns less oil.”

Reed still must start his truck with diesel fuel and switch back to it before turning it off, and the system requires a lot of care and attention. It isn’t perfect, and he only pulls out the vegetable oil when harsh winter temperatures have passed. But he said the recycled vegetable oil he has collected from local restaurants throughout the years has the power to significantly cut back on the amount of diesel his truck burns on long trips.

Reed’s Ford will be one of eight vehicles featured in the Alternative Fuels and Gas-Saving Technologies Auto Expo today. The event is hosted by Bud Werner Memorial Library, Yampatika and Northern Colorado Clean Cities. Other vehicles on display will include a Chevy Volt electric car, an electric Ford Ranger truck, a hydrogen fuel Hummer, a truck fueled by compressed natural gas, a propane fired Go Alpine taxi, a Steamboat Transit hybrid bus and a biodiesel Volkswagen Beetle...." 
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Delta County Independent "BLM’s preliminary EA disappoints oil and gas opponents in North Fork "

Ok, everyone.  Please do not flood the email contact box with your views of 'Nanny' going off-topic on her related links within this post.

First, because she's the boss and if she wants to go off-topic, she can.

Second, there is a relevant point and reason for the wide spread of links.  No, Bill Koch (to our current knowledge) is not going to be out there buying up all these leases at auction. (He probably should though, he does have momentum going and it's a worthwhile for all American energy independence if he does.  Besides, the North Fork enviro groups couldn't like him any less than they already do, now could they?  Sheesh.  And they've probably never even met the guy in person.)  There are dozens of links to specific to these leases stories she could have chosen.  So, google away on your own to find those.

That point is that it doesn't matter who it is.  Doesn't matter how environmentally conscious these drilling companies are.  Doesn't mean a thing how much vetting and regulatory guidelines are put on to their drilling activities.

These kinds of enviro 'terrorist' tactics and groups are going to believe what they wish to believe, could care less what the facts really are and have already made up their minds.  All they can hope to do is get in front of microphones and cameras.  Without a thought or care for who they hurt during their 5 minutes of fame. 

A special thank you goes out to the BLM.  SandBox is sure you'll handle the sale of these leases in a conscientious manner.

(See related stories here, here, here, here, here and here) 


Kathy Browning:
"If the expectation was that following the initial comment period, BLM would remove all or most of the parcels from its oil and gas lease auction in August, it was dashed last Wednesday with the release of the BLM's preliminary Environment Assessment.

The BLM intends to go ahead with the August auction.

Parcels in municipal watersheds or bordering schools and homes appear to be intact. Some parcels have been trimmed and one was removed.

"The only realistic way to stop oil and gas development now is through litigation," said one disappointed North Fork Valley resident. However, both BLM and Citizens for a Healthy Committee are urging the public to send more comments...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Vail Daily "How the biomass operation would work"

Hip, Hip Hooray!!!!


Congratulations to  Eagle Valley Clean Energy LLC!!!

Just in time as the Coloradoan reports that pine beetles are now mating twice yearly.

This biomass plant will be a huge boon to Gypsum.

Derek Franz:
"GYPSUM, Colorado — On Tuesday, Gypsum Town Council approved annexation, zoning and other agreements that prepare the way for a biomass power plant to be built next to the American Gypsum plant north of U.S. Highway 6.

Eagle Valley Clean Energy LLC is the entity behind the plan. It includes some Eagle County residents and Dean Rostrom, who has been the primary spokesperson for the group, which is based in Provo, Utah.

A biomass plant burns biological material to produce electricity. That is most commonly done by heating water with the burning material to produce steam, which turns a turbine that produces electricity, a process referred to as direct combustion. Biomass plants are most prevalent along the Pacific coast, and assuming it is built, Gypsum's will be the first commercial-grade biomass power plant of its kind in Colorado.

In terms of its carbon footprint, Rostrom said a biomass plant is considered carbon neutral because its fuel regrows, as opposed to being mined like coal...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "DEA staying silent on investigation costs for cocaine ring"

Another thank you goes out to the DEA and Special Agent Jim Schrant.

Why?

For staying the course. 

Carolyn Sackariason:
"...Claiming that it’s still pursuing arrests in Aspen for alleged cocaine dealing, the Drug Enforcement Administration has refused to disclose expenditures related to the investigation that led to the apprehension of six locals last year.

The Aspen Daily News filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request last July with the DEA, two months after six area residents were arrested for allegedly being part of a Los Angeles-to-Aspen drug ring that streamlined kilos of cocaine to the upper Roaring Fork Valley.

The July 15 request asked the federal agency to provide all documents and information that tracks taxpayer dollars spent by the DEA concerning the Aspen drug ring investigation from January 2010 to the present day. The request asked for expenses on accommodations, meals, travel and other costs associated with the investigation in Aspen.

Two weeks later, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice informed the Daily News that because of a backlog of requests and that “unusual circumstances” applied to the Daily News’ query, it would take six months to provide the information. The federal agency said the unusual circumstances were that the information would have to be retrieved from DEA field offices or third-party sites.

In a certified letter dated March 5, the DEA through the Department of Justice informed the Daily News that the information is part of “an active ongoing investigation,” and a detailed account of financial information could possibly identify individuals involved in the probe.

The DEA’s FOIA/records management section withheld 66 pages but did provide one page of dollar amounts, including one line with the number $75,043. Officials wouldn’t say what the numbers refer to (see scanned copy opposite).

Jim Schrant, resident agent in charge of the DEA’s Grand Junction office, said he couldn’t provide any clarity to the expenditure amounts.

“These are going to be the numbers that we’re obligated to provide,” Schrant said. Disclosing anything more, due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the information, would compromise the investigation and the techniques employed by the DEA, he said.

Schrant confirmed that the investigation in Aspen is ongoing and the DEA is “looking into additional arrests.” The latest arrest in the investigation was of former Aspen resident Montgomery Chitty, 60, on  Feb. 13 in the Florida Keys after a grand jury handed down a separate indictment related to the same year-long investigation into the drug ring...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor "Our rights, their jobs"

Here's to the little guy.

Let Freedom ring.

Donald Theiss, Aspen:
"Editor:

I know we all want some of the same things and I’m sure we all have different ideas about how to achieve what we want, but I do think that we share some things. And that is what I want us to talk about, with the intention of getting clear in our thinking and understanding of what the most important issues are and what we want to do to influence how our government is functioning, in relationship to us, the citizens of this country, and to our inalienable right to live freely, in our expression and in the pursuit of our own happiness. We share these with the expectation that our leaders protect us in our rights as they have sworn to do.

As it says in our Constitution, our government has, as it’s primary function, to protect and defend us, in our inalienable right, to be free and to pursue our happiness.

To me, this is the essence of being a free person and is the mandate of our president, our senators, our representatives, our judges, our military and our law enforcement officers.

When we take this oath of office, we swear to protect and defend our Constitution and the inalienable rights we all share. That is what I want from my president, my senators, my representatives, my judges, my soldiers, and my law enforcement officers.

We have a right to demand this of our representatives and I now bring this grievance to my leaders, asking each of you to uphold your oath of office and to act in accordance with our Constitution.

I add my voice to all of you in asking for our leaders to do the right thing, the inalienable right thing, the Constitutional thing, the lawful thing, and to use your power of office to protect and defend us in our inalienable right to be free and safe and protected in our expression of these rights.

I ask that each of you do your job and fulfill your oath of office...."
(Read the original letter?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News/Johnny Boyd "Darkness in the middle of town"

Terrific column out of Johnny today.  Up on the Aspen Daily News.

There are so many related stories to Johnny Boyd's point today that should be brought up in our aggregate of news this morning. My goodness, they run the gamut from shady developments and suspect patterns of lending and cronyism between multiple developments to accusations of fraud, unjust enrichment, tort interference and even swoop those big money accusations on over into the local upvalley drug culture war. 

Lordy lordy, says, 'SandBox Nanny'.  What tangled webs are woven out there.

Here's to the voice of the common man.  The little guy.  Let Freedom ring.

 Let's just toss up some links to public commentary on a few of the key related:

http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-snowmass-sun-skico-accused.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/02/sandbox-comments-glenwood-springs-post_21.html


http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2012/03/sandboxblogs-aspen-daily-news-pitkin.html

http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/05/sandbox-comments-vail-daily-cordillera.html

http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/12/sandbox-comments-eagle-county-times_12.html


Johnny Boyd:
"The German banks recently filed to lower the value of the property by $94 million. That certainly bodes well for everyone’s real estate prices. The people that have already bought into the Base Village want out badly enough to accuse the original developers of defrauding them. If these folks win this case, no condos will ever sell in the Base Village until this has all been forgotten in about 100 years. Believe me, the Aspen Skiing Co. and Intrawest didn’t build those structures to stand for 100 years.

Base Village was approved in a cloud of negativity with allegations of voter fraud perpetrated by people with interests in seeing their real estate values climb during the real estate bubble, and it is ending up even more negative. The ugliness of the entire project isn’t limited to its cookie-cutter appearance.

On the bright side, the original developers of the Base Village, SkiCo and Intrawest, are being sued for alleged fraud by misrepresenting the size of the individual condominium units. This lawsuit is allowing local billionaire and SkiCo owner, James S. Crown, to fulfill his promise to the community that he would be here for “the long haul.” It’s fortunate that the suffering that the residents of Snowmass have been through can be shared by so many that have been so complicit in making the Base Village what it is. Base Village just keeps on giving — like standing under a tree full of pigeons.

As its construction benchmarks are surpassed and no progress is made on its completion, its approvals disappear. No one in town government can speak of these deadlines and what comes after for fear of reprisal in the form of lawsuits. Planning for the future isn’t allowed if it means that those plans would hurt the value of the property. The truth hurts. But even more interesting is the idea that a developer willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a huge project can’t figure that out for himself.

The writing is on the wall. No banks are loaning money for small but expensive condos. The market is gone. If the German banks that are currently sitting on their hands were smart, they would be talking with the town about the future right now.

The only possible solution, at least in the short-term, is for the real estate in the Base Village to go high-end. Toss out the idea of constructing 1,000-square-foot condos and reprise the idea of 5,000-square-foot super-luxury condominiums. Snowmass, if it ever wants to see the blight removed from the center of town, will have to approve the construction of units that only the uber-rich, Mercedes Benz crowd can afford — the type of people that write checks for their toys, no financing needed...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "State program could help city revitalize area"

(See related story here)

Mike Wiggins:
"Like many downtowns, Fruita has the independent, unusual shops you won’t find at the mall.
It features some businesses that are aggressive in marketing themselves individually and upgrading their facilities.

It hosts festivals and events that draw large crowds of locals and tourists.

What the two-block district dominated by older buildings and the streets immediately surrounding it lacks, however, is a group that collectively represents and promotes its interests, that has the resources to pursue broad-based programs and capital improvements.

That’s a primary reason why the city has applied to — and is expected to be accepted into — a state program that helps communities identify comprehensive and incremental ways they can revitalize their historic commercial districts..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times/Letters to the Editor "Missing the big story"

Torin Yater Wallace is like....well.  A local icon.  And he's just a kid.

It's one thing for the non-local corporate newspapers (Aspen Times and Glenwood Springs Post Independent) to not know their communities; a fact that is proven weekly by how much they miss with their reporting.  The thing is, it is not just this story.  Nor the first reader who has complained.

It's another to keep missing these world class major news stories that our talented young people create.

Congratulations to Torin Yater Wallace on this huge win.  No surprise there.

  

"Dear Editor:

One of these days your paper will get it right. Aspen's ski phenom, Torin Yater Wallace, wins the European X Games gold medal, and not even a mention in your paper. Helloooo, anyone home?..."
Drita Rosin, Aspen

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Color"

All credit Bob Berwyn:

SandBoxBlogs: Washington Times "CBO: Obama budget deepens debt by $3.5 trillion"

 Stephen Dinan:
"President Obama’s budget would pile up an additional $3.5 trillion in debt over the next 10 years and shows the government’s trust funds running out of money in 2020, Congress’s official non-partisan scorekeeper said Friday.

In 2012 alone Mr. Obama’s budget would leave a $1.3 trillion deficit — $82 billion worse than if none of his policies were enacted. Over the next ten years the deficit would dip to less than a half-trillion dollars in 2017, but would rise again in the later years...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit Daily News "Contractor's plan for I-70 would require ‘little or no' public funding"

Caddie Nath:
"Toll lanes could be part of I-70's future if one private contractor's plan gets implemented.

Eight months after the private firm Parsons submitted an unsolicited and undisclosed proposal for a project to improve Interstate 70, details of the plan — including new toll lanes and a transit system — are coming to light.

The proposal, presented to the Colorado Department of Transportation in July, indicates the project could generate enough money that little or no state or federal money would be needed to implement it, according to a statement from CDOT.

CDOT reached out to other firms today, asking for statements of interest in submitting competing proposals in the future.

“Through our process, when we receive an unsolicited proposal, we have to go out for comparable proposals,” CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said. “We're looking at qualified firms to see who would propose to make sure there's interest.”

CDOT has kept the details of the Parsons proposal quiet, saying the specifics are proprietary and can't be made known to the company's competitors.

But with the request for statements of interest today, CDOT released a blueprint of the Parsons proposal, a phased plan which would implement “managed” or toll lanes that would be priced to correspond to the level of congestion. The current lanes on I-70 would remain free, according to the statement.

The plan calls for improvements to be implemented first between C-470 and Silverthorne and later extended all the way to Eagle..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Glenwood Springs urges denial of Thompson unitization"

What say you?

Are you weary of Glenwood Springs City Councilman Leo McKinney's claims that he and fellow council members are  'the voice of the people of Glenwood Springs' ?  Especially when it comes to all of his political manifestos such as MMJ, the response to Katrina, CIRC and the "Strawberry Days Massacre", illegal immigration, plastic bags and water bottles and just about every national political hot topic that comes down the pike?

The great news is that he's up for re-elect next year and you can remove him from office.

Gamba and GarCo BOCC are right.  Traffic is a non-issue.

The only thing more denigrating to the people of GarCo than the fear-mongering that Thompson Divide Coalition is whipping into a witch burning frenzy aimed at the gas and oil drilling industry are the politicians who condone that kind of political statement and do so under the false banner of being the voice of the people.

Here's an 'anonymous' tip for you, Leo. 

Go online and google up the instructions on how to set-up mass email.  Then solicit 'the voices of Glenwood Springs' for anyone interested in giving you an email address that they are willing to communicate with you from.

Then.....instead of stealth confiscating their voices....just simply ask them for their opinion.

It's a new and brave world out here.    

Come to think of it, how tough would it be for all councilman and commissioners to do same?

Just say NO to the Thompson Divide Coalition and say YES to environmentally conscious EnCana, SG Interests and Antero.

John Stroud:
"...Council was split on the wording, but ultimately voted 4-3 to forward the letter as written by Councilman Leo McKinney.

“I believe it is one of our responsibilities as elected officials to be the voice of the people in our community in places where they don't have a voice,” McKinney said...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "BLM approves Oxbow coal lease addition"

Sincere congratulations to Bill Koch on this.

Dennis Webb:
"The Bureau of Land Management today approved a coal lease modification that it says will allow continuation of mining adjacent to an existing federal lease at the Elk Creek Mine in Somerset.

The action adds about 159 acres to a lease owned by Oxbow Mining, LLC, and will prevent bypassing of about 555,000 recoverable tons of federal coal, the BLM said in a news release...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Denver Post " The merits of methane harvesting "

Allen Best:
"Energy analyst Randy Udall, who has been working the numbers of coal-mine methane for a decade, calculates just 5 megawatts of electricity generated from coal-mine methane emissions, at a capital cost of $10 million, would offset more carbon than all the solar so far installed in Colorado as of 2010, which has cost roughly $700 million. Total methane harvesting from coal mines near Paonia could produce 20 megawatts, using fairly simple technology, say advocates, and, with more challenge, up to 50 megawatts.

That's an important point to digest. In terms of reducing the risk to our climate during the next century, just a few megawatts planned at the West Elk Mine could have as much impact as all the solar panels erected on rooftops at DIA and everywhere else in Colorado so far. As Udall puts it, renewable energy is the means, not the end unto itself. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This bill's politics has the bewildering aspects of a Mobius strip. Introduced by one of the most conservative members of the legislature, Rep. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs, House Bill 1160 passed the House by a 34-29 vote. Only Rep. Wes McKinley, the self-described cowboy from southeast Colorado (that's what it says on the legislature's website), bucked fellow Democrats to join Republicans, who were unanimous in support

Now, in the Senate, it is sponsored by Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, whose base includes some of the most diligent global warming warriors in the state.

Udall has to be considered one of those warriors, and it's a further irony that he is aligned in this case with Bill Koch, owner of the West Elk Mine and a member of the family that has been stirring the undertow of opposition to climate-change action. However, there's no evidence that Koch has been involved in this case.

Are you confused? You're not alone. Del Worley, general manager of the Glenwood Springs-based Holy Cross Energy, an electrical cooperative that provides electricity to the Aspen and Vail areas, says he's baffled. "The politics are mind-boggling to me," he says.  "If you're truly trying to stop global warming, this is one of the best bills out there. It's not a giant resource, but why waste it? It should be a no-brainer."...." (Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Coloradoan "Double trouble from Colorado pine beetles"

"BOULDER (AP) -- University of Colorado researchers say mountain pine beetles that are devastating forests across the West are now breeding twice in some years.

Researchers say the beetles usually lay their eggs in late July or August. The larvae then burrow deeper into the bark, where they spend the winter...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Vail Daily News "In search of his father, a spy"

Caramie Schnell:
"In circular fashion, the film begins at the end — of his father's life, that is. Elusive even in death, William, 76, went on a night-time canoe ride and disappeared. His body was found nine days later in a tributary of the Potomac River. That was 15 years ago.

As the film begins, Carl narrates: “My father was a soldier. He jumped out of airplanes. He lived to serve. People would turn to me and say, ‘You know your dad was a murderer.' My immediate reaction used to be ‘You don't know what you're talking about.' Then I'd find myself thinking, was he? Well, who was he, really?”

Long after the film ends, that's the question you're left to ponder.

The film is a morality tale. It's at once a deep memoir of what it's like to live with someone so ghost-like, and a historical account of the CIA. It weaves the personal with the political, and more than anything, it's an inquiry into the secret actions this country is involved in every day.

“This president (Obama), even though he has his hands full right now, every other night, or whatever, he's approving what's called a presidential finding,” Carl said. “He signs off on a high-level, high-profile, highly dangerous, covert operation; he's using that capability probably more than any president since the Kennedy brothers.”

Carl's father used to tell him “the CIA exists so that the president has an option between lodging a diplomatic protest or sending in the Marines,” he said.

“We're in like 15 to 18 countries, at least, including the ones we already know about,” Carl said. “It's a very seductive tool. The problem is it becomes easy to use, and not that accountable. You're not having to tell the American people anything. And then if anything happens, he can blame the CIA ... I wanted to make it so people would understand the sacrifice people are making, not just the one my mother made, and my small family, but also now. People are lifting off tonight. Helicopter blades are whirling. Men and women are out there, thousands of them, so we at least ought to have a discussion. What is this secret war?”..."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Fort Worth Star Telegram "PR legend looks back at a storied career in politics"

Dave Montgomery:
"AUSTIN -- Public relations mastermind Julian Read has spent more than 60 years thinking up ways to get positive news coverage for his clients. But sometimes the headlines just seem to fall in his lap.
In the 1980s, he was representing Siegfried and Roy when clueless thieves stole a parked truck in downtown New York City, evidently unaware that the vehicle contained the entertainers' two Siberian tigers.
The truck disappeared when the driver went for a cup of coffee just before the tigers' scheduled appearance on the CBS Morning Show. The animals were found unharmed in the abandoned truck after a five-hour search that threw midtown Manhattan into a tizzy and created far more publicity than Read had been expecting from the brief TV shoot.
"There'll never be another day like that," lamented the Fort Worth-born PR executive, recalling the tiger heist over a recent breakfast at Cisco's Restaurant Bakery and Bar, a popular gathering point for politicos..."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/18/3817566/pr-legend-looks-back-at-a-storied.html#storylink=cpy

SandBoxBlogs: Craig Daily Press "Journey of the heart: Tour through Israel leaves Craig pastor with ‘great hope’ "

Bridget Manley:
"But if you know the Bible like Len Browning does, you know the significance of this place.
It’s a reminder of the Jewish temple destroyed nearly two millennia ago. The temple housed the Holy of Holies, which is believed to be the place where God himself dwelled.

Seeing the Wailing Wall touched Len in a way he didn’t expect.

“There was a profound, overwhelming sense of God in that place,” said Len, lead pastor at The Journey at First Baptist in Craig. “It was indescribable. … It was significantly more than I had anticipated.”

He was among 15 other pastors and their wives who embarked on a weeklong sojourn in Israel in early February. The tour was designed to familiarize them with the Holy Land, yet what Len took away from the journey cannot be summarized in any itinerary.

He was more than a tourist. He was a pilgrim, walking amid the ruins where his faith was born.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” — Genesis 6:5

Before Len embarked on the tour, he spent a few days in New York City, intending to just poke around like tourists do.

Instead, he found himself confronted with reminders of the worst in human nature.

He saw Ground Zero, a gaping void in the city skyline marking a scene of carnage and loss during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

He saw Ellis Island and thought of the cruelty and indifference that made up the darker side of the Americans experience.

He was “overwhelmed with the sense of the depravity of man,” he said. “… It was just an overwhelming sense of what we’re capable of as human beings.”....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Adieu, winter …"

All credit Bob Berwyn:

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Police investigate garbage bag of pot dumped at park"

For various reasons, one or two of them unwarranted and totally unrealistic, and the others likely because we put out great content and believe in showing gratitude and appreciation for our law enforcement and military officers and agents;  SandBox Commentators is followed by quite a few cops. 

How can we tell?  It's their keyword searches.  Who else googles full name, DOB, height, weight, last known vicinity and specific charges? Our full list of Twitter followers and feed subscribers is quite revealing as well.  Then again, it might not be our tantalizing content and may simply be our avatars who insist on "droppin dimes on the dope man" (Jeremy Madden) with all their anonymous tipster activity.

On this day before St. Paddy's day and the likelihood of a long weekend ahead of them, 'SandBox Nanny' is going to toss up a couple of posts that might give regional cops a laugh.  'Stranger than Fiction' and Roland Sweet's 'Curses, Foiled Again' is always a great one for drawing page views and it's coming up next.

What caught her eye (lol) in this post is the second line.

Enjoy St. Patrick's Day, everyone.  And remember to have fun while at the same time give a cop a break and stay safe out there.

AP via Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Breaking News:
DENVER — Denver police are trying to determine why someone dumped a garbage bag full of marijuana in a Denver park.

Police arrested five people after the marijuana was passed out free to park visitors...."
(Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Bokeh?"

All credit Bob Berwyn:

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Mark Levin: I will donate $50,000 to Obama if he will debate me for one hour"

Tina Korbe:
"On his radio show yesterday, Mark Levin echoed Sarah Palin’s invitation to Barack Obama to debate “the real issues.” He spiced up his request with an unexpected incentive, though. The talker promised to donate $50,000 to Obama’s campaign if Obama accepts his challenge.

“I see my friend Sarah Palin has challenged Obama to a debate, because now he’s running ads against her,” Levin said. “Come on. I’ll tell you what — I will give, are you ready for this Mr. Producer? I will give $50,000 to Obama’s Super PAC if he will debate me for one hour.”

Since Obama has been traveling the country in search of smaller donations, Levin asked, why not take him up on his bigger offer?

“Now he’s flying all over the country in exchange for meals and handshakes and photos,” Levin said. “People are giving a lot less than that. Just one hour, a debate. It doesn’t even have to be televised. In fact, we’ll do it right here on this program. [It would] be very professional, be very fair, equal time, just a debate.”

Would that this would come to pass — but Obama not only hasn’t accepted invitations to debate from Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, he hasn’t even acknowledged them. It’s likely that Mark Levin’s invitation will meet the same fate. Obama doesn’t exactly need the $50,000, either. Sure, his fundraising has been down somewhat recently and, in the cash-collecting game, his Super PAC trails the Super PACs of the GOP candidates (although its fundraising is up 40 percent from last month, in large part because Obama gave the green light to donors to give to it), but, as of January 1, the Obama campaign still listed 444 individuals who had bundled at least $50,000 for his campaign. If he solicits $1 and $5 donations — or uses March Madness to try to increase interest in his campaign, it’s not really because he needs the cash. It’s just because he knows that a potential voter with skin in the game is more likely to go to the polls than a potential voter who has donated nothing...."  (click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: LA Times "Swing voters: Diverse, misunderstood and crucial in 2012"

David Lauter, Washington Bureau:
"Over the next eight months, presidential campaigns will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to penetrate the suburban living rooms of people like 33-year-old Sarah Hays.

"I agree with certain parts of the philosophies of both parties," Hays said in a recent interview as two of her three children — ages 6, 4 and 21 months — played within reach at their St. Louis-area home. "I'm a Catholic, and I'm pro-life, and that's very important to me," she said, "but I don't believe that pro-life means only antiabortion.

"I think we should be fiscally conservative, and yet I think we should take care of people."

Hays is that rarest of people in a closely divided and sharply polarized country — a swing voter — dissatisfied with both parties, crucial to either one's hope of success.

Over the last few months, as the Republican primary battle has focused on the most conservative parts of the party's core, several polls have shown President Obama making headway with self-described independents like Hays. As a result, the percentage of voters expressing approval of his performance in office has slowly risen in most recent surveys...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Intellectual Conservative "Book Review: James Rickards 'Currency Wars' "

Ralph Benko:
"In virtually every airport bookstore in America right now you will find a little sleeper of a book in the business section which is as riveting as a thriller and as hard to put down. James Rickards Currency Wars made this reader remember what Secretary of the Navy John Lehman so vividly told Tom Clancy after reading his multi-million-seller Hunt for Red October: “Who the hell cleared this?”

At the end of the Cold, and Middle East, wars, we have entered a perilous new world. Currency Wars is as relevant as tomorrow’s headlines. No sleepy tome on monetary policy, Currency Wars is a white-knuckle exercise. It begins three years ago with a war game carried out by the Pentagon in a secret facility just outside of Washington DC.

“The Applied Physics Laboratory, located on four hundred acres of former farmland about halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is one of the crown jewels of America’s system of top secret, high-tech applied physics and weapons research facilities..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Melanie Sturm - What if Iran means it?"

Melanie Sturm:
"With options dwindling to curtail Iran and time running out, there are no good remedies. Nevertheless, we have overwhelming bipartisan agreement in both the House and the Senate that it is a vital U.S. interest to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-capable — a threshold far closer than possession of such weapons and one Iran has nearly crossed.

Unfortunately, differing timetables are a source of tension between America and Israel. Because the U.S. Air Force is comparatively better equipped — with an advanced fleet of aircraft and bunker busting bombs — its capability and moment of decision is beyond Israel's. However, given election-year politics and the likelihood a military strike would cause further escalation in already high oil prices, it's hard for Israel to trust that America will act in time.

While the prospect of $10-per-gallon gasoline might be a price too high for American politicians to stomach, it's a tradeoff Israel will accept to prevent a second Holocaust. “As Prime Minister of Israel,” Benjamin Netanyahu said last week, “I will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation.”

So when Israel strikes Iran's nuclear facilities, as it struck Iraq's in 1981 and Syria's in 2007, Think Again before complaining of temporarily high gas prices. Not only will Israel have saved America and the world from the specter of a nuclear-capable Iran, it will give the Iranian people their best chance since 2009 of overthrowing their tyrannical oppressors...."  (Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Right Scoop "Netanyahu: Israel will protect itself even if America objects"

Scoop:
"Sounds like Netanyahu is making the case for military action against Iran and is prepared to give Obama the finger should he object:

JERUSALEM POST – Saying publicly in the Knesset what he only said privately to Congressional leaders in Washington last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday stressed Israel would act to defend itself even if the US objected.

“Israel has never left its fate in the hands of others, not even in the hands of our best friends,” he said in a speech that focused on the Iranian threat and drew a direct line from Tehran to the events earlier this week in Gaza. He also blamed the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip for leading to Iran’s establishment of a “forward” terrorist base there.

Netanyahu cited legendary US Secretary of State George Marshall as telling David Ben-Gurion in 1948 not to declare a state, and reminded the Knesset that US President Lyndon Johnson not only advised Israel against preemptive military action in 1967, but warned that “if you act alone, you will be alone.” Likewise, he said Prime Minister Menachem Begin knew when he decided to attack the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 that he was going against US wishes and would come under sharp international criticism. “But he fulfilled his obligation and acted,” said Netanyahu, possibly preparing the public for the prospect of Israeli military action even over US objections.

Netanyahu said that a nuclear Iran would pose an “existential threat” to Israel, and that while he preferred if Iran would voluntarily abandon its nuclear ambitions, he had an “obligation” to retain Israel’s “independent ability” to defend itself...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Suspected Animal Abuse Continues in Delta County"

Danielle Kreutter:
"Hotchkiss- Many community members in Delta County are still concerned with the treatment of livestock at a certain property on the Redlands Mesa.

Officials say the situation that NewsChannel 5 first reported on in February, has gotten a little worse. Recently another horse has died on the property on 2900 Road. Neighbors tell NewsChannel 5 that they are frustrated at the extent local law enforcement has been involved.

"I had to continue to call them several times a week in order to get them to come back up," said concerned neighbor and wildlife specialist Kristin Dahlstrom.

When NewsChannel 5 investigated the conditions after authorities visited, we found empty feed bins and cows up to their ankles in feces. It prompted Delta County officials to take another look.

"They've progressively gotten a little worse than what they were in the beginning of the situation," said Undersheriff Mark Taylor with the Delta County Sheriff's Office...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Charges filed in Steamboat heroin case"

Thank you to all the officers, agents and agencies who participated in this major narcotics bust in Steamboat Springs.

You are appreciated. 

Stay the course.

Matt Stensland:
"Steamboat Springs — The Routt County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed 22 felony charges against four Steamboat Springs men arrested Friday night following a weekslong undercover investigation by the All Crimes Enforcement Team drug task force.

The four men suspected of possessing or selling heroin appeared in custody Wednesday before Routt County Judge James Garrecht. Court documents related to their arrests have been sealed because of an ongoing investigation...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Customs and Border Protection " Nogales Bust Nets Meth, Heroin Worth $431k"

Can't help but wonder if any of this stuff came from the same cartels that are supplying Steamboat Springs, Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs.

That's an unsettling thought, isn't it?

 

Nogales, Ariz. — Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office made two separate drug seizures Monday, resulting in more than 23 pounds of methamphetamine and five pounds of heroin being seized; a combined value of nearly $431,000.

Officers at the Mariposa Port referred a 21-year-old Nogales woman for a secondary inspection of her Ford sedan when she attempted to enter the United States. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, officers located 23 packages of methamphetamine in the dashboard

Officers at the Morley Pedestrian crossing referred a 32-year-old Mexican woman for additional questioning when she attempted to enter the United States. When an officer inspected her belongings, four packages of heroin were found in her purse.

In both cases, property and drugs were seized. Both subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

 

Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws."

 

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Breckenridge Ski Area extends season"

Summit Voice:
"SUMMIT COUNTY— For the first time since merging with Vail Resorts, Breckenridge Ski Area will extend the season in response to a flood of requests from loyal skiers.
The area’s high-altitude should ensure good conditions through late April. Breckenridge often stayed open into early May back in the 1980s, when old-timers can remember celebrating Cinco de Mayo with late-season turns on Peak 8.

The two-weekend bonus season will include only Peak 8 terrain, including the Imperial Express SuperChair, for  two additional weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 20-22 and April 27-29, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day. In addition, the resort will have a special 50th season extension day ticket price of $50 for those without passes and free parking in the gondola lots.

“We had one wish left to grant, and asked our guests and fans via our social media channels what they wanted us to grant for our final 50th wish,” said Breckenridge senior vice president and chief operating officer Pat Campbell, referring to the season-long 50-wishes marketing campaign that was held during the resort’s golden jubilee season.

“We heard loud and clear from many fans like Lisa Doane and Jason Brooke that they’d love to see us wrap up this season- long promotion in the best way possible … by extending the season...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."