News
News from Boulder, Colorado and Boulder Channel 1 News editors To advertise please call 303-447-8531
Boulder police: Serial bike theft suspect arrested
Mar 10th
Suspect faces dozens of felony charges in bike theft series
Boulder Police detectives have been investigating a series of thefts of high-end bicycles from the downtown area and today, March 10, 2014, formally arrested the suspect, John William Samson III (DOB 10/04/1975). Samson was arrested at the Boulder County Jail, where he has been incarcerated on separate charges.
Samson faces 34 counts of Theft, one count of Third Degree Burglary, one count of Criminal Trespass and one count of Criminal Mischief. Twenty-nine of the charges are felonies.
Investigators believe Samson is responsible for the thefts of 43 bicycles from May 2013 until September 2013. The bikes are worth a total of approximately $147,000.00. The bicycles range in price from $700.00 to $9,000.00 each.
The majority of the thefts took place in the downtown business area during daylight hours. Most of the bikes were locked, either to bike racks or on vehicle racks. None of the stolen bikes have been recovered, and they have not shown up in area pawn shops.
Several bicycles were stolen from the campus of Boulder High School, including five bikes belonging to the Boulder High School’s mountain bike team. Those bicycles had been stored in a locked trailer and were taken during the Boulder flood.
Victims include local residents, people travelling through Colorado on vacation and at least one victim who had driven to Boulder for a bike competition, only to find his bicycle stolen the day before he was to compete. Victims are juveniles, students, professionals, a professor and an out-of-state fire fighter.
Brands of the stolen bikes include: Yeti, Santa Cruz, Transition, Titus, Felt, Scott, Specialized, Kona, Gary Fisher, Trek and Klein.
Samson is currently in jail, and his bond has been set at $100,000.00. Detectives are continuing to investigate.
The Boulder Police Department has been working in partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections, which provided critical information and timely assistance during our investigation.
Anyone with information about these thefts is asked to contact Detective Craig Beckjord at 303-441-3336. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website atwww.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
— CITY–
Fee makes big dent in disposable bag use
Mar 10th
Reduces grocery checkout bags by 68 percent
After six months in effect, estimates show that the disposable bag fee has reduced use of paper and plastic checkout bags at grocery stores in Boulder by 68 percent. This reduction means the community has kept nearly 5 million disposable bags out of the waste stream since the fee went into effect on July 1, 2013.
“This is very positive news,” said Jamie Harkins, City of Boulder business sustainability specialist. “The bag fee arose from community concerns about the negative environmental and economic impacts of disposable bags in Boulder, and this progress report shows that we are addressing those concerns and doing so effectively.”
The disposable bag fee is one of several city initiatives aimed at bringing Boulder closer to its goal of becoming a zero waste community and diverting 85 percent of the waste stream away from the landfill and into recycling, composting and reuse facilities.
Of the approximately 22 million disposable checkout bags Boulder uses each year, 60 to 70 percent come from grocery stores. A study conducted by consultant TischlerBise in 2012 projected a 50 percent reduction in disposable bag use by the end of the first year of the fee, with approximately 3.6 million disposable bags subject to the fee (i.e. purchased) in the first six months. In actuality, Boulder shoppers have reduced disposable bag use by 68 percent and have purchased significantly fewer bags, approximately 2.3 million in total.
Of the 10 cents collected for each bag, 4 cents goes directly to retailers to defray fee implementation costs. The remaining 6 cents is remitted to the city to support education and outreach efforts about the bag fee as well as to cover expenses associated with providing bags to portions of the population that might be disproportionately impacted by the fee. No revenue collected as part of the fee program can be used to support General Fund services or programs.
The disposable bag fee does not apply to bags used inside stores for items such as produce, bulk food, or meat and fish, and does not apply to pharmacy prescriptions or newspapers.
–CITY–
FLY FISHING THE SEASONS IN COLORADO by Ron Baird— just in time for Spring
Mar 8th
FLY FISHING THE SEASONS IN COLORADO
An Essential Guide for Fishing through the winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
Author Ron Baird
“The single most important factor that determines a fly angler’s approach to a stretch of water isn’t the time of day, nor is it a hatch of insects or even the character of the water itself. It’s the season. From spring and summer through fall and winter, changes in weather dictate changes in strategy. This can be intimidating. If fish were biting here a month ago, why are things so different now? Where to go where they might be better? The seasonal variation of fishing strategy is necessary knowledge for any fly angler, and Fly Fishing the Seasons: Colorado is the first-ever guidebook to address this subject.”
Focusing on the world-class waters of the Centennial State, and with full-color photos throughout, this book comprises four equal sections—summer, fall, winter, and spring—each with a general locator map and each covering five to ten primary locations. The best waters to fish in this particular month or span of months? What flies and techniques to use? Look no further than Fly Fishing the Seasons in Colorado.”
Ron Baird worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, where he researched and wrote about fishing spots for anglers visiting our state. His first book was Fishing Colorado. His new book Fly Fishing the Seasons in Colorado was released just in time for Christmas. It is available in book stores and fly shops all over Colorado or world-wide on Amazon.com
Mr. Baird is the news editor for Boulder Channel 1 and Channel One Networks
