State Fair Draws Smoking Line

Alexa Bartell, 20 (Provided by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department) A second teenage suspect pleaded guilty to murder charges Wednesday for his role in a spree of Jefferson County rock-throwing attacks that targeted seven drivers and killed 20-year-old Alexa Bartell last year. Nicholas Karol-Chik, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and a crime of violence sentence enhancer as part of a plea agreement during a disposition hearing in First Judicial District Court Wednesday. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed the original 15 charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder and assault. In a sentencing addendum, prosecutors and the defense agreed to a minimum sentence of 35 years in the Department of Corrections for the charge of second-degree murder and a maximum prison sentence of 48 years on that charge. The general sentencing range for second-degree murder is between 16 and 48 years. Karol-Chik also faces an additional eight to 24 years in prison for the charge of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder. In total, the teen could face up to 72 years in prison and will not be sentenced to the Youthful Offender System — a medium-security prison in Pueblo that houses male and female offenders between ages the ages of 14 and 19 — First Judicial District Judge Christopher Zenisek said during Wednesday’s hearing. A sentencing hearing has been set for Sept.

I never had much sympathy for people when their dogs died. Animals come and go. We buy and sell them like property. When people went into mourning over their lost pets, tearing up, calling in sick at work, going on endlessly about the whole mess, I thought they were being dramatic. Then I got a dog. You know how this story ends.

Revenge games provide a platform for players to show why they should have won MVP honors. Nikola Jokic staged a revenge game to show why he did win MVP honors. The premise was that the Minnesota Timberwolves were trying to reconnect in this series after getting skunked twice at home. They exuded confidence, convinced Tuesday would be different. Then it became Jokic vs.

An inmate at the Weld County Jail died in custody overnight Tuesday, according to the county’s sheriff’s office. According to sheriff’s officials, the unidentified male inmate was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead at 8:44 p.m.. The 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team will be investigating the incident, led by a Greeley Police Department investigator, officials said Tuesday. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Second teen pleads guilty to murder in Jeffco rock-throwing spree that killed Alexa Bartell Crime and Public Safety | Colorado Springs agrees to settle police beating lawsuit for $2.1 million Crime and Public Safety | Man charged in Colorado Ballet musician’s drunken-driving death pleads guilty Crime and Public Safety | 2-year-old girl dies after being struck by driver in Boulder parking lot Crime and Public Safety | Thornton police fatally shoot man who fired on officer near rec center, officials say No information about the inmate or the circumstances leading up to his death was available Wednesday morning. This is a developing story.  Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

Thunderstorms and rain showers will douse Denver Wednesday afternoon before warmer, drier weather returns the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service. Chances of heavy rain and small hail are largest between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, but the Denver area could see rain anytime beginning in the afternoon and continuing overnight, NWS forecasters said. Evening rain showers are expected to hover in the metro area along and south of Interstate 70, and the wet weather is expected to keep temperatures lower than earlier in the week, forecasters said. Denver will see partly sunny weather and a high temperature of 68 degrees Wednesday that will dip down to an overnight low of 46 degrees, according to NWS meteorologists. The metro area will see sunny weather with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s through the rest of the week, forecasters said. Related Articles Weather | Denver weather: Chance of afternoon rain showers, thunderstorms Weather | Colorado weather: Scattered showers, thunderstorms in mountains and foothills Weather | Colorado weather: Northern Lights may be visible Sunday, Denver rain showers throughout week Weather | Northern Lights color the Colorado sky Friday night, light show to return Sunday Weather | Colorado weather: Severe geomagnetic storms, possible aurora borealis sightings Warm temperatures, low relative humidity and breezy winds will elevate fire danger conditions across the plains Friday through Sunday, according to a NWS hazardous weather outlook. Chances of thunderstorms also return over the weekend for the Denver area alongside the threat of high winds, forecasters said. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

By KAREL JANICEK (Associated Press) PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. The pro-Russian leader, 59, was reported to be fighting for his life after being hit in the stomach.