Republicans Block Vote On Obama's Defense Nominee, Hagel

A brief grass fire along Interstate 25 near Castle Rock is sending smoke over the highway and slowing traffic in the area, fire officials said Friday. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Hiker from Arizona dies in 800-foot fall on southwest Colorado 14er Crime and Public Safety | Former Douglas County undersheriff settles retaliation lawsuit for $1.75 million Crime and Public Safety | Man sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping, murdering woman in Douglas County Crime and Public Safety | Pipe-wielding man shot to death by Saguache County sheriff’s deputy Crime and Public Safety | One dead, one arrested in fatal Westminster shooting Thursday The fire sparked on the west side of I-25 between Castle Pines Parkway and Happy Canyon Road, but the cause of the flames was unclear Friday afternoon, according to South Metro Fire Rescue. Firefighters quickly contained the fire, but said smoke and emergency equipment will remain in the area along the interstate as crews work to extinguish the flames and any hotspots. As of 2:38 p.m., crews from both South Metro Fire Rescue and Castle Rock Professional Firefighters were on the scene of the grass fire for mop-up. Drivers should expect delays in the area, South Metro officials said. pic.twitter.com/PHslKEgjGe — South Metro Fire Rescue (@SouthMetroPIO) July 26, 2024 Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

The long-anticipated addition of Russell Westbrook to the Denver Nuggets roster is finally official. The former MVP signed a multi-year contract that will make him the Nuggets’ second free-agent signing of the summer, the team announced Friday afternoon. The veteran minimum deal is for two years and $6.8 million, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post, with the second year a player option. “Happy to be here, excited.

Attendance Did not practice: Physically Unable to Perform list — S Caden Sterns (knee), S Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and LB Drew Sanders (Achilles). Non-Football Injury list — RB Blake Watson (muscle strain). Out — OLB Nik Bonitto, OL Nick Gargiulo. Dropped out — S Brandon Jones (hamstring) Payton told reporters after practice that Jones “tweaked” his hamstring and was being evaluated.

A hiker from Arizona fell hundreds of feet to his death Wednesday while traversing a mountain ridge in southwestern Colorado, about 20 miles southwest of Telluride, according to sheriff’s officials. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Climber dies near Lone Eagle Peak in Indian Peaks Wilderness Crime and Public Safety | Hiker evacuated from Rocky Mountain National Park on air ambulance Crime and Public Safety | Two hikers rescued at Snowmass Lake after attempting Four Pass Loop Crime and Public Safety | Hiker evacuated via air ambulance after collapsing in White River National Forest Crime and Public Safety | Missing Fort Collins kayaker found dead at Lon Hagler Reservoir The 21-year-old Arizona man, who has not been identified by name, was climbing a difficult section of the ridge between Mount Wilson and El Diente Peak in Dolores County when he fell 800 feet down the mountain into Upper Kilpacker Basin, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office. Search and rescue crews from Dolores and San Miguel counties started looking for the hiker after he failed to return from the hike and was reported missing, the sheriff’s office said in a Thursday statement. After a lengthy search on the ground and in the air — with aviation units from three different agencies — crews discovered the missing Arizona man’s body in Upper Kilpacker Basin, sheriff’s officials stated. Officials believe he was hiking on a difficult section of the Mount Wilson and El Diente Traverse — a 1-mile route along a rocky ridge between El Diente Peak and Mount Wilson — when he fell into the basin. The hiker’s body was recovered and transported to the Dolores County Coroner on Wednesday.

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica Márquez was sworn in as the state’s new chief justice Friday. Márquez takes the reins from Brian Boatright, who served as chief justice during a tumultuous time for the Colorado Judicial Department as the agency was rocked by allegations of blackmail and mismanagement that ultimately led to the public censure of former Chief Justice Nathan Coats, Boatright’s predecessor. Márquez, who was sworn in during a private ceremony Friday afternoon, was named as Boatright’s successor in 2020, when the Colorado Supreme Court for the first time set term limits for its chief justices. “Having worked closely with Justice Márquez for nearly 13 years, I can unequivocally say that the Department is in good hands,” Boatright wrote in an email to judicial employees Friday.

Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II views himself as the top cornerback in the league, and rightfully so. At some point, Denver will likely have to pay him as such. Surtain is eligible for a contract extension, which could make him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in NFL history. His teammate and fellow 2021 draft pick Quinn Meinerz landed a lucrative extension before camp, but Surtain said Friday that he doesn’t have a set date on when he wants a deal to get done.