Crews have contained a grass fire that was threatening buildings near Ellicott in El Paso County…Crews are beginning to remove rock from US 50 west of Cotopaxi, and aim to have the highway reopen by the weekend…Army officials say President Barack Obama’s budget proposal includes $477 million for destroying obsolete chemical weapons stored in Colorado and Kentucky….and, Katie’s Law, a crime fighting tool that has raised privacy concerns has been fully implemented in Colorado.

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(Image courtesy CDOT.)

Wind tower manufacturing giant Vestas opened a new factory south of Pueblo earlier this year. Two accidents, one of them fatal, marked its first six months of operations, along with the announcement that the international company was laying off some 3000 workers in Europe. Nonetheless, Vestas created some 450 jobs in the Pueblo area, and the company’s total workforce at all of its Colorado facilities totals about 1600. KRCC’s Shanna Lewis has this look at the Pueblo factory.

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The number of foreclosures in El Paso County rose last month while its southern neighbor also saw a slight increase…and, a recent survey in Trinidad School District #1 shows parents still prefer the telephone as the primary means of communication with school officials.

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The Colorado Springs 2011 general fund budget proposal is up for review…Vestas Wind Systems celebrated the official opening of a new wind tower factory in Pueblo today….and, An instrument designed by University of Colorado-Boulder students has traveled 1.67 billion miles from Earth.

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Advocates on both sides of a ballot initiative regarding abortion are beginning their campaigns…One of three companies with federal leases to research and develop oil shale in Colorado says it plans to start testing its technology next year…Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has received an Air Force Academy award for contributions to U.S. defense and security…Colorado Springs city officials are providing drivers to the downtown area a little bit of relief when it comes to parking meters…and, the Pueblo Zoo is mourning the loss of long-time resident, Solar Sue.

More than 2,000 Colorado businesses, from growers to dispensaries, have applied for new state medical marijuana licenses…A Senate debate planned for Wednesday in Pueblo has been canceled due to an apparent lack of interest…Proponents of a ballot measure aimed at creating a strong mayor in Colorado Springs turned in signatures to the City Clerk today, according to KOAA…and, a Colorado fife-and-drum duo that became a fixture at tea party gatherings has split up over political differences.

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Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis faces new plagiarism allegations just one day after issuing an apology for essays he claimed to write that contained passages written by someone else. The Denver Post reports that the new allegations concern part of a newspaper column McInnis wrote in 1994 that resembled a column that previously appeared in the Washington Post…State auditors say Colorado needs to overhaul the way it funds unemployment benefits if it wants to avoid repeated shortfalls…The Pueblo Chieftain reports city council decided last night not to seek a vote from residents on the issue of medical marijuana dispensaries…and, the Canon City Daily Record reports authorities are issuing warnings about counterfeit $20 bills.

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U.S. Forest officials say they may have to shut down some national forests in Colorado and Wyoming…and, Pueblo’s Urban Renewal Authority is expected to begin its search for a new Executive Director tomorrow.

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The Department of Defense and the Colorado health department have reached an agreement on monitoring chemical weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Depot…and, as the immigration debate gains traction in Congress, an advocacy group says Latino voters could make a big difference this November in tight Colorado races.

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The Colorado House has approved next year’s $18.2 billion budget and has sent it to the Senate…Colorado House Democrats are sending a letter to state Attorney General John Suthers opposing his decision to join a national lawsuit that seeks to block a federal law overhauling health care…A public comment period on the Pueblo Chemical Depot environmental assessment has been extended, and a second public meeting is scheduled for April 27th…and, the military plans clinical trials next year to see whether breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber will help heal brain injuries or alleviate symptoms.

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